Montoya heard the outburst from Custo, and the well worded words of Carlos.
In his chair, he wheeled over to the centre of the chamber and waited for silence, which took a long time coming.
He repeated the words of Carlos, out loud.
"...equality between the Brotherhood and the Benitez family...
That, brothers, is what is in question here. You don't have to be a genius to figure out that this can never happen, for one very good reason.
A family, a single bloodline, cannot and will not control a large population of other Corsairs. This is the reason this chamber was built, the reason why the Elders were chosen, the reason the Corsairs have prospered.
Costello wrote, that the Brotherhood had forgotten its policy of guns first, words later. To an extent, this is true. However, what he missed, was the intentions I had of coming here.
The Brotherhood is not powerhoarding. We have been the main body, representing all families of Crete, for generations. The Benitez wish to shift power away from the Corsair people into their own hands. They are willing to do so even as Outcasts and Dragons smash down our gates. They say they went to attack Omicron Alpha, this part I do not doubt. However, those ships that were supposedly part of the Outcast reinforcements were actually mainly comprised of the pilots that the Brotherhood and loyal Corsairs had sent packing with half a ship or a piece of scrap metal with engines on the back.
Leaving that aside here, the main issue is that the Benitez, a single family, wish to be equal to an organisation formed to protect the interests of all Corsairs, not just the Benitez. And will the ambition stop there? I think Carlos is dreaming of bigger, better and higher heights.
It is my duty to curb those ambitions. I will do everything in my power to make sure that the main body of Corsairs, formed to represent the interests of all Corsairs, those serving on the fronts in Leon and Cadiz, as well as back home on Crete, prevents a single family from gaining power and influence.
I took an oath, when I joined the Elders of the Brotherhood. An oath to safeguard the present and future interests of the Corsairs. And I will be damned if its in the interests of the Corsairs to let a single family wield half of the power. As I said though, it wont stop there. If the Brotherhood capitulates to your demands now, we will fade into the past.
I will not allow it. Simple."
As Juan finished the last word, a slight rumbling, getting louder, shook the Chambers. Outside, it wasn't clear what was causing the disturbance, until a large battleship entered the area, and fired its retro-rockets. The letters on the side, spelt out the words:
The Black Emerald
As the craft landed, the ground shook violently, cups of drink and plates of nibbles eternally present in the Elders Chambers fell and smashed on the floor. Most were grabbing for their seats for stability, though some appeared impervious to the violent vibrations.
No more than a few seconds after the vibrations subsided, the doors to the chamber opened, revealing a figure at the door....
