NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: No, Allanea is not capable of building this fleet. Nor any fleet in the current situation. This fleet is bankrolled by the nations of the Greater Prussian Empire - even though some of it is built in Allanea. There’s 66 nations in it. They can build it.

Aboard the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte, Earth Orbit

Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky walked out into the bridge of the monstrous ship, looking out through the immense observation screens at the work that was being done in orbit. It was far from complete - even here, on the bridge of the capital ship of the First Imperial Fleet, work was still not finished. An old ZMI warship, it was renovated for Imperial service. Zeppelinian and Allanean workmen rushed to and fro, fixing, changing, and cleaning things.

In this chaos of construction, Kazansky was a pillar of order. Clad in a black robe and black infantry armour, wearing a black pilot’s helmet concealing his face, he was now an entirely new person from what he was before the One Day War. Dark. Somber. Serious. His face and voice concealed by the helmet and its electronics, the being that was once the Spirit of Allanea became now the Voice of the Empire.

The work on the fleet was far from complete. Below him, in Allanea, the Porcupine Mk II cruisers ’ Jean-Andoche Junot’, ‘Jean-Baptiste Kleber and ‘Dominique Vandamme’ were being hastily cobbled together. Turrets were put in place, monstrous spinal cannons were assembled, and reactors were put in place. In orbit - in the Megacities - dozens of Hostile Market Conditions-class frigates were built.

Marechal, the spinal cannon is fully operational, Sir! - a Zeppelinian worker has reported. Kazansky turned his head slowly, responding, his voice carrying in an emotionless, machinelike tone.

Very good. Keep it up. We need the ship to be finally ready for when the Arch-Chancellor shows up. What is left to do?

The worker shuddered as he looked at the towering black-clad figure. Marechal… all the structural works on the ship are ready… only cosmetic maintenance work is to be performed on this vessel, Marechal Kazansky.

Kazansky turned on his heels towards the worker. Cut the technobabble. What needs to be done.

Eh… cleaning, basically, Marechal Kazansky… it has been out of service for years… in some places, we need to change some of the furnishings….

-Do it. By the time the Arch-Chancellor gets her, I want this ship to shine

OOC: Tag. I'll reply when I'm in the mood.

OOC: Tag. I'll reply when I actually have something of substance to post. :p

tag

Alexander Kazansky was sitting in the commander’s seat of the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte, waiting. He was not human. He was centuries old. He could wait a long, long, long while. He watched as the first Hostile Market Conditions frigates arrived from Megacity 3, floating slowly, with an appearance of peacefulness, under the wings of the immense command carrier. And through the screens of the immense vessel, he tracked the violence, the disruption, the mayhem, of the world below him. He saw Arda, covered in a dark cloud of hatred and evil. The Klatch, peaceful at a first glance, but ripe with controversy under the skin. Haven - still not quite settled, still warlike, despite all efforts. But a hope was visible even from here - a small lake of light, spreading slowly from the North and into the South of Haven. The Empire was there - and hope was there with it.

Among the war, slavery, oppression and hatred below, only few bright sports could be seen - Burgundy and Greater Prussia were among them - a new promise for the world. He, Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky, was determined to make it happen.

OOC: Tag

OOC: Haha. I have the piece from Star Wars: Episode IV playing where Luke and gang stumble across the Death Star playing right now. :)
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Orbital Defense Grid 001

On board the command station of the Orbital Defense Grids, Czar Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov XIV, monarch of Derscon and Arch-Chancellor of the Greater Prussian Empire, was looking out the window to see the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte.

"And it will soon be completed," the General said, standing by his Czar. The General was in his black uniform and cape. A massive scar went down his face, crossing his left eye, after a space shuttle crash.

