Baker and Jones Ch. 19

Annette leans back into her chair, crossing her legs over one another. "I will be inclined towards what I -,"

"We haven't the time," Morrigan holds up a hand. "Pemberly or Benton & Hayle, those are your options."

"I have no desire to support the establishment of either baron's monopoly," Annette rebuts.

"I'll give you an end to collar service."

At this, Cordelia leans forward and asks, "Can you truly promise that?"

"If you are asking that question," Morrigan turns to her, "you have deduced far fewer secrets of our operations than anticipated. Disappointing."

"Fascinating," Cordelia marvels.

Annette's mind races to catch up to the sudden shifts in dynamics, scrambling to find places in her understanding to input the information revealed before her. "Who is to say I don't simply take charge of th-,"

"The Mallet's yourself," Morrigan completes, then waves a hand dismissively. "Too many inside members of Benton & Hayle. You wouldn't overcome the infighting."

"Then I'll call upon intervention from-,"

"They wouldn't come. Do think with more foresight, Annette," she scolds. Morrigan speaks as though all secrets of the universe have been revealed to her and she had expected Cordelia and Annette to possess such a revelation as well. "All the interesting moves have already been made," she explains. "This far into the endgame there are precious few outcomes left that are even possible. Pemberly is now offering you the most desirable one, something most revolutions cannot offer: a tangible change."

"And what do you get out of it?"

"Stability, insight, and an end to violence."

"Is Pemberly not dependent on collar labor?"

Cordelia answers this question, simply replying, "Pemberly Exports. Most of his labor is done in the colonies before it ever reaches our shores."

"Mercantilism," Annette summarizes.

"Commerce," Morrigan defends.

Annette pauses once more, trying to study the thoughtful lines of the woman's face without much success. She turns to Cordelia, instead. "What do you think we should do?"

Morrigan replies first. "She's already decided."

"I'd like to hear it from her."

The woman sighs. "As I said, there are precious few outcomes remaining. She can see the equations, too."

At this, Cordelia releases a low breath. She hardly faces Annette as she says, "I believe we should listen to her."

"I don't like the idea of supporting a Baron," Annette contests.

Morrigan leans forward. "Even a Baron who will end domestic slavery?"

Cordelia places her hands on the desk, facing Morrigan while inclining her head towards Annette. "Might I have a word with her, alone?"

The woman purses her lips, eyes flicking between the two of them like she was frustrated the decision requires this much deliberation. Eventually, she sighs and says, "If you must." She pushes back her chair, the legs scraping against the wood floors, and exits the room without another look at Annette.

The moment the door closes, Annette shoots an accusing look at the detective. "Why are you siding with her?"

She'd expected Cordelia's more hot-heated nature to flash forward and meet her in an argument. Instead, the detective holds her affect thoughtful and still. Her voice leaves her with something between awe and fear. "I believe now she just may be the most dangerous woman I've ever met."

"Pardon?"

Cordelia doesn't elaborate, instead asking: "Have you studied revolutions in any depth?"

Annette stifles her frustration. "Beyond Spike and Hammer, no."

"It is rare for them to enact lasting change."

"So we shouldn't try?" Annette folds her arms over her chest and glares at her.

Cordelia shakes her head, signaling that she was trying to speak more carefully. "Two points. First, an end to collar service is a tangible victory, more than most revolutions can claim."

"And second?"

Cordelia sighs. "The Mallets don't have the infrastructure to win. You must see it." A breath later. "It's unfortunate, but it's true."

Annette is frustrated to admit she doesn't disagree. The Mallet's may have grown in number, but even with the addition of everyday citizens taking to the streets there was hardly a match for the crown's forces. The picture muddies even further if one considers the possibility that Morrigan was right and that Benton & Hayle would be manipulating things from within the revolution itself.

Annette drops her head into her hands and groans. "Christ, I hate this."

"No clear conscience in life," the detective replies to comfort her. "Either we take the risk of a failed revolution and the consequences derived from this, or we accept modest improvement."

The former servant peeks between her fingers, struggling to meet Cordelia's eyes. "If... if I were to say revolution..."

The detective looks out the window. She waits for a moment before soberly replying, "I would find it a terrible affront to the world if I were to lose you, Annette."

"I..."

Cordelia pulls her chair closer and rests a hand on Annette's knee. "Perhaps you could view it differently; not as rejecting revolutionary duty but as mounting a defense against a bold new strategy of the Barons. We have a chance to defeat Failinis and Benton & Hayle whilst ending collar service."

Annette rests in the feeling of dissonance inside of herself as long as she can bear it. Benton & Hayle were dependent on collar service to make their profits, cutting down the price of labor to as low as they could possibly make it. It was possible that this entire revolution was manufactured by them to lead to a greater repression of labor, giving the crown an excuse to give workers even less bargaining power, as punishment for rising up. Even if she took charge of the revolution, supplanting Failinis as its head, could she adequately answer for the possibility that in so doing, everything would actually get worse?

She sighs. "No clear conscience."