"God," you say, with an accusing glance heavenward, "has a truly perverse sense of humor." Because for all her eccentricities, the Divine Founder wouldn't expose Fleet Admiral Yonatan Chew, Commander Fleet Operations, to COVID-69 and relegate him to self-isolation at home. Yahweh, on the other hand...
"Perhaps, Sir, but just because you're in quarantine for COVID-69 exposure doesn't mean you get to abandon your duties as Third Star Lord," says your right hand woman, fussing about in your private office. "There. You're set for your vidconference with the First Star Lord at 1000 hours, and you have a conference call with 1st Fleet's leadership at 1130 hours. You have vidconferences at 1400 and 1500, followed with a concall with your staff at 1600."
"And you're sure that we're secure and nobody's eavesdropping in on these meetings?"
"You're using secure Navy comms, and I've swept your office for bugs, I'm very sure that this work from home arrangement is secure."
"What about my bedroom," you mutter under your breath, and Amagi Ri-Sumeragi huffs scornfully.
"Darling, please. I'm not a frail old woman - I don't need recording devices to etch each and every inch of you into my memory."
"Maggie, we're on the clock, we need to at least try to pretend to be professional," you say, but your heart's not really in it.
Maggie raises one beautiful eyebrow at you. You shrug: you're wearing Navy fatigues, you're dressed properly. (You deliberately ignore your bare feet, clad only in your socks.) Maggie's expression grows flatter, as she wordlessly gestures to herself, clad in her Service Dress Uniform, the very model of a modern naval officer. She sighs, and shakes her head, and lets the papers she's carrying fall from her hand to the floor. "Oh dear, my hand spasmed," she says blandly. "I'll just be a moment, Sir." She bends over to pick up the papers, and you can feel your heartrate speed up at the sight of her fluffy tails and her amazing ass, her hip-hugging pencil skirt showing off her legs-
And then Maggie reaches behind and flicks the zipper down. She wriggles this way and that, and her skirt slides down her beautiful legs, her modesty barely preserved by her beautiful tails. She picks up the papers and her skirt, and sighs dramatically. "I believe I've had a uniform malfunction, Sir. Begging the Fleet Admiral's favor, but I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to carry on.
"Where are your panties?" you ask dumbly, as she stands at attention before you, your eyes drawn to her lower lips, and Maggie merely sighs longsufferingly.
"They're in my pocket," she says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. She hands you her skirt with a smug smile. "If I could ask a favour of you, Darling, could you please hold onto my skirt and my panties? Thank you, I appreciate it very much." She smartly turns on her heels and exits your office, leaving you standing there holding her skirt in your hands. As if on autopilot, you reach into her pocket and remove her panties, holding the soft silk undergarment between your fingers.
This she-demon of a fox is going to give you a heart attack some day, you just know it.
Completely noncannon AU; I did think about a pandemic arc but well, it would never have gotten this bad because all the nobles would have ree'd and locked down their borders and the IRG would enforce a blockade of Jinko-Sei at gunpoint.
But I've been in lockdown for a month now and this was all getting to me so eh, I'mma just put a little of IRL into my quest .
FROM: ADM Alastor von Toth, Volga Frontier Fleet Command SENT: 01 JUN BUNTOKU 01 TO: FADM Yonatan Chew, Commander Fleet Operations SUBJECT: Volga Frontier Status Report
Sir,
I can report that our mission to restore law and order in the Volga Frontier remains in-progress. I realize that this might not be the breakthrough you had been expecting, but given the circumstances, I believe the fact alone of being able to move forward with our assignment can be taken as a sign of progress.
As I have stated many times previously, our mission faces two fundamental difficulties that remain tied in their cause, but require virtually opposite solutions. The sparse nature of the Outer Rim territories, with large expanses of unclaimed space and lower settlement density than the Imperial Core, means that our operational area remains far in excess of typical military operations. It also means a considerable expanse of territory which pirates, insurgents and other malcontents may hide in to continue raiding or wait out military response, while distance between various worlds forces an unwise division of our forces to maintain peace. To eradicate piracy completely, we would be forced to maintain regular patrols and aggressive search-and-destroy expeditions sector-by-sector, likely launched in simultaneous. Meanwhile, adequately pacifying colonial worlds - pacifying, not merely securing - would require a more permanent solution than presence patrols. This, I'm sure you know and I reiterate that circumstances in that regard had not changed since I began my assignment.
To be frank, Sir: carrying out this mission to a successful conclusion with my present force, reinforced already as it is, is impossible. I have done all I can, but the fundamental political mismanagement that has allowed the situation to deteriorate to this point has run too deep, and the resulting public resentment cannot be easily resolved. In my capacity as mission commander, I have been forced to exercise drastic measures to restore smooth functioning of local political systems. Regrettably, this has resulted in significant disruptions that require careful and consistent management - management that needs to be reinforced with visible Imperial presence in form of garrisons. I am confident that this approach will eliminate the root political causes of the disturbance, but it cannot be rushed under any circumstances. This in turn means that our ability to effectively peruse and eliminate pirate and insurgency presence has become limited.
We have none the less made a number of achievements in this regard, as you know from previous reports - most of the major local threats have been neutralized. We have also been able to scatter and otherwise discourage the most impertinent signs of piracy, with several of my battlegroups having distinguished themselves in sweeping out pirate strongholds. However, many of the smaller groups, which typically account for most of day-to-day disturbance as it were, have gone to ground, and I simply do not have the resources to pursue them. I fear that withdrawing forces from already secured worlds could destabilize the political situation and would render our campaign meaningless, but if we cannot secure the starlanes, our tenuous achievements could likewise be easily undone.
Complicating this situation has been the fact that my sector is seeing an influx of outside threats - agitators from other border regions that circle the Outer Rim largely with impunity. In particular, we have engaged and destroyed several groups with links to the Salsu Frontier. While I realize this might be politically inconvenient, the fact is that we also have to struggle against the inability of other sector commands to exert sufficient situation control over their own AOs. I have, of course, submitted relevant records and battle data with this report, as a verification of my claims.
Despite these setbacks, I believe with time we may be able to turn the situation around, at least in Volga, and from there, work towards the other sectors. If I am to accelerate this time table, then frankly, I will require more troops, more ships, more supplies. Additional fleet reinforcements could significantly expand our search radius, and allow for a more active operational profile.
Failing that however, I do believe there might be another way. After conducting a preliminary study, my officers have agreed with me that if we could expand the local industrial base, we could significantly ease the supply and maintenance situation of my forces. While this would not have the same immediate effect as would further force surges, it would allow me a more aggressive operational tempo, without fears of potentially breaking down a significant portion of my fleet. It could even prove useful in reclaiming the allegiance of Outer Rim citizens, by providing them with jobs & industries, which could then be turned towards domestic demands after our assignment is complete. This solution would, however require more engineers, technical specialists and industrial packages than I currently have on hand - detailed estimates and a breakdown of this plan, should you be interested, has been attached to this report.
Ultimately, while the situation remains challenging, I do believe that victory is ultimately possible - but for it to be thorough and lasting, much more time and resources are needed.
Regards,
Admiral Alastor von Toth
Volga Frontier Fleet Command
Fleet Activities Deidiyenqi,
Shiitu System,
Despa Sector,
Volga Frontier
This was in the first draft of the update. I rather liked it, but ultimately tossed it because, well, surely Yui isn't that dense. There's dense, and then there's harem anime protagonist dense, and I'm trying to write a verse with a certain baseline level of competence here. Still, it amused me.
-=-
Fleet Admiral Chew emits a long, drawn out sigh, and looks flatly at you and Kanda. "I can't stand this nonsense. Can you two please don't sohai can or not? You're both adults. Go and bang. Knock boots. Do the Horizontal mambo. Make the beast with both backs. See each other naked. Go and fuck each other and get rid of your unresolved sexual tension, can or not?"
Kanda is turning red - not the angry red, you've seen that before, but embarrassed red? That's strange. You're both spacers, you've both heard salty language before.
