NationStates Jolt Archive

Long, long, long ago, or so the legends say, there existed a foul and hiddious beast near the coasts of ancient Norway and Iceland. It was said of this beast, that he could take full warships down into the depths with him...whole. Even when not attacking, the beast was fearsome. So big was he, that his appearance on the surface could send out waves for miles, big enough to topple ships. So wide, that he was oft mistaken for whole islands. To sailors, though, the real threat was when he submerged again. So swift did he disappear, that his mass could create a viscious malestrom within the water, dragging unfortunate souls to the bottom of the sea. To survive, he would eat for three months, and spend an equal time digesting, snaring unfortunate victims who sailed overhead with his massive tentacles. For some, there could be no mistake, this was the Leviathan of Job...The Kraken

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The Grande Admiral of the Imperial Navy, Joshu Isoruku Yamamoto III, sat behind his desk, gazing upon a tall stretch of beige canvas fluttering in the wind outside the window, the sun glinting off of it slightly. The heavy, oak door to his office creaked open on its brass hinges and a man of slightly small stature walked in, shutting the door with a surprisingly soft "click" behind him. His boots echoed upon the maple floor as he walked up to the desk, bowing in respect and awaiting the admiral's response to his presence. "Hai, Starwin-san?"
"Sir, the Shogun has sent word. He is allowing in delegates from the Empire to observe Her. He said he has sent out messages already."
The admiral folded over a page in the small book he held in his lap. Spinning back around in his chair, he set it into an open drawer and shut it. "This will be for Her christening then?"
"Hai, Admiral-sama."
"Very well, prepare quarters for our esteemed guests."
"Hai." The other man bowed and left. Yamamoto opened another drawer and picked out a small, folded piece of aged paper. Opening it, there were characters hand-written in caligraphy.

To The Esteemed Grande Admiral Yamamoto,

Sir, these shall be your final assignments. Upon completion, you will be asked to retire.

You are hereby assigned to command the Imperial Court's largest new warship _[the characters were smuged beyond reading]__, as well as the command of the Eight-Eight Squadron and Eighth Fleet. You will serve here for three years.

You do us proud, Sir. Keep up the work a little longer.

Sincerely,

Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin

The Admiral sighed, wondering where it was he would be serving. The navy's largest ship was supposed to be the ICS Samurai, but rumors were abounding these days....
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To: My friends and allied leaders.

We cordially invite you to attend a momentous occassion within my nation. We ask that you send either your national leader, or your naval leaders, as that is what this situation calls for.

Please RSVP ASAP.

Yours in Friendship,

Shogun Nakamura Himrua Kenshin
on behalf of Grande Admiral Yamamoto

King John looked over the letter, and tossed it to the side. He turned to his computer, and sent off a response to the Shogunate:
Your Excellency, the Shogun, and the Grande Admiral Yamamoto,
Greetings in the name of all my countrymen. I have recieved your invitation, and will be attending this event that you are hosting, along with other members of my court. I look forward to once again visiting the Shogunate, as I have only visted once or twice before.
God Bless,
His Majestic Highness, John, by the Grace of God and the favor of the Apostolic See, King of Cherry Ridge, Leath-Ri of the Isles of Redemption, Archduke of the Imperial Grand Duchy of Bavaria, Marechal of the Imperial Guard of the Greater Prussian Empire, Lord Protector of Carmel, Guardian of the Sword of Saint Michael the Archangel, and Fidei Defensor
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The Ridgian Royal Jet roared through the sky over the Prussian continents, flanked by various fighers. As they reached the airspace of the Shogunate, the fighters fell away, and returned to the nearest Ridgian carrier.
After recieving permission to land (ooc: I'm assuming its ok, so you dont have to post the annoying crap), Antonette stepped off.
Following him onto the grund were the Lord Francis of Carmel, the Lord Colonel William Fitzgerald of the Royal Guard, Captain Charles Orlean of the Regular Army, Father Joseph Marco, Vicar General of Cherry Ridge, and George Cesari, a powerful "businessman" in Cherry Ridge. They all entered into a black, bullet proof, limosine, with Ridgian flags flying from the front, and followed the Psycoticans to where they were supposed to go.

OOC: Fluid time rocks.

Fleet Admiral Marko Zimmerov appeared at $arrival_place using newly developed technology called the "Plorriv," allowing them to teleport directly to wherever the plot dictates.

He was accompanied by Kynaz Tarakh Andropov, on behalf of his father, Tsar Alexei. Four Honour Guards were along for the ride, as were two members of Zimmerov's staff.

They went through the rituals of security and came to where they needed to be.

OOC: Short and sweet. Now, carry on!

