This is...a very odd way to behave before such a combat, Casimir thought to himself before bowing once again.
"Lord Captain Tyr, if you have nothing else at the moment I will take my leave to continue preparations for the fight with the men."
Iago nods curtly, and puts down the last report.
I shall join you, Mr. Nacht.
He turns and nods to Silas. Lord-Captain.
"Gentlemen," Silas nods at Nacht and Iago. He then finishes his amasec and refills his goblet again as he muses over the system map. The key will be denying the orks a foothold.
"Now about those stuffed orks, Ludicus, I do hope you've fumigated them before storage. I don't want an infestation of space lice bringing down the crew with plague or worse."
"Bring a flamer when you check them. Just in case."
Casimir will head with Iago to check on the leadership of some of the companies scheduled to be involved in the fighting.
Trien glanced down at the sword strapped to his waist for the hundredth time, he had been hard pressed to put it away at all.
When he had put in the request for "something to hit the enemy with" he was expecting some type of club if anything at all, especially with the amount of resources being funded into the defence. This however, this was a piece of artistry. The huge sword would be unwieldy to defend with, but for attacking there would not be much better especially with the upgraded mono field.
He nodded to Ioneyse, hoping that this would adequately purvey his gratitude, he had never been good at thanks you's not that he'd had much of a chance to use them throughout his life.
The sight of Lord-Captain Silas drinking alcohol already, so soon after the party, made his stomach churn. He definitely would not be consuming any alcohol for a while yet after his drinking contest.
"Thy will be done, lord captain militant." Ludicus said with a nod as he drained the rest of his drink.
The master at arms was not one to refuse a drink, but he had a tendency to keep it at one, even at parties.
Back in the guard, he had done his best to inspire loyalty by not living in luxury when things were short for the troopers, and since most troopers rarely had more than the allotted ransom of spirits...
"I hate to say this, but the most difficult step of the planning is yet to come, namely to not only present our plan, but to sell it to the rest..."
The Commander's usual scowl is present as he walks among the troops and crew. His gaze misses nothing. From the officers on down to the lesser voidsman, Iago let none go without a stern look.
They will fight well. Everything appears in order.
As they walk the halls of the ship, he stops for a moment and places his hand upon the wall. With a nod, he moves on.
Give them good words, Mr. Nacht. They will need them soon. When the Orks come, the Light of the Emperor will seem distant and cold. The Void will welcome them, and some of them will heed its call.
"Leave the sale part to me, Ludicus."
Silas drains his amasec and pours another.
The men are generally tense, but seem stable. The worst part seems to actually be the anticipation, right now; but once the Ork menace were upon them the men would surely miss these quiet days of drills and preparation.
Members of Silas' inner circle were quick to note Irena Tyr's absence, but nothing was said of the matter. The planning continued for the next few days, while the entourage began to spend more and time working on specifics for the defense, rather than high-level planning.
On the fourth day since the Tyr dynasty had arrived upon Damaris, the Dynasty's leaders gathered in Governor Kapak's palace. The deployment of forces had just been arranged upon an ornate war table for all members to see. The other Rogue Traders, Governor Kapak, General Dante and Lord-Captain Locke all scrutinized the arrangement carefully, although the details and strategy behind the positioning was clearly lost on Kapak himself. Detailed holo-images displayed the various armed forces, while a fleet was visible orbiting the planet, along with the formidable Bulwark.
The members of the House were keenly aware of Dante often glancing at both Iago and Kavro. Today was the day he was expecting the dynasty's decision to eventually support him against the "ineffective" Governor Kapak. Navis Yosarni had gathered as much information about Governor Kapak's leadership as possible; and everything from rumors, to ancient files and direct witness accounts indicated that Dante was correct. The man had a horrific reputation for ineffectual governance, indifference and apathy when it came to most major decisions. He was considered a spendthrift and careless administrator at the best and a downright disgrace to the planet at the worst. Conversely, Dante was an immensely popular figure in the military who also enjoyed the respect of both the nobility and the common folk. Nevertheless, Kapak had seemingly risen to the occasion, taking many pro-active steps since news of the Ork invasion had reached him; not least of which summoning the aid of powerful Rogue Traders and empowering a third party, the Tyr Dynasty, to unite the disparate factions into a coherent defence. Had the man left his past behind him to rise to the challenge at hand? Would he slip back into old habits with the war won? Could the Tyr Dynasty afford to alienate the most influential military man upon the planet? These questions were running through the minds of many of House Tyr's senior officers, privy to the coup Dante and Reynolds were slowly building up to.