"Indeed," Alexei responded. Alexei, instead of his typical white dress, was entirely black -- cape robes, and everything. While Alexei wasn't a Jedi, he was telekinetic, and that's close enough. Prince John, to Alexei's right, however, was a Jedi. He was in black robes, with the hood up. The general was actually the one that trained Prince John -- however, John grew much stronger than ever anticipated.

"Soon we will begin creating our own ship," John stated.

"And now we enter it. Come." Alexei, the four Special Praetorian Guard, the General, and John all left the bridge and went to the docking bay, where they boarded Alexei's imperial shuttle and headed out to the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte.

http://www.xinminss.moe.edu.sg/kevinchan/Imperial%20Shuttle/_t/shttl_jpg.jpg
Alexei's Shuttle Flying to the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte

Alexander Kazansky entered the docking bay with the Dersconi shuttle, escorted by five Imperial Guard troops in full uniform. One of them saluted Kazansky as they stood to attention. "Marechal Kazansky, Velikiy Hertzog Alexei Andropovof Derscon has arrived." Kazansky saluted Andropov as he exited the shuttle.

"Arch-chancellor Andropov, the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte is ready for Imperial service. Welcome aboard, your Majesty." - that was it for the official part. Now they would walk to the Captain’s chambers - temporarily occupied by Kazansky, until the construction of the fleet would be complete - dismiss the troops and talk business, preparing for the Emperor’s arrival.

Alexander Kazansky entered the docking bay with the Dersconi shuttle, escorted by five Imperial Guard troops in full uniform. One of them saluted Kazansky as they stood to attention. "Marechal Kazansky, Velikiy Hertzog Alexei Andropovof Derscon has arrived." Kazansky saluted Andropov as he exited the shuttle.

"Arch-chancellor Andropov, the HMS Napoleon Bonaparte is ready for Imperial service. Welcome aboard, your Majesty." - that was it for the official part. Now they would walk to the Captain’s chambers - temporarily occupied by Kazansky, until the construction of the fleet would be complete - dismiss the troops and talk business, preparing for the Emperor’s arrival.
OOC: Currently Playing: Imperial March. :D
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"Thank you, Alex," Alexei responded. His four SPG, the CINCODG, and the Prince were behind him as he stepped off the shuttle. "This is quite a big ship," he said as they were walking towards the Captain's chambers. "However, I feel that we can do better."

Admiral Frederic Ouidinot, appointed to temporary command of the fleet, arrived shortly after the Czar. He was accompanied by Marechals Lannes and Soult. The three men, escorted by Imperial Guard, made their way to the room in which Kazansky and the Arch Chancellor were meeting.

As the doors slid open to the room, Admiral Ouidinot stepped into the room and came to attention, "God Save the Emperor!" he shouted with a salute. "The Emperor has asked me to convey to you that he is on his way. He should be arriving within the hour." Ouidinot stood at ease. "Is there any thing else you should require of me?"
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"Awfully enormous is it not?" Napoleon said with an awestruck tone as he glanced out of his window. The Emperor had never rightly seen a starfleet in person.

"Indeed." muttered Duc Guillaume Richarde Lefebvre de Centreville, almost too amazed to even give a proper reply.

The entire surviving Old Guard of the Empire was aboard the large shuttle as they made their way slowly but surely. All of the important Marechals, the important Nobles, the military leaders retired and current. Every man who made and was making the Empire great were preparing to board the new Flagship of the fleet.

" Shuttle 1235-X5, to HMS Napoleon Bonaparte...The Emperor sends his greetings and a request to board."

" Shuttle 1235-X5, to HMS Napoleon Bonaparte...The Emperor sends his greetings and a request to board."
OOC: Currently Playing: Margaritaville. Wait a minute, that doesn't have anything to do with space.... :confused:
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Alexei grinned and got on the comm, making sure his voice was clear and Napoleon could know it was him.

"Permission not granted, Nap. Go away." He chuckled a bit. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Welcome aboard. The docking bay beside mine should do. Oh right, just keep on your course, you'll find it eventually."

