01-10-2018, 10:25 PM
After a few more minutes speaking with the Secretary, breakfast began to be served. Evelyn and Senator Castilla should have arrived by then. Nikolai glanced at Alric, but having anticipated the Ascendancy's worry, he circled to update him. Alric leaned close to speak softly, and while the Secretary pretended to give them privacy, there was no guarantee he would not overhear. Just in case, he wove a net of silence first.
"She's safe. She's in her room. And Commander Vellas is here."
Alric returned to his post after that.
There was nothing to do about Evelyn's tardiness but wait. Annoyed by the inconvenience and the worry he forced himself to dismiss, he focused on Michael's arrival. He nodded that the Commander enter.
He hadn't seen Michael since before Regus' attack. He had sent Michael and the other Ascendants to deal with Theo Andlain and his annoying little uprising. The man died demanding that channelers be acknowledged. If the foolish boy had merely waited. Instead, he started killing people and making a spectacle of himself. Michael dealt with him and his followers cleanly, but more importantly, they were removed from the Kremlin during the time Regus was set to arrive. True, he didn't trust Michael, but it wasn't that he expected betrayal. In fact, he expected the opposite. Michael would have killed Regus if Nik didn't. That was simply a victory he could not steal. Of course, Nik had no idea that Regus chained an Ijiraq to his cause. How he had done that was completely unknown. He barely even knew what an ijiraq was. He knew now.
He rose when Michael entered, gaze shifting momentarily to Rykovi and al'Shaddis. The three of them were together incredibly strong in the power. They were forces to reckon, Michael most of all. The Secretary rose a moment after Ascendancy.
"Secretary, allow me to introduce Commander Michael Vellas and his two ascendants,"
and as the Secretary moved to greet them, "Secretary of State Arnold Francis."
"Please join us for breakfast."
He gestured at the seat across from him. The table was set for only Michael, but staff swiftly set places for two additional members of their party. "We should be joined soon by the others of the delegation. I trust all is well?"
He glanced at the Secretary questioningly.
"Michael, I just informed the Secretary of the ball. He happily accepted our invitation to attend. After the threat I contained last week, it will be imperative that security is ensured for all our guests."
Michael was as he always was, but the two Ascendants in his company were relative strangers to Nikolai. Michael had conducted all their training, all but when Nikolai was involved at the very beginning. The Secretary of State was now seated at the same table with four channelers, two of whom strong enough to be gods, and one actual god. He didn't know it, but a fifth was in the room. He could be crushed by any of their whims. To his credit, he kept his composure rather well.
Nikolai continued to mediate the conversation. "The Americans are proposing a mutual agreement that the great world powers will not weaponize channelers for foreign defense or aggression."
He explained the situation for Michael, awaiting any kind of reaction. He would note the absence of China, the only other "power" that could potentailly be described as such these days. Thus, these discussions were only preliminary. Michael would find the idea amusing, likely. If he found anything amusing. The Secretary likely knew exactly who Michael was.
"What do you think of that idea, Commander?"
Nikolai inquired and took a bite of breakfast.
"She's safe. She's in her room. And Commander Vellas is here."
Alric returned to his post after that.
There was nothing to do about Evelyn's tardiness but wait. Annoyed by the inconvenience and the worry he forced himself to dismiss, he focused on Michael's arrival. He nodded that the Commander enter.
He hadn't seen Michael since before Regus' attack. He had sent Michael and the other Ascendants to deal with Theo Andlain and his annoying little uprising. The man died demanding that channelers be acknowledged. If the foolish boy had merely waited. Instead, he started killing people and making a spectacle of himself. Michael dealt with him and his followers cleanly, but more importantly, they were removed from the Kremlin during the time Regus was set to arrive. True, he didn't trust Michael, but it wasn't that he expected betrayal. In fact, he expected the opposite. Michael would have killed Regus if Nik didn't. That was simply a victory he could not steal. Of course, Nik had no idea that Regus chained an Ijiraq to his cause. How he had done that was completely unknown. He barely even knew what an ijiraq was. He knew now.
He rose when Michael entered, gaze shifting momentarily to Rykovi and al'Shaddis. The three of them were together incredibly strong in the power. They were forces to reckon, Michael most of all. The Secretary rose a moment after Ascendancy.
"Secretary, allow me to introduce Commander Michael Vellas and his two ascendants,"
and as the Secretary moved to greet them, "Secretary of State Arnold Francis."
"Please join us for breakfast."
He gestured at the seat across from him. The table was set for only Michael, but staff swiftly set places for two additional members of their party. "We should be joined soon by the others of the delegation. I trust all is well?"
He glanced at the Secretary questioningly.
"Michael, I just informed the Secretary of the ball. He happily accepted our invitation to attend. After the threat I contained last week, it will be imperative that security is ensured for all our guests."
Michael was as he always was, but the two Ascendants in his company were relative strangers to Nikolai. Michael had conducted all their training, all but when Nikolai was involved at the very beginning. The Secretary of State was now seated at the same table with four channelers, two of whom strong enough to be gods, and one actual god. He didn't know it, but a fifth was in the room. He could be crushed by any of their whims. To his credit, he kept his composure rather well.
Nikolai continued to mediate the conversation. "The Americans are proposing a mutual agreement that the great world powers will not weaponize channelers for foreign defense or aggression."
He explained the situation for Michael, awaiting any kind of reaction. He would note the absence of China, the only other "power" that could potentailly be described as such these days. Thus, these discussions were only preliminary. Michael would find the idea amusing, likely. If he found anything amusing. The Secretary likely knew exactly who Michael was.
"What do you think of that idea, Commander?"
Nikolai inquired and took a bite of breakfast.