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“The Command Council will see before them now Commander Aria Knight, acting Captain of the Talon.”
Aria stepped forward. She was dressed in her formal charcoal-colored uniform. The leather pauldrons of the shoulders always made her feel taller and more commanding. Her back was perfectly straight as she strode confidently forward.
All throughout the return journey she had prepared for this day.
“Commander, we have interviewed the other officers of the Talon. Thus far, we can corroborate their stories. Now we need to know from you directly how you assumed command.”
“Of course, Admiral,” she replied sweetly. Her tone became all business, then. “We were a-sail and heading east when they struck. It was the third watch. I was asleep, and the captain was seeing to something belowdecks. The Cromah got in a lucky shot, and Captain Arico was killed. I did not hesitate and immediately assumed command. I decided to make the Cromah pay for their attack.”
“Yes, we have also questioned the prisoners you returned with,” stated Admiral Jorvan, always recognizable with his broad shoulders and well-trimmed grey beard. “And the crew of the Talon confirms that you engaged three Cromah sloops, defeating them handily.”
“Commander,” spoke up Admiral Vail, “did it occur to you that Captain Arico likely would not have engaged those sloops?”
“It did,” admitted Commander Knight. “But I am not Captain Arico. His death at their hands could not be allowed to stand, and I felt we had enough of a tactical advantage that it was worth the risk.”
“Yet the Talon was damaged,” pointed out Admiral Olang. “And how many did you lose?”
“We lost seven, including Sergeant-at-arms Kale Torlan.”
“And just why was the sergeant below decks?” queried Admiral Olang. He leaned forward, his fat gut pressing hard against the table before him.
“He was seeing to our guns,” replied Aria. “He informed me that they did not, on the first broadside firing, sound right to him. He thought we may have a fuse problem in the magic engines.”
“Why did he not send below one of his sailors?” questioned Admiral Vail.
“Sergeant Torlan was a firm believer in doing things himself. He was determined to check on this personally.”
“Even though you were outnumbered, you still felt the need to attack, rather than run?” queried Admiral Tirkan. The officer clearly felt the need to continue forward motion on the inquiry.
“Outnumbered, perhaps, but, sirs, we had them seriously outgunned. We all know ours are the superior engines. Sirs, the Cromah continue to press us in the air, on land, but most of all at sea. And we cannot match them, let alone beat them, if we continually turn and run.”
“So, you determined it was alright to risk your ship and crew?” re-asked Admiral Tirkan.
“Sir, with all due respect, we are a warship. We are sailors in the service of the emperor. Our duty is to stand up to our adversaries and give no ground. With respect to Captain Arico, he was in my opinion too cautious in his actions. Sloops may be swifter and more maneuverable than a galleon, but we have the advantage of more and better guns. Beyond that, the skills of our naval officers and sailors are far superior to those of our opponents, and they need to be shown this.”
“Even though the Talon had been damaged, you chose to make two more engagements before returning to base to repair your ship?” questioned Admiral Olang.
Aria appreciated the change of subject. “Yes, sir. First, we came across a Cromah re-supply vessel and her escorts. While all three of her escorts were swift vessels, we had them terrifically outmatched. It was a swift and furious fight, but we rather handily defeated them.”
“Yet the Talon took further damage,” pointed out Admiral Vail. “And you lost how many more during that encounter?”
“Five more crew,” replied Knight. “But we sank the cargo ship, and we wiped out her escorts. Four more Cromah craft sent to the bottom of the seas. We managed to recover several barrels of wheat, a cache of energy crossbows, and cases of swords and other weapons, which will now be unable to serve the Cromah forces.”
“You did well to cut off a resupply vein,” conceded Admiral Vail.
Commander Knight decided to drive home the point. “And while those carracks are fast, maneuverable craft, we more than matched them. The Cromah conscripts too many of their people to their forces. They are half-trained in comparison to our own. We can easily best them in every way.”
“Except in numbers,” remarked Admiral Tirkan.
“Yes, sir, I heartily agree,” conceded Commander Knight. “And that is why, given the opportunities that have presented themselves since my assumption of command of the Talon, I felt it was in the best interests of the Imperial Navy, and the whole of the Huscarn people, to engage our enemy at every opportunity.”
“And thus we reach your third engagement before returning,” chimed in Admiral Tirkan.
“Yes, sir. We came across a damaged brig sitting on the water. There were four corvettes and a schooner also with her, probably meant as protection. But it was night, well past sunset, and we only detected them by random chance using a sorcerous night scope.”
“You were outnumbered and outgunned this time, Commander,” stated Admiral Vail. “Why would you proceed to attack?”
“Ma’am, with all due respect, they were on the water, and not a-flight, nor a-sail. We slowed, dropped to the lowest altitude above the waves that we could, and approached as stealthily as possible. We specifically targeted the magic engines of the brig and the schooner. We got direct hits and took out both of those craft in our first volley. Their destruction was intense and wiped out the corvettes as well.
Aria slightly changed her tone. “I will not deny that it was a calculated risk - but it paid off.”
“And what if you had left the corvettes untouched? The Talon had already taken some heavy damage. Corvettes are the fastest and most maneuverable craft either of our forces possess. How are we not to judge your actions as reckless, Commander?” questioned Admiral Olang.
