Aboard the Hǎi shā
Off the coast of South Ethia
June 16th, 1942
Li Ren watched the turgid flow of the waves with a disinterested eye, the young lieutenant was a man of action, and such dull moments of respite had always been a silent agony he had to force himself to bear. Through the periscope the lights of Port Wilhelm glittered in the darkness like so many fireflies against the black, the enemies of civilization slept in peace trusting that their fortress was impenetrable, but tonight they would be awakened to the truth.
“Ren! The commander is about to start the briefing!” Captain Ming roared impatiently, like an old walrus, not that Li would ever share this thought
“At once captain!” he snapped following up with a crisp salute
Soon a crowd of officers had swarmed the cramped confines of the briefing chamber, ironically this was the largest part of the ship, and it still felt like a sardine tin. Still, such a craft wasn’t made with comfort in mind, the submarine was a weapon and only men who had left comfort behind were worthy of service upon her decks.
Everyone bowed as the admiral entered, at 40 Meng Shi was an imposing figure, neither tall nor short he seemed to still loom over everyone. In all the briefings Li had attended the admiral had never raised his voice above a calm thoughtful tone, his face ever cold and analytical. His uniform was immaculate, the white naval jacket and trousers gleaming in the dim lamplight and his boots were polished so that they better resembled a mirror.
“As you were gentlemen, we have much to do” Meng Shi explained as he strode toward the table and rested both hands upon it
He was clean shaven, his hair cut to a navy standard and his face eternally wrinkled by deep strategizing, the only tell-tale sign of human frailty was his horn-rimmed glasses, everything else conveyed only the strength of the red dragon’s line. He studied the charts arrayed on the table and then lowered his forefinger to point at the circled target.
“This is the heart of the South Ethian empire, they believe that their vast surface fleet will render them safe from our reach, I intend to disavow them of this notion. We have brought our full strike force, forty submarine carriers lie in wait, tonight we will put this barbarian stronghold to the torch!”
Cheers filled the chamber only for the admiral to hold up his hands and demand silence, tapping his finger on another section of the map marked “New Bergum” he reached into a nearby draw and produced several model fighter planes that he placed on the marked spot.
“Our wind is brief, we hit the target as hard as we can and then we vanish like ghosts, this is a raid gentleman and if we tarry too long the barbarians will swarm us with their air forces, hit your targets, return to the carriers and then we make for the deep” Meng Shi ordered in a tone that indicated no questions would be permitted.
Li felt his heart race with excitement, gone were the thoughts of home and family, he was Exactly where destiny required.
**************************************************************************************************
Aboard the Hǎi shā
Flight Deck
“Tonight, we enact the will of the son of heaven! These barbarians believe that their coasts are untouchable and that their fortresses unassailable, tonight we will show them that none are beyond the emperors reach! Strike hard and strike true airmen! WANSUI!!!!” the Admiral's voice declared over booming loudspeaker, the speech had been played in every vessel in the strike group
Roaring cheers erupted as the ancient declaration was returned by thousands of crew on every vessel in the raiding party. Decks were cleared as the submarines rose from the murky waters of the greywater and open their flight decks. On over forty vessels the roar of engines filled the evening wind as the attack drew close.
Li Ren felt his heart pound with excitement as he dropped into his cockpit, he reached for a red scarf depicting the imperial dragon and wrapped it around his cap. Uttering a prayer to the ancestors he flicked on the ignition and grinned with wild glee as the propellers roared into life. The plane began to taxi toward the launch ramp.
The bomber roared off the deck and into the night skies above, Li slid open the cockpit window and fired a flare from his gun to signal the attack was commencing. Behind him countless bomber craft formed up ready to commence the first attack. Reaching for his radio, Li hit transmit.
“Today we fight in the name of the emperor, may our actions honour him, WANSUI!!!!” he roared through the radio
The roar was repeated across every cockpit as the black wedge of bombers descended upon Port Wilhelm.
*****************************************************************************************************************
Mess Hall
Prinz Lorenz Naval Base
Port Wilhelm
South Ethia
Walther thumbed through the hand of cards and noted that he had everything he needed to crush his opponent, his face was devoid of any expression that might give his hand away. Pausing to take a sip of rum he casually laid his cards out at the table; fists slammed the hard metal bench and pained groans followed as everyone realized they had just lost the game and their cash.
