Behind Alabaster Walls

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

J laughed and shook hands while offering the customary sign of respect among Mahanionians with a simple nod of his head. “Welcome to Mahanoy. Mi casa su casa, or however the phrase goes,” J added while grinning.

“Yeah, sorry about locking on you guys…standard protocol,” a pilot explained holding his helmet as he strode towards them, “we take anything not Mahanionian out of the sky that isn’t authorized to be here…and sometimes we take out Mahanionians just to be safe.”

The group of fighter pilots advancing were now laughing, the common knowledge of their protocols between them. When only moments ago each pilot was targeting the other, it was almost a strange sight to see everyone laughing and horseplaying despite the raised tensions in the sky.

“Glad you guys came with us. Stick with us for a while and we’ll take you up sometime…see what you guys are really made of,” J winked. “There are so many of us that I would introduce them all if it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time. Most of us will be out of here by night. I am charge to the aerial guard so I will stick around and you have Marshall who is also charged to the guard right here,” J pointed to the man who was still attending to his plane oblivious to their conversation, “and you have Jake who will be sticking with us as well,” he motioned to the man punching another Mahanionian in the shoulder. “I know we are only allies, but anyone who enters this nation and survives, we consider a brother. So if you guys need something let us know. Oh…but we have one serious rule you have to follow while here-”

“Do not leave the Sector without a guard,” the voice chimed in from behind J as the blonde-haired man strode up to join the group.

Nodding in confirmation and then to the man who joined his side, J turned back to Rhodes, “we are an aggressive and hostile nation if we feel threatened. It is best not to test those waters by avoiding any possible chance that we might be force to react. The unauthorized breeching of airspace around here results in death most times. We like you guys…just want to give you the heads up,” J spoke as he laughed, “and this is Alera, a Runner here in Mahanoy.”

Alera nodded with crossed arms as he stood there, “they handled the situation well. I was expecting resistance.”

“See…told you nothing to fear from these guys. They have what it takes to play with us,” J laughed and watched as Alera shook his head in a sign of defeat and went back to the flight tower.

“That’s a hell of a compliment from him guys. Runners are cut-throats around here, they are the best and tend to remind you that. We only have a few Runners that are pretty cool guys…hopefully you’ll get to meet them,” J reassured as he swung his arm Rhodes. “So what’s with the blue eyes?”

[Allegheny]

“Well you won’t have to worry about us needing a guard, we won’t be back into the air until the Commander shows up to leave again.” Cain said. “But thanks for the warning. And no hard feelings about the missile lock, we know how things need to be done.” He said with a knowing smile.

They nodded and greeted everyone J introduced them to, noting who was who.

Rhodes nodded. “Yea thanks for the welcome guys, it’s nice to get out of country after a while.” The others grunted in agreement.

“So what’s with the blue eyes?”

Rhodes blushed a little, he wasn’t used to anyone asking straight up about the implants, they took getting used too. “Oh they are ocular implants, we get a secondary display put up across our vision, it helps us track targets. Thats pretty much it. They hurt sometimes.”

“Like a bitch.” Audrey added.

[Reziel]

— Begin quote from ____

“…] Young men who can remind him what people his age should be looking forward to doing…not this constant running for his life.”

— End quote

«Oh… I could introduce you to a number of young men who’d respectfully disagree, but I definitely understand your point» lolled Jordan, a smile enlightening his face «You know… methink this is tightly linked to you military nations. This constant strife to be the best of the best, challenging everyone else to see who has the longest… oh well, you get the point. Sorry, I know you’re a Lady and this is rather inappropriate. Derrick’s fault. Silly hero-playing Archangel. Taking his mission of looking after your ass too seriously… too much in the non-literal sense, above all»

Grinning at her eyes wide open, he jumped up.

«Well… no need to bother you any more. I’ve had the answer I needed and I have to reach DD before he stops cloud-chasing and decides he want to disappear once again. Random things, however… yes, I definitely suspect Novac is alive. There’s no corpse, after all. And if there’s someone able to plan and carry on something like this… that’s definitely the Rezielan precious Prince. But… consider this as incredibly confidential, Vaeda. The Grand Duchy is not in the position to indefinitely sustain a close look of Mahanoy. Let’s not focus the badguys’ attention… just a bit of covering up and elusive answers. Oh… and the same with internal EPTO procedures for the next couple of days, if possible. Even if he doesn’t know it, Derrick will need a couple of papers signed from the Secretariat… I’m rather sure you have plenty of better things to do, instead of going after little unconvincing procedural details, no?»

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

OOC:

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you appreciate this one… :lol:

IC:

Aria smiled softly, the smile followed by the subtle nods of approval among the high ranking officers as if they seemed to agree in unison that Cassandra had answered exactly as they had expected and the answer itself rather suiting this particular alliance.

“You have gained yourself a valuable ally as well Commander.” Carrying the weight of silence, the table turned to look at another man who had walked up to the table.

Cassandra turned slightly to see the man better, noticing the lack of insignia on his uniform and an obvious silence that followed his comment. It was Brandon’s slight squeeze of her thigh that reassured her what was said was good coming from this man.

“Orr, when did you get back?” Brandon asked, breaking the conversation.

“I followed your flight into Mahanoy. Arrived not long after you did,” Orr spoke as he pulled up a chair from another table and sat on it.

“How did the mission go?”

Shrugging, Orr’s face remained motionless. “Lost three Runners. Tia10 went down off the coast. No survivors reported.”

A grimace moved throughout the table, the news unsettling. “Not good?”

“Opposition has been suppressed. We eliminated the resistance. No survivors reported on their side either.”

Weighing the cost of their own men’s lives, a soft whistle departed from one of the other officers. “At least we got them. Tia10 though? Damn. So the rumors were true.”

“I am afraid so,” Orr spoke, the first hint of dejection in his voice.

“We must look on the bright side,” Aria interjected, “we now have a new alliance with a strong partner nation. We are very much glad to see you made it home Orr. Our guests will be touring Kuro Institute tomorrow. You may wish to accompany them.”

“Thank you Lady Diehl. I shall join your party tomorrow. Unfortunately, I cannot stay for dinner. I have reports to complete. Official briefings. Collateral cleanup. You understand the work that goes into these types of missions,” Orr responded as he stood up and bowed his head to the attending party before returning his chair and walking through the room, stopping periodically to meet with an old friend.