Aria would not be deterred. This line of questioning had been expected. “I determined, sirs, that with our successful sneak attack, even had we missed the corvettes, they were not in flight...and we were. They were unprepared, and we would have them. It was night, and they were blacked-out, clearly hoping to avoid detection. Were it not for the way they arrayed themselves on the water, we may not have taken a close enough look to determine they were part of the Cromah maritime forces.”
She paused a moment. “Even if we had missed those corvettes, in the time it would have taken them to raise sail and raise ship, we easily could have fired off more volleys or chosen to flee.”
Aria paused again to let that sink in. “With all due respect, sirs, is it not my duty as a naval officer to take calculated risks? If all we do is retreat, if all we do is make empty threats and never fight, how can we emerge victorious? We claim this continent as ours. Yet the forces of the Cromah have footholds in the southern mountains and have control of a half dozen of our west coast cities. Our forces fight them, but they have still managed to claim and hold territory. We declare loudly that the seas are ours, yet we constantly point out that we are outnumbered. Do we choose only to project power, or do we actually wield it?”
She changed her tone, having had this speech prepared for some time. “We send out our brigs and galleons without escort, and we draw fire as we patrol the seas. I have to wonder why it is that we only run to fight another day when we can outgun and outfight most of the equivalent Cromah forces? I do not believe our emperor wants us to do naught but run...I believe that the emperor expects more of us. I take my duty very seriously.”
Aria put a sympathetic air in her tone. “Under the command of Captain Arico, it is true we had no losses, but neither had we any victories. Under my command, we have single-handedly taken out a re-supply ship and a dozen Cromah fighting ships. Can any captain or crew make a similar claim?”
“No,” stated the last admiral softly before any other could speak. The others deferred instantly as Admiral Margrave leaned forward. “You are correct, Commander. You and your crew have proven yourselves in battle more than any others in recent memory. A dozen lives under your command were lost, and the Talon will take another week to be repaired, but you have harmed the Cromah forces in a manner no other has in some time. We have heard your testimony and must speak together in private. Allow us a moment, please, Commander.”
She bowed and took leave of the chamber.
Commander Knight had gone over the story regarding the captain’s death with the other officers during their entire return voyage. The first encounter after the sloops had been sought out by her, while the others had been pure chance. Commander Knight would prove that the Talon had the finest crew in the fleet, and she had won their loyalty and trust with the victories she led them to.
Lieutenants Arlen and Palvern were both ambitious, though not nearly to the degree of Commander Knight. They did not appreciate the lack of advancement Captain Arico’s command set before them. The victories of the Talon under Knight’s command had won her their complete loyalty.
Meanwhile, the non-commissioned officers of the ship had not appreciated Arico’s style and fell swiftly under the sway of Knight’s charisma. Thus, the story the High Command officers had heard was similar from all.
She considered the command officers of the Imperial Navy. Admiral Jorvan, chief-of-staff; Admiral Vail, supply and procurement; Admiral Tirkan, Ealantic Ocean Command; Admiral Olang, Wesific Ocean Command; and Admiral Margrave, Imperial Navy high commander. She knew them all far better than they would have appreciated, having studied everything she could find to learn their strengths and weaknesses.
She knew that Tirkan, her immediate superior, had been particularly close to Captain Arico, and she knew it was he who distrusted her the most. She had risen to the rank of commander more swiftly than any other, and Tirkan distrusted her motives.
Vail, it was rumored, was Tirkan’s lover. Rumor also held that Vail was easily swayed by the opinions of others and did not do much of her own thinking. As such, she would hold the same opinion as Tirkan when it came to Commander Knight.
Olang was considered weak, as it was from the Wesific Ocean that the Cromah had successfully established their first beachhead. His commodores, rumor had it, were jockeying to be in position to replace him. Aria was not entirely convinced that he was the actual problem but instead was being undermined by those same commodores.
Jorvan was tough, honest, and a hard nut to crack. She was yet to learn if he had any weaknesses. Pride was all she had thus far.
Margrave was the emperor’s favorite. The strong, organized admiral had been a longtime ally of the emperor and his family. He was respected, and well connected, yet Aria did not doubt he had some weakness she would be able to exploit. It was only a matter of time.
They summoned her to the conference chamber once more.
“Commander Knight,” began Admiral Jorvan. “We concur that your actions, while bold, were acceptable. Though you did suffer losses, your victories were a boon to the morale of the whole of the Imperial Navy.”
Admiral Tirkan took up the narrative. “It is regrettable that it was the loss of Captain Arico which brought about this change in the actions of the Talon.”
“But we can only move forward from here, Aria Knight,” took up Admiral Margrave. “Your bold actions may border on recklessness...but they get results, and with all due consideration, the cost is not so high as the result. You are no doubt aware that you have risen through the ranks at a pace some find disturbing,” - she was certain that he threw a distasteful glance towards Admiral Tirkan - “but you have proven your skill time and again and earned your ranks through merit. You will undoubtedly encounter some who will disagree with this decision , but you are hereby elevated to the rank of Captain and shall resume command of the Talon when her repairs are complete.”
“We shall continue to watch your progress, Captain,” spoke up Admiral Vail.
“We shall watch your progress closely,” added Admiral Tirkan, the hint of a threat in his tone.
“Thank you, sirs,” replied Aria with a bow.