Timestamp: 15 Kalendryas, in the First Era of the Regency of Milo L'Evienne
Here lay the inner sanctum of the Imperial Ministry of War.
Upon approaching the door, which was constructed of a fine, heavy oak, the first notable thing would be two guards standing outside the door. These were only the visible ones. Each held a halberd and had a sword at their side, and wore glinting chainmail armor. Their collars and sleeves had room to designate their ranks and legions. These were none other then members of the First Legion, the Empress' Own. They stood straight and hardly wavered at all, paying attention only to any who approached the door or regarded it with interest.
The door itself was somewhat ajar, and upon it's surface read the plaque,
Quote:
Office of the Imperial Minister of War
Once granted entry, one could see that a few bookshelves lined the room. On one side was a set of couches with a coffee table between them, a place for a more informal and relaxed venue. The small cupboard next to it against the wall was a place where a few glasses and drinks could be retrieved and had. Similarly, on the left, there was a simple large table with several chairs around it where one could spread out to do research, open different maps, or have a gathering of a handful of senior officers.
On the back wall were two windows, staggered wide, and between them a large map displaying the Empire, with several different colored pins and notes hanging from it. From the room, a faint scent of vanilla and cinnamon eminated, and it had a very calming effect.
In the back corner sat a chair, unused for the most part, except it seemed as a storage location, for upon it was hung a black leather greatcoat.
Double-doors by the side opened up to a larger conference room, with a table sufficient to comfortably sit fifteen, a diorama of the Empire and its seas at center stage. The Imperial Standard was at the head of the table, and surrounding it, the standards of the differing provinces and entities that constituted the Allerian Empire.
This was where the future of the defense of the Empire was to be planned, and so long as Someone held the mantle of leadership, they were there to ensure that, as the Articles declared, "...guarantee of the sovereignty of Alleria, the defense of its territorial integrity and the imperial order."
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
Last edited by Alexis Sapientia; August 1, 2007 at 04:14 AM.
Timestamp: 15 Kalendryas, in the Regency of Milo L'Evienne
He'd barely left the Imperial Palace, and it seemed that there was much to do.
Much to do, indeed, so very much to do. The Empire's defenses had atrophied somewhat in the absence of a Minister, with the interregnum between Motito Gil'dae and his successor being too long. Then had come Arkahn, but before he could even warm his seat, he was gone, yet again, by a mysterious illness.
Now he was in the chair, and a very troubling position, it was. Titularly in charge of the needs of the Empire's Swords and Shields, he not only had to make sure that they had what they absolutely needed, now, with the recent events of late, he had to make sure that they remained focused.
After all, an Empire divided was an Empire that would not long stand.
The desk was empty, and as soon as the door had shut, he set the Imperial Writ to a side drawer, taking time to examine the surroundings. Not very different from his old office--which he would still keep, for necessity's purposes--but with a power more potent than anyone could see...and with responsibilities far, far greater. In truth, it was enough to crush many a mere mortal, but at least he had a lot of support.
He recalled what he told his Regent then, not even a brightening ago.
The guarantee of the sovereignty of Alleria, the defense of its territorial integrity and the imperial order.
That was their mission. That was their reason for being. Others were there to take care of the housekeeping and other domestic matters; it was his job to keep the barbarians not only at the gate, but as far away from it as necessary.
With a deep sigh, stretching his hands, so did he take a peek at the untold pile of documents that had been left, and began to pore through them.
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
To His Imperial Excellency, the Minister of War, Arkahn Th'alashar
Greetings and salutations, my hopes are extended to you and I commend you on your meteoric rise to such a great station in life. That such fine, young men as yourself are able to rise to the occasion are a great sign for the future of this Empire. I do not merely write this to commend you however, given that there is enough trouble in the Empire which requires the services of one such as yourself without me taking up any more of your time.
