Searching for the Commanding Officer (Mod required)

[Sheng Kaldres]

Time Stamp: Early Brightening, Solaria, 1st of Optia,
Winter-Spring Juncture (Spring), Telath is in the Age of Darkening,
Era I of the Celestine Mandate,
Era III in the Tyrannical Mageocracy of Julos the Mad,
Ten Eras Post-Fractum.
Paradigm: The Prateia. Descension of the Sky-Isle of Ikerael, and occupation of Ancient Allerians in Alleria Prime.

Through the Western Gate and through the gates of Abestat Military Base, Sheng was following the directions given by the gate guard to find the commanding officer of the Abestat Military Base. The directions given were to continue straight on after the gate until the second junction and turn right. The office of the commanding officer was said to be not far away.

Down from Bill Cliny, his horse, Sheng walked as directed. As expected, a few thoughts lingered in Sheng's mind as he did so. The first being the practical one, how was he to deal with Bill Cliny. Should Sheng go in search of a stable? No, that would take too much time and Sheng would have to make do with what he could. The next was, how would the commanding officer deal with Sheng? Sheng had no idea what rank was the commanding officer of the Abestat Military Base was. If the commanding officer's rank was lower, well, Sheng could bull his way through and demand what he wanted. The other was that the commanding officer's rank was higher, but that would not be likely considering that the commanding officer was of just a military base.

Sheng shook the lingering thoughts as he approached the commanding officer's office and to prepare himself as best as he could for the meeting.

[Aesha]

As Agaenos had correctly said, the commanders office was on the corner of the first right turn after the second junction after the gates of the district. It had been made of out dark granite stones, as a lot of the more exclusive buildings in the city were, but apart from that, there was nothing particularly special about it. A small, shiny brass plaque had been nailed to the wall proclaiming the building belonged to the Commander of the Abestat military, but that was it. The door had been propped open, so there was no problem with Sheng having to wait for someone to allow him entry into the building. The Lieutenant General found himself standing in a small reception area, springy carpet under his feet, and a smallish wooden desk in the middle of the room. Two portraits of greying-haired men had bene hung on the walls, presumably they were previous holders of the position but it was a little hard to tell. The military of Abestat had only recently become more than a handful of men, and in those days the position of Commander was more of an honorary title rather than anything else.

Behind the wooden desk sat a female in a Corporal's uniform, slightly hidden behind the stack of paperwork on the desk. She was in full, smart dress uniform, and her brown hair had been tied back into a servicable bun. She looked up when Sheng entered, though, not recognising him as from the Abestat military, did not stand to attention and salute the man who very soon was probably going one of her superior officers. Instead she looked a little bit flustered and began to pick though the pieces of parchment on the oak desk top.

"Serale. Um, do you have an appointment to see the Commander? Or do you want to make one?"

[Sheng Kaldres]

Not seeing any horse stands around, Sheng just tied Bill Cliny to one of the protusions from the building that was around. Bill Cliny had been through all this and even if there was no way to tie him down, Bill Cliny would not run away.

With Bill Cliny settled, Sheng strolled into the reception area of what seemed to the commanding office of the Abesta Military Base. From the plaque and various sign given, Sheng could make an educated guess that the commanding officer of Abestat Military Base was most probably a Commander. This would make things easier for Sheng.

Not bothering to smile or to answer the woman's question, a Corporal by her rank shown, Sheng said in his stoic voice, "Tell your Commander that Lieutenant General Sheng Kaldres is here to see him." And Sheng waited for a reply.

While waiting for a reply, Sheng mulled on the fact that the Commander had a clerk doing work for him or her. From his time in the military, from a mere Private to a Lieutenant General, Sheng had never seen the need for a clerk, prefering to do his own work and to meet others face to face. Of course, Sheng could request for one, but then, he had never see the need. Maybe, this time round...

[Aesha]

The young corporal blinked slightly at the admission of Sheng's rank, and shuffled some of her papers into a pile in a nervous manner wondering if she had made a bit of a mistake when he had walked into the room. She stood up, a little hastily, which made her chair tip back and then wobble slightly. She spent a minute correcting that before glancing at Sheng again, this time giving a salute.

"Um. I'll just see if he is available. I'll just be a moment..."

Edging away from the desk, the clerk opened the heavy oak door that led into the inner room of the Commanders office, and peeked her head around it. A moment later she disappeared fully into the room, pushing the door to behind her.

Shortly, she appeared again and motioned Sheng into the room beyond with a small smile.

"The commander is available to see you now."