“Orr,” Brandon spoke to Cassandra and Patterson as the table picked up their own private discussions, “is one of the main operatives running The Reich war. For most of the year and some he operates out of our hub nations, mainly WhiteCastle.”

When Patterson was engaged in conversation with other officers, each engaged in their war stories, Brandon lowered his voice some as he hid behind the knife he used to cut his meat, “He is known for leading the infamous Mahanionian eradication missions. The man can plan to destroy an entire nation with only three pieces of information…your energy sources, your communication methods, and education systems. Most people laugh at the last one, but he has linked his destruction missions to those systems and has been successful each time. He hates losing men though. We can take out thirteen million people, an entire nation, and an entire military resistance and he will consider a mission a failure if he loses one officer. Runners are valuable to our military, but three in comparison to what we obtained seems like more than a fair trade off and he will consider the entire mission a failure. But hey, it’s where he earns his respect,” Brandon shrugged to himself, “we all know we can depend on him to really do his best to bring our men home.”

“Tia10?” Cassandra asked, her voice also a whisper as the conversations around her grew louder and more animate with laughter.

“Code name for Genocide’s flight. We lost Genocide,” Brandon uncomfortably looked at his plate.

“Who…?”

Shaking his head, Brandon indicated ‘not here’ to Cassandra, smiling softly at her with the promise to tell her later in private.

Engaging in conversation, the two blended in with the merriment until dinner retired. Departing and leaving the officers behind, Cassandra and Patterson joined Brandon and Aria after saying their goodbyes.

“So that was one hell of a dinner,” Brandon shook his head to Aria, “I was not expecting the full entourage.”

“Of course you were not Mister Dinardeau,” Aria spoke as she escorted them to another plane. “But the occasion merited it.”

“Thank you Lady Diehl. I imagine your funds made this possible.”

“It is only a small fee to serve our new allies. You misjudge the cost when it pertains to such important affairs Mister Dinardeau. When we need something done right, my family has no qualms in being among those to ensure it is handled correctly. I would expect no less of a grand entrance for our new allies,” Aria spoke, her words soft as they carried into the night sky.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra nodded, “You honor us with your gracious hospitality,” Her voice retaining an official tone. Patterson nodded in agreement, opting to keep his mouth shut and let Cassandra do the talking.

A yawn threatened to escape her mouth as she fought it back, the combination of food, wine and jet lag had taken a toll upon her body despite the light sleep she had acquired on the flight over to Mahanoy. “More flying?” She said in a humorous manner.

Both Brandon and Aria nodded, explaining that it was one of the primary forms of transportation within Mahanoy. Cassandra half listened to their responses, her physical feelings reminding her how unfit she would be for field duty if she was called to it, despite the injury or not. It was times like these where she understood why Patterson had denied any promotion past Colonel. These days it was easy for the tiredness to take over her, when only years before she could stay awake for days.

Officers in Mahanoy did not become lazy and fat, or so she was led to believe they didn’t. Her strict fitness policies for all members of her military were still not enough in her mind, if she could become tired this easily then she was failing in her ability to keep up with younger service members. Her mental state disappointed her also, she had prided herself in being able to keep attentive and to keep a standard of professionalism she had made for herself. But now as she stood next to Brandon while they conversed all she wanted to do was remove herself from this official stance, to be with Brandon and to be her true self. A self that did not worry about keeping appearances amongst dignitaries and military officers.

During the few seconds she had allowed her mind to wander a silence had developed between the four people. Cassandra snapped out of it, “Lady Diehl I must once again extend my personal gratitude to you for such a wonderful greeting and making us feel like welcomed friends. I hope that Allegheny may one day be able to return the courtesy.”

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

The flight was short despite the distance that passed between them and as they approached Sector 5137 Brandon looked out. This Sector was much smaller in comparison, lacking the ornate structures of other Sectors. It was far simpler and secluded, difficult to reach without the knowledge of its existence.

As they rapidly descended, Cassandra felt Brandon grasp her hand resting on the arm rest. She turned, his skin a shade paler, sweat beads forming at the base of his hair line, a slight look of nausea on his face. While the rapid descent was hard on an unprepared body, she found that it was not nearly as bad of an experience as the feeling Brandon seemed to be experiencing. And it was then that she realized he was terrified of flight, an almost uncanny response to expect from someone living in Mahanoy.

It was not until Brandon stepped foot on the tarmac that he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, allowing the anxiety to disperse as he took a few deep breaths. Avoiding eye contact with anyone for the moment, Brandon lingered behind as Aria led them to a waiting horse drawn carriage.

The air here was much cleaner, the air traffic barely existent. It was as if they were isolated from the rest of Mahanoy in this private Sector. It dawned on Cassandra after seeing what she had that it was exactly the reason why the Diehl’s owned this Sector so isolated and very far away from the rest of Mahanonian main culture. The Diehl’s were obviously people of power and people who needed to be away from the hustle and bustle of Mahanionian living to protect their own interests.

Aeruagina appeared before them, the ornate historical structure stretching around them and despite the night time, it was still clear that this family had wealth. As the coachman guided the carriage around the grand entrance, Aria was assisted off where she extended her hand to her guests.

“Welcome to my family’s home,” Aria spoke guiding her guests into the large foyer lined with the art of the world, a collection across time and nations unheard of, “your quarters for this evening are upstairs, any room you desire is open with the exception of my son’s room. He seldom informs of us of his visits. To respect our love for him by keeping our home available to him, I would like to keep his room open in the event he decides to come home. Make yourself at home here while you stay. I am going to see that tea is ready, so please excuse me for the moment. Jacqueline will guide you if you have any questions or would like to explore the grounds. You may feel free to join me in an hour in atrium. I will take no offense if you feel too tired this evening. It is a custom I keep to each night, so please do not feel obligated to attend. You had a long day, rest and relaxation is more important while you are here,” Aria offered with a very soft smile to the Alleghenian guests.

Brandon nodded and as they departed he looked to Patterson, “you will need to contribute to this room you know,” he said with a laugh. “Aria likes to preserve history and culture. She will pay your nation a great sum to include something of significant cultural value to this house.”

