NationStates Jolt Archive

Mid Ocean, somewhere between Kiribati and Hawaii

As far as the eye could see -further, in fact- jetsam littered the ocean. Wooden wreckage bore telltale signs of fire. In the middle of all this, a small unpowered launch lolled on the waves, beaten by the late morning sun as, aboard, five white men and eight Polynesians lay at death's door. The Polynesians, dressed in half-masts and blue and white hooped shirts, huddled at one end, several clutching small wooden crucifixes and other keepsakes whittled to perfection during long sea voyages. At the other end of the craft, the Europeans were similarly grouped though slightly better dressed in bell-bottom trousers and some wearing caps. One, at their centre, was prostrate under a sky-blue tunic from beneath which protruded his right hand, a pepperbox revolver clasped even in semi-consciousness. Between the two groups, a metal drum fixed to the wooden lifeboat and stopped by a large cork now lay virtually empty, the iron ladle strung to it incapable of gathering up the last few drops of fresh water contained within.

One of the Polynesians had enough energy to play blindly with his rosary beads, while a white man mumbled softly, apparently repeating near gibberish in Latin. The rest were motionless, save for the shallow rising and falling of a few exhausted chests.

Attracted by reports of black smoke seen rising in the region over the previous two days, a foreign vessel eased up beside the lifeboat, quite unnoticed by its occupants.

OOC. Need the investigating vessel to belong to somebody! Others are free to respond as well, having learned of the aforementioned black smoke and/or strange debris.

OOC Thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=589311)

The Shoggoth rose silently from the depths, it's absorbtive black, anechoic skin shedding water as it surfaced. The hunter killer sub's small crew - actually only on board for a check cruise - clambered out of the topside personell hatch quickly, lugging their pittifully small med kit and what other supplies they had available after them.

The Shoggoth had surfaced so close to the life boat that it had nearly capsized, rocking hard in the swell raised.

"Ho the boat! We've got some help for you and more coming" The Louie in charge of the team called as he clambered over the side. Lieutenant Jackson shook his head at the sight and motioned Ensign Anna Waters and Technicial Specialist Guntree after him "Don't let them drink too much at once, it will shock their systems."

He'd requested Shoggoth to send a high priorioty message to the Sperpents Tooth, the massive super carrier that was working in conjunction with the C.S. submarine. She and her protective task force were streaming this way at top speed, and for some of the outriders that meant at nearly fifty knots.

The sudden swell in which the little boat was caught sent a little salt water spilling over the sides, and caused a few bodies to stir slightly.

The mumbling European went on, his Latin now appearing to be something less than that, at least impure or colloquial, as he raved meekly about fire and iron. A couple of the Polynesians seemed to rouse a little and almost picked themselves up. The rest would have to be hauled as barely more than dead weight if the submariners wanted to get them off the lifeboat.

The man under the tunic had an iron grip on his archaic percussion-cap revolver, which had four barrels, three of which were still loaded, but could do little more than shiver and moan pathetically at this stage.

The antique weapon would be gently pried from the all but unconscious mans grasp after he had been give but a bare wetting of the mans lips. The Looie was cautious around the little weapon, but judged that what medical help could be given was more important.

The other two spread out , as much as they were able, given their so very mi,ited numbers, and proceeded to try and render such as as possible. They tried to evaluate whom among the cast aways needed it the most, a rough triage - being part of the Tanaaran Military meant that all three had attened numerous first aid courses, and since they were in the Navy at least one cladd had been specifically about the conditions they were finding here.

And no there was no room for any of them in the Shoggoth, the trio aboard were in cramped conditions as it were, there only for a cherck cruise after replacing and upgrading a communications interface. The C.S. subs operated alone, independantly for the most part, entrusted with the Fatal Terrain regions defense network.

But the Serpents Tooth and her escorts were now less than half an hour out and the menancing thum of high speed ducted turbines could be heard as a Tanaaran variant (http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/AerialHunterKilleronPatrol.jpg) of a jetsprey sped towards their location at less than fifty feet above the waves.

"Here sip it slowly" The trio urged the ones that needed rehydration the most, holding bottles of cool water to parched lips as the sleek lethal shape of the jetsprey slowed off to hover off to the side and a pair of rescue swimmers slid out to enter the oceans waters along with a float palate loaded with more of what those in the life boat would need.

As a few of the men stired just a little with the giving of water, they seemed agitated by the arrival of the jetsprey, a couple stretching out arms towards it and blinking their dehydrated and sun-battered eyes while others seemed to cower.

A couple of the white men were especially badly sunburned, though the Polynesians hadn't been unhurt by Sol's whip, and a few of the survivors struggled even to open their mouths sufficiently to take on water, their tongues having swelled. Amazingly, all were still alive... though of course the boat did appear to be designed for perhaps two dozen men rather than the thirteen it contained when discovered.

Some of the Polynesians were now whispering and mumbling in their obscure dialect, and the man who'd held the revolver and worn the tunic was trying to bring himself to stand, though the continued toing and froing of the boat on the waves frustrated his efforts even as he was helped. If anyone spoke enough Latin to realise that he was butchering it, they may understand his self-identification as Captain.

OOC: is this MT or PMT?

OOC: Short answer- not really, no! Long answer- involves waiting and seeing, I suppose :P So long as you don't godmod or wank, you're probably welcome here.

OOC: I mean: is this Modern Tech or Post Modern Tech?

OOC: ...Short answer- not really, no! Long answer- involves waiting and seeing, I suppose :P So long as you don't godmod or wank, you're probably welcome here.

OOC: I would be happy if you stop the repeating of the same lines.

OOC: ...Short answer- not really, no! Long answer- involves waiting and seeing, I suppose :P So long as you don't godmod or wank, you're probably welcome here.

OOC: What Lynion is asking is what sort of technology is supposed to be used - MT is generally technology that is in use today, but PMT generally includes stuff that will be in use in some time in the future (eg. Early Lasers, Aerial Battleships etc)

OOC: Okay, I would be happy if people stopped being so slow-witted and understand what I'm saying and the significance of my choosing to repeat it. =)

OCC
good residence yesh, he saying you can be any tech as long as you don't godmod how is that hard?

IC
The USS Proetus (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Chazakain_Storefront/index.php?showtopic=7) continued to head towards the wisping smoke. The XO had seen the smoke just 20 minutes ago and with permission from hq had investigated. Just now he could see the first of the debris wreckage, "Captain we are getting close." "Good ready a life boat and the ROV I want to know what happened here..."

The Tanaarans were patient, giving the castaways careful sips of cool water.

"I think he's the captain" Ensign Waters advised the Lieutenant, after thinking hard for a moment and crossing her Latin from four years of secondary school and two years at the Academy and his mangling of it. The pepper pot revolver had been carefully stowed in one of the rescue packs, away from perhaps hysterical hands.

The Lieutenant nodded and helped one of the rescue swimmers pull a heavy pack over the gunwell. "See if you can keep him calm, we don't want this wreck capsizing."

"We're going to have to keep them all calm, I don't think they've ever seen a plane much less a 'sprey." The trechnical specialist muttered as the survivors became agitated. But he and the others never stopped offering water to ease dehydration - one of the rescue swimmers broke out a saline drip and began prepping the worst off for an I.V. - and skin gels to soothe and begin healing the sailors sunburn.

"Lieutenatn the pilot says they have a lock on some unknowns, they'll be in visual about the time the task force is. We're advixing the Serpents Reach as well. They'll be launching some UMA's and some Butterflies in less than five." One of the rescue swimmer's in contact with the Jestprey reported

North East of the Northern Line Islands

The smoke towards which Proetus was making in truth was of a different -all be it related- source to that which earlier had drawn the Tanaarans to the area. That fire was no longer burning, the Acanthus had long since gone to the bottom, leaving those survivors as were now in Tanaarian care and telling still confused and rambling tales of their ordeal.

The Proetus was on course to intercept another peculiar spectacle, this one belching black smoke from three stacks stood perfectly upright and painted gold. Almost 298 feet long, this vessel was making nine knots as her half-dozen coal-fired boilers drove two shafts and gave 9,000 horsepower by which to drive 4,300 tons inclusive of 236 hands. From her military masts the ship flew an unfamiliar standard upon which a bison's head was centred upon a white cross with red filling the lower spaces between its arms and blue the upper. The name Dragoman was painted on her sides, from which protruded a couple of sponson-mounted guns, while on the foredeck was a heavy turret mounting two short rifles answered by two more turrets on the afterdeck giving an unusual stretched appearance almost as if the ship was dragging an iron tail behind it.

On deck, several figures were attending to those guns, some scrubbing the barrels with long poles, others feeding ropes through, all giving the clear impression that the rifles had been recently discharged.

A crane was hauling a small wooden launch back aboard on the starboard side, and exiting it several more figures appeared to be celebrating the recovery from the water of a quite different ensign than the one flown from their ship. This one had three horizontal bands, sky blue surrounding a white central band on which were set two heraldic shields of gold and red.

As soon as the boat was secured, the ship began to make a steady turn back towards the east.

The USS Proetus had stopped about 50 meters outside of the growing debris field. The XO watched as the life boat and ROVs were lowered and sent on their assignments. The ROV was sent under to survive the ocean floor to see if any ships were readily seeable. While the lifeboat started to row towards the largest piece of still floating debris.
"Looks like some kind of battle sir."
"Indeed it does, hopefully the ROV can answer some questions."
"Tell the l-b to keep radio silence and only report back if fired upon or it finds something truly interesting..."

The Serpents Reach and her small flotilla of escorts arrived and the survivors were transferred to the super carrier and taken to her lavish medical center. The Serpents Reach (http://navy-matters.beedall.com/cvfimages/CVF-trimaran.jpg) was one of the oldest carriers in the fleet, two generations back, and long since regulated to training cruises, but she was still an impressive sight.

The Shoggoth didn't wait for the trio of naval personnel to return. The commo upgrade had been finished, successfully tested and the hunter killer sub saw no reason to hand around. Shoggoth wasn't very personable anyways.

Lt. Jackson was called to report to the Captain, who then passed the information already gathered, along with the unloaded pistol, to the admiral in charge of the task force.

"Long range recon?"

"Already out Admiral Foxworthy" Captain Indigo Zhang replied in her crisp manner. “And I’ve requested a look from on high” Little could hide from the cameras aboard an orbital eye.

"Good. Keep atop it and let me know what is found” He looked out the flag bridges wide windows, taking in the extensive debris field. “Some sort of corrupt Latin, you say? Interesting”

The task forces best Latin speaker, and others who knew the Polynesian dialects had been detached and brought to the carrier from their normal posts.

On the seabed, the Chazakans may find, if looking in just the right spot, a terribly damaged hull. Broken in half and with each section further damaged, the wooden shape still betrayed, to the expert eye, a clipper bow, and the splintered remains of several mastheads might be just about distinguished.

Amongst the remains of the cargo lately carried by the Acanthus, both sunken and floating, were barrels of ale and limewater, others of grease and fatty oil, crates full of iron nails, and thousands of large wooden planks, many of which were drifting about while others were trapped in the flooded hold.

Most if not all bodies had long since gone to the sharks.