After a brief presentation of the forces arrayed, it was Locke who spoke first. She spoke with a hint of caution, or perhaps simple politeness; the woman was not quite her usual, blunt self.
"House Tyr. I think that, with the information we have, this formation is, for the most part, effective. However, I question the decision to hold back any star-ships at all. I have arranged fleets to face the Ork before. There can be no reserves. Every ship we hold back means more Ork's upon the planet's surface. Let no naivete consume you; the Ork will make planetfall. The role of our fleet will be to limit that landing, to the best of our ability. We must meet the initial thrust with all of our strength".
The Commander looks stern as he listens to the Council. He nods once, curtly, as Locke speaks. He leans in to speak to Silas,
Lord-Captain Locke's counsel is sound. As we noted in our own War council, she is an expert on such things and we would do well to heed her words.
"I hear you, Commander." Silas whispers back.
"Truth to be told, her words do resonate with my own beliefs. That is: we must confront this aggression with no quarter given. Hence, we must meet the orks head-on."
"Lord-Captain Locke, thank you for your presentation. Do we have other matters to consider?"
Locke mused upon the ground formations for a time while Dante continued to observe the ground map for a while before speaking.
"I see no major flaws in your formation... Well done, House Tyr. I do have a concern though. Could we spare one unit of infantry to be deployed to the rural areas as needed? Many of the outlying settlements have been evacuated and the people moved into Damaris City itself but many settlements naively think to hole up in their homes and hope the Ork's limit themselves to assaulting the city. More fool them, but I am loathe to abandon them if we can spare a force to relieve them as needed."
Jeremiah Blitz snorted contemptuously. The handsome rake idly fingered the handles of his ancient pair of holstered bolt pistols while Governor Kapak cleared his throat in the awkward silence that followed. General Dante fixed the Rogue Trader with a steely-eyed glare and a raised eyebrow that eventually compelled the man to say his piece. With a nonchalant shrug, Blitz spoke.
"The peasant's have had their warning. Who are we to block their attempts at euthanasia? The city is the source of this planet's growth and the home of its rulers. Let them rot in their villages."
While certainly masterpieces of technology, the master at arms eyes couldn't really convey anything but an unblinking unwavering stare. While cleary unnerving in the first place, they still narrowed as captain Blitz spoke.
Still, it wasn't Ludicus position to speak and stir up trouble, instead he amused himself by idly using the telescopic sight function of his eyes to put the rouge traders head in his internal snipers scope.
Boom, headshot...
The Commander's ever-present scowl deepens into thought as he runs his non-mechanical hand through his silver hair. He steps forward, all but ignoring Blitz,
Which unit were you thinking of deploying, General? He frowns, No sense in defending the lake if all the rivers dry up. The City may be the source of this planet's wealth, but people are the basis for that power.
While I am loathe to support foolishness in the face of an invasion, civilians act as they act. There is no sense in fighting it or complaining about it. He turns back to the map, If there are a significant amount of civilians, and you can find the troops, I suggest we send them. My only concern is how would we support them. If they are attacked with any significant force, they will be on their own.
General Dante did not rise to Jeremiah Blitz's provocative comment, turning to reply to Iago instead.
"I would suggest the Outriders; one of the battalions from the 2nd Highland Levy Regiment. They are the most trained in light infantry tactics and are used to operating in smaller companies rather than in formation. I am hoping that we can lend aid to the outer settlements without drawing the Ork's into a field battle we would struggle to hold against. It is a difficult line to walk, but one I feel the Outriders are capable of."
"I understand we may need every regiment to hold Damaris. I would only propose the Outriders perform this duty in the first week or so of the fighting; by then the outer settlements will have either seen sense or they will be dead. Do you think your formation could stand one less unit, say, upon the south wall? Perhaps one of your starships could spare some additional bodies to man the wall?"
