Floating Packs of Steel Beasts

[callmedelta]

Admiral Denis Baudelaire stood on the deck of the KFS Desterque, taking in the glorious scent of the sea breeze. Today was the best day he had in a long, long while. The Admiral had at his disposal 7 Battleships, 4 Light Cruisers, 4 Torpedo Cruisers, 10 Small Submarines and 5 Torpedo Destroyers, nearly a half of Franerre’s navy. If the Admiral wasn’t so damn happy he would have smacked Guillame for only permitting the half to leave port. He wouldn’t let that drag him down, though. Denis looked to the other side of the port, where the last of the 20,000 men were being loaded onto transport ships. If Denis had his way, they wouldn’t be needed; the navy could have simply blown Noscovo off the map and ended the war then. There was more than just the men and supplies, of course. Large quantities of silver were loaded onto those boats, bound for Gaelian coffers in the port of Fuar. If the Navy could stop even one shipment of arms to the Union, draw a division’s worth of men from the front, all the silver in those ships would be worth it. All the silver poured into the Navy would be worth it. His career choice, the last fifteen years of his life, would be worth it.

~

Admiral Denis Baudelaire stood on the deck of the KFS Desterque, taking in the glorious scent of the sea breeze. The easy part of the journey was over, Fuaz was in sight, and the fleet had radioed in their arrival. Silver would be exchanged for Staol, the heartbeat of the boilers that moved the grand warships of the navy. The Admiral had to admit, he was curious to see what the port was like, even if he wouldn’t have too long to explore it. Perhaps on the return voyage, when this war was said and won.

[Greywall]

Once the Franch fleet entered Gaelic waters they were asked to identify themselves and part of the 45th Zedon fleet escorted them to Fuar, once they arrived the dock masters instructed them to where they would be docked for refueling. "Docking area 94, your staol is prepared and ready."

Once the Franch ships docked Gaelic dock workers would begin the process of loading Staol onto them, any cargo brought by the Frannerre would also be unloaded. "It'll take a couple of hours, sit tight and let some of our engineers look over your ships, in the meanwhile if your crews need a bit of shore leave we have a couple pubs on the dock side of town, I can recommend a few restaurants too." The dock master was overseeing the operation as Admiral Yarbough and the 98th fleet were undergoing preparation for coastal patrols.

[callmedelta]

The Franerri fleet would stay the night in port, the silver and sailors the ships carried being exchanged for staol and much more drunken sailors by the end of the evening. The next day, the Franerri navy left port, though the 20,000 men would stay in port for now. The only Army soldiers who would be leaving would be General Lumina and a collection of his aides and upper level officers. A task force of the Battleships KFS Desterque and KFS Setange would be scouting the island south of the Union, with General Lumina and his group onboard. It would be up to them on how to take island, while the remaining ships of the fleet began the blockade. The 5 Torpedo Destroyers and 1 Battleship would serve as escorts for the massive convoy of refueling ships needed to sustain the operation, while the remaining vessels would split lit up as follows: the submarines would all act alone, sailing along the eastern edge of the blockaded zone. The remaining Battleships would be joined by one of both types of Cruisers to search the western area of the blockade zone.

[Sophie]

“Good morning, Captain.” Lieutenant-Commander Suzu Nii spoke softly as she barged into the Commander’s stateroom.

“By the living stars!” The Commander launched out of her bed and glared, bleary-eyed, at the Executive Officer. “How do you keep getting keys to my stateroom, Nii?!”

“The crew got off liberty last night. They’re awaiting your orders to board, ma’am.” Nii continued without acknowledging her superior’s question. “As well, you need to welcome Ensign Akiko Mase. She’s joining our crew today. You’re lucky: She graduated top of her class from Officer Candidate school.”

“Spirits be damned. They’re giving us another one?” The captain groggily put her head into her hands. “What did I ever do to Fleet?”

“Fleet thinks it’s a reward, ma’am,” Nii answered with a sardonic grin. “You run such a shape ship they’ve sent you the cream of the crop. Oh, and I should mention.- Chief Kirisa Sekizawa was promoted to Senior Chief and is replacing Senior Chief Chisari Kusumoto.”

“Why? What was wrong with Kusumoto?” The Commander asked with genuine confusion, looking up from her palms.

“She’s moving to the Naganami fleet. Closer to home for her.” Nii answered. “I’ll see you on deck. Fleet wants us out of here by noon.”

“Can I have ten minutes to get ready?”

“You can have five,” Nii answered firmly.

The Commander glared at her Executive Officer. “You know I’m your commanding officer, right?”

Nii chuckled. “Is that why your name is on all my paychecks?” She smiled and made her way to leave. “Seriously, Commander. five minutes.”