Serpents Reach

By now the self-identified Captain was calling himself Lyndeham, though he was still far from perfectly clear and, like his men, was much disoriented and exhausted. One of the younger white men had begun to weep quietly, and a couple of the Polynesians kept falling to their knees in apparent prayer and gratitude. Most seemed likely to recover, in time, only one of the whites was failing to respond well to preliminary efforts to revive him, and the Captain seemed quite concerned for him.

As he sipped at his water, Lyndeham also cast a warey eye around the medical centre. He was having trouble taking in the Tanaaran sights. Still, as he gradually gathered his senses and listened to his hosts speech, his frowns flagged a slight change of attitude and he cautiously said to one of the medics, with a slight shake of his head and a clear questioning inflection, "Non Abar?"

Non Abar?"

The Lt. Commander, who when not on active duty taught latin, frowned slighty. "Not Abar?" in scholarly latin she replied "Forgive me, but I did not understand you"

THe one tagalog speaker they had in the taskforce approached the polynesians and attempted to engage them in questioning conversation. Trying to determine what had happend to them and their companions.

The medical team moved to full dehydration rehydration therapies carefully monitoring the sickest of the rescuees. A second D5W saline drop was started in a lower leg cut down and then both legs elevated to force fluids back into the torso. If that did not bring about a satisfactory rise in fluid volume there were other steps they coulf go to. One medical technician did a blood draw to check the patients BUN, and other stats to see if kidney failure had begun.

"Sir, the ROV has found something."
"What?"
"A crate and a ship."
"Any marks of identification on her?"
"No sir and the sharks must have been busy no bodies either."
"Or the crew got away before she sank."
"Doubtful sir, that kind of damage would have her sinking in minutes."
"Has the (surface) search party found anything?"
"Just debris sir, it looks like more than one ship was out there and that this may have fought back."
"Continue your examination of the wreck sergeant."
"Aye aye Sir!

Near the wreck site

By now it was likely that the Chazakans had detected the distant shape of the Dragoman as it steamed at nine knots around in a wide arc some miles from their location. Newly, though, they may detect the more rapid approach of a smaller ship, a little over 71 metres in length, coming over the horizon at some sixteen knots.

Proetus may be classed as a destroyer, but so was the AS Daughter, which displaced some twelve times less than her Chazakan equivalent. Carrying 8 officers and 70 enlisted men, the Parricide Class destroyer flew her colours* proudly from above a manned lookout mast, and belched black smoke generated by four small coal-fired boilers. Her most obvious armament was a 4.4" deck gun, though two 3.2" guns could also be seen jutting from either flank, and eight tubes of 6.5" diameter jutted at an angle from her afterdeck.

(*Flag as per my avatar)

Serpents Reach

Though others who had been especially unwell started to respond favourably to more intensive treatments, tests on the one young white man would reveal that his system was indeed on the brink of collapse. His breathing was shallow and rapid, and his heart rate was extremely high. The Captain had been indicating that the young man had tried to drink his own urine in the early stages after their fresh water's expiration, despite his own efforts to prevent his men from doing so, and that he'd only stopped when he found that he could not longer pass water.

Soon, though, the Captain's concern seemed to evaporate, as if his attention had been caught by a more crucial matter. This was after his questioning of one medic. "Marcus!" He said, calling over another white man from his crew and conversing in hushed tones with the badly sunburned fellow for a moment.

Approaching the Lt.Commander, Lyndeham said in his seemingly corrupted Latin, "I am Captain Adam Lyndeham of the Federal Haulage League, commissioned by His Royal Highness King Percival the Explorer to seek contact and alliance with the civilised governments of the Old World against the savage aggression of rebellious Abargrapt, which has slain its regent, the King's own son, and even now forces the border with its barbarous legions. My ship, the Acanthus, was waylaid by an Abargraptine cruiser squadron several nights ago. Regrettably, many of my men have not survived, and I fear that our life-waters were drained by a saboteur... whom I suspect may be amongst these Waylu." His eyes turned briefly on the Polynesians as he said this quite loud enough for several of them to hear.

The ROV continued to search the broken wreckage of the sunken ship searching for something, anything to identify the vessel and whom it belonged to and who blew it up as the crew had quickly found the hole that had sunk her.

"Defiantly wasn't an accident sir, she has two large holes in her stern. Infact looks like a decent percent of her hasn't even settled down yet,"
"aye, continue the hunt ensign."
"XO, any word back from the surface team?"
"No sir!"
"When was there last contact?"
"Nearly 10 minutes ago sir, they said they spotted something and where going to investigate..."

With that information the physician treating the rescuees, ordered an indeiate round of dialysis. The med techs huttied to set up the necessary equipment and the young mans blood was soon being filtered as additionally drugs to help combat the damage to his kidneys were being added to his IVs. To prevent him from going deeper into shock his body was covered in a heated blanket while a heated air circulation pad was placed beneath him and the IV's being run at full bore into him were sent through a prewarmer, so the fulids were at 'normal' body temperature as they entered hisd veins..

"I am Captain Adam Lyndeham of the Federal Haulage League, commissioned by His Royal Highness King Percival the Explorer to seek contact and alliance with the civilised governments of the Old World against the savage aggression of rebellious Abargrapt, which has slain its regent, the King's own son, and even now forces the border with its barbarous legions. My ship, the Acanthus, was waylaid by an Abargraptine cruiser squadron several nights ago. Regrettably, many of my men have not survived, and I fear that our life-waters were drained by a saboteur... whom I suspect may be amongst these Waylu."

The Lt Commander gave him a sharp look. "Are they your prisoners or a part of your crew?"

Serpents Reach

"I'm afraid that the wretches are what passes for deckhands on The Continent these days." Replied the captain, while several of his crew -white and Polynesian- looked curiously upon the dialysis being carried out and pulled faces as they saw the patient's blood being shifted about. As he spoke, the captain's hand patted against the pocket in which he usually kept his revolver, and he too frowned.

A couple of the 'Waylu' had been shaking their heads hard as they heard Lyndeham make his accusation, and one curled his lip in particular disgust.

Wreck site

The approaching vessel, AS Daughter, had within moments of sighting the unusual silhouette of Proetus begun flashing something looking like but certainly quite distinct from Morse code by a shuttered gas lamp on her small signals mast, directing an indecipherable message back to the east, in her wake.

Before long, a keen eyed Chazakan might make out the blinking light of a reply from the horizon as Dragoman closed in.

The little ship ahead accelerated to almost twenty-two knots, apparently now flat-out, spitting smoke like a frantic steam locomotive, and made a heading to cut in front of the Proetus by not more than a few dozen yards. A few miles back, the larger Dragoman also accelerated, now making around twenty knots, and as its single forward turret elevated two stubby 4.4"/38 rifles several degrees, two identical after turrets turned their muzzles to port as the ship began to turn slightly to the north on its approach. Both ships ran up second flags below the colours previously indicated, this time black standards set with a skeletal bison's head in white.

Below the waves, there wasn't much more to find. A recently smashed wooden tall ship with a clipper bow and the name Acanthus... except, across her stern, the words, "Toluaa - Baston" suggesting a possible home port or place of construction, perhaps?

The Lieutenant Commander hadn't gotten to her rank without some decent skills at judging people and kept her frown to herself as she listened to Captain Lyndeham's bigotry. Non committally she requested "If you would please be so kind as to make a full report I am sure the Admiral will take every thing into account."

OOC: Did the "Waylu" respond to the crewman who spoke to them in Tagalog? Thought I meant to specify Tongan ( polynesian language )

"Sir!"
"Yes?"
"The rov found something, the name of the wreck."
"Ah, and?"
"Its the Acanthu and doesn't fit into any known naming scheme."
"Hmm."

"Captain!"
"Yes?"
"Ship approaching sir!, they've just ran up a second color and by the design seems we've found our aggressors."
"Order the search team back, get that rov back up as quickly as possible and tell the scientist to get below deck..."

Serpents Reach

Talking to the Waylu, the interpreter, if anything like a scholar in Austronesian languages, would likely wet themselves on realising that these people were speaking something that might well be proto-Polynesian.

They seemed to speak freely, as if the whites with them couldn't possibily understand their speech, though they often refered to Lyndeham's accusations, indicating that they well understood him. "Killed Hori the Captain!" said one.

One set of words seemed to draw recognition from both parties, whichever one was saying it, however. Abar, Abargrapt and Abargraptine, always when refering to the disaster that had befallen their ship, which they all identified as Acanthus.

Meanwhile, Lyndeham was explaining that they'd come from the east on a coastal shipping run on what he called The Continent, though he seemed to be identifying a location in the middle of the Pacific, east south-east of Hawaii and north north-east of French Polynesia, west of Mexico. Their ship, a wooden sail clipper, had been thrown off course by a Typhoon and lost mid-ocean, only to run afoul of what he variously called a Republican, Rebel, and Abar cruiser squadron, which had run up a battle standard and then opened fire when he tried to escape.

Wreck site

The smokey little warship running in front of the Chazakan ship began, a few score yards to starboard of the on-coming destroyer, to roll wooden barrels off the afterdeck. They were linked by a rope, it seemed, and lay on the water like the top of a drift-net. As the small craft passed in front of the Proetus, a chain was being drawn out behind it, right in the path of the Chazakan destroyer... and the strange little ship was turning inwards, as if to drag the chain tighter.

The second, larger ship was still closing, and executing its turn to port, so that six heavy rifles were being gradually brought to bear on the doubtless bemuzed Chazakans.

The Chazakans were less than impressed as the weird little ship continued its odd maneuverings.
"Any luck with radio commutation lieutenant?"
"No sir."
"Hmm, how far is that rov from the surface?"
"another minute sir?"
"We may have a little surprise for our friends then, keep the rov below the surface for now..."

The most adept Tongan speaker was not scholar, but his family had emigrated from Oceania and spoke Tongan at home. He could make out most of the words and guess at the rest.

He listened in as intently as he could then being as careful as possible asked the Waylu "You say he killed one named Hori? Why?"

High over head in orbit satallite eyes saw the actions ongoing over the horizon from the Serpents Reach - and transimtted them to the fleet below.

The outriders that the Aircraft carrier's captain had ordered too were bringing them views of the building confrontation.

The Leiutenant Commander was keeping close mental notes on the captain of the Acanthus's explaination. Inwardly she sighed. It sounded like they had a full fledged colonial disaster off to the east - fortunately well out of the Fatal Terrain region. It remined her all to much of what she had learned of Catawaba's recent emergence from colonial existance.

Wreck site

The smaller of the two smokey warships, having cut infront of the Chazakan destroyer and turned down her port side, had passed close enough for the word Filia to be easily read on her own port bow as she continued to drop a chain of little barrels into the water. As the Chazakans did not react, the movement of the odd little ship had drawn the roped barrels closer, and the foreign vessel was now astern of them and still spooling more of this odd thread into the ocean. She turned to port again while behind the Chazakans, leaving their ship wearing a belt of rope and barrels so that the first of them into the water was now hugging Proetus amidships on her starboard flank, while the last was pressed against her stern after having been drawn around the bow and all down her port side.

As AS Daughter was moving away to the east, from where her comrades approached, a shout from the bridge, given in something similar to Latin but littered with locally developed terms originating in the last few hundred years, ordered, "Cut the torpedoes!"