I was merely hoping to extend my congratulations to you and to inquire into why trainers from the Imperial Army have been moved from the border legions and into the Arium. If they had been sent here to enforce the legions after the incident in Paxia, it would be understandable, however as they have taken up station outside Nexus Prime and have not contacted the local Imperatis, I am somewhat concerned as to the reasons for their presence in the Directorate.
From the desk of his Imperial Excellency the Northern Falcon, the Master of Solace Isle and Terramarique, the Defender of the Great Mountains, the Director General of Arium Marquis Jenius de Merchante.
Odd how this had been here since the Third Cycle of Melora, Alexis noted to himself as he continued to read it, knowing full well where Arium was. Skillful politician, their Senator was, to first send in a compliment, and then slip in a loaded question.
Tapping his finger on the missive, so did he set down a note on a nearby piece of paper.
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
A familiar object soon caught sight of his eyes. Thick in packaging, it bore a clear blue wax seal of the Admiralty. He knew what it was before he'd even opened it.
Secrets :
Imperial Admiralty
Ministry of Defense
21 Cryxatum, First Era in the Regency of Milo L'Evienne.
My Lord Minister,
After several long brightenings of consultation with my immediate staff, I have come to the following recommendations with regard to the Imperial Classis budget, which, with your approbation, and after due review of the Imperial Exchequer, should take effect come Aperitus.
First, please find attached a copy of the original budget as presented by Lord Minister Zhou.
Quote:
Budget of the Imperial Marshall: Classis
Salary
Provost Imperatis (Both Naval and Legion): 440 crowns per cycle.
Ducor Navarch: 360 crowns per cycle.
Navarch: 280 crowns per cycle.
Ducor: 200 crowns per cycle.
Zeton: 160 crowns per cycle.
Trierius: 120 crowns per cycle.
Navit: 100 crowns per cycle.
Helm-Navit: 80 crowns per cycle.
Sail-Navig: 80 crowns per cycle.
Oar-Navit: 60 crowns per cycle.
Senior Seaman: 40 crowns per cycle.
Seaman: 20 crowns per cycle.
Administrative Upkeep
For Helm-Navit upwards: 28.05 crowns per cycle.
For Sail-Navit and below: 18.04 crowns per cycle.
Based on preliminary research, this is a reasonably normal distribution of vessels. Depending on composition of each classis’ specialist units, the number of ships in a given category varies slightly.
Total: 277,230 (Again, varying slightly based upon the composition of a fleet.)
Total Salary (Classis): 8,545,200 crowns per cycle (427,260,000 crowns per era)
Total Upkeep (Classis): 5,094,021.9 crowns per cycle (254,701,095 crowns per era)
Administrative Upkeep and Outfitting: 1,000,00 crowns per cycle (5,000,000 crowns per era)
Harbor Upkeep: 300,000 crowns per cycle (1,500,000 crowns per era)
Ship Upkeep: 600,000 crowns per cycle (3,000,000 crowns per era)
Mothballing: 400,000 crowns per cycle (2,000,000 crowns per era)
Total Budget (Classis): 15,939,221.9 crowns per cycle (796,961,095 crowns per era)
Total: 32,360,171.4 crowns per cycle (1,618,008,570 crowns per era)
As can be seen, the Imperial Government has authorized the Imperial Navy to have a strength of 277,230. Knowing full well that we have never operated under this full strength (due to deaths, casualties, and a lack of leadership in the past couple of eras), it is my honor to present the following recommendations:
I. Staffing.
1) Eliminate 4520 Oar Navit billets @ 60 crowns per billet per cycle = [Cr 271, 200]
~early promotion or retirement will take care of this.
2) Include 8 Grand Admiral billets at 450 crowns per billet per cycle = [Cr -3600]
3) Add 1 Imperial Admiral billet at 500 crowns per billet per cycle = [Cr -500]
4) Raise Helm-Navit billet pay to 90 crowns per cycle = [Cr -90,000]
5) Include an additional 1000 Helm-Navit billets = [Cr -40,000]
6) Any remainder of monies under this scheme shall be allocated to a Contingency Account as further set forth.