You look at your commander and mentor, and let your face show your puzzlement, as you ask him, "Sir, what unresolved sexual tension?"
"You really dunno isit." Your mentor's voice has a hollow tone to it, as if he's slowly dying on the inside.
"No, I know what unresolved sexual tension is, but I'm confused why you would bring up this non sequitur, Sir. We don't have that sort of relationship."
"She really doesn't know what you're talking about, Sir," says Shiki, backing you up, and you feel a flush of friendly affection blossom in your heart. This is what true friendship means - even though he's mad at you, he still has your back.
The Third Star Lord looks at both of you, and buries his face in his hands. He stabs the intercom button. "Ri-Sumeragi?"
"Sir."
"Bring me my sidearm, I need to shoot myself."
"Respectfully, Fleet Admiral, I cannot do that. You don't have a sidearm assigned to you, and I can't let you escape your meetings."
"Captain, I order you to find me a sidearm so I can shoot myself."
"Respectfully, Sir, I refuse. You have far too much work pending for you to commit suicide."
"Clear my calendar, then."
"Unfortunately, Sir, ordering me to clear your calender, so that you might attempt suicide in order to escape your duties, would count as a charge of misusing your authority for personal gain, and I would be obliged to report this. Do you wish to proceed further?
"Nevermind, Ri-Sumeragi."
"Very good, Sir. Be advised, you'll be meeting with the First Star Lord in fourty two minutes."
On a more serious note, as I'm writing the update it occurs to me that I was remiss in not offering the readers the chance to write-in questions of their own for Kanda, in addition to my plans for Yui's approach. I'd like to correct that.
For the next 24 hours, ending at 1600 GMT on Monday, 4 May, I'll be accepting write-in questions that y'all would like to ask for Kanda. Please use the vote format so that I can easily tally up the questions, haha.
Something like this:
[X] Kanda, do you prefer Ham or Bacon?
That said, do note that your questions are going to be massaged somewhat by Yui's voted approach, which is for gentle probing, which may affect how the question is delivered in the update (or might cause said question to be rejected).
hold up
While it's true that Sufficient Velocity's Rule 6 allows for a great deal of latitude with respect to depicting sexuality, there are limits to this, usually referred to as 'handling content maturely'. The most well-known of these limits is our zero-tolerance policy towards sexualising minors, but there are others. In the text of Rule 6, we note that handling content maturely includes not fetishizing violence or abuse - which a rape scene written to titillate definitely qualifies as.
@Whiskey Golf has been awarded 50 points under Rule 6 and the offending content has been removed.
This is a sequel to the earlier sidestory that was deleted - the tl;dr is what appeared to be a rebel insurgent being raped by a mercenary, who revealed herself as purportedly Viscountess Suzume Rai-Sumeragi of Great House Sumeragi, was really Empress Kensei and Prince Consort Young-joon engaging in consensual roleplay (if a tad degrading, degenerate and depraved). This is actually intended to be Part 3 of a three part series if the first two parts will ever see the light of day, but should be fairly readable on its own.
Tags: Anal fingering, fluffy tail, handcuffs, handholding, heavy plot-related conversations.
- 女王之天命 -
You blink and yawn sleepily, feeling the stiffness in your body, and the weight on your chest. In a flash, it all comes back to you, your escapades of the last few hours, how you degraded and humiliated and ejaculated inside the beautiful fox who lies handcuffed and asleep in your arms. You didn't mean to, but it seems you fell asleep.
You fumble for your watch, beside the futon - obviously you'd taken it off, but you can't remember when that happened - and check the time. You mutter a heartfelt and ironic curse: "Fuck." You've overslept more than you intended to. Not good, not good at all: you're working against a clock here, time is running out-
-but the temptation to just lie back and continue to cuddle remains. You let yourself float in that tempting fantasy for a few more moments, and then you sigh and nuzzle the sleeping fox who's using you as a body pillow.
"Wakey-wakey, Kana," you say tenderly, as your hand trails its way down her body. She's the most beautiful woman in the world, and you feel so lucky that you get to hold her in your arms, right this moment. She's perfect, every inch of her, inhumanly beautiful and exquisite, no blemishes save the ones you gave her, with a wonderful scent that you could just drown in. She's a perfect, exquisite, erotic instrument, and you're the novice who's honored to play her. You give her a little shake and jiggle, but she just mumbles sleepily and continues to drool on your naked chest, an image that is both adorable and alluring. You can feel your cock slowly start to stiffen, and you decide to hasten her wakefulness. You bring your finger down to her ass, teasing her rosebud, before you slip your finger into her tight, elastic opening. Her anal passage is tight and warm, a familiar sheath for your finger. Slowly, teasingly, you move your finger in and out, stimulating her ass. Kana moans sleepily and you start to speed up, your probing finger working deeper and deeper, stirring her into wakefulness. Her eyes flutter open, as she gasps lewdly, a lazy smile growing across her face. She ducks her head shyly, and then she smiles, embarrassed and self-conscious and pleased and aroused, and presses her ass against your finger.
Goddess above, she's so adorably perfect.
"Hey, you," she says, and you smile in return.
"Hey, you."
Your lips meet in a soft, tender kiss. It's warm, loving, your lips on hers, the tips of your tongues touching, a bridge of comfort between you both.
At last, by mutual consent, you both come up for air. Kana yawns cutely. "How long was I asleep?"
"Five hours," you say, and you see panicked irritation flash across her face, before she exhales, controlling herself. "Damn," she sighs. "We don't have time to waste."
"We still have tonight, tomorrow, Sunday afternoon," you say consolingly, continuing to finger her ass, which she's now wriggling against your finger. "If we really wanted to cut things close, as long as we arrived in time for your Monday 9 a.m. with the Lord Chancellor, nobody would bat an eye, and you know he's fond of you, he'd indulge you if you were a little late."
"Don't tempt me, danna-sama," sighs Kana wistfully. She yawns and stretches, which makes her body shift in ways that do things to your manhood, especially when she makes no effort to dislodge her pussy and her ass.
"Are you okay? I hope you're not too sore or anything. Did I bite too hard?"
"It was wonderful, Young-joon," she purrs, lying back against your chest, snuggling up to you. "You worry too much. My breasts are fine, I wish you'd use them harder - and you could do to choke a bit tighter, you know, I'm not fragile. There's room for improvement. You went off script, you didn't follow the scenario I'd planned, and you pulled the plug too soon. I could have gone longer."
"I told you, you have to leave room for improvisation," you chuckle, while tabling the subject of safeword timing for a later moment. "It's a live unrehearsed performance I'm doing here, the script's just a guideline. Besides, you weren't half bad improvising yourself."
"Well, I am the Empress, if I couldn't think on my feet I shouldn't be doing this job," laughs Kana, but you can see the tips of her ears glowing red. Ever since you first met her at college, she's always been embarrassed and pleased to be complimented.
"You were amazing," you praise her. "Especially the bit where you went full Sumeragi, that took me by surprise. And the way you sold the character and the scene… you should have been an actress, you'd have the entire galaxy eating out of your hands."
"As opposed to being Empress?" she asks haughtily, as she ducks her head to hide her happy smiles. You reach up and stroke her hair and her ears, and Kana purrs happily - oh wait, no, that's her stomach growling.
Kana buries her face in your chest, and you can feel her hysterical laughter through your skin, as you chuckle and stroke her ears some more.
"I'll get us some snacks in a bit," you say. "And I'm sorry about going off script, I just, well, you know how I am. I see your boobs and I lose my reason. I become a rampaging beast."
"A rampaging beast of a brute who has his way with his royal wife beyond the confines of their marriage contract," says Kana, giggling, and you grin too. Your marriage contract stated that as Prince Consort, you were to fulfil your marital duties to the then-Crown Princess a minimum of once a month, but you pride yourself on providing excellent service beyond the confines of the contract. Because making love to the most beautiful woman in the world is such a hard duty…
Kana's giggles set off a laughing fit, one which you quickly fall victim to, and it's a few long moments before you can both compose yourselves. It's a magical sound when she laughs, and you want to give her as many reasons to laugh as you can.
