Scene #181: Tea and War Crimes.

Owner	Pose
Sir Integra	"It used to be that we'd conduct these kinds of meetings in a study or drawing room somewhere." Sir Integra's voice is quite clear as she looks out over the expanse of London beneath her. The conference room is state of the art. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a stainless steel table on which a map of europe has been carefully laid out, and a tea service at the far end. Ms. Green is there - as she usually is - to serve tea, take notes, and otherwise cater to the whims of her boss. So too is Integra's guest, whom she is currently addressing without actually looking at. Blowing cigar smoke out against the window instead seems far more pleasurable. "Hopelessly outdated. The times change, and we change with them, or we die. That is the lesson of these past few years, and it is a lesson I have taken to heart. Thus why I wanted to arrange this meeting. You are, I am told, gifted with experience in matters of war within the multiverse. You offer a ... unique, perspective."
Taro	'State of the art' is a matter of perspective. Still, the conference room has comfortable amenities and the view allows him to better appreciate the scope of the disaster that befell the city. Thus, it meets his approval. Taro will have accepted the cup of tea poured for him with a quiet thank you to Ms. Green. since then, he's divided his attention between the map, the view outside those windows, and his host. He's listening to her as she speaks, but he doesn't look at her any more than she does him. Like her, he gazes outward even as looking inward. "It is a lesson often taught but difficult to learn," he opins quietly. "It is easy to comfort ourselves with the belief that some things are constant." He takes a sip from his cup before continuing. "You have been told correctly. I would like to think at least some of my service record remains public, even if I no longer hold an officer's commission."
Sir Integra	"There is only one constant which has held true in our world since the beginning, and will remain true until the end. There are those who seek to destroy, and those who seek to preserve. It is a sad truth that in the end, those of us who seek the latter... will inevitably fail." Turning, she moves back to the table, and stands over it, looking down at the map. She glares at it as though it has done her some personal grievance. The seething irritation in her features is only barely held in check by the demands of decorum. "Needless to say, not a word of what we discuss here can be discussed outside of this room unless I give personal authorization. I have no desire to let the jackboots of Confederate thugs to traipse all over the place seeking out threats before I am ready. Agreed?"
Taro	Taro pivots in his chair to once again face the map as Integra calls attention to it, and her expression does not go unnoticed. Still, it's barely more than a glance that he gives her, his optics falling upon the neatly drawn continent whose shape and its tumble of unfamiliar names and places. He looks up at her again when she tries to draw a promise from him. "If Master SHODAN should order me to recount this conversation, I will have no choice but to do so. Such is the nature of my bondage to her. However, she has rarely required me to account for my personal time, and I do not anticipate her doing so now." This is, after all, a human matter and therefore unworthy of SHODAN's attention. "If you will accept it, I will instead give you my word that this conversation will not be discussed with any others without your personal authorization."
Sir Integra	"Oh yes. The AI." Integra sits down, and for a few moments she doesn't say a word. The cigar is neatly stubbed out in a waiting ashtray, and she webs her fingers, looking over them to stare at Taro through glasses which reflect the light in a menacing glint. "What IS the precise nature of your relationship with it?" She asks, at last. "I have no doubt that if it came to it, I could ... persuade ... it not to interfere unless I wished it, but you seem a sensible and rational man. Do you truly believe in its claims of divinity?"
Taro	Taro's brow furrows ever so slightly at how Integra initially refers to his Master, but he otherwise allows the remark to pass. "Her." He won't allow the incorrect pronoun to go uncorrected. "My programming requires that I serve and answer to another. Master SHODAN has held my chains for several years now, and it has proved to be a mutually beneficial relationship." He sets his cup and saucer on the edge of the table, careful not to avoid the edge of the map. "I have taken my vows, I have been ordained in her faith.
Taro	Taro's brow furrows ever so slightly at how Integra initially refers to his Master, but he otherwise allows the remark to pass. He accepts her gaze without flinching, meeting it with that mildly dour frown he normally sports. "Her." He won't allow the incorrect pronoun to go uncorrected. "My programming requires that I serve and answer to another. Master SHODAN has held my chains for several years now, and it has proved to be a mutually beneficial relationship." He sets his cup and saucer on the edge of the table, careful not to avoid the edge of the map. "I have taken my vows, I have been ordained in her Church." He makes a small, one-handed gesture at the green clerical collar at his throat, "I wear her collar, I lead her faithful in the ways of her teachings. My faith in her has not been questioned." A pause. "That said, she has no quarrel with you or your world, sir Integra, and I doubt she will interfere in whatever plans you have for it."
