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Post by Ladorak on Jul 6, 2009 19:23:43 GMT -5
((Hope you guys don't mind me briefly entering this thread, I wont stay long, promise. ) As Viviana was rocking on her footpaws, the door swung open, and an older sable strode in. The sables were closely related to the martens, though they did differ in some regards. His pelt was of the "black diamond" variety, and signified his noble status. He was dressed in the uniform of an officer in the Rosferian Navy, and Noel would recognize it as an Admiral's outfit. Whether or not the meerkat Captain would recognize anything further about this sable though wasn't known. He was in fact, Admiral Justin Bonaventure, and, like Noel, he was a Duke, though one who hailed from the south eastern part of the country, close to the Calgary border. His nobility went back for generations, and had a long history of military service to the nation. Unlike most nobles in the nation, this sable had offered his services to the new government and had not fled the country. With many years of service under his belt, Bonaventure had entered the Navy at the age of 11, and had fought under some of the most renowned of Roferia's admirals. Now an Admiral himself, he had turned 51 this year, and had numerous battle wounds he had suffered in his more than 4 decades in the service. Sniffing a bit and rustling his whiskers, the sable Admiral pulled out a clipboard with a yellowed sheet of paper attached to it. "Pardon the interruption." he said, looking from the numerous and diverse gathered beasts, giving a polite nod to Viviana and looking briefly at Noel. "But I was wondering.....could any of you direct me to Captain Noel Telious of the 74 gun warship Bold?" he asked, searching the room again with his eyes but not moving from his spot.
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Post by bookity101 on Jul 6, 2009 22:05:46 GMT -5
Noel moved aside for the elderly beast, unconsciously straightening up as he noticed the outfit he was wearing. He stood back, waiting to see what the Admiral wanted.
Noel stepped out when he was asked about. “I am he, sir.” He said stepping up in front and to the side of Admiral Bonaventure, not coming to attention, but nodding respectfully at him, placing both paws behind his back.
Myles rushed forward, moving around the others, so he could approach, more sedately this time, his master and the admiral incase he was need. “If you wish to talk business sir,” He motioned with a paw towards the stairs and his private booth, “I have a place where we can talk privately.” Noel started again not wanting to be presumptuous, but also not wanting to discus what he thought Bonaventure was there about in front of his staff.
Noel caught Myles eye, telling him to stay put and help Viv out if at all possible with any questions she might have about the place since he was to be detained. He also motioned with a paw towards Mik, the head waiter, for him to step up and do his job. “If you will follow me this way m’lords.” He said leading the way to the stairs stopping at the bottom so . Mik didn’t fit the normal persona of a head waiter, having very broad-chest and abnormally large forelimbs, looking a bit more like a dockworker in a fancy suit, but fitting in perfectly with all of the different beasts that worked at the Brick.
Noel waited for the Admiral to start forward, when he did, Noel would move just a little behind him, as he would if he was wearing his uniform, letting Mik lead the way and open the door.
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Post by jaydjasmyn on Jul 7, 2009 10:10:53 GMT -5
~Viviana
Viv's brows furrowed when Noel didn't return her warm smile but instead his attention was stolen by others. They looked to be military. This worried Viv because she really didn't like war. Oh sure she knew that the nation was entering strife and conflict but it still didn't change the bad thoughts that accompanied war. And the fact that Noel would probably be going... well for some odd reason it seemed to rip her heart out. Regardless he didn't seem like a military beast to her. He was to kind and tender hearted, or so were her thoughts.
The fem watched the males as they began to walk away. Instantly her personality kicked in. She knew that behind closed doors when males got together they would need drinks. Viv clapped her paws together and directed her attention to the bartender. "Please... Noel and his guests will be needing some refreshments. Non-alcoholic if you please. I'll need a tray so that I can take it to them." Viv approached the bar and placed her fingertips on the round tray that some beast was kindly enough to find for her. She waited as it began to be filled with not only drinks but a few scones as well.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 7, 2009 12:45:16 GMT -5
"In private?" the sable Admiral considered this a moment. "Well hardly necessary but very well...I do suppose it's something that should be discussed between officers of the Rosferian Navy then." Bonaventure purposely omitted saying "His Majesty's Navy" since support of the King was a dangerous thing in these times, and Bonaventure was a bit of a revolutionary himself.
Taking the lead as he was partially left to do, the sable followed....what was a servant of some kind he guessed up the stairs, hearing Noel following behind him. They were led into a smaller room that another one of Noel's acquaintances had indicated. "Thank you." Bonaventure said as the door was shut. "I promise not to keep you too long Captain. You may or may not recognize me. I'm Admiral Justin Bonaventure, and I've recently been promoted to head of the Bray Squadron in the Grand Fleet, of which your Bold is a part of. My flag is aboard the Republican in the harbor, formerly known as the Royal Augustine before they decided to change the name of course." The Republican was a massive, 110 gun warship that was now apparently serving as the flagship for the Bray Squadron. It was however not the biggest ship in the harbor. That honor belonged to the mighty Mountain of 120 guns, though it seemed Bonaventure didn't want to go all out with his command ship.