---

“Good morning, crew.” the Commanding Officer of the Kawakaze-class Hunter Killer spoke to the deck of over three hundred Kumo. “It is my honor to welcome you aboard the RBS Momori. I am also happy to share with you that for the next month, Momori will be assigned to escort duty.”

This was followed by a moment of raucous cheers. In the Royal Battle Fleet, it was well established that escort duty for a Hunter Killer was a reward for excellence. The workloads were more manageable than when assigned to a fleet, and the captain was given much more leeway to allow her crew to rest more and work less.

The Commander smiled and waved the crowd down to a calm. This simple act always reassured her that she had her crew's respect. “However, Momori has been left alone in dock for the past week while you were enjoying liberty. There is a lot to do to get this old girl moving, and we only have four hours to do it. Fleet wants us battle-ready at noon. Can you handle that?”

The was a resounding “Yes, ma’am!” From every sailor on the deck. The combined voices of the three hundred Kumo almost knocked the Commander over, but it nevertheless made her quite happy to see the high morale.

“Fantastic. All crews are on deck until we’re underway. You may then revert to standard schedules. Dismissed.” The Commander placed her hand up to her eyebrow at a ninety-degree angle in a perfect salute and again couldn’t help but smile as every sailor echoed her motion.

---

Ensign Akiko Mase wasn’t in the best mood. She studied for four years at Fuyonouso College of Engineering and got her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. Then she had gone through OCS and graduated top of her class, just like her mother and grandmother. Yet she was assigned to a puny Huck.

Mase did her best to hide her disdain for the tiny vessel as she stood among the crew as their Captain addressed them. There were still plenty of sailors around her, so she tried not to let her annoyance show on her face. Nevertheless, it became more demanding as she walked through the passageways to her action station.

As Mase continued to navigate the passageways, she spotted something odd. A sailor walked into the mess. This in and of itself wasn’t odd. Until Mase spotted the Sailor’s collar device: Two Sakura Flowers and an anchor? Since when is a Senior Chief assigned to mess duty? Curious, Mase followed the sailor into the mess hall.

There she watched the Senior Chief sneak her way around the mess staff and into the ship's refrigerated section. A moment later, the Senior Chief walked out with a self-satisfied smile and a small glass bottle. “Senior Chief,” Mase paused as she read the name on her chest, “Sekizawa. What exactly are you doing?”

The smile dissolved into a quizzical expression. “Just grabbing a Ramune before I get to work. Why?”

Annoyed at the lack of a ‘ma’am’ or other respect for her rank, Mase’s eye twitched. “The Captain gave you direct orders to head straight to work. Not to amble about and do as you please, Senior Chief.”

The sailor became truly befuddled. “Yes, I’m aware. I was at the same meeting you were. I am going straight to work. I just wanted a drink first.”

Her annoyance bubbled into ire, and she motioned at the rank on her collar. The Senior Chief looked at the collar, then back to the officer with a raised eyebrow. “If you want a drink, you can get one from the Scuttlebutt at your station, sailor. Put that drink back and get back to work.”

Unbothered by the growing angst of the officer, the Senior Chief rolled her eyes. “Okay, sure. Whatever.” She waved dismissively at the ensign and began to walk past her back out to the passageway.

“That’s it, sailor!” Mase shouted. “I am writing you up to the captain for insubordinate behavior.”

“Excuse me?!” Sekizawa blurted into the ensign's face in disbelief. “For getting a ramune?!”

---

Senior Chief Sekizawa sat at stiff attention in the captain’s stateroom, staring straight ahead. While Ensign Mase sent stabbing glances at the Senior Chief. A few moments of awkward silence passed before the Commander entered the room. Both Sekizawa and Mase quickly sprung to their pedipalps at attention. “Sit down.” The Commander ordered in a stern voice.

“Tell me why you are writing up my Senior Chief ten minutes after being welcomed aboard my ship.” Her voice was firm and angry. She didn’t bother hiding it; and, in fact, played it up a bit.

“Ma’am!” Mase barked out robotically. “I caught Senior Chief Sekizawa disobeying your direct order, and when confronted, she paid no respect to her superior officers and acted in flippant disregard for the chain of command.”

Now, Sekizawa was known to be, say, less than professional, but she had always done her job exceptionally well and followed orders to the letter. So this accusation genuinely surprised the Commander, who shot a quick probing glance at the Senior Chief. The Senior Chief simply continued to sit at attention, staring straight ahead. “What exactly did you catch the Senior Chief doing Mase-kas?”

“Ma’am!” Mase’s robotic tone continued. “Senior Chief Sekizawa was looting the refrigerator for a soft drink in flagrant disregard for your order to get straight to work.”