II. Allocations.
Shortly after my appointment as Imperial Admiral, I sought guidance with Lord Minister Zhou as to how the appropriations of the Imperial Navy monies had been to date. He was kind enough to furnish me a reply.
Quote:
23rd of Ponutis, Era XIII
To His Excellency Alexis Sapientia,
May Aslan bless your new family.
Allow me to quote a communication with the Imperial Marshall:
Quote:
Your projected budget includes financing for the entire classis, but until the actual state is ascertained the extra money will be held in readiness for the re-activation (if necessary) of naval units.
Information regarding a proposed budget for the Imperial Classis was forwarded to his office during the month of Optia in the Thirteenth Era Post Fractum during the Reign of the Empress Arabella the Just. As of the twenty third brightening of Ponutis in the Thirteenth Era Post Fractum during the Regency of Milo L’Evienne, I have not received any correspondence regarding the funding or even the theoretic structure of the Imperial Classis. Since the Imperial Marshall tendered his resignation on the twenty first brightening of this month, the task of re-organizing the navy seem to fall solely upon your shoulders until such a time as the Regent sees fit to clarify the chain of command. I wish you the best of luck in your task.
The Imperial Navy, at it stands, consists of only the three hundred vessels stationed in the city of Archadoon prior to the siege of Jaedaxia. It is my understanding that some portion of these vessels participated in the battles near the city of Narim. Salaries and funds for supplies, upkeep, repairs, and the like are being supplied by the appropriate branches of the Imperial Treasury. No additional funds have been released for the expansion of the Imperial Classis, and no additional funds will be released until the Ministry of Defense sees fit to open regular lines of communications with my own ministry. It would be an abdication of my responsibilities as Imperial Exchequer if I allowed such plans to proceed without detailed planning and oversight.
Until such a time that eternal piece reigns in Telath, the Allerian Empire does have need of an Imperial Navy. I believe that it would greatly speed the reorganization if you consulted in person with the Imperial Exchequer and the acting Imperial Magus. Arrangements can be made for an meeting closer to your posting, though I must stress that the urgency of your task requires prompt action.
May Diana guard you,
Hsin Zhou
Imperial Exchequer
Please note his words, "Salaries and funds for supplies, upkeep, repairs, and the like are being supplied by the appropriate branches of the Imperial Treasury. No additional funds have been released for the expansion of the Imperial Classis, and no additional funds will be released until the Ministry of Defense sees fit to open regular lines of communications with my own ministry,".
As can be seen from the Lord Minister's budget, the funding allocations are given per cycle, and further perusal can see that it can be divided into several parts:
a) Salaries directly payable to the sailors and marines of the Classis (amounting to 8,545,200 crowns per cycle)
b) Individual upkeep (amounting to 5,094,021.9 crowns per cycle)
c) and certain discretionary funds:
Administrative Upkeep and Outfitting: 1,000,00 crowns per cycle (5,000,000 crowns per era)
Harbor Upkeep: 300,000 crowns per cycle (1,500,000 crowns per era)
Ship Upkeep: 600,000 crowns per cycle (3,000,000 crowns per era)
Mothballing: 400,000 crowns per cycle (2,000,000 crowns per era)
Under Minister Zhou's calculations, for this fiscal era, the Classis is expected to spend 15,939,221.9 crowns per cycle, or a total of 796,961,095 crowns. This is obviously a staggering amount of money, and prudence dictates that with the finances of the Empire so dire, waste should be reduced across the board.
I have seen fit to begin preliminary reorganization of the Classis, by creating a Board of Admiralty (copies of these orders will be forwarded soon to you) responsible for the naval budget, ship construction, weapons procurement, personnel, relations with the Ministry and the Imperial Government, and broad matters of naval policy, while the operations of the fleet and the preparation of war plans are the responsibility of Naval High Command.
