The days and weeks that follow are, needless to say,
incredibly busy. The Water Fleet is a vast and sprawling organisation with thousands of ships, responsible for all Imperial operations and interests in what effectively amounts to a full fifth of Creation. Commanding and administering it's many and varied needs would be a serious effort even for one with a full understanding of its structure, let alone for a socialite with no direct military experience to date. It is easy to see why everyone expected Peleps Kuzan to fail, even the man himself.
And yet, the newly minted Admiral of the Water Fleet rises to the challenge, adapting to his new responsibilities with all the brilliance and flexibility the children of Danaa'd are famed for. He absorbs weeks worth of lessons and updates within days, memorizes a thousand tiny pieces of minutia with apparent ease and throws himself headfirst into liaising and coordinating his vast array of subordinates with an apparently endless supply of energy and enthusiasm. Status reports are collected, promotions issued and new orders dispatched in a constant never-ending stream, the great systems of the Realm bent to the service of the Exalted Host.
And always, Sesus Minora is there at his side, guiding and advising with a gentle hand even as she helps to coordinate the thousand sprawling limbs of the military juggernaut. As the Admiral's own adjutant, Mnemon Ceres can go just about anywhere he himself can go and quite a few more places besides, and through the blessings of the Key she needs only a heartbeat of sleep each night and no time at all for food or drink. Which is just as well, because she's very nearly driving herself insane trying to keep up with Kuzan as it is, and trying to balance sleep deprivation and dehydration on top of that would have been an outright nightmare.
In one brief moment of peace, she makes a mental note to be more careful when it comes to motivating the Exalted in the future. And possibly to look into getting herself some drugs and/or divine blessings to help keep up with this sort of thing - Ryzala probably knows how to source concentration-enhancing drugs for loyal subordinates, at least. Then she sighs, and gets back to work.
-/-
[X] Find an experienced yet retired captain or admiral of the Realm's Navy who would be willing to teach a young man, very much out of his comfort zone and aware of it, the things he needs to know to run a navy.
The best thing about recruiting a new Admiral from House Peleps is that they have controlled the Imperial Navy for centuries, and have all the experience and insight to match. There are literally hundreds of veteran naval officers and fleet staff within comparatively easy reach for the new Admiral to call upon, and while their House culture all but forbade them from offering help to a sinking ship, the moment Kuzan looks to have pulled his head back above the waterline they all but leap at the opportunity to advise and assist him.
The worst thing about recruiting an Admiral from House Peleps is there are literally hundreds of close relatives convinced that the job should have been given to them instead. Minora spends much of her time vetting the endless swell of volunteers for those who are actually looking to help Kuzan rather than positioning themselves to sabotage him and step into his empty shoes, and while she has certain advantages in that field she is far from perfect. Fortunately, she doesn't need to be.
During one strategy meeting, one of the several dozen attendees manages to skip some kind of virulent poison into the Admiral's glass of wine. Kuzan spots it, makes a note of it to the suddenly rather nervous officers, drinks it anyway and carries on with the briefing.
Minora, observing from the shadows, sighs and makes a mental adjustment to her notes on the new Admiral. This is going to be an interesting year.
-/-
[X] Get a list and profiles of the staff that will be supporting Peleps Kuzan, and brief the experienced if young administrator on his new subordinates. If nothing else, this should be a familiar enough part of his job.
[X] Get similar dossiers of the other people in Eagle's Launch that Peleps Kuzan will have to deal with while in Eagle's Launch, for official business and otherwise.
[X] Mnemon Ceres will need some up to date records on the Fleet's logistics, materiel, supply and manpower all, as part of her job. Get those.
Vaguely, Minora makes a mental note to murder Ryzala at some point. There
has to be an easier way to keep track of this stuff than writing it on paper. If not, she is going to
make a way.
-/-
[X] As a freshly promoted high ranking military officer Peleps Kuzan is an assassination target. Although the risk on the Blessed Isle is likely small, he'll still need a proper escort and bodyguard. This should've already been arranged, but make sure of it and that they can get the new Admiral to Eagle's Landing.