The little destroyer's captain put away his pocketwatch, which he had been intently scrutinising while his men carried out their strange manoeuvre, and shouted again, "Let fly the after-rockets!"

An instant later, the eight 6.5" tubes arranged on the rear deck of the Daughter hissed, fizzed, and flamed into life, hurling eight 165mm rockets at almost point-blank range into the starboard flank of the Proetus, at about which time the barrels strung around her waterline began to explode violently, about twenty of them in all, evenly spaced.

The barrels had been held in place by momentum, the shortness of time available for them to begin drifting, and a thick greasy paste that acted as a watertight adhesive. Their charges were equivalent in weight only to lightweight torpedos as they would be understood by a modern nation, and of relatively primative explosives, but they were many in number and all directly on the waterline, and positioned right around the hull so as to extend beyond any armoured belt that may be worn. The rockets were short ranged, horribly inaccurate, and had limited armour-piercing capability, but they were launched point-blank at -in relative terms- a huge target in full profile, and their anti-personnel and incendiary properties were quite formidable.

As the small ship pulled away at flank speed, executing a clumsy zig-zag, the Dragoman opened fire on Proetus with six 4.4” (actually 112mm) and two 3.2" (actually 82mm) rifles firing at fairly short range on a reasonably flat trajectory.

Serpents Reach

The Waylu shook their heads and looked at Lyndeham. "Crazy, the whitemen." one shrugged, another adding, "Call us Abars, the Captain."

At this, Lyndeham and a couple of his European men came to their feet and glared at the Waylu, who seemed dismissive of the angry response.

"They're spies for the Republic!" yelled the badly burned one called Marcus, "Look, they're all in it together! It's a bloody Polywog revolt!", "Shoot the dirty lot of 'em, Captain!" another man cried, though he was still too weak to stand, "We should have done 'em in before they poisoned half our water and drank what we had left!"

By now, however, the Tanaarans were likely receiving far more baffling reports from their satellite intelligence. It seem that, well...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/Chivtv/NS1/thecontinent.jpg

...Was that always there?

The orbital view being piped to the Serpents Reach was down right interesting. The Tanaaran dossiers held a little information on Chazaka, they'd never interacted with the nation, but the origins of the other, less technologically advanced ships were complete unknowns.

However the smaller ships were kicking the more modern ones stern to put it bluntly. However the Chazakans had made no attack on the unknons - they weren't simply defending themselves, but looked to be making an unprovoked attack.

"Captain Zhang, Quarters, and then get us in contact with both sides of that little folderol, lets see what they have to say." The Admiral turned to the Captain and then issued other orders. The first of which was directed the the Shuggoth. The C.S. was to make all speed in to the conflict zone, then go deep and loiter. The planes already up would racetrack, orbiting the action. As was standard, they had unlimited permission to defend themselves.
The rest of the fleet would follow.

In the medical center below, the Lt. Commander was not about to let the situation get out of hand.

"They're spies for the Republic!" yelled the badly burned one called Marcus, "Look, they're all in it together! It's a bloody Polywog revolt!", "Shoot the dirty lot of 'em, Captain!" another man cried, though he was still too weak to stand, "We should have done 'em in before they poisoned half our water and drank what we had left!"

Lt. Commander Berensen, stood an even six foot in her stocking feet and was built along very valkyriesque lines. She was also sixty nine years old, though she looked at best only forty - The Tanaarans had had Prolong threapies for nearly a century now - and she had been in the Navy most of her life.

Her voice cracked out with nearly a half century of authority, over riding any others "Attenshun!"

The Proetus began to lean starboard as the water began to rush through the 16 new holes below her deck as she violently shock her crew barely being able to hear over the alarms and the rushing seawater.
"Damage Report!"
"Desk 4 is reporting heavy damage to starboard side, so far 15 men are uncounted for, another 14 reporting severe to minor injuries. Deck 4 is also rapidly feeling with water, the pumps aren't going to beable to handle it."
"Seal deck 4."
"Sir? We still have men down there!"
"Order it sealed now XO or you will be relived and we all drown." replied the captain as he gazed towards the retreating silhouette of the enemy ship noting the sudden flashes. "Ah flip" was all he was able to say before the first round went through the control tower killing the majority of the ships officers and crippling her even further...

The XO shakily got up to his feet, the captain had pushed him down before the shot had hit, shielding him. Noticing a marvelously undamaged council he staggered over.
"All hands abandoned ship, I repeat all hands abandoned ship."
He then punched in the sos signal and added a bit of his own before lapsing into unconscious as the blood lost from his unnoticed leg injury caught up with him.


Transmission
The Chazaka ship the CSS Proetus is under attack and is sinking due to an unprovoked attack by an unknown ship, fear the skeleton bison, repeat The...

Admiral Foxworthy listened to the Mayday sent by the CSS Proetus, then turned and nodded to one of the com-techs, and instantly he was in real time communication with the Tanaaran Archon, Robert Ryan Fortier ~Hexx. "Well, Sire?"

"Shoggoth, you are free to act." The tall broad shouldered Archon leaned over the ten meter holo tank where the action was playing out in exceedingly clear detail. Once he'd set the hunter killer sub to work he turned back to Admiral Foxworthy. "Admiral send your frigates" Those were the fastest ships the fleet had "on ahead, flank speed, with Sea Sprites on authorized release. Every thing we have as evidence shows that indeed the attack was not warrented" What dossier they had on Chazaka showed the nation not currently at war - announced or covert - with any one. "and offer all aide and resuce. Defend the survivors."

The fleet had only four of the Sea Sprites (http://www.atddm.com/Seasprite.jpg), but they carried not only their redoubtable pods of 20mm Seashield railguns, but also six SeaTacTom or Seascram Antiship or Antiair missiles and a pair of the devestatingly effective Sparrowhawk torpedoes.

Shoggoth suppressed a low growl of delight. He was the most aggressive of all of Tanaara's hunter killer subs and he had been set free to do his job. Seek and destroy. And there was no need to maintain deep silence, not with the quarry as primitive as they were. It's not like even a so called 'Modern Tech' dedicated sub hunter would find him, but they probably had no idea that such as he even existed.

He leapt to his own top speed.

Admiral Foxworthy had the fleets commo send a reply to the USS Proetus, hoping that there was still some one aboard the stricken vessel to hear that held was on the way.

Back in Tanaara the Archon was having his people contact the Chazakans with the information of the events occuring and the fact that a Tanaaran fleet was steaming full ahead to the location of the attacked ship.

Aboard the MMIAA (Merkonian Maritime International Aide Association) "Freedom" Tartarus Hospital Ship (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Chazakain_Storefront/index.php?showtopic=35&st=0#entry1245178) en route with research and escort vessels to Japan.

168km from incident...

"Admiral, we've just received this message from a Chazakan vessel south-by-southeast of our position, it reads as follows: 'The Chazaka ship the CSS Proetus is under attack and is sinking due to an unprovoked attack by an unknown ship, fear the skeleton bison, repeat The...' and then cuts off sir"
"Have you tried contacting the vessel or near-by radar contacts?"
"Yes sir no reply from the Proteus and the other vessels are unidentified thus far."
"Right, thank you lieutenant. Radio to one of the ND-10 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=580607) escort vessels that we need satellite imagery above that location."
"Roger tha.." *the leuitenant was cut off by the Admiral*
"Furthermore, dispatch the MMIAA Liberty and two escorts, and have her send out a Ch-1t (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Chazakain_Storefront/index.php?showtopic=18) for quick reconnaissance."
"Yes sir, right away."

Two ND-10's and the Tartarus Hospital Ship "Liberty" broke formation and began sailing south towards the incident.

Unfortunately all personnel in the CSS Proetus were either dead, unconscious or injured as such that they could not response to the hailing, as the 3rd volley from the enemy had knocked out commutations it didn't matter anyway.

Alarms continued to sound as the remaining crew members tried to shuffle off the scientists into the one remaining helicopter.
"We're full!"
"Go then, try to find help" Was the shouted reply as the ship continued its rather slow decent into the icy waters, shaking from each hit of the enemy vessel.
As the starboard side of the boat had been left at such as an angle that no life boats could be launched and the other side wasn't in much better of a shape. It was decided that they would claim onto the surface of vessel and jump when the water was close enough. Some objected to this of course, but they were quickly silenced...

156km from incident...

Aboard the ND-10 "Shadow"
"Captain we have an outbound aerial signature coming from the location of the distress signal"
"Thank you. Contact the Ch-1t en route and tell them to see if they can't visually identify the object, tell the radio tower to try and contact."

**Transmission to Chazakan helicopter** "Unidentified aerial vehicle this is the Merkonian Destoyer "Shadow", come in, over."

105km from incident...

Ch-1t en route to incident.
**Incoming Transmission** "Relief-Niner come in this is the Shadow, over."
"Relief-Niner checking in, over."
"Roger that Relief-Niner, it appears an airborne craft left the location from which the distress call was made see if you can't make visual, over."
"Affirmative, we will contact if spotted, Relief-Niner out."

"...You'd think that they'd at least be able to make these water restive at least."
"Ah stop your complaining your alive, which is quite abit different than your teammates could say."
"True, but why did they not water proof the radio on a helicopter that has to face continuous exposure to seawater."
"Politicians probably wanted to save some money and so they cut our budget and so forth. now please sit back, we still have several hours of travel before we reach anything remotely habitable, and yes we should have another gas to get us there."

The Chazaka scientist gave up his constant chatter and started to gaze onto the ocean...

Aboard the ND-10 Shadow
145km from incident....


From a dark room filled with monitoring stations and diagnostics screens...
"Captain still no word from the aerial signature, orders?"
"I don't like the way things are looking lieutenant, contact fleet and tell them I'm requesting the Liberty returns to fleet formation and to hold here until Relief-Niner returns. Track the signature, if it does anything odd fire off a Sea Sparrow, we were never here lieutenant."
"Affirmative Captain."


Word was sent to the Ch-1t en route to the distress call to Return home. ETA 35 minutes.

OOC: Hey Merkonia - with your ND-10 going at what? At 26 knots per hour ? then you've covered four hours worth of action...

As the USS Proetus listed and sank the survivors that had been unable to fit into the lone helicopter had little time alone in the water.

The Shoggoth might have been surly, but he'd never leave humans to drown or be eaten by sharks. The sharks were easy to repulse and the survivors could cling to his hull as he slowly - very slowly and carefully - surfaced.

The fighters dropped down from altitude to escort the lone chopper, all the while futilely trying to aquire communications with the bird. When that failed they tried a crisscross over the bows with a waggle of the wings, as they could not match the slow pace of the helicopter. Hopefully they could lead the slower bird toward the Tanaaran ships headed toward them.

"I'd say they want something."
"No duh, now please sit down. It seems pretty apparent they want us to follow them."
"In a helicopter, you known that the velocity of the aircraft with the velocity."
"Shut up and let me land."
"On what?"
"That" replied the pilot pointing towards the (Tanaaran) ships
"O."*pilot glares*"I'll be quite now."
"Thanks now hold on."

The few remaining crew members of the CSS Proetus, slipping on the wet and cold hull of the Tanaaran sub, praising Allah, God and a few sea goddesses for the rescue...

OOC: Chaz - I'm going to wait for NA to post, since his ships are in the area of your sinking one.