It's too bad you'll have to break the mood with the hard questions.
Kana stretches again lazily, and nods to herself. "I think I have one more session in me before we really have to go eat," she says. "We've lost hours, so we'll need to make up for lost time, and I want to do the stuff we missed in the script-"
"Honey, we've got two days here, we don't need to frontload everything-"
"-so I'm thinking maybe we skip a bit of the foreplay, let's do standing against the wall, so you'll kabe-don and push me to the wall, then make me finger myself while you choke me, then press me against the wall and take me while you make me finger my ass-"
That's actually surprisingly smalltime-
"-and then just as I'm about to cum you pull out and hit me with the shock prod in the nips and lips and shove it in my ass and keep shocking me till I cum-"
"Yeah no that's not happening, the IRG would ISA me in a heartbeat."
"The IRG is sworn to obey me, you know."
"Yes, well I don't want to give them an excuse to get rid of me." Kana rolls her eyes at you, you roll your eyes back at her, and you spend the next minute caught in a childish eye rolling battle with your wife. At last you sigh and let her win the eyerolling battle, marshalling your thoughts for the conversation you need to have.
"I'm sorry to break the mood, but I have to ask how you are."
"I'm fine, you know I am. Why wouldn't the Empress be otherwise?"
"No, you're not fine," you say seriously. "I'm worried, Kana. You're going too deep into scenes: I'm the one who has to pump the brakes, who has to manage your limits. The dom's job is to go right up till the point the sub says no, but you won't say no. Your scenarios are getting more and more extreme. You haven't been sleeping properly, you've been stress eating and binge drinking more than usual. Talk to me, please."
A riot of expressions cross Kana's face, before she sighs, and shakes her head. "Young-joon, we were having fun: can't we just keep on having fun and forget about all that?"
"Releasing a safety valve doesn't solve the root cause of the pressure buildup," you chide gently. "I can keep hitting the valve release all day, or I can try and reduce the pressure buildup at the source. Look at that folder on the table, how thick your script is. The itinerary for this weekend… this isn't a relaxing weekend getaway, this is you trying to grind sex nonstop the whole time we're here. This goes beyond normal hedonism. There's something bothering you. Talk to me, please. Aren't we noble confidants?"
You move to pull out, but Kana stops you with a shake of her head. She sits up, frowning, silent, pensive, resting her cuffed hands on your chest. You say nothing; you just cover her hands with your free hand and lie there, waiting patiently. It's a trick you learned from your best friend's psychiatrist sister: stay silent, wait, and eventually the other party will speak, because they can't stand the silence.
Kana sighs: a deep, tired, defeated sound, one that's wholly out of character for her. "My brother's daughter is ten," she says bleakly. "It's been ten years since she was born and I still don't have an heir."
You stifle a wince. Empress Kensei's estrangement from her younger brother, the Prince of Akasha, is a touchy subject. You got to watch from the sidelines: Prince Masatada's defiant lashing out against the Dowager Empress, his rebellious choice to ignore his Imperial mother's wishes and join the Imperial Navy - and then, the icing on the cake: he went and spawned himself an Imperial Princess. Crown Princess Kana was childless then, and Empress Kensei remains childless now, leaving Princess Yui of Akasha as Heir Presumptive to the Imperial Throne.
"You're still young," you say stupidly.
"We're nearly forty. My biological clock is running out. So long as she's alive, so long as I don't have an heir, Princess Yui is a knife at my heart. I can't afford to leave it there."
"Your Majesty," you say, very quietly, very seriously, "she's just a little girl. She's your niece. I've seen the way she looks at you: she admires you."
"Anyone can put on an act. My entire existence has been an act. As Empress Kensei, I am this brilliant elegant accomplished strong powerful capable woman; as Kana, I am a lazy selfish gluttonous degenerate."
You disagree completely with her self-assessment, but this isn't the time to address that. You give her a small, sad shake of your head. "Do you really think Princess Yui is a threat to your reign?"
"...not intentionally," admits the Empress reluctantly. "But the fact of the matter is that Prince Masatada spawned her before I'd birthed an heir, he never renounced his princehood and his place in the succession, she is legally the next in line for the throne. He could use her as his puppet, ruling as her Regent till her coronation. She could be a willing participant in his schemes, playing the long game, preparing to take the throne as Empress, all for his vicarious victory. Or she could just be an ordinary little girl. But I can't take that chance. I've worked so hard, endured so much to take my throne. I don't want it but it's mine: I can't, I won't abide a threat to my throne and my line."
"I wonder about that. We've met them. I don't believe they're anything more than what they present themselves as: a pair of naval officers doing their duty, a little girl who admires her aunt."
"I can't trust your feelings. You're a poor judge of character."
"Why do you say that?" you ask curiously. Her Majesty sniffs scornfully.
"You love me. You're a good man, my Prince, but if you were really as good a judge of character as you think you are, you could never love me."
You just shake your head at that statement. Words fail you. She's saying the same goddamned things, again. You want to scream in frustration - but you're not a baby throwing a tantrum. You still your tongue and change the subject.
"So that's why you pulled strings and sent your brother and his friend to Pattani."
"They foiled a terrorist attack at the start of their careers. They've further distinguished themselves in combat. If I leave him unchecked, Masatada will build a power base in my Navy, with Chew at his side. The spurned prince and his commoner attendant rising through the ranks, winning honor and glory: that makes a compelling story. Coup d'etats have been launched with less. So I need him away from the Capital, where he can't start anything until I'm ready to announce I'm pregnant."
And if he "unfortunately" becomes a posthumous hero, that solves the problem for you. And if you're pregnant, then you don't need to remove Yui. You meet your Empress' gaze, and you know that she knows what you're thinking, without you even saying it.
"So that's why you didn't want me in your ass," you muse. "And those pills you've been taking - you're on fertility drugs. You want to maximise your chances of getting pregnant."
"Precisely." She looks at you, eyebrow raised. "Why didn't you say anything about the pills?"
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready," you say. "But… you know, it takes two people to make a baby. I don't like to admit it, but the problem might be with me. In that case, warming up your oven's pointless if I can't put any buns in it. Your line has to continue, so you need to be prepared to take a lov-"
Kana slaps you. Her face is inches from yours, eyes glassy and blazing, ears twitching. "No!" she snarls furiously. "You promised me! You swore an oath to me that you would give me an heir, that you would perpetuate my line! That is your duty as Prince Consort, and I will not release you from it! Your Empress commands you!"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was just trying to give you options."
"I don't want options that don't involve you!"
Oh, Kana.
The warm feeling in your heart overrides the stinging in your cheek. Kana blinks furious tears, which splash on your cheeks, intermixed with your own. She leans down and kisses you: you arch your head back, baring your throat to her. Her mouth is warm against your throat, her teeth are sharp against your jugular, her breath tickles your neck. You feel these things and more as you submit to your Goddess-Empress-Wife, as she holds your throat in her mouth.
She releases you and sits back a little, and she shakes her head at you. "For someone who keeps harping on how I'm always degrading myself, you were awfully quick to throw yourself aside. Where's your pride as a man? Are you that much of a cuck that you'll let your wife be impregnated by a stranger?"
"I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. But if there is a course of action that you need to take, to fulfil your obligations as Empress Kensei, then my job, as your husband, is to support you."
Kana's expression softens.
"This is why I married you, you know your place," she says, but her fond, tender tone belies her words. She gently caresses and kisses your cheek, where it stings. "But remember: your place is beside me, not below me. You're so much better than those Sumeragi bitches. Prince Consort, you've offended me by your thoughtless disregard of yourself and your duty. How will you atone for this?"
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I have been lax in my duty to you. I shall redouble my efforts, tenfold. I shall work unceasingly till my oath to you has been fulfilled - and then some."
Kana just laughs and shakes her head and kisses your forehead. "See that you do," she says fondly. "It's meaningless to me if my child isn't yours."
