Man of War Ch. 02

Thanks to those who commented at the end of the first chapter. It heartened me that the reaction was positive. A few of you asked for the history and perhaps a broader idea of the world I've created. So at the start of the next few chapters will be a timeline of history for the world and then a small codex of further information you might find interesting.

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History of the Empire: Volume One (1-1000)

Authored by Scribe Bernard Kerr for His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Uhtred VIII

Year 0 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, this is considered the start of modern history, the foundation year of Arcturus. An inauspicious beginning, it begins as little more than a fishing village on the bank of the Red River.

173 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, Arcturus is awarded town status with the building of the first Temple of the Five. Slowly but surely, the religion of the Five would become the preeminent faith across the continent. Very few continue to practice different or older faiths.

319 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, the Kingdom of Prussia begins its conquest of the continent. Bebbanburg, realising the strength of its neighbour, becomes a vassal and ally.

325 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, this was the year of the Battle of the Teuton River. It would be the closest the Kingdom of Prussia would come to defeating the Kingdom of Normandy during the war. Although Prussia wins the day, it is at a terrible cost, and the kingdom does not have the manpower nor finance to continue its drive east into Trois-Rivieres. Peace overtures are sent east as Prussia secures the rest of its Empire.

327 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, the confirmed establishment of the First Empire with Prussia at its heart and its closest ally of Bebbanburg. The Empire does not spread entirely across the continent, failing to conquer Normandy, Trois-Rivieres and Nordland to the east. A peace agreement is signed by the Empire with these three nations.

528 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, Tromso, future birthplace of Captain John Shepard, is formed as a fishing village in the far north-east of the continent in the Kingdom of Nordland, populated by humans that have come south from the Grampians.

657 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, the beginning of the War of the Blessed Stone. After only three hundred years, the Prussian Empire is faltering. Rebellions, funded by the Norman kingdom, flare up across the continent, and soon the Empire is too weak to control its provinces. When the time to strike is right, a joint army from Normandy and Trois-Rivieres beings its march west.

661 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, the year of the Siege of Verdun. So often the site of battles between large nations from its earliest days, the Tomerian town of Verdun is left flattened, with not a single building left standing, as Norman forces lay siege to the city for over a year. The number of those lost from both sides is never confirmed.

666 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, the end of the War of the Blessed Stone. After defeat at the Battle of Fairmount Hill, in which the Prussian Emperor is killed after taking an arrow through the eye, the Prussian Empire ends, with the establishment of the Second Empire & Era, with Normandy at its heart and allied to Trois-Rivieres. Nordland, despite sharing a border with Normandy, is the last nation to fall, having remained an independent nation during the existence of the First Empire.

823 -- According to Imperial historical documents with the Imperial Archives, a Norman fleet conquers the Summer Isles in the matter of a few short months, its inhabitants ill-equipped to withstand Norman might. For the first time in history, the lands of the continent and adjoining islands are brought together under one flag. Norman rule is supreme.

1000 -- The end of the first millennium. Celebrations across the Empire. The divine rule of King Henry II of Normandy is recorded as being prosperous and peaceful.

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Year 2183 of the Empire (since Foundation Year)

Year 979 of the Third Era of Empire (Dragonheart Line)

Veneris, the fifth day of Morning Star

Mid-morning

If you've ever wondered what it's like putting together a crew for a ship, it's long, hard, tiring work. In other words, a complete and utter ball ache, but at least I knew with this mission, I was hopeful I'd get the best. I would still have to make sure I had the right men for the job, because if just one cog goes wrong, the entire thing falls apart, I'll have an unhappy crew, and if I'm really unlucky, mutiny. It had happened once or twice before, and the outcome each time was ugly.

Commissioned officers were generally appointed by the various boards that governed the Imperial Navy. I was hopeful they would send people I could trust most of all, and were at least competent at their jobs. I was thinking that, due to the importance of the mission, they would send me the best of the best. And hopefully single people, gods forbidding the worst did happen again.