Leading them to a small room overlooking one of the outdoor fountains, the intricate recreation of a live black and gold universe displayed in the middle of the room, he nodded his head towards it, “I should know, she paid me greatly for that. Call me a romantic or less of a man,” Brandon confessed, more himself now than he was earlier the evening, “but it is all the beauty of the world in one place. No chaos and destruction. Aria’s home here represents the beauty of what we can do…bring together nations, all contributing to a common purpose. It is the reason I believed so much in what we did…”

Becoming again rigid with some memory, he ran his hand through his hair, “anyways, Aria is safe. She is a very respected Mahanionian. You can feel free to openly discuss matters of privacy and importance here. They will be kept confidential. And Patterson, you seem like a man who values the intricacies of details. Jacqueline can take you to the Clock Room. You should see it for yourself. Don’t ask me why anyone calls it the Clock Room…but I think a man of your caliber would appreciate it. I am going to rest her for a bit if you don’t mind.”

Understanding that Brandon was trying to vie for some personal space, Patterson grinned to himself, respecting the man. All he had to say was ‘I need a moment,’ but the elaborate roundabout way of saying that made him laugh some. He would check the room out for shits and giggles…he too wanted to see what this place was about.

When Patterson had left Brandon seemed to collapse on himself, the guarding of his injured side more noticeable as he held onto the golden railing that circled his blackened universe. After a few painful breaths, he looked up to the universe as he spoke to Cassandra, “welcome to Mahanoy. Is it what you expected?” he almost laughed, knowing the perception and reality of Mahanoy were often skewed.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

“Hard to engage in that contest when you are a female,” Vaeda stood, smiling as she escorted Jordan to the door, “let the records show that Mahanoy does not support Mister Diehl’s renegade behaviors. They have ordered for his immediate arrest. However, so long as I represent EPTO, I cannot intervene with the intricate politics of Mahanoy and must place the interests of this region and Carbonis above all else.”

“Oh… and the same with internal EPTO procedures for the next couple of days, if possible. Even if he doesn’t know it, Derrick will need a couple of papers signed from the Secretariat… I’m rather sure you have plenty of better things to do, instead of going after little unconvincing procedural details, no?”

Vaeda smiled with a slight laugh in her voice, “I will see what I can do. Thank you for your time Mister Carlyle.”

As he departed she looked to the laptop sprawled open on the floor, the emblem of The Elite Empire on the document she had been writing. She sighed as she retook the computer, sending the official report along before closing the computer. Looking back to the window, her heart panged at her…she was so unfit for this role. Why had Novac asked her to accompany him? She was still just a child herself, young and naive, blind to the life that accompanied these affairs.

Her perception of official business was forever burned into her mind as she looked into the black hole, the barrel of the gun extending out as long as her arm reach, and the look in that man’s eyes as his finger began to depress the trigger. No remorse at the life he was about to take. It was all business and no life was valued in war.

Reminded again that this political spectrum was no place for her, she absentmindedly opened the window, allowing the breeze to awaken the stale air of this room. She had longed more than anything to be out there with the breeze, running with the deer. It was the life she always knew…and here she was trying to pretend to be a diplomat and failing miserably. Aria was a far better diplomat, a professional among professionals…her life spent in the life of representing The Elite Empire’s highest values. But it was Novac who asked her to come here…she had to believe there was a reason why he selected her over Aria.

Turning to the bed she embraced the pillow on it as she plopped onto it. She was still young, he was still much older, but she could hope, couldn’t she?

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Still unable to move, Novac remained in the bed as he looked to Reiser, wishing he could fight against his own body’s immobility just to stand up and greet the man.

«That’s indeed something we should discuss» grinned the Colonel «because well… I am not persuaded it would have been just as safe. Not sure why… but my instinct saved my butt dozens of times and I’ve learnt to trust it»

With that same imperceptible grin that seemed to cross his face although his expressions remained motionless, Novac responded less seriously, “Then I am glad it was not your butt on the line this time Reiser.”

Jesting at his own incapacitation, Novac maintained eye contact with Lachdanan. It was all he could do in that moment and wanted to do his best to show respect when all other nonverbal cues failed.

“I thank you and your staff for bringing me back this far. I will have to trust your assessment of the situation that this was the safest place for me, which brings us to the most important point. I was told that my accident was a possible attack against EPTO. Had my departure not intercepted that van, it may have attempted to take out the ambassadors at the conference. If this information is correct, we have a far greater problem than my safety. Anyone bold enough to move against the EPTO conference must have connections and power to back a political statement on that scale. No one will argue that the execution was poorly planned. No serious opponent would make the fatal error of sending a van to blow up a regional alliance unless the intention was to deliberately fail and test our responses to the situation. The unintentional element that may have altered their plans was actually succeeding to eliminate a member of EPTO. By my assessment, I think we should turn our focus to what nations have gone quiet since my accident. Bring me a list of nations who have gone off the radar since my accident. I need to see who is doing what,” Novac returned to the General he was despite his inabilities to move.

He may have been paralyzed at that moment, but his resolve was set. It was clear to Lachdanan that this was a man of absolute dedication. He knew that this man would not rest until the task at hand was resolved. He was trusted into this position and had duties to fulfill. Their casual conversation and concerns would have to be placed to the side. It was time for business in Novac’s mind and Lachdanan could see that Novac was determined to see to it that the job was done despite the barriers.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Unspecified Location, The Packlivanian Empire

“And he was eliminated?” the mechanical woman’s voice questioned.

“Unfortunately we do not know. Our collective intelligence has been blocked by his disappearance. Whoever is hiding him is beyond our reach. Our drones cannot infiltrate that deeply. It was as if he had simply vanished.”

“If matter cannot be created nor destroyed, that General could not have vanished. The Rezeliens were acting as guards at the conference. By deduction, they must be responsible for his disappearance.”

“Why is it so important that we test them? Is it so important to know where this new Secretary General is?”

“He comes from a nation outside of The East Pacific. Our intelligence has not extended outside of this region. He may be a threat to our organization. This Elite Empire may serve as a rival to our existence. We must know what these Mahanionian leaders are capable of so that we may defeat them. They may be worthy of assimilation.”

“Why did they let him leave?”

“He should not have left that building. I am afraid that his disappearance will hinder our ability to remove this threat to our existence. We must find him. We must lure him out. We must see what this man can do. And when we get the opportunity, if we cannot befriend him, we must assimilate him. An outsider taking leadership of this EPTO. It is unsettling. I ask myself what is he capable of? What are they all capable of?”

