Cattapoli, Consulate
Admiral Mannfred's expression hardened as Therasmus continued to speak.
"We will not be utilizing such methods, so do not entertain the thought any further. As for you, Lieutenant Von Strauss," he said, now glancing around at the woman, "you presume too much, and I caution you to adjust your line of thinking. Matters of heresy are not so trivial, despite your attempts to paint it as such. While you may speak the truth in regards to these... divination rocks that Kahleen has consulted with, your quick assumptions and honeyed words should be kept in check."
That was the closest the admiral had come to a reprimand so far. His gaze lingered on Von Strauss sternly. Perhaps he could tell what she was doing? It was possible, but the entire situation was a foggy one.
Yarah-kei still looked uncomfortable with the prospect of Shalo making an appearance. "I have nothing to fear," she sighed. "But I still rather not see that whore around here."
---
A jeep at the docks had been brought up to bring Ackermann to the consulate in an expedient manner. Three Revenant marines and two sailors from the Dawnbreaker accompanied Ackermann as they brought him along into the courtyard. He was not shackled nor bound, but given the recent events concerning his actions it was clear that he wasn't entirely off the hook.
"Presenting Sebastian Ackermann as requested," one of the marines saluted, nudging Ackermann forward as they reached the front of the assembly. The marine backed off but kept near with his hands crossed before him, eying Ackermann. He had no rifle but a pistol was holstered on his hip.
Schuster had been the first to notice Ackermann as the latter entered the courtyard, and he immediately averted his gaze to avoid eye contact. "He's here," he quickly whispered to Fallensteller.
"Show some backbone, Commander," she chastised quietly as the announcement was made. The whole table turned to face the former first officer with scorn in their eyes. But as fiercely united as they attempted to present themselves, they collectively couldn't hold a candle to the utter fury that rose of Ackermann like steam.
"Rabenschwarz, take off those godsdamned glasses and show your real face to the fleet already."
"Admiral, I will not respond to any demands from my would-be murderer. How will we proceed?" Fallensteller asked.
Jäger eyed Ackermann with a neutral expression. He looked like he'd been tortured alright. What a waste.
Kahleen on the other changed her hateful expression to one of sympathy. She looked Ackermann in the eyes. I'm sorry. I tried.
Jäger cleared his throat, clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "How about you tell us what happened, Commander Ackermann," suggested Jäger with a calm tone.
Fontaine studied Ackerman from his position. The man wasn't healthy, that was obvious. 'Now did she put you through the ringer, or is this part of the play?' The remark about the glasses also caught his attention. Fontaine remembered his own thoughts on that fashion choice. 'Is that something relevant or are you reaching for a straw?' The demand sounded ridiculous as well, but Fallensteller's refusal to comply didn't seem right. Then again why would she?
"Yes, Ackerman." Jäger was right, if they just started with grabbing each other by the throat out the gate, nothing would get done. "Please tell us your part of the story."
Therasmus simply rocked back and forth on his feet, eyeing the damaged man with scrutiny as he scanned his facial expression. There certainly was a great deal of torture present within him, yet with all of the evidence that he was aware of that the less attuned folk around wasn't, he was inclined to believe what had transpired was true. Still, it was always best to be impartial in situations like this, play neither side so that they beg you for the answers. How absolutely wondrous the power some nuggets of information could hold!
"If we wish to make the process even longer and more painful than it already is, admiral, by all means..." Therasmus stated. "Why you appreciate the shrill shouting and these litanies of hate being tossed about I've no idea but, I do suppose I am mostly here to learn, yes? Do tell your story, good fellow!"
"Fine," Ackermann replied. "If she's not going to cooperate, I can do that, Captain Jäger.
"Rabenschwarz is incompetent, petty, narcissistic, and spiteful, but I never would have guessed how fucking awful she was underneath, too!" He was shaking with anticipation as words that had long been on his mind finally found an audience. "It goes all the way back to Campo Diablo, of course. We all know what happened with the Messenger.
"That night, she had been wearing an ornate silver cross. There was probably enough silver in it to coat five-dozen bullets, or the leading edge of a saber. The Zuflucht barely had any other silver to spare, so that's why she got rid of it that night."
