[X] Plan Reliable Big Sister
-[X] Encouraging. She's making good progress, keep at it!
-[X] Involved. You'll effectively be Ahri's surrogate parent, directly overseeing her education and life. You're giving up a good amount of independence, anchoring yourself to nurture Ahri.
Being completely honest, you don't
really want to stay in the Palace. You've got your own house in a very nice suburb of the Capital, perfectly sized for the entertaining obligations of a flag officer, while being your personal space, your oasis of calm and peace in the universe (well, when Konnie isn't staying over after visiting you for drinks). You've worked hard to get to where you are - true, you've had help up the ladder from your father and uncle, but you still pulled your own weight. You don't want to give that up to play babysitter, to be tied down in Huangshan Palace.
But then, life isn't about what you want. Six little words echo in your mind:
For the good of the Empire. Ultimately, you're just one of many Admirals in the Navy. The Empire is better served by you being at the Empress' side, teaching her, mentoring her, making her fit to rule, so that she may serve under Heaven Above, that there may be no doubt that she possesses the Mandate of Heaven. Taking emotion out of the question, this is the best option.
And then you return emotion to the question and your heart feels like it's going to break. You've never seen Ahri so sad, so lonely, so hurting. Last night you kissed away her tears and held her in your arms while she was in the midst of her nightmare. No, you think to yourself sadly, there's no way you could leave her alone. Not as she is now. You're going to stay by Ahri and take care of her and be a stabilising presence in her life.
Not just because it's the duty of Princess Yui to Empress Meigyoko. It's because you're her big sister, and big sisters take care of their little sisters.
Still. There's no way you can do this on your own. You'll have to pull in help from your extended family on-planet: your mother, your grandparents. And your uncle. And you'll just keep your father in the loop, so that he doesn't feel left out, out on the Salsu Frontier.
There's nothing at your house that you can't really live without: if nothing else, twelve years in the Navy have taught you how to pack and travel light, and anyway your father, as the late Empress' brother, was accorded apartments in the Imperial Palace: you've got your own rooms there, so you can always pop over if you need more things. Although, you muse to yourself, you'll probably end up moving into the Empress' apartments - Ahri will want you to be near her, and you want to be able to keep a close eye on her.
Still. If you have to cage yourself for the good of the Empire, and your Empress, at least it's a nice, luxurious cage. You console yourself with the thought that you're not hanging up your uniform for good - you're just transferring your commission to the reserves for now, this isn't permanent, you will still have your Navy career to return to. You have the rest of your life to serve - you can give Ahri two years of your time.
- 女王之天命 -
"Let me get this straight," says Uncle Johnny, very deliberately. "You want me to come to the palace at 0700 in civvies to have an informal breakfast meeting with the Empress in her private apartments, bypassing the First Star Lord, who really should be the person advising the Empress on naval matters. Then, you want me to cook you breakfast. You
do realise where you're staying, right? The Imperial Palace? Super atas kitchens, super power chefs, people who've got more cooking power than me. And you want me to cook you breakfast.
Me, Commander Fleet Operations.
Third in command of the Navy. A five star Admiral.
Your boss."
"Nobody makes your special peanut butter honey toast like you do, Uncle Johnny."
The phone is silent for several moments, and then he sighs and simply says, "Oh, alright. For you, ah girl." You imagine you hear a defeated tone in his voice, and cherish your brief moment of victory over your uncle.
"Just to be clear," you add, "this isn't an official summons from Her Majesty the Empress for Commander Fleet Operations. It's just an unofficial visit, between Yonatan Chew, calling upon Princess Yui of Akasha, in their mutual capacity as private citizens. If Her Majesty chose to drop in unannounced and insert herself into our meeting, well, that would hardly be your fault, or mine."
"Yes, and Princess Yui just so happens to be staying at the Imperial Palace where Her Majesty could drop in unannounced. You nobles and your fig leaves. How long do you think that excuse will last?"
"It doesn't have to last forever, just long enough."
"When all of this blows up in your face I reserve the right to tell you 'I told you so', understand? Actually better yet don't do things that blow up in your face, okay?"
"Okay, Uncle. So long as you're there."
"The things I do for you," he grumbles, but you can tell he doesn't really mean it. "Alright, I'll do it. See you tomorrow morning."
"Thanks, Uncle Johnny. I'll make the arrangements."
- 女王之天命 -
As you promised, you return to the Palace for tea with Ahri. She sits nervously on a sitting room couch, her tea and cakes unattended before her, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. You, meanwhile, review her homework and her notes, calmly sipping your tea.