Wreck site

Dragoman had ceased its bombardment of Proetus after five volleys, having hurled forty shells at the destroyer, and was about to be rejoined by its destroyer escort when the Chazakan helicopter lifted off, causing great alarm and near panic on the two ships.

Aboard Daughter, the Captain, after standing for a moment with wide eyes and loose jaw, pulled himself together and yelled out, "Man the repeater! Master-at-arms, break open the lockers!"

Fumbling and tripping along the way, half a dozen men promptly mustered on the afterdeck armed with breech-loading carbines of .42" (10.6mm) calibre and responded to an officer's commands, "First rank!.. Take aim!.. Shoot!.. Reload!.. Second rank!.. Take aim!.. Shoot!.. Reload!.. First rank!.. and a series of three-round volleys were directed rather optimistically in the direction of the terrible flying machine from something in excess of usually stated effective range for the short rifles.

Concurrently, a pair of men uncovered an odd device on the little superstructure and busied themselves with its operation. Six barrels arranged side by side in a rack were mounted on a pedestal, and the two sailors inserted at the breech of these barrels a grill on which six columns of big .42" cartridges were fixed a few dozen high. Shortly, as one man skillfully turned two wheels, one on a horizontal axis, the other verticle, his partner began to turn a hand crank at the rear of the weapon, causing all six barrels to spit fire as the grill gradually descended, littering the deck with spent brass cases. CIWS, mannual fashion.

Still, aiming remained near impossible, as the Daughter did not slow down until it had rejoined Dragoman, at which point both made revolutions for a nine-knot cruise and headed east.

The Chazaka helicopter went into evasive actions...
"They seem to be firing at us.."
"I can tell now set down and hold on." Yelled the pilot as he put the helicopter on a steep dive, only coming up within a few meters of the ocean's surface.
"Isssn't this copter armed?"
"Yes" replied the pilot through gritted teeth. "But I'm trying to avoid there barrage right now, hey don't press that." Yelled the pilot as he watched the Sea Skua rocket head towards the boat.
"You idiot..."

OOC Question & some comments- if the Dragoman and the Daughter are close enough to the helicopter to fire at it, and the helicopter is coming in to a landing on my fast frigate, then I can safely assume that my ships can see ( both visually and via radar ) the other ships. If this situation is incorrect I will edit.

Additionally:
1) the Proetus should have had a chance to respond to the Daughter coming close and such with the chains – no naval captain worth his salt is going to let you just a ship close enough to his to do that chain and keg thing- the USS Cole is more than just an institutional memory, it’s an active one.
2) You gave him no chance to respond to being shelled by the Dragoman.
3) Shoggoth is on the scene where the Proetus went down, so are your two ships - and yet you have them sailing away as if he does not exist nor are you giving him a chance to respond to your actions. If you ships fire on the helo, he's going to put torps and or anti ship missiles into your ships and I doubt the Dragoman or the Daughter will be meeting up with their escort and steaming away.

And I think you also missed this:
In the medical center below, the Lt. Commander was not about to let the situation get out of hand.

"They're spies for the Republic!" yelled the badly burned one called Marcus, "Look, they're all in it together! It's a bloody Polywog revolt!", "Shoot the dirty lot of 'em, Captain!" another man cried, though he was still too weak to stand, "We should have done 'em in before they poisoned half our water and drank what we had left!"

Lt. Commander Berensen, stood an even six foot in her stocking feet and was built along very valkyriesque lines. She was also sixty nine years old, though she looked at best only forty - The Tanaarans had had Prolong threapies for nearly a century now - and she had been in the Navy most of her life.

Her voice cracked out with nearly a half century of authority, over riding any others "Attenshun!"


IC:

The two warships may have intended to steam eastward, but the helo had launched an anti ship missile of some sort, at the one who had fired at it. And then there was the ominous bulk of the Shoggoth itself. When the C.S. hunter killer sub registered the fact that the Daughter was firing on the fleeing helicopter he activated his weapons systems.

In his rear section, a water proof hatch slid aside and the anti ship missile VLS rose and four missiles spat forth. Two for each of the unknowns. Given the primitive nature – they had no ECM, no decoys, no Phalanax, nothing to stop the missiles - of the vessels they had been launched against, the Shoggoth had had used more conventional missiles, missiles due to be replaced with variable yield plasma missiles upon returning home. .

He used the old and reliable TDS HyperSlam Missiles, a supersonic sea skimmer variant with a shaped charge depleted uranium core war head of four hundred pounds of advanced explosive. The HSM’s flew at mach five, with a range of over one hundred and twenty miles.

Then a second faint shudder rippled along the surfaced submarine, his foreward torpedo tubes open, but the Shoggoth held fire, he would launch Torps if by some miracle the two ships survived the missile strikes in some shape to exchange fire.

The frigate which had slowed so as to allow the landing of the Chazakian helicopter turned their own fire control systems on the two ships, but withheld fire so as not to endanger the helicopter. Given their comparative speeds, they could easily over take the two ships should the need arise.

OOC:

1) I played the Daughter approaching, coming into visual range, and begining its torpedo operation (nb. to these people, torpedos are more akin to seamines in modern understanding) over several posts, and Chazaka indicated that his people were indifferent if a little bemused, and apparently not perceiving a serious threat, so, in the next post, the attack came to a head. I don't think we have a problem there, as I started the operation within 'a few score yards', so small-arms range, and Chazaka posted his ship's inaction on the matter.

2) I'm a bit confused, here, almost as if we're reading different threads. As I see it, from the time that I indicated the instant of the very first volley of fire from Dragoman to the time of my next post on the matter, Chazaka had four IC posts. He chose what damage resulted, and what action his crew took.

3) Daughter IS Dragoman's escort. They're not meeting up with other ships appearing on the scene. The smaller ship is a destroyer in the old sense, a ship that destroys incoming threats to the larger ship, such as fast-attack craft (in theory, by deploying its torpedo chain and a disruptive barrage of short-range rockets).

On the helicopter, I was intending to post the reactions of my people as the helicopter lifted off and headed away, not intending to have success against it, just to explain my people's amazement and elaborate a little on some more of their technology. I was kinda assuming that it would be seen as somewhat retrospective and inconsequential, and just put in because quite a few posts happened while I was away. our guys on the Daughter gave futile fire in the direction of the helicopter as it lifted off, while in retreat themselves and in awe of the flying machine.

Having said that, I don't mind how far away people want their ships to be, now. This is in a large part about an introduction for my nation, so it has to happen eventually.

occ sound about right to me, anywho I in my mind at least the helicopter avoiding the enemy fire happens before your planes indicate that I need to land on your frigate, in fact I now have a reason to for the radio to be busted.


IC
The Ch-01 continued its to try and evade the enemy fire however a few rounds manages to hit the helicopter.
"We've been hit!"
"Indeed we have, now sit down, they only messed up the radio and if you don't push another button we may just survive this without pissing them off anymore.

With that the Ch-01 with its busted radio flew away from the rapidly sinking Proetus...

OOC: Okay, I see your intent now. I had tagged 'cruiser squadron', and 'destroyer escort' and 'her comrades' as all making a statement that meant there was a total of more than two ships. My error.

Serpents Reach

Nobody knew exactly what Berensen had said, but it seemed authoritative and the quarreling parties took pause to pay her some attention.

OOC: One question about Shoggoth... how has it detected small-arms fire on the deck of Daughter, and discerned its direction?

Wreck site

Daughter was speeding away to the east when the Chazakan helicopter launched its Sea Skua missile, and half a dozen men on the afterdeck were still clutching their marine carbines when it caught the little destroyer, smashing into the recently fired aft-mounted rocket tubes and traveling through them before exploding in the designed manner.

With a good sixty pounds of explosive going off inches from the deck, none of the carbiners had a chance. Several were hurled into the ocean, one of whom was cut in half by the thick wire handrails along the side of the ship. The two men operating the hand-cranked machinegun were stunned by the blast, and the whole vessel shook. It appeared, though, that the deck itself was largely secure, suffering only moderate damage. Designed for operation as part of a gun-and-armour fleet, even the little destroyer was relatively well protected by modern standards, though the builders classed its armouring as splinter only. Still, while the ship's skin was thicker than that of many equivalent warships, the methods used to produce its iron were somewhat less than cutting edge in global terms.

On the bridge, the captain was yelling for damage and casualty reports, and chastising his officers for their panic at the strange attack directed against them, "Thank the Founder those cylinders were empty, or we'd all be in bits!" he yelled.

"The bunkerage is alight!" A cry came from below, followed shortly by black smoke seeping through deck plating where rivets appeared to have split.

"Pumps!" Yelled the captain as his ship began to slow, its boilers going unstoked. "Signal Dragoman!.."

As the destroyer's surviving crew fought flames below deck, the cruiser, still retreating at nine knots, replied by flashing a coded assertion: "Will return."

OOC: Grins evilly - there is a real world version of this:

Advanced Sniper Acoustic Detection System – ASAD

Shadrats Detection LTD offers an acoustic detection and direction finding system, which will trigger an alarm when sniper or small arms fire is detected in the protected area. SADS is a man portable or vehicular, real-time acoustic system which can be carried by a single soldier or be mounted on a patrol vehicle or tank. It detects and identifies a sniper firing signal, up to ranges of 9000 feet with standard deviation of less than 1.5 degrees.

• Soldier display depicts bearing and elevation angles
• Fire detection from all effective ranges
• Detection probability of 95-99%
• Man portable, vehicle mounted or stationary versions
• Low false alarm rate
• Full 360 degrees coverage
• Passive system
• No need for line of sight
• Flexible interface to C4I systems
The Shoggoth has the navalised version - also even simply modern acoustical detection suites aboard submarines can detect small arms fire aboard enemy warships - the whole premise of 'running silent' is to NOT make any noise- even a dropped spoon in the galley can be heard.

And I'd have to say with your ships making only 9 to 10 knots they are well within not only acoustical range but visual too. And he has optical sensor systems as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IC: When the missile launched by the fleeing helicopter failed to do significant damage to the aggressor, the Shoggoth waited to see what the four HSM's - TDS HyperSlam Missiles, a mach five sea skimmer variant with a shaped charge depleted uranium core war head of four hundred pounds of advanced explosive and a range of over one hundred and twenty miles - that he had fired would do to the two ships. All the while he was continuously refining his firing solution for a pair of torps.

