The Sultanate of the Seljuk (November 1st, 1910)The paper clutched in the foreign ambassadors hand was crumpled, the byproduct of fear and rage now three hours past. The Divine Guards allowed him past into the Great Hall to see the Sultan at three minutes past nine o'clock. It was rousing the Sultan himself that stole the color from the man's face as much as the news that he bore. The Sultan was seated atop the throne--a majestic manifestation of Continental gold and Western tapestries--eating breakfast. A dozen Divine Guards lined either side of the hall, M1902 Schutzë rifles shouldered, their postures as if frozen in time.
The ambassador's shoes pinged against the granite floors all the way to the base of the throne. He bowed low, and held it until the Sultan spoke.
"You come at the earliest hour Ambassador Akkaya Sevgi," the Sultan boomed, picking through a piece of sliced Meung mandarin. "I pray that Staratia has not fallen to the Khanate so soon."
Akkaya Sevgi--the Foreign Ambassador to the Staratian Empire and it's second reincarnation the Republic of Staratia--did everything he could not to shake. At seventy-one years old, the culled eyes of the Sultan was the only thing that stole his courage. "Staratia has now sated itself in Continental affairs,
my liege." Sevgi held out the paper, half crumpled, to a nearby guard. The soldier broke his posture, took the paper between thumb and forefinger and climbed the steps of the throne to deliver the paper to it to the Sultan.
Palace of the Seljuk Sultanate, circa 1895The Sultan sat fixated for a short eternity, his eyes scrawling across the paper over and over? "And what do the Staratians have to gain from ensuring the independence of the Republic of Kavonia?" The Sultan asked. The Staratians had been predictably boring. They did not defend their borders, they did not engage in Continental politics. The Staratians were morbidly verbose compared to the neighboring Tyro-Antarians and preferred solipsism to extravagance. These were only a percentage of a myriad of reasons most Seljukii despised them.
The Non-Aggression Pact signed in earlier in the year had effectively closed off the Seljukii northern front, consolidating a nation racked by rebellion and discontent. "The Staratians supported the Kavonians during the Denouncement Crisis. Perhaps they wish to add the Kavonians as an extension of their non-existent political arm on the Continent."
"It is possible. If nothing else, the Staratians are often a thoughtless people. They embody a corrupted democracy." In the land of Staratia, Sevgi had once said, two wolves and a sheep got together to vote on who they ate for dinner. "The Staratians have offered no explanation to us on their decision. Considering their silence, my lord, it is possible they believe themselves doing a service against Saurilian aggression."
"Sevgi, depart with me to my chambers. There may be matters to discuss over the Staratian dog unwelcoming to any ears but your own." The Sultan rose from his throne and descended the stairs. Sevgi moved to his side and followed him out of a side door. The Divine Guards did not budge, for it was their eternal duty to protect the throne of the Sultan at all times, hours and days.
Deck of the Mecidiye, Flagship of the Faresian Fleet (November 5th, 1910)
Enfedi (Seljukii for Captain) Aydogmus Inonu did not necessarily agree with the Sultan's plan. Brooding to himself however, was the only option. To disagree with the Sultan was to welcome death upon your family for a thousand generations. Still, this plan was absolute insanity. The dispersal of an already beleaguered Seljuk Navy against the vast might of a superior force went against the Traditions of the Tash'as. Inonu unfolded his orders--signed by the Sultan himself--and read them for the fourth time.
"Enfedi, we are ready to depart," his second-in-command, Kemal Gokce shouted from the deck. Enfedi Inonu waved him off and turned back to the West, to Seljuk. To home.
SELJUK ORDER OF BATTLE (
November 5th, 1910)
- Seljuk Faresian Fleet -- Captain Aydogmus Inonu
- 1st Cruiser Squadron
- Mecidiye [Suhmat-class Armored Cruiser (1905)] (Flagship)
- 4th Destroyer Squadron
- Samsuye [Samsuye-class Destroyer (1905)]
- Sdilli [Samsuye-class Destroyer (1905)]
- Cumhur [Samsuye-class Destroyer (1905)]
- Peyk-i Şevket [Samsuye-class Destroyer (1905)]
- 2nd Merchant Division
- Kunir-i-yat [Kunir-class Merchant (1903)] [TROOP TRANSPORT]
- Niyazi Ozbilgin [Kunir-class Merchant (1903)] [COLLIER]
Six ships, destined for something great. The
Mediciye dwarfed the four destroyers as they left Nusret Bay along the Seljukii coast. Captain Inonu watched for hours as the coast dissipated. They passed the island of Dillsen, the newest addition to the Sultan's Empire--swindled right from the Blutlander's without a shot fired. The fleet turned south, maneuvering through the Switch, the partially held canal that Blutland allowed trade to freely flow.
The Seljuk Armored Cruiser Mecidiye
, circa 1909The six ship strong fleet would turn southwest and make for the Faresian Ocean, though they maintained an auxiliary speed of only eleven knots to ensure their ships weren't fouled when they reached their destination. Similarly, the auxiliary
Kunir-i-yat a converted minelayer could only make thirteen knots with both boilers burning hot. The necessity here was precaution, not speed. They would reach their destination in less than two weeks, but the great Sea of Faresia was a daunting foe. Unlike the Inner Ocean, help would not come so easily if the ocean swallowed your ship. The islands were unfriendly, the seas even less so.
A day following their evacuation from the Switch, Kemal Gokce approached Enfedi Inonu again. "We're nine days away, Enfedi. We have fallen behind schedule, but we anticipate no further delays. We estimate the Zellonians saw our fleet dispatch from the Switch, but they will not know our course or heading since then."
"The Sultan smiles upon us, Kemal."