Lady Orleans, Blitz and Locke all looked uncomfortable at the question. It was the graceful Lady Orleans that spoke for all of them
"My dear General Dante, Blitz and I have already given over as many as we can spare without compromising the performance of our vessels. Locke's crew are Imperial Navy and will not mix well with the ground regiments; plus they are sorely needed in the ether. Your heart is noble, good General, but I think that unfortunately, we cannot spare further manpower to defend the more... brave, members of the planet's outer populace."
The Commander looks back at Ludicus, Mr. Marleno, you mentioned during our council that the Southern Wall would be the easiest to pull troops from. Does that assessment still hold? Iago turns to Silas and says, Lord-Captain, if Mr. Marleno agrees, I believe this change is also feasible. Complicated, but I trust that Mr. Marleno's strategic expertise combined with General Dante's experience and knowledge of the planet will be able to manage the situation.
Disagreeing with Rogue Traders so my Lord-Captain does not have to. One of the many benefits of playing the part of the unruly, disagreeable, First Officer. The Commander's scowl never leaves his scarred face, despite smiling inwardly.
It does depend greatly on our priorities, Lord-Captain.
Silas gives the matter much thought before saying:
"Our priority is to hold Damaris at all costs. That said, it is more feasible to forcibly evacuate these people behind the walls than to spare a regiment who will die needlessly in a fight that could be avoided. Gentlemen, we may all die in the defense of Damaris but we will sell our lives dearly and not foolishly."
Silas scratches his chin and continues:
"... and tell those who will be evacuated that House Tyr will help them rebuild... once the crisis is over provided that they help defend Damaris."
"They can be our auxilliary."
Casimir nods and speaks quietly, waiting for the Lord-Captain to finish.
"While the decision is, of course, yours Lord-Captain, if we could spare the regiment for the early protection, I would be happy to accompany it out into the civilian areas. I think given a week and the realities of a war with the orks, I may be best suited to convincing the local populace that their salvation will come from relocating to Damaris."
"I have found that especially among those people who have chosen to make their livelihood on the frontiers of worlds, set apart from the populations of larger settlements, that forcible relocation is a rather significant issue. We will lose nearly as many people, either from the military, or from the civilians, as the orks would kill if we left them to their own devices. But I truly believe that with minimal protection we can evacuate much of the farmland as the war begins."
Trien finished the last bit of meat on the plate in front of him and nodded to one of the serving staff. They quickly shot out the door, obviously feeling embarrassed that they had let it get so empty in the first place.
Trien wiped the remaining flecks of blood off his mask and cleared his throat to talk.
I think....we have a duty to the people of Damaris. That duty is to save it from the orks. This should occupy all of our resources and attention. We have warned the civilians, it is their choice to remain and they will know the consequences. This is a brave deed on their part, defending one's home in the face of certain death takes much courage.
However...just because one is courageous does not mean we should support their stupidity, even if we send outriders to help it might encourage more people to stay, thinking they will stand a chance against the invasion. No I say spend all our resources on defending the city, because if that falls then all is lost anyway.
"Yes, a unit will be detached, of course, to implement the forced evacuation. But that is to implement that plan and not to stay behind and meet the orks in a futile battle."
"Is my intent clear to all?"
Silas meets the eyes of his audience.
Ludicus tilts his head to one side, crossing his arms over his chest as he considers the questions this raises.
"It IS possible to pull one unit away yes, the one question it raises is if it could perform it's task.
A forced relocation is likely to be opposed by the citizen, thus slowing down the progress significantly."
Studying the maps, the master at arms attempts to make his best judgment call as to if he believes a forced relocation could be possible in the first place.
Pulling a unit away is easy enough, the question here was, was it worthwhile?
"We can ill-afford to be distracted from our defense of Damaris. By doing this evacuation now, we avoid that problem when the orks are here. As to opposition, I have just outlined a carrot and stick approach to the problem."
Silas smiles confidently.
"Any other matter to consider?"
Commander McKie leans in to speak to Silas, Lord-Captain, I believe if General Dante could forcibly evacuate these people, he would have already. Perhaps we could discuss this personally with the General, see what his advice would be on how to move forward with your plan, and then we can present it before the Council.
