Chanteloup had scoffed at "biology teacher". She had done it again, louder, at "sexual predator". Such tidbits, intertwined with what discreet reactions she had gathered from Sombra, were all she needed to turn doubts into certainties. Her grin lingered.
She knew, at this point, that she wouldn't get much more from this girl. At least not without more aggressive measures, but that was out of the question. From what Chanteloup had gathered, it would be mostly unnecessary, and probably undeserved. She was clearly covering for someone she loved, and if there were any dirty secret that'd get Vertiga on Gallia's kill-or-blackmail-into-subservience list, she wouldn't hear it from her. I need a cigarette.
The amiral straightened in her seat and smiled, such as it was, at Sombra. "Stateless idealists flying around in neon warships aren't usually at the top of my security concerns, mademoiselle Hookier. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, it has been deemed necessary by people far smarter than you and I to keep tabs on that particular stateless idealist, in order for a certain decision to be reached. That he be a threat to Gallia or not will be decided by those people, in large part depending on what I'll be telling them after this, no doubt." Her smile changed subtly, and her gaze gave off an unusual light.
"I was only curious to know how much personal interest you had in protecting him from our... Attentions."
The intercom clicked again a second after she'd finished that last sentence.
"Lieutenant, apportez mes cigarettes, un briquet et le dossier de bienvenue. Oh, et faites préparer le vaisseau de mademoiselle Hookier."
Her aide barged in and gave her a blue-and-gold pack of Gauloise cigarettes, an elegant lighter and a file whose cover read "Bienvenue à Gallia !", with a conspicuous space before the exclamation mark. She stood up, thanked him, and walked up to Sombra as he left. She handed a cigarette to the girl, without asking.
"Come. I'm walking you back to your ship. Tell me what you'd like to see and do in Gallia on the way."
(06-14-2019, 12:25 PM)Sombra Hookier Wrote: If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.