Robert picked up a telephone near the sofa, and instructed his secretary to get him the "best stock Coalition Vodka."
Putting down the phone, he turned to the Commissar once more.
While we wait for the drink, let's talk about the Coalition. How is your state doing? I have heard reports of raids and the growing economy, but it's rather sketchy. Tell me about it.
He leaned back in his sofa ,waiting for the Commissar's answer.
'The state', Miller began, 'is on shaky ground after Commandante Scott's attempted coup d'etat. In a rage, and thanks to my participation in the diffusing of the situation, Colonel Gonzalez put me in charge of teaching all the Commissars how to be Commissars. I believe the soldier's belief in the Commissariat's strength is at an all time low.'
He paused for a moment, trying to decide if he knew anything about the economic status. 'I haven't heard anything about the status of the economy. I'm not privy or particularly interested in that sort of information, although I'll soon reach a point where I must be informed about all matters, including the economy. At least I hope I will.
'Raids against our various enemies,' he pushed onward quickly to hide his lack of information concerning the economy, 'have been progressing swiftly with relative success. I only recently returned from a several day survival training course on JiangXi, and have spent the time from my return to Zvezdny to the request sent to me to participate in this visit lying in bed. So information has not reached my ears in detail, but all I know is that we have recently had a number of successful raids in various locations around Sirius.'
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
D'Souza nodded agreeably, leaning back in his sofa even more, giving the impression of a relaxed individual, right before he attacked.
If your own state does not trust the Commissariat.....why should we? you could be an imposter, or a spy sent, or maybe you are here to advance your own goals...maybe you want to kill me?I understand there is some dissent in the Coalition regarding our supposed alliance....Guards!
The last word was a shout. Within seconds, three marines had entered the room, their rifles pointed at Miller. As the Commissar looked around uneasily, he noticed that the Admiral had taken out a pistol as well, and was standing, crosshairs aimed at him.
You see, trust is a commodity we shall not give out lightly. Explain why I should trust your words. He signalled to the Marines to lower their weapons, but stand ready.
Miller sighed. Heavily. The last time he'd been treated with this much suspicion had been during his recruitment, when the recruitment officer ordered five armed guards to constantly keep him in their sights. It'd taken three hours to convince them he was not a spy working for his father, Arthur Miller, who was a businessman working with BMM in the mining of water in Cambridge.
'Must we do this, Admiral?' He finally said. He needed to show confidence. No fear, no hesitation. 'Although it is a good question. Why should you trust me? I'm sure you would have much preferred to meet with Commissar Mendel and this entire trust issue would not be a question. But he sent me instead.
'Why did he send me? Because I have proven my worth to the Coalition. I have proven I can be trusted.' He pushed a hand into his jacket pocket, and came out with a small piece of paper, folded neatly. 'Twenty names. Marines who joined Scott's coup and who I had to deal with. I was trusted with this duty by General Alvarez because I had proven myself trustworthy.'
He wasn't even thinking now. He was just talking, words bottled up for months now being released, as if the dam had burst. 'My father told me that when men can no longer trust each other's word, we will descend into savagery. I'm a Bretonian; we value the strength and trust of ours words far more than our tea or crumpets or whatever other stereotype you see Bretonians with. I always keep my word, even if it kills me. There is no reason for you to trust my words, just know I take the value of my words to be a very serious matter. If my words are considered as lies then my strength is gone.'
One final thing to say crossed his mind. He raised himself, forgetting the cane, and patted his chest with the flat of his hand twice. 'There is no gun hidden under my jacket. No bomb ready to blow you up. Just scars from my survival training on JiangXi, in another relentless test of my loyalty.' Another final thing, he found it hard to stop. He was on a roll. 'The Coalition mistrusted me when I arrived at their recruitment office on the Trotsky in Coronado at the time. It took me three hours of talking to finally convince them to lower their weapons. I certainly hope this situation will not take longer to diffuse. I may be good with words in certain cases, but it doesn't mean I like being in the situations which hold such high stakes. Success or death.' He sat back down, his anger vented, and breathed out heavily.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
Robert pondered the Bretonian's word for a while. Finally, he sighed, and lowered his blaster.
Honor used to hold a high seat in my old home. You seem to be a honorable person, so I will act on my judgement. Guards!
At this instruction, the Guards filed out of the room. Robert put his blaster on a table, and sat down again.
Si, Honor is something I used to have, and lost....anyways. Let's get to the point. Mendel was talking to me about an artifact...let's continue along those lines.
'Ah yes, the artefact.' Miller said. 'The main reason we're here.' He opened a brown paper folder he'd been carrying with him and removed a single sheet of photograph paper. The entire sheet had been printed on, the image blown up to reveal as much detail as possible. He handed it to D'Souza, who took it and examined it.
It was a recon image of a star system. The system was a light purple haze, with an asteroid field. Shown on the picture was a very small section of the total system, a particular area of interest. Seven different-shaped objects had crudely been circled.
'We believe it to be a problem.'
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
