The YoungWorld

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:23 pm Post subject:

"Where is my father?" Emilae asked with more than a little concern at his absence. As busy as the King was, he only ever missed time with his daughter if something terribly important was happening. She was certain that her departure would be more important to him, but he was not there.

"I'm sure he will be here soon." Mrs Blamchek replied. "He is very busy."

"Hmm." Emilae muttered, unconvinced. She would be away for a whole year in another nation at her father's command, and yet he did not see fit to see her off. They waited in silence for a while, sat in the coach that would take Emilae to the port. She played absently with the yellow ribbons that had been tied at the end of her platted hair, knowing well that her fiddling annoyed her governess. Eventually he did appear, arriving in his motor vehicle with another gentleman next to him. A footman opened the vehicle's door as it stopped outside the Palace, and her father stepped out. He looked as he always did in public, proud and regal, as though nothing on Terra could hurt him. But his appearance softened as he reached the coach.

"Sorry I am late, sweetie. I bought you a gift." The King held up a large flat box, and opened it enough for Emilae to see inside. It was a dress, made from the finest lace in all of Ancasta, evidenced by the crest on the box. It was a beautiful dress, far grander than the petticoat she was wearing. She smiled and leaped from the coach to hug her father. Then looking past him, she caught a clearer glimpse of the other gentleman that had arrived with him. The newcomer wore a dark uniform, and carried both a sword and a modern hand gun. She recognised him as being a member of the Ancastan First Guard, the nation's very best soldiers. This one was an officer, a field captain, and good looking too. There was no doubt as to who he was, but Emilae wondered why he was there.

"Ah." The King said, noticing that Emilae's attention was on the soldier. "This is Captain Wildon. He will be travelling with you as your protector." Emilae frowned slightly. "It is a dangerous world out there, and I have personally chosen him to keep you safe while you are away. He comes highly recommended. You will do exactly what he says, do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Emilae replied quietly, her heart sinking. She had been hopeful that once she was out of her father's sight and beyond the reach of her governess, she could explore and enjoy her freedom. Having a chaperone to watch over her was not what she wanted at all. Even if he did look quite attractive in his smart uniform.

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:24 pm Post subject:

Hall of Vyneria, Oraqk, the following day

Heather Karol read the morning news reports intently. It was not long ago that the current head of the Vynerian Guild had dissuaded Oraqk from the pursuit of peaceful relations with the Europan Commonwealth. The young leader of the Commonwealth was considered headstrong and foolish by Oraqki standards. Not to mention her turbulent upbringing, and the hard line she had taken over illegal trade in the Mekha Channel. But Elizebeth Rigolo was clearly determined to form an alliance with someone. An alliance with Ancasta was bad news in Karol's opinion. Probably worse for Oraqk than any of the other options available. There was certainly no love to be lost between Oraqk and the the Kingdom of Ancasta. The two neighbouring nations had fought for centuries over land and resources. They had fought against Tryanny too, of course, decades earlier when the bitterly twisted Beverly Rigolo ruled there. But Tryanny had been peaceful of late, and Beverly had been tried and executed for her crimes. Elizebeth, however, was Beverly's granddaughter, and whatever might be said, Karol knew that she could never trust a Rigolo.

Opportunities in Terra, particularly in the part of it that Karol controlled, were few and far between. So those that did come along were difficult to pass by. She knew the mission had a high level of risk, for it was practically suicidal, and Karol had never expected her agent to get out alive. But she had underestimated Jocy. The youngster had a talent for that kind of work, though there was still surprise at the ease of Jocy's escape from Fort Nathan. It wasn't to be found in the papers, naturally, but word had reached the Vynerian Guild the moment she had stepped off boat in Tahani. It would be a few days before the agent would be safely back in Oraqk for a full debriefing, it being a fair trek south from Annaria, across the Paphlagonian Mountains, but Karol looked forward to hearing every detail. Not least because Jocy carried with her the highly sensitive information that the Europan Commonwealth's Combined Intelligence Corps had been so desperate to hold onto. Karol could only guess at what that might be.

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:25 pm Post subject:

Port of Archesta, Rochester Province

The journey from Sennesae Palace to the dockyard in the port of Archesta had been long and particularly boring. Emilae's governess had tried for a while to engage Captain Wildon in civilised small talk, but he appeared wholly uninterested in what she had to say. Mrs Blamchek was not a woman whom could be considered a beauty, nor was she of consequence or money. She had married an officer of the Ancastan Navy, a man too drunk to see past his nose, she often said, who went and got himself killed in some battle or other at sea. Her son had died of the pox, leaving Mrs Blamchek to fend for herself, and so she became a governess. Emilae was entirely thankful that the hateful woman would not be travelling to Tryanny. The school there would provide everything required, and Mrs Blamchek had been given a new post looking after Emilae's newborn niece Titannia.

The Archesta docks were far larger than Emilae could ever have imagined. The pictures she had seen done it no justice at all. From the vast array of small vessels, yachts and pleasure craft that filled the bay, there were tall, three masted sailing ships of various sizes, steam ships and more modern vessels as well. The grey hulks of the Ancastan Navy's ships lined the far side, looking vicious and imposing, while before her was the largest ship she had ever seen. The King Ferdinand was the pride of five Tryannese ocean liners built and operated by Sontarus Enterprises. It was said that the ship could take passengers all the way around Terra without refuelling. The name, Emilae learnt, was in honour of a great king of Tryanny, famous for his conquest of Jester Island at the end of the last century.