With this in mind, I propose the following:
1) The monies payable to the Imperial Navy shall be classed into one Account at the Bank of Alleria, The Account of the Treasurer of the Imperial Navy. Several accounts shall likewise be instituted. Salaries due to the sailors (8,545,200 crowns per cycle) shall be paid into The Account of the Paymaster of the Fleets and distributed accordingly; while the monies for periodic upkeep (5,094,021.9 crowns per cycle) shall be paid into The Account of the Purveyor of Seafarer's Supplies.
2) The discretionary funds as set by Minister Zhou shall likewise be classed into Accounts as follows, such funds to be disbursed in accordance with regulations determined by myself, the Treasurer of the Imperial Navy, and the Admiralty Board:
Administrative Upkeep and Outfitting: 1,000,00 crowns per cycle (5,000,000 crowns per era) ~The Account of the Board of Admiralty for Administration and Outfitting
Harbor Upkeep: 300,000 crowns per cycle (1,500,000 crowns per era) ~The Account of the Inspector of Imperial Navy Fortifications
Ship Upkeep: 600,000 crowns per cycle (3,000,000 crowns per era) ~The Account of the Master Shipwright of Alleria Prime
Mothballing: 400,000 crowns per cycle (2,000,000 crowns per era) ~The Account of the Master Shipwright of the Imperial Shipyards at Solace Isle
3) A Contingency Account of the Imperial Admiralty as previously set forth shall likewise be instituted, as well as a Reserve Account of the Imperial Admiralty with such monies as constituted by the Board of Admiralty, to aid in emergency expenses.
I am well aware that all this may seem confusing at first, Lord Minister, but I and my staff shall be happy to explain anything that needs explaining. No doubt the Lord Exchequer, Master Zhou, would delight into finally receiving this document, that is, of course, pending Your Imperial Excellency's approval.
Fair winds always,
Alexis Sapientia Imperial Admiral.
Giving a smile and a shake of the head, so did he swiftly read through it. Squinting at all the numbers, so did he stand up to take out a different piece of paper, and a very familiar one, too.
Interestingly enough, these documents were dated...Ponutius 38!
By the Gods, a good thing they were still doling out the money as normal...
Quote:
To His Imperial Excellency the Imperial Marshall Arkhan Th’alashar,
Congratulations on your appointment. Enclosed in this budget presented to your predecessor in Optia of Era XII. Since your predecessor was unable or unwilling to respond to my inquiries, the theoretical budget of the Ministry of Defense has changed very little.
In practice, the Imperial Legions are fully funded. The active Imperial Classis consists of three hundred vessels. All the crowns budgeted for classis and not spent on its upkeep and operations are being held in the Imperial Treasury as reserves. They can be used for the re-activation of the classis, or any appropriate project that I deem fiscally responsible.
If you are not otherwise occupied, I invite you to a brief trip outside of the confines of the Imperial City. There is a location in Arium I believe would serve as a reminder to our duties: Aslangrad. I will provide transportation if you see fit to accept my invitation.
Alleria Prevails,
Hsin Zhou
Imperial Exchequer
Aslangrad, eh? I wonder what became of that...
Quote:
Budget of the Imperial Marshall: Legions
Salary
Imperial Marshall: 5000 crowns per cycle.
Provost Imperatis (Both Naval and Legion): 440 crowns per cycle.
Kestor Imperatis: 360 crowns per cycle.
Imperatis: 200 crowns per cycle.
Provost: 160 crowns per cycle.
Kestor: 120 crowns per cycle.
Cencoris: 100 crowns per cycle.
Daekin: 80 crowns per cycle.
Sword-Daekin: 60 crowns per cycle.
Shield-Daekin: 40 crowns per cycle.
Private: 20 crowns per cycle.
Administrative Upkeep
For the Imperial Marshall:
3000 crowns per cycle for administrative staff & costs.
4000 crowns per cycle living stipend
For Daekin upwards: 28.05 crowns per cycle.
For Sword-Daekin and below: 18.04 crowns per cycle.
