The negotiation site fell into a deathly silence, Vansco Aldame's cheeks turned so red they could drip blood, and the other United Provinces officers felt as if they'd heard a fantasy.
"War crimes?" Aldame raged, "Still won't be pursued? What crimes have I committed? Do I need your 'temporary non-pursuit'?"
This question completely stumped the envoy, but he didn't want to appear weak, so he raised his chin and answered stiffly, "You'll naturally know when the time comes!"
"Did Winters Montagne send you to tease us?" Thomas Hammer, ranked second at the scene, asked coldly, "If we hand over the ships, can we still leave?"
This question, too, stumped the envoy.
He considered the matter for a long time, then stammered, "Actually, I think you can't leave—after the state it's reached, you're like birds in a cage, how can you be set free? If you were allowed to leave, wouldn't we have wasted all our efforts?"
