GaiganMission
From IMiA
Juliana kisses her husband goodbye, and climbs up the ramp to board carrying a very sensibly sized bag. (The trunks were sent ahead, as was the ladies maid.) Sean knows she's running later than she likes to for voyages, but she's still a few minutes early. Her clothes look sensible too, a very plain blue tunic over black pants, except for the heeled shoes. Her hair is in a long braid.
When she steps on board and sees Rod she blinks before she starts laughing. She's very amused, and seems highly energized.
She finds the Commodore first, though [or he finds her] and greets him with an enormous smile. "It's about time I got back to work. Who ever knew I'd miss it so much? Is everything set, or do we need to meet? I do have a rather unusual and possibly impossible request to make. You'll have to tell me if it's doable. And when did we pick up Oisenmouth?"
O'Donovan laughs. "He arrived a bit before you did, Duchess. From the ship's perspective, everything is set. And I will see what I can do about your impossible request, if you will tell me what it is."
Though he doesn't mention it, the Commodore seems quite glad to be setting out as well. It's not clear how much of it is getting away from Amber and how much is simply getting back out to sea.
Juliana smiles. She slips a hand into her bag and pulls out a more traditional map. It is not nautical at all, and she seems to be assuming he'll need to pull those out to answer her question.
"I don't want to go ashore in the city. Perhaps we should call the Count over, so I don't have to explain this twice," Juliana smirks. She waves to Diaz with her rolled up map.
He smiles as he approaches, and bows. "Your Grace. An unexpected pleasure."
Juliana looks surprised but says to Sean first, "Here, or in your quarters?"
"Captain's quarters, I think." He leads them down.
Then she turns to Rod. "Unexpected, eh? How did you end up here?"
"Press Gang, my dear. The hazards of drinking in the wrong establishments. 'The Sargeant swore I'd kissed the book...' and all that."
Juliana looks dubious at this explanation, but holds her thoughts to herself.
Once they get into the Captain's quarters, she unrolls her map. It's a physical and road map of lower Gaiga. It's obviously well used, but cared for. There are notes on it, and new roads or trails have been drawn in over time. Juliana points to the capital, a port city, much like Amber. "I do not want to go straight in. If I could get a day ahead of the fleet hitting the city, it would suit my purposes."
She slides her finger over to a notation a few days ride out of town. It says 'Beach House.' "This is Carlisle property. In an emergency, there are land arms buried here, in the cellar. Just in case you need it, Sean. But that's not where I want to go. I'm wondering if you can drop me off here."
She points to a little jut of land. "This is mine." She runs her finger up landward in an basically oval shape. The area of land she's indicating is probably close to 3000 acres in size. "It was a gift from the King, and I have no doubt that the people I've staffed there report to him, despite my best intentions. I've had a small cottage and stables built there, but I don't think a ship could come in all that close - we'd have to row in. I'd like the King to know I'm on the ground, since I can't just send him a note. I would like the rest of the capital to not know until after I have had my way with the Minister of Trade. So..."
Juliana takes a deep breath, "If it's possible to drop me off here, and hold at sea for a day before our small armada shows it's colors at the capital, that would be ideal for me. Exact timing of the ships not showing up until about lunch on the second day would be even better."
Rod nods at this.
"Well, it would be easy enough to get you there and arrive at capital the next day at lunch time." O'Donovan mutters, mostly to himself. "Assuming reasonable winds, but that's what the weather witch is for. But if you want us to keep the fleet from being seen at that time.... that's hard. Very hard. If we sent you in on the _Tom Steele_, took you to shore on a longboat, even if anyone saw you, all they'd be seeing is the smallest ship..."
"A coastal fog, if your people can call one to order, would do wonders for keeping the Steele from being seen. I will arrive with the official party."
Juliana shoots an unhappy look at Rod.
Rod smiles.
"Ay, a fog would do wonders for hiding the ship," O'Donovan agrees. "But it would make the navigation a lot trickier -- and if such fogs are not common here at this time of year, it might arouse even more attention than a simple ship would." The commodore looks to the duchess for her opinion on the weather.
"I've never spent this time of year there - but I know they aren't all that unusual in the capital in spring. Frankly, this is not a heavily populated area. I'm less worried about them seeing a ship dropping me off than I am about you sailing into harbor with three Navals flying Amber's color's before I've had a chance to talk to the Crown Princess." Juliana rubs the palm of her hand flat against her forehead a moment while she's thinking.