"That cross was merely silver plated," Fallensteller lied. "I'm fairly certain I left it pinned to my jacket and that it was stolen by one of our launderers who, like you, believed it was priceless."
"What a coincidence," Ackermann replied with a cold laugh. "Over the days that followed, our ship's cat, a black one, took a special liking to Fallensteller. She rearranged her furniture, putting a mirror in front of her window so that the room was dark all day, and lighting half a dozen candles just to find her way around."
"Mr. Ackermann was informed that I had asked the engineers led by the highly... 'prepared' Miss Neustadt recommend I move my furniture to practice a warding technique from Xinchau. Some of you might scoff at such an idea, but I was desperate to protect myself, especially since any useful information contained within the Admiral's codex was restricted from me. In fact, I didn't know of its existence until I resumed my duties as Captain. Mr. Schuster, please explain that policy to the fleet."
Schuster stood, nervously. "Certainly," he said.
"Oh, here it comes," Ackermann hissed.
"At the time, I was serving as Chief Technical officer. Mr. Ackermann was in temporary command, and when he and Mr. Kirsch, our helmsman, returned with the codex that day he instructed all of us who knew about it too not speak a word to the Captain."
"And why is that?" Fallensteller asked.
Schuster gave a small pause before answering, "he insisted that you were dangerous and ought to be removed from command completely."
"And there it is," Fallensteller gently taunted. "Mr. Ackermann saw an opportunity to take my place as soon as I showed weakness, a single lapse of judgement, while he conveniently forgets he briefly turned on the Admiral himself at Campo Diablo. And now he cites me befriending a cat while under effective house arrest, and taking measures to guard myself in absence of vital information that he himself denied me as evidence of my 'rottenness.'"
"Fine, you want hard evidence? I spoke with Admiral Mannfred at Blackstone, and he told me that when you faced Erasmus, there was a dark presence in the room which likely tampered with the test! Somewhere along the line, her eyes changed color. I know because I've seen behind thoae green lenses. How long has it been since any of you have done the same!?
"After what I saw at Blackstone, I was willing to do anything to stop her-"
"You took the same drastic action you took against the Admiral when you were convinced of his treachery," Fallensteller mocked.
Ackermann stopped for a moment, grasping for words. "What I did was wrong. I should have gone back to the Admiral, and I should've been more patient. But I had just witnessed the death of one of our officers and a vision of Hell on Earth, and I was not in my right mind."
"You see-" Fallensteller began, but Ackermann sharply interrupted her.
"However... That mistake allowed me to see you without your mask. You came to my cell, played that wire, over and over... You told me you would sacrifice me to Raum unless I served. The Vice Admiral saved my life."
"There is nothing new about that lie. That is what you told Kahleen, and that's what she repeated to the Vice Admiral. The problem is, there's no wire, no evidence to present, and no witnesses to any torture. You harmed yourself in that cell, and refused to eat what we provided you!
"Here's a question for the fleet," Fallensteller suddenly asked, turning away from Ackermann. " Are there no other good men aboard the Zuflucht? If I'm such a devil-lover, then why has no one else breathed a word of it to anyone? Why do my officers and crew stand by me? Why are those who came to visit," she added, motioning to von Strauss, "speaking of me in glowing tones?
"The answer is obvious. I'm innocent of these horrid accusations. There's only one true detail among them all: my eyes did, in fact, turn red. It happened very slowly, beginning when we left Campo Diablo.l, and I commissioned Miss Neustadt to make me these glasses to conceal it." Fallensteller's tone had shifted from anger to deep sadness.
"I regard it as a permanent token of my brush with damnation," she concluded. "I never take these glasses off because I'm ashamed. I don't like to see myself without them."
Jäger tapped the table infront of him several times. He glanced at Fontaine and Krantz with one eyebrow raised before looking at Ackermann. "This wire recording you speak of... What did it play? Describe it for us." He glanced at Fallensteller. "In detail, please."
Dobbs has remained silent as the debate raged on. What if I was wrong? Dobbs thought to himself. What if it was indeed a ruse? A trick? A small part of him whispered to him: What if this story was a lie?