Her nervousness is too obvious, you're going to have to add that to the never-ending list of things you need to fix with Ahri.
"Well," you say, and you smile encouragingly at her, "you're making good progress, compared to where you were before. I think you'll do quite well if you continue to work hard."
"I'm not a screwup?" she asks, half-disbelievingly, before correcting herself with a shaky laugh. "I mean,
of course not. I'm the Empress, that's why!"
"Well. I wouldn't say you were a screwup," you say, ignoring the voice in your head that is going
walau you damn jialat la, can be less blur can or not - shut up, Uncle Johnny. "You're untrained and you have gaps in your knowledge, but that's what I'm here for. If you give me your utmost effort, I'll give two years with me, so we can train you up, so that nobody will question your competence."
"Two years?" asks Ahri uncertainly, a hint of hope in her voice.
"I transferred my commission to the Reserves," you announce. "The paperwork will take a few weeks to work its way through the bureaucracy, but it's a done deal. I'll be a lot more involved, not just in your training, but in your everyday life, because, like I told you, I'm here for you. Unless you don't want me arou-"
You meant that as a joke, but Ahri's pathetically grateful expression stills you. She stands and comes to you and wraps her arms around you, and you hug her back.
- 女王之天命 -
"Walau eh nabei, I thought we were doing breakfast, not PT lor," says Uncle Johnny dryly, the next morning. You're standing with him in the small, efficient kitchen in the Empress' apartments, helping him prep his ingredients. "What la you this. You gonna 5BX after this, isit?"
"I did my 5BX already," you say, referring to the Navy's 5 Basic Exercises. "There's nothing wrong with being comfortable while cooking." You smile sweetly at him. "Rank hath its privileges."
"You nobles. Rules for you and not for me," snarks Uncle Johnny, waving his knife at you mock-seriously. "I'm still gonna point out the unfairness of this. I gotta come here wearing a suit, while you get to wear sweatpants and your dad's sweatshirt. So unfair la."
"Daddy's sweatshirt is comfy, and I didn't need to be picked up by IRG and driven here," you smile, as you pick up your own knife and start slicing. "But that new suit does look very dapper on you. You could surely find a wife with that suit," you tease.
Uncle Johnny just laughs, and turns away to check his list, but you can tell he's quite pleased. You continue working companiably, making light conversation. This is nice, you think. It's warm and comforting and happy and nostalgic. Cooking with Mummy and Uncle Johnny was one of the many highlights of your childhood; you hope by doing this you can give a little bit of that happiness to Ahri.
With prep done, you leave the cooking to Uncle Johnny and go to get changed. You yank the bedcovers off, rouse Ahri, and hop into the shower; minutes later you're out of the shower, towelling off, rousing Ahri again, quickly dressing in a cashmere sweater and slimfit designer jeans. You return to Ahri's bed for the third time and drag her half-awake self to the shower, tossing her in to clean herself.
You return to the kitchen, and Uncle Johnny looks up from his saucepan of scrambled eggs and nods approvingly at you. "Better, " he says. "See ah girl, you
do know how to dress properly la, what la you this."
You stifle the instinctive urge to roll your eyes; you've seen him at home and at his house, cooking in t-shirt and shorts. Instead, you go and fetch the plates and cutlery, setting the kitchen table with three places. Uncle Johnny hums the Binging with Babushka theme as he pours half his scrambled eggs into another pan, quickly folding them in with slices of smoked salmon, scattering chives and shaved truffles into the other serving. You inhale the pleasant aromas and smile happily, looking forward to the most important meal of the day.
A set of thin, damp hands wrap themselves around your sides, and a body presses itself against your back and tails. "Good morning, onee-sama," coos Ahri. "That smells delicious."
"Thank you, Your Majesty is most kind," says Uncle Johnny, turning down the heat. He turns to face you and Ahri, and bows formally. "Good morning, Your Majesty. Yonatan Chew, at your service."
Ahri makes a surprised, strangled noise, and you look over her shoulder and- oh.
Wait. What.
Why is Ahri hugging you from behind while naked?! That's not good: with how thin she is, she'll give herself a chill.
"My apologies. Begging your Majesty's pardon, but I really must return to the task." He gestures to the saucepan. "I fear breakfast mighht be ruined without my utmost attention."
Ahri's face is so red, you could use her as an IR strobe. She steps out from behind you, and nods to Uncle Johnny. "You have my pardon," she says, and you note the tremulous note in her voice. "Please, carry on."
"Your Majesty is most kind, and your humble servant most grateful," murmurs Uncle Johnny, turning back to the stove. "If Your Majesty wishes, my jacket is available at your disposal."
