Dark Crow Rising

"I can find you other accommodations if you'd like?" I ask the Jhermonikra prince as he continues to read through the tablets I brought him earlier. He's asked for a fair bit and there has been some whiplash on my end as my workload has so abruptly ended. He's assured me thus far that I am to remain in a pseudo-position that technically keeps me as Grandguard Inerish but... Well, I've only been his courier thus far.

"No, this office suits me fine. That will be all, Grandguard Inerish." he tells me and my back straightens while a scowl sets in. He tries to keep himself invested in his reading but with each shifting of the eyes, his impatience grows. The tablet in his hands goes onto the desk and he leans forward onto it, fingers locking. My desk creaks under the strain.

"This is my office, so, I must insist we find you other accommodations." I point out and he nods.

"You will insist nothing and you will do as you are told, now, seeing as you are causing me grief with this lingering..." he remarks and his hands get to work writing something up. A smaller tablet shoots up into the air and I catch the sudden projectile. I read it to see what I am probably going to end up delivering. It's an order to change the prediction models we have on the giant.

"What is the meaning of this? You've barely settled in and you're already controlling everything like you know anything!" I snap, tempted to throw the tablet to the ground and shatter it.

"You assume too much about what I do not know." he says, his hands clumsily going over my office's control board so he can set up the maps. Tapping my foot, I wait for him to get somewhere and find it to be too far off for my limited patience. Rushing in to do the job myself, he finds the right keys at a most frustrating time.

He matches my glare with an unamused, blank stare. The chair moves out a little and he seems to consider moving onto his feet. Slight movements seem to follow through with this idea but he just collapses in exhaustion. Simply, he opts for a limp gesture to the map as it builds up.

"Your previous model was wrong. Switch the map to whatever settings are required to show only the roads, spiral-rail lines and air traffic ways." he orders and I fill in for his deficiency. The magic making up the map becomes hollow, more so a collection of lines that are easy to get lost in.

"What is the point of this, exactly?" I ask, already spotting a fault in this plan his little notetablet is proposing. The giant is not only destroying everything for too far around it to reliably follow anything on the ground. It's paid no heed to the airways and its initial advance was well out of the way of anything busy.

"Bring the state of the map to your earliest records." he requests and I do, though, we do not have anything covering its exact awakening. The process and information flow meant the giant had already walked a fair distance by the time I could get eyes on it. Never mind the fact our early warnings came in the form of a dragon migration alarm, something those in the south have the means to begin handling.

"This is our earliest map construction." I explain and he makes an attempt to point out a specific part.

"I've done my research regarding the giant's initial home. Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding had a student-led dig site in the region and a spiral-rail line existed in the area. The giant, for the most part, has been following that specific route. With the mountain-state of Grimmicksal happening to be on a direct path. I am willing to presume it is following a magic trail as recent events have convinced me it sees in a magic spectrum of some description. Much like an Aelenvari." he explains and I take it in.

My eyes widen a little and I start to nod as what he's saying is making a lot of sense. Even that leap that killed so many of my soldiers resulted in the giant tracing the path of the Gnomon's weapon. Though, what events he is referring to I am utterly blind towards. The only atypical event that has occurred since the destruction of Ungzieluck is the Union's arrival.

"The giant was more than capable of destroying your baseline warships during your force's first bout with it. So, I doubt it's your walls of guns, cloud-walkers, smaller ships or carrier-types. Your flagship, however, that is quite the enigma, isn't it?" I point out, cornering him into giving me an answer that will only confirm my suspicions.

"Eugh, you think too much for your own good." the prince remarks annoyedly, tucking back into his work. Taking one more glance at his orders, I slot them away into a pocket and stand before him. Tightening my arms behind my back, I look down on the man.

"My job requires me to be able to consider all things, military matters most essentially." I remind him in the event his royal blood has made his eyes stop working from how much sneering it makes him do.

"And you will be mindful to keep a tight set of lips when it comes to my incomplete masterpiece." he warns, his rich, emerald hair shimmering with the heat I'd expect from a baking road.

"You deployed an incomplete warship to fight...?" I ask, dragging my thoughts out in disbelief.

"It is not often I am able to test its weapon systems given the scale they're designed for. The crew is also in need of good experience before my planned event. Now, get on with what I have asked y-"

"No, I do not believe I will. Not until I get some answers and progression regarding this so-called integration of Thrurstradtur's remaining capabilities with what you and your Union have brought." I interrupt, shining light on the fact his actions do not align with what he has been telling me. The Dual-Republic is gone, I am no longer under any emergency powers act. That authority died the night I let the prince in.

