forces?”
The governor shrugged.
“I have only the bare bones of the matter at the moment, captain. I cannot imagine that men of talent and experience will be wasted. I am sure there will at the very least be a place for you. But let me come to the heart of the matter; the reason I sent for you, then.”
“Sir?”
The governor sank back into his chair once more, glancing briefly at the two old men who continued to work at their ledgers without looking up.
“Until we have further instructions from the Imperial council, I must do what I feel is prudent for Calphoris. As you are aware, I have allowed the naval branch of the militia to operate very loosely, under the authority of each individual captain, reporting only to the militia commander at Calphoris. Commander Pharus has always steadfastly maintained that such was the only way to operate an effective militia navy.”
“Yessir.”
“For now, however, I need someone to coordinate naval activity, to plan strategies and to dispatch the various militia vessels appropriately to new assignments as they return to port. It may be weeks, or even more than a month before we receive any further instructions from the capital and we have cities to the east who may declare against the Emperor and a growing and turbulent situation to the west.”
Ghassan frowned.
“Excellency, Pelasia has been quiet for years.”
The governor sighed, his expression inscrutable.
“That brings me to the rest of the news in the dispatches, gentlemen. It would appear that the scion of the last true royal house of Pelasia, Prince Ashar Parishid, took the field alongside the new Emperor and General Caerdin and defeated the de facto ruler, the satrap of Siszthad, in that same engagement.”
The young first officer blinked in surprise.
“Sir? Pelasians fighting in the central Imperial provinces?”
“Yes,” the governor shrugged. “It does seem odd, doesn’t it? In the days of the old Empire, Pelasian units were a standard auxiliary force in the military, but never whole armies of them becoming tied up in Imperial politics. Still, it is not difficult to see how, with the fractured Empire and the usurped throne of Pelasia, there could be sympathies among aligned factions.”
He stretched and tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“The problem we have now is that Siszthad was not alone in his coup in Pelasia. There are other noblemen who will be taking this news rather badly and, depending upon how Prince Ashar and the new Imperial government handle matters, we could see increased activity at the edge of our waters, or even assaults on our shipping or outposts.”
Ghassan shook his head in disbelief.
“Satrap Ma’ahd is basically in control of Pelasia right now and I would say he’s too careful to launch a war on us when there’s trouble coming back at him from overseas.”
The governor nodded.
“In fairness, young man, regardless of Siszthad’s title, I think you will find it’s been Ma’ahd that has controlled Pelasia for years and, while he may be concentrating on the potential return of Prince Ashar, M’Dahz is one of his power bases and his main shipyard these days, so he may feel the need to make his presence felt on our border, regardless.”
He shrugged.
“Until we receive further word from Velutio, I want you, Jaral, to coordinate the fleet. As soon as you leave here, go and see the commander Pharus and he will make arrangements for staff, banners and documents of authority to be delivered to you. I need you to make sure we still have an effective presence against pirates, and to put some ships to patrol in the east as you see fit, but make sure you have enough of a force to deal with any Pelasian threat.”
The governor smiled and tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially.
“And don’t go spreading the word about the new Emperor beyond those who need to know yet. I’ve made no official announcement and don’t intend to until I’ve slept upon it. As far as most folk are concerned until further notice, this is a mere reorganisation of the militia. Let’s not start a panic or a riot with unconfirmed rumours, eh?”
“Also,” he added, pinching the bridge of his nose, “let’s give it a few days and make sure this Darius is still in power with his head on his shoulders once the dust settles.”
The captain saluted.
“Sir, I’m not the most senior captain in the fleet, you understand?”
“You are, however, two things:” the governor smiled. “The most renowned and popular captain and first officer in my navy, with a fearsome reputation, and the only one currently in port. Now get to work, Jaral.”
“Of course, Excellency.”
The captain turned on his heel and strode from the room, Ghassan hurrying to catch up, still shaking his head in amazement.
“Captain, what does this mean for M’Dahz? Do you think the Prince Ashar will be leading an army or a fleet back from the north to retake Pelasia? If he does, what will happen to my town?”
“Calm yourself Ghassan. I realise that you’ve always wanted to go back to M’Dahz and personally behead that sack of shit satrap but, whatever may happen to the town, Ma’ahd has been living at Akkad for years now, controlling the throne. He may be beyond even your reach there.”
Ghassan nodded glumly and Jaral gave him a fatherly smile as they left the hall’s foyer and the doors were closed behind them.
“We’ll have to head back to the ship as soon as we’re done here and inform them of the change in status and orders. Then I’ll have to look for somewhere appropriate in the port to set up a headquarters; we can have staff and equipment sent to the ship in the meantime.”
“I presume, sir, that the crew will have a few days’ shore leave until the other vessels have all arrived and you’ve set their orders and are free to come back out?”
Jaral laughed.
“Hardly, Ghassan. I’m going to be a little busy from now on and, from what the governor said, we’ll need to get the ships out and patrolling as fast as possible. I’ll need to be on top of the situation at all times, with reports from every ship that comes in, changing the groupings and position of the navy as required. Gods, I may even need to put in a request to construct or buy more vessels.”
“But…”
“Ghassan, you’re more than capable of captaining the ship and you know it. Just make sure you follow the orders I give you and don’t go off on one of your personal crusades to hunt down Ma’ahd or your brother. There’s other things to be done right now.”
Ghassan shook his head.
“I’m not sure how the crew will take it, sir.”
Jaral smiled.
“I think you’ll find they’ve been expecting it for some time.”
In which events take a surprising turn
Things had been unsettled for some time in the palace. Asima had made the most of the last three years, but had been continually beset by difficulties. The satrap of Siszthad had taken no interest in the harem, finding his entertainment in less reputable directions. As a result, things had become static among the women. With no master or husband, the women were not required to leave their harem, were even forbidden to do so. In this stilted, lifeless situation, Asima had taken to playing games with her fellow inmates, turning them against one another and watching the resulting mayhem with interest.
Causing discomfort among her rivals was her only diversion, though, and even that had begun to pall after a