"I've been making it a point to head around to the various Captains in my squadron and introduce myself, as well as bring them up to speed with current events. As you're no doubt aware, most of the Rosferian Navy is in a state of disarray due to the mass desertion of officers refusing to serve the new government. I've come to specifically ask how your ship has fared in this recent upheaval, what sort of supplies you might need if you were to make ready for sea again, and how ship-shape your vessel is. If she needs an overhaul, I suggest you do that as soon as possible. Not to worry." the sable removed his hat and stowed it under his arm.
"We aren't due to sail just yet, but since I've been given this command I only anticipate that departure will be a possibility in the near future, particularly if we go to war with Galdea. When this will happen I can't say. There's a lot that still needs to be done with this fleet before we can set sail. I'd say you'd have at least another half a year. Just wanted to give you fair warning in advance is all."
The sable stood at ease, his whiskers shifting a bit again as he folded his paws behind his back, his bicorn hat still tucked securely under his arm.
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Post by bookity101 on Jul 10, 2009 7:50:23 GMT -5
Noel motioned for the Admiral to have a seat, then for Mik to come over by him, then, after speaking to him sent him off. He took a seat as well, sitting across from the Admiral.
“My ship has fared fairly well Admiral,” He didn’t mention that most of the beasts on it were pawpicked by him or Myles to serve on the vessel, or that he had paid for most of his officers commissions in the first place. “I believe that I have lost one mid-shipbeast, due to an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” He shook his head, remembering the mangled state of the lads arm and wrist after that carriage collided with him. “Also I have received a letter of transfer from my ships cook, and two telling me that they won’t be back on the ship.”
By this time Mik had returned with the letters from Noel’s writing desk. he picked up the formal letter of transfer and placed to his side. The other two were decidedly less formal. He waved one letter in the air, “This one is from my third officer, he regrettably he is to much of a revolutionary to serve on a vessel in ‘His Majesties Royal Navy’ and my first officer,” He waved a paw at the last letter. “Apparently there has been a death in the family and he won’t be returning to the sea, ever.”
Noel turned and took the ledger, scanning for the entry he wanted. When he found it he turned his eyes to the Admiral again. “In our last, well it wasn’t much of a battle, the other ship got in a lucky shot, damaging three of our long-range shot cannons, and two of our heavies.” He rubbed a paw across his forehead. “Unfortunately, my last manager in charge of finding replacements was lacking in her ability to stick to her job. But that should be remedied soon as I have a new manager in place who I believe will get the job done.”
He scanned the ledger again, this time looking for the random things that would just pop up. “I believe that’s it Admiral.”
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Post by jaydjasmyn on Jul 10, 2009 8:37:31 GMT -5
~Viviana
The female was busy giving instruction as to what she wanted on the tray, sitting aside what she didn't want but giving the bar-keep a sweet grin. She didn't want to get on anyones bad side, especially so since she's new here. It would take time for them to come to respect her and obey her without question, realizing that she always knows best.
Viv soon had a rather large tray filled with all sorts of things that would delight the palette. She failed to knock on the door but she did give them a smile before proceeding with a soft voice. "I thought that you gentle beasts would like some refreshments." Viv sat them on the table, bending at her knees.
She had an impressive frame. She was pretty strong for her size and nice to look at. Her muscles where small but clearly toned. Indeed she's a femme that deserves the attention of at least a glancing eye or two.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 10, 2009 12:25:14 GMT -5
Bonaventure sniffed, trying to clear his nose of it's stuffed status. "Right....so let me see....you mentioned long guns and heavies." He thumbed through a copy of the general register for the Bold. "Temerarious or Bold, complement 678 crewbeasts, 2,966 tonnes empty, 5,260 tonnes fully loaded. 172 feet in length, 44 foot 6 inch beam. Draws 22 feet of water, lead ship in her class. Commissioned 9 years ago....she's getting up there Captain, make sure your carpenters stay on top of things." the Admiral, raising his eyes to the meerkat before dropping them again to the register.
"Constructed right here in Bray, armament consists of 74 guns. Lower gundeck has twenty-eight 36 pounders...you said two of those need replacing. Upper gundeck has thirty 24 pounder long guns....you mentioned three of those need to be restocked. Forecastle and quarterdeck contains sixteen 8 pounders and four 36 pounder carronades respectively." A carronade was a relatively new invention. It was a heavy gun, designed for extremely short range combat. It was deadly in close range, doing extensive damage to hulls in contrast to the long guns, which generally passed through the hulls of the enemy ship and did little in terms of causing splinter damage.
Sniffing again, the Admiral nodded, and went about retrieving a pen from his pocket and scribbling out a work order on a piece of paper. "Very well then, get yourself down to the Ordnance Yard as soon as you can and request your appropriate 36 and 24 pounders. There may be a waiting list, but they'll get to it eventually. And if you haven't already done so, get the carpenters to take a look over where the shots hit, though I'm sure you've taken care of the damage." He pawed over the work order for Noel, which he could use to obtain the necessary cannons for his ship from the Ordnance Yard.