“These are challenging questions. I agree that we must find out. Will Noi support the exploration of them?”

“Noi has already approved of this exploration. She has granted us authority over several units for this mission. She agrees that any threat against our Empire must be understood. If we cannot befriend this new General and this Elite Empire, we must assimilate them or destroy them. If they can rival our power, we cannot let them challenge us.”

“I must agree. What do we do next?”

“We must lure him out. There must be something he will leave the protection of his hiding place for. Find this something. Find someone to attack this something. Assimilate this something if you can. We must learn more. Humans hurt when you attack the things they love and care about. Make him hurt and want revenge enough to come out and play.”

“Yes Ota.” Turning away from their wordless conversation, the mechanized being waved to a series of drones that followed as it departed.

Ota watched as they departed. The Hive knew…the collective extending behind just them but she reveled in this knowledge. The Hive knew. The drones would seek out information, they would all receive it. There would be no hiding from them. This General was only safe for so long and she knew the Rezeliens were foolish enough to think they could protect him from the inevitable for any amount of time. Had they not dared to stand against them in the first place with that alliance? If it was a war EPTO wanted, it was a war she was willing to execute.

[Allegheny]

As Patterson left Cassandra also dropped her official stature momentarily leaning her backside against the golden railing next to Brandon before a thought in her mind told her she probably shouldn’t lean on it. “It’s nothing like I expected at all, beautiful and mysterious at the same time. I couldn’t live here though, to many people masking their real selves. How do you possibly cope with that everyday?” She asked not expecting an answer and even before Brandon could try and answer she spoke again, “I learned something about you today.”

“Oh?”

“Yea,” She quickly responded moving to jab her pointer finger into his injured side, fast enough to catch him off guard but slow enough to allow him to react. Brandon grabbed her hand and moved it away from his injury. “You lied to me.” She finished ripping her hand out of his grasp. “You are in no condition to be doing this now, you should still be in the infirmary back in Allegheny, fool.”

Brandon grinned at her genuine care for his wellbeing but said nothing as Cassandra moved closer, her face close to his. “Maybe Mahanionian life spans would be longer if their men weren’t such stubborn fools.” She moved away turning her back to him as she examined the room. “Do you know what else I learned about you today?”

“What.”

“That you hold the facade quite well amongst these people. A man like you could do alot of damage amongst my people who find being straightforward is much more comfortable for them.” Cassandra finished.

Brandon approached her, her back still facing him and embraced her from behind, taking in the scent of her hair. “You don’t have to worry about things like that.” He said feeling her lean into him, “Maybe Alleghenians shouldn’t be so paranoid of every new thing they come across.”

Cassandra quietly chuckled as she stood there with him, she could have fallen asleep right there as the warmth of his body and the very slight sway of their embrace relaxed her. She let out a loud yawn as she broke the embrace and turned to face him. “So… shall we meet the lady for an evening stroll or would you like to tell me more about this Tia10 and Reich War?”

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

As he held her in the embrace catching the soft scent of her hair, he too wanted to just lay with her, rest from their long day. She was witty, cunning, and observant and as she reminded him that he could no longer hide himself around her, he fell more deeply into her. She was a woman who was learning who the real him was and he found himself enjoying the feeling of vulnerability, of being completely exposed to another human.

That soft sway almost lulled him to sleep until Cassandra yawned and turned towards him asking him about Mahanoy’s dark past. Leading Cassandra outside to the fountain he painfully took a seat on the bench and taking Cassandra’s hand, led her to sit beside him to rest her own leg.

“Tia10…,” Brandon’s voice grew darker, almost chilling as he shook his head of the news that was publicly confirmed today. News that was not really news among his circle in Mahanoy, but hearing it spoken a loud seemed to grate his nerves. “Genocide was our new Figurehead after Dante went down. Our Figurehead is…how to explain this?” he seemed to again become nervous, “we have a face to our nation. Our Figurehead becomes the face we attach to our nation. Genocide…she was just a face, a damn child for crying out loud. I don’t know what possessed her to go to war but she was too young. Too young to think of the consequences of that decision. She went down off the coast of The Reich. The Reich…ha,” Brandon half-laughed darkly, “has been the bane of our existence of late. Our former Figurehead lead a total annihilation war against it. I’ll be honest, I have no clue why. He never gave us answers and I’m suspecting it was either a personal grudge or he far more brilliant than any of us gave him credit for because the technology we reaped from that war put us at the forefront among nations of our class. Most of what you see today are the byproducts of that war, our planes and our communication systems…all created and tested to endure the hardships of war.”

[Allegheny]

“What a horrible name for a child.” Cassandra said aloud, “Genocide.” The image of a young child flying a fighter craft did not seem so impossible as the image of herself holding an old scoped rifle, dressed in a black poncho and a beat up steel helmet was conjured in her mind. Both of them part of Two different worlds and two different times. She understood why leaders went to war, no matter what the reason whether it was revenge, for resources or simply because they could. Allegheny was an example of those simple reasons. “It’s possible she is still alive, but… if my assumptions are correct a war of annihilation does not make a good environment for prisoners of war.” She could tell that it was hard for Brandon to explain to her, but she could not tell the reason, that would come as Brandon came to put his full trust in her just like when she told him how she lost a part of her leg.

“In Allegheny, there is a legend that originated many generations ago in the military. Religion isn’t very popular in a nation that knows only how to step on each other, it’s one of the closest things we have to a religion. Anyways it goes as such, that long before our recorded history a great conqueror came and established a warrior nation called Thule, the word Thule having a loose meaning of beyond the borders of the known world. It is said that men and women who fight for what they believe in will be sent to Thule to live forever among those he fought against and those who fought alongside of him. In this day in age we bury our soldiers on a little hill called Thule, we parade the body on foot to their resting place. The legend is complete silliness, most likely created by some shell shocked soldier long before you and I were born, but sometimes it gives me a small amount of comfort when I think about the people who died alongside of me or under my command.” Cassandra finished her long winded story and sighed, caressing Brandon’s hand with her thumb.

“War is a horrible thing and we are it’s tools. In the end it is all we know, no matter how long we have been away from it, it is all we will ever truly know. The only place people like you and me and that child will ever feel comfortable. I’ve learned that during the heat of battle our truest of selves emerges and we are shown for what we really are. Sometimes I feel that if I stripped this uniform off and left to have a family that I would finally feel at home, but then I would never be able to experience my true self ever again, I would be living a lie. The shame in her death is that You and I will never be given the chance to experience her true self, only her fellow soldiers will know that honor.” Cassandra became silent, her face as serious as ever.

