Kesper pensively sipped his drink while the King laid out his proposal. As the others responded with their concerns he mentally reached toward the King, the man's sentient mind gleaming like a little sun against the lightless backdrop of his throne. Once again Kesper only dares to touch the topmost layer, plucking at the surface thoughts that bloom in response to everyone's statements to measure the King's reactions.
The agent wanted to know the catch, the navy man wanted to know where his ship was, the pirate wanted to know how the take would be split up. He didn't need to be a mind-reader to predict their first reactions. By the time the other three had finished, he had reached the bottom of his glass. Kesper declined a refill from the servant with a raised hand and surrendered the empty glass to him with a quiet 'thanks'.
Maybe his own response to the King's plan was no less predictable than the others as he began to fret over the worst possible scenario. His eyes roamed over the representation of the Trojan Reach on display under their feet, focusing on the Tobia Subsector.
"There's another possible consequence, other than the restoration of Drinax: a squadron of Imperial warships jumps in to wipe the Reach clean of us. And if the Imperials realize the Floating Palace is aiding and abetting piracy, a letter of marque won't stop them from swatting Your Lordship's palace out of the sky along with us."
Then he looks from Tobia to the rest of the jewels of the Reach as he continues.
"But with risk comes reward. A resurgent Drinax would be a happy outcome."
A happy outcome for whom went unsaid. This had the strong possibility of backfiring and goading the Empire into strengthening their position here rather than delegating the responsibility of the Reach's security to a tiny, decrepit kingdom. Not in itself an undesirable outcome for the Consulate...if the Imperial forces were being funneled away from its borders and trade routes instead of closer to them.
The only upside to that result is he'd probably be killed before having to endure his superior's disappointment.
"I'm at Your Lordship's disposal, but I don't think a scout ship or refitted trader would be enough to have the effect Your Lordship wants. Would I be right in guessing you have something special in mind?"
(PSI: 7/11)