She's gentle with him, as she moves his hand, and around her, her people give his, their gifts. ( Poor Devi, somewhere next to her, staring wide-eyed, and probably utterly smitten with Taura, most likely. ) But she occupies herself quite easily in the task. Lifting his hand so she can fasten it - her fingers sweeping under his as she kneels to be even with him. Though, as she measures it, perhaps it is a little long given how slight his wrists truly were.
It would do, for now, later on, she might get it fixed to sit on him better. But as it stands, it does the job, as she hooks the clasp between her nails - and hesitates as she leans closer, a bow of her hand over his head, a ghost of her breath near to him. Formal, not a step out of place, before she straightens up. "It is our pleasure. Gifts are common for us. Whatever we can give, we like too, and nothing is auspicious without it." Still hasn't learned, that these aren't done everywhere else - it's going to get them in trouble one day.
"Do we go to your ship - or would you prefer us to stay here for the time being?" Unsure, really, how this was meant to work. Truth be told, it was dizzying to know she had even gotten this far.
It’s woefully big on his tiny wrist. Enough to get a small snort of
laughter from Taura, though not an unkind one; Miles just solemnly loops he
chain around his wrist an extra time. There. All fixed.
Both Taura and Bel accept theirs gracefully in turn; Taura gives Devi a
toothy smile, which may or may not help with that burgeoning crush. As for
the question itself, well. Miles is ready with the answer. “You’ll be
aboard the Ariel, with me,” he says with a smile. “All the preparations are
ready, if you’d like to gather your people.” He’s seen to it himself last
night instead of sleeping. “We’ve no gifts, but there will be plenty of
refreshments at least.” Including a bottle of wine should they decide to
give that a try.
She nods turn back to her guards - the order is barked. Quick and sharp, and they fall in line, gathering their gear. They have nothing, it turns out, except what was on their back. Anything else was abandoned easily. They might be far from home, but soldiers they all were. A word is enough when she is the one telling them.
The last is to gather up her son in her arms. Lifting him easily in both her arms, propping him against her hip. The boy obedient in his mother's hold, nestling in close.
Good to know they have some discipline. Probably far more discipline than his own troops have.
"By all means, then." Bel and Taura do not snap to attention quite so efficiently, but they make for an excellent honor guard nonetheless. Miles will lead them back to the Ariel, and from there the ship will take off within the hour. In the meantime, Miles directs them to the quarters that they'll have onboard: a common area (with programmable food generator and bank of holovids) flanked by several bedrooms. Quite a nice suite; the nicest on the ship save for Miles' own quarters.
"I hope you find it to your liking," he says, sweeping them another bow.
If there was any more proof needed in their tale of being a group of wide-eyed rebel fighters - it's there, when they take a tour of the ship. Staring, at everything that goes past them, the hiss of murmurs in their own language between them. How do they afford all this? Her sun squirms in her arms, wanting to be put down which, once she's sure they've stopped in their tour for the time being, she lets him go. Telling him to mind himself as Kashi ever dutiful in her nursing, trotted after the boy as he took off as fast as excited little legs could carry him.
Her eyes linger on her son as he disappears to poke about in the rooms, as only a mother can. Fitfully worried as a passive reaction to just about everything, before she turns back to him. "More than. This is a sight above the rooms we've been crowded into, of late." She lets out a breath, letting herself ease a little in the rooms. Lets her guards separate so they can have some modicum of a private conversation after all the inevitable fussing. "Will you be far from us?"
Bel and Taura have departed for now as well; Miles has little to fear aboard his own ship, given how much in his power Lakshmi and her rebels are at the moment. If anything happened to the little Admiral, they'd be marched straight out an airlock.
But Miles doubts that will happen, and Lakshmi's entourage will not be imprisoned or anything like that. These quarters are remote enough they can lock themselves away, but hardly so cut off from the rest of the ship that they cannot go wandering if they like. "Not terribly," he says. "Just down at the end of that hallway." He points helpfully towards in the direction of the crew's quarters. Much further down.
She peers to look where he indicates. Well - that was assurance, to know where he was, should it come to matter. When she looks back, it's far more comfortable, the heavy mantel she wears otherwise peeling back.
"Did you tell your people of our arrangement and what you have already received from me?"
Miles makes a so-so gesture with his hand. "Only that I was provided acceptable collateral, not what it was." The locked safe he keeps his dagger in is known only to him, Bel, Taura, and Elena, and none of those three know that the dagger has been joined by a sword. They might find it, if they check, but otherwise...
"Very well. My own people do not yet suspect. I will keep them guessing if it comes to that. Again, you must not let them see it." Or Devi would have his head and that was the last thing any of them needed, right now. A little sigh, but not much of one. Hopefully, it would never mean much of anything.
"Thank you, again, for our rooms and the courtesy you have shown us in doing so. I did not... expect so much. Or even that you might agree at all. I know this fight is not an easy one."
Miles would very much prefer to keep his head, of course. He just bows again, neatly. "Naturally," he says. "I'll not undermine you to your people." He still thinks it's a symbol of her rule - and he has zero intention of disrupting her power. Get in, get rid of the UC, and get out. That's all he wants to do.