As Admiral of the Water Fleet, Peleps Kuzan is entitled to protection from the Fleet Marines, battle-hardened soldiers experienced at close quarters fighting and equipped with the finest mortal gear the Realm's forges can produce. As a member of House Peleps he can summon a bodyguard from the ranks of the House Legions, professional soldiers drilled by Dragon-Blooded Generals until they are the equal of just about anything else you can find in all Creation.
As an officer appointed by direct command of the Scarlet Empress herself, he is permitted to command a full scale of the Silent Legion.
Hulking giants clad in polished black armour, carrying jade-steel swords and heavy shields literally bolted to the bones of their forearm, the Silent Legion are among the most fearsome and unyielding of all the Realm's military forces. Rigorous courses of alchemical enhancement and sorcerous blessings have rendered them stronger, faster and more resilient than any mortal human, while an in-depth curriculum of social and psychological conditioning have made them effectively immune to fear and unfailing obedient to any order given by the appropriate authority, no matter how repulsive or suicidal.
They are a symbol of both the Empress' favour and her scrutiny, and seeing them marching at the shoulders of Admiral Kuzan as he goes about his business is a disquieting thing indeed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the assassination attempts dwindle to all but nothing after they arrive.
-/-
[X] Commandeer a ship
The Earth Fleet is the division of the Imperial Navy assigned to guard and protect the shores of the Blessed Isle from any potential threat. They hunt down smugglers, confront raiding parties that make it through the protection offered by the other four fleets, and act as a mobile reserve force to reinforce the defense against any serious naval threat offered to the Realm. As such, it is relatively easy for Peleps Kuzan to commandeer some space aboard one of their ships in order to take him to Eagle's Launch, for they frequently send patrols along the coast in that direction regardless. In this case, the ship is a twin-masted frigate designed for coastal patrols, captained and crewed entirely by mortals but still dangerous enough to see off all but the most potent of raiding forces by itself.
Kuzan secures one small cabin for himself, Minora seizes another, the Silent Legion are stored in the cargo hold and the vessel departs, swiftly and without fanfare. For all his decadent ways, Kuzan prefers to save any celebrations of his new position until after he has proven to everyone that he can actually handle it.
The seas around the Blessed Isle are preternaturally calm and safe, the result of five centuries of pacts and alliances with the numerous spirit courts that administer such things. The journey passes swiftly as a result, the endless rolling landscapes of Creation's heartland providing a steady reference point for crew and passengers alike as they make their way towards Eagle's Launch. It should be a routine trip, but no one aboard treats it as one - the fates are not kind to those who grow complacent when someone as important as an Imperial Admiral is around, after all.
On the third day, their caution proves prescient, as a sharp-eyed lookout spots something on the horizon and cries out a warning to the rest of the crew.
"Pirates." The ship's captain growls, lowering her spyglass and frowning at the horizon. "They must have used a cloud bank to slip past the Air Fleet. Probably raiders from the Deshan, here for gold or to harass our supply lines."
"What would you call their most likely target, Captain?" Peleps Kuzan asks calmly, standing on the deck beside her with his hands folded behind his back.
"A ship that size, Admiral?" The captain considers this for a moment. "They'll probably just look to raid a village or two before heading home. Striking the Isle is as much a matter of prestige as practicality for these scum - they could earn just as much by raiding the northern satrapies and be far less exposed to our retaliation, but they come here instead."
"I see." Kuzan says slowly, studying the approaching sky-ship intently. "Well, we can't be having that now, can we?"
What does the Admiral command?
[ ] Try to outpace the Pirates and send warning to likely targets
[ ] Look vulnerable and bait them into attacking the ship instead of a village
[ ] Take the fight to them directly
Where does Minora stay?
[ ] Close to the Admiral
[ ] With the crew on the deck
[ ] Hidden below decks
QM's note - This is going to be the first experimental combat in Age of Bronze, where I test the system to see how it works and get practiced and writing a satisfying battle. Remember to contribute stunts and suggestions in order to employ charms or styles.
