Residential Building, the Hegemony Compound, Ribeirao Preto, Saturday
Peter got the call about Bean at seven in the morning, right before his new Chief of Staff walked in with coffee in one hand and a datapad in the other. He had to pretend to be upset over the phone while Suzana looked increasingly anxious, and so when he put the phone down, he looked - and sounded - downright stricken.
"...Bean was blown up during the raid on Teheran," he said. "We'll need to schedule a press conference."
"What's that going to mean for our operations?" she asked, glancing down at her datapad. The news - that Petra Arkanian had taken Moscow - no doubt seemed less festive than it would have had five minutes ago. Peter actually felt the strangest urge to reassure her, to let her know that no, actually, everything was going to plan.
"It'll be rough," he said instead. "But not crippling. Julian will be missed. We should underscore that message in the media."
He ran his fingers through his hair. "Please tell me you've got better news for me," he said.
Suzana startled. "...Yes," she said. "General Arkanian has taken Moscow, and Han Tzu has begun his promised assault at the Hwang Ho." She bit down on her bottom lip. "...and General Delphiki's last operation was succesful, but--"
"We don't have the time to get sentimental," Peter said, hopping up off the couch. "All of this is good news, but when this gets out, the world will need to be reassured that the FPE's military capabilities have not been compromised. Never mind the amount of phone calls I'm no doubt going to be fielding all day if this leaks now." The world - outside of the clashing superpowers - would be nervous. "How are you settling in?" He took the coffee from her hand without waiting for an answer.
She still gave him one, which said everything about how she wanted to be treated. "Very well," she said, "Obviously I already had Envy's files at my disposal, but I decided to pick up whatever paperwork remained in her former residence today. Did you know she left the piano?"
"Did she now?" Peter said. He wasn't going to read anything into it - he couldn't - but it was noted. "Huh."
Suzana tilted her head. "Do you want me to ask the staff to remove it?" she asked. "It isn't Hegemony property."
"Leave it," Peter said, sounding casual in the way Envy would have looked straight through, once upon a time. "Take it out, and we're risking it falling on someone's head. I'd rather not go out as a cartoon character."
"But--" Suzana frowned down at her datapad. "--Oh. News from China, sir. Han Tzu has wiped out the Russians' main invasion force."
I'm going to win, Peter realized, for possibly the first time since this entire enterprise had started. Kuso. I'm going to win.
[[ nfb and nfi; ooc-okay. based on events from Shadow of the Giant. ]]
"...Bean was blown up during the raid on Teheran," he said. "We'll need to schedule a press conference."
"What's that going to mean for our operations?" she asked, glancing down at her datapad. The news - that Petra Arkanian had taken Moscow - no doubt seemed less festive than it would have had five minutes ago. Peter actually felt the strangest urge to reassure her, to let her know that no, actually, everything was going to plan.
"It'll be rough," he said instead. "But not crippling. Julian will be missed. We should underscore that message in the media."
He ran his fingers through his hair. "Please tell me you've got better news for me," he said.
Suzana startled. "...Yes," she said. "General Arkanian has taken Moscow, and Han Tzu has begun his promised assault at the Hwang Ho." She bit down on her bottom lip. "...and General Delphiki's last operation was succesful, but--"
"We don't have the time to get sentimental," Peter said, hopping up off the couch. "All of this is good news, but when this gets out, the world will need to be reassured that the FPE's military capabilities have not been compromised. Never mind the amount of phone calls I'm no doubt going to be fielding all day if this leaks now." The world - outside of the clashing superpowers - would be nervous. "How are you settling in?" He took the coffee from her hand without waiting for an answer.
She still gave him one, which said everything about how she wanted to be treated. "Very well," she said, "Obviously I already had Envy's files at my disposal, but I decided to pick up whatever paperwork remained in her former residence today. Did you know she left the piano?"
"Did she now?" Peter said. He wasn't going to read anything into it - he couldn't - but it was noted. "Huh."
Suzana tilted her head. "Do you want me to ask the staff to remove it?" she asked. "It isn't Hegemony property."
"Leave it," Peter said, sounding casual in the way Envy would have looked straight through, once upon a time. "Take it out, and we're risking it falling on someone's head. I'd rather not go out as a cartoon character."
"But--" Suzana frowned down at her datapad. "--Oh. News from China, sir. Han Tzu has wiped out the Russians' main invasion force."
I'm going to win, Peter realized, for possibly the first time since this entire enterprise had started. Kuso. I'm going to win.
[[ nfb and nfi; ooc-okay. based on events from Shadow of the Giant. ]]