He instantly took back the thought and reaffirmed himself. Ackermann wasn't insane, nor was he malicious. And how he was when he left his cell on the Zuflucht... SOMETHING had happened to him there. As the convention asked for Ackerman's appearance, Dobbs could only nod.
---
Ackermann was here, and already the spite between him and Fallensteller was strong. However, Dobbs listened intently as the tortured man spoke, ever feeling more righteous in supporting him. No man would lie about such horrors... right? he thought to himself once more, trying to dissolve any feelings of doubt within him.
---
Nita continued to observe from above in balcony of the Consulate, hearing the commotion going on. It was all so interesting: a traitor in the midst of the Mannfred? A man was tortured? Or he wasn't? She wasn't sure, but it was ever so enthralling to watch. What's going to happen next? she thought to herself, her mind racing with exaggerated ideas and events.
As Krantz listened to Ackermann's argument and Fallensteller's responses, even more doubt in Ackermann's story seemed to settle in. "...I believe in Fallensteller's innocence, as much as I hate to say it. If you recall, I was one of the main ones that believed she might be under the influence of Raum. But I've heard of men spinning some wild stories and doing drastic things to themselves to avoid the penalty of death after recieving serious charges."
He looked to the Admiral after a moment. "I fully trust my first officer, Admiral. Far more than anyone else here. She has been aboard the Zuflucht, and she has spent time with Fallensteller. If she says she's a model captain and not under the sway of Raum, I believe her."
Before he had a chance to reply to Jäger, Ackermann listened and felt his stomach drop as Krantz voiced his doubt of his claims. One of the few men he was convinced would be his ally was instead slipping away from him. Now, looking deeply troubled, he struggled to find the words to describe the horror contained on the infernal wire. "The wire begins at our encounter of the shadowy ghosts on the road, and contains numerous voices speaking over each other. Officer Pletcher, one of our technicians, had been recording in the wrong configuration so that both the open microphone carried by Officer Bauster as well as the radio antenna were feeding into the circuit. There were voices coming from the abyss... they start in some incomprehensible language but then switch to Low Gren, like they know exactly who they're speaking to. Bauster was panicking because he was listening to the recording live through a set of headphones, and I had to calm him down. Just before we halted recording, the voices were chanting 'die, die, die!'
"My own voice is the next portion of the tape," Ackermann said. "We were warned of disorientation resulting from the sorcerer's magic, and so I gave a brief explanation of our mission goals. The next section following that takes place within the grand chamber, where we fought against the enemy and his summoned demons. Again, the machine was configured incorrectly, and Mr. Bauster was subjected to abyssal input. The next thing..." Ackermann said, getting more tense as he spoke, "is a woman screaming. She's calls for help, and Bauster was the only one who could hear her... And, I think... I think it was his wife's voice. I can't say for sure, but I've suspected it ever since I heard it. That was when Bauster decided to venture into the abyss.
"I did everything I could," Ackermann said, and he was silent for a while afterwards, staring straight forward. "If you listen closely in that section, you can hear bits and pieces of it- that demon I spoke with and the trade it forced me to make. It lured him in. I didn't look, but I could hear it," he said, baring his teeth, and straining to remain on topic. "There's a loud pop in the wire there, somewhere during the conversation. Captain Tobey had interfered with the recording and the wire came loose from the recording heads. When I returned to Blackstone, Pletcher was tangled up so tightly in the wire that he was bleeding. We weren't able to start recording again until the divination ritual. The final section of the tape is mostly silence, as our experience within that chamber was not in physical space as we know it.
"When Rabenschwarz played the tape, she focused on the two encounters with demons. She knew how to rewind and play back sections which were the most difficult and painful to listen to. None of it seemed to bother her."
Fallensteller stood calmly with her arms crossed. "There's no denying that Mr. Ackermann experienced a terrible series of events on Blackstone," she began, "but this is the first I've heard of the finer details. The trauma he suffered undoubtedly branded the whole series of events into his memory, so I should expect you all to realize that an accurate recollection of events that he was present for in the first place does not constitute evidence of repeated subjection, the way he insists." Her tone was humble, suggesting that she had heard something new in the course of Ackermann's story, which only infuriated the latter. "Mr. Ackermann claimed that he attempted to kill me because he 'wasn't in his right mind.' I don't doubt the truth in that, nor should any of you. I'm beginning to wonder whether Ackermann honestly and truly believes that I forced him to relive these events while isolated in his brig cell. That these events, which never took place, are fully real to him."