You just nod mutely, not trusting yourself to speak, as she lays herself down on you, cuddling up against you with a tired yawn. "Besides," adds Kana, "taking a lover would be too much trouble. I'd have to get rid of him once the job was done; I can't afford to leave loose ends around that could come back to haunt me. I've got enough bodies to my name for my age. For now."
The Dichotomy of Woman. Kana is a lot kinder, more loving, than her mother ever was. Empress Kensei is also a lot more ruthless than the Dowager Empress. It's something you've always had to be mindful of.
"I'm sure the IRG isn't short of zealots who'd be honored to seed you and then stay in their lane."
"I don't like zealots: they're unpredictable, you can't always be sure of where you stand with them." She shakes her head. "In the worst case… I suppose I might have settled for Hayakawa Soujiro, save for the inconvenient fact that House Hayakawa's head is dead."
"And you don't want to be seen too closely favoring House Hayakawa out of all the IRG's warrior houses. Even if they do call themselves the Hounds of the Empire." And they take that sobriquet a little too literally, you think. House Hayakawa was probably human at the Founding, but after five centuries of zealotry… well, those stubby secondary ears and bushy tails definitely aren't natural features.
"Indeed. But that's a moot point. The only man who'll knock me up is you."
You can't help but smile happily. You can feel yourself stiffening inside her, and Kana looks up at you with an amused smile.
"Ah. Are you ready to resume your marital duties, my husband?"
"I am, but on one condition, my wife."
"Name it," she declares, with magnamious grace. "I feel generous tonight."
"You need to love yourself more, Kana."
"... I'm afraid your meaning escapes me."
"I'd rather make love to Kana than degrade the Empress."
"But darling, you weren't degrading the Empress, you were treating a traitorous Sumeragi whore as she deserved. You did nothing wrong. That has nothing to do with me at all."
"I don't think you're as good at compartmentalising as you pretend. Be honest, Kana: this isn't just hedonism or vicariously spiting Sumeragi. You want to be degraded."
"You're reading too much into this. It's just my fetish."
"I've known you since college," you say. "We've done all sorts of play. But this degradation fetish got harder after your coronation. It's the same thing with your stress eating and binge drinking and marathon workouts. I feel like you're in a cycle of overindulgence and self-punishment, and it worries me. I think you hate being Empress, you don't want to be Empress, because of the decisions that you have to make and the things that you have to do, because you're constantly fighting against your nature and your personal desires. And that's why you're acting out this way. You want to be disrespected, you want to be degraded, you want to be treated the complete opposite of how the Empress is treated, because nobody hates Empress Kensei more than Kana."
"You're wrong, you always talk about the same things," she says softly, but there's little conviction in her words.
You free your finger from her ass and pull Kana off your cock, ignoring her protestations. You roll yourselves onto your sides, so you can face each other, and you hold her and gently brush her hair from her face.
"I love you," you say fiercely. "I love you. You are a wonderful person, you're perfect in all your flaws, and I just wish you could love yourself as much as you love me."
Kana bites her lip, her face pensive. Her eyes meet yours. "I don't want to, I won't give up our play," she says.
"I'm not asking you to," you shake your head. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel any excitement when we do scenes. But just, dial it back a bit more, okay? It's alright to be loved, Kana. It's alright to let me love you. It's alright for you to love yourself. Say it with me: Kana deserves to be loved."
"Kana deserves to be loved," she whispers, her voice cracking. You pull Kana into a hug and bury your face in her hair, and just hold her.
Y'know what, screw it, I wrote seven hundred words and by god I will post them! It'll just have to be a deleted scene, because while WAFF torogao love is never bad, it diluted the narrative focus of Kana: Diminuendo, which is why I had to excise it.
Tags: torogao, happy sex with love, handholding, foxgirl, fluffy tail, nakadashi, wife
- 女王之天命 -
"I love you," you say fiercely. "I love you. You are a wonderful person, you're perfect in all your flaws, and I just wish you could love yourself as much as you love me."
Kana bites her lip, her face pensive. Her eyes meet yours. "I don't want to, I won't give up our play," she says.
"I'm not asking you to," you shake your head. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel any excitement when we do scenes. But just, dial it back a bit more, okay? It's alright to be loved, Kana. It's alright to let me love you. It's alright for you to love yourself. Say it with me: Kana deserves to be loved."
"Kana deserves to be loved," she whispers, her voice cracking. You pull Kana into a hug and bury your face in her hair, and just hold her.
You both lie there, clutching each other - for how long, you're not sure. There's no verbal discussion, just mutual unspoken instinct. You release Kana and kiss away her tears; she does the same for you. You nuzzle her neck as she rolls on her back, baring her neck to you once more. Gently, tenderly, you take her neck in your mouth, as Kana arches her back, resting her cuffed hands behind her head, displaying herself toward you in full, loving submission. You release her neck and pull the handcuff key from its chain around your neck, freeing her hands from the restraints. Kana makes a protesting noise as you intertwine your fingers with hers, and you silence her with a gentle kiss. You work your way down her beautiful body, leaving a trail of kisses behind you, till you arrive at her pussy. Without a moment's hesitation you dive in, worshiping your goddess with your tongue, praising her with your lips - the sounds of her passion are music to your ears, a divine chorus to your soul. Her legs trap your head between her lips and you intensify your worship, and you open your mouth and receive her orgasmic blessings.
At last, the stream of Her divine nectar ends, her convulsions subside, and your royal wife gazes at you with smoky desire. "Kiss me," she pleads, and you hasten to obey. Your mouths meet and you latch onto her like a drowning man. Your tongue dances with hers, and you can taste your mixed fluids - saliva, semen, girlcum - forming an intoxicating, heady, depraved taste in your mind. Your mind goes blank, and the next thing you realise, your cock is buried balls deep inside your wife, she's clinging to you, and you're kneeling over the futon, holding her up as you drive deep inside her. You can feel the hot walls of her pussy tightening on you, you can smell her arousal and pleasure, and an animal voice inside your mind howls at the moon.
"I love you, Kana," you say breathlessly, and you can feel her hands tighten on your back as her pussy twitches. "I love you. I love you."
"That's unfair," moans Kana lewdly. "I love you just as much-"
With a grunt you pause all motion, and slowly lower Kana to the futon. You pry her hands off your back and take them in your own.
"I love you, Kana."
"I love you too, Young-joon!"
And you make love to your wife.
She gazes up at you, her face flushed in unabashed desire, mouth hanging open and drooling, a mirror to your own visage. She pants lustfully as you crane your head down to devour her breasts, thought and reason leaving your minds, as you both make incoherent sounds of mutual pleasure. You drive yourself forward into her, again and again and again and again. It's as if you're both melting away, and you can't tell when Kana starts and Young-joon ends: it's a haze of love and pleasure and lust and longing-
With a sudden gasping cry Kana cums beneath you, her face radiant in pleasure, tears leaking from her eyes, and you join her with a lewd moan of your own. You see stars as you explode within her, offering your seed to your Goddess; her legs lock around you, holding you tight, as her divine pussy milks your mortal cock of every last drop of your tithe.
With a groan you collapse on top of her. Her mouth finds yours, and you melt with her in mutual radiant loving pleasure.
Another deleted scene from the last story update. (ok fine so I'm tossing these out to keep interest mostly alive while i continue struggling with the update )
-=-
Fleet Admiral Chew, meanwhile, is just getting started. "You know ah, your mistake is you think I care if I lose face. Sure I lose face, but eh, I don't really give a fuck anymore. I got two years and a wakeup and then I'm out and I don't have to deal with all this stupid. Hell, if your drama tiao me so hard I kena fire, also can! Siao, I don't have to deal with all these sohai cibai anymore! Very good, I like! Do some more, do some more! Eh just now you got a lot to say? Talk some more, talk some more lah! Don't shy-shy!"
"Er, no, we're good, Sir," you say. Shiki silently reaches over and picks up the folder. He stares at it determinedly for a few moments, and then reaches into his pocket. With his free hand, he removes his lighter, and ignites it. The edge of the folder catches fire, the flame slowly growing in his hand.
