Mandat de l'impératrice des Cieux - Imperial Princess Troubleshooter Space Opera Quest

Founded by Hagoromo-no-Kaneo-no-Mikoto, the Golden Orchid Empire has ruled five hundred suns unopposed for nigh as many years. And for five hundred years it has suffered no rival beyond its borders - nor has it met any.

But while fire from without fails, the rot within endures. Nobles scheme and plot, and outlying systems rumble with sedition and secession, all while outlaw kings pillage the weak and defenseless. Even the once-iron loyalty of the Great Houses has begun to rust, memories of the Unification resurfacing from the depths of history as eager eyes gaze on an increasingly hollow throne.

And now comes the true test.

The Empress is dead. Long live the Empress.

Admiral, you have been summoned to the Imperial Court for an occasion of great import: Recently enthroned, Empress Meigyoku has granted you her Imperial Mandate. No small matter, for it is one of the very first acts of her rule. With this, more so than any other in Her Majesty's Imperial Navy, you will be her eyes and ears, her instrument in enforcing her Will.

And by her will, you shall cleanse the corruption, purge the rot, and strengthen the Empire once more in any way you see fit.

Or perhaps not. It is your choice. After all, such a prestigious position grants both unprecedented responsibilities...and opportunities. Not to mention enemies...




Character Selection:

Welcome to Mandate of the Heavenly Empress. You are an Imperial Admiral who has been specially appointed by the Empress to be her personal troubleshooter. Choose your character and your character's Adjutant from the choices below:

Imperial Admirals:

[ ] Count Alastor von Toth: Military (Fleet Combat). A minor noble who has become a rising star within the Imperial Navy, you are ambitious and hungry. You are one of the most famous "Combat Admirals" in the Navy, with the bare minimum of desk assignments: if it's a tactical role on a warship, you've done it. Your track record of successes has only made you thirst for victory all the more, and has led to some jealousy along the way. Being a young and handsome war hero celebrity means you have no small number of admirers - and you count the Empress among their number: her girlish interest in you is quite obvious, and may be something you can exploit.

• Fleet Combat genius (easier military rolls).
• Empress's affection starts at Medium (Crush).
• Handsome Slavic bish in his mid-30s.
• "Skillful fleet command, comprehensive strategic consideration, and excellent tactical execution wins the day."
• Balanced fleet mix. Firepower ++, Mobility ++, Sustain ++.
• Politics S-rank.
• Combat is as much art as it is science. A well-executed fleet battle should have an air of performance to it, beyond the mere simple execution of the commander's intent.

[ ] Yonatan Chew: Military (Logistics/Staff/Support). A commoner who enlisted and subsequently earned a commission as an officer, you are dutiful and diligent. You have seen your own share of action and ship command, but on the whole you have served away from the front. You are not a warfighter, but you enable the warfighters, and you leverage the combat commanders serving under you. You know where the skeletons are buried, you know what a fleet needs to keep running: you work for a living and get shit done, and clawed your way up the ladder without any form of patronage. You are fairly unknown to the public eye, and you were a little surprised that the Empress even knew of you to ask for you by name; perhaps your assignment as the late Empress' naval aide a decade ago made an impression on her.

• Logistics/support master. (Almost) never run out of supply, get shit done.
• Empress' affection starts at Low (Subject).
• Average-looking ossan in his late 40s.
• "I believe in the 7Ps: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance."
• Sustainment fleet mix. Firepower ++, Mobility +, Sustain +++.
• Politics A-rank.
• Minefields, the jeune ecole, hit and fade attacks, anything goes so long as it's not an outright warcrime. Honor's meaningless if you're dead.

[ ] Princess Yui: Imperial Court (Politics). An Imperial Princess of the blood, you are supportive and cunning; your father was the late Empress' younger brother. You were raised and trained to navigate the snakepit of the Imperial Court, before embarking on your naval career, for what is war but politics by other means? You have exploited these skills within your fleet: you may not be the greatest military mind of your era, but your fleet is loyal to you and their morale is unbreakable. You are a decade older than the Empress, and you were her childhood playmate and lady-in-waiting; even in public today, she respectfully addresses you as "Older Sister", and gazes at you with pure unadulterated adoration; she truly is the younger sister you never had.

