It was not Goemon's offer to escort Klara the remainder of the journey that troubled Galina in the least. If she were going to assume the man was trustworthy enough to coordinate this entire operation, considering all the layers of security he would have had to go through to find her and have her brought to the [i]Empress[/i] in the first place? Well yes, she could allow him to remain Klara's escort to their destination, and her old friend did not seem to mind the proposition.

Rather, it was one tiny, almost insignificant statement made as he outlined his plan, and the circumstances surrounding the removal of the engineer from the [i]Empress[/i]. No, her strange, sudden misgivings had nothing to do with the risk of course. Goemon could not possibly have been more on point - all doings of a spy held some degree of risk. And as he explained the plan, Galina nodded her understanding, her dark eyes never leaving the man's face. 

Equal parts art and artifice, she truly [i]did[/i] appreciate Goemon's admirable skill his craft. Yet that single sentence he spoke from the start, that almost... Well... In truth the words very nearly glowed in her mind's eye, brighter and brighter still, as Goemon continued without the least interruption from her. All the intricate details of this complex operation, and what seemed no small amount of precise coordination to be made on the [i]Empress[/i]? Why, the muscle power alone that would be needed to see the two of them over the ship's rail to the motor boat below would be extraordinary. 

Yes, Galina nodded and smiled so sweetly, her dark eyes flashing with something very like amusement now as she took another dainty bite of her most excellent meal, chewing and swallowing before she spoke. "My goodness, Mr. Goemon," she began mildly, her eyes wide and [i]assuredly[/i] impressed with the young man's earnest rendition of his plan. "Are you sure you have truly brought the person you most need to bring Mr. Slevin along to his beloved heart home in Mother Russia?"

Galina rested her elbow on her forearm, folded over her belly. She let her chin fall to her fingertips, tilting her head just a touch as she regarded her 'fellow' spy curiously. "Oh yes, most certainly I can speak Russian, but considering my birthplace that should not be so extraordinary I imagine?"

She lifted her chin, freeing those long, agile fingers to wave in slow, lazy circles in the air before her. "But considering the precision that will be required to ensure we remain entirely unseen shipboard, and then? Then the manpower alone required to see us over the rail to the waiting boat below, over sea spray and waves and the ocean winds? I only [i]wish[/i] I had half the brawn of my brothers, to do my humble part to carry this out. All that must be done - it simply [i]boggles[/i] the mind!"

Galina frowned just a touch, though the light of genuine delight never left her dark eyes. "[i]Such[/i] a shame, Mr. Goeman, that you 'came aboard alone.'"