---
The waters east of Fort Sentinel had been calm for two days. Too calm.
Then at 0500 hours, the calm shattered.
> ALERT: PIRATE FLOTILLA DETECTED – SECTOR ECHO-7
Count: 5 Vessels
Composition: 1x Heavy Cruiser Retrofit, 2x Gunboats, 2x Drone Barges
Status: Approaching Resource Convoy Route (Timber Delta)
Reeve was in the command center in seconds.
"Deploy Task Force Sierra," he ordered. "Lion and Vanguard to intercept. Spectre-01 on overwatch. Raven-1 on early warning loop."
Keira's eyes flashed as she reviewed telemetry. "Enemy cruiser's running full ECM. Civilian radar can't penetrate. Could be holding heavier weapons than last time."
"All the more reason to take it apart piece by piece."
---
> TASK FORCE SIERRA COMPOSITION:
FFG Lion (Formidable-Class)
FFG Vanguard (Formidable-Class)
SU-30N Spectre-01 (Air Superiority / ASM)
NH90 Support Helo (ASW / MedEvac)
ETA to contact: 27 minutes.
---
The sea reflected a sky slowly turning red as dawn approached. Lion led the formation, slicing across waves at 28 knots. Her Herakles radar was running full sweep, trying to pierce through the pirate ECM veil.
Spectre-01 soared overhead at 10,000 meters, silent and watchful.
"Visual contact," came from Vanguard's CIC. "Enemy cruiser at 42 km. Painted in rust-red. Bow-mounted turret. Missile canisters port and starboard."
Reeve's voice came cool over the comms. "Fire control: prepare a staggered strike. Spectre-01 to begin softening with ASMs. Lion, lock Harpoon spread. Vanguard, follow with VLS strike once splash confirmed."
"Spectre-01, engaging," Raven-1 confirmed.
The jet banked and nosed downward.
> LAUNCHING: 2x Kh-35U Anti-Ship Missiles Flight Time: 55 seconds
The missiles surged ahead, sea-skimming and shielded by active ECM pods. The pirate cruiser's CIWS opened fire, but too late.
> IMPACT – Hull Amidships
Secondary Explosion – Munitions Compartment
Structural Integrity: 64%
Then came Lion's Harpoons.
Four missiles. Two hits. One ripped into the stern, disabling the rear propulsion. The other tore through the command deck.
Vanguard followed up with vertical-launched Aster SAMs reconfigured for anti-surface targeting.
> CRUISER DISABLED – Dead in Water
The two gunboats turned to flee.
"Don't let them escape," Reeve growled.
Spectre-01 looped wide and released short-range cluster munitions. The lead gunboat broke apart mid-turn. The second was finished by Lion's 76mm gun.
---
Thirty-five minutes after contact, it was over.
Two vessels sunk. One crippled. Two disabled and captured. No Allied losses.
> SALVAGE RECOVERED:
1,200 Steel
900 Electronics
300 Fuel Units
High-Value Data Core (Unknown Encryption – Naval Format)
Weapon Blueprint: Dual 88mm Auto-Turret (CIWS / Ground Suppression)
As Lion's drone crew began inspecting the cruiser wreck, Keira radioed from the bridge.
"It's an older NATO hull—converted. Could've been a derelict the pirates lifted. Engines are shot, but the systems might be recoverable."
Reeve paced the CIC. "Tag it. We'll tow it in and dissect every bolt."
---
Back at Fort Sentinel, Spectre-01 returned to base. Raven-1 transmitted combat footage, thermal logs, and radar data for analysis.
Keira handed Reeve the decrypted fragments from the cruiser's data core.
> CORE FRAGMENTS DECRYPTED:
Blueprint: Modular CIWS Turret Mk II
Subsystem: Interlinked Target Matrix (Improves AA Kill Chain by 22%)
NAV-COM Protocol Variant: ECS v7.1 (Modified Naval OS)
Unregistered Communication Log: Reference to "Hollow Sea Treaty"
Reeve paused.
"Treaty?"
Keira scrolled further. "Mentions a name—'Commander Juno.' Possibly another player. Organized."
The idea of a rival command structure sent a chill through the CIC.
"Prep our defenses. And flag any comm bursts that match this OS. We may not be alone."
---
At the edge of the western horizon, a long-range surveillance drone recorded a flicker of movement—another ship, large, grey, shaped like a wedge. It turned before the drone could get a full scan.
But it was enough.
Someone else had watched the battle.
And they now knew Fort Sentinel had teeth.
---
[End of Chapter Seventeen]