[Sheng Kaldres]

Patience was never a virtue of Sheng and so when the Corporal took her own sweet time in reporting his presence, an uncontrolled sigh escaped from Sheng's mouth. But lucky for her, she did came back quickly after she had entered the room. A few more minutes, Sheng would be tapping his feet and salute or not, the Corporal was going get an earful from Sheng.

Stoically, Sheng stormed into the office of the Commander when the Corporal informed he that the Commander was available. Not that the information was useful to Sheng, Sheng would have what he wanted, one way or the other.

Inside the office, Sheng stormed right to the front of the Commander. A quick look at the Commander was what Sheng did before he lauched into his attack.

"Serale." Sheng said briskly to the Commander. "I will cut short the small talk and go into the main reason I am here this brightening."

"The reason I'm here is very simple. I need you to assign resources for my use. Or to be more exact, for the use of the Prime Province. I will need extra barracks for perhaps five to six thousand soldiers. Supplies for them is needed too. You must also assign manpower to handle the extra influx of soldiers. And let's not forget that buildings will be required to act as temporary headquarters and such. Control of parts of the Base will come under my control, though you have no worries. You will still remain as the Commander of this Base."

"Can you do that?" And Sheng's voice left no allowance for any objections or resistance. Perhaps, Sheng should be more polite or more tactful, but Sheng was not inclined to do that. Heck, Sheng had assumed this attitude with Lorian, his superior at one time a few times! Lorian took no notice of this attitude and instead encouraged it for they are soldiers and soldiers should not be political!

[Aesha]

Sheng found himself in a well furnished office once he stepped through the door to the inner room of the building, but not lavishly so. Like in the reception area, carpet was underfoot, and several prints of epic battles scenes adorned the walls of the interior. A large desk occupied the centre of the room, making dents in the carpet pile, and was made of a dark, almost red wood that was most likely mahogany. Two chairs had been placed on Sheng's side of the desk, for visitor like himself, and the Commander of the Abestat Military sat in a matching one on the opposite side.

He was surprisingly young, particularly for the esteemed position he held. He was human, and in his late twenties, judging by his looks. He had deep brown eyes that were somewhat of a trait in the Lastra family, and his dark, almost black hair had been styled into a short pony tail that snaked down the back of his neck. His features would have been fairly handsome, if not for the overall sternness that seemed to cover them. Being in such a high position at such a young age had of course, come with it's own brand of controversy and the young commander was very used to not being taken seriously. The fact that his surname was Lastra did not help; rumours were constantly abound that he had been 'helped up the ladder' because of his status. However, Vial was a particularly straight and stalwart officer, though the recent antics of his father Enamere had left some doubt as to whether he would go the same way too.

He was writing something when Sheng entered, and promptly placed his quill back into the gilded stand on the desk, crossed his arms, and waited for the Lieutenant General to state what he wanted and just what he was doing in Abestat. He didn't need to wait long. In fact, he needed a little time to compose himself after Sheng's rushed instructions, giving the man a slightly cold stare as he did so.

"I understand the... problems that are happening concerning Alleria Prime right now, so I will forgive your lack of etiquette. However, six thousand men is preposterous! Abestat is a small army solely for the purpose of guarding the city. Six thousand is double the troops will already have, and there is simply not enough room in the city to house that amount of people. I am not... objecting to your request, though. Housing the provincial military could raise the status of our army quite a lot, but we simply don't have the room for those kind of numbers."

[Sheng Kaldres]

The Commander was young, so young that Sheng wondered who was he to refuse his demands. Sheng was going to lash out at the Commander, perhaps even forcefully removing the Commander from his position. But Sheng stopped himself at the last moment.

With eyes that gave out burning fires of anger and taking a big threatening step towards the Commander, Sheng raised his right hand to grasp the Commander's shirt with reflexes that spoke of his training in Zinn'ka. Starting right into the Commander's eyes, Sheng bellowed to the Commander, "You dare to refuse me?!" And in the eyes of the Commander, Sheng saw his own young face.

Seeing his own young face, Sheng quickly cooled down. The Commander was young, but so was Sheng. Here was a Lieutenant General barely past his twenties and going into his thirties, and Sheng called the Commander young for his post.

Sheng released his hold on the Commander's shirt and turned away. What the Commander had said was true... Sheng contemplated on what the Commander said of holding six thousands men. In truth, there could not be more than two thousands men. Not since Julos took over. In the brightenings before Julos took over, perhaps, there might be six thousands. Not now. Not with the chaos, the Sentinels and the reduction of wages...

Damn Julos.

With his thoughts collected and his temper down, Sheng turned round to face the Commander once more.

