The Royal Visit (Meillur Only)

[Gorgaria]

The Gorgarian Navy has been a vanguard of the republic since its founding, providing both a shield, and an offensive arm for protecting and expanding its interests, both at home, and far abroad. It has been no secret that the academies which educate and train its officers and enlistees alike are some of the best funded educational facilities in the country. It is no understatement to say that it is considered a great opportunity by those in the country to attend one of these prestigious schools. It is one of these Academies, the Activarian Naval Academy in the strait of Gorgaria that has been chosen to be visited by a member of the Genoise royal family, and vetted for a member of said royal family to attend.

The Archon himself waited at the front entrance for the visitors to arrive, having prepared himself accordingly, he knew all too well that he would likely be looked down on as the leader of a republic, however, he had no intentions of making any moves of submission or subservience, and already reserved the right to forbid the visiting royal to attend the academy if it became apparently necessary.

[Royal Genes]

The Valwa Dynasty was suffering from one end of a spectrum often suffered by dynasties over the centuries. Indeed, where a hundred and fifty years ago the great concern had been shallow pool of heirs, now there seemed to be an unending supply of young princelings. Queen Louise, concerned with this crowd of her grandsons and grandnephews sought to give them purpose and direction. And, as to both lower the cost of having to house these rowdy unmarried princelings, as well as to keep an eye on their neighbors, she had began dispatching them abroad.

It had been decided, by the Queen and her Prince consort, that Lord Eskinder de Valwa, the youngest son of Prince Menasse (himself a nephew of the monarch), would potentially learn naval service in the Republic of Gorgaria. The Valwa were famously the most absolutist of monarchies. Even the erudite Queen Louise, considered the most progressive of the nation’s monarchs, disagreed with the notion of republics. That being said, the Queen thought it better to keep an eye on Gorgaria rather than entirely ice them out.

Lord Eskinder, a lean man of average height at the age of nineteen arrived with his parents, Prince Menasse and Princess Aurore along with the Marquis de la Beausart, appointed attaché to the visit. Prince Menasse walked with his wife, him in a designer suit and her in a tailored gold dress, her box braid worn high on her head. Beausart followed, a clipboard in the crook of his arm.

[Gorgaria]

The Archon carefully studied the approaching monarchs, he would have to keep the truth of his rule a closely guarded secret around them, it would lead to no end of trouble from them if they found out the reality of the archonship. The Archon kept up a neutral demeanor, and he spoke with an equally neutral tone.

"Welcome to the republic, you majesties, I hope that your journey was pleasant enough, please, right this way, the demonstration is scheduled to begin in about thirty minutes."

[Royal Genes]

“Such grand addresses are reserved for Her Majesty the Queen,” Beausart corrected the Archon of Gorgaria, even as the princess preened at the greeting. “A common,” the marquis’s tone seemed to linger on the word, “mistake. They’re Highnesses,” he continued, gesturing to the royal couple and then to their son, “and his lordship, are pleased to have such a stand out demonstration.”

“It was a long journey,” muttered Lord Eskinder, crossing his arms. “But sure, another wait won’t kill us. That’s be too kind.”

If either of his parents noticed the comment, they didn’t show it. Princess Aurore merely smiled. She, like her in-law the Princess Anna was one such mother under the impression that her children could certainly do no wrong. And Eskinder had always been a sharply honest boy.

“Do lead the way,” said Prince Menasse, “Monsieur,”

“Orgarnian,” Beausart provided. The prince, finding such a Gorgaria name difficult to pronounce smiled and simply nodded his head.

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded, however, instead of starting towards the doors, he instead began making his way around the side of the building, where a large dockyard was more visible, with a set of vessels sitting at anchor, two of which were fake, to scale models used for training on both damage control and general ship operations and maintenance, however, the third, a Vanguard Class Heavy Cruiser, set aside for training purposes, and flying the Gorgarian eagle from her mast, with the name 'Lighthouse' painted on the side of the bow of the ship, as well as the designation number CA-07. The ship was cleanly painted, with not the slightest hint of rust visible on any part of the ship above water, a testament to the rigorous maintenance and cleanliness standards maintained by the navy, particularly so during a time of peace, her hull gleaming with the light grey paint of the navys peacetime colors, meant to allow for easy identification and prevent collisions in storms during peace time. Her nine seven inch guns could easily be mistaken for a battleship by those who did not know better.



The Archon then said "This is the academies official training ship, the GRNS Lighthouse, she is used for drills and exercises both in harbor and in open water." he then said "The Navy spares no expense when it comes to the education and training of its prospective graduates, however, less importance is placed upon actual grades than learning skills necessary to performing the duties of an officer onboard one of the ships of the navy." he then said "we also have accurate models used for training both officer and enlisted candidates on damage control procedures and basic operations."