"You have my thanks," says Ahri, seizing his suit jacket and covering herself as if it was a tactical shield. She backs out of the kitchen and then turns and flees back to her room. You raise an eyebrow at Uncle Johnny; he just sighs and shakes his head, and continues working on the scrambled eggs until he's satisfied, emptying the saucepans onto separate serving plates, depositing the now empty-pans in the sink. He looks slyly at you, immediately putting you on guard. You know that look. It's the look he uses when he's about to embarrass you with childhood memories. "I guess she doesn't need clothes because she
is the Empress," he says.
Shit.
That memory. You face him with your best butter-won't-melt-in-my-mouth expression. "I don't know what you're talking about," you reply blandly.
"Your fifth birthday. You walked out naked and declared to everybody that you didn't need clothes because you were the Empress and everyone should bow down to you.
Remember?"
You give your uncle a flat look, which does nothing to quell his smug smirk. He winks cheekily at you. If you were a lesser being you would have dissolved by now, but you're an Imperial Princess, and so you desperately shore up your cool calm facade against the two-pronged attack of Uncle Johnny and your memories.
You most certainly do
not make any distressed moans or embarrassed despairing whimpers.
Uncle Johnny starts frying bacon strips in a frying pan, dropping in slices of onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, adding a few dashes of salt and hot sauce. By the time Ahri returns to the kitchen, now dressed, he's plating the contents of the fry up, and wiping the frying pan with a piece of bread, placing it on his plate. "The oils are the good bit," he says; a little defensively, you think.
Ahri returns his jacket to you; you catch the faint scent of perfume on it. It's an unusual scent for Uncle Johnny: sophisticated, elegant, alluring,
feminine. But his choice of perfume is a mystery for later: right now, breakfast needs your attention.
Ahri looks overwhelmed at the savory options on the table, but appears more receptive to the sweet options your godfather provides. She's a bit hesitant with his take on the traditional kaya and butter toast, but a lot more enthusiastic about his peanut butter honey toast. The mix of melted peanut butter and honey is as delicious and sticky as you remember, and you find yourself smiling happily with each bite you take. You make small talk throughout breakfast: you've mentioned Uncle Johnny to Ahri before, of course, but this is the first time she's actually really meeting him. She looks quite nonplussed at the thought that a commoner could end up being godfather to an Imperial Princess.
"I've known His Highness Prince Masatada for thirty years," explains your uncle, assembling an open topped sandwich with the breakfast items, dressing it with a spoonful of baked beans and a few dashes of salt. "We work hard, we play hard, we fight hard - that stuff makes a bond. We've been through a lot together."
That's underselling things a lot, you think. Daddy and Uncle Johnny are blooded admirals, with a chestful of medals and combat awards, starting with when they were newly-minted Ensigns in a boarding action on a hijacked freighter, and continuing throughout their careers as naval officers. They've seen combat up close and personal, which is more that can be said of many flag officers: there's a reason why Fleet Admiral Yonatan Chew is so popular amongst the rank and file.
Still, while you did want Ahri to socialise with Uncle Johnny, you also have a hidden agenda for breakfast: discussing the Naval Forces Realignment Act with Ahri and Uncle Johnny. When you raise the subject, Ahri looks askance at you; Uncle Johnny merely snorts and rolls his eyes at you.
"I don't understand," says Ahri, and so you stifle a sigh and continue with her education.
"The Naval Forces Realignment Act was the last piece of legislature that was waiting for the Empress' assent," you explain. "As a constitutional convention, the Empress does not withhold her assent, unless she has good cause, however, her Late Majesty ascended to Heaven Above before she could grant her assent. That's the first order of business the Regency Council will attend to."
Behind his mask of polite interest, you just know your uncle is thinking
"why can't she just say "your mummy died" sia." You won't be fooled by his facade.
"But
I'm the Empress! Shouldn't it be
my assent they should seek?"
"You also haven't formally ascended to your throne," you remind Ahri. "The precedent is that the Regency Council will assume the executive and legislative powers of the Empress, until she reaches her majority and she is judged fit to rule." You're stretching the truth here slightly, they'd probably be fine with Ahri assuming her full powers to rule at 18 without any judging required, but you want to light a fire under her tails. "The Naval Forces Realignment Act is going to be one of the first topics of business. It might not directly involve you, but you need to know the precis."