"All right, I concede that you have a valid point." Sheng said quietly, and though unapologetic of his previous behavior, was making a quick turnaround. "Give me space for two thousands or at the very least one thousand. You can do that, right?"

Now that Sheng had made a turnover from his previous behavior, being civic in his own way, Sheng wondered what would the Commander thought of him. A mad man, a patriot or something else altogether?

OOC: Hope that I am not being too dramatic.

[Aesha]

Vial's eyes inherited a steely gaze as the Lieutenant General actually reached down at grips the collar of his shirt! A grim look forming across his face, he was momentarily quite the image of his father, though without the wrinkles and slightly greying hair. He paused a moment, saying nothing, but it was quite obvious that the anger inside him at the inferior officer's actions was taking time to boil to the surface. Just as his mouth opened though, before he could get the first syllable of what was no doubt a rather loud remark, Sheng let go and stepped back.

Vial calmed a little, and took a moment to readjusted his slightly rumpled shirt of his dress uniform. Then, he did speak. Specifically, he spoke, didn't shout, but his words had a icy calm to them that suggested his anger at the equally as young man in front of him could rise to the surface once more at only a seconds notice.

"Try that again, Lieutenant General, and you will be forcefully evicted from here never to step foot in the district again."

It was a threat, certainly, but it was hard to tell whether the words were genuine or not. Surely, to Vial, housing the Provincial Garrison, at least temporarily, was a great asset to Abestat. The army that the city held was quite, quite small compared to a lot of other cities, and the three invasions by various races that the town had seen over the past two eras had left the city, and not to mention, the Commander himself quite the laughing stock. He merely nodded his head when Sheng conceded to his outright refusal to host five thousand men, confirming what he already knew; that he was right. He was quite surprised by Sheng's next proposal in the negotiations, though. He expected the officer to lower his number quite meagrely, but instead, suggested a force that Abestat could, most probably, just about fit in within it's gates.

"Two thousand..." He mused. "Yes. We can squeeze two thousand troops in, I suspect, though not a soldier more. You are aware that the entire Military complex in Abestat is quite new? It was built in mind for an army greater than the one we have currently, and two thousand more should fill it to the brim. However, how do you propose that I pay for the upkeep of these soldiers? With Prime in turmoil, surely no funds will come from the capital to house their garrison?"

The Commander mused inside, all the while keeping an uninformed look on the outside. A thought was beginning to form in his head, but he was interested in seeing what Sheng had to say for himself first.

OOC: Noooo, definitely not too much drama ^_^ Also, I'm not the game's best authority on Military structural/funding stuffs so if I said anything particularly stupid, just PM me and let me know

[Sheng Kaldres]

As the Commander threatened Sheng, Sheng felt both irritated and approved at the same time. Irritated was because that the Commander dared to threaten Sheng! Is the Commander seeking for his own death!? Approved was because that at least the Commander dared to make his own stand, a mark of a good officer.

So the Commander still got some backbone...? Was the approved though of the Commander despite the irritation that Sheng felt.

After the threat, the Commander had acceded to Sheng's request and that took one thing off Sheng's mind, but the question after hit a sore point in Sheng's plans. Much of his plans actually depend on the charity of other cities and towns in Prime, and Sheng was not so sure of the charity of the other cities and towns. Of course, Abestat would have to foot more of the running of the military. Abestat was a rich city, after all it is a trade city. This was also despite the previous wars in Abestat. Traders have a way of making Crowns in any situation.

Of other cities, Candaceburg had the most potential to help fund the running of the military. Candaceburg was and still is the "Bread Basket" of the Empire, so the city was also fairly rich. Now, if Sheng could persuade the present Thane to do his bit for the military...

"For the funds, I expect that Abestat will foot it, as will the cities and towns of the Principality of Prime." Sheng said with his stoic mask, letting none of his insecurities show. "I myself will make sure of that." And that Sheng would do, for more reasons than Crowns. Sheng needed to reassure the Thanes of various cities and towns of the stability of Prime. Heck, Sheng would sell his manor and farm to fund the military if it came to that.

Of course, Sheng could be mistaken about the two thousands men. If less than a thousand showed up, Crowns would be least of Sheng's problem...

"Unless, of course, you have a better idea?" Sheng asked politely and with practiced restrain. Yes, the Commander should have a better idea....

[Aesha]

Seeing that the Lieutenant General had calmed down somewhat after the previous outburst, Vial made a brief gesture with his right hand towards the chair that sat opposite him, on the other side of the desk, offering Sheng a seat if he so wished it. Once he had so, he sat back in his own chair, steepling his fingers, hands resting on the desk with gave him the look of someone very professional about their work.