Total Salary (Legion): 8,451,600 crowns per cycle (422,580,000 crowns per era)
Total Upkeep (Legion): 6,335,719.5 crowns per cycle (316,785,975 crowns per era)
Administrative Upkeep and Outfitting: 1,000,00 crowns per cycle (5,000,000 crowns per era)
Building Upkeep: 600,000 crowns per cycle (3,000,000 crowns per era)
Total Budget (Legions): 16,420,949.5 crowns per cycle (821,047,475 crowns per era)
Budget of the Imperial Marshall: Classis
Salary
Provost Imperatis (Both Naval and Legion): 440 crowns per cycle.
Ducor Navarch: 360 crowns per cycle.
Navarch: 280 crowns per cycle.
Ducor: 200 crowns per cycle.
Zeton: 160 crowns per cycle.
Trierius: 120 crowns per cycle.
Navit: 100 crowns per cycle.
Helm-Navit: 80 crowns per cycle.
Sail-Navig: 80 crowns per cycle.
Oar-Navit: 60 crowns per cycle.
Senior Seaman: 40 crowns per cycle.
Seaman: 20 crowns per cycle.
Administrative Upkeep
For Helm-Navit upwards: 28.05 crowns per cycle.
For Sail-Navit and below: 18.04 crowns per cycle.
Based on preliminary research, this is a reasonably normal distribution of vessels. Depending on composition of each classis’ specialist units, the number of ships in a given category varies slightly.
Total: 277,230 (Again, varying slightly based upon the composition of a fleet.)
Total Salary (Classis): 8,545,200 crowns per cycle (427,260,000 crowns per era)
Total Upkeep (Classis): 5,094,021.9 crowns per cycle (254,701,095 crowns per era)
Administrative Upkeep and Outfitting: 1,000,00 crowns per cycle (5,000,000 crowns per era)
Harbor Upkeep: 300,000 crowns per cycle (1,500,000 crowns per era)
Ship Upkeep: 600,000 crowns per cycle (3,000,000 crowns per era)
Mothballing: 400,000 crowns per cycle (2,000,000 crowns per era)
Total Budget (Classis): 15,939,221.9 crowns per cycle (796,961,095 crowns per era)
Total: 32,360,171.4 crowns per cycle (1,618,008,570 crowns per era)
Pursing his lips, so did he lightly scratch his head. The Imperial Admiralty, he could fix, since that was what he was most familiar with. As for the Legions, on the other hand...
...no. Not quite yet. He daren't touch those crowns lest they inspire a revolt. He needed something more.
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
From the desk of: Her Imperial Excellency, Nell du’Galle, Lady Imperial Vicegerent
To the desk of: His Imperial Excellency, Arkahn Th’alashar, Lord Imperial Minister of War
Your Excellency,
For the past two months, under the mandate given by His Most Imperial Excellency, Regent Milo L’Evienne, I have been investigating the position of the Church of the Sacred Three with the aim to clarify the legality of this Church which claims to be the true church of the Empire. Decisions have been taken and approved by the Regent and a proclamation will be made at the end of Optia which will declare the establishment of this Church as treasonous. It is anticipated that this will not be a popular proclamation from those quarters where the Church of the Sacred Three currently flourishes!
However, the aim of the proclamation is to try and reconcile the two churches and therefore the leader of the Church of the Sacred Three, Praesul Prelatus Jodus is commanded in said proclamation to come to the Imperial Palace for talks during the second cycle of Ioannes, Summer. Until such negotiations are finished, no action is to be taken to evict from temples or arrest those who currently are within the ranks of the Church of the Sacred Three, unless there is dissension from those persons in reaction to the proclamation.
It is with this regard that I write to forewarn you. Currently, as far as can be gathered, the Church of the Sacred Three has followers in the city of Medonia and perhaps beyond into the Enamorian Province, the city of Diana, a small following within the Province of Arium and perhaps also within the City of Silrosia, although I am hoping for forthcoming information regarding this last city soon.