[Royal Genes]

Eskinder’s eyes widened and went into focus as they went around the building and towards the dockyards. He uncrossed his arms as his gaze looked over the gleaming hull and guns of the ship, instantly interested in it.

“Good grades will mean nothing on the high seas when one has to go blow for blow,” Eskinder said with a smile. He agreed with the ideology of being focused on competence over academic achievement.

“His lordship would of course,” said Beausart, “would be amongst the officers.”

“What does CA-07 mean?” asked Eskinder.

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded and said "Of course, however, I will warn you, the academy does not show preferential treatment, even the sons of the high admirals who attend receive the same training as those whom are a first to the service. If he attends the academy, he will receive the education in full, including all of the hardship and work that comes with it."

He then said "CA-07 is the Gorgarian Navy designation number, CA designates a heavy, or in older vessels , an Armored Cruiser, and -07 signifies the particular ship, in this case, ship number seven of the vanguard class, and even her paint signifies that Gorgaria is at a peacetime footing, she would have a camouflaging pattern if it were war time, all of this is to help with rapid identification of the vessel at sea, when ships are expected to encounter each other in conditions that may make communication difficult or impossible, she is used for training realistic combat drills, often in coordination with other, in service vessels, and is also the ship used in the Aruma Maru drill, a key exercise that every graduate has to undergo to graduate. This includes live fire drills and exercises, so there are inherent risks to the training, although no more than any other life fire exercise, and the instructors are all well versed and have all themselves done tours on navy vessels, and the headmaster himself is an admiral who has seen combat deployments supporting anti piracy operations on the eastern side of the Gorgarian strait."

[Royal Genes]

“Do many at Activarian suffer hardships?” inquired Princess Aurore, a hint of concern in her voice. “Surely you make sure to keep the students safe? Proper conduct is important to us,” the princess said, all but clutching her pearls.

Eskinder nodded, as he listened to the explanation of the designation. Beausart too made a note of this on his clipboard. Eskinder was impressed that they conducted live fire exercises and grew interested in the qualifications of the instructors. He smiled. “Cutting through pirates sounds… like a useful qualification.”

[Gorgaria]

He shook his head and said "Nothing more than what is necessary to prepare them for the normal hardships of being at sea for long periods of time, and to train them to be prepared to deal with possible situations that the students may encounter through their careers as officers and sailors, such a life has its inherent hardships and dangers, and so it is necessary to prepare them thoroughly. Safety of course is the top priority, it is simply a fact that we cannot control what the ocean or the weather may do, and we take steps to ensure students are prepared in the instance that things do go wrong and emergency steps have to be taken. It is one of the things that they have to accept once they decide to attend, life in the navy can be dangerous, even without being in combat."

"It is not just cutting through pirates that is his qualification, its that he commanded more than twenty warships and over forty thousand personnel, including sailors, pilots and ground forces during that time, all under combat conditions in an unconventional setting."

[Royal Genes]

“I have no fear of combat, or the ocean,” Eskinder asserted.

“Lake,” Beausart corrected. “Technically speaking the Inland Sea, despite its size, is not an ocean.”

“The headmaster sounds quite accomplished,” said Prince Menasse.

“Yes, concurred Princess Aurore, slightly mollified by the assurances of the Archon. It was not the weather or the waves that truly concerned her. Instead it was the other students. With their high status, royals were after points of antagonism by other young people, rarely directly but often indirectly. “And should one attend, there will be opportunities for development of leadership skills needed for such potential campaigns?”

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded, and then said "There is a full war games suite used to help train strategy and tactics, and a swath of different leadership training exercises that are used, many of which utilise the lighthouse. Including a exercise which has students face a no win scenario."

[Royal Genes]

Prince Menasse smiled. “Her Majesty will be happy to hear that.” He knew his grand aunt was a woman who preferred the world of paper wars, were matters were conducted formally around some grand old map as one pushed figurines to point here and there.

Lord Eskinder raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “It doesn’t sound like no win scenario to me if it is worth students facing it.”

[Gorgaria]

He shook his head and said “winning is not the point of the exercise, it’s meant for the cadet to loose. It is meant to test what a Cadet will do in a situation where they can’t win, and they can’t run. It’s meant to teach that sometimes they will have to make difficult decisions that cost people their lives.”

[Royal Genes]

Lord Eskinder chuckled, his eyes looking back to the Lighthouse and picturing himself at the helm, carrying out operations. He looked with a hint of a dark amused expression. “That is no loss then.”

[Gorgaria]

The Archon looked at him out of the corner of his eye and said “You will see.” He then said “All of our at sea simulations are meant to accurately simulate combat conditions, including battle damage and casualties as the result of shell, bomb and torpedo hits, and corresponding breaks in communication and command.”

