NationStates Jolt Archive

'This is Federal Coastal monitor station to Lavenrunzian aircraft, please remain on your current vector.'

The lights of Hammer Bay are visible in the distance now, shimmering off the water in front of the port city. It's a pretty foggy night, the moon struggling to shine through the clouds, and snow falls gently over Marshall Island.

'This is coastal monitor station to Lavenrunzian aircraft, we are placing a returning squadron on your approach vector, this squadron will drop into escort formation with you; do not be alarmed. Should you need to contact them the fighters are Temple Zero-Three to Temple Zero-Seven sequential, the bomber is Wyvern Two-Zero.'

Shortly afterwards, a squadron of black-painted Federal aircraft drop into formation with Aurora's aircraft, a giant Grand Dragon bomber slowly pulling in alongside; glancing out the window, Aurora might see the waist gunner wave to her.

'Continue on current flight path to land at Gerhart International Airport, over.'

...I'm a hazard to myself
Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
I wanna be somebody else
the song went on in Aurora's headphones. She waved at the tailgunner.
First visit to GMC was a fantastic idea, when she thought about. GMC was fairly neutral in world affairs, though friendly to Lavenrunz, had chosen no clear sides in that Chimaea/Syskeyia affair.
"We will be landing soon, Majesty." said a flight attendant, a corporal in the Imperial Air Force. "May I recommend that Your Majesty fasten Your seatbelt?"
Aurora did fasten it, nodding her thanks.
The new foreign minister had his eyes closed. Von Effner hated flying. Aurora grinned.

The squadron escorting banks away towards a nearby military airbase as they approach the runway. Waiting to greet them on the runway is a small party including Rachel Knight, the External Affairs Speaker, and Field Marshal Embersby. Both bow deeply, 'Your Imperial majesty,' Annie smiles, 'It's an honour to meet you.'

"It's an honour to be here." Aurora replied. "This is my Foreign Minister, von Effner, my Media Secretary Baroness von Toll, the commander of my bodyguard, Colonel von Paderborn." she did not bother to introduce the small honour guard or the servants and secretaries present. "And this of course," she added, petting the head of a large leopard that prowled down to stand beside her , "Is Thirty Camelias. Well: where to first?"

Anne-Marie smiles, saluting as each person is introduced, then turning to the Empress, 'Well, your majesty, there is the issue of a proper welcome for you before anything else...If you'll follow me?'

She leads Aurora down a short path to the waterfront, the silent forms of four warships visible out a way out in the bay. She raises her arm, then lets it drop. With an almighty report and a huge flash, the ships fire.

'Dreadnoughts Nihilanth and Akujiki, Railship Herne and battleship Tanager...Your 21-gun salute, Empress.' she grins, 'Welcome to the Federation.'

Aurora smiles, a little breathtaken and says, "Thank you, I am honoured. What do the first two names mean, by the way?" As she asks this she looks at the ships, fascinated by their size and seeming invincibility...

Anne-Marie smiles, looking a little embarassed, 'Well, I'm afraid for all I know they just picked names that sounded good, Empress...I'm really not the right person to be talking to about the Navy's vessel naming schemes.'

She glances around, 'It's getting pretty late...' she smiles, 'schedule says tommorrow morning Your Imperial Majesty will be inspecting the fleet and shipyard facilities...' she points up at a vast dark shape that juts out over a mile from the surrounding docks and slipways, 'Including that...'

Aurora burst out laughing. She clapped her hands together and nearly had to wipe tears away. "That's wonderful, Field Marshal. So you don't know? Ha ha! Well, find out for me sometime. I'm sure some of our admirals don't know where the ships in our fleet got their names. Yes, by all means, the tour sounds fine."

Anne-Marie nods, smiling, 'I'll have a officer assigned to show you around tomorrow, Empress...For tonight, the officer's quarters at the Navy base have been made ready for you. Shall we?'

A while later, they're enjoying dinner in the officer's quarters mess hall; spaghetti bolognese, excellently cooked.

Aurora does not mind, but she is wondering what this says about GMC Military Arms. She tries to hide her laughter as she eats the spaghetti, thinking of how her mother told a war story of her first meal with the Field Marshal, who looked 'as spooked as a kid hearing a ghost story at summer camp'.
Now, don't frighten the Field Marshal, Mama...
God, she missed her.
She looked up at Anne-Marie and said, "If I can ask you an awkward but...well, I will just ask. What did you think of my Mother, when she visited?"

Anne-Marie thinks for a moment; 'If it's not too simple an answer, I liked her...' she looks a little sad, 'I'd have liked to have seen her again...I said when she left that she was always welcome in my house...'

[Just skipping to the next day, but carry on that conversation if you like]

Hammer Bay is a hive of activity as always, dozens of ship hulls at varying stages of completion line the waterfront shipyards, some civil, some military; several of those are unrecognisable classes. The military ships usually have a flag flying on a pole beside them or on their masthead, indicating who they're being built for; at least one flies the Lavenrunzian Navy flag.

'That's a destroyer, the next is a frigate, that's a Vertical Carrier...' Annie points out as they pass each, 'That's the battleship Conrad B Hart we're building for The Hack...'

Glancing around, Aurora can see construction teams hard at work; some stop and salute as the party passes. She's probably seen more catpeople on this short walk than in her entire life beforehand; the Bay seems a pretty diverse place.

Up ahead the dark shape she saw the night before stands, now visible in the early morning light. It's a ship unlike anything she'll have ever seen before, resting on a colossal brace holding her hull horizontal on a slightly inclined slipway. The central hull is enormous, easily over a mile long, and seems divided roughly into three equally sized areas by armament; her three awesome triple turrets dominate the foredeck, her midsection is raised superstructure and her stern a flat area that looks like a carrier deck. About halfway down the main hull, two smaller hulls around a third of the main one's length are attached by long, heavily reinforced spar arms.

In terms of outline, she appears finished; only a few missing surface systems, smaller fixtures and hatches indicate otherwise. Occasionally flashes from welding torches are visible on her deck.

Standing before the Supercruiser waiting for them is a young woman, perhaps a year or two older than Aurora, wearing a Navy Captain's dress uniform. She's quite tall for her apparent age, and has short white hair and pale yellow eyes. Annie grins, 'The Navy's assigned you a rather special guide, Empress...There's nobody who knows more about the Supercruiser than her, I'm sure...' she smiles, gesturing to Aurora, 'This is Her Imperial Majesty Aurora von Sachausen, Empress of Lavenrunz. Empress, this is Yui.'

Yui bows gracefully, 'Your majesty, it's an honour to meet you.'

Annie smiles, 'One last thing before I have to go, Empress...' she points over to a submarine battleship moored across the harbour, 'There'll be an official handover ceremony when your crew arrives for training with her, but that belongs to you. Your majesty, as of now that is the Imperial Lavenrunzian Navy's railship Islay.'

[And yes, that's the post I lost. You can see how I found that a little annoying, ne?]

Aurora was breathtaken. "This is for Lavenrunz? It exceeds all expectations!" she crossed herself. "What a marvel. Yui, can you tell me about this? I read my mother's notes but the ship wasn't finished then...and you are the expert."