And all the while he was mindful of the Chazakan sailors clinging to his hull or afloat beside him.. He slid open a hatch and 'blew out' a pair of Safeseas self inflating, self righting liferafts (http://marinedirect.co.uk/images/seago_med.jpg). He knew his hull was not the easiest thing to try and cling to when one was wounded and half unconscious. He opened his external speaker system "I have communicated with my command, and they advise me that additional units are enroute and should arrive with in ten minutes. I apologize for not having the wherewithal to assist further of my own self" He 'spoke' to the survivors.
~~~~~~~~~

Aboard the frigate, crews rushed out to be ready to secure the damaged Chazakan helicopter and aid any wounded.

The frigate's weapons systems tracked the pair of retreating ships, and like the Shoggoth they stood ready to respond to any further aggression.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Serpents Reach

When silence descended over the medical center the Lt. Commander nodded sharply. but refrained from commenting her thoughts well, there’s the reason they have a revolution on their hands. Bloody, small minded, jingoistic colonials Instead she snapped, without a trace of respect for rank

"There will be no hostilities aboard this ship, or I personally will throw those responsible in the brig. And it is not near as comfortable as the Medical Center. You are not acting like officers but frightened children." Her judgment was scathing. However she judged it best to separate the two groups.

"CPO Sharkey," She turned to the Tongan speaker "could you escort the Waylu to the starboard mess hall after seeing that they have had a chance to clean up and change into something dry." She knew the most competent CPO would find them fresh clothes, bunks and plenty of food. The medical staff had no objection - the Waylu deckhands seemed to have handled the ordeal better than the officers and needed what the Lt. Commander was ordering more than they needed to stay in the presence of such hostility.

The chief petty officer hid a smile and motioned for the Waylu to follow him. Though he was careful not to move too briskly. He didn’t want any of his charges getting separated and lost. The Serpents Reach was a big ship.

Once they had left , Lt. Commander Berensen turned back to Captain Lyndeham, though her words were meant for all of the officers. “I understand sir, that you and your men have been though a terrible ordeal, but this is neither the time nor the place for a confrontation. I know that Admiral Foxworthy will be wishing to meet with you. Perhaps a shower and clean clothing will help restore your balance. And your men need to rest. IF you will come with me I will escort you to one of the visitors staterooms.”

The remaining chazakan sailors scrambled onto the liferafts, helping the wounded onboard until all that had survived the sinking had been accounted for.
"Bob?"
"Here!"
"Terry?"
"Here!"
At first they had hoped once the hatch on the submarine had been opened that they were saved, but the liferafts had been launched and their spirits had been crushed again as the sub started to leave, a few had shouted, a few cried but the majority just sat down in the orange rafts hoping that they had seen the worst and that the submarine officer hadn't lied to them.
"Got any Idea who that was Bob?"
"Afraid not Terry, though I am thankful that they launched this raft. Those sharks had been getting pretty feisty."
"True, but I still find it odd that they'd launch these then leave."
"Well as you could tell by their ascent they're foreigners, what did you expect?"
"I don't kn.. hey look!" yelled Terry as he gestured to the floating flotsam.
"Yah?"
"Its the ROV."
"Quick, everyone look for something to hook it."
For a few frantic seconds it seemed that nothing would be long enough, until someone found an oar and were able to loop the remainder of the ROVs cable and dragged it back to the liferaft.
"Now what bob?"
"One moment, ah." replied bob as the probed the out surface of the rov, releasing the inner hatch.
"Hope this isn't to damage."
"This is the surviving members of the Proetus crew, is there any Chazakan ships in the area? I repeat."
"This is the Nereus, we lost your signal a good 45 minutes ago, Proetus."
"hmm, can you pinpoint our location Nereus?"
"one moment, ah yes your about 25 kilometers north from our location, we can be there in another hour."
"Ah negative Nereus we have a mission for you." replied Bob as he watched the retreating silhouette of the hostile ships...
(the Nereus is another destroyer, same class and is infact the sister ship of the Proetus.)

Wreck site

The frantic and reduced crew of Daughter didn't notice the second guided missile launch ever witnessed by people from their nation, only the captain saw the missiles burst from the water as he looked from a gantry down on to the afterdeck, overseeing recovery efforts, and he didn't -perhaps couldn't- get a word out.

Perhaps it was the ridiculously short range at which obviously long-range weapons were used, but some more of the crew -those not below decks fighting through choking black smoke- got a look at what was happening when the first missile screamed just over their little low-lying iron destroyer and clipped a small wave crest as it twisted about. Bigger and more terrible than the Sea Skua, and perhaps after having adjusted their perception on seeing that little missile, this second display had everyone dumbfounded. Thoughts of dragons, falling stars, angels and demons washed through heads as uncomprehending eyes lingered on the waters into which the missile had disappeared, none catching sight of the second missile as it rushed into the Daughter's small superstructure from the other side.

From the bridge of Dragoman, members of the cruiser's command staff watched helplessly as their destroyer escort momentarily vanished in a fireball, only to re-emerge in the form of a much reduced silhouette, which seemed frozen for a moment before the bow slipped under the ocean's skin and the rest began to quickly follow.

"By the Founder." mumbled one officer, meekly. That was the only thing any aboard had seen and could call more terrible than the sinking of the Acanthus, which they'd accomplished in less than ten minutes by modern gunnery. "Make revolutions for emergency speed." the captain ordered, just as timidly.

"Captain, the bunker's down to eighty-four tons, we'll not make home at that speed." protested the officer poised by the voice tube used for internal communications. "We're not going home, Mister Lavender, Lay course for Tupu City." "But, sir!" cried Lavender, letting his hand drop from the mouthpiece he'd previously been clutching, "Our last report had General Hoekstra's front twenty five miles east of Waylu Line... surely Tupu City is in Federal hands?" The Captain turned his head from the window for a moment and replied simply, "Then we shall have to take the city ourselves, Lieutenant.", "With a dozen carbiners?", "Aye, Mister Lavender, and thirty-six hundred tonnes of Abargraptine iron and fire!"

Lavender swallowed hard and picked up the mouthpiece once more. "Boiler room, boiler room, stoke..." and at that moment he was hurled a full three hundred and sixty degrees head over heels and crashed backwards into a bulkhead as a violent jolt ran across the light cruiser, struck amidships on her armoured belt by the first of two Tanaaran missiles. Dragoman shifted dramatically in the water, pipes burst, windows shattered, rigging snapped, and men and equipment were hurled in all directions, but, incredibly, the belt held, all be it buckled somewhat, perhaps as there wasn't much to the ship but its armour, and so its strength was in an unusually high ratio to its modest displacement. "Shoot! Shoot, all batteries!" the wide-eyed captain was exclaiming as he clawed his way to his feet. "On what target?!" the appropriate officer replied, not even sure which way up he was. At that moment, the second warhead exploded against the number two turret, mounted aft between the superstructure and number three turret, tearing the massive unit from its mountings and tipping it into the sea, guncrew and all, and setting off a secondary explosion in the barbette below.

Listing slightly to starboard, having first rocked to port after the first impace, Dragoman was now shooting flames straight up against the bruising sky to the east, projecting fire from a gaping hole opened in her deck about two thirds of the way from the bow to the stern.

"God save us" said the Captain, forgetting his secular republicanism for a moment, "Belay that order" as if anyone was actually following up his order to fire. "Flag parley."

Her decks slick with blood, profile totally changed by the loss of one of three primary turrets, and right flank dented and deformed, the light cruiser, apparently dead in the water, began to run up a white flag, but as she did so, several members of her bridge crew were lowered into the water on the far side of the ship, obscured from view, and began to steam east on their little launch, running up a small sail to add propulsion on top of that provided by a puttering little steam engine.

Serpents Reach

The Waylu shuffled out, a few giving frowns to the on-looking white survivors, who didn't seem able to decide if they were angry at the Waylu being taken away, or glad to see the back of them.

Lyndeham seemed placated by the Lt.Commander's offer, however. Not that he'd any idea what she meant by shower.

"All right, Marcus, you have charge. I am going to discharge my mission. Take care of the men." And he waited to be shown to this agreeably named stateroom.

Several hundred miles east of the wreck site

The left bank of the river Waylu. To the north, the hills from which the river was sourced, to the east, the river itself and beyond that the Great Efferus Flats, to the south, the great estury leading out to the Pacific, and to the west, Tupu City.

The whistle and crack of cannon fire had begun to die down as two armies closed with one another, and now the whinnying of horses, crackle of small arms, and clashing of steel mixed with shrieks of pain and terror and bellowed commands and rallying calls.

Having forced a crossing in the previous night, helped by local aboriginals, Marshal Hoekstra and fifteen thousand men of leg and light horse advanced under the banner of the bison, clad primarily in deep red with a little white and black detailing and the odd flicker of dark blue. Facing them, and recoiling before their rippling rifle fire, the powder-blue tunics, white trousers, and red/gold detailing, twice the number of men rallied to the red shields and golden crowns of their unusual elongated flag.

"Getting too dashed close for my liking, what?" Observed one portley blue gentleman from his mount on high ground. "Better send in Larton."

With a nod and an, "Aye, m'lud." the younger man at his side turned and raised his hand, "Forward the light brigade!"

Several hundred lancers responded to a drum roll by trotting out of the lines and forming up on the right flank, awaiting a bugle call that sent them forth.

Watching the Duke of Larton and his light lancers going into action, the fat man on the hill remarked, as they were slaughtered by a smaller force of red-coated cavalry armed with thrusting sabers, "Damned horses."

The officer at his side said nothing, having caught a .42" round square in the chest, and died in his saddle quite without the General's notice. Before long, General Lord Caligo and rather more than twenty thousand Federal soldiers were marched into the captivity of the irresistible Abargraptine People's Republic.

OOC: Meaning absolutely no disrespect or comparisson -but "thirty-six hundred tonnes of Abargraptine iron and fire!" completely reminds me of : "41 thousand 700 metric tonnes something massive this way comes" - Force H's version of You Must Sink The Bismark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WxMpt2KwGw) and "the pride of the British fleet sunk with a single shot"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Shoggoth had not gone far, less than a mile, as it had not wanted to catch any of the sailors from the Proteus in the wash from any torpedoes he might fire.

The near instant sinking of the smaller ship made him howl inwardly with pleasure, but it really had been much like shooting fish in a barrel, though he'd never experienced that particular past time. And he suspected that he'd heartily disapprove of the practice.

His systems had intercepted radio transmission between the Chazakan sailors and Nereus.

He decided to break in on the conversation, and let the Nereus know of his presence. He didn't like the though of being fired on by mistake.

" Nereus, survivors. This is the TNS C.S. Shoggoth I do not think that you will need to be concerned in regards to the aggressors. While the missile launched by your helicopter did not seem to do significant damage, the missiles I fired have impacted. One ship, the smaller of the pair, has sunk, the other has lost headway and has run up a white flag. However a small launch of some sort has separated from the injured ship. Might I suggest you see to the capture of that launch, while I begin assisting any survivors?"

He began slowly moving to where the Daughter had sunk, still on the surface, his sensors sweeping of any indications of survivors from either of the two unknown ships.

The Frigates communication suite had also intercepted and when the Shoggoth had finished the captain, LT commander Roth had his comm officer pass along the message that the helicopter had landed safely, but was not necessarily airworthy for future flights. Those aboard were being cared for and they were now resuming flank speed to reach those in the life rafts. They would be there in less than ten minutes.