“I don’t know why I play with you! Every time he pulls out that goddamn royal flush!” complained Gunther in an exasperated voice
“Eh, the number of times your pass gets cancelled for bad behaviour I wouldn’t worry too much, you don’t need the spending money!” Ho interjected with a good-natured ribbing
Walther had already been good with cards, his time as a card shark back on land had honed his skills and now, he had an entire captive audience to use them on. The navy wasn’t a huge amount different from card sharking; sure, the drills were more frequent and the food shittier but at the end of the day it was all about having the right hand to play at the right time.
“Pay up boys, unless you want another game?” Walther asked with a wolfish grin spreading across his features
At 25 he had already lived a hard life, back in Vossberg he had spent his early years counting cards and scamming saloons. Eventually Walther had tried his tricks too often, he still had a nasty scar across his right cheek where a long knife had left a deep cut, between that and the missing ring finger he was a less then handsome sight. But what Walther lacked in looks he more then made up for with his ability to make money off suckers.
“And as the invasion of Scalvia continues we encourage all free nations to resist the tyranny of Aria and join us in the fight for freedom and democracy” a distorted voice declared over the buzzing radio
“Hey Clayface* turn it up!” Gunther declared rudely
The mund mess officer raised his middle finger and then turned to begin tinkering with the buzzing radio. Moments later a much clearer voice was flowing from the old radio speakers
“Already allied forces fight side by side, our brotherhood shall outlast this invader, and our forces will be victorious”
The wars had been raging for nearly half a decade already, but they hadn’t reached South Ethia yet, people called it the “Quiet war” because unless you were unlucky enough to be deployed to a garrison in Scalvia, there simply wasn’t any sign that it was happening outside of posters on the walls and a few alarmed radio broadcasters.
“Think we’ll ever see action?” Ho asked before finishing his rum in one gulp
“Doubt it, long as the admirals are sticking with “Fortress Ethia” we aren’t seeing any action, unless you countdown Port Willy as a battleground that is” Walther replied cynically as he counted his winnings
That got a laugh from everyone, but the facts were as they were, the war remained a distant thing and unless something changed it was liable to stay that way. Ho was a third-generation sailor, his uncles and father had all served before him, he was dying to see the war and do his part, Walther though? Walther wanted to live and staying out of action tended to be the best way to achieve that goal.
“Don’t know why you want action anyway my little Vong buddy, surprised the locals don’t take potshots at you, you and the Ari’s kinda look alik……” Gunther didn’t have time to finish his sentence
A booming roar filled everyone’s ears, the ground shook with impact vibrations and a ceiling light was dislodged and fell, glass and bent metal fixtures flying in every direction as the sailors scrambled for cover. Walther found himself hiding behind an overturned bench, for a moment he wondered if it had just been an accident
*****************************************************************************
Admiralty Lane
Port Wilhelm
The sirens roared across the night sky as searchlight flashed into life and the skies were filled with flak and machine gun fire, it was not enough, the enemy had caught the port by surprise and now its bombs were wreaking havoc on the unprepared defenders. From his office at the admiralty hill, Rear Admiral Gustav Frankel could already see the ships burning in the harbour.
“ARE WE BLIND!!! RAISE THE GARRISON!!!” He roared over the phone before slamming it down in impotent rage
Everyone had agreed that the war would fizzle out given enough time, that the Arianese would eventually take enough to be satisfied. The war in Scalvia had been assumed to be a means of gaining further concessions, after all eventually the enemy must see reason? They had assumed that Aubervjir and part of Scalvia would be enough to satisfy Arianese expansionism, assumed that the war would end in treaties and not bullets, they had been wrong.
“God and the Naesserine help us!” he uttered in pure terror
They had assumed Port Wilhelm a fortress and now it was being cracked wide open.
****************************************************************************************************
Deck of the Kaiser Oskar
Port Wilhelm
The bomb shrieked down like a night demon, it smashed into the deck of an adjacent cruiser and the detonated, the resulting blast nearly split the vessel in half and within minutes the hull of the Victor Hausmann was bowing forward as its stricken crew burned and leapt overboard.
Ke’watan had never fired a weapon much larger than a hunting rifle, when he had moved up to Port Wilhelm to join the navy, they had put him in the kitchen and told him to cook. Most of those men were now dead, but some of the crew of the Kaiser Oskar still drew breathe and if taking up arms would save them, Ke’watan intended to do so.
He reached the machine gun and loaded the belt ammo with shaking hands, the smell of burning metal and gasoline was nauseating and the bay now resembled a hell of screaming and burning vessels. Despite the terror he succeeded, locking the machine gun in place and pulling back the charging handle, it was a clumsy operation, but he made it work. Overhead a bomber was screeching into view as it dived for another attack.