Appointing petty officers wasn't as big a problem because I had the final say. The only issue I faced there was if the ship was out at sea, then it would be impossible to recruit them, but if their ship was in dock, or they were on furlough, then they could at least be summoned.

First on my recruitment list was Quartermaster Jeff Moreau. He'd been part of the Imperial Navy since signing on as a cabin boy, working his way up to become the senior helmsman, and in previous discussions we had shared, he continually stated happiness at his current ranking. Having suffered from polio as a child, he did have trouble walking, though he refused any help... unless he fell over. Even then, he only took any offer of help begrudgingly. He'd actually designed a pair of sticks that assisted him while walking, though while at sea, he still had his troubles getting about, usually happy enough sleeping near the wheel unless it was raining.

He took my offer immediately, excited at the prospect of finally going beyond the reef. Like every other single crew member notified before an official announcement, they were sworn to absolute secrecy until the building of the boat and reason for the mission was reported by the Admiralty to the newspapers. If word leaked out, there would be floggings.

The Lord Admiral had offered me a small office in Admiralty House while I prepared lists of the crew I wanted and met officers who would soon be under my command. The appointing of able seaman and ordinary seaman I generally left to subordinates, though I would always cast an eye over any appointment, taking into account their service history. If anyone stood out as potential trouble, I'd veto the appointment. But that's why I mentioned trust above. If I didn't trust their judgement, I'd end up doing everything myself, and I hated micro-managing. If I can trust my immediate subordinates, then the ship would run as I wanted.

I'd spent all day sat down, barely moving, when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," I said, not looking up from my paperwork. I sensed the person walk into the room, but I was the middle of something, so they'd just have to wait. I recognised one or two names on the current list that I wouldn't mind as petty officers, circling them to hand over to my new clerk, who would eventually be joining me on the Normandy. With any luck, the people I wanted were currently on land or at least on a docked ship.

"If you're going to invite me in, Johnny..."

There was only one person in the world who would call me that. Who would dare call me that. I recognised the voice immediately, looking up to see my younger sister standing before me. I couldn't help smile, and eventually start laughing, as I hurried around the desk and grabbed her in a big bear hug, picking her up and twirling her around. "Why didn't you say something?!"

"You looked busy," she said, before groaning, "And you're squashing me!"

"Ah, sorry," I said, placing her down. She stood about four to five inches shorter than me, with mahogany coloured hair, green eyes, faint freckling over her little nose and she was rather pale, a slight surprise considering all the time spent at sea. While small, she was a bundle of energy, and had always been athletic. She might be my sister, but she was a fine woman, and any man she made hers would be a lucky man.

"Take a seat," I said, gesturing to one of the two available, as I sat back in mine. "I'll be honest; I wasn't expecting you for another couple of days."

"Well, I'll be honest too. It sounded rather important, so I got here as quickly as possible." She leaned forward to whisper. "My arse is a little sore from the riding."

I blushed. I know I did. My sister spent plenty of time with sailors, and could be filthy with language and incredibly suggestive. But she's also my little sister, and my job is to protect her from such things. "Don't need to be thinking about that, but I'm glad you're here early." Our eyes met and I couldn't help smiling. I had to rack my mind, thinking when we'd last seen each other. "Let's not talk about work straight away. How are you, Janey?"

She gave me a glare. "You know I hate it when you call me that! You let me call you Johnny because you're my big brother, and only I get to call you that."

I smiled, asking, "Where's your ship docked at the moment?"

"Portsmouth. We've been in dock a couple of weeks already for ship repairs when I received he message. Yourself?"

"Well, I had been on furlough since Celebration Day of the Five Gods, but since a meeting on New Year's Day, I've been busy sorting all this out."

"Still living in that place by the river? The little two-up, two-down?"

"When I'm actually on land, yes."

"So no wife yet?"

I couldn't help smirk. "Has mother been in your ear about me again?"

"Hmmm. I think it's best I don't mention how upset she was in her last letter. 'A gentleman like your brother should already be with wife and child'."