“How long has this war gone on? If you gained alot of this power through warring with them, then I can only imagine how ruined they must be. Usually wars that are fought with even scales do not yield a massive jump technologically, so my assumption is that Mahanoy destroyed a fair portion of this Reich.”

[Terasu]

— Begin quote from ____

Elysia,
DD is in Liberty City. Having to meet Vaeda. EPTO HQ, prolly. If you’re anywhere in FPS, hurry up before he vanishes again. If you need help getting there, just ask. As always. And don’t forget… you owe me one.
J

— End quote

“What will you do?” the voice was quiet, almost soothing.

“I think I should go.” Elysia glanced across at the antiquated speaker phone, hoping it’d tell her what to do.

The voice made a noise that was almost certainly accompanied with a shrug, “I don’t know. You’re on your own.”

“I should go.”

“Is it safe?”

Elysia laughed, “Probably not.”

“If it’s not safe then don’t go.”

“I need to see him.”

“First you’re asking me and now you’ve suddenly made your mind up?”

Elysia smiled weakly, “I knew all along.”

The voice cleared its throat, “If they try again you might not be so lucky. You shouldn’t go, you’d be stupid to–”

“You call this lucky?” Elysia almost yelled, her composure wavering somewhere between anger and despair, “Stuck here? Because someone tried to kill me for a reason I don’t even know!? I barely even remember what happened, just that now I’m stuck here and I can’t go anywhere.”

“The point of this is that hopefully the people that tried to kill you think they succeeded, or at least can’t find you, and stop trying to kill you and eventually get caught. Then when they’re dealt with you’re free to go wherever and to do whatever,” The voice replied matter-of-factly, “If you go wandering off you undo all of the work and that’s not very nice.” The voice added, almost as if it intended to be patronising.

“I know,” Elysia paused for second, anxiously biting her thumb as she thought, “and I don’t care!” She picked up the receiver and slammed it back down. The room returned to silence as she stood there over the now inert telephone, she took a deep breath and fought the urge to scream. After continuing to bite at her nails for a few moments she let out an irritated growl before pulling the phone off of the table, tearing the wire out of the back, and throwing it to the floor.

It seemed like months, for all she knew it could have been. Elysia dropped into the nearby armchair, wincing slightly as she did. Visibly in pain, she leant back to pull her shirt up a couple of inches, revealing a bloodied bandage around her abdomen. Shit, she hated swearing but she disliked bleeding slightly more. During her time in relative isolation she’d often wondered if this was how Damon felt, carrying battle scars, but then she’d laugh the thought off, reminding herself about how much stronger he was than her. She let out a stifled cry of pain as she reached forwards, dragging the coffee table, and the items balanced precariously on it, towards her. She fiddled with the catch of her medical supply box for a few seconds before lifting it a foot above the table and dropping it, causing the box to burst open, giggling to herself as she pulled out some dressing and a roll of bandage. Fuck, she sighed, her left arm hung uselessly in a sling. Nevermind, she gently lay a hand to her stomach, ignoring the pain, I can probably change a dressing one handed.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

It is said that men and women who fight for what they believe in will be sent to Thule to live forever among those he fought against and those who fought alongside of him.

Brandon shuddered at the thought. What gave her hope brought horror to his mind. If an afterlife existed, he would certainly be damned. If Thule existed…

“Sounds like hell to me. Stuck in eternity with the people you served with…” he lingered off, looking Cassandra in the eyes, gauging her at that moment as if attempting to determine whether that moment was the right time. “Undoubtedly you have discovered by now that Mahanoy is filled with many people who are deceptive bastards. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to live eternity with most of them,” he flashed his grin as he moved closer to her, pulling her into his arms.

“Thank you for coming here. I know it has not been easy on you and enduring your suffering like that was very commendable. I felt you should really know what you are allying with before jumping into it. Our nation makes for one hell of an alliance but additionally a formidable foe. I do not want the deception to come between this decision. You need to see for yourself whether or not you want to be part of this…part of all of this…whether your nation wants to be part of it. Yes, we can build your nation up. Unfortunately, you will have to deal with…well them. To answer your question, The Elite Empire eradicated a significant portion of that region. The political power structure is so severely damaged there, it will take them almost a nation’s lifetime to rebuild. Their entire Dictatorship has been completely eliminated. We left nothing we could knock down standing. That war you asked about has been going on since their nation came into the political spectrum. We have been at war with it for as long as recorded history has existed. We had just become an established nation under the military direction of Dante when we engaged them in war. Ever since…it has been all some of us know. Some men, some families, have spent their entire lives emerged in that war. Mahanoy pulls no punches. When we mobilize, we prepare for complete annihilation, and divert the resources to make these efforts happen. Do not get me wrong, this war has been a drain on our Empire, but most people will never see how. We drain our hub resources. The Icelantic hub and its counterparts have taken the biggest hit for this war. We drained them financially and now they are entirely reliant on us to survive as a nation. In part though,” Brandon shrugged, “I guess we are reliant on them.”

Brushing her hair back and looking into Cassandra’s eyes, Brandon smiled sadly, “I never thought I would know this beauty in my life Cass… Sometimes I feel that I really do not deserve you. The things we have done as a nation… The war crimes our previous Figurehead perpetuated… The crimes even I committed in the name of progress. I cannot blame war for the decisions I made in life but sometimes I wish I could because when I look back I often wonder if I thought about where I would be today. You will see in the next upcoming days that I am treated with an unusual amount of respect among some people. You will notice hidden comments about my deception. I am praised in Mahanoy for my ability to deceive those I cared about the most, for charming them until the moment I plunged my blade into their side. You should know that Brandon Dinardeau is the name of a feared man here. A man whose name carries with it the weight of fear and through that fear artificial respect. Here in Mahanoy a man’s name carries weight. It becomes your identity, your rank. You may not see it now, but you will in Kuro. I just ask you, I just beg you…trust me now. I never have been this honest to a person in my life Cass…I need you to believe me despite what others might do to attempt to dissuade you from believing and trusting me-”

Pulling away quickly Brandon looked to the house and moved into a rigid straight backed stance. “Sir, I was not aware that you were here.”