Ke’watan wheel around with the gun and squeezed the trigger, the recoil thumbed into his shoulder as spent cartridges clattered across the decking. He was screaming as he fired, yelling angrily as the bomber descended. He would spend the rest of his life wondering what he had said that night, but he guessed it was an old war cry.
The rounds found their mark, tracers tearing into the cockpit of the Arienese bomber, fire rushed across the cockpit as the engines fuel ignited, and the plane burst apart in a fiery inferno. The wreckage slammed into the bay sending a vast wall of seawater into the air. Ke’watan grinned and then began to slump forward, a large piece of shrapnel lodged in his side.
“I got one…” he said with a proud smile
*****************************************************************************************
Downtown Port Wilhelm
She was running, she didn’t know how long she had been doing so, she just knew she needed to keep doing it. The man slung about her shoulders was moaning in a pained voice as the crossed the cobbled streets, fires were raging out of control as the city descended into chaos. Swerving to avoid falling debris from a public house she saw their salvation and ran.
St Goffman’s Arvinist Church loomed over the city like a beacon of faith amidst a rapture, black smoke had already stained the roof of the venerable building, and it was a miracle the nearby fires hadn’t spread. Still, it was the safest option in a pinch, for starters it had an underground section. Susannah reached the main doors and set her wounded passenger down; she began hammering on the main door.
“OPEN UP! I HAVE A WOUNDED MAN!” she screamed at the top of her lungs
The door swung open and a priest in a bloodied green habit revealed himself, the Prelate pointed to the injured man and motioned for two nuns to bring him in. the sisters rushed forward with a stretcher and hauled the man inside, he moaned in agony as they did so. Sussanah stumbled in after them, the priest slamming the doors behind them.
“Where did you come from?” The priest asked gently as he led Sussanah down the steps into the church cellar
“Straffen Am Berg, found this man bleeding out from his leg, what else could I do father?” she replied wearily
“The great works call to all of us, though I fear I have little to offer save a cellar floor and prayer” the priest said with a tired look
Ahead of them countless wounded men and women lay strewn about the church under croft, many looked close to the end already. Sussanah frowned but checked her satchel, there was a full nurses kit at her disposal, it still would not be enough but at least it would be a start.
“I think I might be able to assist you with more tangible aid father” She said in a determined voice
Off the coast of South Ethia
June 16th, 1942
Li Ren watched the turgid flow of the waves with a disinterested eye, the young lieutenant was a man of action, and such dull moments of respite had always been a silent agony he had to force himself to bear. Through the periscope the lights of Port Wilhelm glittered in the darkness like so many fireflies against the black, the enemies of civilization slept in peace trusting that their fortress was impenetrable, but tonight they would be awakened to the truth.
“Ren! The commander is about to start the briefing!” Captain Ming roared impatiently, like an old walrus, not that Li would ever share this thought
“At once captain!” he snapped following up with a crisp salute
Soon a crowd of officers had swarmed the cramped confines of the briefing chamber, ironically this was the largest part of the ship, and it still felt like a sardine tin. Still, such a craft wasn’t made with comfort in mind, the submarine was a weapon and only men who had left comfort behind were worthy of service upon her decks.
Everyone bowed as the admiral entered, at 40 Meng Shi was an imposing figure, neither tall nor short he seemed to still loom over everyone. In all the briefings Li had attended the admiral had never raised his voice above a calm thoughtful tone, his face ever cold and analytical. His uniform was immaculate, the white naval jacket and trousers gleaming in the dim lamplight and his boots were polished so that they better resembled a mirror.
“As you were gentlemen, we have much to do” Meng Shi explained as he strode toward the table and rested both hands upon it
He was clean shaven, his hair cut to a navy standard and his face eternally wrinkled by deep strategizing, the only tell-tale sign of human frailty was his horn-rimmed glasses, everything else conveyed only the strength of the red dragon’s line. He studied the charts arrayed on the table and then lowered his forefinger to point at the circled target.
“This is the heart of the South Ethian empire, they believe that their vast surface fleet will render them safe from our reach, I intend to disavow them of this notion. We have brought our full strike force, forty submarine carriers lie in wait, tonight we will put this barbarian stronghold to the torch!”
Cheers filled the chamber only for the admiral to hold up his hands and demand silence, tapping his finger on another section of the map marked “New Bergum” he reached into a nearby draw and produced several model fighter planes that he placed on the marked spot.