“So, Sekizawa-kas was getting a ramune before work?” The Commander inquired, her ire boiling down to a frustrated annoyance.

“Yes, ma’am!”

The Commander took a deep breath and sighed. “Senior Chief, you’re dismissed.”

Sekizawa stood up straight and offered a salute to her captain before turning to leave the stateroom.

As soon as the door closed, the Commander pressed her temple into her forefinger and thumb. “You cannot write up Senior Chief Sekizawa, Ensign Mase.”

“Why not, ma’am?!” Mase’s robotic ‘professionalism’ faded once the non-commissioned officer was gone. “She was looting the mess!”

“I bought those soft drinks for her, Mase-kas.”

Mase stumbled for a moment. “Even so, she was still disrespectful to me. I am her superior. She cannot flippantly say whatever she wants to me.”

The Commander couldn’t help but laugh. “You are not Sekizawa’s superior. I’m barely her superior!”

This statement wholly disoriented the Ensign. “According to the fleet chain of command-”

“Yes. According to the fleet chain of command, you are her legal superior. But in no world can an Ensign bark orders at a Senior Chief.” The Commander searched the Ensign’s eyes, praying she would understand. As expected, she didn’t.

With another deep sigh, the Commander continued. “Do you know how long Senior Chief Sekizawa has been with the fleet? Eighteen years. When you were learning one plus one is two, Sekizawa patrolled post-war Hawaii, keeping it safe from vengeful Gaelians. Her record isn’t near spotless; it is spotless. Sekizawa is an extraordinary sailor who commands more respect than I do on this ship. That’s why she is allowed to wander off and snag a soft drink if she wants to.”

Ensign Mase’s cheeks were burning red with embarrassment as the Commander talked down to her. “You need to learn fast that even though you graduated top of your class at OCS, you are not special. You do not command any respect on my ship, and you probably won’t for a while. Every chief on this ship commands an intense amount of respect, and that includes from you. You must respect my chiefs. All chiefs period, for that matter. Because in the social pecking order, they outrank you by a lot. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The Ensign answered meekly. “But if Senior Chief Sekizawa has such an outstanding record, why has she been assigned to a Huck?”

The question genuinely bothered the Commander. “Ensign, do you think assignment to a Hunter Killer to be inferior to that of other commands?”

“Aren’t battleships considered the best of the best commands, ma’am?”

“No.” She laughed a bit. “There is no class of ship that is superior to the other, as each relies on the other. Hunter Killers need battleships to keep them safe from cruisers and battleships; battleships need hunter killers to keep them safe from hunter killers and torpedo boats. However, hunter killers are one of the few ship types that ever get to operate alone, outside of the fleet. We have a vital job of keeping the lifeblood of Kumosenkan flowing. Without imports, Kumo everywhere would starve, and we keep those imports safe.”

“So you don’t want to be a battleship captain someday, ma’am?”

“Spirits no,” Her answer was firm but not angry. “I retire in six years, and I don’t think I can make Rear Admiral that fast. Not only that, but I don’t think I could handle the workload of a battleship captain. I have a hard enough time keeping up with Momori.”

“Aren’t you dishonoring your ancestors by not aiming higher? Not working harder?”

“Excuse me?!” The Commander’s eye twitched again. “My grandmother was a hunter killer Commander during the war in Hawaii. Her ship personally destroyed four Gaelic capital ships. There is no dishonor in being happy with command of a ship that can easily kill a battleship. Do you even know where Momori got her name?!”

Angry at her own blabbering mouth, Mase shook her head. “No, ma’am.”

“Kase Momori was a Commander of a Kakunodate class warship during the first Kumo Human war. She did open battle with countless humans and, in her final battle, used her ship to shield several transport ships, bringing Kumo home from the mainland. She is a Kumo of legend, and she watches over my ship from the living stars. I am honored to have such a powerful name and ship. How about you?”

The Ensign’s response took a minute and was very meek. “I am honored, ma’am.”

“Good.” The Commander took a sigh of relief. “Now, go apologize to Senior Chief Sekizawa.”

“I have to apologize to her?!” Mase blurted out, and before she could apologize and correct herself, the Commander’s eyes bore a hole into her.

“Yes.” She spoke in a steady, commanding tone. “Unless you want to be the one being written up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Dismissed.” The Commander waved her away, sick of dealing with entitled officers like her time and time again.

Once Mase reached the bulkhead, the Commander chimed in once more. “Some advice. Officer to Officer. Apologize in public. Sailors respect an officer who can cop to her mistakes.”

---

“Captain!” The radio officer on the bridge on Momori called out. “New orders from Fleet HQ. I-19 is joining escort duties of Convoy SC-7.”

