01-16-2018, 08:35 PM
Evelyn had no idea of the tension stringing the room until she was wound with it herself.
She dipped her head in greetings, but her glorious smile did not wane. Great powers sat at this table, and she would not allow them to see her entrance as a minor interruption to a larger conversation.
She recognized the strain in Arnold's voice. He buried his feelings deep, but Evelyn knew him well enough to read the signs. Ascendancy's explanation interpreted the expression, though. She could not allow her admiration of the Ascendancy to linger, however. Judging Arnold as he judged her entrance was enough of a reason to avoid awkwardness, but moreso in that she had done nothing wrong. Sofia's impression had shifted already, Evelyn noted as the Senator sat beside her.
Now, Commander Vellas was worth a look. His welcome was as warm as a North Dakota pond in winter. "Greetings, Commander, and welcome."
She sat smoothly in one of the remaining seats. This one was at the head of the table at Nikolai's right hand.
A waiter brought her coffee, but she brushed it aside with the graze of fingertips, "I prefer tea,"
she said with a smile. The waiter nodded and returned shortly thereafter with a little miniature pot all for her own. She smiled happily and listened as the discussion continued. Certainly, her tardiness was costly. An interesting topic was on everyone's lips.
Michael's sermon was quite the tale. She had no idea of the extent of his back story. Of course his face was utterly familiar. He was almost as infamous as Nikolai in Washington. Especially to those on the foreign defense committee.
Her tea swirled gloriously dark beneath her. She readily warmed her hands on the porcelain and cleared her throat. All the faces turned to her even as hers laid firmly upon Michael's. His accent was interesting. Australian, perhaps?
"Are you suggesting channelers serve Ascendancy? Like a waiter or waitress? No offense, gentlemen, but channelers are autonomous people."
She scoffed. "A force to police channelers as we would any other criminal is unfortunately necessary. The laws of our Constitution must be upheld, such as they are currently written. Subduing any individual is always fraught with danger, channeler or otherwise. However, we, as civilized nations, cannot allow police forces to be charged haphazardly to contain threats emerging from a channeler. Policy cannot be written without an accord between nations. First and foremost, that is our goal. To come together as a group, much as we have at this breakfast table, and draft regulations to be outlined in such an accord."
She smiled with the conviction of her beliefs. Regardless of the fate of the United States, until such time as it's fate was realized, they would need to act as an enlightened society. That included fair and equitable treatment for all channelers, including due process of law.
"We especially cannot allow our militaries to transform channelers into living weapons. These men are human beings. They deserve more."
She gestured to the two men flanking Michael. As a self-proclaimed warfare strategist, Michael especially needed to be reminded. Those two men were human beings, not missiles. "If you trained your men to build roads and heal the sick as hard as you trained them for war, society would already be elevated."
The challenge in her brown eyes swirled like the warm tea in her hands. She readily took a sip.
She dipped her head in greetings, but her glorious smile did not wane. Great powers sat at this table, and she would not allow them to see her entrance as a minor interruption to a larger conversation.
She recognized the strain in Arnold's voice. He buried his feelings deep, but Evelyn knew him well enough to read the signs. Ascendancy's explanation interpreted the expression, though. She could not allow her admiration of the Ascendancy to linger, however. Judging Arnold as he judged her entrance was enough of a reason to avoid awkwardness, but moreso in that she had done nothing wrong. Sofia's impression had shifted already, Evelyn noted as the Senator sat beside her.
Now, Commander Vellas was worth a look. His welcome was as warm as a North Dakota pond in winter. "Greetings, Commander, and welcome."
She sat smoothly in one of the remaining seats. This one was at the head of the table at Nikolai's right hand.
A waiter brought her coffee, but she brushed it aside with the graze of fingertips, "I prefer tea,"
she said with a smile. The waiter nodded and returned shortly thereafter with a little miniature pot all for her own. She smiled happily and listened as the discussion continued. Certainly, her tardiness was costly. An interesting topic was on everyone's lips.
Michael's sermon was quite the tale. She had no idea of the extent of his back story. Of course his face was utterly familiar. He was almost as infamous as Nikolai in Washington. Especially to those on the foreign defense committee.
Her tea swirled gloriously dark beneath her. She readily warmed her hands on the porcelain and cleared her throat. All the faces turned to her even as hers laid firmly upon Michael's. His accent was interesting. Australian, perhaps?
"Are you suggesting channelers serve Ascendancy? Like a waiter or waitress? No offense, gentlemen, but channelers are autonomous people."
She scoffed. "A force to police channelers as we would any other criminal is unfortunately necessary. The laws of our Constitution must be upheld, such as they are currently written. Subduing any individual is always fraught with danger, channeler or otherwise. However, we, as civilized nations, cannot allow police forces to be charged haphazardly to contain threats emerging from a channeler. Policy cannot be written without an accord between nations. First and foremost, that is our goal. To come together as a group, much as we have at this breakfast table, and draft regulations to be outlined in such an accord."
She smiled with the conviction of her beliefs. Regardless of the fate of the United States, until such time as it's fate was realized, they would need to act as an enlightened society. That included fair and equitable treatment for all channelers, including due process of law.
"We especially cannot allow our militaries to transform channelers into living weapons. These men are human beings. They deserve more."
She gestured to the two men flanking Michael. As a self-proclaimed warfare strategist, Michael especially needed to be reminded. Those two men were human beings, not missiles. "If you trained your men to build roads and heal the sick as hard as you trained them for war, society would already be elevated."
The challenge in her brown eyes swirled like the warm tea in her hands. She readily took a sip.