"...Fuck off!" Ackermann screamed, finally boiling over. "I'm not insane!" he cried out. "I'm not insane!"
Jäger frowned as Ackermann screamed. "Commander, you're a military officer. Act like it." He then looked at the other captains. "Regardless if the content is what it is said to be there is no denying that a tape does exist. We all saw the equipment at Blackstone."
Jäger looked at Fallensteller. "Do you have any proof suggesting that the tape did not reach the Zuflucht? Because as I recall Ackermann and the others dutifully carried their equipment all the way back to the beach once our mission was over."
Kahleen remained silent. She looked like she wanted to strangle Fallensteller more and more with each word said.
"As I said before," Fallensteller reiterated, "all materials which are taken from the radio room are signed in and out for accountability's sake. Mr. Schuster, at the time our Chief Technical officer, reviewed the log after Mr. Pletcher's disappearance."
"According to the document," Schuster said, glumly, "the machine was turned in shortly after his arrival, but the wire wasn't returned to our inventory. That means it was likely still on Mr. Pletcher's person at the time of his disappearance."
Fallensteller nodded. "If, as we suspect, Mr. Pletcher committed suicide in some manner, he might have been motivated to save others the pain of listening to that recording. Since we have yet to find a body or the recording, I still believe that both wound up in the ocean."
"I'm not insane!"
Von Strauss looked to Krantz, who glanced over. "May I speak again, sir? I'd rather ask this time, so I don't draw the Admiral's ire."
Krantz glanced to Mannfred for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead."
Von Strauss nodded before leaning forwards in her seat a bit. Then she spoke again, looking to Ackermann. "Are you absolutely sure you're not insane? The wounds you sustained while imprisoned were self-inflicted. You ventured into an abyssal portal after a fellow soldier, and only you know what really happened inside it. You might have actually been driven insane by what you saw inside. You already saw Fallensteller as an enemy prior to all of this, and sought to have her removed from her position. Thus, I believe you were given new drive to have her removed. When she was returned to her position, you attempted to voice your opinion. Which was mostly disregarded. So, later on, you attempted to deal with things yourself. By trying to kill Fallensteller."
"When you failed and were thrown in a cell, you may have become even more unstable. Thus, the self-inflicted wounds, the dwelling on this wire recording which is nowhere to be found as stated before, and the even deeper obsession with Fallensteller and her removal." she said, finishing.
Tobey interjected, "With outbursts such as this one I have reasons to doubt you, Mr Ackermann." He said calmly.
He studied Sebastian for a brief moment before continuing "I must confess that there are lapses in my own memory, replaced by vistas for otherwordly dread from our expedition to Blackstone. Even the most resilient mind can become fractured if assailed by enough horrors. That is something a soldier of the great war ought to know."
He then looked around at the others at the table, "If so, perhaps Ackermanns accusations towards his captain are fabricated so as to easier cope with the some horrible illusion in his mind."
---
Marsh grimaced as he listened to Silkes new voice at length, but also at her cruel predicament.
Unsure of how to continue, after all he was only a physician and had only take a slight interest in the workings of the mind due to his own horrible experiences.
He gently present an opened hand on the table towards "If there is anything I can do for you Miss Neustadt, do not hesitate to ask."
Ackermann's attention darted between Captains Fallensteller, Jäger, and Krantz, looking rather scared, like a caged animal. In truth, his heart was beating faster and faster as he began to realize the thin ray of light he experienced in the skiff the previous night was slipping away from him. And then, von Strauss spoke to him, and the house of cards began to collapse. Something settled over the man which could be seen by everyone present, whether they knew of von Strauss's magic or not. The former Commander, it seemed, was beginning to question himself as he had never done before.
"W-why are you doing this to me?" he asked quietly. He turned to the Admiral and then Dobbs, looking hurt, confused and betrayed. "...do I really sound insane? I- I thought... Somebody has to find the truth." He swallowed his pride. "...Even if it's me."