As the docking back repressurized itself, the doors opened, Imperial Stellar Navy troops in full parade armor flowed out into the landing pad, arranging themselves in parade formation - three long rows of troops to every side of the shuttle door. Between those ranks, walked Kazansky and Andropov, Kazansky stepping heavily, the floor ringing slightly under his metal-heeled boots, his black cloak flowing in a terrible grave behind him. Andropov, too, was dressed in black, albeit slightly more traditional. Unlike Kazansky, he was not concealing his identity - probably because the danger of him being assassinated was much lower. Behind them followed the Dersconi general, wearing the usual Dersconi Space Corps General's uniform - black, as well.

Kazansky turned towards the Emperor as he exited the shuttle and saluted him. Vive L’Empereur! Kazansky’s voice, carried by the voice-editing system of his armor, was mechanical and emotionless, ringing with a certain threat - a hint perhaps to those who opposed the Empire.. The troops repeated the salute entusiastically.

Emperor, the HMS ‘Napoleon Bonaparte’, capital of the Imperial Stellar Navy Earth Taskforce, is ready for Imperial service. Welcome aboard. - as he led the emperor towards the conference hall, he explained. Emperor, this ship will form the backbone of the Imperial Earth Task Force. Easily the biggest ship in the fleet, this Management Buyout-class command carrier is seven and a half kilometers long, carrying a variet of weapons. The main arm of the Buyout is a spinal-mounted cannon which runs slightly over a mile long. While it come out of ZMI mothball storage, the Management Buyout is quite the potent weapon, that will serve the Empire’s immediate and long-term needs as a command carrier class for years to come. I believe you will be quite content with the rest of the fleet as well.

Then he paused, letting the Emperor ask whatever questions he saw fit.

On board his beloved flagship Destructor President Server was surveying his force of 20 vessels. They are on a good will tour of holdings and not to mention, this was to make an impression on the Greater Prussian Empire. They are new to the Empire and they want to show off some of their finest ships.

"Mr. President. We are approaching Sol system."

"Very well. Follow standard Jump procedures."

"yes sir."

As klaxons sounded, he made his way onto the bridge. He then took his seat in the command chair as the captain and XO moved to accomadate him.

"Sir, we are prepped for jump."

"Good. Standby."

After a few minutes, John ordered the force to jump in. After exiting hyperspace, John scanned the area to find the Greater Prussian fleet. "This is President John Server of the Armed Galatic Empire of Corneliu to the people of Greater Prussia. I bring greetings and would like to meet the leaders of the nations of the empire."

After a few minutes, John ordered the force to jump in. After exiting hyperspace, John scanned the area to find the Greater Prussian fleet. "This is President John Server of the Armed Galatic Empire of Corneliu to the people of Greater Prussia. I bring greetings and would like to meet the leaders of the nations of the empire."

"You know, John," Alexei, who was still on the comm, responded. "You're a Greater Prussian nation, too. It's not like you're a foreigner or anything. Come on aboard, you might as well meet the Emperor."

"You know, John," Alexei, who was still on the comm, responded. "You're a Greater Prussian nation, too. It's not like you're a foreigner or anything. Come on aboard, you might as well meet the Emperor."

"I know that Alexei but other nations do not know me. I felt it prudent to introduce myself. I'll be there momentarily." he cut the comm without giving him time to respond and proceded to the shuttle that'll take him over to the ship. When he got down there, five marines were waiting for him in full uniform. Their uniforms were blue with black piping. They were also armed with the latest guns and they are fiercely loyal to the President. On their shoulders, they wore their ranks but above it, they wore the seal of the office of the president to identify themselves as the President's guards.

They boarded the shuttle and proceded to the ship. Upon docking, three of the armed guards exited first followed by the President.

They boarded the shuttle and proceded to the ship. Upon docking, three of the armed guards exited first followed by the President.

Prince John and the General were there to greet him.

