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| Details |
| Author: | inkie |
| Summary: | Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth has a bad feeling, and would like to be sure -- from an abundance of caution, you understand -- that her worries are unfounded. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
URGENT, EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th, 29
On August 5th, a few days after the pandaren delegation arrived in Stormwind, His Highness Prince Anduin set out on a reciprocal mission of diplomacy and cultural exchange with their native island. He was conveyed in secrecy, for security reasons, by Admiral Taylor and a fleet escort. Admiral Taylor was to report in when the fleet made landfall.
It is now eleven days since they departed and Taylor has not been in contact. Based on the length of the pandaren’s own journey to Stormwind, we estimate that the Prince’s fleet should have arrived at their destination approximately four days ago.
From an abundance of caution, considering the value of their passenger, I am dispatching a search. As speed is of the essence, I require that Admiral Rogers dispatch the airships Falcon and Swiftsure, and that Admiral Fallon sail personally with three ships of his choosing. All five vessels are to be ready by tomorrow morning, 8/17, and depart in all haste tomorrow evening. You will be making a course roughly west by southwest, sweeping a broad path to the extent possible; charts will be furnished to you before you depart. Each vessel will also be carrying an army team organized by General Clay for the purposes of terrestrial search-and-rescue.
I stress again that this operation is undertaken from an abundance of caution, nothing more, and should be kept in strictest confidence.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Fallon
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Rogers
16 August 29
I regret deeply that I will not be able to depart on the evening of 17 August, though I can do so with the dawn tide on the 18th, and will make all due haste. The ships in question will be the Lady Blanche, as requested, as well as the Tidewitch and Swift.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th
Is there something more pressing on your agenda than a search for Stormwind’s absent Prince, Admiral Fallon?
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Fallon
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Rogers
16 August
Under any other circumstance there would not be. I have already committed to officiating a wedding on the evening of 17th August, however.
The Prince’s disappearance, concerning though it is, remains as yet speculative; if Taylor was sailing west-southwest, there is every chance he encountered heavy weather in the vicinity of the Maelstrom and was shifted off course. We are all aware of the vagaries of sea travel, and also that Taylor is a perfectly competent seaman who may be delayed but not endangered by any such event.
The wedding is not speculative, and the parties in question naturally have considerable investment in its timely occurrence.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th
Have someone else officiate it.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Fallon
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Rogers
16 August
While ordinarily the most reasonable option, a complicating factor is that whenever I do set forth with the Lady Blanche, the bride will be sailing with me. I may be readily replaced in the ceremony, but I do not believe the same to be true of the bride. As it is, I will be obliged to carry her away from her new husband almost immediately; I would prefer not to oblige them to call the thing off entirely.
(Miss Coit is the lady in question, and I believe His Majesty has some cause for personal gratitude.)
EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th
With the dawn tide on the 18th. And only because I know you can make up the time.
Give Miss Coit my congratulations.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Rogers
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Fallon
August 16th
My ships will depart as scheduled. Is there some reason Fallon is required to sail personally with his vessels but I am not? Also, anything more specific than “roughly west by southwest” for approximately an oceangoing seven days would be useful to know in advance. How long am I fueling my ships for, and for what, if any, extraordinary conditions should they be prepared?
Congratulate Miss Coit for me, too, Fallon.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th
Admiral Fallon is required to sail personally with his ships for reasons of speed. You will remain in Stormwind because if either group of search vessels finds evidence that follow-up is required, airships to those precise, reported coordinates will at that point be faster, and that command will naturally be entrusted to you.
As I said, charts will be furnished before your ships depart. I will warn you now, however, that they aren’t a great deal more specific than I’ve already told you. The directions we were given by the pandaren to their homeland only tell us where it was when they left it. It may have traveled some distance since then.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Fallon
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Rogers
16 August
To clarify: the homeland of the pandaren may have traveled?
EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th
Correct. The island is a turtle.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Fallon
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Rogers
16 August
The island is a turtle.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Grand Admiral Jes-Tereth
TO: Admiral Fallon, Admiral Rogers
August 16th
That is what I said, yes.
EYES ONLY
FROM: Admiral Fallon
TO: Grand Adm. Jes-Tereth, Adm. Rogers
16 August
No further questions.