Marsh was taken aback by the request. He studied Neustadt for a considerable moment of silence.
"There is a way." He began. "But it is excruciatingly painful and irreversible."
Anothe long silence fell upon the pair.
"Is that something you are preparwd for?" He asked with a heavily furrowed brow.
"I think we've heard enough." Fontaine almost felt sorry for the poor wretch of a man in front of him. Almost. "We won't be getting anything else out of this line of questioning in his current state." By the looks of it, he was ready to cry at any second. Out of desperation or out of the madness that had overtaken him, Reginald could not tell "I don't believe you're lying Mr. Ackerman, quite the contrary, you are telling the truth. But not the real truth. I have to agree with captains Tobey, Krantz and as well as Von Strauss. The sea is taking its toll on you."
"What elsse do I have to look forward to?" Neustadt replied. "At leasst thiss way, I can passs it off as an indusstrial accident, and try to live a normal life. If I don't fight back, Raum'ss influence will take control of me."
Therasmus shook his head at the ravings of Ackermann, from his short temper and ire to his now solemn and broken state. If he were the sentimental type he would feel bad over the fact that he was speaking the truth, all of the evidence was in the poor man's favor. And yet the will of the fleet and his peers were so prepared to oust him and write him off as a mad man. Quite unfortunate, but things would be far more interesting if this traitor had the proper platform to go about their work, he thought.
"The Abyss takes a toll on each and every being that resides in it." the demon states rather flatly. "It is a lawless land were each second you spend in it erodes what you value most of your self, a horrid realm that is practically malevolent and only feels contempt for whoever is forced to stay in it. That said..." Therasmus peers over at Ackermann, eyeing him rather curiously. "I believe you and I are cut from the same cloth, in a sense. Logic, knowledge, and this truth you speak of... they are paramount in all things, and they drive us to our goals, our ends. For that reason I am willing to surmise that your venture into the Abyss didn't erode at your spirit, but perhaps your mind." he explains. "It's an experience I am all too familiar with, but in time I was able to build up a defense against the Abyss. Unfortunately, you lacked the knowledge and foresight to properly prepare."
Cattapoli, Consulate
There was a lot to take in from what was being said. Admiral Mannfred slowly paced the front of the assembly as he listened closely to the captains and others speaking back and forth, and it was quite clear that the vast majority did not believe Ackermann. He had his own assumptions on the matter, drawn from otherworldly means that he could not reveal to the assembly. He was performing a charade, after all. Revealing his true self was the last thing he wanted, even if it meant that a budding cultist existed in the fleet. Ever since Fallensteller's encounter with the Messenger and the various anomalies he and Murdoch had detected over the past few days, he knew that something was going on. There was a lingering connection. Fallensteller was even showing signs of being undead. He was confident he could deal with the worst of it, but fleet unity was the paramount objective for the moment. If things swayed too far against Ackermann, then he would likely have to go with it.
It was still entirely possible that Ackermann was insane but also telling the truth for the most part. Pletcher's supposed suicide and the disappearance of the wire was an easy write-off, and a believable one given the history of prior suicides in the fleet from the pressure of the sea. Torture and self-inflicted wounds could be difficult to distinguish, but there was only so much a mind could willingly submit itself and the body to go through. Ackermann was clearly showing signs that both had occurred to him, given his psychological state, but the nuances and subtleties of madness - especially when dealing with the Abyss - was difficult to deal with. Only the three demons could begin to understand it, and even then, Therasmus was not a native of the Abyss despite his long tenure in residence.
"It is clear that you are troubled, Ackermann. Your exposure to the Abyss has very likely damaged you in some way, though that does not mean you do not speak some semblance of the truth. Much of which that has been said cannot be proven... nor can it be disproved," Mannfred said.
It was difficult to feign being impartial, especially when he knew very well that something was up. But then he would be drawing attention to himself if he began to reveal things. There was only so much a 'sorcerer' could do before things became too questionable.
"As such, I will focus in on one particular detail out of all of this that I know is most curious to me. The changing of Fallensteller's eyes to red," he said, pausing before glancing over at her.