I groaned, imagining just what she was said. I love mother dearly, but she did like to try and interfere in both our lives. Good thing she didn't really know what I got up to half the time. At least father left well enough alone. "What about you? Mother still yearns for the pitter-patter of tiny feet."

Jane barked a loud laugh. "She'll be yearning for a lot longer yet. So, anyway, what am I here for?"

I opened my desk drawer, grabbed the folder I'd been given and handed it to her. "Everything is in there." I watched her eyes move from left to right as she read everything. Only when she looked up did I say, "They've called her the Normandy. And that's what I'm currently doing, putting together a crew." The smile was instantaneous, lighting up her face, as my sister wasn't stupid. "The Admiralty Board have already told me I can offer you a role on the ship. Considering your current role on the... What's your current ship?"

"The Sirius."

"The Normandy dwarfs that, obviously. And if you join me, you're looking at a promotion. And it's not because of who you are, I obviously keep up to date with your progress. I understand you've already passed your midshipman exam."

She smirked. "I know. And with flying colours. Though I still get a word in the ear every so often about 'not letting my big brother down'. They mean well, but..."

"It gets a little tiring?" She nodded. "Sorry..." She dismissed that with a hand wave and smile. "Anyway, a promotion is on the cards. How would you like to be Acting Lieutenant of the Normandy? I know you've already passed your exam, so you could..."

"Yes!" she said rather loudly, "I'll do it. Definitely!" I'll admit to breathing a sigh of relief. "Did you think I'd say no?"

"Maybe. It's a promotion, but there are always openings for Lieutenant, and with your exam score... I'll ask only the once. Are you sure?"

"This could be the adventure of a lifetime, Johnny. I'd be daft not to take the opportunity. And, I'll be honest, I'd like to work alongside my big brother. I've... Well, I've always hoped we would end up serving on the same ship."

"Me too, Jane." I did point a finger for a second. "A word of warning, just because I have to. On the ship, you are crew, not family, at least while we're on shift. I won't treat you any harsher than the others to prove a point, but I won't go easy on your either."

She smirked again. "I'd expect nothing less, Captain Shepard," she stated with a mock salute.

"Good." I sat back and relaxed. "Well, I've had enough for today. Do you have lodgings?" She shook her head. "Well, I guess you assumed you would be staying with me. And that's fine. We'll head to mine, have a little dinner and catch up."

Realising I had no food in once we returned to my small house, we ended up heading out, sticking to one of the nicer areas of the city, at least to begin with, before my sister insisted we head for a much better time by the river. Both of us out of uniform, we could at least mingle a little easier in one or two taverns, though both of us were sensible regarding our intake of alcohol as I'd suggested we visit the ship the next day. Jane was as friendly and flirty as I remembered, whether with me or anyone else, but when someone asked how long we'd been together, we could only laugh and admit we were siblings. It was amazing that we could go months if not over a year without seeing each other, and it was like we hadn't been apart longer than a couple of days. Our relationship had always been close as our family wasn't large.

Returning home at a reasonable time, we enjoyed a nightcap in the small sitting room. We'd always been comfortable around each other so she had no problem sitting next to me on my lone couch, leaning into me, resting her head on my upper arm. "I've missed my big brother," she said softly.

"I've missed you too, but these are the times we live in."

"I do wish you'd write more."

"What would I tell you? 'Dear Jane, I've just spent a week at sea. Seen a lot of blue water. Nothing's appeared from beyond the reef.' A month later. 'Dear Jane. Still at sea. It's quite boring.' Six months later. 'Dear Jane. On furlough. Fucked some whores. Drank some ale.'"

She scoffed. "So much for being a gentleman!"

"I'm a gentleman when it's required, which is primarily around my fellow officers and in front of the crew. But let's be honest. If I were to have a wife, I'd barely see her. And if we had children, I'd never see them grow up. I like my life, and it's going to get even better now that I'm finally off for some adventure. Anyway, what about you?"

"This is going to sound really bad, I mean really bad, but... well... um..."