"That, I assume, is why I'm here," says Uncle Johnny dryly. "Your Majesty, some forty percent of the Navy's hulls are in the Inactive Reserve. The Inactive Reserve Redistribution Act, passed three years ago, allows for for reactivating those hulls and releasing them to ducal forces. The Naval Forces Realignment Act expands the sale of those mothballed hulls, while also relaxing the class and tonnage restrictions on ducal forces. In a nutshell, Your Majesty, what this means is that ducal forces get to buy more ships and bigger ships, getting them at bargain prices because the source is the Inactive Reserve. Along with recent amendments to the Outreach Charter, it's part of a series of reforms aimed at improving the security situation in the Empire."
Ahri raises her hand, like the high school girl she is. "Inactive Reserve? Mothballs? I thought the Navy buys ships new?"
Uncle Johnny shakes his head. "Yes and no, Your Majesty. There's new construction that the Navy pays for every year, but that's mainly lighter ships, and it's just the bare minimum to keep institutional knowledge alive. When one is living in a centuries-long peace dividend, it doesn't seem necessary to have a large Navy - we're at peace, who do we need to fight? So the Senate chooses to fund social spending and decrease the Navy budget, two fifths of the Navy is put into mothballs, and we use ships until they're completely worn out, then we pull ships out from mothballs and reactivate them, because it's cheaper to reactivate ships in acceptable material condition than it is to buy new ships."
"And the more ships they buy from the Inactive Reserve, the less ships you'll have?"
"Precisely that, Your Majesty."
"Hmm. And what is your opinion on these reforms?"
Uncle Johnny gestures at you. "I'll invite Princess Yui to share her opinion, since she's the junior officer."
You acknowledge him with a nod, and turn to Ahri. "The stated rationale for the Act, and the reforms overall, is sound. It's a cheaper and faster way to improve the Empire's security situation. By increasing the strength of ducal forces, the Navy doesn't need to be strong everywhere; we can concentrate our strength and shift to nodal deployments in force, instead of penny packet detachments."
"Ducal forces?"
"Navy jargon, Your Majesty," explains Uncle Johnny. "The technical term is System Defense Force."
"I see?"
Ahri is
adorable when she's confused. Your godfather can't help but be disarmed and feel indulgent toward her. (Plus, he's always liked teaching.)
"System Defense Forces are basically the system's little private navy. Household troops, you might say. The term ducal forces first came about because the first SDFs that were established were the Great Houses' forces, and then as more systems were settled and more ducal forces were established, the term stuck, even if the ruler of said system might be a Countess, or even a Baroness, as opposed to being a Duchess. That's related to why the Imperial Royal Guard isn't considered a component service of the Imperial Defense Forces: basically, Empress Hagoromo-no-Kaneo-no-Mikoto's personal guard expanded into Jinko-Sei's SDF, then a few centuries of politicking later the Imperial Capital SDF has basically become the Imperial Royal Guard. But I digress."
"Ahh," says Ahri, the light of understanding appearing in her eyes.
"To return to topic, this is why we have the junior officer share their opinions first, so that they're not pressured to follow the opinions of their superiors. I disagree completely with your royal cousin's opinion. I don't trust ducal forces to do their duty. I trust the Navy. I will bet you every crown I have that there are nobles selling off their allotment to the highest bidder." He shakes his head. "The reality is this: the only way to get a certain improvement in the security situation is to increase the Navy's strength."
You shake your head at him in turn. "Your bias is showing," you chide him. "The Navy doesn't have the funds to reactivate those ships anyway. This way, the ducal forces are paying for those ships: it saves the taxpayer money, stimulates the economy, strengthens security forces throughout the Empire, and we see an overall increase in active warships at no extra cost to the taxpayer's wallet or to the Navy's budget."
"You
do realise that's a
bug, not a feature." The Third Star Lord's voice is very dry. "You're giving more power to the nobles. If some two-bit noble gets too big for her skirts, you're going to have to put in more effort to sort her out. It's one thing to slap down a dozen corvettes, it's another thing to slap down a dozen cruisers. And quite frankly, in my experience ducal forces just don't have the same level of competence and professionalism that the Navy has. They're unreliable and I don't trust them."
"You're looking at this purely from the military perspective," you point out. "There's also the political considerations. The class and tonnage restrictions on ducal forces have been long-resented, and so long as we aren't in open war, selling the Senate on increasing the Navy's budget isn't going to happen. It's beneficial to reduce some of that resentment by turning unused hulls into political capital."
"Just because a war hasn't been declared doesn't mean there's no fighting," says Uncle Johnny seriously. "The fact that we've had blooded admirals, of whom von Toth is merely the latest to make a name for himself, says otherwise. And regardless of the political considerations, I will never agree to a course of action that encourages further military proliferation throughout the Empire. Plus, I can think of at least one area where building up the ducal forces will destabilise the situation further."