"You say that it is a result of your brush with so-called damnation. Simply coming into contact with the Messenger, even being accosted in the way you were by him, is not enough for your eyes to change. Eye color shift is a sign of corruption, either from continued exposure to an Etherial connection - such as the Abyss - or an an event of considerable magnitude affecting the mind and body. If the latter is the case, then simply meeting the Messenger once is not enough. This is a well observed matter from prior expeditions. Of course, corruption is not always an inherent sign of siding with Raum or a deity, but the context of the situation certainly brings that into question," Mannfred explained.
Then he turned to Von Strauss. "You also happen to be wearing these new shades constructed by this Miss Neustadt from the Zuflucht, though I see precious few others wearing any at all. Perhaps you could remove them? As for everyone else wearing any... it would be best to remove them for this meeting."
"You also happen to be wearing these new shades constructed by this Miss Neustadt from the Zuflucht, though I see precious few others wearing any at all. Perhaps you could remove them? As for everyone else wearing any... it would be best to remove them for this meeting."
"If you insist, Admiral. I simply liked the glasses, and they went with my outfit." stated Von Strauss, as she reached up and removed them. Once they were off, she blinked. Deep brown eyes. She folded them up, and tucked them into her pocket.
She looked to Krantz and Varadi, then back to the Admiral. "Acceptable, sir?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Fallensteller huffed. Of course he wouldn't let that go, she thought as she removed her glasses. She scanned around the courtyard, and noticed that no one else present was wearing the glasses aside from von Strauss. Schuster owned a pair which were currently in his breast pocket, but he hadn't worn them since the meeting aboard the Revenant days earlier. She wasn't so nervous about her own appearance by this point, as she had already gotten the nerve to speak about it minutes earlier. Instead, she was worried for von Strauss. What happens if her best ally in the struggle for credibility is discredited herself? She was growing more desperate to halt the Admiral's line of questioning.
"Well, there you have it, Admiral," she said, displaying her sanguine eyes to the gallery. "I do apologize for not being forthcoming. As Mr. Ackermann said, I've been hiding behind a mask of sorts. I'm sure, in your experience, that you've also found occasion to disguise your true nature."
Therasmus legitimately jumps in place at the sudden hinting, rapidly looking between Fallensteller and Mannfred to take in those wonderful reactions. She knew about this as well? Her Abyssal connections are forthwith with giving up such vital information! If he were capable of laughter he would be doubling over in a fit of hysterics at this point, so it was quite fortunate that he more or less wasn't.
"Withholding information, miss? There seems to be a certain implication or, dare I say, accusation in your words... With all the brash accusations thrown your way, I think it is only fair to speak your mind." the demon says, somewhat smugly. Yet he adjusts his glasses, the fickle nature of his mind and allegiances flopping yet again. "Or is it perhaps not relevant to discuss at the moment? Hm... I do feel the planning for an assault has derailed quite a bit. For the better, I think but, well, does my opinion really mean a whole lot at this moment?"
"Withholding information? Of course not, Mr. Therasmus," Fallensteller replied a bit tartly. "But I'm sure we all remember that when this expedition began, it was about science and discovery, and the Admiral was a mere human, like the rest of us. Now we know what we've been brought here to do, and we know that the Admiral is quite powerful... I would not be surprised at all if there was still more he has yet to reveal to us." She looked directly at the Admiral, trying to wordlessly communicate her warning. Expose me and I will expose you as well.
Krantz spoke again. "He revealed a lot last night, actually. During our attempt to save Councilor Fawnstar, we got to see a bit more of the Admiral. I, Váradi, and Fontaine bore witness to killing a demon with his bare hands. Then he turned and ended the lives of a room full of cultists with ease. Simply a wave of his hand, almost. And afterwards, the Admiral's features were a bit sharper than before. That's really the best way I could describe it."
He looked to the Admiral. "His men refused to light his face, and tried to pass off our comments about it on the way back to the docks as simple paranoia. 'The sea was getting to us.' I know what I saw, Admiral. And what I saw wasn't human. So what exactly are you, Admiral? A demon wearing human flesh, perhaps? Just like our friend Therasmus here?"
