"What!?" The Kerfeliz admiral yelled totally flabbergasted by what the messenger had just said. "Our invasion fleet has all been sunk!?"
"Y-yes… S-sir-"
The admiral threw the glass to the other side of the room, shards crackling, scattered on the floor. "The Germans!" He cried, his voice reaching through the mutiple rooms of the sea-side headquarters.
The knight stood still and vibrating in fear. Afraid to say a word.
The admiral somewhat calmed himself, walking towards the window outlooking the Gale sea weakily. "This was bound to happen. Without the Lottidenty warships, we wouldn't stand a chance against the German equilavents. Have you seen their warships? Agility. Power. Technology," -he sighed- "I am sorry for lashing out so suddenly, but the Germans. Whenever I think of the Germans… I can't help but lash out."
He walked over to the knight and patted him on the back, leaving the room.
The knight felt a cutting stare graze his neck.
( * )
[In the Lottidenty Capital]
"The Germans are undoubtfully cunning." The admiral slammed the wooden table; "during the past half year, we've tried desperately to stop the German Counter-intellegence, all spies (we believe) have yet to see our projects. Our fleet."A grin formed, raising his hands dramatically to the air.
His subordinates gave him the paper, "there. There it is." He chuckled, "we have created the German Killer! As of the moment, she makes her way to Gresh, is that correct?"
"Yes, it is admiral-sir."
"Truly prefect!"
---
Hastily made Lottidentian ships of the line. Yet were one of the only ships that could even have the chance of destroying a German one.
The Lottidenty,
The Kerfeliz,
The Annul,
And the Lotzee.
Four great battleships built with the latest designs of the Empire. Each were around a hundred-fifty meters (which was a stark difference to the average fifty to sixty meter galleons). The main difference between German and German-ilk warships. Was that they were purely main guns.
True battleships.
Thirty-centimeter twin barreled main turrets. Six in total. From Aft to bow. Arranged neatly in one line.
There was practically no bridge for there was no need for one. And there was also no masts. It moved twelve knots with it's prototype engines, without funnels, it relied only on the floor-grated vents that expelled the smoke from multiple places from the ship.
Because of that, the whole deck, the whole hull, everything; was painted a deep black. There were a number of protrusions around the ship's sides that were mini rooms for observations on the horizon.
The Lottidenty, Kerfeliz, and the Annul had this feature. No mast and no bridge battleships. With purely firepower to their name. However the Lotzee had only two main turrets. With it's prominent and large superstructure strictly for observation and range finding.
Wherein, when a ship is spotted in the distance, the Lotzee would communicate via the prototype radios stationed deep within the center of the ships.
"But I'm afraid still." Captain Furgurson looked-on worriedly, "this ship doctrine is very new. Relies on range, and this one ship. The Lotzee. The Germans are cunning! What will we do if the Lotzee sinks? That's why I despise this plan. But it is our bestest of chance."
"Aye, cap." The quartermaster opened a casket containing a singular bottle of rum. "However, with four battleships that can deal significant damage, land and water, the Germans wouldn't excuse this and would not engage so willy-nilly," -he poured the rum on a wooden cup, sliding it towards Furgurson- "Sir, a suggestion. If the Germans have superior range finding, I suggest we open up (as soon as we get hit or we see them ourselves) a whole volley of fire upon yonder direction."
"Each reload takes ten-twenty minutes give or take." Furgurson took the cup and sipped it, "too slow. I can't risk turning the whole line inactive for a singular volley. The Germans have advanced reloading systems, so that thought it could work, is risky." He put the cup down, the cup rolling down onto the wooden floor as the ship lists in the heavy waves of, "Gale, we're here."
A gulp. "Cap, I hope'er the best, the range finding officers will be on their guard for any signatures." He saluted and left his quarters.
"It's noon." He grunted, retrieving the cup to get more rum, "a big indicator of a ship in distance wouldn't be their masts but their smoke. And the four ships of the line have alot of black smoke since we're relying on coal. Oil is too expensive to process and wouldn't be viable since the Oil markets are within the German Sphere.
"The Scharnhorst 'will' see us first." He groaned, chugging down the whole cup. "The formation is simple, a wing. The Lotzee is frontmost yet lies furthest back at the base of the wing. Going down in a stair are the other four battleships (which) in an encounter, the Scharnhorst should fire and see the other nearer ones before the Lotzee.
"I take advantage of sacrifice to fire back. Since I have no understanding of German firepower, I doubt our battleships could hold up. But (in the tests the admiralty conducted) the armor plates can hold up to the thirty centimeter guns of the line.