“Lieutenant Tomoda, ask Fleet HQ why the fuck they’re putting a submarine on escort duty.” The Commander barked back, frustrated.

“Uhh.”

“Yes, you can clean it up.”

A moment later, Tomoda came back. “Submarine added to convoy escort to aid in detection of over the horizon threats. Delivery is an active warzone.”

The Commander bit her tongue. “Is I-19 here? Or are we delayed waiting for her?”

“Call just came in from I-19!” Tomoda answered. “Ready to depart.”

“Thank the spirits.” She said under her breath. “Let’s get underway then. Tomoda-kas, order I-19 to take point at the nose of the convoy. Momori and Nosaka will still screen the convoy on its flanks.”

At Momori’s Commander’s orders, the convoy of eleven merchant marines, two hunter killers, and a single submarine left their dock and began steaming ahead for Midway. There they would refuel and head for their final destination of the Union of South Touli.

The merchant ships in the convoy consisted of four Aratama Maru class small cargo ships, three Arisan Maru class medium cargo ships, and three of the newly commissioned Toya maru class container ships. The three massive container ships were in the center of the formation, screened by the smaller merchant vessels and, finally, the actual warships. The warships kept a considerable distance from the merchants to hopefully catch out any dangers well before they could threaten the actual convoy.

The convoy kept a steady pace of fourteen knots and arrived safely at Midway Islands within two weeks. Their crews took a night off to rest on shore while their boats were refueled before again leaving in the morning.

---

“Good morning, Captain.” Lieutenant-Commander Suzu Nii happily greeted her Commanding Officer as she joined the crew on the bridge. “So nice of you to join us before we reach our mooring in the UST.”

The Commander glared at her Executive Officer. “You’re fired.”

“I’ll make sure to file that with Fleet Headquarters. They should have a response for you sometime in the next few years.” Nii offered in a completely serious tone of voice.

Nii’s particular brand of dry humor helped lighten the tiring moods on the bridge and even got their Captain to crack a smile. “How are we looking, Lieutenant-Commander?”

“All systems are green, ma’am. RMS Eiko reported engine issues four hours ago, but Nosaka’s damage control team got them fixed up. I-19 is preparing to dive for a hydr-”

“Ma’am!” The radio officer called. “I-19 is diving for hydrophone sweep!”

“Ahem, I-19 just began her dive for a hydrophone sweep.” She echoed.

“Outstanding work, XO. Tomoda-kas, order the fleet to a dead stop. We’re close to our goal, and I want I-19 to get a clear hydrophone picture of what’s ahead.”

“All Units.” Tomoda barked into her radio. “All stop.”

All fourteen sets of screws stopped spinning in the water, clearing up the background noise in the background while I-19 plunged beneath the waves.

---

“Captain!” Lieutenant Tomoda came back. “I-19 reports multiple warships ahead!”

Nii looked to the Captain. “UST ships? This far from their ports.”

“No chance.” The Commander answered. “They’re hugging the shores.”

“So, what, Franerri? Ashinaran?”

“They don’t have the range.”

“User error then?”

“Has to be.” The Commander turned back at the radio officer. “Ask I-19 certainty.”

“I-19 confirm certainty of warships ahead.”

A moment.

“I-19 reports ninety percent certain. Multiple large warships ahead.”

“I-19,” The Commander spoke as if she were the one on the radio, and the radio officer instantly echoed whatever the Commander said. “Authorize day-may. One ranging ping. Report.”

“I-19 diving, ma’am!” A watch officer added a moment later.

Once the I-19 again slipped beneath the surface of the ocean, a loud metallic ping could be heard within the hulls of every ship in the convoy as the submarine used its sonar suite to ping its hydrophone contact.

As fast as the submarine had dived, it resurfaced.

“I-19 reports contact at forty kilometers direct west!”

“Call general quarters!” The Commander barked at her second in command.

Nii quickly grabbed her whistle from her pocket and pulled a phone off the wall. The entire ship would hear her broadcast. First, she blew into her whistle a high note into a slightly lower note and back up to the high note. “General Quarters, General Quarters! All hands, man your battle stations! All hands, man your battle stations! The route of travel is forward and up to starboard, down and aft to port. Set material condition 'Chui' throughout the ship. Reason for General Quarters: Unknown Surface Contact Ahead!” The second she finished, a blaring, unignorable alarm blared throughout the ship.

Simultaneous with Nii’s announcement, the radio officer announced the call for general quarters to the rest of the convoy.

