Excerpt
Admiral Wu sat in the executive office sumptuously appointed in a personal favorite style – a lot of calligraphy and embroidery framed in lacquered rosewood. There was the mild fragrance of jasmine tea in the air, the sound of waves and the soft tick-tock of the clock with the golden mechanical canary on the mantle. Exquisitely painted portraits of family members and child graced the large table. It was an idyllic moment and savored immensely like fine mellowed Burgundy wine, another personal favorite. Of course, the moment must be complete with the ornately carved teak betel box, filled with areca nuts and betel leaves to be chewed. An acquired taste, of course, from a tour of duty in the seas of Java; the other officers had found the taste strange and unfavorable.
It was indeed a rare moment. Paperwork had to be done with many files requiring her official acknowledgement. This was done with the usual red seal, carved with rank, name and ship’s name. Reports had to be written; at the moment, the stenograph was being prepared by Ensign Han Xing, a young lad eager to please his commanding officer. He was outside the office, waiting to be called in.
Oh, just a few minutes’ more of tea. Yet, such thinking was indulgent. There were duties to be done, tasks to be accomplished. The Imperial vessel Feng Huang was not an idle ship.
A fastidious check on uniform, adorned with a braid corded with golden thread and a marker of seniority and very much in the style of the Western nations. There was another set of uniform, more courtly in fashion with brocaded sleeves and pants, in the executive cabin.
It was time. The tea had already been drunk and enjoyed in private. The poor ensign was perhaps impatient now. The bell was pressed and within a few seconds, Ensign Han Xing’s earnest face appeared at the door. He was twenty, having passed his Imperial Academy examinations two years ago. He had proven himself to be reliable, though a little pompous at times. He bore the stenograph, embossed of course with dragons and phoenixes, very carefully. It was a work of art, a gift from her family when the promotion to admiral was announced a year ago.
“Yes, Admiral Wu?” He snapped to attention, the stenograph held in front of him stiffly.
“Please. Come in.”
Ensign Han Xing went obediently to the side of the large mahogany table, his usual place, when he worked the stenograph. He set the apparatus up and waited expectantly, his ruddy face alert, eyes bright.
“How are the cadets settling in?” Admiral Wu asked softly. The eight cadets were fresh from the Imperial Academy, sent to her ship for practical attachment. She took special interest in the eight, because they were all girls, scions from a number of aristocratic and merchant families. A long time ago, she was like them, in a pioneer batch for “fair maidens” to join the illustrious Imperial Academy.
Ensign Han Xing answered, his tone neutral, just as he was taught: “They have settled down, my lord. They find their accommodations to their satisfaction. Cadets Xiao and Lee are experiencing slight discomfort and are coping at the moment.”
Admiral Wu had to stifle a smile. The constant rolling and pitching of the ship was something that the cadets had to get used too. They had to be prepared, eventually, for lift-off too, because the Feng Huang, like all the Hai Feng-class ships, had aero capabilities. Training at the Imperial Academy was one thing. Being on an actual ship was another. She remembered how her stomach lurched when the ship she was apprenticing at – the Peony – went into emergency evasive maneuvers in mid-air, to avoid collision with the Mountain Spirit who was approaching too rapidly. The helmsman of the Peony was reprimanded by the then commanding officer for his negligence.
All officers of Her Imperial Majesty’s Aero-Nautical Navy had to be impeccable in their duties, honorable and steadfast in what they did. Negligence was a blemish in personal records. She knew that it was not entirely the helmsman’s fault; she recalled his name was Xu. But he bore the brunt of the commanding officer’s wrath. She hoped, that the eight cadets would become good officers. They had after all gone through the rigorous basic training and had proven that they were physically and mentally fit. And young, she thought ruefully. With youthful idealism still in their eyes and hearts. It would be a steep learning curve for them.
The Feng Huang swayed a little. The sea was a little rough today. The stability was soon adjusted by the ship’s inbuilt ballast and Wu decided that she would look into the reports now. She signaled Han Xing who sat up straighter, fingers poised on the keyboard. Time to be impeccable in her duties now.
~*~
Morning brought fog and a bone-chilling cold. Most of the sailors and supervising officers wore their standard-issue wool-lined cloaks marked with the emblem of the Imperial Armed Forces: a golden stylized dragon. The Feng Huang creaked and responded to the cold weather. Already the boilers in the engine room were working hard to provide steam as well as warmth for the cabins.