"Ah, Server," John said in a deep and heavy voice. "Come, the Greater Prussian hierarchy awaits." The General followed John a step and a half back and a step and a half to the right at all times, with Server and his three Marine guards behind them.

Eventually, they got to the captian's quarters, but due to space and paranoia reasons, Server's guards were told to stay outside.

"Ah, Server, we meet again!" Alexei said, smiling. "I never thought it would be in space, however. President Server, this is Emperor Napoleon IV, my direct boss and overall tyrant of Greater Prussia." It was common knowledge that Alexei often called Napoleon a "tyrant" as a joke -- both knew it was blatantly false.

"This is Alexandar Kazansky, former president of Allanea and chief advisor to the crown. I am Arch-Chancellor Alexei Andropov, Napoleon's lap-dog. I'm also ruler of Derscon. It's nice to meet you," he said, grinning.

Server nodded to each in turn. "It is an honor to meet all of you. I am hoping that our contribution will help in defending all of our space holdings."

He continued to look around. "Nice place you all have here. Not guite as nice as the Destructor's Ready room but nice indeed."

Money. It makes the world go around. You need it to build anything, especially space-fleets. And the Greater Prussian space fleet seemed like it would cost more than some. Fortunately, a great many of the Greater Prussian nations were wealthy. The Human Empire (Imperium) of Central Facehuggeria was one of those wealthier ones, a nation with a particularly deep wallet. Naturally, they gave generously. Hundreds of billions of Facehuggers, each equivalent to a single USD were wired, transmitted, or shipped to and fro to help pay for the Greater Prussian fleet. The Human Imperium could defend itself in space, of course, but having allies who could defend themselves was definitely a plus.

Star-General Julius of the Human Imperium frowned as he gazed upon the Greater Prussian flagship from his own tiny corvette. He’d expected it to be… bigger and grander, as befits a vast empire of many members. His own preconceptions failed him. What he found was scarcely larger than a mid-size Imperium capital ship. He’d expected something larger than life and he found the real vessel somewhat lacking in that regard.

But really, the ship wasn’t important so much for size or power. Oh no, it was important for what it represented. Unity; dozens of nations working together for common defense. In that light, it was marvelous. Julius could forgive the Empire for starting out somewhat small. After all, very few Greater Prussians were fully-fledged interstellar nations. Collectively, they wouldn’t have too much experience at superscalar construction even if some individual members (such as the Arizonians, ZMI engineers, or Imperium designers) were skilled at the venture.

Julius shrugged slightly as he guided his corvette into one of the vessel’s spacious landing bays. Perhaps it would be more impressive inside? He thought idly as the ship landed with a gentle sigh. Within a moment, the boarding ramp had extended, and Lucius found himself squinting out into the harsh artificial light of the bay.

He was clad in the dull blue-black full body armor of the Imperium Clone Trooper, commonly worn for ceremonies when a full suit of powered armor would be too intimidating or unwieldy. He wore no helm and carried no weapons save for a ceremonial saber that hung respectfully at his side. Ceremonial it may have been, but it still functioned as a monomolecular edged blade should. But he would not need it. This was a gathering of allies, not a heated pact of enemies.

Julius was alone here, he had no body-guards. This was entirely his choice. He needed none, for he was an expert warrior. Although he was admittedly somewhat lacking in diplomatic tact. Looking around, he noticed that it was, indeed, nicer within than without. Inside the architecture screamed an odd combination of militaristic efficiency and baroque glitz.

Naturally, he knew that going around unescorted on a vessel like this, especially when the Greater Prussian Emperor himself was on board would probably get him shot, allied status or no. So instead of taking the risk, he instead stood at the edge of his ship and waited for someone to approach him...

"Well, lookie there," John said.

"What?"

"We have a visitor. Shall I greet him?" The Arch-Chancellor thought a moment.

"Yes, do so, John."

