Xavier waved his cigarette at her. "And that's where you're wrong," He said firmly. "Their purposes do matter, for it marks the difference between whether they view us as allies and compatriots...or as tools to be used and discarded later."
Xavier fell silent as Lucie threw her next question at him, her attitude not entirely different from that of a petulant child. This was a woman used to getting her way, and Xavier knew that his non-committal attitude towards information sharing grated on her. It was for the best, Xavier did not believe she was ready just yet. One small nudge at a time, this game was for the highest of stakes.
Her question had hit home though, too close to his original purpose. He'd hoped to prove Humanity's worth, but had he really? It was difficult to say, and arguably the most important gamble he'd taken. Maybe the most important any human had ever undertaken.
"It's impossible to judge right now. They seem keen enough on a partnership for now...but they are inscrutable and unknowable, their purposes obfuscated," He answered finally, his voice retaining it's calm.
He smiled faintly as he considered his options. While a lot was riding on the blue-colored monstrosities, Xavier was not fool enough to put all his eggs in one basket. "Their fleet strengths don't appear to be large enough to be a House-level threat, so we should be able to handle them...if we need to."
He tapped his final cigarette out on the ashtray, considering what LeBlanc would say next.
Glowering at the Grand Maréchal, Lucie searched his face for any signs that he might be lying. Finding none, she nodded in satisfaction. Ansel was either right, or believed he was right. One of those was preferable, certainly, but she at least had faith that the man opposite her knew how to gauge the strengths of his fleets.
"Good," she replied, stabbing her cigar into the ashtray as well, putting an end to its short life. "That's all I ask. If events become more - shall we say - complicated, I want to know that Gallia will be able to defend herself adequately against these - things."
There was a brief, somewhat awkward pause as Lucie - uncharacteristically - fumbled for words.
"They unnerve me." she muttered. "I suppose I hardly need to say it, but I do not trust them, not for one minute. I see their value, however."
Frowning, the General reasserted herself.
"I do not know if that can be said for the rest of our pilots. I fear that your mandate of non-aggression is all that holds back our forces each time they make an appearance."
"People fear what they don't understand. It's a self-defense mechanism....and only those who can overcome their fear of the unknown can truly take Humanity forward."
For once, it was easy for him to put genuine conviction into this words. This had been his goal from the very beginning, even as a young child grasping at things far beyond his understanding, he'd always observed and yearned to stop this endless cycle of destruction and stagnation. For years, he'd struggled to find a way, but he'd finally found one, and the thought of finally ending his mission was the only thing that kept him through the pain of living in a broken body.
"If we can overcome our fears, we'll take Gallia forward. Perhaps even be remembered as heroes."
Lucie was silent for a long while, contemplating Xavier's words. Eventually, she let loose a heavy sigh.
"I can only hope you are right, Ansel, and trust that you will not lead Gallia astray." she said, with uncharacteristic candidness. "I, at least, have faith in your judgement."
There was an awkward pause, as Lucie scrambled to return to her normal demeanour.
"In any case," she began, rapidly changing the subject, "the Royal Navy has never looked better, even with all of these 'variables' out of the equation. Our hold on former Leeds is unshakable, with the Oubli monitoring all traffic in the vicinity of the planet and Magellan jump anomaly. I also plan to have sensor buoys deployed into Magellan itself, linked to Oubli's command centre - especially in the wake of Freeport Four falling to the Libertonians."
As she spoke, her tone became more and more authoritative, and by the end of her speech the Général had recovered her usual presence.
"Your faith is not misplaced, General," Xavier said with mild amusement in his voice.
He listened to Lucie with feigned interest, while he considered other issues. The General only saw the visible segments of the war, and had no idea of how precariously balanced they actually were. But the General had seen enough, and Xavier felt comfortable enough to start bringing her into the fold of knowledge. At least partially.
"It's a bit more complex than that. My assessment is that we're fairly evenly matched right now," Xavier said, ignoring Lucie's expression of surprise. "We might be able to win the war as it stands currently, but we won't have much left to keep law and order...so it'll be lost very quickly."
Pressing a button on his desk, Xavier brought up a strategic map that he had been perusing. Royal Naval movements were marked in blue, while known enemy movements in red with unknown belligerents being marked in white. There was a thick stream of lines coming from Texas and other Liberty Navy systems into California, boosting the defense there.
