Carlos' arm reached to his belt, and his hand wrapped around his side arm, his finger on the trigger. Following his lead, Zavier and Ximen did the same.
As there doors to the council chamber had now both been destroyed, Miguel was resting, crouched in the anti-chamber leading into the main hall. As he saw Carlos's hand begin to move he thought to himself, "and here we go." Miguel slowly stood, quietly sliding into the Council chamber, his own weapon held loosely in his hand, close to his side. He took a place both behind and between Juan and Raul, without saying a word. Miguel Sephardi knew it was not his place to speak in these chambers, but what was his responsibility, was protecting the Elders, and when guns were drawn, no matter on whom, Miguel Sephardi would be at his Elders side. Miguel didn't feel like Carlos and his brood were a threat to the Elders, but when weapons came into play, there is no margin of error. In a moment, Sephardi had quickly and quietly taken has place, and it was almost as if he had faded into the wall. All told, it had taken about 4 seconds.
"If you want to shoot something, I would suggest you shoot our enemies. Breaking into the Chambers is one thing, 'Don,' but coming in guns blazing is something completely different. Any violence in this room and consider yourself spaced."
Lucendez turned to Montoya.
"The old man is not my friend, Juan. In fact, the last time I met him he had my gun pointed at his nose. However, I believe if we are to decide what to do with the Independents, we should ask one. Besides, I've seen his dedication to his crew. He's not like the others, and that interests me. However, there is a high possibility that he won't show his face, so lets continue with the meeting. The solutions to the problem are as follows:
1) Shoot the sons of Hessians down for treason against the Council.
2) Restrict the purchase of Capital ships by either moving production to the TBH/Benitez guard systems, or registering the Independents and deciding the merit of such a purchase in Council.
Is there anything else I'm missing?"
"The thirteen saloons that had lined the one street of Seney had not left a trace. The foundations of the Mansion House hotel stuck up above the ground. The stone was chipped and split by the fire. It was all that was left of the town of Seney. Even the surface had been burned off the ground.
Nick looked at the burned-over stretch of hillside, where he had expected to find the scattered houses of the town and then walked down the railroad track to the bridge over the river. The river was there."
"Lucendez, you spoke as if an imposter where listening in on our meeting, not of our kin. Bringing such a soul into this room would have been a gamble upon our lives. I do not like to be caught un-prepared. My side-arm remains in it's holster. Sephardi is welcome here, as far as I am concerned, but weather he has the right to speak on behalf of the Indipendants is another matter.
My family tell me that this Council and I have rarely if ever seen eye-to-eye. If the contemptuous and impertinent manner to which you just spoke to me is commonplace and tolerated here, I may be forced to take up old habits I left in a wreck in Kappa."
[color=pink]
((I'm sick of titles being put in inverted commas. If you have a problem with what the founders of my clan (Enrico, Rico, Ximen, Tavio, Ronaldo) chose to call their leader, please make them known. I changed "Imperator" to "Commandante" recently due to complaints. The one quoted is not an official title and fell into use due to the patriarchal status of the family leader. If anyone objects to this, speak up instead of using quotation marks to mock my role and imply that I have delusions of grandeur. )))
Miguel, looking up, spoke quietly, "Carlos sir, I don't think the Elders was speaking of me. There is one out there, I have found his name. The one the Elder spoke of answers to the name "Lawei." With that Miguel stepped back into the shadow against the wall, his sidearm, still held loosely in his hand.
He approached the building carefully, almost gingerly, as if he had never seen it before.
Of course he had passed by it hundreds of times in his daily comings and goings, but he had never once thought that he might enter it. The Council of Elder's building was usually under tight security and access in and out was strictly controlled.
Of course, before this time, he had never had cause, or even the desire, to set foot within its hallowed halls.
That was until Elder Lucendez had called him out.
He paused before the large gate that separated the outer courtyards from the council buildings within. Looking up he took in the place. He smiled quietly to himself, If only the old man could have been here to see this..
He adjusted his combat jacket and set his holster high on his hip, he might be a houseless Corsair, but he'd be damned if he wasn't at least going to look the part of something more. Standing tall he approached the main gate.
"HALT" a stern voice barked. He did as ordered. Two heavily armed Corsair Guards barred his way. Their weapons, polished and chromed, leveled squarely at him. On their arms, he could distinctly make out their Brotherhood badges. "Who are you, and where do you think you're going" one of the guards asked him.
He squared off directly in front on the guards, who towered a good few feet above his own height.
"My name is Ben Laowai" he said simply.
The guard looked him over again, scowling "What of it? Do you have a pass?"