"No, it will not be easy," Miles admits. His next step here is to sleep and then plot. Or maybe just plot. He hasn't decided yet. "But I have a few ideas. And they might just work."
She smiles, nodding along with his words, "I wasn't sure.... well, even on Jhansi we have heard how at times Betans can be... strange."
Though, to the late - "I have brought with us... maps, of our planet. Each of my people all intimately know the layouts of some of our most important cities and UC fortifications. Please use them and myself as you need." The short of it is, whatever he needed to ask if she didn't know - one of them certainly did.
Ha. Well, he's only half-Betan. He snorts a bit at the comment and moves on.
"I would be grateful for your help," he says. "Surely I will need all of the information you can provide." He plans on learning all he can, at least, and employing every trick he can possibly think of.
"Of course." She smiles wider, a merry flash of teeth. "But I hope it will not be all business. Are you still happy to join us of an evening? I think they're going to trip over just about everything they see until they adjust to it, and you may invaluable in helping with that."
Miles takes this opportunity to exit, then. He has a lot to do - sleep, for one, but also dig up all the information he can. And start formulating a plan.
He'll go to meet them as promised, picking their brains (and their paper maps) for all the information possible. Afterwards, he'll retreat to his room again to figure this out. They can't face the UC head on, no, but he has a plan to surprise them. He'll lead a charge on their capital ship with all the force available, storm it himself. Cut off their supply lines. With a corporation this large, they'll be complacent at best, and Miles intends to leverage that small advantage to its fullest.
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It would do, for now, later on, she might get it fixed to sit on him better. But as it stands, it does the job, as she hooks the clasp between her nails - and hesitates as she leans closer, a bow of her hand over his head, a ghost of her breath near to him. Formal, not a step out of place, before she straightens up. "It is our pleasure. Gifts are common for us. Whatever we can give, we like too, and nothing is auspicious without it." Still hasn't learned, that these aren't done everywhere else - it's going to get them in trouble one day.
"Do we go to your ship - or would you prefer us to stay here for the time being?" Unsure, really, how this was meant to work. Truth be told, it was dizzying to know she had even gotten this far.
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It’s woefully big on his tiny wrist. Enough to get a small snort of laughter from Taura, though not an unkind one; Miles just solemnly loops he chain around his wrist an extra time. There. All fixed.
Both Taura and Bel accept theirs gracefully in turn; Taura gives Devi a toothy smile, which may or may not help with that burgeoning crush. As for the question itself, well. Miles is ready with the answer. “You’ll be aboard the Ariel, with me,” he says with a smile. “All the preparations are ready, if you’d like to gather your people.” He’s seen to it himself last night instead of sleeping. “We’ve no gifts, but there will be plenty of refreshments at least.” Including a bottle of wine should they decide to give that a try.
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The last is to gather up her son in her arms. Lifting him easily in both her arms, propping him against her hip. The boy obedient in his mother's hold, nestling in close.
"We are ready."
Nods, ready for him to lead on.
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"By all means, then." Bel and Taura do not snap to attention quite so efficiently, but they make for an excellent honor guard nonetheless. Miles will lead them back to the Ariel, and from there the ship will take off within the hour. In the meantime, Miles directs them to the quarters that they'll have onboard: a common area (with programmable food generator and bank of holovids) flanked by several bedrooms. Quite a nice suite; the nicest on the ship save for Miles' own quarters.
"I hope you find it to your liking," he says, sweeping them another bow.
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Her eyes linger on her son as he disappears to poke about in the rooms, as only a mother can. Fitfully worried as a passive reaction to just about everything, before she turns back to him. "More than. This is a sight above the rooms we've been crowded into, of late." She lets out a breath, letting herself ease a little in the rooms. Lets her guards separate so they can have some modicum of a private conversation after all the inevitable fussing. "Will you be far from us?"
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But Miles doubts that will happen, and Lakshmi's entourage will not be imprisoned or anything like that. These quarters are remote enough they can lock themselves away, but hardly so cut off from the rest of the ship that they cannot go wandering if they like. "Not terribly," he says. "Just down at the end of that hallway." He points helpfully towards in the direction of the crew's quarters. Much further down.
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"Did you tell your people of our arrangement and what you have already received from me?"
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"Thank you, again, for our rooms and the courtesy you have shown us in doing so. I did not... expect so much. Or even that you might agree at all. I know this fight is not an easy one."
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"No, it will not be easy," Miles admits. His next step here is to sleep and then plot. Or maybe just plot. He hasn't decided yet. "But I have a few ideas. And they might just work."
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Though, to the late - "I have brought with us... maps, of our planet. Each of my people all intimately know the layouts of some of our most important cities and UC fortifications. Please use them and myself as you need." The short of it is, whatever he needed to ask if she didn't know - one of them certainly did.
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"I would be grateful for your help," he says. "Surely I will need all of the information you can provide." He plans on learning all he can, at least, and employing every trick he can possibly think of.
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He'll go to meet them as promised, picking their brains (and their paper maps) for all the information possible. Afterwards, he'll retreat to his room again to figure this out. They can't face the UC head on, no, but he has a plan to surprise them. He'll lead a charge on their capital ship with all the force available, storm it himself. Cut off their supply lines. With a corporation this large, they'll be complacent at best, and Miles intends to leverage that small advantage to its fullest.