Hi Ivan!
Don't worry about black April, let's look forward to May's bounty! I can say that I'm happy Max is by your side again
I think you're also learing a valuable Piratez lesson: You're not a soldier defending Earth, you're a pirate. You prey on the weak and get loot/ransom/booty, no point in dying against the tough guys. You know what those -7000$ are? Less than a fifth of a lowly GO's ransom. That's nothing. It's really nothing compared to what a bottle of rum's worth!
If I may suggest something for Max, it'd be to keep her unarmored or better yet give her smokey armor, and give her a hunting rifle or BlackMarch SMG. Invest in your ranged soldiers so they get better. She doesn't have great reactions, or great melee, so she's better off the frontlines covering the other girls.
Hunting rifles and blackmarch SMGs are not great weapons but they will keep your non melee gals safer at a distance, pinging away at the enemy. You don't need 18 gals running at the enemy with axes.
Having gals hitting stuff means they increase in firing accuracy and strength, so they'll be able to carry better weapons and hit more stuff, harder! Get a few hits in a few battles and you'll start seeing the improvements. The better the accuracy, the more hits, the more hits, the more improvements, etc. And the more hits, the more we kill 'em!
Then comes the scoped rifle, sniper rifle, plastasteel ammo and finally the heavy cannon. All within your reach next month, stuff that can put the hurt even on armoured guys.
Those pogroms and deep ones mean nothing. We learned, we survived, we can get 'em! Let's not forget who stood up to traders trying to invade the hideout! That's something to be proud of! We can do it and we can make them hurt! We just have to pick who to get back to first. I suggest traders
Let's see what the RNG throws at you!
Have a shot, capt'n! Then we fly the Bonny into the Kraken's jaw and from there, carve out our fortune for eternity!