As the alarm blared, Kumo began running as fast as they could. As passageways got packed with sailors, some ran along the ceiling to get to their stations as quickly as possible. Any Kumo in a bunk, or otherwise not at their station, immediately dropped what they were doing, the morning crew even abandoning their breakfasts as they sprinted towards their work.

Kumo flooded the deck of the Hunter Killer as torpedowomen manned their assigned launcher. Others ran through the hatches into the main gun turrets. Anti-submarine crews ran out towards the aft deck and manned the depth charge rollers and launchers. More than a few women were manning their stations in nothing but underwear, and yet they wore the same steely-eyed resolve of their shipmates.

Many sailors silently awaited the ‘this is a drill’ call. General quarters drills were a daily occurrence, and a surprise drill was not completely uncommon, but the resolving follow-up announcement never came. Hearts leaping at the prospect of potential real combat, the sailors redoubled their resolve and speed and brought the ship to battle ready in record time. Forty Seconds.

The Commander came on the intercom system two minutes after the battlestations call was made. “Crew of Momori. This is Commander Higiri Okita. I-19 has detected unknown warships only forty kilometers ahead of us. We have reason to believe they may be unfriendly. Use of force is not authorized until we are fired upon or until new orders are transmitted. Number one priority is the safety of the convoy.”

A similar message was sent out to the rest of the convoy, along with an order to bring speed up to thirty knots. Ther merchants could make twenty at best, but the destroyers would scout ahead to spot out what force lay before them.

[callmedelta]

Onboard the KFS Stetange

Captain James Bassot of the Battleship KFS Alcasse stood in the bridge of his warship trying his best to find something, anything to occupy his time. There was only so many times one could request updates on their positions and reports on the status of the vessel, and that point was reached long ago. James did his best to stifle a yawn, staring out over the crystal clear water. Patrolling the waters of southern Touli almost made him wish for a Union fleet. At least then something interesting would be happening. The Captain could have had a perfectly fine novel in his hand, perhaps a nice glass of chilled wine, but such things were considered ‘unprofessional’ and Bassot knew one of the little weasels that comprised his command staff would rat him out to the Admiralty. If not them, it would be one of the Captains of the Alcasse's two escorting cruisers, the KFS Gallant and KFS Authority. It was the third day of patrol, and Bassot was nearly ready to let appearances be damned and retrieve some wine from his room anyway. He sighed, checking his pocket watch. 10:24 am in Desterque. James didn’t know exactly how the timezones changed, but that still meant it was far to early to be drinking, even by his standards. The Captain looked out over the water, letting himself slip into his own thoughts. Then again, perhaps some wine with lunch wouldn’t be the worst…

~

Onboard the KFS Gallant

“What are the odds today?” Michael asked, sitting down at the table as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The Gallant’s mess was dead this time of day, perfect for the two night shifters to do a little not quite legal gambling before getting some shut eye.

“Odds are 5-1 on us finally gettin’ some sort of excitement, 6-1 on it actually being a merchant ship,” Tobias said, his eyes never leaving the doors.

Michael sighed, reaching into his pocket, thumbing through the bills. 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 Parians. Was that really all he had? Michael just wished he had the sense to get a little more of his pay from the bank before the ship left, but he couldn’t change that now. Michael pulled out 40 Parians, only to be interrupted by the slamming of the mess door. On instinct, Michael shoved his hand back in his pocket, while Tobias barely reacted at all. Michael realized why when he saw who it was. The man who nearly interrupted Michael and Tobias’ gambling was Joel, and luckily for the two of them Joel was just about the only other person Michael had seen gambling with Tobias.

“The fuck are you doing down here Joel?” Tobias asked, “I thought you’d gotten promoted to workin’ on the bridge?”

“I did,” Joel said with a yawn, an empty pot in his hand. The man seemed perpetually tired, despite the fact that he probably got more sleep than Michael and Tobias combined, “Captain Gerard’s had me running coffee for him all day. I swear, with how much that man drinks, he must spend his entire salary on the imported stuff.” Joel made his way to the back of the mess, filling up the pot with hot water.

“Maybe you could use some of it,” Michael said, “Heard it perks you up real good.”

“With the peanuts they pay us?” Joel commented.

“Just skim a little from the Captain,” Tobias said, “I’m sure he won’t miss it.”

“Oh he will,” Joel said, “He’s got this fancy machine on the bridge that makes it, and he watches it like a hawk. I’m just here for the hot water.”

“All you need to do is make the right bet,” Tobias chimed in. “Odds are 5-1 on us getting some action today, 6-1 on an actual merchant ship.” He turned back to Michael. “You actually going to place a bet?”

“What kind of action are we going to find except a merchant convoy?” Joel asked, turning off the faucet.

“A UST warship?” Tobias offered, “Another nation’s ship? An interesting piece of driftwood?”