Serpents Reach...

CPO Sharkey made sure that the Waylu had showered, received clean crew coveralls, and ended up in the spacious enlisted mess, where the always filled buffet awaited. All the while he continued to try and modify his Tongan more to their proto usage. He wanted to make sure that they were comfortable - and to find out their side of the story.

The trimaran hulled supercarrier was well over a thousand feet long, and over two hundred feet wide., She displaced over 101,600 metric tons, her personnel numbered close to five thousand. The corridors that stretched through her totaled more than five very bewildering miles, and the Serpents Reach held over two thousand separate compartments.

It was easy to get lost, even for those who had been aboard six months or more. But quickly she led him to the hallway that the visitors state rooms opened off of, past the ever present guards, and met with the steward that would be assisting Captain Lyndeham.

"This is Steward First Class Mimms" She made the introduction

The steward saluted and added "I'm sorry sir if my Latin is not as fluent as the Lieutenant Commanders. It's been few years, but if you will come with me I have fresh clothes and such waiting."

The stateroom was spacious, and well lit, with a comfortable 'clubby' feel to it - the floors clad in deep blue wool carpets, the sitting room and bedroom paneled in a warm honey oak. Built in book shelves held an entertainment center, and a number of book on a variety of subjects.

"If you will just put your uniform in the hamper, services will clean it right away" Mimm's advised as they entered the small but well equipped bathroom. "I have an officers coveralls at hand in what I believe is your size, sir"

He'd also been discretely advised that they technology level that the survivors were used to was a bit...less... than the Reach boasted.

He slid open the door to the shower chamber, and gestured for the captain to take a look as he explained the temperature slides. "Just press once then slide the guide up or down depending on how hot to cold you prefer your shower" He tapped the button and the built in to the ceiling shower head activated. The steward then pointed out the niches for soap, shampoos and other amenities.

He hung a thick terry cloth robe from a hook. "Would you care for some tea when you are finished Captain Lyndeham? The Admiral will be glad to meet with you in about forty minutes, so you would have time for a cuppa"

"Nereus, survivors. This is the TNS C.S. Shoggoth I do not think that you will need to be concerned in regards to the aggressors. While the missile launched by your helicopter did not seem to do significant damage, the missiles I fired have impacted. One ship, the smaller of the pair, has sunk, the other has lost headway and has run up a white flag. However a small launch of some sort has separated from the injured ship. Might I suggest you see to the capture of that launch, while I begin assisting any survivors?"

"Roger TNS C.S. Shoggoth , we'll have a Sea Lynx began searching for that missing boat, and thanks for launching those life rafts."

To Chazakan survivors:
"We're 30 minutes out, please hold on, we're sending a Sea Lynx to pick up the worst of your wounded."
"Roger Nereus, please hurry the 30 minute swim didn't end very well with our wounded."

The two Sea Lynxes lifted off the deck of the Nereus, one heading southwest towards the survivors while the other advanced towards the last known location of the hostile launch.

OOC: Heh, I like the we are naval aviators, cowboys in the sky, high noon in the North Atlantic, and something's going to die bit.

Ugh, right, finally. Technical glitch caused the loss of this post first time I tried to write it, the other day, so here we go again with a quick version.

Serpents Reach

Speaking to the Waylu with difficulty -their tongue was really ancient, one might justifiably say primitive, though it included a few pidgin words that seemed to borrow from the whites' corrupted latin- Sharky would probably by now have been able to confirm that there had been a ship called Acanthus aboard which the Waylu served as deckhands under Lyndeham and his white officers, and that it had come under fire from what seemed to be an established enemy of the nation under whose flag they sailed.

It seemed, though, that the Waylu's story really only began after the order to abandon ship. There hadn't been enough canoes, they said, nor enough water for drinking. Some of the officers did not want to share with the Waylu, accusing them of being traitors working for Abargrapt, which seemed to be the party responsible for their ship's sinking, and, after a scuffle, the cause of which was hard to make out, the captain had drawn his revolver, and a Waylu called Hori had ended up food for the sharks. After this, the officers didn't let any of the Waylu leave one end of the 'canoe', and didn't share the last few drops of drinking water.

One thing of note was that many of the Waylu seemed to be almost linguistic sponges, and took some pleasure in repeating unfamiliar words and quickly trying to find use for them as they told their stories and talked amongst one another. It was apparent that they understood more of the odd latin than the whites did of their Polynesian tongue.

Lyndeham, meanwhile, still groggy and having trouble taking in his surroundings, was in any case clearly surprised and impressed by the size and appointment of the ship, and took quickly to the shower, from which he would probably have to be coaxed quite deliberately once he'd found an agreeable temperature. He was at least familiar with tea, and keen to accept the offer.

Dragoman

None had survived the fireball that consumed the Daughter and its rapid sinking, but though their had been significant casualties aboard the cruiser, Dragoman also had many survivors, most concerned with damage control and treatment of the wounded while the captain took a contrary approach to the situation, quietly ordering preparations for the ship's scuttling.

Meanwhile, the ship listed idly, engines and guns quiet as each other.

CPO Sharkey was only too happy to give the Waylu all the impromptu language lessons they could absorb, while making careful mental notes of the information they divulged.

In the Guest Suite...

Steward First Class Mimms waited until Captain Lyndeham had had a good twenty minutes in the shower before knocking on the bathroom door, and opening it just a crack "Captain, Your tea is here and the Admiral Foxworthy's chef sent up some sandwiches as well"

He had already laid out the officers - but without specific rank markings - coveralls along with fresh underwear on the queen size bed, and now turned to laying out the tea from the cart the messman had rolled in.

It was a fine Earl Grey with jasmine steaming in the tea pot and the Serpents Reach's silver service was polished to a gleaning finish. A large platter of matching bone china bore a heaping mound of sandwiches, some thick with roast beef with cheddar cheese, others with ham and swiss, or turkey and pepper jack. All well garnished with trimmings.

The Dragoman

The listing ship would find the Shoggoth sliding close in near silencenext to it. Then his external speakers activated and he announced his presence by way of introduction. All the while his sensors kept taking readings. He did not trust this unwarrentedly hostile vessel and crew. "I am the TNS C.S. Shoggoth. I do not have a crew to assisst you but other ships from the fleet will be here soon."

Indeed he could 'see' that the frigate that had recovered the Chazakan helo had arrived and were busy bringing those in the life rafts aboard, including fishing out the rov.

The frigate had in the mean while put one of their own helicopters up with medics laden with all the medical supplies they could carry and a marine security team up. Given the information coming from the Serpents Reach they had found and brought along their best Latin speaker, though he could only boas two years of highschool "years and years ago I'm afraid".

With only three miles or so seperating the frigate from the Dragoman, they would be overhead quickly. Also a pair of RIB carrying more marines and two full damage control teams had launched and would be there just shortly afterwards.

Dragoman

Sheltered from most of the action by the smokey hulk of Dragoman, the small launch was puttering along at just barely eight knots, struggling in the swell. There were just five men aboard, including one young commissioned officer and four ratings, one of whom was frantically stoking the little boiler while another clutched the wheel and a third tended the modest rig, leaving one man watching surface and sky, marine carbine gripped in white-knuckled fists.

The sighting of an inbound Sea Lynx had the young officer loading his pepperpot revolver and three more single-shot carbines in turn, and laying them out on the empty seat.

At the cruiser itself, meanwhile, the moaning of wounded men had begun to dim, leaving only the sounds of the sea and flickering flames as Shoggoth

Then, as Shoggoth gave its address, the speakers were answered by the gradually rising sound of singing, originating in the twisted bowels of the stricken warship. ..."Loyaltae ets mei ára, Abargrapt uver als!" The better part of two hundred male voices joined in practiced harmony, gradually becoming more and more obviously emotional as they went on, verse after verse, relentlessly singing as the helicopter's alien chopping filled the sky.

With the helicopter overhead and Shoggoth along side, the blackened and bloodied remains of the officer complement shuffled out on deck less one man left on the bridge, eleven men in all, and lined up at attention along the foredeck. The officers saluted, apparently in the direction of Shoggoth, as the captain nodded towards the bridge, at which point his Commander on the bridge sent a call down to the primary magazine and, just two seconds later, the white flag dropped suddenly.

All the officers were now singing, too, tears in the eyes of more than one, still holding salutes. An almighty blast tore through the Dragoman amidships, followed by two large secondary blasts, occuring at either end of the cruiser. Detonated by large scuttling charges which themselves tore holes in the thick skin of the vessel, several tons of explosive ordnance went up, igniting eighty tonnes of remaining coal in the bunkers and hurling men and metal in all directions.

On the little launch, the ship's Second-Lieutenant looked on, his face bathed in a red glow that rose and fell in the west as Dragoman roared her last. "Abargrapt uver als." he said, quietly, perhaps for the benefit of his four subordinates.

Serpents Reach

If the Tanaarans wanted to impress Lyndeham they had certainly succeeded. The captain of a clipper in his nation's small merchant marine he considered himself refined, at least when rating himself against those with whom he usually interacted, but in truth he was far from ever being accepted into the circles walked by the aristocracy. And even they would have been taken with this 'shower'.

At first reluctant to come out of the bathroom, Lyndeham was quickly distracted by the refreshments that had been laid on. He drank tea back home, but the blends available there were not exactly on par with the best that might be found in Sri Lanka, for instance, and tended to be weak and generally quite 'ordinary'. The meats excited him more, as these were something of a treat for a mariner.

The Captain was soon firmly seated and working his way hungrily through the lot.

"They did what?!? Are they mad as hatters, or March Hares?" Rob looked up from his half eaten lunch as an aide brought him the news of the Dragoman's self inflicted destruction. "Please make contact with the Chazakians. This is turning into more than a simple case of assault and battery on the high seas. And find out all you can on this pirate fleet, or whatever they are. Let Foxworthy know I said he's not to trust the white flag. He has shoot to on sight permission. I will not risk one Tanaaran life on their honorless dishonesty."

"I want that launch captured, and the personell brought directly to Tanaara"

He was furious and sickened at the thought of a nation or group that would used such an honorless strategem. And waste the lives of it's military so. It cost the Domination over two million aurics to fully train a naval aviator, but then again they were the best in the region, though Assington and Tarlachia came close and their spending was commensurate. But the cost of training was not anywhere near the heart of the matter.

******************

The Shoggoth rolled and slewed sideway with the massive shockwave his hull battered by the explosion and the pieces of the Dragoman turned into impromptu projectiles.

The approaching Tanaaran helicopter sustained severe damage and was forced to ditch. There were several severe injuries among the rescue crew, but fortuantely with no fatalities. They had not been as nearly overhead as the Chazakan Sky Lynx had been. The RIB's had been no where close enough to have more than the vast swell the destruction of the Dragoman raised toss them about a bit. Immediately diverting to the downed Tanaaran chopper they began rescue operations.

The captain if the firgate immediately launched the pair of Sea Sprites he carried and those would be heading directly to the Shoggoth.

OOC: Given that the Dragoman's Launch was moving at 8 knots per Abars post ( & 10 knots = 11.5 mph ) it would have still been very close to the Dragoman. And a Sea Lynx has set records of over 199 mph. While I doubt they were flying flat out at those speeds, I'd seriously guess that the launch hadn't gotten even a quarter of a mile from the Drago man.