"Let me guess, and it's not a surprise, but you compare them to me?"

"Gods, it's so embarrassing! But you were my idol when growing up, mostly because you always looked out for me, and always helped me. You still do even now. And you're still the apple of father's eye. I still remember how proud he looked when you signed on. So while I might have the occasional gentleman caller, most men simply don't stack up."

"Well, if you're talking personality and whatnot, that's fine. But if you end up with someone who looks like me, we won't be talking again. That's just too weird!"

"I'll find someone eventually. And I promise they won't even be a reminder of you. I mean, I love you and all, but that's because your family." She then cuddled into my arm, adding, "Though I do like you as well, and that's because you're actually a good man, not because I'm obliged to."

We chatted a little longer, mostly about what I figured would happened before leaving. I said we'd definitely leave later than planned. I didn't expect perfection, otherwise we'd never leave, but I knew it was going to take longer to get the crew we needed. Jane eventually headed to bed first, pleased that I always kept a spare room available. To be honest, in all the time I'd lived there, she was the only consistent visitor, and I could count on one hand how often she'd visited me.

Members of the navy rarely kept horses. If we spent most of our time at sea, what was the point. But despite my love for everything to do with the ocean blue, I also loved horses, and I kept one at a stables on the outskirts of the city. The master of the stables remembered me at least, though my horse didn't at first. It was a rather black, temperamental beast I'd named 'Monster'. As Jane didn't have a horse, we hired one for her too, a placid chestnut mare that would co-operate.

It took her a little while to be completely comfortable in the saddle. My horse was just a bastard, more than once trying to throw me off. I actually learned forward and issued a few threats in its ear. I'm not sure if it understood the language or not, but it behaved much better afterwards. Our ride towards the ship was only halted by a patrol, four men spreading across the road, weapons at the ready. The fact they did that pleased me, as it meant they were taking the secrecy seriously, even if we both were dressed in uniform.

"Do you have a pass, sir?"

"Are the epaulettes on my shoulder not enough, soldier?" I asked, keeping my tone friendly.

The face remained serious. "Sorry, sir, but no-one can go further without a pass. We'd stop the Emperor himself if required. Direct orders of the Lord Admiral."

I took the pass from my pocket and handed it over. The eyes widened slightly and he looked up, a little worried. "You're just doing your job, soldier. I certainly wouldn't expect you to make an exception."

He handed the pass back quickly "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," he stated, all four men coming to attention and saluting.

Jane and I returned the salute and we carried on. When it came into view, Jane immediately grew a little excited, and she kicked her horse on ahead, much to my amusement. Though I'd only passed through the village once, my uniform stuck out, with plenty of men rising to feet and saluting, with calls of 'Captain' ringing in my ears. I already figured that many of these men would be serving on the ship they'd help build.

The Normandy was still out at anchor, but Jane and I stood with the water lapping at our leather boots. "She's beautiful," Jane whispered.

"Certainly is. You've seen the specs. This is the ship that will escort us to new lands."

"What do you think we'll find?"

"I'm not sure. But I'm convinced there are others out there. We can't be the only people on this planet."

We would not journey out to the ship, that being the answer to her rather eager question. That's considered bad luck and karma, and considering what we would be doing, I wanted all the good luck possible before setting out. That would mean a visit to the Pantheon, the most important and certainly the grandest Temple of the Five place of worship in the Empire, where we would pray to the God of Water, Neptune, for calm seas regarding the journey ahead. I knew that was impossible, and we'd likely hit a storm or two, but the fewer, the better.

Heading back to the city, I offered Jane the choice of staying at my place or finding her own lodgings until departure. She worried about interrupting my own life, but considering I was rarely home anyway, it would just be like having a room-mate. And I joked that I didn't meet too many women and any I did meet, they were paid for, as was the room. She just laughed at my honesty, though to be honest, I didn't particularly mean it. I'd certainly behave myself, primarily as she was around, but I also didn't want any trouble with departure day so close.