“I’ll put 20 on anything and 20 on a merchant ship,” Michael said, placing the bills in Tobias’ outstretched palm. The money was gone in a flash.

“No betting for me,” Joel yawned, waving his hand dismissively at Joel, “Either we find nothing, or there’s a good chance this ship’s beneath the waves. I know where I want my luck.”

“Well, aren’t you grim,” Tobias said.

That snarky comment of his was just in time for an announcement to come through the communication tubes, Captain Virzi. “Smoke trails from a ship, estimated 20 kilometers out. All hands, to battle stations! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!”

~

Onboard the KFS Authority

“What’s Captain Bassot reporting?” Captain Woodward asked, leaning over the shoulder of his wireless telegraph operator.

“He’s saying,” the man said, clearly a little annoyed at the invasion of his personal space, “That his lookouts have seen smokestacks roughly 20 klicks east of here.” The wireless operator paused, waiting for the rest of the Morse code to come in, “They can’t determine ship number right now, but it’s definitely more than one. Captain Bassot’s advocating we move full steam ahead.”

“For once, I actually agree with the buffoon,” Woodward mused. “Anything else?”

“Just waiting on confirmation messages from us and the Gallant, Sir.”

Captain Woodward stood, the rest of the bridge crew already eagerly waiting for his orders. “All hands, to battle stations! As soon as we get word from the Gallant we’re charging full steam ahead to that convoy. If it’s Union, it goes to the bottom of the ocean. Anyone else, they will be very politely told to fuck off or they will be at the bottom of the ocean too. The Union’s closed for business, and we’re shutting her down. Move it!”

[Sophie]

"I-19," The destroyer captain spoke from her diaphragm, and her radio officer followed her. The two sounded as if they were speaking over each other, but the radio officer was repeating the orders into the airwaves. "Dive now. Priority one is survival. Report back to the fleet what you observe. If possible, retaliate against force used to surface units. Only engage if you are certain they have done so first."

"Tomoda, has fleet responded yet?"

"Not yet, ma'am." She responded while pressing her headset into her ears. "Hold on." She closed her eyes and listened closely. "RBS Momori, do not engage and do not acknowledge. Remain on readiness alert until past. Use best judgment for the survival of convoy. Use of force not authorized under any circumstance other than self-defense."

"That's about what I expected." The Commander rolled her eyes only a fraction of a degree off her center eye line. "All units." The radio officer rapidly switched the frequency to the one the convoy was listening in on. "Use of force is not authorized. Act in self-defense only. Official destination port is Yalhai, Elenria. Torpedoes and guns in readiness state one."

---

As the hunter killers were steaming forward at thirty knots, the convoy at twenty, and the Franerre battleships at eighteen knots. The hunter killers wouldn't be able to visually spot the unknown vessels until they were within sixteen kilometers. Seventeen minutes later, a watch stander on the bridge called out. "Ship spotted! Bearing Zero-One-Seven! Long Range!" The captain quickly walked up and took the octoculars from the watchstander. She set it to the maximum zoom of times twenty-four. just cresting over the horizon, she could see the superstructure of the Franerre Ironclad Battleship. She looked at the flag waving in the wind, trying to make out its exact nationality.

"Damn it." She swore and handed the octoculars back.

"Who are they?" Her second in command asked.

"Those boorish Anti-Progressive Nationalists." The captain sighed in frustration. "Bring us down twelve knots, Tomoda-kas get the convoy down to four knots."

"What do you plan to do, ma'am?"

"Ideally, just sail past them." Both the officers shared a look of understanding that that outcome was rather idealistic. "Otherwise, whatever it takes to protect the convoy."

"I doubt even brutes as loutish as the Frannere will want to get into a fight with the Royal Battle Fleet."

"And even if they do, we'll make them regret it."

[callmedelta]

Crow’s Nest of the KFS Alcasse

Marti stood on the crow’s nest, wind whipping against his face as he strained to make out the details of the convoy through his binoculars. It looked like the convoy had a few escorts, which had broken off towards the Alcasse and her escorts. ‘One, two warships, and that’s a lot of merchant ships,’ the sailor thought. He tried to zoom the binoculars in more, only to find them already zoomed out all the way. “Damn piece ‘a shit,” Marti muttered, putting the binoculars back to his eyes. He stared at the flags on those two warships for a what seemed like ages before the wind finally was stable enough for Marti to get a good view.

The flag flying was blue, but…no, Marti made sure to memorize the UST’s flag during the voyage over, and the color and design were all wrong. He knew he’d seen it somewhere before, though. Marti had memorized all of the common flags you’d see on merchant vessels in Pareau: Lusatia, Gaelia, and more recently flags from Ashinara and Pomazanniki, and it wasn’t any of those. The blue, black, and white with the moon and star desi-

Then, Marti remembered. And his legs failed him, the sailor collapsing to the ground and violently puking up the contents of his stomach.