The explosion of the Drago man could have very easily damaged or swamped the launch too, given the size / and location i.e. in the bowels of the Dragoman, as it could have produced a substancial pressure wave in the water as well as above the surface.

I felt that the chopper I was sending over was close enough to have been affected by it. It's your choice as to how - if at all - it affects yours -but one has to remember that helicopters don't have the safety of being on the ground when a pressure wave hits, they are in mid air and get smacked down easier than tv/ movies would lead one to expect. Got to remember that is's the pressure wave that kills them, and then all the debris raining down on their rotors and such.

The Sea Lynx you were sending to the frigate/ those of your sailors in the life raft, thats much further away - I stated that the distance between them and the Dragoman was 3 miles, so it definitely would have been out of the danger zone but would also have been in a position to clearly see what happened.

Also your government will be getting a transmission from the Tanaaran government advising them of whats going on out there.

ooc
True
IC
As the ship energetically exploded in its coal saturated state, the Sea Lynx tried to stay in the air as rapid shockwaves buffered it. Thankfully the Lynx had not been directly over the ship so it only had to worry about the shockwaves. Though it didn't seem to help.
"We're going down."
Was all the pilot was able to explain before the helicopter dropped into the sea. The helicopter absorbed much of the impact with the water though the pilot fractured several ribs though the copilot some how only suffered a sprain elbow. shutting off the now smoking and generally useless engine they ditched, trying to avoid the now falling body parts and other debris. The copilot grabbed the emergancy raft making sure to inflate it while he began to swim away from the now sinking Lynx. Once he dragged himself in, he began to look for his comrade...

Nereus
As the last of the survivors were brought aboard, the few survivors and crewmen still on deck turned as the light and sound washed overthem from the exploding ship.
Sweet Nixus was on more than one lip as they watched the fireball began to die down and the little speck that was the Lynx hit the water several hundred yards away from the now sinking ship.
The XO turned to the captain.
"Ooorders sir?"
gulping the captain turned away from the carnage trying to not think of all the men and women that would have died in the explosion.
"They surrender, damn it they surrendered. I want a report on our lynx now! his voice cracking he turned to the intercom, pushing the big red button and began.
"Men, comrades, today Chazaka has been attacked twice in a few short hours. Both times without warning, without remose, we have been wounded but we still live... ...Our enemy has misunderestimated us, we are the gopher, we are strong and brave, we will not cower before the night, we will fight so that others yet unborn may live... ...Now we must band together and find our brothers, try and heal the injured and mourn the dead, but we must remember that the darkest is always before the dawn.."
As the captain finished his speech he turned to the helmsmen.
"Set sail, if our lynx survived that, she is most likely gravely injured and we must make all due speed..."

As the little launch from Dragoman was tossed about on the waves and swell originating from the light cruiser's dramatic scuttling, its crew hoped to escape under the cloak of distraction, but their pace did not significantly improve.

180 nautical miles southeast

Emerging from the clutter of a jagged coastline that, until recently, seemed to have evaded mariners, cartographers, and satellites alike, a forest of masts and rigging advanced to the north at six knots, progressing as if Bernam Wood against an unseen Dunsinane Castle of the seas.

Unusually long flags of powder-blue and white, set with shields familiar to those who had closely observed the adornments of Captain Lyndeham's tunic, fluttered in the breeze, and were joined by limited sailing rigs and positioned so as to protect them, as far as possible, from coal smoke emanating from a few small, cylindrical stacks that stood dead upright with no consideration for aerodynamics or any form of concealment but were painted blue, white, and golden.

A vast array of large and small ironclad warships were under-way at the head of several wooden-skinned vessles, some of which were under power of sail alone but still studded along their flanks with gunports, smaller but interestingly-named 'rail-guns' sitting atop raised decks, bolted to... handrails.

On the decks of many of the larger ships, chiefly the bigger wooden sail ships, marine infantry turned out for inspection, officers weilding section halberds prodding them in the back to make sure they were lined-up properly despite slippery decks and rolling waves. Below decks on the steamers, boilers were stoked by scores of soot-covered Waylu, while on other ships the Polynesians prepared rations for the marines' lunches and polished spare boots and buckles for the antcipated victory displays.

The flagship, identified by silver sails and a flag several times larger than the others, bore the name Testudo, which was fixed to her stern in letters cast of 14 carat gold, and was one of the iron-clad ships driven both by her sails and by two great steam-driven paddle wheels that rather reduced what might otherwise have been a formidable broadside. On her little bridge, Admiral Lord Ludele, XIVth Earl of Hoode, scanned the grand fleet through his collapsible telescope and, on lowering it, gave a broad smile and rocked on his heels, saying to the ship's captain, "By God, if we don't beat them now, we deserve to have our arses kicked out by the rabble, after all, what!" and he laughed gleefully.

160 nautical miles east-northeast

Heading south, a far smaller fleet was spearheaded by a couple of destroyers alike to the sunken Daughter, scouting the way ahead and flashing signals back with electric lamps in an obscure code pertaining to some unheard language as their fleet made a steady eight knots.

Following on, amidst a great flock of coalers and ammunition tenders, another Dragoman Class light cruiser akin to the scuttled Dragoman, two larger cruisers with an extra twenty feet in length and six feet in the beam, bearing the names Extraordinary and Obstinate, and a pre-dreadnought battleship named Abargrapt.

Aboard this 347-foot screw-driven steam-powered hulk of eight-thousand tons, 458 officers and men shared the cramped conditions with Captain Grace Griffiths and the terrible presence of Admiral Tarnat, Hero of the Republic.

Behind ten inches of Odsen Steelworks' finest armour plate, Tarnat and a somewhat intimidated Griffiths searched a horizon empty but for the regular flicker of signals flashed by their destroyers.

"Still no word from Dragoman ?" queeried the Admiral, who had just arrived in the conning tower after several hours locked in his quarters doing who-knows-what. Griffiths shook his head, "No, Sir. Our calculations show that her bunkerage couldn't possibly have endured if she'd stayed on patrol. Perhaps she's hiding in Tupu Gulf."

"If she is, I'll have that coward shot when we're done with Ludele's mob." came Tarnat's reply.

The Captain's response stuck in his throat, and a moment later he turned to one of his officers and issued a fresh order. Something to do in the unexpected derth of activity arising from Dragoman's unexplained failure to rendezvous. "Gunnery drills, Commander, thirty minutes. Signal the squadron."

And so the light cruiser shortly ran out a launch on a teather of several hundred yards and began to tow it at some sixteen knots, far more than the enemy was expected to be capable of, as the four larger ships layed their rifles on the target from a range of a couple of thousand yards and began to fire, mixed guncrews of Europeans and Polynesians working to load and aim their weapons with impressive accuracy and speed.

At present course and heading, in some twenty-four hours the two fleets would collide perhaps thirty-six nautical miles south of Shoggoth's current position... though in doing so, the fleet from the north would have run over its position.

Tanaara

Both fleets were observable from the Tanaaran assets in space, and it was not long before their intercept some twenty four hours later were computed.

Nor was it long in coming that the configuration of the Dragoman and the configurations of ships in the fleet heading south. Though the pictures of a paddlewheeler in the fleet heading north had the analysts blinking in bemusement.

The information was passed along to the Archon's office and a communiqué was sent to the Chazakians with the information as well.

Orders came out that the Tanaaran Taskforce - once it had secured the small launch that had left the Dragoman - was to proceed at cruising speed on an intercept course. Which would put them there before the other two fleets.

***************************
Shoggoth / Chazakian Lynx / Dragoman Launch

The Shoggoth had been splattered, dinged and dented by the explosion, the pressure swell rolling the CSHK in it's roiling grip. But when it passed and the Shoggoth righted himself, he was in a most foul mood.

He kicked out another survival raft for the survivors from the downed Chazakian helicopter then submerged quickly.

The Sea Sprites with their nearly 60 knot top speed would be there in minutes. One would stop to assist the Sea Lynx's survivors the other would go on to intercept the launch trying to escape.

How ever Shoggoth would get there first, rising up from the deeps directly before the smoke belching little launch. He was not programmed to be distractible, and his mood - never the best where human culpability was concerned - was more than merely foul.

Those men had some explaining to do.

*******************
Serpents Reach

Steward First Class Mimms looked in on his charge and smiled, pleased to see that Captain Lyndeham had a healthy appetite.

"Sir, we have more news I understand, and the Admiral would like to consult with you on the information we have just received."

Mimms knew how to phrase things to appeal to any officers vanity. Though he looked only to be a spry and active late fifties he had actually been in the Tanaaran Navy for close to seventy five years. He liked his job, and if his superiors could have wrangled him off a ship, he would have, years ago, been at the academy teaching others how to accomplish what had become 'his' forte.

The launch

"Halsa! Halsa!" Screamed the Second-Lieutenant, holding up his revolver in a stopping gesture as Shoggoth appeared off the prow. He motioned again and his four men picked up their carbines and trained them on the abominable thing, which clearly they could not out-run. Shaking violently and unable to keep his weapon steady, one wailed, "Ets tie Kraken!"

The crew may have panicked and fled, but they had no avenue for doing so.

Serpents Reach

Lyndeham started to reply, only to fill his mouth again several times, obviously famished after a tough few days, but eventually composed himself, finished up, and stood with a nod. "Ah, the Admiral? I must speak with him!"

ooc
chazakan not chazakain (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14335157&postcount=13)

IC
Chazaka Control
Loki looked over the communiqué again. A Chazakan destroyer had been sunk, a lynx destroyed and another damaged. He then glanced over at Chazaka own satellite images, it had been easy once the coordinates were known to snap some shots. Sighing Loki put down the papers and picked up a nearby telephone.
"Get me the president."
"One moment please."
"Nyx here."
"Mr. President, we have a situation."
"A break in the stolen nukes?"
"I'm afraid not, the Proetus sunk during a routine research expedition. The Nereus was the first Chazakan ship on the scene and picked up the remaining survivors."
"Damn, how many did we lose?"
"265 members of the Proetus and a pilot of a Lynx. Most the rest were wounded."
"How'd we lose the Lynx?"
"A surrender hostile ship blew up."
"Wait, the Proetus was attacked?"
"Of course, what do you think happened?"
"Engine failure or some such, it much more common than I'd like."
"Nope, they were attacked by a ship sailing under a bison flag, a similar ship self destructed taking down the Lynx once the Nereus arrived."
"Ah, have we found those responsible yet?"
"We had help but yes."
"Help?"
"Yes, a Tanaara submarine was the first vessel on the scene, launched some liferafts and destroyed the original attacker, they've also been kind enough to send us some of their satellite data. It seems to show two different fleets of 1800's design about to clash, we got a good enough picture to show that one of the fleets is flying the same flag as the description by our survivors."
"I see, do we have any ships in the area to provide any sort of help to the 2nd fleet?"
"I believe the CES(Chazaka Empire ship) Pontus(destroyer, same design) is within 50 clicks and can arrive in a few hours if needed, we have other ships further out that could arrive before the clash starts, provided we tell them to go now."
"Well Loki, should we?"
"Should we what Mr. President?"
"Don't play games with me, Should we send some of our ships?"
"Well, the Proetus was largely found unawares... So yes, I'd recommend sending any help we can as soon as we can."
"Then make it so Loki."
"Aye, My President. O what about the Tanaara?"
"What about them?"
"Should I tell them, we're sending help?"
"We'll it be rude not to, and maybe we could team up..."
Loki softly put down the phone and turned to his computer, he quickly typed up a short email informing what they had decided, thanked them for the liferafts and other and offered to share any information or supplies as needed. Signing it he sent it to Tanaara highest military offices/officials. He then picked up the phone again. "Get me the admiral."