"I wish I had a better way..." she mutters, and follows that with a sigh. "Do you see my point?" Juliana asks O'Donovan.
Rod scans the map. "While a port call by ships of the Amber Navy is not an unprecedented thing in The Golden Circle, it might be unwise to surprise our friends as such a delicate time. Is that your concern, Your Grace?"
"I've never spent this time of year there - but I know they aren't all that unusual in the capital in spring. Frankly, this is not a heavily populated area. I'm less worried about them seeing a ship dropping me off than I am about you sailing into harbor with three Navals flying Amber's color's before I've had a chance to talk to the Crown Princess." Juliana rubs the palm of her hand flat against her forehead a moment while she's thinking.
"I wish I had a better way..." she mutters, and follows that with a sigh. "Do you see my point?" Juliana asks O'Donovan.
Rod scans the map. "While a port call by ships of the Amber Navy is not an unprecedented thing in The Golden Circle, it might be unwise to surprise our friends as such a delicate time. Is that your concern, Your Grace?"
Juliana actually looks put out. "You make it sound so simple. My concern is showing my weapons before I have to and causing a riot or worse. The situation in the city isn't pretty. The King had troops in confiscating merchandise and forcing shipments. Will the warehouses think when three Amber ships suddenly show up that they're about to get set upon by troops? Will business slow or stop? Will the bloody beaurocrats line up so thick with questions for the King that I can't get in to do what I need to do? Will the House I'm about to threaten decide to declare open warfare? My concerns, my Lord, are manifold and complex. Having been in a city on the verge of a riot once, and ignoring those conditions to my own detriment and the detriment of those under my protection, I am not keen on repeating the experience," she explains in a calm monotone.
Rod looks sympathetic.
She looks between the men, and stops on O'Donovan. "So, do you think we can be careful? Perhaps we only take one ship in, at all, unless I am unable to do a good job?"
O'Donovan considers a moment, then smacks the palm of his hand. "Of course! This is easily done. We will requisition a yacht. On the trip out, paint it to be the Duchesses'."
At the word requisition, Juliana looks dubious. When Sean mentions paint, she politely bites down on her lip.
"One day out of Gaiga, we'll go on station, and send the Duchess ahead to her estates on the yacht. We'll send her with a simple piece of magic the fleet has been known to use from time to time, to give her a way of signaling us. One signal, and the fleet proceeds to the capitol as planned, in a leisurely fashion. The other signal, and we make all haste to the Duchess's estate."
Rod looks at Juliana, and speaks up. "That would work, certainly. It might be easier, of course, to requisition, _The Olifant_, though. My ship sits at anchor, supplied, and it would hardly strain credulity to have a merchanter from a friendly Golden Circle shadow arrive in the harbor of Gaiga. If we wished, we could even put most of the supplies aboard her, to lighten the warships' dray burden. After all, much of what we're bringing came in aboard her and her sisters.
"If that suits your purposes, Your Grace, _Olifant_ is at your disposal."
Juliana thinks a moment, and then nods. "I think using _The Olifant_ would work, if this won't take too much time. How long to transfer the goods?"
"Umm..." O'Donovan interjects, "how well armed is the _Olifant_? If they are confiscating merchandise, wouldn't it be a possible target? The plan calls for the rest of our ships to be a day away; if she gets in trouble, we won't be able to help."
"We should look menacing enough to give them pause, and then hopefully the diplomatic solutions will come to the fore. As I understand it, the cargoes being seized by the King are their own to meet their external trade obligations, As one of those obligations of the typical Golden Circle treaty is 'No seizing the vessels of Amber or her allies', I don't worry about that from the Crown. As to the other side, if Saum or anyone else is seizing ships in the harbor, then we have an entirely different kettle of fish to fry."
Juliana nods. "But Saum shouldn't have the ability to do it. Unless they've been hiding something very well."
Rod nods.
"Good then," Juliana smiles, finally, at both of them, but her question is for Rod. "Will you have to go Captain your ship, then, my Lord?"
"Have to? No. _Olifant_ doesn't need me to get to Gaiga, or even home. I'd prefer to be here, where I can pick your brains about our dear allies, the better to be useful to your plan. We could all sail on _Olifant_, but we can probably transfer to her easily enough just before we leave the flotilla behind."