~

The Bridge of the KFS Alcasse

Captain Bassot stood paralyzed on the bridge of the Alcasse. If he turned, the man would find his entire command staff the same behind him. A part of James wanted to ask confirmation for a third time, but that was just delaying the inevitable. Bassot swallowed, his mouth not quite seeming to be any less dry. He heard someone mutter “Merde.” That didn’t even begin to cover how fucked they were. James swallowed again, finding his voice. “R-relay the news to the Authority and the Gallant,” Bassot stammered, “And c-call the ship’s chaplain.”

“What are we going to do Captain?” one of his officers asked. Bassot didn’t turn around, or even acknowledge the question at first. If he knew what to do, he’d have said so himself damnit. “Captain?”

“We’re going to wait on word from the Gallant and the Authority.” What had James just thought about delaying the inevitable?

~

Bridge of the KFS Gallant

“We have to take care of this diplomatically,” Captain Gerard said to the mirror operator. He was surprisingly stoic given the situation. Hell, the man seemed more devastated over the mug of coffee he dropped rather than the news of the fleet’s impending doom. “Duty demands we intercept them, but shooting at Kumosenkan would be incredibly idiotic. We aren’t sure of hostile intent, and by the time we could be we’d lose the range advantage, which is the only advantage we have.” By the time Gerard had finished speaking, the mirror operator had send the word D-I-P-L-O-M-A-C-Y-?.

The response was immediate. A-L-C-A-S-S-E-N-O-! R-E-T-R-E-A-T ‘Of course Bassot would say that. He probably even made sure the wireless operator sent the exclamation point,’ Gerard thought in the pause between the first and the second responses. A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-Y-Y-E-S. ‘Doesn’t matter, he’s outvoted.’ “Send word to the Authority,” the Captain said, “Captain Woodward should head the diplomatic effort.”

“Why not yourself, Captain?” the signal operator asked innocently.

“Because,” the Captain said, “Different men are made for different things. I excell at commanding a vessel. Captain Woodward excells with people. Captain Bassot excells at being an incompetent fool. Now where’s my new mug of coffee!”

~

Bridge of the KFS Authority

Captain Woodward stared as the Alcasse and the Gallant slowed, the Authority pulling forward to meet the two oncoming ships, flashing the message P-E-A-C-E and hoisting a white flag. The Captain himself was fine with his mission; it was his duty, and even though there was a considerable chance he was sailing to his death. But he was worried for all the men of the Authority. The Captain would be dooming all those souls to a watery grave alongside him, if they were lucky. Dooming them to being the devil’s meal if they weren’t. Perhaps it was better here, being the first casualties of a potential war, then seeing it all unfold from afar. Then again, perhaps it wouldn’t be. The Captain did agree to this plan, at least. Many who died didn’t get the chance to say that. ‘Such is duty, that terrible thing,’ Captain Woodward thought as he sailed towards the spider’s nest. Sailed towards the might of a navy who’s ships outclassed his own by 30 years, and who’s experience outclassed his by even further behind that. For he sailed towards the flag of Kumosenkan.

[Sophie]

"They're signaling peace," Nii spoke incredulously.

"Peace?" The Commander returned. "Then why are they headed straight for us?"

"They have a white flag raised." Nii tried to answer. "Maybe they're running from the Union?"

"Watch," The Commander barked at an officer on deck. "Are they battle damaged?"

"No, ma'am!" The young officer answered. "All three warships are undamaged as far as we can tell."

"No other escorts have shown up?"

"No, ma'am!" She answered. "No smoke on the horizon either."

"Maybe they lost their escorts and are fleeing. That's what I would do." Nii mused.

"Could be." Her Commander responded. "We're going to continue operating on the assumption they're enforcing some kind of blockade. I believe that's our worst-case scenario aside from them having already declared war on us. Lieutenant Tomoda, order our sister down to ten knots and get the convoy to catch up to us, but instruct them to stay at least ten kilometers behind. At the very least, they're not about to open fire." As she gave out orders, she altered her engine order telegraph to ahead slow, bringing the hunter-killer down to five knots. "Ensign Mase."

"Yes, ma'am!" She responded in eager form, desperate to amend the poor introduction she had to her captain.

"Get on signals, return their gesture of peace."

"Aye aye, Commander."

[callmedelta]

“…C-E. Peace,” the signal operator said.

