WISE MEN WONDER WHILE STRONG MEN DIE
"I have acted in the best interests of those all around me," Neron corrected quietly, and as Morgan seated herself the ice finished its crawl across the floor, shining dully in the firelight. "Else you would be dealing with this palace, its citizens and my family alone, for I would have taken a short walk and a long drop off one of these fine towers." It would not do to sugarcoat, given the situation. "And that would have been foolish, I would say."
He raised his eyebrows at Morgan. "You act as though this Voice of mine is some reaper, coming to collect," he murmured. "It was no easy feat to have her accept my proposal. She does not take. If our citizens choose to ascend, it is precisely that, Captain - a choice. And I would advise you, in the interests of our people, not to draw your sword on every Halo citizen who decides to do so."
Still, she had a point, and he would address it. "You are correct, I am not human any more. I feel no cold, no pain. I do not need to sleep, I cannot be poisoned easily, and I am still able to wield the magic I possess. And yet, I can still reason, feel emotion, make tactical decisions, and I remember what it was to be human. What, of those qualities, make a bad leader?"
He raised his eyebrows at Morgan. "You act as though this Voice of mine is some reaper, coming to collect," he murmured. "It was no easy feat to have her accept my proposal. She does not take. If our citizens choose to ascend, it is precisely that, Captain - a choice. And I would advise you, in the interests of our people, not to draw your sword on every Halo citizen who decides to do so."
Still, she had a point, and he would address it. "You are correct, I am not human any more. I feel no cold, no pain. I do not need to sleep, I cannot be poisoned easily, and I am still able to wield the magic I possess. And yet, I can still reason, feel emotion, make tactical decisions, and I remember what it was to be human. What, of those qualities, make a bad leader?"