"Right away." The black robe clad Prince John walked through the maze of corridors and into the docking bays, and he saw Julius looking around.

"Yes, indeed," John called out from under the hood that hid his face. "The outside is not very.... impressive.... for an Empire known for show and power. However," he added, as he approached. "Ah, I have not properly introduced myself. I am Prince John Rekjyavich of Derscon. You, obviously, are Star-General Julius of Central Facehuggeria. Now, come, we have assembled in the Captain's Quarters." Prince John led Star-General Julius back through the maze of cooridors into the Captain's Quarters, and retook his seat.

OOC: GPE Vessels are optimized for Sol power levels - nor that this matters. Besides, this is a glorified bump.

IC: "Welcome aboard, Gentlemen" - Kazansky told the newcomers - "This vessel is the Management Buyout class command carrier (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/10934620/), build by our Zeppelinian friends." - his voice, augmented and disturbed by the voice-alteration hardware in his suit and helmet, carried well - even though it was now mechanic, unemotional, and slightly disturbing - "The main weapon is some form of space-time warping cannon - do not ask me how it works. It does deliver a dialable-force blast of up to 27 gigatons. After deploying the full power of the blast, it needs to charge it's main cannon for about an hour. However, I believe that for a vessel of this size, this is quite sufficient - and will do excellent orbit-to-ground work."

OOC: We will assume when you introduced me it was after this post. I needed to do it to give some background on the Emperor. Figured I'd do some character development.

IC:The Shuttle pulled up alongside the Napoleon Bonaparte. Quickly and quietly the ships docked. The doors slid open to reveal two rows of Imperial Guard lining the hall. Carrying only their sabres, both rows drew them mechanically and brought the hilt up to eye level in a salute.

Emperor Napoleon IV, clad in a scarlet greatcoat, embroidered with gold walked out of the shuttle and took his first steps upon the flagship of the new Imperial Stellar Navy. "God Save the Emperor!" the soldiers shouted, still holding their swords at salute.

"At ease." the Emperor said softly, returning the salute with his hand.

The guards resheathed their sabres and stood at attention regardless. As the Emperor's black boots clicked upon the metalic floor of his very own flagship, he paused to reflect on the changes in his life. It had only been yesterday, it seemed, when he had toiled in a cobbler's workshop, his father's drinking and gambling habits having long forced the family to sell their Chateau which had been passed down through the family since the first Emperor Napoleon.

His father thrown into a debtors prison, it fell upon young Napoleon to try to raise the money to get his father out. Day after day, he would sit on the bench mending other people's shoes, working like a slave for a bitter old man who only paid him a few Reichsmarks a day for his trouble, though he did give him a room to sleep in.

He had saved only one thing from the Chateau before they were forced to leave, a book about the exploits of Alexander, Caesar, Frederick the Great, and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Reading was his only solace and he used to dream of a life in the Army, fulfilling the legacy of his Great, Great, Great, Great Grand Uncle, Napoleon I.

When the news arrived that his father had died, and that his debtors had opted to forgive the debt so that Napoleon wouldnt suffer, he immediately enlisted in the newly formed Imperial Guard. Emperor Viktor the First had just released the Declaration of Empire to all the world and formally established his Court in Reichsburg.

He could still remember the jet black uniform, the first Imperial Guard uniform, that he wore pretty much everywhere. 'Perhaps' he mused 'it is still in storage somewhere.' It was not long after that the Empire called on him to fight in the Reichskamphian Civil War. He advanced rapidly through the ranks due to his abilities until he was made a Colonel on the eve of the great Battle of Kaiserstadt. The city was threatened by three Rebel armies and his was the only Royalist force in the area. In the course of three days, his armies marched over 150 miles and defeated all three armies...one at a time. For this, he was made a Majour General and his family's property restored to him by decree of Emperor Paisley.

The story is known to all from this point. He was sent to Allanea with the Imperial force that restored it after the Federation agreed to fall back from its posts there.