"Candy, you do realise right, that you are holding a folder that is on fire in your hand in my office."
Shiki looks at the flaming folder in his hand, and eloquently utters: "Oh, no."
"Candy please," sighs your mentor. "You wanna impress girl can, but don't burn down my office la wei! Your father's office isit? Your father's Navy isit? You don't cibai can or not?"
You're already in motion - you leap to your feet and grab the nearby metal wastebasket. "Shiki, here!" you urge, planting it down on the floor. Shiki drops the burning folder into the metal bin, obvious relief on his face. Fleet Admiral Chew is already at his desk, grabbing the intercom.
"Commander Fl-"
"Maggie, fire extinguisher, now!" snaps your mentor.
"Fire extinguisher, aye!" Moments later Ri-Sumeragi charges through the door, fire extinguisher in hand. She makes quick work of the wastepaper bin fire, and while her expression is as cool as always, you can't help but sense an annoyed undercurrent in her gaze towards Shiki. You didn't choose the adjutant life, the adjutant life chose you. You completely understand that gaze, from one adjutant to another.
"Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes, thank you, Ri-Sumeragi."
"I've asked you before, Fleet Admiral, please refrain from giving nicknames to your subordinates."
"Duly noted, Captain."
-=-
As soon as you dismiss your idiot students and they exit your office, you sigh and bang your head on your desk. Celaka ikan masin, you're surrounded by idiots.
Your phone buzzes - not your official phone, it's your private phone - and you check your messaging app. You know who it is: she's the only reason you use this phone.
What was that all about?
You sigh, and type back. I'm surrounded by idiots. You're the only person with a brain in my life. Let's just fuck off and leave the idiots.
A tempting proposition, Darling, but we have far too many responsibilities.
You know she's fishing for information, she knows you know she's fishing, and you both are quite aware that if Maggie wants to know something, your feeble distractions aren't going to deter her for long. Still, you're going to give it your best shot.
Do you have it?
TF Soyeon's unedited AARs, as you requested.
Thanks. You're amazing.
I am the best damn adjutant you've ever had, Sir.
Best damn woman in my life too, you type.
I'm glad you realise that.
You sigh. Somehow, today, you just can't concentrate at all. It's not just the figurative mountain of work on your desk. Your ennui goes beyond the struggles of carrying the weight of the Navy on your shoulders.
You stare ahead, your eyes locked onto the vision before you. Your Adjutant, Captain Amagi Ri-Sumeragi, is bustling about your office, juggling a dozen things at once. She's in shirtsleeves, like you; the crimson haori that proclaims her a member of House Sumeragi - sorry, Great House Sumeragi, never forget - is hung up neatly on the coat rack, next to her Service Dress Uniform jacket, next to your own jacket. Your coffee table has been pressed into service as a giant sorting tray, and your eyes watch hungrily as she bends down to do something with the paperwork, her tails shifting this way and that, her pencil skirt hugging her hips, complementing the super-expensive super luxurious pantyhose that she prefers, showing off and concealing at the same time her long beautiful legs. You've seen her naked legs before - you've seen a lot more of her naked before, not just her legs - but you're mesmerised nevertheless.
"Recruit Yonatan Chew knock it down!"
You're in the front leaning rest position, holding for the command to drop, before you realise what's happened. You blink confusedly, and rise to your feet. Ri-Sumeragi has one beautiful hand on her hip. Her expression is as inscrutable as always, but you look at the way her gloriously beautiful tails shift, and you have a feeling that she's annoyed with you.
"What was that about?" you ask her, and she sniffs imperiously.
"You, Fleet Admiral, were staring off into the distance, dead to the world, ignoring the futile attempts of your adjutant to get your attention. Nothing I did was working, so I had to get creative. You have forms to sign and corrections to make."
"What corrections, Captain?" you grumble. Your protestations die as soon as you see the name you've signed on this set of forms:
Jonathan Ri-Sumeragi.
Lord, you can feel yourself dying inside.
"Is there, perhaps, a secret message you'd like to share with me, Sir?" she asks, and you cringe at the way she pronounces Sir, seductive underpinnings intermixed with disapproving annoyance and smug self-satisfaction. You make a show of very deliberately taking your seat. You're Commander Fleet Operations, you're a Fleet Admiral, you're a grownass man, not some schoolboy wallowing in the throes of an edgy crush. You won't give her the satisfaction.
"An officer in your position can't afford to be distracted," she chides you, waving a finger at you. "Unless… were you distracted by me?"
Her smug, pleased face is too much. You turn to face your desk and your paperwork; she takes hold of your chair and firmly turns it around, looking you in the eye. Her face now projects a stern and serious facade, but you know better.
"Yes," she says, nodding. "You're definitely distracted." She lets her pen fall from her hand, and squats down to pick it up, hiking her skirt up as she does so. "Well. I suppose it's only fair I take responsibility for relieving this condition."
"I've spent my whole life repressing myself, this condition doesn't need relieving."
"That's not very healthy, and you need to be healthy if you're going to keep on doing this job." She stands and starts unbuttoning her blouse, placing one beautiful knee between your legs to brace herself as she leans forward to whisper in your ear, "Besides, Darling, it's not like you're doing anything truly different from any other middle-aged flag officer in the throes of a midlife crisis, cavorting with their adjutant during working hours."
There's a small part of you, deep down, that's furious at how quickly your body has betrayed you. Another part of you wonders what it means that you were instantly hard at the sound of her voice and the scent of her hair. But mostly, you're resigned to losing this argument, yet again.
Amagi's pantyhose-clad knee gently nudges your manhood. She wraps her arms around you, leans back, and smiles beatifically at you. "You poor thing. Fear not, my Lord, your loyal servant shall service you in this time of your need."
She's laying it thick there, and you would have words to say about that, you really would, you can't just let her control the narrative, but she places a finger on your lips, and with her other hand undoes the pins holding her hair in place. Her dark honey hair falls free past her shoulders, and you take her hand in yours and she leans forward and kisses you. It's sinful and addictive and warm and tender and passionate and lustful and a whole other host of things and when she releases you, you feel as though your heart would burst.
"Maggie," you say fervently, and kiss her back.
And then there's nothing more to be said.
- 女王之天命 -
When you're finally done, you help each other clean up. Fortunately, you were both careful enough that neither one of you needs a fresh uniform. You help Maggie do her hair back up into the regulation bun; she doesn't have to be sitting in your lap for you to help her, and you know she's deliberately tilting you, but, well. It's not a bad thing, is it? What's more annoying is the very pleased look she has on her face. On the other hand, the fact that she can show that face to you… maybe she's become a lot more comfortable in your presence, over the last year. Or maybe you're getting better at reading her. You both inspect each other, making sure that nothing's out of place-
"Damn, my bra."
Maggie sighs, holding the undergarment in her hand, shaking her head. "It'd be far too much trouble to have to undress and redress all over again," she declares. "Just do this one favor for me, Darling - hold on to my bra, please." Without waiting for a reply, she drops it in your briefcase, and smirks at you, and then she hands you a pen and points you to the forms. "Your corrections, Sir," she says, checking her exquisite, elegant watch on her equally exquisite, elegant wrist. "I'll need those forms back at the Fleet Admiral's earliest convenience, right now."
"Of course, Captain. Right away," you say, picking up your pen and beginning your corrections. Unbidden, your gaze falls to your briefcase, and your mind drifts to the item held within, to your memories of moments ago and visions of the future to come-
"Fleet Admiral."
"All done, Captain," you say, returning the corrected forms to Ri-Sumeragi. You might have stolen a touch of her beautiful fingers as you did so. Which, you recall sourly, was how all this began. First it was just fingers brushing against fingers, then it was handholding, then stolen kisses, and now you've turned into a degenerate incapable of keeping it in his pants, unable to resist fucking his adjutant in his office. "Okay, let's get to it - we need to make up the lost time,"
"Of course, sir," she says, collecting the spoiled paperwork as well.