The Commander nodded at the mention of the other cities in Prime Province, slightly annoyed at himself for not thinking about them earlier, and the funds they were able to provide towards the Provincial Garrison now that Prime was... indisposed. Still, despite the help of the other towns in Prime, Abestat could not be expected to not chip in, though, of course, housing the soldiers may well reduce the fee a little. However, Vial did have an idea...

"Yes... Candaceburg, and the others, should contribute to the costs." He nodded at Sheng seemingly solid belief that they would chip in. Vial knew, from his previous action in the office, that the man would certainly not take no for an answer. He then moved on to his own idea, but broached the subject in a roundabout way.

"I believe there is a way that Abestat can contribute to the funding of the garrison..." Vial paused, not wanting to say his plan outright in case he happened to be way off the mark. Instead, he asked Sheng a question.

"Tell me, Lieutenant General, how much do... or did... the Privates get paid in Prime?" If a person could read between the line well enough, they might just be able to work out what Vial intention could well be from that query...

[Sheng Kaldres]

The Commander did have another idea in mind.

At the mention that Abestat might have a way to fund the Garrison, Sheng perked up and in an almost eager tone, said, "Yes, what idea is it?" But the Commander did not continued with the description of his idea and instead asked Sheng about whether the soldiers were paid when they were in Alleria Prime.

So the Commander is playing games with me or that he needed to confirm something... Was the instinctive thought that Sheng had when he heard the pay question. No matter, I can deal with that, not that I am inexperience in such politics!

"If it is before the breaking of the Unbinding Stone and that announcement by the ex-Imperial Regent regarding the taxes, yes, the soldiers were paid." Sheng said stoically. The time that Sheng spoke of were before Arcana were fully revived and many mages were sunk in depression that they could not practice their art. And to claim back the taxes, the Regent had to make a difficult decision and unfortunately, it failed....

"After the taxes were not claimed back, the soldier were not paid. But after Julos came into power, the soldiers were paid....partially. The wages were cut. Julos claimed that the soldiers were paid too high." And again Sheng was stoic in his answer.

For paying the soldiers again, Sheng had no objections to that and it might be the only correct action that Julos had taken. But the partial wages and the Sentinel.....Sheng had Julos to curse! Why was the soldiers' wages were full and why for the Sentinel? Was the Prime Garrison not enough? Sheng guessed that he would never know.

[Aesha]

OOC: I think it's about time I got this thread finished up Sorry for the probably short reply.

IC: Vial listened with obvious interest at Sheng related the problems that the provincial army had encountered under the reign of Julos and Alexander Nighthawk. He had, of course, heard things, but had never been regaled with a first hand account of the situation, and his face was grave as Sheng spoke. Occasionall he merely nodded his head in acknowledgement, and after his question had been answered, shifted in his padded chair slightly, merely to find a slightly more comfortable position to sit in.

"Very well. I was merely curious, mostly. However, I believe that entirely too much of the city's money is going towards the pay of the troops - and I mean just the pay, not the food or the clothing or the training and what have you - that if the provincial army does encounter financial difficulties, I will not have a problem cutting wages slightly to meet needs."

Vial paused, wondering if Sheng would take the news as a blessing or a curse, for even though it would guarantee the payment of some soldiers, it would take away from others. He gave the Lieutenant General a moment to think before continuing on, this time along a different train of thought.

"You will need an office, of course. Luckily, I have a key to a spare one..."

Vial opened a nearby drawer and took out a simple keyring, that held an iron key and an oblong of wood into which the number 'L32' had been inexpertly burnt.

"It's a Lieutenant's office, mediocrely furnished, but not too bad. It also includes living quarters if you need them. If there is nothing else to discuss...?"

The Commander waited, slightly impatiently, possibly he had another appointment to keep. Judging by Sheng's previous attitude though, he thought the man most likely to take the key and leave, now that the garrison had been given full permission to shift to Abestat.

[Sheng Kaldres]

Vial had said what he could. The possibility of half pay was there, but Sheng accepted that. Better half pay than no pay at all! At the very least, it would count for something. Of course, for those with family, half pay might not be enough, but if came down to that, it was the best that Sheng could do.

With what he could discuss, Sheng gathered that he would go to his new office. What needed to be discussed had been discussed.

So taking the key from Vial, Sheng said with no expression, "No, I have nothing more to discuss with you. So I'll be going now." And Sheng stood up and without a second glance behind, he turned and left Vial's office.

There was much to do and so little time...

[Aesha]

OOC: I'd make an IC reply, but it seems all nicely tied up from here and my ISP keeps cutting out about every five minutes! All done here now Locked and finished.