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[center][h3][b] Byzantion, Former Imperial Palace, Courtyard of Jupiter, A King's Duty [/b][/h3][/center]
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King Nikolaos sat upon the old Imperial Throne, the marble still as fine and brilliant as the day it was carved. He listed to his advisors debate back and forth, the wise men whittling away at every detail that was of concern to the Kingdom. Their more pressing concerns were the almost utter destruction and loss of the Black Sea fleet, along with the Mediterranean augments sent to help support the fight against Khazaria. Those losses would be felt for months, if not years to come. Many good men were lost, let alone the ships themselves. While the loss of control over the Black Sea was one thing to worry about, it was more pressing to focus on the lack of support to the thinly stretched naval forces that patrolled the trade routes of the Mediterranean, between Komentiolos proper and Aegyptus. The Caspian Sea fleet, a collection of perhaps two dozen ships, remained operational, but they were pulled back into reserve, redeployed to protect vital trade convoys from further east who wished to continue onward into Europe. The Silk Road from the far east was still under Komentiolian control, and geographically, protected from land harassment from the Horse Raiders of Khazaria. That, however, could quickly change if they could break through the fortifications defending the vital Bosphorus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and finally, the Dardanelles. His thoughts swirled around what that could mean not just for the war effort, but closer to home, to that of his lovely, pregnant wife.

King Nikolaos was brought back to the here and now, with one of the advisors, a proxy for Admiral Verina, "Shipyards from Trapezus to Heraclea Pontica are destroyed, with our own sunken vessels choking the harbors. We might be able to salvage twenty, perhaps thirty percent of all the vessels, and they will have to be towed to our southern naval shipyards in order to be repaired. Save for a few vessels under the command of Verina, we are effectively without a naval presence in the Black Sea. The enemy is now under the command of a Paranasian Admiral, Alis or something, and he has turned the brutish ogres of the Khazarian armada into what we now are recovering from.  It is only by the grace of Neptune, that we are able to defend our shores, and that is in part due to our Kalseran allies sending a fleet to our waters." The man finished, the room falling back into a buzz of frustrated voices and men pointing about. Sighing, his thoughts turned inwards, reflecting on all that he was hearing and being updated on.

The old stores of 'Greek Fire' had not held up over time, and the alchemists were hard at work producing fresh batches, that hopefully would be more effective this time around. A minor setback, but who could have foreseen that the deadly liquid would deteriorate over time. He made note that he would take time to visit the alchemists themselves, in the ancient city of Ancyra. Another nagging concern was the three vessels he had ordered dispatched to Hispalis, trade vessels upgunned to defended themselves, pray the gods saw it fit that they did not need this, in order to return the money Hispalis had payed to have Komentiolios construct vessels for them. The lead diplomat, a man of noble birth by the name of Gaius, was to deliver the king's own words and apology, to blame his nation for not better protecting the property of another nation, and that it was our war that lead to the destruction of your vessels. As way of apology, the king offered two of the three vessels as dispensation for their losses as well. Hopefully, Hispalis would be willing to conduct business with Komentiolos in the future, and that future would include safer construction of ships in the south, rather than the north. He looked over to the Hispalian observer, wondering what he made of all this chaos that unfolded before him. The kings advisors going over strategy, numbers, logistics, their own fears and frustrations tempered by the king's own quiet observation and resolve. 

The conscripts were being brought up to speed, but would still need time for more drilling and preparation. Officers were being drawn from among the ranks based on merit, with a few of the nobles being allowed to buy their way in. Nikolaos smiled, laughing to himself quietly. Money, it seemed, was always needed, and always played a role in internal politics. Soon, there would be thousands more men ready for war, soldiers to defend the borders and coasts, and more importantly, to stabilize and maintain control over the land captured from Paranas. Operation Vulcan had achieved what it was meant to do, move the front lines away from Komentiolos, and onto the lands of an enemy. General Augustus still prowled the front, reports said, as did his proxy, and that his own concerns were sent back too. Naval yards in Smyrna, Ephesos, Attaleia, and Seleucia had their defenses bolstered, as well as penal labor from across the realm being sent there in order to help with the reconstruction and salvaging operations. Men and time, everything always took men and time. He sighed, taking a moment to drink some tea, enjoying the hot soothing nature of the drink. 

As he rose up, Valentinian called for silence over the discord of voices and men. Silence, the faces turning to look at their king as he strode down from his throne to speak with them. Soldiers, Sailors, men of action, and men of logistics, he looked at them all, before speaking. 

"We all stand here, debating what to do next, in part due to the generosity and intervention of Lady A'Dera of Kalseran, a debt which we all owe towards her and her people, coming to us in a time that sees us beset upon by the barbarians and their lapdogs to the North. We all stand here because of the great victories that General Marcian Augustus has achieved in Paranas, retaking lands that once belonged to our forefathers, and before them, to an empire that spanned from the western tips of Iberia all the way to Tarsus and beyond. The Gods have seen it fit to test our faith, to impede humility and gratitude upon us, less we forget who we are, and what we all came from. Take this moment, here and now, to know that we must remember who are allies are, our friends, and pray for them, as well as ourselves, in our temples, make sacrifices to the gods for those allies, and our own men who fight abroad." He paused for a few moments, walking towards the open windows the the days sun shone through. 

"As honorable men, as men of Komentiolos, we shall not abandon our allies, not now, not ever. The Kalseran fleet lies off our shores, defending our sons, daughters, wives, our families and more. We shall see to it that Admiral Verina and his remnant forces join up with the Kalserans, so that we may better support them as they defend our territorial waters. Furthermore, I decree that the Kalseran supply needs while they defend our shores shall be given to them free of cost, and with all due haste. To the West, we shall dig in, and defend our territorial gains at the advice of General Augustus. The Balkan Mountains will be the extent of our territorial push, and with Winter fast approaching, we must ensure our men our properly supplied and fed. The Paranasan capital of Alirgos shall not be touched, nor sought after. Our goal is to force a fight upon enemy lands that favor us, and help keep the calvary of Khazaria off our backs. We shall use the winter snow falls to our advantage, and the time that it grants us to better train our newly conscripted forces. The barbarians to the North want us to face them upon an open field, where they have the advantage. We've said otherwise... let us not commit the folly of the Dorist forces. We shall dig in, defend, consolidate, and prepare ourselves for the next chapter of this war." He fixed the lay of his uniform, smoothing out a wrinkle, before talking again.

    
"With any luck, this will relieve pressure upon our Allies in the North, and allow them to take the fight to the barbarians. Let it be known here and now, that the Empire of Reria is a military ally of Komentiolos, and that we shall defend them against any and all acts of aggression, to best of our Kingdom's abilities. Let it be known that we hold ourselves under a solemn oath, and that to break it, shall brand our nation as Oath breakers and cowards. May the people of Arhan and their sovereign see the folly of their disputes for Reria, and may the people of Reria come to our aid in this tumultuous war against the barbarian hordes of the North. So say I before Jupiter himself." King Nikolaos bowed his head reverently to a massive statue of Jupiter, before turning back to face his advisors, to hear what they had to say, their responses and more.