Now, at 38...his subjects numbered in the douzains of billions, and all the resources in the world were at his fingertips including the best army on the face of the earth. He had restored what the Russians and the British had taken in the early 1800's and what the incompetance of his relative, Napoleon III had lost in the later 1800's. Every unit's flag had a golden eagle atop it, and his very crest was now sown into the Imperial flag.

Just as he had risen from nothing to become Emperor, so would the Empire's power in space rise from nothing to become unrivaled in the galaxy.

OOC: I am assuming Kazansky, Czar et. al. would be coming to meet the Emperor.

Raising his hand in salute to all the dignitaries present, Napoleon muttered formal greetings to them all and then specifically approached the Czar, Kazansky, and the Admiral from Facehuggeria who were standing close by. "Gentlemen, I believe we should retire to more private quarters as we have much business to discuss."

Duc Guillaume, the head of the Imperial Guard followed close behind the Emperor as they followed Kazansky to a better place to discuss matters.

"Gentlemen," the Emperor said, the tone of his voice indicating a calling to order. "I am impressed by the fleet, quite impressed."

A white wigged servant in a 1700s style great coat approached the Emperor and sat a snifter of Cognac from a silver tray he carried infront of him as well as infront of all the dignitaries gathered. Napoleon nodded to the man with the tray with a look of dismissal in his eyes. The man bowed deeply, straightened up, and walked out. The room was then locked from the outside by the Imperial Guards stationed at the door. They knew thier Emperor and his wishes quite well.

"We are ahead of schedule, is that correct Marechal Kazansky?"

"Yes, highness. We are far ahead of schedule. I would say that a good half of the ships are nearly completed, the others in various stages of construction."

"Thankyou." Napoleon nodded in a courtly way. Kazansky nodded back, still not completely used to even the relaxed court ettiquete. Lucky for him this wasn't Louis XIV. "But sadly my friends, we need to quicken our pace even more. We need full work on these ships 24 hours a day. Arrange it in shifts, or bring more men in if you have to, but I need this fleet done as soon as possible."

The Emperor swirled his snifter of Cognac and took a small sip, letting the warm brandy slide over his tongue and burn all the way down his throat. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. Yes, this was good Cognac.

"I will be quite frank and honest. There are those in the world who don't like the idea of us going into space. I don't feel we need to name names at this point because I am fairly sure we all know the various directions this sentiment is coming from. We need to have this fleet built for defense as soon as possible for I anticipate that our enemies may attempt a pre-emptive strike against us if we do not hurry. Furthermore, the crews of these ships. I am sure that our spacegoing nations will be willing to provide officers to fill strategic posts in the fleet, including that of its commander. Admiral Oudinot, though he is an able commander, lacks the necessary experiance. Star Admiral Julius," the Emperor turned to the Facehuggerian Admiral "I present you with the appointment as the commander of the Imperial fleets. If you cannot accept this position, I ask that you present in writing a reccomendation for one of your colleages to fill this post."

Napoleon took another leisurely sip of Cognac as if nothing had happened. "We need officers and commanders, and people to train them. We are going to open a Stellar Acadamy in Reichsburg to train these officers."

Draining the last of his drink and sitting it on the table he finished his laundry list "And we need people to train Imperial Guard troops to fight in a zero-g environment. I am going to found the Imperial Space Marine Corp and establish an acadamy for them in southern Reichskamphen, Kampstadt perhaps."

"These matters are not really matters for discussing. I am welcoming comments on them but beyond that, I do have a matter that is in dire need of discussing...the use of this fleet. There are many divers ideas as to how we shall use this new asset, and how best we can gain from it. What are your thoughts, gentlemen?" the Emperor sat back and waited for someone to pipe in.

