Chanteloup picked up the smokes and murmured a shameful, humiliated "thank you". She had caught a passing glance of his nicely sculpted butt as he went back to take a seat, and that took her mind away from her own frailty. She then listened with attention to Vertiga's run-down of the freeport crisis. She shook her head all along, first in bewilderment, then with absolute scorn. She had several acid remarks all lined up about what she had just heard, but then the idealist kept talking, seemingly becoming darker and darker as he went along. Her eyebrows furrowed and her hands closed at the mention of her neck... But the tension vanished at the mention of Hookier's obscene cookies.
She inhaled.
"Spoken precisely like the stateless idealist you're known to be, monsieur Vertiga. I would have a great many things to say about this crisis you've recounted, and none of them good. I will just say that such pettiness and carefree wasting of resources and lives is one of many reasons why Gallia perceives Sirius as a horde of baboons sitting on a sea of gold. I therefore find your comparison to be both unfair and a little too simple. I respect your point of view, mind ; not caring about this... About any of this... She made a sweeping gesture. It does seem like the healthiest approach to life. You've been able to afford it, as has your crew. You speak of drawing a line ; this is where I draw it, monsieur Vertiga. Your extreme cynicism and, shall I say, personal conception of hedonism is something I can understand, and even respect, but cannot afford. These are the luxuries of people who have chosen to strike it out by themselves... And for themselves. You have the lives of your crew in your hands... The fate of several nations and billions of lives depends on the decisions I have to make every day. I didn't ask for this, nor can I simply choose to let it go. And you'd be surprised how often I relish for the chance." She gestured at herself. "I ended up in this state because I disagreed with a colleague of mine. He wanted to burn down London and everyone on it, just to get it over with. To... Make a point. I voiced my disagreement, but when that proved to be insufficient, I had to take steps to remove him... Before he removed me. I took a bullet to the gut in order to make sure this war concludes in as many people's favour as possible... Knowing that this outcome will need more. More time, more battles... And more death. This is the sort of thing I have to deal with... Which is why your freeport story rings a little hollow to me. Though I understand now why you picked that example..."
The intercom sounded. "Amiral..."
She leaned in the microphone and simply replied "Come in".
A young officer in a distinct dress uniform, which marked him as part of Chanteloup's staff, hurried to her side, and whispered something to her. A trained ear would be able to pick up something about "poule" being "prêt".
She nodded, her eyes fixated on Vertiga but her spirit clearly elsewhere. Then she replied "Bien. Alors allez-y."
The officer straightened, muttered a quick "Oui, amiral" and left.
Chanteloup waited until he'd left before addressing Vertiga again. "As I was saying... Yes. Stupid wars. Your freeport war was stupid, killing me would trigger a stupid war... As would you sabotaging my rear. Well, I mean..." She had a rare chuckle. "You're clearly exhausted, Ezrael. I could tell it the minute I saw you. You're a man who has seen too much already, and who I predict will see more before the day is done. I don't think you've come here to infiltrate Gallia and cause damage to Gallic infrastructure. I imagine that, with that bristling warship of yours, you wouldn't have needed my permission anyway... I do think you're hiding something from me. Something that haunts you, something you are, clearly, running away from. But I won't pry into it. I'm going to give my green light for your visa. It'll be a temporary thing at first ; standard procedure. If all goes well and you prove to be a decent enough guest, then we can negotiate more permanent arrangements. I'd even bait you with the possibility of Gallic citizenship, but I don't know that you're one to ever contemplate settling down... Or are you ?"
(06-14-2019, 12:25 PM)Sombra Hookier Wrote: If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.