"Thank you. For everything you do for me," you say sincerely, immediately cringing at how you sound. Ri-Sumeragi's face has settled into her usual haughty facade.
"I am the best adjutant you've ever had, Sir," she says, even as her tails shift subtly, playfully, behind her.
- 女王之天命 -
You are Captain Amagi Ri-Sumeragi, adjutant to the Third Star Lord and you are the best damn adjutant in the entire Imperial Navy. Even his protege and niece, Princess Yui of Akasha, has nothing on you.
You open the bottom drawer of your desk, and peer into its innermost spaces. If you're being very honest with yourself - and you are, because the need to self-assess and self-edit is crucial no matter what field you're in - your claim to being the best adjutant Johnny's had (so much so that he's requested your tour as his adjutant be extended) isn't just purely based on your skill and competence. You've put a lot of work into maintaining this facade of being the perfect adjutant who makes no mistakes, the very model of a modern staff officer.
Well. As elegant plating elevates exquisite flavors, so too does a little judicious acting elevate skillful competence. People won't know you've made silly mistakes, if you can catch your mistakes before they become known.
You place the stack he's signed Jonathan Ri-Sumeragi atop of the stacks you've signed Maggie Chew, and close the drawer.
- Took hvy TF to factfind in Egon
- Found pirates
- Triggered 4FLT response
- No Sumeragi landgrab - lack of smoking gun to justify - deal w/repercussions later
- Unofficial complaint by COM 4FLT to 3SL about factfinding
- Disclose acting under VOHM
- 3SL wants meeting w/HM, SET TOMORROW TUESDAY (19 JUN)
Plan of action
- Private breakfast in kitchen w/Shiki, Uncle Johnny & Ahri not an option, must be more formal
- Arrange w/stewards, more formal & private breakfast. Table service? Courses? Get options & review & decide.
- HM verify VO to 3SL, COM4FLT.
Shiki & his posture - something to hide? Probe further YES/NO?
- Approach how? Aggressive?
- Gentle?
* Risk of spooking him? What is he concerned about?
* Topics to ask:
-- Comberth situation? Posture? Shiki why
-- drive sig mismatch? refits?
-- sensor buoys? He's paranoid enough for that
-- civil war kickoff? What does he know that I don't???
- Mandat de l'impératrice des Cieux -
[X] Plan Fast Probing
-[X] Yes, Probe Shiki Gently
-[X] 3 months
"Let's go with a three month duration, Daniel," you decide. "I'd like to have you around more - I suspect I'll have greater need of you by my side in the coming days."
"Understood, ma'am. I would be remiss if I didn't warn you that three months might not be enough time to develop concrete results."
"I understand. Perhaps this: come back at the end of those three months and report to me your findings, and we'll see if we should extend the investigation further? Also, when you return in three months, let's revisit your thoughts about expanding the investigation team."
"That would work, ma'am. Then, with your leave, I'll head out."
"Thank you, Daniel. Please let me know if there's anything else you need, for the mission and your family."
"Thank you, Your Highness, I appreciate it."
"As do I, you."
- 女王之天命 -
Truth be told, you're feeling a certain temptation to just let sleeping foxes lie. But in the end, you can't let things be. You need to know what's going on with Shiki and 4th Fleet. Heedful of Fleet Admiral Chew's words, you'll moderate your approach. Shiki is a friend, and you want to rebuild that strained relationship - probing him aggressively will be counterproductive. A gentler approach should yield the results you desire.
You arrange for Shiki and Uncle Johnny to meet you and Ahri discretely for breakfast. This time around, you've roused Ahri and supervised her dressing - you don't want a repeat of the last time she came down to breakfast. She's chosen to emulate you today, wearing a smart skirt suit, accessorised with elegant, tasteful jewelry from the Empress' rooms - you're not a fan of Sumeragi-style ostentation. She poses for your inspection, and she smiles radiantly when you express your approval of her outfit. As you exit the Empress' rooms, you pause and face the mirror in the corner, the one that Auntie Kana used to do her makeup. You stand there, in the stillness of the empty room, and you imagine you can feel her presence; for a moment, it's as if you're a little girl again, looking up to the brilliant, magnificent Empress Kensei, your aunt who you admire.
"I'll take care of her for you, Auntie," you whisper. "I'll train Ahri to be an Empress you can be proud of."
You don't get a reply, of course - how could you? But you stand there and close your eyes, and you imagine her approving nod.
- 女王之天命 -
Today's breakfast meeting is an affair a touch more formal than the intimate family breakfast you had two weeks ago; the dining room has been laid out for a multi-course meal with servants in attendance. Just four places are set at the table: Ahri at the head, you at her right, and Uncle Johnny and Shiki on her left. She stands, waiting expectantly to receive her guests; you stand to her left and behind her, and you give a brief nod to Uncle Johnny and Shiki, as they enter and greet Ahri. Uncle Johnny bows formally; Shiki goes down to one knee. Ahri greets them charmingly:
"Welcome, Lord Shiki, Sir Yonatan. Please, join me at my table."
To your satisfaction, Ahri plays the role of the charming host to perfection - your work with her is bearing fruit. Her servants lead Shiki and Uncle Johnny to their places, serve them, and Ahri makes pleasant small talk as breakfast progresses. The stewards are efficient, professional, performing the tableside service with quiet aplomb, clearing the breakfast courses in a silent, precise ballet. Uncle Johnny takes this performance in stride; Shiki is surprised and flattered that the Empress has deigned to have him for breakfast. All is proceeding according to plan.
By unspoken accord, the meal comes to an end, and a serious air fills the room. As excellent as that breakfast was, none of you are here for the food. The stewards pour tea and then retreat, leaving the four of you alone in the room. Ahri fidgets nervously. Shiki's poker face has a pensive air. Uncle Johnny just leans back, nursing his tea. Ahri looks to you, and takes a deep breath.
"Thank you for meeting me today, Fleet Admiral Chew, Admiral Kanda," she begins. "I've invited you all today to clear the air regarding a matter that occurred some weeks ago, namely Vice Admiral Akasha's fact-finding mission to the Egon System."
Uncle Johnny nods to her encouragingly, and gives Shiki a pointed look; your friend stills his tongue.
"I received indications that untoward happenings were taking place in the Egon System," Ahri continues. "I therefore ordered Vice Admiral Akasha to investigate the matter and report back to me. I left the matter of the forces she chose for her investigation to her discretion, as I have the utmost confidence in her. I understand that you have some concerns in this matter, Fleet Admiral?"
"Not really, Your Majesty," your mentor demurs.
"Please speak freely, Fleet Admiral Chew. I value your counsel and your wisdom."
"Yes, ma'am," he says, his expression taking on a sterner air. "While I see no issue with Vice Admiral Akasha acting at Your Majesty's behest, the manner in which she executed Your Majesty's orders led to friction with other loyal naval officers. In less fortuitous circumstances, the resulting friction might well have escalated into more severe circumstances." His expression relaxes. "Nevertheless, that was not the case in this instance; we shall all take this as a reminder that Your Majesty's admirals must act with greater judiciousness, as befitting their rank."
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral," replies Ahri. "Vice Admiral Akasha was obeying my orders; as such, her actions are my responsibility. It is regretful that the situation has escalated outside...your expectation. Please, accept my apologies, Fleet Admiral Chew, Admiral Kanda."
You're stunned silent. The Empress never apologises. This is a tremendous breach of etiquette. Uncle Johnny merely leans back, nursing his tea. Shiki is visibly uncomfortable. "Please, Your Majesty need not apologise to us," he replies. "Your Majesty was acting within your rights, and we as your loyal subjects are obliged to obey. Your wish is our command."
"It is true that I am the Empress, and thus have the right to command the obedience of my officers." The Empress pauses, gathering her thoughts. "But it is also true that as Empress, I have a responsibility to my officers. I have been found wanting in that regard. I must continue to improve, to become an Empress deserving of the loyalty you gentlemen have shown me. I ask for your patience and for your consideration in this regard." She bows, and Shiki makes a horrified, strangled noise of protest at this faux pas: the Empress bows to no one. You feel your own heart skip a beat, and your lips part to protest, but Uncle Johnny stands up, silently gesturing at you and Shiki to remain as you were.