He looks around the room, While everyone here is certainly capable, I think open discussion prior to any actual details being worked out would be...counterproductive.
Ioneyse looks over the maps that the Master at Arms is looking at and wonders about the how well stocked the city's supply house are with food.
"From a numbers standpoint, it may not be more efficient to enforce an evacuation. One can assume that if the farm folk are vehement enough in their refusal to leave, that they will become violent when faced with this. There will most likely be casualties on both sides before the Orks even land. Some people are always willing to die before leaving their land. I am sure that it goes without saying that this will likely be a public relations nightmare. There will be talk far and wide of the rogue traders who roughed up a bunch of farmers to get themselves worked up for a battle with some Orks. Even though that is certainly not our intent, others may see it that way."
Silas whispers: "Iago, I believe that the governor would be able to apply leverage that the general cannot. I have spoken with him and I found a kindred spirit. He will be up to the task."
He adds: "To go on executive session to exclude the other stakeholders will only heighten distrust to the detriment of our common goal."
"Governor Kapak, you have charged our house to defend Damaris and in our discourse you have committed yourself personally to doing all that is necessary to keep Damaris safe, did you not?"
"Can we count on you to address your people and ask them to seek safety and shelter behind the walls? Ask them to uphold the common good of Damaris."
The Commander's scowl falters for a moment and he looks genuinely stunned. His eyes narrow, and he harshly whispers back, Lord-Captain, that is not something we should talk about...here.
Is he trying to destroy us? If the General's secret were to come out here...
The scowl returns and Iago turns back to the assembly slowly, his body language clearly showing his displeasure with having to discuss strategy at this point, Very well, Lord-Captain, an open discussion it is. Governor, your assessment of the situation? Does it differ from the General's? McKie scans the room with a scowl, almost as if daring the other members of the Defense Council to speak up.
Play your part. The line is fraying, but it will hold. It has to hold.
Silas nods and smiles at Governor Kapak to encourage him. "Let's give the Lord Governor our full attention, please."
Silas Tyr's continued efforts to whisper to compatriots in a public setting drew scowls and fierce glances from the assembled defense council. Dante's scowl was the fiercest of all as he addressed Silas.
"Silas Tyr! Do you think we have sat idle, waiting for your arrival to state the obvious and save us from our own stupidity? The calls for evacuation went out the same day the Aegis first detected the Oork threat. We have been evacuating the planet's populace to the best of our ability, since long before you landed. I am inclined to agree with your adviser" he gestured to Ionseye with a meaty fist "- the Governor has already given several public addresses. Those who are left, will not be easily moved; a more forceful evacuation could be disastrous for morale and our public standing just as the invasion begins, while providing support, evacuation and relief to the settlements as the Ork's approach and assault could yet win them over and bring them into the fold. It is a fine line to walk, but I am firm in the belief that it is our best course of action; and our duty as the leaders of Damaris. I also firmly believe that the Outriders are up to this task. I know my regiments. They can do this."
Governor Kapak had clearly wanted to remain quite passive in the Defence Council, but put on the spot by Silas Tyr the large man cleared his throat and added his words to the council, speaking slowly-
"All channels of communication are already being utilized to send my message out to the homesteads, hamlets, villages and towns- that we must stand together against the flood of invaders that seeks to destroy everything we have built here, together. Many of the outer towns and settlements still retain their... colonial spirits from our earliest days as a planet, away from the city itself. Their great, great, great grandfather's claimed their particular patch of dirt and plains they call home with a rifle in hand and they will not relinquish it to anyone... such a sentiment is frequently heard from these communities. We have debated a forced evacuation before and deemed it not worth the fallout it could cause. Truly, I feel that they have had their chance and fair warning to stand with us. If they serve as stumbling blocks that thin the edges of the Ork force, so be it."
"My apologies, gentlemen. I am but attempting to seek a solution. But clearly that is beyond our present allotted time and resources, as Governor Kapak and General Dante have pointed out."
"The Outriders it is, gentlemen. The Emperor protects."
"Any other matters we should consider?"
