[centre][h3][u]Labelle, Empire of Violette,[/u][/h3][/centre]
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[i][centre]The hustle and bustle of Labelle's civilian docks in springtime[/centre][/i]

The small army of teamsters that had always crowded the docks of Violette's western and main port found themselves packed even tighter these days, dredgers and laborers and steel-workers alike populating near every square foot of space on the docks. The heat and light of flying sparks as metal was forged was somewhat distracting to them, but the scent of sweat as men hauled equipment to and fro just blended in—the seaside of Labelle had always smelled of sweat. Sweat, and mackerel. Yet in spite of the noticeable crowds, easily the most conspicuous of all the changes to the dockside was the giant towering behemoth of a steel crane being raised not far away. It was meant to service and construct those fearsome seafarers that dwarfed the fishing boats and small shipping vessels of the lesser docks: cruisers and destroyers, ships of war and conquest. The teamsters never touched those, their holds kept full by men in uniform. Yet, even as the load-carrying workers of the merchant docks were always in a throng carrying their shipments to port and to sea, the nexus of activity was now squarely on the navy shipyard.

The cause for the commotion was known to all. The People's Assembly back in Confluence, under the direction of Her Majesty the Empress, had began an infrastructural campaign to improve the empire's port facilities. It was nominally an economic and social measure—the Empress Tsirine even making a point of bringing in some out-of-work Threcian metalworkers to assist the project—but the ultimate purpose was clear. The Empire of Violette needed to greatly expand her naval capacity if she was to become even half as strong on the waves as she was in the fields. This was the long-awaited first step, and it seemed to be off to a good start. Work was steady, if uninspiring, and the foremen agreed it was likely to conclude on schedule. If any more evidence was necessary of the improvements' naval intentions, the presence of the Minister of the Navy in Labelle sealed the deal. Though the astute Rasse Portier was often in Labelle on ministerial work, this was different. He had arrived just as the construction had started in earnest, and he seemed destined to stay until it was completed too, even missing meetings of the Assembly to stay and observe progress. The Marine was finally on the way forward, and he had the good fortune to be helping it along.