The few Order officers that donned the uniform today did little more than to observe so far. There was little reason to interfere, at least by official channels and summit was still too important to just let it slip. Anything the Bretonians said failed to impress or even attempt to deconstruct any of the tensions that arose both with Stirling and in the very room. Zoners disunited, arguing, attempting to appease or outright go into war. That brought devilish smile to some of The Order veterans who remembered how it ended the last time. Coalition lacked an agenda, trying to approach from multitude of different diplomatic venues but refusing to exploit anything. Lack of the primary fleet must had had an effect here. The Core representative behaved in more drunk demeanour in self induced binge of perceived grandiose, propaganda of not even worth dismantling by any from present. The Corsair woman stayed quiet. The Inquisitor knew she was not afraid or intimidated, far from it.
Coming from the backdoor where she reported every word and decision back to The Order Command back home, she signed the paper waiver with her codename quite late from every single faction attending. Lack of name and surname may had confused the Alessa as everyone else came in plain and openly with their identity and intentions. None from the sparse Order crowd protested the nomination and the title of “Colonel Valkyrie” bore some dose of respect from the rank. Waiting for the right moment to speak, the opportunity had now occured itself.
“Cease your measurement competitions. This is childish even for the level this summit had already sunken towards. We heard the propositions to divide and conquer the planet and entire system with a ruler on a map. Would it be so simple.”
“The House of Bretonia seeks nothing else than full annexation of the entire system. They are opportunists and have time as their ally. They even almost convinced Coalition - The Communists! - to take a seat alongside decadent *monarchy* to write up the new world order for this planet. Demands towards the Zoners to expell entire Corsair population from Gran Canaria are generous naivety at best, carefully planted casus beli at worst. You there, who the hell even heard about you before Stirling had made an appearance in system?”
She pointed towards the most aggressive Zoner out of the bunch who had suggested to take the Bretonian delegation prisoner.
“Hostages prove that you are no better savage than the raiders coming to grab and loot your world. Should I remind you that Bretonian public at large will demand its security services to ensure that its citizens… notable no less, as they are the Government of Great House of Bretonia itself, will return home safely not minding a so called anti-terror campaign against Zoner ‘terrorists’? Would you give them that satisfaction?”
“Do not appease the Houses. You will sell them part of your soil and sovereignity. Few years from now on when dust of Gallic war settles, we will find ourselves again at another summit where new Bretonian paper-pusher envoy dissolves a Second Treaty of Port Jackson way before of its expiration date at a momenth’s notice and forces more concessions as they are doing it right in front of us. That is assuming they would not just outright annex Omega 49. New Australia? Sydney? Something like that. Think about the possibilities. United Coalition and Bretonian armada sweeping a *Corsair menace* from the border worlds. In preparation for their manifest destiny, destroying Sirius Coalition Revolutionary Army will be merely a formality.”
“That is if any of you succeed in rooting out deeply entrenched Corsairs already present. Truth is, majority of their raiders hail from a base some of you may know as Cadiz - implying they had not already moved their base of operations deeper into heart of Bretonia already. Here present are people who toil to support their families so they would not have to come hungry. What is left to a Corsair once you take their only ability to make an honest living? An honest, sanctified by centuries of Cretan tradition venerable life of a raider plundering all they need to live from Bowex, civilian casualties be damned. I dare to say we are looking for greatest wave of piracy to roll though Omegas if any of your mystically crafted war plans ever achieve at least some of their milestones.”
“Have you noticed the Cretan is not talking? This is not fear. No matter what you decide with or without her, your strategy will work as intended only as far to a point of making a contact with your enemy.”
“That tea sipping scribbler is holding you by a throat. They have capability to cancel the threaty you signed with them years ago at a whim but do not appear to have power - or willingness - to withdraw their battleship. Laws of the Houses matter here as much as what Admiral of The Order had for his breakfast. If you will not force the aggressor to mediate with you on equal terms - such as pre-Stirling status quo held - The Crown will look into that as a weakness. Simultaneously remember that Port Jackson is no longer a legal civilian settlement and by all rights all denizens of Gran Canaria could lay a siege to this now illegal enclave. I do not doubt Corsairs will try. If it wasn’t for Bretonian intelligence service already stabbing us in the back, we would gladly declare war on your pitiful nation. Your directors robbed us of this privilege.”
“Furthermore, I have news from the outside. A Zoner rebel group is already underway to carry out a nuclear assault on HMS Stirling. Likely way too late to stop them. In addition, word from the Order homeworld itself. The Admiralty thinks this charade has gone on for enough. The comms say as much…”