• Political operator. See political maneuvering coming your way and exploit it.
• Empress' affection starts at High (Oneesama).
• Beautiful elegant kitsune princess in her late 20s.
• "There are very few problems that cannot be solved by overwhelming firepower."
• Heavy fleet mix (predominantly BB, BC, CA). Firepower ++++, Mobility +, Sustain +.
• Politics SSR-rank.
• Showing up with the grandest most powerful fleet around is all fine and well, but as a princess of the blood, it behooves you to fight fairly and justly, in a manner befitting your station, as an exemplar to others. Which means that you generally must fight a matched, even battle with your foes.
• Special Bonus: As second in line for the Golden Orchid throne, Yui has access to Imperial Royal Guard support, ranging from a Tier 1 personal protection detail up to a Mobile Aerospace-Ground Task Force.

Adjutant:

Choose one character to be your adjutant, allowing you to utilise their speciality. Adjutants are competent generalists outside of their specialist focus.

[ ] Risa Hayao (Fleet Combat +). A seasoned warship captain, with a reputation for calculated aggressiveness. While some look askance at her tactics and risk estimation, Risa Hayao is an undeniably capable naval officer, with an admiral's stars a certainty for her future.

[ ] Ayako Tomioka (Logistics +). A seasoned logistics officer, with a reputation for skillful resource management. While she has not seen much combat, Ayako Tomioka is a genius with making sure the fleet has what it needs in sufficient quantities.

[ ] Mulia Ketmanee (Politics +). A scion of Siam-Astra Intergalactic Consolidated Holdings Limited, one of the largest megacorps in the Empire. He pursued a naval career for the sake of building up his resume and network of contacts. Mulia Ketmanee is a competent enough naval officer, but his true calling is navigating the treacherous waters of civilian and military politics.

[ ] Daniel O'Farrell (Intel +). An impoverished noble who rose through the ranks on talent and results. Daniel O'Farrell is skilled at taking information from a variety of sources, and weaving it together into a cohesive, meaningful package. Give him a day and he'll give you a dossier on your enemy; give him a week and he'll tell you where all their hiding holes are.




Imperial Crest created by @Slayers148 ​

Dramatis Personae

Princess Yui of Akasha

Art by @Slayers148 . Commissions available here.​

Her Imperial Highness Princess Yui of Akasha, alternately known as Vice Admiral Yui Akasha. An Imperial Princess of the blood, you are supportive and cunning; your father was the late Empress' younger brother. You were raised and trained to navigate the snakepit of the Imperial Court, before embarking on your naval career, for what is war but politics by other means? You have exploited these skills within your fleet: you may not be the greatest military mind of your era, but your fleet is loyal to you and their morale is unbreakable. You are a decade older than the Empress, and you were her childhood playmate and lady-in-waiting; even in public today, she respectfully addresses you as "Older Sister", and gazes at you with pure unadulterated adoration; she truly is the younger sister you never had.

Protagonist of Mandate of the Heavenly Empress, daughter of His Imperial Highness The Prince of Akasha. A diligent and serious naval officer, who takes her responsibilities and duties seriously. Yui is quite young for her rank, due to a mix of competence, nepotism and connections. She's highly skilled in the political arena, and a competent naval officer. As a commander, her leadership style is more consultative: she has no problem using good ideas from her subordinates, and she believes in getting her subordinates to buy-in to her aims and goals. One of the more standout things Yui has done in recent memory was arranging for 13th Fleet to undergo refit at shipyards in the Royal Family's holdings, and paying out of her family's finances for the cost of the refit. While this act among many helped secure the loyalty of her fleet to her, it has also raised eyebrows amongs other quarters.

Yui was summoned back to the capital world of Jinko-Sei to be appointed as Imperial Vicereine; recognising the unfavorable optics, she was able to persuade Empress Meigyoku to accept her resignation as Imperial Vicereine, and to withdraw the appointment of an Imperial Vicereine. She has now taken her oath as a member of the Regency Council. Her immediate priority for now, as the Empress's unofficial right hand fox, will be to prepare the Empress to rule.

