"Ah yes, an explanation. Well let me be totally honest, the local football team is playing in a cup final with a New London team I hate with a fiery passion, so I figured I would swing by for a chat with Hall" John spoke with a jovial tone, one which made it confusing whether he was serious or not. "But to my surprise, the reports coming out of this system which I naturally check on a daily basis, made mention of Kellers, I was surprised that the Admiralty wasn't made aware of this, but I trust the young Commodore was to let us know sooner or later. So in between the first and second half, I figured I would make nice and greet you, I trust you are being well-fed, well watered?" He spoke casually while intermittently smiling in Elizabeths direction at appropriate points. John took a few steps to Commodore Halls desk, turning to face Keller alongside Hall, close enough you might expect him to grab the Commodore physically, to add to the mental grip he had at this interval. "But do not let me interrupt your meeting, Commodore, continue, this is your responsibility after all. See it through. I will make comment if I see fit, and Keller, I will let you in on everything Dagon related, including the location of the memorial on Sprague, should you come to the correct conclusions today."
The drink actually helped a fair bit, he didn't usually have the opportunity to indulge a glass of something this quality, but it certainly made the weight of the current situation more tolerable. His communicator that currently remained in a locker after his arrest had beeped twice now, it gave a few soldiers on break the impression that Keller was quite popular, and upon checking the device out of sheer curiosity took note of the fact that his most recent communication receipts happened to be from women of repute. No doubt a source for future mockery. "I prefer service that involves military professionalism. I don't doubt Selim's ability to foster such a thing but the privateers are inherently odd and far from disciplined. I'll let the choice be yours, Commodore. Which would you prefer: service to the empire or this new state?"
Unbeknownst to Keller, if Elizabeth chose the former and happened to be the one to subsequently instate him, it would have been quite a remarkable coincidence historically speaking. It would be the second time someone like Dagon was brought into the fold by a Hall, perhaps the universe took pride in its full circles and poetic irony. Replacing the empty glass from where he'd taken it, he now turned towards Elizabeth expectantly, keeping indirect watch of Redmond as well.
Procedures, regulations. Not things Keller was familiar with, Elizabeth thought. She had met superficial hotheads before, as she called them. Most notable was Guildmaster Jack Daniels of the Core. Very proficient with a semi-automatic biradial matter disintegrator rifle, but without a clue on what documentation he would need for the acquisition of a citizenship. As experience had taught her, all a superficial hothead needed was the belief that they were the one in charge. It worked splendidly with Redmond! But although Keller was worth something to her goals, his value was not enough to warrant an exception from regulations.
"Only a Bretonian citizen may join the Bretonian Armed Forces. But as far as I am concerned, as Governor-General of Exeter..." She intended to throw a look at Redmond to remind him that local authority should be hers, but decided to let him be in charge instead. "...You are perfectly eligible to form a government with Premier Selim and work as his field marshal." She pointed at Keller's signature on the Accords, and indeed, he had signed himself as field marshal. "Now, if his privateers are undisciplined for your taste, would you not have the authority to reform them on this function?"
He smiled, that couldn't have meant anything good for Elizabeth. Especially with how low she'd set the bar for his ability to understand procedure and national regulations. Contrary to this belief, Keller was actually quite fond of studying the systems of Government that each House relied upon, and all the small intricacies therein. "As far as your office is concerned, as Governor General of Exeter you have a wide range of executive powers to rely on. Chief among them being naturalization of foreigners, thereby rendering unto them rights as subjects as per law. I'm sure your Government has already done this for those of the Zoner population who accepted Bretonian rule. Am I wrong?" Though he primarily kept Elizabeth in view, he had also shot Redmond a brief glance as if to invite correction from either of them if what he'd said truly was incorrect. He was well versed enough in colonial governance to make his point with confidence, and he also felt vaguely certain that Elizabeth would not appreciate him showing anything in the way of an intellect.
He had deliberately put off answering her question until he had made his own point, it was more convenient to do so otherwise he might have lost the trail of thought and entirely forgot why he intended to recollect something he'd studied years prior. And this wasn't even accounting for the fact that Elizabeth might have tried to cut him off and forcibly conclude the matter if she knew what he was going to say. "Yes, if I were to act as Selim's field marshal I would have all the power necessary to whip the militia into whatever shape I saw best, but Selim and I have worked together before. And we are vastly different people with perhaps more contrary views than agreements. I don't believe a head of state and the head of the military disagreeing on matters of policy is something seen as desirable in the early stages of governmental formation." If he had no knowledge of any such alternative policy, he was well convinced that Elizabeth would have never informed him of it in the moment, given her intense disdain of course.
Johns eyes began to glaze and his mind teetered off with the discussions of laws, what can be done and cannot be done, this option and that option "Oh Selim! What will he think? We, two adults in vastly different positions have different ideas and points of view, would he ever let me stand by his side?" John mocked the situation as aimless talk without purpose. "Let us ask the man, eh? What is the point of conjecture when we can resolve this in a 5-minute conversation. Can this be arranged, Commodore?" John began to walk to the door "And on the talk of what can be done legally by the governor here. It does not mean a damn. What matters is what you want, Mr. Keller, because just like Dagon, if it is not what you want, you are going to do it with the enthusiasm of a 3 credit hand job"
So, at the insistence of his patrons, the would-be Premier-turned-Privateer turned up at the building and grounds being used by Commodore, Governor-General Hall. He arguably had more important things to do at this point, like expanding his militia or appropriating Coalition cargo as payment for their numerous recent raids against the naval garrison of the Exeter System. At the same time, and due to the same reasoning, though, he wasn't in a particular position to refuse the call for a meeting whether he liked it or not.
Of course, what was on the other side of a few doors was worth the diversion from active operations. Selim's first, almost instinctive reaction, was to clap slowly. He had seen Keller breach the planetary atmosphere via docking ring and was somewhat surprised at the fact the anti-aircraft batteries hadn't actually shot him down to the point of death. That aside, Selim waited for an explanation from his patrons.
Keller's reaction to Selim's entrance was a rather simple nod, it conveyed a subdued message of respect and friendship. "Now that he's here I think we can pick up where we left off. I believe we were on the subject of where I'll end up?" He was half tempted to instead say that the conversation truthfully ended while on the subject of a handjob, but that would have mercilessly slaughtered any hope of it being taken seriously, and he'd rather not be party to crude conversation.
Elizabeth's lips wanted to smile when she presented the surprise to Selim, but she was determined to stay serious here -- at least until Redmond cracked a joke. She had to laugh to those, be them funny or not.
"Do they tell the story of the prodigal son in the Coalition, Mister Premier?"
It took a few moments for Selim's mind to click at the question that had been asked of him. " I... don't think so. That's a religious story, isn't it? The Coalition is very good at enforcing atheism among its population, though it's not perfect of course."
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