“Our wind is brief, we hit the target as hard as we can and then we vanish like ghosts, this is a raid gentleman and if we tarry too long the barbarians will swarm us with their air forces, hit your targets, return to the carriers and then we make for the deep” Meng Shi ordered in a tone that indicated no questions would be permitted.
Li felt his heart race with excitement, gone were the thoughts of home and family, he was Exactly where destiny required.
**************************************************************************************************
Aboard the Hǎi shā
Flight Deck
“Tonight, we enact the will of the son of heaven! These barbarians believe that their coasts are untouchable and that their fortresses unassailable, tonight we will show them that none are beyond the emperors reach! Strike hard and strike true airmen! WANSUI!!!!” the Admiral's voice declared over booming loudspeaker, the speech had been played in every vessel in the strike group
Roaring cheers erupted as the ancient declaration was returned by thousands of crew on every vessel in the raiding party. Decks were cleared as the submarines rose from the murky waters of the greywater and open their flight decks. On over forty vessels the roar of engines filled the evening wind as the attack drew close.
Li Ren felt his heart pound with excitement as he dropped into his cockpit, he reached for a red scarf depicting the imperial dragon and wrapped it around his cap. Uttering a prayer to the ancestors he flicked on the ignition and grinned with wild glee as the propellers roared into life. The plane began to taxi toward the launch ramp.
The bomber roared off the deck and into the night skies above, Li slid open the cockpit window and fired a flare from his gun to signal the attack was commencing. Behind him countless bomber craft formed up ready to commence the first attack. Reaching for his radio, Li hit transmit.
“Today we fight in the name of the emperor, may our actions honour him, WANSUI!!!!” he roared through the radio
The roar was repeated across every cockpit as the black wedge of bombers descended upon Port Wilhelm.
*****************************************************************************************************************
Mess Hall
Prinz Lorenz Naval Base
Port Wilhelm
South Ethia
Walther thumbed through the hand of cards and noted that he had everything he needed to crush his opponent, his face was devoid of any expression that might give his hand away. Pausing to take a sip of rum he casually laid his cards out at the table; fists slammed the hard metal bench and pained groans followed as everyone realized they had just lost the game and their cash.
“I don’t know why I play with you! Every time he pulls out that goddamn royal flush!” complained Gunther in an exasperated voice
“Eh, the number of times your pass gets cancelled for bad behaviour I wouldn’t worry too much, you don’t need the spending money!” Ho interjected with a good-natured ribbing
Walther had already been good with cards, his time as a card shark back on land had honed his skills and now, he had an entire captive audience to use them on. The navy wasn’t a huge amount different from card sharking; sure, the drills were more frequent and the food shittier but at the end of the day it was all about having the right hand to play at the right time.
“Pay up boys, unless you want another game?” Walther asked with a wolfish grin spreading across his features
At 25 he had already lived a hard life, back in Vossberg he had spent his early years counting cards and scamming saloons. Eventually Walther had tried his tricks too often, he still had a nasty scar across his right cheek where a long knife had left a deep cut, between that and the missing ring finger he was a less then handsome sight. But what Walther lacked in looks he more then made up for with his ability to make money off suckers.
“And as the invasion of Scalvia continues we encourage all free nations to resist the tyranny of Aria and join us in the fight for freedom and democracy” a distorted voice declared over the buzzing radio
“Hey Clayface* turn it up!” Gunther declared rudely
The mund mess officer raised his middle finger and then turned to begin tinkering with the buzzing radio. Moments later a much clearer voice was flowing from the old radio speakers
“Already allied forces fight side by side, our brotherhood shall outlast this invader, and our forces will be victorious”
The wars had been raging for nearly half a decade already, but they hadn’t reached South Ethia yet, people called it the “Quiet war” because unless you were unlucky enough to be deployed to a garrison in Scalvia, there simply wasn’t any sign that it was happening outside of posters on the walls and a few alarmed radio broadcasters.
“Think we’ll ever see action?” Ho asked before finishing his rum in one gulp
“Doubt it, long as the admirals are sticking with “Fortress Ethia” we aren’t seeing any action, unless you countdown Port Willy as a battleground that is” Walther replied cynically as he counted his winnings
That got a laugh from everyone, but the facts were as they were, the war remained a distant thing and unless something changed it was liable to stay that way. Ho was a third-generation sailor, his uncles and father had all served before him, he was dying to see the war and do his part, Walther though? Walther wanted to live and staying out of action tended to be the best way to achieve that goal.