Captain Woodward chuckled in disbelief. ‘Message received, I suppose,’ he thought. That knocked out a watery grave for his men. A coin flip it was, then. Woodward dug in his pocket for a Lianet and flipped it. Heads, King Dante’s solemn face staring back at him. The Captain didn’t know whether that was a good omen or not, as he hadn’t called anything. Putting the coin back in his pocket, Woodward thought about his next move. Informing the Kumo vessel that a blockade was in effect, and that whatever goods were on those vessels should turn around please and thank you, wasn’t exactly something that could be done over signal mirrors. The Captain didn’t love the idea of a damn spider on his ship, but he knew that stepping foot on a Kumo vessel had a snowball’s chance in hell.

“Signal them back,” Woodward said, “Request a meeting between our vessels.”

[Sophie]

"You were right, Commander." Nii's voice was deflated as she fell into her seat. "They want a meeting."

"So it is a blockade then." The Commander sighed.

"Excuse me, Commander?" The voice of Ensign Mase piped up. "How can you be so sure?"

"Why else would they ask for a meeting?" She retorted. "Signal them back that we're willing to meet. Tell them they can come to us."

"Ma'am?" Nii asked.

"I'm not letting them take me, or one of my sailors hostage in return for us turning around." The commander snarled. "Get a guard together. I want armed escorts the entire time they're on my ship."

[callmedelta]

With the news recieved, the Authority signaled back a confirmation and began to slow down, pulling within the one kilometer the Kumo ship requested. Captain Woodward stood on the deck, unsure of what to expect. None of the soldiers onboard had weapons present, though the Captain had a revolver inside his uniform jacket.

As the Kumo ship drew within the kilometer, the Kumo dropped a small dinghy. The deck crew was surprised, but took it mostly in stride. “Hello,” Captain Woodward said as the Kumo crew climbed aboard. He spoke in Commons with his most authoritative voice to the Kumo who came over. “I am Captain Woodward, commander of this proud vessel. Who might you be?”

[Sophie]

The Commander had volunteered herself and her Executive officer for the boarding mission to the Franneri battleship. The two climbed into a wooden dinghy that was slowly lowered by the hunter-killer's crane. They paddled themselves over to the battleship and webbed their small boat to the hull before climbing up it. Once on deck, the Franneri Captain introduced himself. Despite knowing that most militaries other than Kumosenkan's were composed of men, the two couldn't help but be immediately put off by a man claiming to be in charge.

The Commander's Commons was rusty, but she could still hold a conversation with it. Though her accent was very heavy. "I am Commander Higiri Okita, Captain of the RBS Momori. This is my executive officer, Lieutenant-Commander Suzu Nii. We are in command of this convoy."

[callmedelta]

“It’s nice to meet you, Commander Okita,” Woodward said, lying through his teeth in that canned greeting style. He found it odd to be staring at a female officer, but he was more scared by the fact that her entire lower half was a spider and that she was an officer of the nation that represented the greatest existential threat to Franerre. “I suppose I must be the first to inform you that Franerre’s enforcing a blockade on the Union of South Touli. They’ve committed a great number of injustices in their war against the Tafatu, and we must end the war as soon as possible. But,” the Commander said with a sigh, “I’m not going to insult the intelligence of anyone standing here by assuming Franerre has the force of arms to enforce that on Kumosenkan, or the political will to potentially get involved with a shooting war with Kumosenkan. So now I must ask you; what are you transporting, and where is it’s final destination?”

[Sophie]

The Commander could barely suppress a smile, that even with only two hunter-killers, the might of the Royal Battle Fleet could still intimidate a battleship and two cruisers. "We are aware of the banal engagement you find yourselves in with the South Touli people. It is of no interest to us. What we carry in our hulls is of no concern to you as we are heading to the port city of Yalhai in Elenria. I appreciate your honesty in your lack of interest in engaging us; I will extend the same: I have no desire to waste my torpedoes to start a shooting war with our neighbor. Let us pass without hindrance, so that you may return to your jobs and enforce your blockade against ships headed to your belligerent."

[callmedelta]

Captain Woodward felt…dangerously optimistic. Could those spiders be telling the truth? Even so, it always payed to be cautious. “I’m happy to hear that’s the case. If you have nothing to hide, then surely you should have no objections to our squadron assisting in the escort of your convoy to the edge of Union waters? I would imagine that the route to Yalhai must be a popular shipping lane: perhaps our ships will run into another convoy we can stop. At the very least, the presence of three more ships should discourage any UST raiders. I’ve heard rumors of Union submarines prowling the waters, but nothing concrete. Perhaps it would be a Franerri ship lost, and not a Kumo one.” Not quite a reasonable request, with a dash of lie sprinkled in at the end, but not an unreasonable request on the face of it either.