You set the good captain to work on administering your affairs in your absence - while clearly not a bureaucrat by any means, he does promise to undertake his duties with the utmost seriousness. He's also looking forward to meeting the Queen, it's been two and a half years since he asked for an audience.
You leave him with your secretary to discuss the maintenance of your operation. Captain Bukhar begins sharpening his knife while the secretary relates the details to him with obvious unease.
Congratulations! Spymistress Kalja has undertaken a diplomatic mission!259 S.I., the Beginning of Spring
5
Ah, the eastern countryside. So picturesque, so rich in culture and tradition! So teeming with delightfully isolated chunks of ambulatory flesh!
You really ought to go out more often, you think as you approach the foreboding mouth of Utterdark Cave in the dead of night, having made good time on the last day or so. A heavily fortified outpost which Assante has rather imaginatively dubbed Station One in your briefing has sprung up here in the meantime, and they welcome you a little suspiciously, but after making yourself well-known to the commander of the station you are received as befits your station, which is to say well out of sight of all the rabble.
It's dark and filled with rocks in there, the commander tells you. A haunted look crosses her face. Most of them want you dead, but currently you can expect them to barely restrain themselves. You will need supplies down there. Make a list for tomorrow, she says and hands you a roll of parchment and writing supplies.
You retire to your quarters and consider what you'll need.
A) Just the bare essentials, really - probably something to climb with, office supplies, a few mooks to carry all of it, that kind of thing.
B) You'd like a reasonably sized entourage with you, and enough supplies to last them a while.
C) As many folk as you can get, and enough supplies to fatten them up - you've got needs too, after all.