Letters are being prepared and sent to the Governors of these Provinces, to arrive mid Optia, to forewarn them of the Proclamation so that they may ready any Provincial and city militia in the case of a negative reaction from the priests of the Church of the Sacred Three. However, in the interest of clear communication in case matters take a turn for the worse and spiral – as these things seem to – into conflict, I am also informing the Governors that the Ministry of War has also been told of the situation, so that if intervention is deemed necessary by the leaders of the Imperial Legions within these provinces, it may be done with celerity and with full cooperation from the provincial governments.
I will also be requesting the assistance of the Ebon Watch from the Imperial Judicator to watch the Church of the Sacred Three in the locations named above – and any relevant reports forthwith will be forwarded to your desk.
~Nell du’Galle
Imperial Vicegerent
As if we didn't have work enough!, groaned he under the strain of reading it. Granted, of course, this was from latter of Aperitus earlier this era, but it still remained relevant. Ah, well, at least the Imperial Government was giving him a good heads-up. Better to know than not, was the maxim.
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
Timestamp: First Cycle of Immanis, First Era in the Regency of Milo L'Evienne.
Spring.
Such words normally brought tears of joy to many a child, but to Alexis, it brought nothing else but foreboding. Granted, of course, that his were busy at play at the Palais, under heavy guard, but the appearance of flowers and greenery did nothing but populate more butterflies in his stomach.
His wife would have considered him a worry-wart, an alarmist of disproportionate proportions, but there was a reason for it.
The Empire was quiet. Too bloody quiet. The threat of the Xet had gradually faded away, the secessionists in Jaedexia had seemingly gone to ground, while the orcs down under in Ire...seemed to have lost their ire altogether. For Malice, there was none, while Paxia, for the meantime, lived up to its name as a city of peace, at peace.
Was everyone just biding their time, waiting for the opportune moment to strike?
Gods, he hoped not. As the Imperial Minister of War, he was paid to worry.
There was nothing more that he wanted than to make his position obsolete. A family man, now, all he wanted was to see his children grow up, safe, secure, and free from fear. For the past several eras at least, since Arabella the Just had ascended the Throne of Eternity, until the time when Milo had taken up full Imperium, he had known peace, and until the Orcish Sieges, he'd enjoyed it, and profoundly so.
Now...
"Feth it."
Alexis stood up from the window ledge he was leaning on, a saucer balanced on his left hand, fork, at the side. The remains of a sponge cake, made with sugar, egg yolks, marsala, cream cheese, imbued with liqueur and the exotic spice, coffee, and surface sprinkled with an abundant sweet-tasting addictive ingredient called cocoa, smeared the surface. It was called The Warrior's Refreshment, costing a crown or so at the tavern of the same name. The Lord Minister, however, felt no different now that he'd consumed it. Oh, it had given him momentary pleasure, but now that the entirety of the situation consumed him, it was enough to give him pause.
The Gods prohibited the fact that enemy mystics could read his thoughts, even though the Mage Corps helped in that respect.
He continued to brood, licking away the cream from the silverware, leaving a tangy, tinny taste at his tongue. Many a subordinate would grouch at the fact that High Command had a wonderful way on resting on its laurels (especially if it was won by someone else), while the grunts in the mud, or the bilge bay, were seemingly 'forgotten'. Ridiculous arguments, of course, but it was all part of the job.
One could never make everyone happy. For the Minister of War, he was content to just keep a simple majority momentarily satisfied.
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
Timestamp: First Cycle of Immanis, First Era in the Regency of Milo L'Evienne.
“If you will give this.” Said the straight backed figure of Kevin Lastroge. “To the Minister, I shall wait here gentlemen.”
Duncan stood outside the Minister's office. He could have walked in but he had long ago come to the conclusion that observing protocol made his presence far less likely to be talked about, strange people with permission to see Ministers came far more often than most commonly suspected but there was a difference between important government officials being let in and strange men who just ignored all protocol being let in. By following protocol he minimized the chance of people remembering much. Now admittedly there were other ways of minimizing that but he preferred to avoid leaving traces of that even more than he avoided leaving traces of gossip.