Laowai shook his head. "no, no pass, but i believe i have been asked to attend this little gathering"
The guard shook his head and looked over his shoulder to his partner. "Call this one in will you, claims he has been asked to be here"
The other guard nodded and approached a small comm unit in the wall of the gate. Laowai stood patiently, quietly bemused to be here, wondering where this would go. The guard in front of him looked at him with barely hidden contempt. Ben had seen that look a thousand times before, he had seen it when Corsairs saw he bore no house badge, and more often, when they saw the shape of his Kusari eyes. He smiled at the guard. "It;s a lovely evening wouldn't you say?" he chuckled... the guard, still staring said nothing.
"Yeah he's clear, send him through" the other guard called out. Half disappointed the first guard stood aside as the gate began to slide open. Laowai smirked at him and walked through, he was met, halfway across the courtyard by one of the many Corsair bureaucrats that worked with the Elder's and kept the various cogs of government running. "Er mister Laowai, the council is in session at the moment, i am not sure if you will be asked to attend, but if you could please follow me, we will need to collect your weapons at the foyer and also sign you into a waiting room"
He didn't like to be disarmed, but figured that this far into the compound were shooting to start for some reason he would be on the losing end of it. "Lead the way" he said. Following the civil servant to the foyer, he wondered if he would be asked to speak, and what, if anything, he would say.
Miguel looked around the room, it seemed like everthing had come to a stop. Elder Lucendez and Carlos, staring each other down, neither wanting to give an inch. The comm panel on the wall chirped. Miguel slowly walked over to the panel, still facing the Benitez, sidearm still hanging in his grasp. Sephardi pressed the comm pannel and listened to the message. "Juan, Ben Laowai is waiting in the anti chamber. Do the Elders wish his to speak?"
Montoya's attention wasn't fully on the council anymore as it had been. Watching the two, Benitez and Lucendez, intently staring at each other had become boring quite some time ago.
"Terribly sorry to break up this episode of 'the blinking game', but I do believe Miguel just said something rather more important than this game you two seem intent on holding inside the council chambers, of all places."
"I suppose, that unless there is some heated opposition to Ben's presence here, we should let him speak his mind here. Many traditions have been broken this day..."
Juan gestured at the door.
"One more couldn't hurt".
Just then, Montoya looked down to his communication device, and started a little staring game of his own.
"Excuse me, nature calls." He said, without looking back at the screen.
After a moment, Juan left the visual range of the camera and proceeded to the bathroom, evidently quite concentrated on the communications device held in his left hand...
He sat quietly in the large antechamber inside the Hall of Elders. Leaning against the wall he cocked his head back to look at the high, yet simple ceiling, its arches curving to a single point in it's centre. The room itself was not that large, its dusty red/brown walls, the most common Colour seen in Corsair decor, were decorated with pictures of famous Corsairs, ships and past Elders.
He looked at his watch, he had been waiting for about 40 minutes. Nothing here ever moves fast he mused to himself. He remembered once as a child, he had passed the hall of Elders with his father. He had seen the building and asked what it was, his father had called it a "storage yard of hot air". He smiled to himself, his father had been a full blood Corsair, unlike himself, and even he didn't seem to hold much stock in what went on in this place.
"But you are sworn to fight by them" he had told the young Ben Laowai. "Remember that, they are your kin and up there, his father had motioned to the sky, "is where you will need your kin the most, and where they will need you. Its not a place you want to be alone"
The irony of that wasn't lost on him, in a way, he was called here today because in Corsair society, he was alone. He had no house, no great family. He wasn't sure he could speak for any other Independent Corsair, who, like him, for the most part, were anonymous individuals or small families, trying to make their way.
A noise roused him from his thoughts. The aide who had met him earlier had entered the room. "Mr Laowai" he said, motioning to the door behind him. "They will see you now". Ben stood up and nodded. He followed the aide down a large hallway towards what looked like had once been a large door, which was quite missing.
"in there please" The aide said, stopping at the door and motioning for Laowai to enter, as he approached he could see from within the dancing reflection of a fire on the walls, the air from the room was warm, and there was a faint smell of alchohol.
He went inside. Seated around the large table before him, were assembled the Elder's of the Corsairs. He looked them over quickly, some, were looking at him, others, had not turned their gaze at all, waiting for him to make his appearance. He recognised Zavier Benitez, the Elder he had had the most dealings with, Gentle, the head of the OPG Corsairs, and Lucendez who looked at him calmly, no gun in his hand this time. He recognised some familiar faces from the bar, and others, he had never seen before.
He walked towards the table, clearing his throat he said "I am Captain Ben Laowai, and i believe you wished to speak with me"
Welcome to the council. Theres a glass of whisky for you here. I hear you have some interesting points to add toour discussion. It seems you are already aware of the political stance. Id like you to furnish us with your own input and thoughts. I know you have good standing among many of the independent lads. lets hear it then amigo.
Gentle put his feet up on the table and flashed a grin at Ben whos discomfort was evident.
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