"The armor also slopes up (as the engineers who worked on the tanks also worked on the design of the ships). In some tests, if far away enough, the shell has a small chance of a ricochet. And that's what I'm hoping for.
"A miracle." He stood up, walking to the bulkhead door. He turned around, the small circular window of his quarters and the view of the rough noon sea of Gale.
A heavy feeling in his heart. "Is impossible."
( * )
A heavy relay hurled the Scharnhorst into overdrive with alarms blaring about. It's weapons primed.
"Bearing 285, Enemy ship. Recorded distance of nineteen kilometers, ship is heading south-east traversing laterally the Scharnhorst. Enemy has yet to spot the Scharnhorst."
Captain Felmenn guided his officers to their respective roles with a barrage of orders. First the turrets; the Scharnhorst's three triple barreled turrets rotated then elevated at a hard angle,
The Optical rangefinders were able to figure out the angle and the distance rather easily using Trigonometry.
Secondly, Felmenn ordered for the Scharnhorst to steam at full-speed ahead while keeping it's distance away from the spotted battleship. The fair distance of Scharnhorst's turrets can reach twenty kilometers and above, however, Felmenn didn't want to split the gap that much.
And lastly, "that no one fucks up."
The mechanical hum of the Scharnhorst, the battleship itself was fighting the waves as the turrets prepare to plunder their blow.
The sailors' hearts were bumping like crazy. It was the first time for them to fight something equal to them in some regard. Felmenn felt it too. Battleship on Battleship action was unexpected.
"Relay the information to HQ that the NA have battleships." Felmenn bit his thumb nail in nervousness. "Relay them also the description of the battleship in the distance."
"Yes, sir!"
"The ship doesn't have a bridge. It hasn't seen us, and hasn't any movement. I won't let this opportunity strike me."
"Fire in consequtive! Belay wasting our rounds! Sink those ships to mother sea!" Felmenn yelled!
*fshh
A mechanical click!
An explosion!
The nine shells propelled their way into the air as fast as it left their barrels. HE rounds, Felmenn didn't want to use AP rounds immidiately, to test the armors of the battleships.
Then;
---
A deafening roar pierced the ears of the Kerfeliez and Lottidenty sailors, they ran to the decks and towards their battlestations. All while trying to get the latest information (as their radios had a significant twenty second delay).
From the horizon, Furgurson sighted in the Lottidenty (the farthest away in the formation) in a big smoke-ball. The structure was barely visible. "Ahh by Goodness!" His brows furled, furiously shouting, "Fire now! Find the distance! The Lottidenty will sink at that rate, immidiately, when you gain radio relay; 'fire aimlessly!' We need to respond!"
"Yes, captain!"
Furgurson immidiately examined the field once more. The Lottidenty was hit with a trumendous shot, maybe a full salvo to try and sink the ship. There were five compartments on the whole ship so it shouldn't sink even if two were submerged.
"The ammuniton store-house should have been hit! Damned! The Lottidenty's propellant exploded, and there's all the effects! All wisking itself in the damned wind."
As soon as he was about to lash out, there finally was a radio message. The telegraph said; "Ammunition Store-House hit! Captain's Quarters hit! Aft-most turret hit! We are preparing to fire under relative direction. Sailors could not see anything."
"The German warship is out of our view, out so much that we in the Lotzee can't see them." Furgurson calmed down and took count of the events, "all of the hit parts are at stern. The ship should be lateral our position and are moving up.
"Seeing our guns, I doubt they'll stand still. Moving up and keeping distance is a strategy. Our firepower is halved if the German warships decides to fire at the back of our formation.
"Relay to all that we're turning hard to port, and to retreat nearer to the Lotzee to defend it, and so our rangefinders can more accurately give fire."
"Aye, captain!" The officers ran.
The Lottidenty was still up in smoke, the smoke itself should cover the locations of the other ships simply because of how thick and black it is. It's only a miracle that the rounds were not able to hit the propellors and rudder of the Lottidenty.
He chuckled, "a miracle."
But before he could bask in his thoughts, another deafening roar shook the clouds, the Lottidenty (just a second before firing it's own guns) was shot also!
Furgurson was furious!
After thirty seconds, he received the telegraph;
"three compartments have been breached the Lottidenty is taking in heavy water. Our boiler-room, and two other turrets have become inoperable. The Lottidenty has been defeated. Our sailors are escaping through lifeboat."
As Furgurson finished the report's contents, he crumpled it, walked over to the bridge wing, and furiously threw it out to the ocean.
"Status on our battleships?" Furgurson turned back at his officers to say.
"Preparing to fire, sir-"
*boom!