So he handed the letter to one of the guards and waited for them to go inside and tell Alexis, hidden under his Illusion, magical power and identity obscured. When it was opened... the contents were easy enough to read and vague enough that only Alexis should understand the content.
Quote:
Minister,
Or should I say Mister Sapentia given our last meeting?
It was in Arconis I believe, with a man who at the time was a member of the government and a very lovely lady. This man desires to speak to you again, please do not be alarmed by the fact Kevin Lastroge outside looks like an academic, that's entirely the idea.
Kind Regards,
Kevin.
P.S.
This is about Milo and your new Job, not just a social call.
Duncan didn't want Alexis to think he was just here cashing in favours and acquaintances after his fall from power and he didn't know the man well enough to judge whether he judged Duncan as such a man as to do just that. When it came down to it Duncan didn't believed he'd lost any edge of his ability even in loosing his Archmagery, but that was his view...others differed.
So he waited quietly and calmly outside to be admitted.
__________________ For CIR SoF for moderators
Credit to Janis for the quote.
Status: Caughtupish, PM me if theres something I'm missing.
"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live."
-Mark Twain
Last edited by Duncan Sythe; August 7, 2007 at 07:16 AM.
He'd spent a good half-hour staring it down, only to realize that all the facts and figures boggled his brain if he kept too long at it. So many crowns all tied up in a ledger that signified an actual deposit in the Imperial Treasury, if not an account at the Imperial Bank of Alleria...interesting how numbers could win in a staring contest with him.
It was quite simple, really. Shift this much from here to there and it would do good, provided that the sum remained balanced. The abacus at the side of his table had been doing quite the clackety-clack, and to tell one the truth, the mere sound of it was grating at his nerves.
The knock then on the doors to his private office were greeted with a raised eyebrow, if not a sigh of relief.
"My Lord Minister, a man left his note for you. Looks decent enough, not suspicious or anything. He's waiting outside."
Standing up, so did Alexis leave his seat to take the missive, bidding the soldier to stand there as he perused the same with curiosity.
Quote:
Minister,
Or should I say Mister Sapentia given our last meeting?
It was in Arconis I believe, with a man who at the time was a member of the government and a very lovely lady. This man desires to speak to you again, please do not be alarmed by the fact Kevin Lastroge outside looks like an academic, that's entirely the idea.
Kind Regards,
Kevin.
P.S.
This is about Milo and your new Job, not just a social call.
Arconis?
By the Gods that was so long ago and far away...back in the brightenings when he was but a young man whose main passions in life were, well, true youthful passions, really: wine, women, song. Back then he'd been pretending to be at study with regards to sorcery in The Reg, when in truth, all he was after was the life of a dissolute hedonism.
He managed to give himself a grin at the memory. O tempora, o mores, went the old adage...
"Send him in, if you please, and two cups of tea, with whatever they can scrounge," said Alexis as he moved away from his desk, heading towards the door, buttoning the bottom portion of his uniform coat as he did so, bidding good riddance to the budget, as he did so. Later on, he could deal with the planned Articles of War to govern the conduct of the Imperial military forces...
Who the Jorel is Kevin Lastroge?
"Master Lastroge, I believe? Alexis Sapientia, Minister of War and Imperial Admiral. How may I help you this brightening?"
He was prescient enough to offer a smile and an ungloved hand.
War is the horror that occurs when rational minds fail at the negotiating table of diplomacy. ~Queen Katishandra of Daittern, Aelyrian Warfare through the Ages. **1/6: Work (and not mutinous legionaries!) have placed Alexis' puppeteer under extreme duress. Back at Jan the 16th, Markalin willing. I will hold true to Macarthur's words, and yes, indeed, I shall return!**
Dressed in a long emerald coat with a high turned up collar and Half-Elfen features Kevin Lastroge stopped just short of Alexis and took the preferred hand, shaking it and watching him carefully with twinkling green eyes before a slow, lazy smile spread across his angular, sharp face at Alexis words.
“You may start by indulging me to wait until your guard
Office of the Imperial Minister of War
Springtime Maneuvers.