Captain Daniel O'Farrel, Equerry to HIH Princess Yui of Akasha

Captain Count Daniel O'Farrel. An impoverished noble who rose through the ranks on talent and results. Daniel O'Farrell is skilled at taking information from a variety of sources, and weaving it together into a cohesive, meaningful package. Give him a day and he'll give you a dossier on your enemy; give him a week and he'll tell you where all their hiding holes are. Currently serving as Adjutant to VAdm Yui Akasha.

Daniel O'Farrel has served with Yui for some time now, as her Adjutant, and enjoys a close, respectful working relationship with her. She's recently offered him the position as her Equerry, and he's accepted the appointment, with the understanding that his role will be less ceremonial, and more towards running her private intelligence team.

At present, he's embarked for a 3-month covert investigation into SA-Caledfwlch, source of refitted warships that ended up in pirate hands.

Shoko Kitakami, Lady-in-Waiting to HIH Princess Yui of Akasha

Shoko Kitakami is Princess Yui's lady-in-waiting. Her role is greater than that of a glorified secretary; she oversees the Princess' household and manages her affairs, and under her stewardship has managed to keep Princess Yui's personal finances in a strong position, despite the massive undertaking of refitting 13th Fleet.

Empress Meigyoku

Her Imperial Majesty Empress Meigyoku, personal name Ahri, is the newly ascended Empress of the Golden Orchid Empire, and Princess Yui's younger cousin. At 16 years old she is untrained and untested, and her political education is shallow and lacking, which is Princess Yui's first priority to correct. She utterly loves and adores and completely trusts her onee-sama, which is something Yui can exploit and make use of.

Presently, Her Majesty is being mentored by Princess Yui in key aspects of rulership, though she has much to learn before she ascends to her throne in two years' time.

Social Decorum: 1/20
Political Etiquette: 4/20
Constitutional Law: 1/20
Crisis Management: 0/20
Governance: 0/20

Fleet Admiral Sir Yonatan Chew, Commander Fleet Operations

Fleet Admiral Sir Yonatan Chew is third in command of the Imperial Navy, and as Commander Fleet Operations, is responsible for the day to day operations of the Imperial Navy. He's diligent, dutiful and loyal, and serves his Empire... well, not entirely happily. He works long and hard, making bricks from stray, playing with smoke and mirrors to keep the Navy running and meeting its obligations. At the moment, he is prioritising the Inner and Outer Rim over the Core systems, with his aim being to stabilise unrest on the Rim, banking on the Imperial Royal Guard to be able to keep a lid on things long enough until he can build up the Navy's strength everywhere. The Empire may be on the path to balkanisation, but Yonatan Chew will do everything in his power to keep that from happening.

He's a close personal friend of Yui's father, Admiral Masatada Akasha, His Imperial Highness the Prince of Akasha; they were junior officers together, they have seen combat together, their paths have intersected throughout their respective rises through the ranks. He's the older brother Prince Masatada never had, the best man at His Highness' wedding, and he has known Yui her entire childhood. When she joined the Imperial Navy, he arranged for her to be assigned to him as his Flag Lieutenant, and later requested her to serve as his Adjutant. He has watched over her career with interest, guiding and mentoring her development as a naval officer, and he has been a strong influence in her life.

Yonatan is something of an oddity in the Admiralty in that he is a mustang, an officer who was formerly enlisted. Mustangs are not uncommon in the Imperial Navy, but very few have risen as high as Yonatan has, from sailor to Fleet Admiral, with combat experience up close and personal and from a warship's bridge. His long time in service and career path from both sides of the fence has given him a certain unique perspective to the Navy. For all that he wears a Fleet Admiral's stars on his shoulders, Yonatan believes he remains senior enlisted in his heart.

Codex: Political Information

• Map of the Golden Orchid Empire
• The Regency Council
• House Akasha's place in Imperial Succession
• Imperial Law of Sucession

Codex: Military

• 13th Fleet Composition and Imperial Navy Fleet strength
• Combat Doctrine and Sensors & ECM
• Warships and Weapons Overview
• Officer Ranks and Insignia of the Imperial Defense Forces