OOC are you saying you don't want to deal with this, so we can't do anything on that front? Because IC, the status quo includes "the empire exists," which it may not if the fleet doesn't get more money, and the people whose job it is to take care of that clearly haven't done so. If you say that it's a game rule that we can't deal with this, that's fine and I'll drop it, as long as this artificial barrier doesn't bite us in the ass later. Otherwise, politics and money are so intertwined that talking about one without the other is impossible.
The status quo is also that Navy funding has been stagnant. Refer to Yonatan's rant:
those fucking greedy tightfisted Senators keep refusing to increase Navy funding, and past Empresses were too weak and complacent and just kept to the status quo.
Now, what I am saying IC is that we do not have the standing nor the authority to get into budget fights. It is not Yui's place to be fighting for more budget for the Imperial Navy, because as far as the Navy is concerned, she's just another Vice Admiral. Look at the US military - you don't see random three-stars fighting for budget before Congress, that's what the Joint Chiefs of Staff are for. If we were playing as the
First Star Lord, the professional head of the Imperial Navy, or as the
Imperial Chancellor, the Imperial Head of Government, then
yes, budget fights and budget allocations
would be part of what we would be dealing with. But we're
not either of them, so we don't get involved in budget fights and political horse trading.
Trying to usurp the First Star Lord's work is just going to piss him and the rest of the Navy brass off, including Fleet Admiral Yonatan Chew, because that shows that you have no respect for your position and the chain of command. Yui may have opinions on budgeting and the Navy's focus, and there are avenues for her to share her opinions (the Navy newsletter, internal memos to her superiors, ranting over whiskey with Uncle Johnny
), but at the end of the day she's a naval officer; her job is to shut up, salute the flag and execute her commander's intent.
Also I did say, that if Yui or any of the other Great House reps were asking the questions you suggest, people would start looking at them and thinking they're planning for embezzlement to fund their private army and building a political base to support a coup attempt. Hell, Yui already
had a private army of her own! (until she gave it up)
I think you've misunderstood the point and purpose of the Regency Council. The Regency Council is an advisory body to the Empress, it's basically the Privy Council + representatives from the Great Houses, it's not the Imperial Chancellor's cabinet. Now, admittedly, I
thought i had made that clear previously but it turns out that nope, that hadn't happened, so I'm going to have to edit the informational link about the Regency Council.
It is said that the Regency Council rules in the Empress's name, but as a practical matter it serves as an advisory body to the Empress, and is the Privy Council with 6 additional members representing the Imperial House and the five Great houses. The mandate of the Regency Council is to maintain the political and economic status quo of the Empire, until the Empress reaches her majority and is judged fit to rule.
Raising taxes, increasing Navy funding, this is all moving outside the status quo, and that's the purview of the Empress.
