[@MissingAxis]

There's a long moment of silence after the door slides shut. Noah walked up to the panel that Amenmesh had indicated at earlier, and fiddled with the controls to change the atmosphere in the room. “Well... That was certainly something today...” He says finally, as the cycling air fills the room with a quiet hiss.

Erling gives a sigh back in response, unsure of what else to say. “I suppose so... Feudal politics, and we get a front row seat.”

“A duel to decide who is crowned king... Seems almost like a storybook, don't you think?”

Erling retorted with a snort. “A duel that involves jet powered hammers. Not exactly something that's usually found in most storybooks. None I've read anyways.”

Noah steps away from the console and towards the beds provided for them, pulling off the helmet of his environment suit as it tells him that the air has become breathable. “You just haven't been reading the right books then,” he replies with a joking smile before letting himself sit down. Another moment of silence passes. “So... What do you make of all this?”

Erling, who had walked off to investigate a nearby chair and desk, turned and quirked a brow back at Noah, having taken off his helmet as well. “The diplomat is asking me what I think of foreign politics?”

“Admirals are all basically politicians now anyways, so yes, I am.” Noah retorts with a roll of his eyes.

“Alright, alright... I'll give you that... You don't get to a flag rank without playing politics of some kind, and that's before the Admirality was formed...” Erling leans up against the desk and crosses his arms, tilting his head down in thought. “In regards to the whole duel... I suppose I'm sorry Amenmesh's plans didn't go as he wanted them too. It's perhaps a little too early to call him a friend, he's certainly been a very important figure in establishing diplomatic relations, and he's been more than a kind host. I'd hope he succeeds for the sake of continued relations, even if Zisuthra would do similarly...” A sigh slips past his lips now, and he turns his head up towards the ceiling. “As for this... Union, as he called it... I believe it'd be met fairly favorably by the Admirality. It'd certainly be better war, even if the hawks might disagree with it. They're too caught up in this idea of 'human supremacy'... You'd almost think that they believe that the stars were here to be handed to them on a silver platter. Luckily they're a small minority, so, not too much to worry about on that end.”

Noah tilts his head slightly. “You don't think we'd be able to win a war against the Ophisians? I mean... I don't particularly want one either, but... They have less numbers than us, less resources. They don't seem all that advanced technology-wise either, from what I've seen.”

“It's not that I don't think we wouldn't be able to win... It's more that I don't know...” Erling scratches his chin and goes on to continue in response to another inquisitive look from Noah. “If it ever truly came to blows for whatever reason, I do believe that, in the end, we'd come out on top, but we'd lose a hell of a lot in the process. The Ophisians... They've been at this for a long time. Countless generations of fighting so hard, they nuke themselves back a century of progress. They know what they're doing. Meanwhile, Terran doctrine is... Untested. They're based off old records and texts, most of which were corrupted or damaged. The civil war helped to iron out some of the kinks, but rebels and rioters aren't much of an opposing force to test ourselves against, doubly so when they were using the same unproven doctrines as we were. For all we know, ancient human strategies only worked because of a distinct technological advantage that we no longer have, and we're simply throwing ourselves to the wolves doing what we do.” Erling shrugged. “Too many unknowns.”

Noah simply nodded along silently as he listened, absorbing what Erling said. Finally he rolled his shoulders and yawned. “Well... Either way... I suppose there isn't anything we can really do but watch what happens next.”

Erling gave a grunt in agreement. “That's what we were brought here to do, anyways...”