“Obviously,” the dark voice spoke as the man moved forward towards them uninvited. “Dinardeau. We need to talk. Tell your pretty little girl she needs to play somewhere else.”

“Do not speak to her like that sir,” Brandon’s voice leveled, “she is the Alleghenian Supreme Commander.”

“My apologies Commander. You could pass for one of our own. Please join Lady Diehl inside for tea while I talk to Mister Dinardeau. We have official business to discuss.”

Wanting to reach out and take her hand, Brandon instead stood frozen there and nodded to Cassandra indicating that this was one of those times an argument would not go well in Mahanoy.

After watching Cassandra leave, the man turned back to Brandon before the vehement snarl overtook his face. “What the hell was that about? You put our nation and your life on the line for a fuck?”

“That is not what this is a-”

Cut off in mid-sentence, Brandon could barely respond as the fist drove itself into his side, “Did you think that I would believe that bullshit for a second? You fell?”

Clutching his side, Brandon gasped for a breath and buckled into the punch, falling to the man’s grasp.

Seizing Brandon by the throat, the man held him away from him and tightened his grasp, “you are a fucking fool Dinardeau. You almost fucked this entire operation up over your move. Your goal was simple, bring back the vulpine tramp. This alliance you proposed could have jeopardized everything. You are damn lucky Novac is dead right now.”

Struggling for breath, Brandon tried to pry the fingers loose before the man released him. Losing his footing, he collapsed to the ground, awaiting another blow to his ribs. But the blow did not come and when he found that the man before him stood motionless, staring down at him as if the anger had just fled, he found it safe enough to attempt to stand. He grimaced in pain, trying to futilely fight back the expression as he pushed himself onto his knees. And seeing the black gloved hand extended towards him, he looked up to see the man before him offering him help. His mind went blank, lost behind the pain, and obliging he took the hand that pulled him onto his feet.

“Perhaps we can make this alliance work well. It seems this nation has much to offer. You were wise to choose the Alleghenians to attempt to ally with Dinardeau.”

Brandon nodded in the customary sign of respect; it was all he could do in response. The man’s sudden emotional change had been unexpected, too unexpected and it was not until he caught the glimpse of Cassandra peaking out that he began to understand. “Thank you sir,” his voice came out slowly, controlled, fighting back the pain.

“I expect to see you in the office before you return to Allegheny,” the order was clear, carrying with it the weight of dire consequences should he fail to meet this man.

“As always,” Brandon again nodded before the man turned sharply and exited the courtyard.

When the man had departed, Brandon again dropped the facade and clutched his side more pronounced, pulling himself towards the bench and collapsing into it, lowering his head as he heard Cassandra approach. How could he explain this?

[Allegheny]

Cassandra’s face turned beet red as she walked back into the house, putting her back to the wall she waited for Brandon to follow after his talk was over but instead heard swearing and grunts of pain come from the courtyard. She peaked out and saw the man, who she presumed to be of higher rank than Brandon, hurting him. She wanted to help him but restrained herself, “Maybe it was common for officers to hurt those of lower rank when they screwed up.” She thought to herself and though she didn’t agree with that sentiment she stayed and watched. If she had helped she knew it would only get worse for Brandon later.

The man caught sight of her she was sure of it, she turned her head and left the doorway waiting for sounds that would indicate he had left. After a few more minutes she peaked out and saw Brandon alone and on the bench clutching his side. She quickly walked over to him, his head slouching over and away from her as she sat next to him. “Brandon,” She whispered taking hold of him. “Brandon, at least let me examine your injury for you.” Brandon allowed her to lift up his shirt and examine it for him, her gentle touch almost relaxing until she came to the injury itself. “No blood, you are fine I think, my battlefield medicine is a little rusty.” She said with a smirk as Brandon put his shirt back to where it had been before.

Now it was the other way around, her relationship with him was causing him pain and it hurt her to see him this way, especially after his little romantic speech. She wanted to ask him to explain but after he pleaded with her to trust him she couldn’t bring herself to ask, her feelings once again overriding her training. "Brandon still didn’t face her, hoping to not have to explain, but Cassandra forced him to look at her. “Come on, lets have tea, you’ll feel better,” She said with a knowing smile helping him up onto his feet.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

“Thank you Cass,” he whispered as he chanced a last glance at the fountain, the waters sparkle in the soft light attempting to create a sense of ambiance. In his own pain he looked to it and wondered given alternate circumstances it would succeed.

By the time they had reached the room for tea, Brandon had managed to straighten his position and replace his Mahanionian facade. The room had more guests than they had expected, all engaged in casual conversation which stopped for only a brief second at the realization of who had come to join them.

“Mister Dinardeau! What an unexpected pleasure to see you this evening!” a hearty laugh broke from one of the sofas. “I heard a rumor you were in town, but I could not believe it! Come, come, sit, join us!”

He nodded before turning back to Cassandra, his face devoid of the laughter she had seen in Allegheny, “please take a seat wherever you like. Use this opportunity to take a moment and relax while you are here.”

Moving away, Brandon joined the man who immediately slung his arm around him and pulled him into a friendly embrace.

“Man, I have not see you in ages. What honor brings you here?” the laughter broke out from the man but their conversation fell into silence as others conversations and laughter drowned out Brandon’s voice, soft in comparison to some of the loud robust laughter.

Looping an arm around Cassandra, Aria stepped silently into the scene, redirecting Cassandra to another female who was sitting behind her cup of tea embracing its warm. Looking up, she smiled softly as she nodded to Cassandra and Aria.

“May our honored guest join you Armendia?”

Again the woman nodded and extended her hand, “thank you Aria. As always, the tea is wonderful.”

“A gift from the Desantis. In Vaeda’s travels around The East Pacific, she found these unique teas. I found it fitting to try to accommodate our guests with a blend from their own region. Seems tonight we are all sharing something in common and enjoying it,” she offered with a slight wink while she pulled out the chair for Cassandra and handed her a cup of tea before departing to entertain all guests.

Armendia smiled, a look that almost looked genuine, and the gesture seemed to catch Cassandra off guard for a moment. In a nation of expected disguises she was seldom expecting a genuine response. But this simple gesture seemed to confirm in her the need to carry a facade here…you never knew who was or was not playing the game and your safest bet was to play along.