He faces the Empress, and bows, a gesture no less perfect than that which Ahri performed, and when he speaks, his voice is unexpectedly gentle. "Your Majesty. You honor us with your faith in us."
Ahri swallows, and nods to Uncle Johnny, and you breathe an internal sigh of relief. You remember what Daddy told you: "Loyalty is a tricky thing. Loyalty to an idea, loyalty to a person… take the Dowager Empress. Hyung was loyal to his oath as a naval officer, even though he hated your royal grandmother. Loyalty to the Empress as an idea. Salute the rank, not the person. But that loyalty could've been weakened, if the right person got to him. But that wouldn't happen if you were the Empress, because Hyung's loyalty would be unshakable. Loyalty to his oaths, loyalty to the Empress, loyalty to you, because he loves you. He would walk into hell for you, and thousands of his people would follow him, and their people would follow them. Loyalty flows both ways."
With your own eyes, you've seen it in action, the way Fleet Admiral Chew builds relationships and inspires loyalty. Yes, you think. You need to help develop that for Ahri. By showing her as she is, a girl who's made mistakes but is trying to learn, a girl out of her depth, a girl the opposite of her martinet grandmother, you hope to build a more personal connection between her and Uncle Johnny. If you can keep him on Ahri's side, you can be sure that a good portion of the Navy will remain loyal to Ahri, at least until he retires.
You make a mental note to explore ways of keeping Fleet Admiral Chew on duty and in his position. For the Empress' sake.
- 女王之天命 -
The meeting ends on a more optimistic note than when it began, and you breathe a mental sigh of relief. Uncle Johnny and Shiki are mollified, Ahri has made personal inroads with them, you can finally put the repercussions of the Egon fact-finding mission to bed. Now for the second item on your agenda. You catch Shiki's eye and nod to him, then rise and bow to Ahri.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. With your permission, I would have a private word with Lord Shiki."
"Of course, Princess Yui, you may be excused," Ahri replies. "There are matters I shall discuss with Sir Yonatan."
You and Shiki exit the dining room, closing the door behind you. You lead him through the Empress' apartments, to the kitchen where Uncle Johnny cooked breakfast, weeks ago, having him sit at the island. Shiki remains silent, staring inscrutably at you, as you fix him his favorite coffee - mochaccino, heavy on the chocolate. He raises an eyebrow as you set it in front of him.
"I thought you did nothing wrong," he says accusingly. "And if you were going to apologise, shouldn't we have gone somewhere fancier? Where actual artisans make the coffee?"
"It's a down payment," you smile. Shiki sighs, and softens, picking up the mug and taking a sip. He hides his expression, but you know him, he's making that little quirk of his lips that means he's suppressing a smile. He's always liked it when you make him his favorite coffee.
"You've got an ulterior motive. You only make coffee for me if you're trying to butter me up."
"Is it working?" you ask, smiling disarmingly. Shiki just shows you his poker face, clearly waiting for your move.
You sit facing him, your expression serious. "I took Sensei's words to heart," you say, reminding him of Uncle Johnny's parting remarks. "I remember when we would tell each other everything. I just thought we should clear the air between us."
Shiki takes another sip of his coffee, pensive. "I suppose I do owe you that much, since you revealed you were on Her Majesty's business. Ask your questions."
"Shiki, what is the situation in Comberth? Why is your posture like this?"
"Posture? What is the correct response to a warfleet appearing on the edge of your AO, then?"
"Shikie, I do understand your concerns if it was one of the Great Houses, but it was a loyal Imperial Navy warfleet entering Egon."
"I can't see IFF from jump wakes, Yui. What's the more logical assumption: one of the Great Houses is shitstirring, or a Navy fleet decided to make an unscheduled invasion exercise without informing anyone? Come on. You brought a battlefleet to audit a local PMC and jammed them on arrival. That's the action I expect from someone trying to provoke an incident."
You incline your head, acknowledging his point.
"But I'll tell you what you didn't see. Sumeragi and Hoou are building up. Sumeragi's been aggressively buying ships from the mothball reserve and has been trying to edge my ships off patrol duties so that they'll have grounds to demand access to military intel channels. So far I've managed to keep them out of my more sensitive intel sources, but they already have access to civilian reporting channels."
Shiki leans back, sighing wearily. "Which is why you're super lucky that nobody managed to report your stunt before Himeno got over there.
"Now Hoou. Hoou has been building up in response to Sumeragi. Ironically, or perhaps not, it's mostly due to the Imperial-enforced neutral zone between them. Both Great Houses still claim it as their rightful territory, and with Sumeragi constantly making intrusions and attempting to assert their authority over it, Hoou has to do the same or look weak. So I'm burning optime chasing them off.
"Fortunately, Hoou just seems to be fortifying their border and trying to deny Sumeragi access to some of the richer border systems, which sort of works out in the Navy's favor. But we're starting to see both Houses pushing heavier units into the neutral zone, which means I have to use larger patrols to chase them off, and it's getting to the point where I need to start using my capships. The way things go, we're going to end up with battleship squadrons and their screens posturing at each other."
He shakes his head, his poker face slipping, and you can see the strain and frustration in his eyes. "And that's why I've been begging Sensei for heavier units. They're wearing down my fleet, putting more wear and tear on my ships. Even if half of the incursions are by older second-line ships, I still need to respond, and ultimately Hoou and Sumeragi can sustain their optempo better than I can. I don't have a Great House's economy backing up my fleet, just whatever budget Admiralty House sends my way."
"Sensei told me that you were asking for reinforcements, but I didn't realise things were this way." You purse your lips. "If I had known, I wouldn't have acted as I did. I should have let you know, then it would have been a joint mission in fact, not in name. I'm sorry." You take his hand and give it a squeeze, and for the first time in days, you can see Shiki begin to relax.
"It seems you're concerned about a civil war kicking off. Is there something you know that I'm not aware of?"
"You've read Li Zheng's book back in the Academy, didn't you? "The Empress' Great Game"? Now that we have a new Empress, that game's on hold. The previous Empress kicked the bucket while she was getting shit done, and the new Empress won't take her throne for another two years. The Regency is in charge and the Imperial House no longer has any soft chokehold on the Great Houses. The IRG won't lift a finger to act outside Takama-ga-Hara, which leaves it up to the Navy to cow them into submission. This is the best time ever for things to fracture.
"Then the Navy itself... Well, let's see. I trust Admirals Fedorov and Ramos to stand by Her Majesty until they're dead in the same ditch as me. Sensei will also rather die swearing than turn. Your father will follow Sensei's lead, as will the rest of his gang. Kitingan …I don't really trust that frog, I think he's loyal only because our two Fleets were a gun to his head - but now 13th Fleet is being disbanded, so who knows what he's thinking? Not sure about the rest... And Toth. I don't trust Toth. He keeps asking for more ships, even when we're reallocating battleships. Why do you need battleships to hunt pirates? It makes no damn sense. I know he's our classmate, but keep an eye on him.
"Now consider this. If Imperial power relies on the Navy, and the Navy is not fully reliable..." Shiki inhales, letting it all out in a drawn-out sigh. "When somebody revolts, there's going to be a cascade. Consider the size of the Navy with the constant draw-downs and mothballs. 4th Fleet in the Divine Founder's reign could have punched all the way to Kagatsuchi and demanded terms. 4th Fleet today is a shadow of itself: I can only probe Sumeragi's defenses. I can't even capture a salient, let alone all their territory, and forget about punching straight to their capital; by the time I get there, if I make it to Kagatsuchi, 4th Fleet will have been shot to pieces on the way. It's the same with all the fleets, even 1st Fleet and 13th Fleet. The Navy is tiny. Yes I need the ships, but Sensei made a mistake disbanding 13th Fleet."
