Arthur wiped the grease from his mouth with a napkin. "So, how do you plan to be a good fleet commander?"
"Uh... well..."
Arthur's sudden question jerked Jimmy out of his fantasies and back to reality. He opened his mouth but found no words.
Seeing Jimmy unable to utter a syllable for a long while, looking like a student called on after daydreaming in class, Arthur waved his hand.
"You don't have to tell me now. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to Starfall Port together to inspect your fleet. Tell me when you've thought it through."
"Also, I'm assigning your chowhound brother, Zac, as your deputy. You two can discuss it tonight."
Zac, hearing his name, looked up briefly. Seeing no immediate threat or task, he promptly returned to his offensive against the roast suckling pig.
The next morning.
Arthur and his party arrived early at Starfall Port. Due to the previous blockade by the Arbor fleet and the destruction of the Peach Orchard, the port was noticeably quieter than before.
The fishing boats had already set sail before dawn. Only a few purple-sailed Braavosi ships were docked at the pier, where dockworkers were loading tools and weapons produced in the Smithing District.
To the right of the Braavosi ships were the Reach warships Arthur had purchased from Stannis—seven in total: four forty-oar galleys and three eighty-oar galleys.
Currently, the decks were swarming with carpenters repairing the hulls, replacing sails, and swapping out figureheads. The sounds of mallets striking wood and men shouting orders filled the air.
"Figured out how to be a good fleet commander yet?" Arthur glanced at Jimmy, who had dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept a wink.
Beside Jimmy, Zac was full of energy. Arthur envied Zac sometimes—obey orders, eat well, sleep soundly, and live carefree.
Jimmy didn't answer directly. Instead, he took a deep breath and asked, "My Lord, what is your purpose in building this fleet?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, surprised. It seemed Jimmy's all-nighter hadn't been in vain.
"The immediate purpose is to defend the coastline of the Starfall domains."
"Previously, to defend against the Arbor fleet, we built beacon towers and lighthouses along the coast and forged iron chains to block the river. But these are passive defenses. While necessary, they lack teeth."
A glimmer of excitement and anticipation flashed in Jimmy's eyes. "And the long-term purpose?"
"Naturally, to build a fleet capable of rivaling the Arbor's!" Arthur beckoned the group to follow him as he walked along the pier toward the captured warships.
"The Arbor's model is excellent. Selling wine generates funds to maintain and expand their fleet, and the fleet protects the Arbor and its merchant vessels."
Having understood the requirements, Jimmy pondered for a moment before replying. "If that is the case, we need to find a new anchorage for the fleet, one capable of housing a shipyard for construction and maintenance."
"Regarding personnel, we must also recruit shipwrights and sailors as soon as possible to begin training and development."
A new port, a shipyard, personnel—Jimmy had identified all the key elements. Arthur nodded inwardly in approval.
"Why do we need to find a new port?"
"Look at the layout of Starfall Port," Jimmy said, walking beside Arthur and pointing to the sides of the harbor.
"Starfall Port is situated in a cove between the southern tip of Starfall Island and a smaller islet. While the water inside the cove is calm and the banks are low enough for docking..."
"Because of the Torrentine River, the currents on either side of the island are extremely swift. This makes expanding the port difficult. Given your ultimate plan for the fleet's size, this port clearly cannot handle the maintenance and berthing requirements."
"Furthermore, for the current purpose of defending the coastline, this location is at the southernmost tip of Starfall's coastal territory. It is not ideal for fleet deployment or patrolling the length of the coast."
Arthur nodded in agreement. Starfall Port did have limitations, as Jimmy pointed out. Arthur had indeed planned to establish a new port for the fleet's anchorage and training.
"Well said. What suggestions do you have regarding the shipyard and personnel?"
"I don't know much about shipbuilding," Jimmy admitted.
"As for recruiting crew and oarsmen, I think the Salt Dornish living along the coast of your domain are excellent candidates. Most are fishermen and sailors who spend their lives at sea. They are seasoned mariners; with a little training, they will form a capable fighting force."
As they spoke, they boarded one of the warships. The sailors on deck recognized Arthur before he even stepped aboard and immediately stopped their work to bow.
Mallick Seaworth, the former oarsmaster of the Fury whom Arthur had hired, and Eaton, the master of the Carpenters' Guild responsible for modifying the Reach ships, soon emerged from the cabins upon being notified.
Eaton was one of the craftsmen Karl 'Bi' had recruited in Braavos who had followed Arthur to Starfall from the beginning. He was not tall, but he was burly, with broad shoulders and a deep chest.
"This is the Fleet Commander I have appointed, Ser Jimmy Sunderland," Arthur introduced them.
"And this is Mallick. You should know him from your time on the Fury. Lord Stannis left him and over fifty good men to help train our crew and oarsmen. You should work closely together."
Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief, then grumbled, "My Lord, I thought you only assigned my chowhound brother to help me. Now that I have Brother Mallick's assistance, I can rest easy."
Before Arthur could introduce Eaton to Jimmy, the carpenter grabbed Arthur's hand and wouldn't let go. Speaking Common Tongue with a thick Braavosi accent, he pleaded:
"My Lord, I've had the brothers of the Carpenters' Guild working day and night these past few days, and we finally finished the blueprints for the flagship! You must save a portion of that million gold dragons for us to build it!"
Arthur was intrigued. "Where are the blueprints? Let me see."
Even if they didn't build the flagship immediately, having a look at the plans would give them something to aspire to.
In the aft cabin, a massive blueprint covered the entire table. It depicted the ship in three views, with cross-sections clearly detailed.
Design drawings of the ship's weapons and detailed specifications and construction processes were hung on the walls. It looked very professional.
Through Eaton's explanation and his own observation, Arthur realized that the flagship Eaton designed was even larger than the Fury.
This ship not only had four decks and four hundred oars for propulsion, but in addition to the ballistae on the sides, it was designed to mount two heavy ballistae at the bow and stern.
According to Eaton, the craftsman who provided the heavy ballista blueprints said these were also called "Scorpions" or "Dragonhunters."
It was a heavy scorpion of this very design that, at Hellholt, had pierced the eye of the dragon Meraxes while it was flying, killing both the dragon and Aegon the Conqueror's sister-wife, Rhaenys, in Dorne.
That shot shattered the myth of draconic invincibility.
Hellholt was the seat of House Uller. A Dornish proverb claimed that half the Ullers were mad, and the other half were worse.
However, based on Arthur's acquaintance with Ser Ulrick Uller at the tourney and his time as a guest at Hellholt, he didn't think they were too bad.
Listening to Eaton's endless explanation, Jimmy felt the weapon sounded impressive but impractical. "Dragons are extinct. Does this crossbow have much meaning? I think catapults would be far more useful than this 'Dragonhunter.'"
"Commander, you don't understand," Eaton wagged a thick, stubby finger.
"If you level this heavy scorpion horizontally... with good aim, one bolt can shear through a mast. Against smaller warships, a few shots can punch massive holes in the hull, sinking them."
Uh...
Listening to Eaton's description, Arthur couldn't help but think of the famous anecdote about leveling anti-aircraft guns to fire at ground targets—something that would get you court-martialed in another world, but apparently highly effective here.