idolpro | Paloma's Heart (#3)

[ Scoping out the group for whoever seems to be in the position of most authority ]

My apologies, I hope I'm not late.

[ all three look up; the man with the whiskey nods to you. ]

Ah, you're right on time; we were just about to begin our meeting, in fact.

Then I shan't be the cause for any delay. Would it be too much to request an introduction?

Of course, of course; I am Lord James Wiltshire; this gentleman here is Lord Cochrane, and we are accompanied by Lady Viola.

Did you have any particular business to bring before us?

The matter of our Guest of Honor, first and foremost, and also the cause of Lady Wiltshire.

[ all of them give you a bit of a sharp look, and Lord James does a bit of a double-take. ]

Ah—I'm sorry, what of my daughter-in-law did you want to speak of?

But... well, the Guest of Honor was part of what we planned to discuss, in fact.

The house in Whitechapel and the women she cares for. As a woman, myself, it's a matter I found most compelling.

[ and she'll return Lady Viola's gaze a very soft, almost saintly expression. ]

That said, the Guest of Honor is a more pressing topic, so please proceed with whatever was planned on the agenda first.

[ Lady Viola looks at you, gives an odd expression, and then goes back to her apparently rather involved note-taking. The men carry on. ]

Well, it is at least a proper pursuit, though I wish she wouldn't insist on her charity work taking her to all sorts of disreputable places...

...ah, but still. The matter of the Meepsoor rebellion. Parliament wishes for a swift end to this embarrassment.

By what means? Or, if you'll forgive me for speaking plainly, are they planning on suppressing it with military force?

Edited 2020-02-24 01:18 (UTC)

[ Lord Cochrane: ]

Plainly, yes. We've tried shutting off their access to water from the upstream canal, and we're hoping we can force it with that before then, since the canals are so important to them, but Naarabot's... stubborn.

What exactly, are her demands?

Complete and immediate independence for the state of Meepsoor, and total withdrawal of British troops and citizens. Local control of business and industry. Even if they're nothing special, you see why we can't allow that.

That would be a grave loss of face for the Empire, especially since Parliament had received criticism in the past.

If you'll indulge my ignorance, what happened in Shaptash?

[ they all do, like, a full-body wince ]

Ah... Shaptash was, certainly, a failure. A pair of Martians who had murdered a British citizens fled to Shaptash, where the local Praanch refused to turn them over for capture and a swift trial and execution—Martians don't do executions, apparently.

After a failure to negotiate, the city was bombed extensively, and the Praanch removed. It was... well, the government had to be re-formed, entirely.

[ She looks appropriately pensive, but seeing that reaction is internally very, very satisfying ]

Then what makes Parliament so certain use of force will work? While deference is undeniably unfavorable, critics could label this as a grudge... or worse, that the Empire is scared of her influence.

Well, of course it's a grudge! If anyone thought it wasn't, they'd be fools.

It'll certainly work. It's a backwater; they're not likely to be able to defend themselves against the full might of Her Majesty's Empire. The question is, will it convince other territories not to try and be copycats?

Well, as long as no one is denying it. If force were an effective deterrent, any thought of rebellion would have died in Shaptash.

[ And she'll say it again, because why the fuck not?? ]

This is only my opinion, but the continued use of force will only incense the Martian population and unify them. While Her Majesty's Empire is expansive and her resources plentiful, caring for a whole planet and its residents as a nurse would care for her household's unruly children is not an effective use of time.

...it's true, and she knows it.

Still, though, what choice do we have? Parliament thinks we are fools, and will soon enough have us removed. Maybe we are, for allowing her to rise to power. She even served on this council for a time.

Did she leave on her own accord?

[ he looks faintly exasperated. ]

She put her letter of resignation as a postscript to the Delcaration of Independence that she read at this very Salon.

[ Okay, no more tangential questions about the past ]

How would you the counsel prefer to resolve this situation. I understand that Naarabot is stubborn, but is there something I could try to do?

Well—if you felt you were able to sway her to cease this, such that war was unnecessary... any way you could, we would offer you our support in the form of influence. She's made herself a bit scarce, though.

I have every intention of speaking to her on the matter, so if you're offering influence, I will gladly accept it.

We appreciate it.

[ They offer you 3x "the relentless march of empire" influence. ]

This should go a longer way than most other influence, so do use it wisely.

Understood. Thank you.

Is there any advice that you'd like to offer? How far am I allowed to go?

Paloma's Heart (#3)

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