"Emperor," -spoke Kazansky - "I should argue that our fleet is not very powerful yet - for a joint fleet. The TYCS, for example - an example randomly chose, of course, my Emperor - outnumbers us 40-1, without the resources of individual member nations. Yes, this fleet, combined with the aid of member states, would provide more than ample protection against any individual nation. It is not capable, in and of itself, to defend against a powerful, and more established alliance - not against the Triumvirate, not against Arda, and may the Lord help us if we arouse the wrath of the ESUS, because nobody else will."

"I believe, thus, that the path of the Empire in Sol - and outside it - should be a path of learning and politeness. Yes, the Empire is a powerful force on Earth. Up here, among the stars, we are but a young child, trying to make conversation with the adults. We must not make a mistake in evaluating our status - Allanea made this mistake once. It was nearly fatal. We must not think that because nations bow to the might of Greater Prussia on Earth, they will bow to it on Titan or on Mercury. They will not. Indeed, we should be humble - and through being humble, we can eventually be great."

"We must dispatch diplomats to all major space powers. We must listen - and understand them. We must establish observer delegations at Saturn and Jupiter, in the ESUS senate and in the halls of the Duma. We must listen - and one day, we may speak."

"Emperor, it is not hard to stop a sword - just parry it. We are a union of warriors - and out enemies expect a sword blow. A dagger, when hidden in the sleeve of a humble friend or friendly passer-by, is often the better weapon. Let the Empire follow the path of the dagger - not the sword. Let the Empire listen - and our voce will end up heard - on Jupiter as it is on Earth, at the faraway stars as it will be in Sol."

May God Bless the Empire!

Kazansky bowed and yielded the floor.

Julius nodded slowly as the Emperor spoke. He seemed a most impressive man, with just the right mix of force and quiet confidence. Further, he spoke the truth. The Greater Prussian Empire needed a defensive fleet and it needed it now. But a fleet is useless without crew to operate it. Crew would be somewhat easy to provide, after all, a space warship is theoretically quite similar to a submarine in operation, so navy personnel could probably be repositioned into the space fleet as a stopgap measure while starship crew are specifically trained. But officers, that would be a tough one. Very few Greater Prussian members were space-capable, much less space based. And having officers trained for space warfare was far more important than having the enlisted folk that trained. Officers decided the strategy, and an officer used to space-combat would use every advantage offered by the terrain while a normal officer may simply skip over it, not even realizing it as an advantage.

But the Emperor’s request caught Julius by total surprise. True, he was a skilled fleet commander, but… how would the Greater Prussian Emperor know that? The Imperium must have sent the files, or some other record of his service. But without telling him? Most curious.

“I…I… I accept this appointment, my Lord, on the condition that I be allowed to yield my position to a more skilled commander should one come along.” He said before bowing, his voice and face betraying his shock. And more prominently, his surprise. The appointment was certainly unexpected.

“As for the infantry training… My nation is intensely skilled in that regard. Our Imperial Knights are some of the best assault troops anywhere, and I am eminently certain that my leader will agree to detach a small number of them to help train the GP Imperial Guard in boarding actions and zero-gravity combat. They are supremely qualified when it comes to boarding operations.” Julius said as he regained his composure and recovered from the shock.

Then the Allanean representative spoke, and for the most part, his words rang true. But Julius was compelled to add his thoughts on the matter, being highly experiences in the arts of war. So that was exactly what he did, once the Allanean surrendered the floor.

“Assembled Greater Prussians, my friends and allies, although my nation may but be a new admittance to the might of the Greater Prussian Empire, we have been in space for almost our entire history. I must agree with the majority of what the esteemed Mister Kazansky preached. At the present time, the Greater Prussian fleet is incapable of withstanding a determined assault from more than one or two nations.

