Why, in person of course, Monsieur Ayleward! Interviews conducted over NeuralNet protocolls are terribly impersonal, and it would be a shame to leave a most interesting personality such as yours uncaptured, wouldn't it?
Yours sincerely,
Zoe DeLisle
P.S.: Contact me on S.K.Y.P.E. personal communication channels to arrange the date of our meeting.
Remi ran that word through his head repeatedly as he looked down at the half-naked reporter, Zoe DeLisle.
She seduced me, and then was going to kill me! I can't believe I was so easily tricked... He wracked his mind as he looked down at her. If he killed her, he was a monster, and would lose support in Gallia. If he sent her back to the Royal Navy, who forced her to come, they would say he killed her. If he kept her around, he risks being killed once more by her. He didn't know anymore. His cheek where her cybernetic attachment to her mouth pierced him was still bleeding. If Lucy hadn't surprised him, his throat would've been pierced, or his spine severed because of the reporter that was forced to assassinate him.
I'll have our surgeon remove that.. Whatever from her mouth, so she won't be able to use it again. She will owe me, however, for sparing her life. And I can't trust her to be alone, or to roam free in the Vengeance.
"Remi...what the hell were you thinking?! taking some strange woman into your private quarters like that...what if I hadn't decided to come back aboard to try and find you? what if I hadn't figured you would be there?! you'd be dead and your cause would be lost!"
Lucy slammed her fist off the end table nearby and then glared at Remi.
She pointed to the bloody wound on Remi's cheek and let out a soft sigh
"I hope that leaves a scar...then maybe you'll think before you do something so damn stupid again!
With that Lucy stormed out into the corridor and leaned against the wall.
Remi holds out his hand as if to grab her before she walked out... The doors closed. He rubbed the wound on his face, the bleeding almost stopped. I should see the surgeon about this later... He applied several bandages to the side of his face, the guard have long since escorted Zoe to the infirmary to have that weapon removed.
Remi breathed in deeply, preparing to talk to Lucy about the whole incident... He walks through the doors, scratching the back of his head... "H-Hey, Lucy... You're right.. It was stupid. I don't know how or why I let myself off guard so easily, but I won't ever do it again." He tried to smile at her. It hurt his face. "Well.. As long as you promise to never leave me alone with anybody again, and constantly annoy me about something that may turn out unsafe"
I am rather oblivious to the danger, though... She's right.
He shook his head, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's not your fault, Lucy. You didn't know what she was going to do, and I didn't have the common sense to bring you with us." He pushed and pulled on her shoulders slightly. "Don't blame yourself for it, Lucy. Besides, I'm not dead am I? " He smiled at her again. Ow.
He held out his arm to her. "Shall you escort me to the infirmary so I can fix this gaping hole in my face?" He chuckled, getting ready to head down...
"She's probably in surgery right now, getting that cybernetic weapon removed. After she's recovered some, she's getting locked in a room until I decide what to do with her. If I kill her, I lose face with Gallia, for murdering a reporter." He starts to walk... "If I send her back to the Royal Navy, they'll kill her and blame me. But if I keep her around here, I risk death again..." He shakes his head, sighing. "I'm a bit cross about what to do."
He smiles at Lucy again, ignoring the pain in his face this time.
"But, with you by my side, I think everything will be just fine."
An angry Knight closing in. His palm. Static. Random numbers, static again, and finally, big red letters explaining that CONNECTION to the visor's recording device was LOST making clear that "Zoe" had been compromised.
Walther LeBlanc smashed his fist against the console. Everything had been working nicely; Zoe had managed to obtain some quite useful intel on the Ayleward and his ship, and even the old "seduction trick" (always a joy to watch, by the way) was working just fine - but of course, someone had to ruin everything. LeBlanc muttered some words of less-than-Gentlemanlike nature, before setting his hoverchair in motion via a little kick, over to the Celeste's control panel. Athenais might be dead, but he, proud Direction d'Operations Speciales agent, wasn't ready to give up this easily. Cutting docking connection to the Arielle's Vengeance, deploying the ship's PHANTASME decoy system and overcharging the Celeste's engines to near-cruise flight speed might get him out before the Knight's men learned about the journalist's betrayal; of course, it was a very dangerous maneuver, but hey - the odds of facing a reactor meltdown were just about equal to his chance of surviving the Mad Knight's wrath when he got back to the Bridge...
---
A few hundred light years away, another fist was being smashed against a console displaying the same CONNECTION LOST. LeBlanc wasn't the only one watching Athenais' little performance. Adrien Alphonse Lambert d'Orleans, the DOS's Directeur, had been wired in, watching her every step just as well - Athenais was one of the DOS's best agents, and seeing her fail just because of a minor disturbance like this was extremely dissatisfying.
"Get me Graven on the line!" he bellowed furiously. He was hell-bent on finishing the job Athenais wasn't able to complete. And he already had a plan.
First of all I would like to say that we are sorry for your pain after loosing lady of your heart. Nether the less your situation is a fine example of corruption and deprivation in Royalist High ranks.
We had an oportunity to talk personally so I will try to make this short. You are most welcome to use our bases in Champagne. Unfortunately we can't help you with gathering man for your personall vendetta. But if you are in need please contact us. Enemy of our enemy is our friend.
Maybe after you will fulfill your boodlust kill all your enemies who even looked at your Lady, than you will decide.
You are not the only one who suffered great pain. For all of you who wish to fight for freedom and prosperity for all people of Gallia. All of you who were hurt, oppressed by this government of tyranny join us, join Le Conseil. Fight your right for freedom!
Au revoir!
Jacques Moreaux
Le Conseil Grand diplomate
**Transmission send**
**Standing by**