Victory and ridicule. That is what Hall saw in McIntire's eyes. That... rookie has reached the position of Commodore thanks to him, and this is how he pays back? Literally, as this wasn't about honour, but about investment. A man who was supposed to support him now supports his enemy. On the other side, maybe he had a reason to. Perhaps he calculated that it would be easier to climb to power by serving the one in power with dedication, instead of fighting against her. Competing at who serves O'Brien better was, according to Hall, not an option, as that would imply playing her game, allowing her to manipulate the players from her unreachable height like an obsessive puppet master. But on the other hand, Hall could not think of any other way to reach his aim. He prepared his cards in one sleeve, but also a dagger in the other one. Making O'Brien think that he has been tamed was Hall's plan. When her guard is down, he will strike.
"You are too kind, Fleet Admiral. Too kind to the Gauls, in your wish to be kind to us. We are members of the Admiralty, I am even a Knight, and we are supposed to make more out of less better than any other soldier. My fleets will contribute with 20% of our logistics ships and 30% of our marines. We are not planning to board anything soon, should the Freeport 1 case be settled. I will lobby, and you know I am good at that, the Rheinland government to order their military to attack Dresden, in which case some weight will be shifted off of my fleets. This will allow me to send you a squadron consisting of two destroyers, four gunboats and a proportionate wing of fighters and bombers. Nevertheless, I will still need that scanning equipment for Poole, as the system is suspiciously filling up with pirates, from unknown sources. If you think that I can contribute more, ask."
He mockingly turns towards McIntire, looking at him from a height, as if his eyes are victoriously whispering: "Can a peripheral fleet lead by a mere Commodore match these contributions even in your dreams?"
![[Image: 396AUfe.png]](https://i.imgur.com/396AUfe.png)