The Commander's face could be carved from stone, Let us hope that the Lord-Captain is too drunk to notice this humiliation. This is a dangerous game, and we can only hope to avoid Silas' usual temper.
Very well. It appears you shall have your way, General. With a nod of respect, Iago acknowledges General Dante's success. Mr. Marleno's previous assessment of the Southern Wall was that we can afford to pull troops from it without serious danger. I'm sure you and he could work out the rest of the details. Perhaps with Mr. Nacht's input.
Casimir bows his head slightly to Dante and smiles.
"I don't believe we've been formally introduced General, but I am Casimir Nacht, a priest of the Ecclesiarchy. I do truly believe that I am best suited to encouraging these people to see the folly of their choices - the God Emperor abhors the loss of human lives to the xenos when it can be easily avoided. If you would not object, I would be happy to accompany your men on this assignment."
I just hope he isn't quite upset enough to kill an actual priest out there in the fields...
"Let's call a brief recess, gentlemen."
Silas swaggers to the nearest decanter. They may think me drunk but the levels of my tolerance are quite high.
"Lord-Captain Locke, might I have a brief word with you?"
In a private corner, Silas whispers, "House Tyr is making this all or nothing gamble. Have you made the same bet as we have?"
Silas holds Lord-Captain Locke's gaze for a moment, not a challenge but an assurance of his earnestness.
General Dante looked particularly satisfied that he had got his way with the Outriders, but did not become smug or dwell on it. He nodded curtly to Casimir and spoke frankly.
"You'd be welcome, but have a care not to get yourself shot. The God Emperor's light does not, unfortunately, always reach the darkest corners of our home."
Silas' request for a recess brought a series of frowns, sighs of exasperation and a few muttered curses. An awkward silence rang out in the room, filled quickly by Governor Kapak.
"Silas, we have much to discuss; together. Please, lets focus in on some specifics for a time and we can all have the afternoon."
Trien had sat quietly for the majority of the meeting, preferring to listen to the others discussing. After taking quite a few moments to mull over General Dante's points he cleared his throat, bringing attention to himself again.
Whilst I feel that supporting the rebellious citizens that ignore the evacuation call, and make no mistake their acts of putting their village before the planet is insubordination at best and outright rebellion at worst, you Dante will have the best feel for your troops.
Trien spent a second adjusting his mask and his new sword, which hung awkwardly on him, he would need to adjust the strap.
The troops losing Moral is the worst thing that could happen, and if you feel that your outriders can handle the task and would increase the moral of the troops, then I fully support you.
The discussion eventually trailed off, some minutiae of strategy and tactics having yet to be discussed and approved, but the overall feeling positive. The different elements and factions involved in Damaris' defence were, for now, united under the tenuous grasp of House Tyr, its officers and its somewhat eccentric Lord-Captain.
That same afternoon, each officer had been recalled from his individual preparations and assessments in order to make a final decision regarding General Dante's proposal. What the man was proposing was essentially a coup d'etat; an illegal overthrowing of the government. Promising House Tyr's support to the coup, however, would likely delay it until after the current conflict- refusing to assist or exposing General Dante & having him removed or arrested would surely lead to desertion and loss of morale for the front line troops, to whom the man was idolized.
The Commander looks tense. He'd spent the early afternoon walking and speaking with deck leaders. But now he now stood in the meeting room, silent. His arms crossed and his face impassive. Not even his usual scowl is present, just an impassive mask.
Lord-Captain, I believe it is imperative that we work with General Dante. As I see it there are several reasons. He pauses only a moment before moving on. First, the Governor may have stepped up during this crisis, but we have no guarantee that he will stay the man he is now once the threat is gone. So, if someone here is suffering from a weakness of moral conviction, I believe we can at least put that aside. Again he pauses, though again, he continues on before comments, Second, we cannot afford any setbacks concerning our forces. We are already walking a thin line being outsiders and our control here is tenuous at best. Opposing General Dante will put all of that in jeopardy, whereas the Governor has no such support. The Commander sighs as he pauses, but pushes on, And finally, the Governor has ties to Lady Orleans. If he is replaced, by someone who we have a better relationship, the ties of Lady Orleans to this planet will be weakened and ours will be strengthened. There are only benefits to working with General Dante. The Governor is weak, in both will and power. He is more useful to our rivals than he is to us. He is in the unfortunate position of being less useful, and therefore, expendable.