“Hello Supreme Commander. I have opted out of disturbing you earlier. You seemed so engaged in all around us that I did not want to overwhelm you. Aria invited me here this evening, she wanted you to have someone you could identify with while here in Mahanoy. We do have many women in our military but most of them are off actively engaged and finding those women officers or getting them to leave their stations is difficult. While we do not identify sex differences in Mahanoy, you will still find a sloping amount of men in our military…war tends to attract those brazen young men more than their female counterparts and I need not emphasize that we are a military nation.”

Cassandra nodded, stealing a sip from her steaming tea, “it is a pleasure meeting you. Is it Armendia?”

Armendia nodded, “I run a division of Runners here in Mahanoy. That is to say, I try to wrangle in and oversee one of the most raucous, out of control, rule breaking, hellbent group of independent thinking military minds of our nation. To explain more thoroughly, I oversee men like Damon Diehl,” she spoke with a soft wink knowing the young man’s growing infamy in The East Pacific was known to her. “We are a special breed of women Cassandra. And I want you to know that you should not be deterred by some of events you will see while here. We hold our own nation to prestigious standards. Never find yourself being held to the same. Part of this Mahanionian game is an elaborately set stage. You are our audience. You will see questionable methods of conduct which I imagine you just did. Brandon came in slightly favoring his right side. He was not doing that earlier. Based on the glances you take around the room chancing to see if a certain person has visited us and based on who is here tonight, I can only imagine that you just witnessed with your first brush in with our real government. Ah…do not fear, we are not being overheard. Aria has arranged that those around us would drown out our conversation to eavesdroppers. Mister Evans has a way of demanding the attentions of those around him as you can see,” she allowed the robust laughter that broke out to take its course.

“Cassandra, it is very important that you remember you are dealing with two faces of Mahanoy and unfortunately you were introduced to the one side through the other side. Mister Dinardeau represents a government buried behind private discussions, masked in shadows, formed in interactions much akin to our own. This attempt to introduce you to the public face of Mahanoy will be incredibly difficult, but knowing Dinardeau it is part of his plan. The tremendous difficulty and strain this places on Mahanoy is that this hidden government must remain in the shadows and Brandon’s move may force them into the public. You must understand that I believe Brandon knows this very well. I suspect the man is having a change of heart. For years I saw subtle changes in her personality. Regret, remorse. These traits are not common among many Mahanionians and when one begins to have them, they take their toll on a man. Brandon is one of best facade players in Mahanoy. As you see him now, engaged in conversation, barely a blemish or crack in his mask and no one is noticing the pain he is in but perhaps us. Look as right now he is fighting back the urge to vomit and how well he holding back from leaving this room just to play his part in this stage. See the way he way he laughs, watch as…there he goes, did you see? He did it again, clutching his side ever so subtly. That injury will be the death of him if he does not allow it a chance to heal. When this game is played out and Brandon accomplishes whatever he is trying to do, take him away from here Cassandra. Give him about three to four months away from all of this, tuck him away until he can heal. He will need his strength if he wishes to continue standing against the people he is standing against. They are far too cunning and what I see is no doubt also known to them. He loves you dear and I imagine a Mahanionian in love is a very dangerous person in deed. We do not know how far he will go to protect you and this entire game may be just that…an attempt to protect you. I have learned not to question his plays, they are never what we expect. But know that he is not pretending around you…know that some of us can read his subtle interplays and deduce from those behaviors what he is really experiencing or trying to mask. It is a difficult task, but like I said, I oversee a division of the worst rule breakers in Mahanoy. I need to watch those young men closely and you as a Commander know the level of perception needed to do what you do. We see Brandon for who he really is because we need to. Our lives and our nations depend on knowing the man behind the mask. Believe me, if Brandon had not thrown us all the curve ball he did, I might have never suspected him.”

Armendia returned her glance to Cassandra and smiled softly, “but alas, that is our Brandon. It makes me want to know you more…the woman who stole that man’s heart is an intriguing person indeed.”

[Reziel]

— Begin quote from ____

As he departed …]

— End quote

Closing the room’s door behind his own back, Jordan smiled half-absentmindedly at Derrick, his mind already running fast, details and possibilities piling up in front of his eyes. Walking down EPTO’s corridors and hallways, muttering half comments to people questioning him, he finally reached the building’s outside, where he stopped for a while, simply observing the young man sitting over the lawn not so far away.

Damon had changed, since the last time. Life wasn’t being so generous with him. Enemies and dangers running after him, day after day, were wearing him out. In the long run, not even the steely backbone of Mahanoy would have been able to sustain the stress. Probably, it was exactly what those cursed Elites were doing. Stressing him over and over, to shape him… to forge him. No matter if he had broken during the process. That was the young Mahanonians’ destiny… wasn’t it?

Sighing, Jordan was on the point of moving nearer, when Damon turned towards him. It had been a quick glance, as if he had wanted to send out a ‘I do know you’re there’ message of sort. It was so annoying. Battle-senses, he’d have guessed. Arian was always able to do something like that. As if their training had developed them some kind of… passive instinct. Probably, to keep their asses rather safe in the middle of a chaotic battle. With that, he finally moved, going to sit down right near Damon.

«So… wow. I had always thought you all young officers were so busy, in your lives… you know. Duties. Reports. Briefings and debriefings. Ordering people around for the sake of it. Things like… oh wait. I get it. You’re not chasing for clouds. This is some kind of super duper Mahanonian technique based on… uhm… can’t tell you. Highly confidential. If I do, I’ll have to kill you. Which would be rather problematic, considering you have the training of a ninja killer while I happen to have…» here, he pretended to search inside his pants’ pockets «Oh… a chewing gum. Yep. Rather unbalanced, isn’t it?»

[Allegheny]

Cassandra listened keeping her eye on Brandon, watching his moves as Armendia spoke. She sat back in her chair, tired and exhausted from the plane ride and took a sip of the tea. It was an excellent brew, allowing it to linger in her mouth for only a moment before swallowing the warm liquid, she closed her eyes and felt it as it moved down warming her body.

“I need to watch those young men closely and you as a Commander know the level of perception needed to do what you do”

Flashes of Shepherd came into her head as she mentioned perception. It was ironic that she spoke to her about perception, Shepherd’s betrayal was a failure in her ability to see things with an outside view. She’d become to comfortable with the people around her and that failure cost her, her sister’s husband was dead now because of it. She reminded herself to call her later when tea was over.