There was less intel on Bretonian movements, but everything known marked them as hunkered down in New London, too incapacitated to carry on offensives. The Taus were the main concentration of unknown belligerent movements, from potential threats like the IMG and the Outcasts.
"The forces moving against us are very strong, and we need to avoid a total war escalation, at any cost. Take every advantage that is offered to us."
"I think we can discount the Guild as a threat, Ansel," came Lucie's immediate reply. "They know their place. There is merit to keeping an eye on them, bien sûr, but I do not think they warrant major attention. Even if it came to open fighting, they are a small paramilitary at most. A small taskforce would be enough to handle them."
Even so. Lucie sighed heavily at the tactical readout blossoming on the display, before glancing up to meet the Grand Maréchal's gaze. "As much as I hate to admit it, I believe you grow more right with every passing day. We are the mightiest army in human history, and yet so many seek to see our cause brought to ruin, with more groups joining the opposition each day."
She looked frustrated as she again considered the display, staring at the countless depictions of enemy movements crisscrossing the sector.
"No matter," she reaffirmed, dismissing the readout with a swipe of her hand. "We will crush them all, Ansel, in the name of Gallia and her righteous cause. Together, we will make it so."
Her eyes again came to rest on Xavier, her expression full of conviction.
Xavier actually grinned. Not many people had seen the tired and worn Commander show any signs of levity. But for better or worse, Xavier knew that someone was backing his efforts up, and he would not have to carry the mountain entirely by himself. The thought liberated him, set him free.
"You're going to get her killed, aren't you."
Xavier's grin vanished, as he was reminded of what price he was paying, that nobody else could pay. Madness lurked in his mind, and it had returned to remind him exactly what was going on.
"No. She'll help me. To make a new state of affairs."
The voice cackled in his head. "You delude yourself. She has no idea what kind of monster you really are."
Xavier shook his head, rising from his chair. Because of his health, people did not often see him at his full height. He could have been a athletic man, a handsome man making moves in the underbelly of Gallia even. Saddled with the dangerous burden of intelligence, he had chosen a different path. A path of self-destruction perhaps, or of salvation just beyond reach.
Forgetting that there was someone else in the room for a moment, Xavier walked slowly to a window which showed a holographic representation of space beyond the Chant Du Cygne, and folded his hands behind his back, considering.
She watched Ansel cross the room, somewhat discomfited by the Grand Maréchal's silence. She'd expected more than a momentary smile and a shake of the head, and it bothered her. He's probably not taking me seriously. Or perhaps he's just feeling the strain of leading as well.
The silence stretched on for a minute or so, until she could stand it no longer.
"Ansel," called Lucie loudly, getting out of her seat. "Is something the matter? I doubt you're over there for the view alone."
She busied herself tidying up the interactive display while waiting for Ansel's response, deleting all her enemies with a dismissive gesture and shutting the application down.
Xavier heard her, and did not hear her at the same time. He was busy trying to ignore his inner voice, who was taking great delight in listing all the ways in which he'd sacrifice anyone who trusted him for the greater good. For all his vaunted intelligence, he didn't understand this particular manifestation of his own insanity. It claimed to be the force of individuality, for good...and yet, it was also his cruelty and vindictiveness brought to the fore.
He shook his head. Brooding on that would be a dark road from which there was no return. No one could know that he was this close to being a complete wreck of a person, as there was a job to do. But he could no longer carry everything on his own back, and would (terrifyingly) need to trust others to do his work.
He turned his face towards her for a moment and smiled wanly.
"I'm just worn out, General. Haven't really taken a break in a very long time. I'm sure you understand that...I've heard of your efforts."
He nodded in appreciation, before turning his face back.
"Take a moment. Admire the view."
You are the Grand Maréchal of Gallia's Royal Navy, Ansel, Lucie almost said. You don't have the luxury of being 'worn out'. And I have better things to do on board this ship than stare into space.
Instead, she bit back her planned lecture and got to her feet, striding across the room to stand by Xavier's side. He stood a full foot taller than her, but she did her best to ignore the height difference - as she always did. Instead, she joined Xavier in viewing the vista, and a peaceful quiet descended upon the pair.
"This summit has to go well, Ansel," murmured Lucie eventually, breaking the silence. "You said it yourself - take every advantage offered to us. Improving relations with our geographical neighbour is an opportunity we cannot afford to squander."