Kazansky is correct, we do need to keep daggers in our proverbial cloaks. We must approach our foes with big, toothy grins, and get them to let their guard down with diplomacy. But, while we are doing that, we cannot allow our swords to rust. Greater Prussia is known far and wide as a military power. If we begin to neglect that, it seems to me as though our rivals may become suspicious. Further, we will become vulnerable to an opportunistic enemy who will capitalize on our… unprepared defenses. This Empire has stood for years. We cannot allow it to fall to the barbarians at the gates, nor the vultures hovering ominously overhead. But we can take heart. Quality has a quantity all its own, and our cups runneth over with the former.” Julius said before giving a curt nod to the assemblage and returning to his seat.

"I very much respect your humble attitude." The Emperor gave a respectful nod to the admiral. Even a smile from the Emperor was considered a high honour within the halls of the Palace and in the Impeiral Court where the ritual of the nobility continued on. Here in space, among military men, he doubted the reaction would be quite as grand, but he believed that it would be recieved with far more sincerity. "Having such nobility will carry you far in the Empire." he continued. "However, should a more capable commander come along, which is doubtful, I will leave his appointment to you. I trust your judgement and your abilities, that is why I appointed you."

The Emperor sat back in quiet contemplation while Kazansky spoke. Much of what he said rang very true. "Thankyou, Marechal. Quite stirring words." he said softly as Kazansky returned to his seat. Then the newly appointed Admiral stood up and began to speak. As the man spoke, Napoleon was again reassured that he had made the correct choice. This man would do well.

"Thankyou, Admiral. Also quite stirring and reasonable as well." the Emperor slid back in his chair, to bring himself more upright and enable him to lean forward, addressing all present. "I must remind you all, gentlemen, before I forget to mention it, of the example of Napoleon the Great. My great, great, great, great grand-uncle was the most powerful figure on the land." he nodded towards the admiral in a sign of agreement with his assessment and that he was about to expound upon it. "But at sea was where he always faultered, and at sea is really where his Empire fell. At one time, the French Imperial Fleet was larger than the British fleet. However, most of the officers were from noble backgrounds and were killed during the revolution. This left few capable officers. Even when the Emperor Combined the French and Spanish fleets to make the largest Navy afloat...even when he raided the Dutch fleet for officers and guns and equipment, and sometimes even whole ships...he was at a great deficet.

In 1799, his Navy's defeat at the Battle of Aboukir Bay cut his Army of the Orient off from supply, and perhaps all of Egypt, and possibly even continuing on to drive the British out of India. In 1804 Napoleon had devised a plan to invade and destroy England. It involved the strongest Navy afloat holding the English Channel for one 24 hour period so that his ships with the troops could get accross without the Brits destroying them. Admiral Bartaume was frightened...he sailed to Brest and then simply ran away, sailing his fleet all the way to the Americas.

In 1805, on the very same day as Napoleon's greatest triumph at Austerlitz, came one of his greatest Naval defeats at the Battle of Trafalgar by Admiral Lord Nelson. The entire Armada was essentially destroyed.

We cannot make the same mistakes. We must have the most competant leaders, the best technology, and the most powerful force. All three in combination spell success. If we allow ourselves to succomb in space, it will spell our defeat on the land. I can handle things Earthside. When it comes to ground combat and Naval warfare, I have assembled the dream team. Now I am assembling the dream team for space.

We must be polite, true. However, we must be growing. We must be acquiring and building all the time. Always training. I know that in times of danger, our Spacefaring members will band together and will help us in our defense. But in any negociations, one must have a gun behind them. We need some offensive capability. Therefore we need to recruit more spacefaring nations. I am going to be extending an offer to the officers of all member fleets. I will double their salary that they currently recieve in exchange for fighting with the Imperial Fleet. This will be a quick fix until we can train enough officers to fill all of the posts.

But for now, we must restrict our fleet to defensive purposes only. We can rattle our sabre if we have to, but for now, lets actually be sure we have a sabre to rattle."

The Emperor then leaned back and motioned cordially to all convened. "Let's be sure everyone who wants has a turn to speak. Because you all are much more learned in this particular area than I."