The Annul and Kerfeliz had both respectively fire their bow-most gun, the four shells soared the sky. The shells were a primative magic-type propellant that can be able to explode without much gunpowder simply because of the fire magic within it as catalyst.
---
"Counter-fire!"
Not far away from the Scharnhorst, a gush of water erupted like a geyser, the enemies have fired.
Immidiately, Felmenn ordered sharp portside, quickly avoiding most of the shots. Unfortunately, the Scharnhorst's midship armor-belt was hit.
[FIRE CONTROL]
Alarms blared within the Scharnhorst whilst engineers quickly scrambled down the hull, towards the shock. Felmenn quickly ordered for the damage report.
"Sir!" An officer ran to him, "no significant damage at point of contact."
"But we still got hit." Felmenn said, "create distance while we observe the fleet. Fire repeatedly at that direction. Since I see no bridge, they can't see us-"
"Sir!" Another officer ran up to him, "three ships, sir. The same six turrets featured on two of the ships however the third one's different. Two twins aft, bow, tall bridge and funnels, the other two ships hug close to it-"
"Which means," Felmenn interupted, "we've found our grand target. How far is it?"
"Ranges say twenty-five kilometers, sir."
"Then fire at that ship and that ship only!
"Yes sir!"
With the fast fire rate of the Scharnhorst, it was able to get in a great broadside barrage from 'that' yonder direction. The Aft turret fired not as much for the Rangefinders used it with their more accurate shots.
"Hit!" An officer pointed out,
"Another hit!" Another pointed out.
As Felmenn observed and as the hits started to rack up, he saw that the battleships suffered in the armor department. The hit on one of the six turreted battleships' upper bow blew the whole deck (in proximity of).
The other battleship took a hit on it's midship, where a ship's armor should be greatest within. But, the metal looked to have crumpled in the strength of the Scharnhorst's multiple confirmed hits.
"Their ships are weak. But if they hit us in the right spots, they are powerful. They are glass cannons." Felmenn let his binoculars (strapped like a necklace) fall on his chest, "if their captain was any smarter, they'd have used the power of distance to their advantage. But seeing as their reloading is slow, I doubt they would even have a chance even so."
The quartermaster spotted the tall Lotzee, "sir, the main battleship in the fleet was not hit. The other two appear to be slowly sinking."
Felmenn smirked, "broad on port bow. Firing at target. We need to get closer for accurate hits."
"Yes, sir!"
---
Captain Furgurson could not fathom the scene happening. In mere minutes the two biggest ships of the line were sinking and at an alarming rate. The Annul and Kerfeliz's bottom reloading stations were already submerged, and the stern-most guns of the two ships (which were ready to fire) was at an angle too complex to handle.
"Can the sinking be controlled?" Furgurson questioned the radioman.
Twenty seconds later and four hits from the Scharnhorst to the Kerfeliz they responded, "Annul can be controlled. Compartments one and two are submerged and fire on the upper deck is being controlled. We cannot use first and second gun because of it, however the other four guns stern-wise can."
The Kerfeliz was too far gone. With accurate shots to the ship's midship, the water gushed inside of the weak-shelled Kerfeliez, it's shut down compartments not being able to do a single thing to prevent the sinking as a massive fire also streaks the upper decks.
An explosion!
Furgurson was blown aback, "God be damned! Their ammunition storage blew up!"
Clouding the sky in black, the soot from the charcoal landing on Furgurson's face, he could not believe what was transpiring before him. With the Kerfeliz basically gone, only the Lotzee and the Annul can make any real kind of difference.
"And whatever difference that could be, it wouldn't be enough to thwart that German ship." He scratched his head, faster, and faster, until ripping a fews strands in the process. "Turn portside, bearing three-hundred."
"Yes captain!"
Furgurson felt the ship, it's mechanical-ness undulating and vibrating the whole thing as the rudder turned roughly. Unlike the other two, the Lotzee was able to propell at a generous eighteen knots. If the German ship was able to run a least four-three knots more, that was alright for Furgurson.
As the Annul had already stopped, Lotzee surpassed it by port without issue.
Annul's stern guns fired (after a long reload) at the silhouete peaking in from the distance. And there, Furgurson now saw his enemy.
"There it is." Furgurson and the officers of the bridge gathered to look and observe, all using their binoculars to look closer, "it's the one that destroyed the invasion-fleet in Gale a few nights back. Three triple barreled turrets that can fire rapidly.
"A tall bridge, with spotlights attached on it's peaks, a sharp, elegant bow. And most importantly, a dreadful power."