"Where?"
Uncle Johnny looks you dead in the eye. "Comberth."
"Comberth is the exception to the rule," you argue. "It's a buffer system sandwiched by Sumeragi and Hoou, it's not representative of the Empire."
"No? I've got a Navy fleet hanging there in the middle of two belligerent powers eyeing each other, itching for a fight, and the only reason they don't dare start anything is because they know if they start anything, the Navy will slap them down. Am I talking about Comberth? Or am I talking about Aurelia? Or Kalimantan? Or Senkaku? Or Iserlohn? Or-"
"Point taken," you say, making placating gestures at him. "I see your concerns, but I do believe the benefits outweigh the potential disadvantages."
Uncle Johnny looks like he wants to continue on, but then he exhales and shakes his head. "I can see where you're coming from, even if I whole-heartedly disagree. You're not feeling what I'm feeling because Kanda doesn't have your number. Even when I switch off my phone and bury it under my bed, I can
still hear his voicemails demanding reinforcements, begging for more ships, threatening to resign if he doesn't get more support, paranoid that he's going to wake up to find Sumeragi and Hoou are burying the hatchet in each other. And he's not the only commander who's begging for support - he's just one of the lucky ones who has my private number." He eyes you suspiciously. "How
did he get my personal number, anyway?"
You smile
innocently at your uncle.
Ahri stares at the two of you in fascination. "Wow. I thought it was just, you give orders and the subordinates obey, because they're lower rank."
Uncle Johnny snorts. "Real life isn't quite like how the shows portray things, although there are more and more shows that do make a solid effort to get things right. The Navy can be surprisingly democratic at times, for all that it's an autocratic institution, Your Majesty. You need to strike a balance between considering the opinions of your subordinates and decisively deciding because you're in charge and the buck stops with you. A good leader is able to keep that balance. Your subordinates should always be able to share their opinions with you, with the understanding that once your decision has been made, it's time to execute. You can't afford to be bogged down relitigating past decisions."
Ahri nods thoughtfully at his words. You feel nostalgic, looking at her - you remember when it was you who was hanging off the Skipper's every word.
- 女王之天命 -
Ahri is in a thoughtful mood as the meal ends. She excuses herself from the table, places her dishes in the sink (you nod approvingly at her), and leaves to get started on her studying. You clear the table, as is your wont, and escort Uncle Johnny out.
"I'm gonna miss you, y'know," he says, standing at the door. You look at him askance.
"I'm still here."
"I meant at Admiralty House. But basically I think the Empress probably needs a trusted advisor to guide her more than I need another fleet commander. Better you than me. You obviously agree, otherwise you wouldn't have gone reservist."
"You needed Daddy out at Salsu," you shrug. "It had to be either him or me. It is what it is." You hug him, and plant a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for breakfast."
"We're family," he says simply. "I don't envy you, you've got your work cut out for you, trying to turn a teenaged girl into an empress." He shakes his head, as his mouth twists unhappily. "Now I see why you were being discrete. I guess professional help's off the table.
I could see her ribs, Yui. Like,
goddamn. She's way too thin."
You shrug helplessly, sadly. "It's why I reached out for advice."
"Oh, Yui." He pulls you into a hug, and you let your head rest on his shoulder, and for a brief moment it's like you're a little girl again. "You're doing the right thing, ok? Don't worry about the Navy, don't worry anything else, alright, you just do you, be the best tai ka jie, alright? Take care of that girl and raise her up well. You can do this."
"I don't know if I can," you whisper, giving voice to the doubts you've been suppressing.
"Oh,
Yui," he says, and you feel his arms tighten around you. "
You can do this. I believe in you; you believe in me. And you're not alone, you got your mom, my mum, your grandma, and you got me. Anything you need, you call me, okay? She's that hag's granddaughter, but she's your little sister and you're my niece, so that means she's also my niece as well. I will always have your back, just call me and I will come." He pauses, and then adds, "Well, factor in a thirty to sixty minute delay to clear the security checkpoints."
You chuckle weakly; Uncle Johnny pats you on the back and releases his hug. His smile is wry and comforting. "Nothing worth doing was ever easy. Besides, you're my niece. You're going to be fine, your cousin's going to be fine, you are not a trainwreck. I can imagine far, far worse caretakers than you."
"Thank you," you say, from the bottom of your heart, and you wrap your arms around your uncle and hug him back.
- 女王之天命 -
), but their CO was like "Hey, you wanna go follow the Marines as they do inspection on that freighter? It will be good for your professional development. Don't worry, you're going across with a squad of Marines in power armor, it should be safe."