"I disagree, Shiki. Am I disappointed to lose my command? Yes, especially because I don't know if I'll ever get a command with the same stature as 13th Fleet-"
"Yui, please, you're obviously destined for big things, you're an Imperial princess. CMPB will never stick you in bad posting."
"-but I think Sensei made the right call. It's better for the Empire to have more loyal ships dispersed throughout the stars."
"Sensei's problem is that he thinks everyone is as loyal as he is," Shiki scowls. "There is a very real possibility of Admirals deciding to go rogue. That means Navy loyalists will have to put them down - we can't rely on the IRG, we have to take care of our own business. And when we pull ships to go deal with them, we're gambling that the Great Houses won't get ideas while we're distracted."
"And we have to show everyone that the Navy can clean its own messes," you agree sourly. "Otherwise the Navy loses face and respect, and then the service's position becomes less tenable."
"Precisely. That's the reason 13th Fleet exists, as a mobile reserve to quell rebels, but now..." he sighs tiredly. "What's done is done."
"Is that why you're refitting your ships? I notice the drive signatures aren't the same on file."
"Yes," nods Shiki. "It all comes back to 4th Fleet not having enough ships to handle Sumeragi-Hoou posturing and regular patrols. Two years ago, we could get by just with single destroyers to patrol the neutral zone and shipping lanes; now I've got to send out my ships in squadrons. I'm using four times the ships to do twice as much work.
"Most of my refits are geared towards maintainability and patrol requirements - I'm trading away armor and missile load for a smaller logistical footprint and more speed. Obviously this isn't what a battlefleet should be doing, but our primary opposition is pirates and..." he pauses, hesitating, and then he looks you in the eye. "Pirates and ducal forces. Outside of Sumeragi and Hoou's regulars, I'm gambling that they're not ready to fight me head-on. If any one noble gets ideas, I could slap her down. But if they all start seconding their forces to Kagatsuchi and Shironia, if they all start stirring up trouble all along the border... I don't have numbers on my side now. Regardless, I need to match my fleet's capabilities to the current environment.
"As for the drive signatures... I don't have enough engineers to constantly re-scan my ships and update the registries. Besides, jumbled up drive signatures frustrates Sumeragi and Hoou intelligence, so that's a side benefit at least. If you press for it I can have it done, but don't expect it to happen overnight."
"I see," you reply. "Thank you, that clarifies a lot of my concerns. I was wondering about something: TF Soyeon entered Egon under deception jamming, then we jammed VSS, and had control of their comms. And yet, within two days of our arrival, Commodore Muryutou is sailing for Egon. Did you seed your AO with sensor buoys?"
"I am not at liberty to disclose any intelligence assets I have," says Shiki, a blank look on his face. "Suffice to say, I will neither confirm nor deny that I can see large scale fleet movements within 4th Fleet's AO."
You return that look with a raised eyebrow, then nod. "Fair enough," you allow. "I understand, it must be difficult for you, being caught between Scylla and Charybdis."
"Tell me about it. If either side uncovers their systems to steamroller the other, I can't stop them, and my ROE doesn't allow preemptive strikes to spoil their attacks. Best I can do is watch for fleet movements and meet them as they enter the neutral zone."
"Now I have a better appreciation of your constraints. Shiki, it's clear you pay close attention to my assets. Is there something about me that you are watching for?"
"It's not you specifically I was paying attention to," he demurs. "I'd have acted the same to any Admiral who spread their tails in my house and tried to provoke an incident."
"That's not true," you shake your head. "I was waiting for a formal complaint through official channels. You didn't have to meet privately with Sensei and I, nor give me a chance to explain myself."
"I owed you that much," he says awkwardly. "After all we've been through, how long we've known each other… yes, I was mad, but I felt I should hear you out."
You feel your heart softening. This man is a king. Your friends are truly the best, you don't deserve them at all. Truly, friendship is a treasure beyond measure.
You swallow a lump in your throat, and smile fondly at Shiki.
"While I might not have a fleet right now, is there something I could do for you, to show that you and Sensei have my full support?"
"Refit my fleet at the Imperial Family's shipyards?"
"Done."
"I was just kidding," Shiki backpedals, and you smile.
"I know. So was I. Those kinds of requests aren't your style."
"What I'd really like would be to have more ships, and heavier ones at that," Shiki sighs. "I'm right in the middle of Hoou and Sumeragi, and I don't want to wake up one day and find they're chewing me up from both ends on their way to frontstab each other. But in lieu of that… more open communication, please. We need to keep our eyes on the other fleets. Share intel with me, talk to me, tell me what you're doing and please don't surprise me. I don't like going off-half cocked when it's about you."
"On one condition," you say. "We have to make this a two-way street, Shiki."
"I'll fluff your tails if you fluff mine," he agrees, and you smile and squeeze his hand again.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"I need you to trust me," he says, and your heart flips at his pained expression.
"Oh, Shiki," you say, covering his hand with both your hands. You hold his hand tightly, squeezing it supportingly. "I have always trusted you, from the first day we met. That has never changed."
Shiki sighs and blinks, and you feel the air softening around the two of you. You squeeze his hand.
He squeezes back.
- 女王之天命 -
With the probing out of the way, the topic turns to lighter conversation. You make Shiki another moccacino and a Milo Dinosaur for yourself, and you sit and chat the morning away. It's like familiar, comfortable, pleasant, like you've never left each other's side. You've spent many an afternoon with him, just sitting at a cafe and talking about nothing and everything. Shiki teases you about your lack of marriage prospects, while you console him about being stuck militarily between Sumeragi and Hoou, and romantically between Lady Akagi and Lady Taihou. It's a little mean of you, but you can't help laughing at his panic when he learns that both of them are on Jinko-Sei for Regency Council business.
You will never cease to be amused at how Shiki not only caught the eye of the heirs to rival Great Houses, but was also childhood acquaintances with both of them. Truly, the universe is vast and full of mysteries.
In the end, Uncle Johnny and Shiki take their leave. Ahri is disappointed to see them go, and extracts another promise from Uncle Johnny to come and have breakfast with her next week. You're pleased about that: she evidently enjoyed her chat with him, and it'll be good for her personal development to interact regularly with Sensei, the man who shaped you. She shakes their hands and thanks them for indulging her with their time and sends them off; behaving not as an Empress with her subjects, but like a young girl with her older sister's uncle and friend. Yet another item for you to work on with her. Still, at least it was with Uncle Johnny and Shiki. They'll be discreet - and it's safe for her to be Ahri around them, instead of Empress Meigyoku.
At last, it feels as though the repercussions of the Egon fact-finding mission are finally behind you. It wasn't perfect, but on the balance, you think that things went relatively well. Shiki has been placated, Sensei isn't going to tear off anybody's heads, Ahri has made inroads with Shiki and Uncle Johnny, and you've got leads for investigation.
You've sent Daniel on his way to Fenghuang space, along with Major Ueda's team, and now you'll just need to wait for his full investigation results in three months' time. He'll send you weekly reports, of course, but nothing beats a thorough report in person.
You decide that for the next three months, while waiting for the investigation result, you're going to work with Ahri and focus intensively on one aspect. Her education in all facets of rulership will continue, of course, but you want to really strike while the iron is hot and get things moving.
What subject do you want Ahri to intensely focus on for the next three months? (Will advance chosen subject by 4 points, other subjects by 1 point)
[ ] Social Decorum
[ ] Political Etiquette
[ ] Constitutional Law
[ ] Crisis Management
[ ] Governance
Ahri's present level of knowledge:
Social Decorum: 1/20 (how well the Empress maintains her image and presents herself) Political Etiquette: 4/20 (how well the Empress navigates political realities and ramifications) Constitutional Law: 1/20 (how well the Empress understands statute law, unwritten convention, rules & procedure, and rights and priveleges of the Senate, Executive, and noble houses)
Crisis Management: 0/20 (the Empress' training & acumen for crisis management) Governance: 0/20 (the Empress' theoretical understanding & practical application of rulership)
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