[apta]

> and the lack of good options for deploying executable code

GraalVM is a way to resolve that: https://quarkus.io/, https://micronaut.io/

You might want to check out C# as well. .NET Core is coming along nicely, and you get to work in a safe environment, with the ability to drop down to pointers if needed, unlike the unsafety that is inherent to C++.

There is also a C# to C++ compiler that the Unity people wrote, worth checking out.