"Now then...." but the sable was interrupted by the entrance of the female meerkat from before. Who was this? The Captain's wife? His secretary? She was rather attractive, but being a sable, Bonaventure didn't take an overt interest in her. He waited politely for her to set her tray down. He wasn't hungry, he had eaten before coming over here. He did however, partake of one of the cordials that the female had brought in, pouring himself a cup and sipping from it.
"Ah yes...now then, as I was going to say. Your Third Officer deserted BECAUSE he's a Revolutionary?" the sable raised a puzzled brow. "How curious...normally it's the other way around. The nobles are deserting like crazy because they refuse to serve the Revolutionary government. I chose to stay....as did you it seems. But yes...it happens. Desertion is rampant on both land and sea. Good to hear that you won't have to resort to the Press Gang though for much of your crew. Well let's see.....as luck would have it, there are several beasts in town that are looking to get aboard a ship, and all have experience under their belts. For your vacated First Officer position let's see...." the sable pulled out a roster of the harbor of Bray, and began scanning it.
"Ah here we are! Turns out that that a young lieutenant, Gavin Stryker, is in town now. He comes highly recommended. He's only 29, but he fought in our previous victorious war with Galdea. He served under some of the best Admirals we had, fighting in all three major naval battles close to Mossflower, those of course being Terramort, St. Kitts, and the Saintes. He was captured at the Saintes, and served as a Galdean prisoner for a bit before being exchanged and sailing for the far east, where he had his own frigate. He captured several Galdean vessels and beat off attacks from from several Galdean frigates before the war ended. He continued to serve in the far east and has only just arrived, having been recalled due to the chaos of the Revolution. He's a striped polecat with a lot of experience to his name, and he's looking for a ship to join. Do you think you might have a spot for him then as First Officer? I could assign him to your ship if you like. He's probably the best unemployed one on my list."
Bonaventure finished, placing the roster down on the table. He sniffed again, his nose still bothering him as he took another drink of his cordial. It seemed this wouldn't take too long after all. He had to give Captain Telious points for keeping his ship in good order...many of them were still trying to fill out their complements after the mass desertions that had taken place. But this meerkat knew his business....and Bonaventure could see that he would be one of the ones to keep an eye on in the months to come. Dark Forest knew they had little enough in the way of talented commanders after all, and so it was a relief to the sable to see a commander who actually knew what they were doing.
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Post by bookity101 on Jul 10, 2009 15:58:43 GMT -5
Noel nodded his thanks to Viv, poured himself a drink, then turned his attention back to Admiral Bonaventure. "I believe in his letter, he mentioned not wanting to sit on his tail on the ship while his, oh what was it... his 'brothers in arms of the Revolution actually did something.' or something like that.
He also acknowledged the fact that the Bold was getting old by making a note to hire some master shipbuilders to go over her. He picked up the work order, placing it in his own ledger, making a mental note to take care of it that very day.
"Stryker?" He rubbed a paw across his chin. "I think I heard his name before in reference to the battle of St. Kitts, a while back." After a few more moments of thinking, he nodded his head decisively. "Yes I believe I would like him. He seems to have the makings of a fine officer." He wrote his name down to the side of where he had written 'find first officer'. "Admiral, if you don't mind to much, I have a Midshipman under me that I would like to promote to Third Lieutenant. He is 19, and has served with me for a good five years, and with one of my good friends before then. I believe he would make a good officer."
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Post by jaydjasmyn on Jul 10, 2009 16:56:29 GMT -5
~Viviana Mist
Viv nodded to them all and then took her leave, leaving the tray sit there so that it could be picked up by her later. Quietly she closed the door behind her and then went to inspect the establishment, to see where everything went, though it was probably best to do that at night, but she still wanted to take a look around.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 10, 2009 17:29:58 GMT -5
"Terrible shame, terrible shame." Bonaventure said, in response to the first part. "I guess he saw the army as a greater opportunity." the sable scoffed. "Ah well...what can you do?" he said, watching as Viviana left the room. He was about to ask about her when Noel again spoke up.
The Admiral listened to what Noel had to say about Stryker, and then finished with a request for a new Midshipmammal. Nodding, the Admiral's eyes brightened. "Excellent! I'll order Lieutenant Stryker to report to your ship immediately after I leave here. He knows his work Captain Telious....any requests you have he'll get to work on, as well as make sure the ship is running smoothly in your absence. I don't think you'll be disappointed in him." St. Kitts....interesting that he had mentioned that battle. Bonaventure hadn't been there himself, though he'd served under the Admiral who commanded the Rosferian forces in that fight. Galdean Admiral Samuel Hood, Ladorak Fugate's mentor, had managed to turn the Rosferian fleet out of their protected anchorage, steal the spot, then resist the attacks of the Rosferian fleet afterwards. However, his preoccupation with the sea battle doomed the Galdean troops on shore, as they soon surrendered to the besieging Rosferian forces. With the island captured, Hood had to retreat.
"Ahem." the sable cleared his throat. "Promoting a young Midshipbeast to Third Officer you say? Who is this young fellow might I ask Captain Telious?" Bonaventure asked, intrigued now by this request. Good.....it seemed talent might be rising if the meerkat endorsed this young beast.
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