Both groups were met by the normal security types and were put upon a large chopper. This then flew above the city out towards the naval base. Below, one could see the dozens of Ospreys running between buildings and the hundreds of cars on the raised highways. Finally, a few minutes later, it reached the base, circling above the huge, beige canvas structure. Slowly, it set down a few lengths away, where Admiral Yamamoto was waiting for them. He greeted them as they stepped off the chopper. "Welcome once again to the Imperial Shogunate!! Please, come this way. The party walked over to and into the office building, and passed many rows of cubicles, and then offices, before stepping back outside on the otherside, the canvas structure looming in front of them.

"What you are about to see is the most highly guarded secret in the entire Shogunate. I've not even seen it, and that's all I know," he said, no humor in his voice. However, he was interuppted by a loud, familiar "howdy." Kenshin was walking toward the party from further down the cement road. When he reached them, he greeted them all warmly.

"Well now. Yamamoto's right. This is the highest secret of the Shogunate. What is under this canvas will revolutionize the way naval battles are fought, and is second to none in the entire Greater Prussian Empire. Is there anybody here who has problems keeping secrets or gets queasy when presented with large displays of power that are in no way actually compensating for anything?"

Seeing as there were no concerns raised, he guided them to a large metal rectangle implanted into the canvas wall. The metal structure had a door in it, which he guided them through, and then through another door on the opposing wall. On the other side of the wall, there was a massive expanse inside the canvas. The light filtering in bathed the area in a saturated yellowish collor. In front of them stood a massive grey, metal wall. "Folks," Kenshin said happily, "I'd like to present to you a naval creation so monstrous, that the only name fitting enough for her was Kraken. No, that is not a wall you are staring at. That is the hull of the ship. I invite you to take a look back down the pier." Following his gesture, they could look down the pier, and then up at the monstrousity presented to them. The bow extended back a great distance to the forward battery array. Standing watch above the array was a sweeping bridge that looked heavily armored, due to the flight deck that ran over it. Due to the three rows of turrets running back in the battery, the vessel was so wide that she allowed for an additional two flight decks, stradling the superstructure and running the length of it. Running up the decks to the side of the superstructure were dozens of secondary turrets. And on top, like a mighty crown, sat a final structure, the top flight deck cutting through it's base. Mid level on this structure was a wrap around observation window that house the FCIC, or Fleet Combat Information Center.

"The ship has 26 main turrets, 64 secondary turrets, 8 total torpedo banks below water, two guided rocket banks, numerous CIWS turrets, and several missile launchers on each side. Any questions about this ship before your pre-christening tour?"

Antonette smirked and asked "What is the Psycotican Navy's policy for drinking on board ships?"

"Heh, so long as she's docked, you can drink all you want!" Kenshin said brightly. "In fact, she has her own bar on her, and her own grocery...complete with those sorts of drinks."

"All right, let's begin then, shall we?" Kenshin led them down the pier next to the massive hulk of steel/buckministerfullerene, more commonly known as "Bucky Balls". This was a highly strong structure of carbon atoms resembling a soccer ball. Finally, they reached a boarding tower near the forward battery array, or Battery Array Alpha. Climbing up that, nearly 75 feet high, they emerged onto a metal walkway. Looking down, he indicated a bulge just above the water line. "This, my friends, is a magentohydrodynamic drive. This uses electrical power to attract polar water molecules and drive them through, like a watery jet engine, only with out much sound. The Kraken is also powered by tradtional propellers, to save power. At full power, this ship can travel at 35 knots, and still keep 75% power in Battery Array Alpha.


(OOC: Still more comming later)

He brought the rest of the group on deck, straight inline with the main gun line. He indicated upwards. "From here, you can get a very good view of the front of the ship. Notice how the bridge is protected from above by the main flight deck, and on either side by the other two. This ship has a fighter launch rate of 48 fighters per minute, using the electromagnetic linear catapults. At full capacity, she can still maintain 25 knots. She also equals her launch rate with her recovery rate, though both are cut in half if commencing at the same time, unless the ship is not moving."

He walked them down the port side of the ship next. "Here, you'll see the massive arrays of AA guns. These are manned and automated 20 and 40 millimeter flak guns. Automated systems are near veunerable spots, such as main turrets, the bridge, and flight decks. Manned systems are everywhere else, allowing for intelligent discretion. You'll also see as we walk along that there are four battery arrays of 8" ballistic-cannons set in double mount turrets. There are 32 per side. Also, there are 4 banks of torpedo launchers below the waterline, 32 quad-mounts per bank. As they continued walking the ship's staggering 2,560 foot length, Kenshin continued pointing out key objects on the superstructure. "There are 21 75mm CIWS turrets per side, along with 28 quad-mounted missile launchers, and one guided/unguided rocket launcher bank per side." Finally, they reached the aft main-turret array. "Now, any questions on the outside of the vessel before we proceed inside?"