Snippet #2816538

Kesslee kept his gaze stonefaced. Marlene too had been suspiciously quiet, focusing only on cramming more food into her mouth, it must have put on a bad show for sure, but Marlene was far from starving in the literal sense, she simply saw the food as a good excuse to keep her mouth busy, lest she say something that she would regret later on. She cast a brief glance to Kesslee, stifling a snerk, before she took another bite of the roasted pig.

Kesslee didn't bother to touch the food, instead he let his hand smooth the front of his robe, pressing the plush fabric against his chest, feeling it, it was an expensive silk like fabric, one of the finest Confessor robes that he had, he listened carefully. He also kept his responses close, formulating them in his mind for a long time. He personally knew that Prince disapproved of the Apparatus operating, and building so close to Imperial Borders, he was present for the conversations that were had among the delegations sent by those colonies. This was Prince's attempt at trying to do something about it.

"It would be in everyone's best interest if the Apparatus backed off, allowed us to police our own territories, and stopped making our provincial governments nervous. I know that won't happen, and His Majesty knows that won't happen, but he requested I ask anyway, the only way for any meaningful dialogue to begin, is when the very representatives in our government that support the policies that lead to conflict lose the justification for their position." Kesslee said in response, steepling his fingers on the table, and leaning back slightly.

Marlene swallowed her last bit of food loudly, setting the fork down, dabbing her mouth with the napkin, and clearing her throat. "Fear gives madmen with agendas credibility, which started this whole shitshow in the first place." She said, clearing her throat again, and swallowing a gulp of water.

"The Aschen People, and the Interests of the United Aschen Empire are the same." Kesslee answered. "The very core of Prince's Administration is to serve the people, not just Langarans, but all people of Aschen blood, including those who turned their backs on their brothers. Langara, not some republic in the far flung corner of Coalition space, is, and always will be the seat of Aschen civilization, and the Langarites, however successful they may seem, are deluded to think otherwise."

Marlene cast a brief glance over to the Grand Confessor, before Kesslee took a breath, and pondered his next words, four simple words.

"What are the demands." There was no more diplomatic niceties, no mincing words, Kesslee was going for the throat.