Admiral Roapes Needs a Few Good Men
Book 2 Bonus Blooper
“No island kingdom has authority to separate itself from The League,” Admiral Roapes explained steadily. “The Stone Council has set a deadline, you have seven days to rejoin The League, reopen your ports, and proclaim a public apology, followed by reparations to the total sum of one half your kingdoms' gross increase for the next twenty years. If you do not yield to these demands I am empowered by The Council to make war upon your island, remove you from the throne, and carry them out myself in your stead.”
Nicole recognized The Admiral's words. He had just quoted the communiqué from Boeth nearly verbatim.
“May I ask what that would accomplish?” The Queen asked dispassionately. The question obviously struck Admiral Roapes as a little odd. It took a moment and a healthy gulp of wine to regain his composure.
“What would it accomplish? My orders would be fulfilled, my duty complete. Surely even Wysterians are familiar with these concepts.”
“Even if you conquer my homeland, remove me from the throne, enslave my people, and force them to meet your demands, what will happen then?” The Queen asked formally. “Our islands will still continue to be eroded by the wild seas until there is nothing left. Our lands and people will still be doomed.”
“You want answers?” He countered, shooing away Rachael when she tried to feed him a cherry.
“I think I'm entitled to them,” the Queen responded.
“You want answers,” he stressed again.
“I want the truth,” she affirmed.
“You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose going to do it? You? You Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know, that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives, and my existence while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!”
The cameramen, the gaffers, and the script supervisors all began applauding. Admiral Roapes and Queen Forsythia joined hands and bowed deeply. Several crew members whistled and cheered. A production assistant walked up and handed Admiral Roapes a bouquet of flowers. He wiped a tear from his cheek and waved to everyone thankfully as they applauded. “You like me, you really like me!”