Therasmus tilted his head slightly at the comparison between himself and the admiral, even going so far to look between his own form and Mannfred himself as they were being cross-examined. "So how does the discussion move from one of treasonous heresy of a certain officer to now accusing the good admiral of a guise?" the demon says, somewhat confused. "I was there for those events as well, and I can recall no such 'sharpness' to his features. You threaten to bring down the entire unity of this expedition on mere tricks of the light? Why, I ask you?"
He brought his hands from behind his back, now clasping them together as he looked to Krantz, expression blank as he was growing tired of relaying his emotions through his illusion. "It all sounds like a deflection, a means to try and move the discussion of heresy to the admiral's past and character itself. With my vivid recollection of yesterday's events, I think the admiral was more than prepared to eviscerate me on the spot for threatening his men. Threatening you." he goes on. "A demon in disguise? Preposterous! If he were truly the self-serving demon you so quickly accuse him of being, he would not be so keen on defending you, protecting you from the horrors of the Abyss. He is organizing all of you to challenge a god of all things, such stubborn rashness with little regard for sense can only be mustered by a human. Believe me. Us demons and refugees of that idiotic war want very little to do with the gods that abandoned us, and that goes for working with them or attempting to kill them."
"What I believe is truly happening here, is someone is a bit too scared of exposure. Too invested in their grand scheme to let it all fail to a mob mentality, and they've taken careful steps to ensure that it won't end here. This thinly-veiled accusation levied as passive aggression is their final gambit." the demon states, grabbing those glasses by the rim and adjusting them yet again. "But that's none of my business. This has merely been a vapid, if terribly exciting, derailment from my goal."
"If the Admiral has hidden some aspect of his person or abilities, then disunity within the fleet is a result of his own actions. It's not Captain Krantz' fault that he witnessed something unnatural," Fallensteller countered. "And... I can't see how you could accuse Captain Krantz of deflection or distraction. You were the one who claimed that accusations were being made; I made no such accusations, but implied that my own lack of forthright honesty has been exhibited by the Admiral as well, in the past. Everyone knows that Captain Krantz and I are not on good terms and so this separate discussion should not be treated as joined in any way to Admiral Mannfred's concerns about my behavior."
Fallensteller knew she had to be careful. She had intended for her earlier comment to go over the heads of everyone in the room aside from Mannfred, but now Therasmus was trying to re-contextualize the entire discussion and force some sort of confrontation between herself and the Admiral. Hopefully, Mannfred would avoid being goaded into it, and Fallensteller would find more time to prepare for the inevitable.
Jäger watched the conversation unfold with a neutral expression which masked his puzzled thoughts. With Fallensteller dropping hints and with Yarah sensing Mannfred's true form it was mor or less confirmed. Shit.
He casually glanced over the courtyard for the nearest exits. "If I tell you to run, you will run all the way to the vehicles," he whispered in Yarah's ear. This whole situation was a box of dynamite and Jäger had no intention of perishing in the flames, especially not in a fight between a demon and a witch.
Jäger cleared his throat loudly. "I have a suggestion, Admiral."
"Untill we have definitive proof of the aforementioned torture, demonic worshipping and so forth I suggest that we move on to another subject. Ackermann will be held onboard the Revenant and may plead his case later once his mind is much clearer in state. Captain Fallensteller will resume operations as normal."
Jäger looked at the assembled. "Everyone agree?"
Dobbs gently put a hand on Ackermann's shoulder, silently whispering to him: "Calm down, we will discuss this later."
He then quickly turned to he table. "Ackermann will stay in the Dawnbreaker." Dobbs immediately cut in after Jäger. "My research team onboard is qualified to take care of him. I apologize for this... perhaps i was too hasty and zealous in my decision making."
"I knew there was very good reason to not like you, demon. Beyond compulsively babbling, you're also a damned liar with your own ulterior motives." stated Krantz.
Once Jäger spoke up about letting Ackermann remain on the Revenant and Fallensteller resume her duties as captain, Krantz nodded. "That sounds fine to me." he said, before sitting back down in his seat. He looked to Von Strauss and Váradi, before looking to the others. Another cigarette came out of his pocket, quickly being lit. If this kept up, he'd need a drink.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
