![]() But she did not hold herself like one, no - she dressed as if she was still a Gerati khatun. She was Hadya Khatun, he knew, the daughter of the defeated Bughra Khan. It was masterful, he had to admit, how quickly she managed to grab them by the balls.Īdmiral Daud glanced at the Fair Consort standing by him, also watching the military procession march through the city. With all of them gathered in the welcome party, the Grand Duchess had - in a single sentence - reminded them all of their positions, and how she could undo them with a word.Īnd with all the senior officers with the Grand Tarkhan in the south, there wasn’t a single one of them who could stop her. Of course she knew he was only given this position thanks to his father - and that went for over half the tarkhans in the Northern Fleet. Why else would she bring up Rahmat Sharif’s name? A man who’s face he had not seen in years? ![]() The Grand Duchess wasted no time in subtly threatening him with his father’s name. Only for him to be sharply reminded why she was Imperial Princess in the first place. ![]() On a girl of twelve years, the sight was almost mocking - Admiral Daud almost despaired at the thought of having to deal with a pampered princess trying to play at war. It was reasonable enough the Imperial Princess’ presence alone was enough for ambitious nobles to try to put her on the throne, so banishing her away from the halls of power in the guise of a prestigious new posting was quite clever.Īnd then the Grand Duchess walked down that ramp dressed in navy uniform, albeit shrouded in ducal effects. The only reason for the Emperor to send the Imperial Princess north was to remove her from the succession race between her and the Crown Prince, that is what the Northern Command reasoned. Their only duty was to secure the future of the Empire by either domestic or foreign marriage alliance, or if not, there was a precedent for princesses to earn their keep as respectable diplomats. Certainly, it was tradition for sons of the Emperor to earn their chevrons in the military before taking their places by his side - but that was never the case for princesses. By Ishu, they didn’t even know why the Imperial Princess would even come all the way north - Vice Admiral Skobelev had reported that it was the Emperor’s decision, but if that was the case, then the decision was a mystifying one. When she first disembarked the Smirenka, he had not known what to expect. But some among the Northern Command fear that she may be overplaying her hand. The Grand Duchess was ambitious, of that there is no doubt. “And what am I paying you for? To sit around and twiddle your thumbs while you wait for the next war to die in? A dog does not bite the hand that feeds him.” The generals had protested, but the Grand Duchess had simply replied Now, they were being used as common labour. The last time the Northern Army had mobilised, it was to intervene in the Elam-Khan War. He imagined the same was occurring all across Araba in Shimri, Melka, Hamat and Kushan. Quarter a hundred-thousand men total, tasked with the revitalisation of the local economy and infrastructure. Behind, the slower walkers clanked down the street, self-propelled artillery wobbling atop their chassis. Helmeted heads peeked up from the beds of carrier half-tracks, just as the long guns of tanks and assault guns flared. ![]() Long columns of personnel streamed through the main avenues of the city, making their way to the barracks. Rear Admiral Daud Sharif Rahmatovich stood atop the flat roof of the local doyen’s house, watching the 60th Mechanized-Infantry Division of the Northern Army march into the city.
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