As they approached, there was already a group of cadets, both enlisted and officers, as well as more experienced crewmen there to help with instructions and to ensure safety. The instructors were clearly marked by their wide brimmed hat, similar to that of a drill instructor. As they got closer, another vessel came into view, not previously visible due to how low it sat in the water, a submarine, one of the navies attack submarines, it’s long, pitch black, tear drop hill meant to blend in with the darkness of deeper water, and there to train those who would be going to the fleets submarines.

The Archon then said “The academy also teaches amphibious operations and command of those operations, and has a ocean and stranded survival course which teaches cadets how to survive if they have to abandon ship and survive without rescue for an extended period of time in an emergency, such as the destruction of the ship that they serve on.”

[Royal Genes]

Eskinder’s grin didn’t falter even at the Archon’s words. His eyes ran over the cadet officers and enlisted and their instructors. He also focused in on the submarine.

“Is there a rotative system to learn about operations on the various types of vessels alongside the types of operations?”

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded and said "To an extent, however, actual direct training on specific vessels is handled after graduation before, and during the initial stages of an individuals deployment, as well as depending on the specific role and position that a graduate fills after graduation. There are also non-ship related roles and aviation roles that are handled in separate, more specialized schools, such as the Naval Aviation School, and the Naval Special Operations Command Academy. " he then said "And there are also further initiatives that become available further into a graduates career in the navy."

[Royal Genes]

“How long is academic program to graduation,” asked the princess. As any mother she was interested in the length of the education of her youngest child, particularly as he would end up so far away.

Lord Eskinder nodded in understanding. There was a part of him eager to get to learn more about the vessels and potentially aviation as well.

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded and said "The full course is a four year course split into four semesters each lasting a year, with periods of rest of about a month or two provided at the end of each semester. Housing is handled in the form of an on sight dorms meant to simulate the living quarters on board a navy vessel, with four cadets per room, similar to the standard arrangements on board a vessel."

[Royal Genes]

Eskinder and Beausart both nodded. That had been what they’d expected to hear from the Archon. Princess Aurore too understood it. A month or two at regular intervals worked perfectly with scheduling visits either to Gorgaria or for him to return to Genes, she would be satisfied.

“Hmph,” Prince Menasse made a noise of disapproval of the idea of his son sharing rooms in a dorm. “I am sure special accommodations can be made for Eskinder?”

“If I may, Your Highness,” Beausart said, clearing his throat. “It could be to his lordship’s benefit if he residents as the other cadets, as long as those he is housed with are properly vetted and their selection approved of.”

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded and said "That is standard procedure for the Academy already as it is, being an officer in the navy is considered a very high privilege, and the Academy has a very high standard for those who are allowed to attend, and even higher standards for behavioral conduct, and violations of that code of conduct are treated very seriously, and in severe cases bring very serious punishment, up to and including criminal charges and military prison time." he then said "and these rules are applied without exception."

[Royal Genes]

“His lordship,” Beausart said matter of factly, looking squarely at the Archon, “will never be held in a Gorgarian prison. He is a Valwa, member of a sovereign dynasty and while Gorgaria may enjoy its republican, it is still a state of the international community. And it is customary for extensions of limited criminal immunity to members of the royal family in regards to all cases in relation to their position. That is, even as a student.”

“You both speak as if you expect me to go on a crime spree the moment I am out of your sights,” Eskinder said as he rolled his eyes.

The Marquis half noted the princeling’s annoyed comment. “It is of course expected that his lordship shall conduct himself in the most upstanding of manners, inline with rules and protocols. As Her Majesty expects.” The marquis’s words held more weight for Eskinder than for the Archon, who knew of his grandaunt’s requirement of perfection.

[Gorgaria]

The Archon noticed the exchange between themn, however, he did not show any annoyance or anger at the comments, and simply replied calmly "Limited criminal immunity yes, complete immunity is another matter. The Republic still expects that all laws and customs will be followed while within its borders, and while an outright arrest may be off the table for most crimes, the Republic can still decide whether his lordship is permitted to step into these halls, or within its borders should the crime be severe enough. "

As they got closer to the ship he said "Please understand I do not mean to be offensive, the Republic takes great pride in the academy, and it expects the best from the cadets that attend, because the Navy only accepts the best."

[Royal Genes]

Eskinder smiled. “If you believe anything you’ve said could have been offensive, well,” he shrugged his shoulders.

Beausart seemed satisfied with the Archon’s response. A limited criminal immunity would not be as as diplomatic immunity, but it would protect the lord from any potential misstep the young man might take. Which of course he wouldn’t.

“Naturally,” Princess Aurore said to the Archon. “Only the best.”

[Gorgaria]

The Archon nodded and said "The Navy is an extension of the Republic itself, every ship in the service and extension of the nation, and represent the gorgarian people as a whole." He pulled a golden pocket watch from the pocket of his suit jacket, a crest engraved into the lid of the watch, with no name, and not one officially listed in any of the Republics records, and opened it before saying "We should be boarding shortly, we will be going onto the vessel herself for the demonstration."