Iago frowns as he continues, this time, on a different topic, As to Lord-Captain Locke, I respectfully recommend that you not meet with her privately. As I reported in my brief, the negotiation with her was delicate. In my professional opinion, we have gained what we can there and trying to push for more will, at best, lead to no benefit. But the consequences of failure are devastating. Her expertise and ship are vital to our efforts in the Void. We have her full cooperation. There is nothing more to gain there and everything to lose.
Casimir paces as he listens to Iago speak.
"I am generally loathe to even consider replacing the legitimate government of an Imperial world. Even out in the frontier it is stability that allows mankind to move forward. I have, however, not been a part of these negotiations thusfar and I trust the assessment of Mr. McKie. After all, if we lose Damaris due to desertion, it matters very little whether or not there was a coup." He shakes his head before continuing, "Do we have any idea if the General is a competent governor when it comes to things outside of war? Does he have proposed advisors that can handle the management in times of peace? Especially if it is our intention to retain ties with the General once he is in power, it seems in our best interests to assume that he is not simply a wartime leader."
Ioneyes sits back in her chair and sighs, wondering which choice will be better in the long run for them.
"I have not had a chance to speak to either of the men at length yet, so I cannot speak with any personal knowledge about their skills. It is my opinion though that opposing Dante will be detrimental to the battle to come. Soldiers rarely do well when a popular is arrested by the government. You usually hear shouts about trumped up charges and threats of rebellion regardless of the fact the man is really guilty."
"So, though going with Dante is my choice for the obvious reasons for the short term, I can't say with such certainty which man will be the better governor in the long term. Dante does have the benefit of not being attached to any other rogue traders, which is more than the current Governor can say."
Varius looks around the chamber, a pensive look in his eyes. His monotone voice echoes out from his vox-implant, "A vessel is made of many parts. And though an engine is necessary for movement in any form, it is not the only part required for the action. Though the engine may provide the force that actually propels the vessel forward, the engine itself requires many other components to run - fuel to burn, pipes and tubes to carry fuel and exhaust, a radiator to keep it cool, oil to lubricate it - nevermind the mechanicisms of movement, say wheels, or some way to steer it." Varius relaxes in his seat, obviously satisfied with his statement.
Noting the looks of confusion on the rest of the crew's faces, he continues, "Given this obvious reality, it would behoove us to engineer a scenario whereby no action is taken to destabilize the current government hierarchy during the assault. Should Dante make his push for control during the invasion, it is itself outright treason against Imperium, and will cause strife and uncertainty among those forces not pulled from the planet's defense forces, as well as civil unrest among the populace, much of whom do look to Kapak for leadership. Locke, and the other Rogue Traders with their loyalty to Kapak, could abandon the cause at that exact moment. Without their ships, where would we stand? Yet revealing Dante's intentions now would cost us much of the planetary armies, leaving us weakened for the inevitable ground defense. It would be wise to impress on Dante the need for a unified front during the assault. Given his strong commitment to Damaris and aptitude for military leadership, he will likely garner great acclaim during the conflict. This in turn could serve as his cornerstone in his bid for rulership, but only after the assault has been fully repelled. A move too early will destabilize the planet, and leave him as a traitorous aggressor. That must be conveyed to him."
"As to my role in the approaching conflict, I could serve in many capacities, as with so much armor, both planetside and in orbit, my knowledge of techniques for optimization and repair will be invariably useful. While it might be most logical for me to start the conflict aboard our ship or perhaps the bulwark, it might be most practical to have me attached to those units being held for counterassault, so that such moves could get the most out of the valkyries and tanks."
Ludicus leans back against the wall, arms crossed, the fingers on his left hand drumming against his biceps as he considers what to say.
"What strikes me here is that in a way, the general has actually managed to manoeuvre us into a position where he has a small leverage against us.
It would most likely not be too hard for him to find enough witnesses to denounce us should action be taken against him, he may even have a recording of our negotiations with us."