"Let's stay here for now, and transfer later," Juliana suggests. "I have some correspondance to write, and I want to get my maid settled, and I'd rather get going. Beside which, I have no doubt the Commodore does not wish to leave his vessel."
O'Donovan shrugs. "My men are perfectly capable of running the _Dwyer_ on their own.
"So, let me review our new plan. The _Olifant_ takes the Duchess directly to the city's harbor, while the fleet stays on station. She signals us when she thinks it is time for us to arrive. Since we no longer need to worry about whether to arrive to the city or Juliana's estates, we can change the meaning of the message stick -- the two signals will tell us whether to arrive in a friendly fashion, or with a show of arms. Agreed?"
Rod looks to Juliana's lead.
"No," Juliana says with a ruefull smile. "I still want my element of surprise. If some strange cloaked woman gets off any ship at the capital, someone will follow her. I can't show my face just yet - I need to set a few things in motion before I do that. If I can get dropped on my territory, it's a three hour ride to the capital. If I can then get a night in the capital, and we could get Amber flags in the harbor right about the start of court - which should be noon - that's my ideal. Or I could signal, if I can actually be taught this 'magic' you're speaking of."
"But a known 'trade' ship dropping me off, if seen, is going to cause a lot less drama than a 'naval' ship. I don't see any reason we should be arriving as a show of force. Even if the city is rioting, we don't have the King's invitiation to interfer with his citizens or the Gaigan military. His temper will be bad enough that we've interfered with their politics." Juliana does not look like she's looking forward to dealing with that."
"It seems to me a trade ship dropping you off at home would be considerably more conspicuous than 'your' yacht dropping you off," O'Donovan says. "The yacht might be more obviously you, though -- but it's a lot easier to explain why it is there. On the other hand, the merchant ship would be easier to defend in case of trouble, I'm sure."
"There is that. Here's the thing. It's not home. It was set up to be a strategic point of retreat, long ago. In more frank terms, the gift of the land itself was something the King did to annoy my husband, or perhaps to see if the unflappable could be flapped. It's not a place I could ever make a home, so it became the gateway it is. Everyone working there will be surprised to see me - they will assume something has gone very wrong for me to be there without Phillip. My behavior isn't going to dispell them of that notion. It will be nice distraction from the reality of the situation, and it will leave the King just one step behind me," she explains, and bites her lip, thinking again.
"However I come in, they'll make it fit their assumptions, but if it's a yacht - and 'mine', no less - I'm taking the chance of being identified, were I to be fleeing my husband for some reason," she laughs. The very notion seems quite amusing to her. "It makes more sense, in that case, that I might 'pay off' someone like Oisenmouth to get me out - but even the naval ships would work in that case, if all they're seeing is a longboat. We're making this much more complicated than it has to be. It's not so much about subterfuge on the dropoff as it is about timing of when the Navals show up in the capital."
"And that we'll control -- as much as it can be -- with the message sticks. Very well, if that is the case, I'm in favor of using the merchant ship. Seems more plausible to me." O'Donovan smiles. "At any rate, it will save on my paperwork."
"Speaking of which, Sean, if it all goes bad, you have to leave me in there until it calms down enough to send in a team for extraction. Unless the King is overthrown, I should be safe. If it gets so bad the King is overthrown, there won't be a lot you can do up front that won't just get your men hurt and people killed. And unless a usurping nobility of Gaiga wants to start problems with Amber, they won't kill me either - they'll just hold me. Or I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time and it doesn't matter. You see?"
"You don't think we could pull off a rescue? We are capable of subtlely, you know." The Commodore grins.
Juliana smiles and lays a hand on his arm. "You know, I leave it in your hands, but I have some experience at surviving these things, and I would rather no one under your command suffer to get me out, when by the time they get to me I will have survived or not, already," says the woman with surely the lowest warfare in the game. She meets Sean's eyes and though she is smiling, it's clear she is a woman who understands what her request might mean for her, and is asking anyway. "At any rate, I've told you where the 'extra' supplies are hidden, should you need an off-harbor land entrance and those things."
The Commodore nods.
Juliana looks at Rodrigo. "Very well."
-- Main.LizTrumitch - 23 Sep 2005