"The Wolf of the Gale Sea." Furgurson gulped,
Then he turned around; "the Hell are you all doing! To your stations! To your stations! If you have time to stand, then I'd have the time to all throw you overboard!"
The bridge shouted a military apology.
"A flash on the ship's stern!" Furgurson noted, immidiately shouting; "forward, port beam!"
"Forward port beam!" An officer repeated, the ship quickly and sharply turned to it's port, almost a one-eighty towards the ship's original spot.
*Pshhh
A mountain of water quickly erupted, missing the Lotzee. But Furgurson quickly noted another flash of fire from the Scharnhorst, knowing there wouldn't be a lot of time; he shouted, "starboard beam! On starboard beam! Turn! Turn!"
The ship was hit!
The officers of the bridge were thrown aback, hitting the metal wall and some were even concussed. Furgurson quickly rose up to surveil the damage and for incoming fire.
"Captain!" A sailor from below the bridge yelled at him, Furgurson ran to the bridge wing to look at him,"fire at stern! We were hit at stern and the rudder mechanism was thrown! We need atleast ten minutes to fix it!"
Furgurson slammed the bridge railing in anger, "go now! Go now!" He returned to the bridge in bottomless ire.
"Fire at the ship!"
"Yes, captain!" The weakened officers quickly ran to relay the order while Furgurson noted another round of lights from the German battleship.
"Too fast, my rudder's broken!" He couldn't help but feel helpless, gripping onto the bridge's metal braces, and machinery of the bridge's rugged-self.
The first explosion! A thankful miss yet too near.
The ship shook!
A devastating hit to the ship's upper superstructure, sent Furgurson to the floor, hitting his head hard on the metal.
"The distance is closing at every minute," Furgurson weakily stood up, covering the bleeding wound on his head, "the armor of the Lotzee is tough, but not tough enough to shoulder the damage, and the speed is neglible with the efficiency."
He looked out the bridge window.
A yellow thunder rushed towards him.
"Suck my penis! DAMNED GERMANS!"
---
"Engaging battleship's bridge has been shot. Battleship further back is sinking."
Felmenn smiled as the radio transmission cut off. "It is victory, men!"
The officers of the bridge yelled a joyous shout of relief and accomplishment. The Scharnhorst had won the encounter of the Lottidentian fleet. With only a scratch to it's hull, Captain Felmenn Erin delievers victory for the fatherland. A hard blow for the Northern Alliance war effort and naval force. How will 'they' continue this one-sided war?
(An excerpt from the German Times)
Captain Jack couldn't help his excitedness in the news he had just read. "Ah! Me' great man Felmann! Knew his brains ticked clockwise and clockwork fine!" -He cried a hearty sailor's laugh with his salt-ridden voice- "How I'd yearn for dem North! But here I' stuck in the East to help Hesia." He threw the newspaper on the table.
Captain Jack and his Atago was docked in Port Geo for maintenance and refitting two of the barrels of the three front turrets, two of them had become quite worn under the many months out at sea,
He had learned of Hierd's success in the Ruskan invasion just the night prior. And he knew that the second step involved Atago and Hesia's ships across two sides of Hesia.
Atago and the Hesia (the battleship) would help in the landing mission in the contested southern Ruskan beaches a week from now. At the moment, the necessary amount of Germany's soldiers would be coming back from the Handerbour invasion force three days from now, and the SS Maguildafaulkner would come back just three more days from then.
Captain Jack stood up, the night sky filled with fewer and fewer stars as the lights of Port Geo began to increase day by day. Like Unchean's blinding greatness, you could even count the amount of stars with only two hands. Jack sighed exhausted by it all, unconsiously drinking the bottle of rum on his left hand.
"The beach'e just ein outpost of deserted Ruska' forces. They's a determined folk and the detached company there have been holdin' back quite a few. But what's really in me mind of worry's the damned inner-war appenin' behind the mount' range."
"The mountin' range." He thought again before looking out of the Atago to get a glimpse of the great mountain range.
Past the city lights of Port Geo;
He couldn't help but point out a distinct sillhouete,
No;
A group of sillhouetes!
"A whole for damned' army of sillhouetes!"
Just three seconds later, an alarm blared in the whole of Port Geo, and simultainously an announcement roared; "Port Geo is under attack! Please evacuate to the nearest German Bunker. I repeat. Port Geo is under attack! Please evacuate to the nearest German Bunker."
It went on longer;
Jack heard and saw the battle happening from where he stood to the top of the mountain range. "How'd they not see the invasion force come!? Why'd the alarms sound just naw' onlee!? This ain't good. Ain't good at all!"