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:27 pm Post subject:

Aksara District, Fort Nathan

There is never really anything that can be done to prepare for the unexpected, however much training you have, or the numerous plans that can be put in place for such contingencies, but then how do you predict such a cunning deception. A deception so cunning that a fox who had cunningly worn two pairs of trousers while playing golf came nowhere close to being as cunning as this. The evidence had been discovered in a warehouse in Fort Nathan, where photographs of numerous documents which lay in a broken safe. Sonya Zomeg closed her mouth as she finally returned to her senses. The evidence was undeniable and yet somehow she just could not bring herself to believe it. She shook her head repeatedly as she read and re-read the documents in front of her, but every time she did, it still tallied up to the same conclusion.   It may have been easier to conceive if it had been someone she didn't like, such as the treacherous Beverly Rigolo, or her mischievous daughter Michelle. She could have borne it better if it had been one of the creeps who inhabited the Combined Intelligence Corps, such as Dylan Snook or Dr Sumdev, but it was neither. In point of fact the evidence pointed directly to one of the few people in this world she would never have considered finding a fault with. The Great Leader herself. Sonya considered many options almost at the same time as thoughts rushed through her head. If the Great Leader was truly trying to do away with the Intelligence Corps then surely that was her right, she was the head of the Commonwealth's government after all. However, the move would be highly unpopular with the majority of the Commonwealth Council who had much invested in the success of national intelligence. A plan of action formed in her mind.

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:28 pm Post subject:

Cabin 801, Ocean Liner King Ferdinand, At Sea

The ship rocked gently into a calm sea as it cleared the harbour limits early that afternoon, and Emilae settled into her cabin. It had taken most of the morning for the ship to be loaded with all it's passengers and supplies, but Emilae had been ushered on board in the manner befitting her status. As Royalty, her stateroom was a grand suite on the upper deck of the ship, with a private balcony and two spacious rooms. She knew most of the passengers would not be residing in such luxury, with many third class passengers forced to share their cabin with others. It was true that those passengers did not pay anywhere near as much as the Ancastan Crown Treasury had splashed out on Emilae's room, but that was the purpose of a class system. Captain Wildon stood attentively as she unpacked her travel case for the four day journey to Tryanny. He was taking his duty extremely seriously, to the point where Emilae wondered if he would actually sleep at all on the crossing. His own luggage had been placed in a corner and he had barely touched it since they arrived. She noted that the cabin only had one bed, and although it was admittedly a very large double bed, she wondered what the Captain's intentions were. It was possible that he had a cabin of his own close by, she had not thought to ask, or was he planning to sleep in the arm chair.

With a little courage she turned to ask him, but as her mouth opened, she caught his gaze and no sound escaped her mouth at all. His eyes widened in curiosity, but it was too late. Emilae turned away and hoped he would leave, or move, or something other than stand there staring. Eventually she got so bored of this, that she decided to explore the deck. Beyond her cabin window was a large private balcony which had its own jacuzzi as close to the edge as possible. From there she could see out over the entire rear of the ship. There was a small swimming pool on the deck below, and the lowest deck appeared to have some kind of children's play area. Emilae had heard that there was a second and much larger pool on the very top deck of the ship, somewhere in the centre. But while the small pool was for first class passengers only, the large one was open for everyone on board. The weather was nice, warm enough for a swim anyway, so Emilae went back into her cabin to change. Her guard followed though, and forced her to state that she needed to undress. To her dismay, all he done was turn his back to her. She felt quite uncomfortable changing with a strange man in her room, but there didn't seem to be much choice in the matter. He was there by order of the King to protect her, and that was what he intended to do.

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:29 pm Post subject:

Commonwealth Navy Ship Fort Victoria, Sutina Bay

Lying at anchor in Sutina Bay was a boring business for any vessel. The crew were happy enough, with plenty of shore leave, and those at liberty could enjoy the wonders of the port from it's fine selection of bars and inns to the brothels and bawdy houses. But for a ship's captain, even in these modern times, there was little to please. The Captain's duty was to the ship, and while in port there was much to be seen to. But with half the crew absent, drunken or imprisoned for one thing or another, and the other half sullen and looking forward to their own liberty, there was slow progress. Even so, the frigate Fort Victoria had orders, for she was to put to sea by noon the following day. This news pleased her Captain no end, for he had been at port with his ship for three long months, with only occasion to sail twice around Tina Island in the middle of the bay. Captain Myras Kendray was newly promoted, having served aboard the Moselle as first lieutenant for four enjoyable years. Kendray was also one of the last who had served in the Second Annarian War to reach captain, for he had been only a Midshipman, a boy of twelve when he signed on.

Three months in his first command, and not an order to sea in all that time had taken it's toll on the frigate. He had found her with a moderate crew, but the sailors had gradually been plucked away to other ships. Myras had hoped to hold on to his senior officers at least, but in the week prior, his first lieutenant had been ordered to report to the Sovereign. No one in their right minds would turn down a position on the fleet's newest battleship over a much aged frigate with little hope of a mission. But at last a mission had come. By way of a celebration, Myras called his remaining officers to his great cabin for dinner at his expense, and opened the orders before them all. This he quickly found was a mistake however, for the orders had been classified for the Captain's attention only. Even so, he was able to provide some information, and the officers dined with a hearty appetite in anticipation of their voyage. Meanwhile, Myras Kendray sat with masked concern, for he wondered how his crew might react if they knew all the details of their mission as he now did.

Fort Europe · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:34 pm Post subject:

This story will continue shortly.

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Thank you for reading.
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