“Don’t know why you want action anyway my little Vong buddy, surprised the locals don’t take potshots at you, you and the Ari’s kinda look alik……” Gunther didn’t have time to finish his sentence
A booming roar filled everyone’s ears, the ground shook with impact vibrations and a ceiling light was dislodged and fell, glass and bent metal fixtures flying in every direction as the sailors scrambled for cover. Walther found himself hiding behind an overturned bench, for a moment he wondered if it had just been an accident
*****************************************************************************
Admiralty Lane
Port Wilhelm
The sirens roared across the night sky as searchlight flashed into life and the skies were filled with flak and machine gun fire, it was not enough, the enemy had caught the port by surprise and now its bombs were wreaking havoc on the unprepared defenders. From his office at the admiralty hill, Rear Admiral Gustav Frankel could already see the ships burning in the harbour.
“ARE WE BLIND!!! RAISE THE GARRISON!!!” He roared over the phone before slamming it down in impotent rage
Everyone had agreed that the war would fizzle out given enough time, that the Arianese would eventually take enough to be satisfied. The war in Scalvia had been assumed to be a means of gaining further concessions, after all eventually the enemy must see reason? They had assumed that Aubervjir and part of Scalvia would be enough to satisfy Arianese expansionism, assumed that the war would end in treaties and not bullets, they had been wrong.
“God and the Naesserine help us!” he uttered in pure terror
They had assumed Port Wilhelm a fortress and now it was being cracked wide open.
****************************************************************************************************
Deck of the Kaiser Oskar
Port Wilhelm
The bomb shrieked down like a night demon, it smashed into the deck of an adjacent cruiser and the detonated, the resulting blast nearly split the vessel in half and within minutes the hull of the Victor Hausmann was bowing forward as its stricken crew burned and leapt overboard.
Ke’watan had never fired a weapon much larger than a hunting rifle, when he had moved up to Port Wilhelm to join the navy, they had put him in the kitchen and told him to cook. Most of those men were now dead, but some of the crew of the Kaiser Oskar still drew breathe and if taking up arms would save them, Ke’watan intended to do so.
He reached the machine gun and loaded the belt ammo with shaking hands, the smell of burning metal and gasoline was nauseating and the bay now resembled a hell of screaming and burning vessels. Despite the terror he succeeded, locking the machine gun in place and pulling back the charging handle, it was a clumsy operation, but he made it work. Overhead a bomber was screeching into view as it dived for another attack.
Ke’watan wheel around with the gun and squeezed the trigger, the recoil thumbed into his shoulder as spent cartridges clattered across the decking. He was screaming as he fired, yelling angrily as the bomber descended. He would spend the rest of his life wondering what he had said that night, but he guessed it was an old war cry.
The rounds found their mark, tracers tearing into the cockpit of the Arienese bomber, fire rushed across the cockpit as the engines fuel ignited, and the plane burst apart in a fiery inferno. The wreckage slammed into the bay sending a vast wall of seawater into the air. Ke’watan grinned and then began to slump forward, a large piece of shrapnel lodged in his side.
“I got one…” he said with a proud smile
*****************************************************************************************
Downtown Port Wilhelm
She was running, she didn’t know how long she had been doing so, she just knew she needed to keep doing it. The man slung about her shoulders was moaning in a pained voice as the crossed the cobbled streets, fires were raging out of control as the city descended into chaos. Swerving to avoid falling debris from a public house she saw their salvation and ran.
St Goffman’s Arvinist Church loomed over the city like a beacon of faith amidst a rapture, black smoke had already stained the roof of the venerable building, and it was a miracle the nearby fires hadn’t spread. Still, it was the safest option in a pinch, for starters it had an underground section. Susannah reached the main doors and set her wounded passenger down; she began hammering on the main door.
“OPEN UP! I HAVE A WOUNDED MAN!” she screamed at the top of her lungs
The door swung open and a priest in a bloodied green habit revealed himself, the Prelate pointed to the injured man and motioned for two nuns to bring him in. the sisters rushed forward with a stretcher and hauled the man inside, he moaned in agony as they did so. Sussanah stumbled in after them, the priest slamming the doors behind them.
“Where did you come from?” The priest asked gently as he led Sussanah down the steps into the church cellar
“Straffen Am Berg, found this man bleeding out from his leg, what else could I do father?” she replied wearily
“The great works call to all of us, though I fear I have little to offer save a cellar floor and prayer” the priest said with a tired look
Ahead of them countless wounded men and women lay strewn about the church under croft, many looked close to the end already. Sussanah frowned but checked her satchel, there was a full nurses kit at her disposal, it still would not be enough but at least it would be a start.
“I think I might be able to assist you with more tangible aid father” She said in a determined voice
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