"A wise player might hint that such a recording might fall into the wrong hands should we not lend our support to his plans.
Compared to the general, we are probably perceived, at leas at the moment, as less important players.
Even if the general was implicated in the recording, he could always say he was testing our resolve and loyalty to the cause.
If it stands between losing our support or that of the general, it is unlikely the governor would support us..."
"I fear we may already have made our bed as it were, we may not have a choice this late in the juncture."
General Dante is going to take this action, whether he has our backing or not. Make no mistake. We can either reveal his plans or stand with him. If we reveal them, it is my opinion that we may as well leave this planet now. It will fall. If we do not, then we can either back him openly or privately. My suggestion is keeping our association in this matter in private and tell the General that we will not oppose him. He sighs slightly, though seemingly more so at the situation than the words of the others. General Dante will not be dissuaded. We can try to alter his course to better suit our timeline, but I suggest we remain adaptable and leave it to him. The less involved we are the better. We simply need to be prepared to take advantage of the situation.
He frowns slightly and moves on, As to local unrest, I'm not at all concerned about the local people. We can make General Dante a war hero if necessary, but I doubt it will even come to that. And I can guarantee that Lord-Captain Locke has no interest in who governs this planet, only that it be governed. Lady Orleans obviously has a stake, but she's no fool. She'll object, of course, and probably loudly, but once it's clear that General Dante will rule, she'll work with him. She will not give up her connection to this planet easily, nor should we expect her to. This move simply lessens her hold, it does not remove it entirely.
There is the matter of rightful rulership. I understand that there may be some moral issue here, but my counsel concerns itself with military advice and the future of this Dynasty. I leave the morality of our position to others to judge.
"I do care about the image our dynasty projects. We can ill-afford turning on our contracting partner in this case the governor. That being said, this planet is presently under crisis. Surely, the general can be convinced that it is to his best interest to be the hero before attempting to gain the rulership of this planet. Do you see my point?"
"Do what has to be done to convince him to wait. It is in his best interest."
Lord-Captain, with all due respect, that is not an option. General Dante made it clear that he will be doing this. He will not be doing it today, but will wait for an appropriate time. I think we can assume that time will come during the invasion when he believes it is most advantageous and will do the least amount of damage to his cause. It will not be after, for if we prevail, the Governor will be the hero. And General Dante is no fool. He will see his opportunity and strike. With us or without. We remain with two choices, reveal his plan or do not.
The Commander frowns, I cannot stress enough that meeting with Lord-Captain Locke is a mistake. Though if you insist, my advice is to not push her concerning her commitment to the coming War.
"Noted."
"Our dynasty's contract is to defend this planet and not to worry about General Dante's ambitions."
Silas swigs some amasec.
"Oh and Master Ludicus, kindly look after that Alpha Distillery. Their amasec is truly to my liking."
"Excuse me Lord-Captain. I would like to clarify on the point of our contract since I am sure that none of us want to get a reputation for turning on our contractees."
Ioneyes pulls out her dataslate and quickly looks up her copy of the contract on it.
"It seems that our contract is with the government of this planet. Basically the planet is our client, not the individual who happens to be governor. Also, out contract mentions nothing about protecting the current government from civil uprisings or military coups."
"Also, it would be hard to convince Dante that it is in his best interest to wait when it quite clearly isn't? Dante is not a stupid man and can see that quite clearly and likely any attempt from us to convince him otherwise would only turn him against us and make any future dealings with him quite difficult if not outright impossible."
"What we really need to do is to see this for the business opportunity that it is. We would do well to go ahead and get in well with Dante and make sure that we are the only ones that he wants to do any trading with. If I read the situation right, he will either be the government or this city will be in ruins and worthless to us. I think that the best chance this planet has is if Dante becomes governor."
"Well he will have to wait. And bide his time. I trust that you can handle the General, Ioneyse."
Silas swigs some more amasec.
"The general will wait for the invasion to start before making his move. He will not be so overt as to depose the governor. He will put an assassin's bullet into him and step in. Putting the blame on xenos or someone else..."
"But I am not into divination and don't truly know much hahahaha"
"Neither do I know that Dante is the best chance for Damaris."