Fleet Admiral

The Fleet Admiral is selected personally by the Empress, and granted full control of the Sparnell Armed Forces as her representative. The current Fleet Admiral, Valcore Sil, has held the position for so long the records regarding the official transfer of power ceremonies have long been lost to the Void of history.  

Nothing is ever truly lost. Not even those things intentionally forgotten.

— Margold Family Scholar

Originally only presiding over the Sparnell Armed Forces, the Fleet Admiral's role has since expanded to include authority over Sparnell Central Intelligence, and even the Department of Civilian Affairs. This has essentially consolidated leadership of the entire Sparnell Confederation - including governmental spending - into a role answering only to the Empress.  
    By the nature of the roll, this also elevates the holder's Family into position as the most prestigious and influential in the Confederation. Fleet Admiral Valcore Sil has used this to her advantage, also claiming the role of Family Chair of the Valcore Family from her father.   As with all positions of power, however, the holder's true strength lies in the quantity, loyalty, and capabilities of allies willing to help defend that power. To that end, the Fleet Admiral has the final vote in members of Sparnell Fleet Command, promotions to Admiral and Vice Admiral, and the entire budgetary weight of the Confederation coffers at their disposal. The formidable Margold Family also provides multiple Advisors, ostensibly to help guide Sparnell Fleet Command, but also answering directly to the Fleet Admiral.  

For those unwilling to keep the peace or support her rule, the Confederation's many weapons of war are just as easily pointed inward as outward.

— Margold Family Scholar

Only the Empress is authorized to remove the Fleet Admiral, which can be done for any reason. This is currently considered highly unlikely among anyone with knowledge of Sparnelli politics, since the Empress has resorted to holography for attending official Fleet Command functions. Only the Fleet Admiral has been permitted to visit for nearly three centuries.  

Fleet Admiral Valcore Sil has been clear in her intentions to retain the role, leaving a coup as the only other means to depose her. This would instantly create a power vacuum within the Sparnell Confederation, as Valcore Sil has carefully spent her tenure consolidating her own power while serving as the face of Sparnelli governance. Any plots to remove her would therefore require large and loyal support from Sparnell Fleet Command, not to mention deft politicking to secure the Empress' approval after the fact.   Anything less would quite likely lead to unrecoverable fractures within the Confederation. Which, admittedly, could be a goal all its own.

— Margold Family Scholar