“but alas, that is our Brandon. It makes me want to know you more…the woman who stole that man’s heart is an intriguing person indeed.”

Cassandra finally realized that Armendia had finished speaking and took another sip before speaking again. “Have I stolen his heart?” She asked, amused at the phrase itself. Cassandra was surprised at how quickly everyone had found out about them, she didn’t really try to keep it secret anymore but she wasn’t advertising it to the world either, another reminder of the people she was amongst. “If I told you the story of how we got together it would seem more like a joke than reality, lets just say alot of alcohol was involved.” She allowed her self to be real for a moment amongst Aria and Armendia, the comment illiciting a few knowing laughs. She looked at her watch and searched the room for Patterson, it was late so she assumed he may have already fallen asleep so she returned herself to the conversation. “There isn’t much to know about me, the military is and has been my life for a long time now.”

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Armendia softly laughed with Cassandra, “how was the morning after?”

Cassandra laughed as she took another sip of her tea and Armendia joined in with her friendly smile. “Seeing as you are both here together, I imagine it was not so terrible. Although knowing Brandon he probably spent the morning in the bathroom. He never did handle his liquor well.”

Their laughter came with an ease and Armendia smiled once again, “I am glad to see that you can be yourself among us. Welcome to the real Mahanoy Cassandra. Hold onto those moments. It is for these moments in life that we fight…for the protection of our humanity. The Elite Empire stands as one of the most powerful unified fronts in our political spectrum. For many long years we have held our arms together and stood against some of the world’s most infamous tyrants. Tomorrow you will see Mahanoy in all its military prowess and when you see the sea of black you may begin to question what we can do and why we would ever ally with anyone. We are a nation that has led wars to eliminate entire populations. But we fought for freedom and we fought to protect the values we uphold the most. When you stand before the line, remember that man you shared an embrace with, remember our tea, remember this home. When Brandon returns to the Carbonis Complex, go with him, stand beside him. Observe and watch. Know that this is not the real Mahanoy. This is not what we represent. It may be what is in power but know that in the end it stands alone. When the stage is set, you will see that we will fight for what we most believe in. At this current time, it is most unfortunate that your fellow brothers and sisters cannot stand beside you, but you must understand many of us do not speak for our own protection. We may be silent but our fight is not yet over. Mahanoy is a nation of idealism, perhaps foolishness in many cases, but we believe in striving for human perfection and have not let the world tell us it is impossible. We seek to make the impossible a reality. We will push to continue to better our nation and preserve what is most important to us. A hundred years ago those monoliths you saw were impossible. Remember this…the times ahead will not be easy while you are here. Do not lose sight of what Mahanoy really represents. Brandon’s mask is painted black. Mister Dinardeau has plunged a blade deep in our nation’s side once before. For the right reasons, he will undoubtedly do it again. He is a man who is feared and respected but a man nonetheless, and a man who has fallen in love. Brandon is a former Elite, he will defend what he believes the most in. I envy you in many ways…you will know a positive devotion that many of us will never see. You are a special woman among women here. Meeting the man behind the mask is difficult in this nation. But…here I go rambling again. Oh this tea relaxes me and makes me a regular chatterbox. Please know that I am your friend here Cassandra. Those are important to have when traveling into the darkest shadows.”

Extending her hand, she smiled warmly as she squeezed Cassandra’s own hand before returning back to her tea, the emblem of an eagle cleverly and almost clandestinely embossed into the button on her glove.

“Again Cassandra, welcome to The Elite Empire.”

[Allegheny]

Cassandra returned the smile and the hand squeeze. Finishing her tea a yawn finally forced its way out of her finally signaling that she should rest. "Excuse me. Thank you for making us welcome here, I appreciate the time you have taken to extend this hospitality. Aria, Armendia, it is truly a pleasure to have met you both, but I must rest for tomorrow shall be a busy day I am sure. The two women nodded in understanding an dispensed with the departing pleasantries. Cassandra made her way to the available bedrooms making sure Brandon could see her departing the room.

As she made her way to the rooms she ran into Jaquelin who told her that Patterson had retired early, she quietly thanked the guide and finally found herself into her room. The single suitcase she had brought with her already there on a trunk in the room she opened it and took out spare uniforms as she searched for appropriate sleepwear. Cassandra gingerly undressed for bed finally and carefully removing her prosthesis, she had worn it so long that day that the stump had become slightly irritated, she gently massaged the skin on her leg when there was a knock on the door. She sighed at the unfortunate timing and hoped it wasn’t one of the other guests she had met. She hopped over to the door, now dressed in small shorts and a white sleeveless undershirt, and cracked it open. She saw the black of the typical Mahanionian uniform and then Brandon’s face. “Hey,” She said as she realized it was him. “Come in,” she instructed him as she unceremoniously moved back to the bed.

Brandon moved into the room and closed the door behind him, he stood there waiting for further instruction. “Come on, sit next to me.” Brandon moved in a sat next to her. “That man hurt you, are you ok? I could see you were favoring your side during tea.”

“I’m alright.”

“Brandon, you need to be careful with that, please. You are already pushing it being here when you should still be recovering,” She lectured.

“Cassandra, I am going to be fine, don’t worry.”

“Don’t tell me what I should think Brandon Dinardeau.” She said angrily.

Brandon laughed and shook his head, again brushing her hair out of her face he looked her directly in the eyes. He liked it when she became flustered, the subtle facial expressions and how animated she became, all signs that she really did care.

“It’s not funny.” a touch of resignation in her voice.

“I know. So you met Armendia?”

“I did, she is a very honorable person. She told me alot about you and your exploits.” Cassandra admitted vaguely.

“Oh?” Brandon said, hiding a look of worry.

“Brandon,” she said looking down at the floor before looking back at him, “I know you asked me to trust you… I do, but I am curious, you have said that you have plunged the knife into people and she said it also. I thought at first that it was only a figure of speech that you used… but now… it seems that it is meant more literal than it is figurative. She told me that I wasn’t seeing the real Mahanoy. I know you are hiding something. I thought I should wait for it to come naturally, like you did for me and I just want to know what she truly means, what the history behind this reputation of your is.” Cassandra held her breath as the effect of her question played across Brandon’s face.

“I trust you and I love you, just tell me or else it will only serve to hinder us further down the line in our relationship, between you and me and even with this alliance.”