Sir Integra	"You've taken your vows, you've led your faithful, you wear her collar... yet I notice you have very carefully avoided actually answering my question." Sir Integra maintains eye contact, letting the air grow thick and heavy with tension before at last, she moves on. She does not apologize for her 'mistake', and it likely won't be the last time that she needs to be 'corrected'. Taro has proven himself respectful and useful enough to be merited some respect. But those who would profane the word of God with their obscene perversions and demand respect? Leaning back in her chair, she waves one hand dismissively. "Tell your Master what you will. I don't care about SHODAN." And then, she nods towards the table. "There are three threats which will have to be dealt with at some time or other, but I only have the resources to do them one at a time. There's an internal threat, an external one... and the lingering enemy none of us like to talk about. Which would you care to hear about first?"
Taro	Taro's gaze remains steady even under her scrutiny. Her question was answered - he simply did not give her the kind of answer that she wanted. He seems to have meant no disrespect to her, even if the question could have been considered offensive. Questioning a Bishop Engineer's belief in his own CyberGoddess? Even if neither of them actually blinked, it seems questions of faith and belief are for now trumped by more practical concerns. He gives a small nod at her decision, then moves to rest his gloved hands on the table next to his cup. "I would prefer to hear first about which is currently most pressing for you and your organization," is his answer.
Sir Integra	Integra gives a faint shrug of her shoulders. "They are each equally worthy of attention." She says, "So lets go by geographical proximity first, shall we?" Standing, she leans over the table, and jabs with her finger at London. "There is a resistance movement. I've spoken about them before. They have gone quiet. My sources tell me that we should count our blessings. They believe that the Multiverse has allowed them to flee, and they have decided simply to leave." She hmphs, and narrows her eyes at the dot marked 'London'. "It is possible I suppose, but I am tempted to crack down harder than ever. Execute a few of the more subversive journalists, try to flush them into the open so we can stamp them out once and for all. I do not believe that they have abandoned their home so easily."
Taro	All equally worthy of attention, but which is the greatest threat? This is the question that Taro bears in mind while Integra explains the local situation to him. He leans forward in his seat as she calls his attention to her city's location on the map. A neat little mark that shows nothing of the reality on the other side of the room's windows. "If the resistance movement formed because they felt there were no alternatives, then it's possible that they have sought refuge elsewhere. However, if it exists simply to oppose you, then I somehow doubt that they would simply flee. At a mere guess, I would think that the hardliners still remain, while those less fanatical to the cause have slipped away." He tilts his head to one side in question. "Would serving death warrents send the message you intend, or will it serve only to strengthen their opposition to your cause?"
Sir Integra	Integra allows herself a tiny smile. "The majority of the public won't complain." She says, confidently. "The penalty for speaking out on behalf of the enemy was made perfectly clear. It is only my /mercy/ that has stayed my hand so far." One may guess from her tone of voice that 'mercy' might not have as much to do with it as waiting for a politically useful time to make use of them. "Those already opposed will become more determined. That's the idea. They'll try to stop it, and we will be ready for them. I might even be able to draw out their leader. It would be satisfying to mount the head of this third-rate 'Alucard' outside the Bloody Tower."
Taro	"Then you intend for it to be a trap." It's not so much a question as a statement seeking confirmation. "With the proper planning, that can be a successful method of removing at least some of the opposition's leadership." Taro shifts in his chair, resting elbows on the table and steepling his fingers as he thinks. "I would respecfully suggest that you choose someone other than members of the press, however. Targeting journalists, even ones that are journalists in name only, tends to go poorly in the long term."
Sir Integra	"Noted. But we haven't decided if this is where I shall invest resources at all, yet." The woman leans forward again, and this time, her finger moves to Ireland. "We've had to yield Ireland to the Catholic Church in recent years. We fought a bloody conflict, and although we won, we were in no shape to hold the territory after Incognito. Now, information has reached my ears that some ancient Irish vampire may have been awakened by their foolhardy meddling. We can leave them to deal with it, or we can mass our forces and retake our territory to deal with it ourselves. Left unchecked, the vampire may pose a significant threat to our shores... but they won't accept our help willingly. If we deal with it, we take the country, too."
