Stormclouds Gather

[Jayce]

---

Inquisitive eyes tracked the bombers and snubcraft moving to surround Yolande's ship. Were the Scylla the only vessel in her path, perhaps her daughter could have forced past, leveraging the thick slabs of heavily-reinforced armor and superior maneuverability of the Taureau to flee further into the field and into Colorado. She was no friend of the local Navy and Police, not yet, but it was likely this Rogue was even less so. Now, though, flight was no longer on the menu. The only way out was through. Yolande's smile never once wavered as she gently patted Marie's shoulder, half as reassurance, and half in the measure of I told you so. A subtle gesture, but not so subtle as to be imperceptible. The matriarch had specifically requested Vivienne and her flight of Jaguar Noirs remain at Monaco, and been forced to harshly chastise the child in the Taus, after catching the squadron trailing her Taureau at a distance.

Her daughter seemed fit to burst into tears, having rarely experienced such a lopsided situation. Marie was no débutante to the world of combat, quite the opposite, but she'd never encountered an event such as this. The criminal underbelly of Gallia would never dare put on such a display of force, not with her family, nor any other Corsican. As though expecting the cloud of snubcraft to fire at any moment, the young woman nearly leapt from her skin as her mother spoke once more.

"Quite an impressive fleet, Josie. I'm sure the fédéraliste have quickly learned to fear it." The remainder of her comment, but I do not, was left unsaid. The Roi of old often flaunted their military might in order to force the woman into submission, and it had not once succeeded. In Gallia, Yolande's services were far too valuable to lose over simple posturing. She was playing a dangerous game, however: an unfamiliar woman, in an unfamiliar land, negotiating with a group of unfamiliar brigands and scoundrels who would lose nothing by snuffing her out. All that kept her alive, and had kept her alive through the years, was that smile, and the promise of something better.

---

---