The prince blinks in disbelief and seems to want to remark about it. Boiling away his anger, he throws the emotions aside and resets his mind. Blowing most of that agitation out, he retrieves something. It scrapes along my desk's varnish.

"Here is the list of tasks I am still in need of doing." he explains and I pick it up gently. I eye the lines his action left on my desk and crinkle my lips.

"Propaganda regarding the Union's involvement with the evacuations. The handling of Thrurstradtur's governmental assets and their replacement if needed. Supplementation of former Republic military struct-"

"Enough! Thrurstradtur-Suhurlodst. Seven-Peaks Union of Jherikra. So on, and so forth. Speak it properly!" the prince hisses up to me like a child.

My eyes roll and the noise blows out of my opening mouth, "Eugh, Jhermonikra."

Of all the times and situations to stick to their insufferably long-winded formality!

"What you have thus far listed here will not be possible unless I am given time to reorganise the armed forces in preparation." I point out in all genuine seriousness though I am already considering how I can turn this against him. If what we need is a ploy that sees the Union bleed in place of what was my men, then so be it. Maybe, maybe I can use it to restore some respect to my name.

"Explain." he orders, his curiosity piqued.

"The men under my command have never played second-fiddle to any major power. The mountain-states under the Dual-Republic's former control have also largely played independent roles. On top of explaining the current reality, I also still need to shift everything back into order while your troops keep the giant at bay. As best as they can, naturally." I do as commanded and he leans back a little, eyes minding a nail.

"Fair enough, I will allow it. Knowing the results of Ungzieluck and now having access to the records in full, the scale is far more concrete." he says and I nod slightly in response.

"I will also need you to make a point of keeping me in the loop as to what is going on with your forces." I tell him, my experiences with this man already giving me enough of an idea as to what I am working with. He likes to keep it all in his head, no wonder he implemented that damn helmet technology of his. In fact, if my digging is correct, that reform came to be following a series of subordination issues.

I guess the...

"I am the supreme commander of this matter, Grandguard Inerish." ...prince never quite got over any control issues.

"And as you say, I am still the head of Thrurstradtur's remaining mainline armies and auxiliary supplements. Until you fully integrate these men and women into your Union's main infrastructure, they are not your troops. They are those of a foreign country. I may and will defer to you, ultimately, but they still abide by the current chain of command of which I am the head." I explain, though, I doubt my own words given everything that has happened since the now-burning Ibenoroccon embassy called me in.

"So be it, handle the situation in such a way as to prepare it for joint operations. Until then, your men may focus on the continued evacuation of the areas actually under threat while mine attempt to make progress on the giant's defeat. With what I have on hand at the moment, I have a few ideas I would like to attempt and reinforcements will be arriving for further attempts." he explains and I nod once again. This is good, I can work with this. The Union will burn up trying to handle the flame and we can manage something in the future.

"Speaking of command and authority, however, you will at some point need to present yourself and your equivalents to my war council and our subsidiaries. Though blood is shared throughout much of this... Territory's... Populace. The legal concepts are not the same, clarification will be needed in order to smooth out interactions between my men and yours." I explain to him and he picks up another tablet.

"Mmm." he goes, his eyes coming a bit closer to its contents.

"Prince Jhrartur?" I go, not sure if he's losing his focus in that document.

"Prince-to-Ascend Jhrartur." he corrects, it becoming clear he's now just reverting back to his position of 'go away.'

"You will also need to clarify the situation with Suhurlodst." I point out, heading to the door and closing it.

"Suhurlodst Academ-" I interrupt with the clicking of the latch.

Minding my secretary, I approach her as she too seems to find herself lacking in work. She gives me a smile and I sit down on one of the chairs intended for those visiting her. Sighing out what emotion I can, I get myself back into order and pull out the prince's notetablet. It bounces on my lap while my secretary closes up anything she is doing.

"Hearing your conversation, I feel I need to point out I did try to tell him it was your office..." she almost squeaks and I shake my smiling head.

"I have a feeling that only encouraged his squatting. My office has access to a lot of what he will need access to. And, until or if he does anything to his flagship or anything else, I can't see him leaving." I say, bouncing the little inscribed stone on a harder part of my leg.

"I can move some of the furniture about or get someone to if you'd like that? I understand it will be a complex thing for us to set up a new system of interaction." my secretary explains and I look around the front office with a tired expression.

"I will handle the moving. I have a feeling the Prince will be a testing man to answer to." I huff and my secretary smiles.

"No different than the Clockword Council then?" she questions and we share a quick laugh.