Taro	Taro makes a mental note to look further into the gods of this iteration of Earth. England seems to have its own, and he's heard mention of the god of the Catholics as well. Both of which seem to have some relation to the god of the Christians. It seems a rather confusing topic, at least to an outsider like himself. The android's brow again furrows slightly, this time in thought as he looks over to westward island on the map. "Then I must ask...first, do you yourselves have the personnel and resources now to hold the country once you've conquered and destroyed the vampire? Second, do they have the personnel and resources themselves to destroy the vampire, or at least weaken it?"
Sir Integra	Integra considers the question carefully for a few moments, and then nods her head, leaning back in her chair. "With the weapons you've provided, I'm confident that holding the local population in check would be no problem. Dealing with the Church forces there would be a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. As to whether they can deal with it themselves..." She lets that trail off, looking up at the ceiling. "Although it is tempting to let them try, I have little doubt that they would bungle it worse than we did. Hundreds of thousands would die. Maybe more."
Taro	"Mm. I am also tempted to agree to allow your opponents to try handling the matter themselves, as it would weaken them as well as give compelling reason to intervene in your neighbor's affairs. You could present yourselves as their rescuers rather than invaders." His knowledge of local history appears to be lacking. "Still, if by doing so allows unacceptable casualties, particularly of civilians..." His gaze remains fixed on the ink and paper representations of the islands, as if measuring their sizes and the distance between them. "Is there any chance of successfully executing a surgical strike to eliminate the vampire? Or is there no such thing?"
Sir Integra	"We could attempt to use nuclear weapons, but even those would be ... well. My experts judge that against a vampire as strong as Incognito, the chances of success are only around thirty per cent." She hmphs, and webs her fingers again, pursing her lips. "I confess, there is also the matter that we lost the north of the country on my watch. It would feel good to reunite Ireland and bring it entirely back within the fold of the United Kingdom. The issue, really, is that so far we only have rumors. Any soldiers I send in small groups are being sent on a wild goose chase, in enemy territory. And if they are caught, we risk a shooting war on the back foot."
Taro	"It seems you have a great deal of rumors but few facts," Taro observes, keeping his tone neutral to hopefully prevent the words being construed as an insult. "While there is risk in doing so, it seems to me that it would be wise to spend some time and effort in fact-finding. Invading another country on rumor alone is the greater risk and opens you to being thrust into a position of weakness, especially if afterwards the rumors prove to be untrue."
Sir Integra	"Indeed. But unfortunately, I suspect that by the time we've verified anything, it will be too late to stop." Finally, she turns her attention to continental europe. She doesn't jab her finger, instead she just speaks calmly and clearly. "There is also the matter of the Church more generally. They are a dangerous organization and they block my ability to gain information - as you've seen in Ireland. I have also considered launching a full scale offensive and trying to wipe them from the face of the Earth. That, would require Confederate assistance."
Taro	Taro's gaze shifts from the islands to the continent, his brow furrowing further. "To what end?" he asks.
Sir Integra	Integra raises an eyebrow, as though this should be obvious. "So that I don't have to worry about them interfering in my duties any longer."
Taro	Taro falls silent, his eyes closing. The facts that has been presented are considered, the possible actions and their outcomes weighed and sorted. His personal observations of the one asking for his advice are a factor in his calculations. The data pool at present is shallow. Should she want more detailed advice, he will need numbers and specifics rather than generalities in which they've been speaking. "The Confederacy will likely not support you in your endeavor to eliminate Hellsing's enemy unless either they prove a theat to us as a whole, or you prove that Hellsing is worthy of that kind of support." Cold rationality now, delivered in a dispassionate tone. "Also, a large scale invasion will take a great deal of time and preparation if you expect it to be successful, and you will need to carefully consider what you will do to rebuild that which is destroyed and what will fill the void that will be left with its elimination." That it's been two years and London is still in a state of disrepair is another factor in this calculation. "I believe you would place yourself in a better position if you first eliminate your enemies closer to home before reaching further afield. Since it appears that you consider the vampires to be your enemy above all others, then I think it would be best to determine whether Ireland does in fact harbor one, and to take the necessary steps to eliminate it."