...
The Pontus captain listened to the radio as his new orders were relayed.
"...Aye control, we'll try to establish commutations with that 2nd fleet, yeah we'll avoid the one's waving the bison flag...."
Turning to his XO, the captain smiled. "Well Thomas seems we'll finally get some action like you wanted..."

"Ets tie Kraken!"

If the Shoggoth had been human he would have been rolling his eyes. oh please! he thought as he tried to determine what language the strangers were speaking.

The Sea Sprite was coming up quickly and he knew that it would be best to let a biological deal with these strangers, but he'd do his best to make sure they had to reload..

He surged forward, just a bit, to see if he could get them to fire at him. The carbines and the revolver looked to be fairly primitive. And if they thought he was a mythological kraken, he wondered what they would think of the Sea Sprite now less than a quarter of a mile away, skimming above the surface on its pods.

**************************
OOC: My apologies

The e-mail from Chazaka was quickly received, and returned, advising them that the information sharing was greatly appreciated, and that Admiral Foxworthy's task force had indeed been ordered to the estimated meeting spot of the two unknown fleets. While the Tanaara was not at this time going to side with one or the other, they were going to see if they could keep conflict down to words, rather than combat.

"We shall offer to mediate both sides, in hopes that lives can be spared. However we will not tolerate being attacked. We will defend ourselves to the fullest extent of our capabilities."

******************************

The task force might have been comprised of the oldest ships in the Tanaaran fleet, but they were still a formidable group.

Serpents Reach.

"Ah, the Admiral? I must speak with him!"

Mimms quickly escorted his charge through the winding and generally down right confusing corridors of the vast aircraft carrier. It would have been ever so easy for Captain Lyndeham to become utterly lost - just as it was easy for him to see that the carrier was operational home to several thousand naval personnel.

However as he was up in Officer Country, as most called it, he was soon at the door to the admirals day office. Mimms tapped discretely on the door and then opened it, ushering the captain in.

As he entered he would see that Lt. Commander Berensen was already within.

She stood as he entered, and made the introductions in her scholarly Latin.

"Rear Admiral Foxworthy, Captain Adam Lyndeham of the Acanthus."

"Captain Lyndeham, Admiral Lord Charles Foxworthy,

The admiral (http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/2008/10/01-07/james-earl-jones-death.jpg) had steel grey hair and a pair of wire-framed specs graced his broad, craggy face. His skin was the color of expensive milk chocolate and his voice a basso profundo of equal richness.

"Please make yourself comfortable" The Admiral requested, gesturing to one of the unoccupied chairs, as the Lt. Commander reseated herself.

"We were just discussing the recent events."

Beneath them, it could scarcely be felt as the Serpents Reach and her battle group went to full cruising speed. It would take them just over an hour to reach the area of ocean where the two fleets were estimated to meet.

The Tanaarans would get there first, and it's not like they could be missed, not with The super carrier Serpents Reach being escorted by Cruiser Destroyer Squadron Topeka - comprised of 3 Battle Cruisers and 9 destroyers; as well as Frigate Squadron Santa Fe, consisting of 3 Frigates. Though one frigate would be lagging behind as it was picking up the various survivors and designated to deal this acquiring the launch's crew.

And the Shoggoth once the frigate had them in hand would catch up and lurk. He loved being the surprise at a party.

No sixteen surface ships spread out as per standard doctrine, would be hard to for those enroute to miss. Or so it was thought.

Once the Captain had seated himself the Admiral continued. With a light tap he activated one of the large, wall mounted, flat panel monitors. It displayed pictures of the Dragoman and the other ship, their attacks on the Chazakan ship, the Proetus, and the subsequent reactions.

The clarity of the picture was excellent, all details easily visible. He watched the Captain, carefully observing his reactions.

Shoggoth/Launch

The 2nd-Lt. kept his odd revolver, which had three barrels, all of much larger bore than Lyndeham's somewhat similar little weapon, clutched in his right hand and held at shoulder height, pointed to the sky. He ground his teeth, regarding the Shoggoth as a problem he could never have anticipated. How to complete his mission with this beast in his path?

When the huge thing lurched forwards, one of his men, who had been shaking madly, dropped his carbine and jumped into the ocean, the officer yelling after him, "Where the Hell do you think you're going? Back to Dragoman?" and the man splashed about in no clear direction, apparently neither a strong swimmer nor having thought through his terrified action.

Two of the others retrained their weapons on Shoggoth but continued to hesitate, hoping perhaps that their commander was about to impart some helpful wisdom on how best to deal with the kraken. The last man swung the tiller about and began to stoke the boiler once again, chattering about the foreign ships as if they may represent the lesser of two evils.

After the beast came forward, the long wooden launch, less than agile, was unable to turn in remaining space, and set to bump against Shoggoth at not more than four or five knots.

Serpents Reach

Lyndeham had almost forgotten that he was aboard a ship, and meeting the Admiral and the familiar Lieutenant-Commander brought him to the realisation of just how incredibly large a ship this was. He would have been impressed by anything with a tonnage far into four figures.

The Captain seemed to falter slightly when introduced to the Admiral, and became a little uneasy. After a momentary pause, Lyndeham took his seat and soon found himself astonished by the flatscreen display, which caused him to lean from one side to the other as he tried to look around it and make sense of a porthole to the past.

He did identify the Dragoman as what he called the, "Republican ironclad" that had attacked his clipper and sent her to the bottom.

Hesitantly, with many awkward sideways glances at the Admiral that always caused him to shift in his seat, Lyndeham stated once more that he was commissioned by the government of King Percival of the Royal Eastgater Federation to seek contact with civilised powers, "...from beyond The Continent" and secure alliance against the, "...mutinous Abar republicans" whom, he said, had shirked the authority of the continental monarchy and violated the terms of armistice by first electing leadership over the Prince Regent, then re-arming beyond agreed limits, and finally assassinating the Regent, heir to the Continental Throne, and sending troops across the line of demarkation into Federal lands and Terra Nullius, "...even raising savage Indian militias against Crown expeditions and prospectors!"

Southern Fleet

For the most part, the Earl of Hoode was pleased with the order of his ships and their marines, though the lashings that he found necessary to the discipline of the Waylu were making it tough going for those assigned to swab the decks. Hardly had they finished and made way for an inspection of marines than some other bugger was brought up from below for acting up and given a few strokes of the lash, and they had to mop away more blood. War was a pain.

Northern Fleet

"We'll just have to accept it. She's lost." Captain Griffiths read a message flashed to Abargrapt by one of its destroyers, which had scouted the Gulf of Tupu in fruitless search for the Dragoman and her escort, and concluded that dinner was over. "So it's but four in the line for the Republic. We'll be lucky if we're half as many as a single state fleet... Let's see what Abargraptine iron is worth, comrades!" Having shared a hearty meal aboard the squadron's flaghship with the Captain Willis of the Extraordinary and Captain Temana of the Obstinate, which the Admiral had not attended for reasons best known to himself, Griffiths sent his guests back to their cruisers with orders to stoke for maximum revolutions. The six warships of the Abargraptine fleet, having re-coaled under-way, during dinner, accelerated to sixteen knots, leaving their vast baggage train in their wake as they sought to fall upon their enemy, of whose movements they seemed oddly confident, with deadly surprise.

Serpents Reach...

The Admiral and the Lt. Commander shared glances as they listened to Captain Lyndeham’s explanation, with Berensen translating, with growing comfort with his variant of Latin. They let him explain as he wished, not pushing him in his silences and awkwardness’s, listening intently and politely

They both knew that the Royal Eastgater Federation and the others was going to have a consternation when they figured the Domination out, if indeed they ever did. The Domination as an elected dictatorship, as best it could be put. Having spent just over three hundred years as a democracy the Citizens had decided with an overwhelming majority - 99.6% of the Citizenry had voted and the measure had passed by 98.7% - to switch to their current structure just over thirty years ago and had been happy with it ever since. And since all citizens were armed, and the majority of them had chosen to do their Federal Service in the military, armed and open rebellion was a very viable option if enough of them decided they didn't like the way things were...or some one could simply challenge the Archon to a duel.

Given what Berensen had already passed along to the Admiral, concerning the Captains assertions about the Waylu deckhands - that one of them was a saboteur, and the Captains explanations about the 'rebels' - the Admirals head ached.

Part of him wanted to leave the lot of them to their bloody self determination, but his Archon had tasked him with seeking a civilized solution.

"Well Captain, we have information that two fleets, one we have determined is from Federation, the other Republican. And we are going to attempt to mediate between them."

His face went stern “Know that this is not our usual actions. We heartily dislike interfering with a nation’s internal problems, but the Republic has made it such by sinking a ship, and taking the lives, of those that did them no harm.”

The taskforces radar, capable of OTH coverage had already picked up not only the much closer Chazakans, but both fleet, though the wooden ships were much harder to keep track of via radar. The Eyes in orbit had no such problem. They were continually refining firing solutions – not only for the weapons in orbit, but for those of the taskforce.

Shoggoth

He hoped he was getting the language correct, and made sure to speak very distinctly.

“Please, calm down. Please, throw a line to your man who has let fear overcome him” Shoggoth activated his speakers as the two vessels bumped. It did him no harm, though the launch might have taken some. “You might fire on people who intended you no harm, you might dishonor surrender, but that’s not my way.” His tone was distinctly huffy. “And the pilot and weapons officer of the Sea Sprite that is….arriving now, intend you no harm either, but they will defend themselves if forced to.”

They had no idea how restrained and reasonable he was being. He was as chuffed as any of his fellow Citizens, for the C.S. Shoggoth was a full Citizen, if a little differently bodied. These strangers has shown no sense of honor, fair dealings or civility in his estimation.

CES Heidt/Control

Loki stared at the holographic map, it showed all the Chazakan fleet movements of the past few days and he was less than happy. "They're getting sloppy, a whole 100 km sq area hasn't been patrolled for weeks now."
"Well that is fairly close to the Chazakain border, we assumed they'd be doing a decent enough job." replied Admiral Hel.
"That's not good enough Admiral, Chazkain pulled back most of their patrols around our borders due to their little spat with Korintar. There hasn't been a physical show for to long."
"You have something in mind?"
"Yes, the Michael is ready for its sea trails correct?"
"Yes, but an ark angel carrier seems abit overboard."
"We need to make an impression and carriers usually do it."
"Aye, I'll alert her captain about the change in plans."
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes, how goes the Pontus mission?"
"She should be arriving close to the fleets anytime now. We made sure to rebrief her about the mission. Try and make contact with the second fleet, observe the other one and if they start fighting to try and stay out of the way but pick up any survivors with her lynxes."
"Yes that sounds about right, thank you admiral."
The transmission cuts out on the CES Heidt.
"Your father seems stressed." replied a nearby aid.
"Yes, he does. First the Kor-Chazakain war, then those stolen nukes and finally this. I'm surprised he hasn't had a heart attack yet. Anyway enough for family matters, how goes the preparation of the 2nd fleet?"
"We are nearly ready to sail out Admiral, the Fort Shaws needs to top off their fuel tanks and we'll be ready..."

Serpents Reach

"Mediation means nothing to... to... anarchists!" Lyndeham blurted, unable to conceive of negotion with a national entity that did not even recognise a divinely-ordaned monarch as its premier.

The Captain's agitation had increased dramatically, and he was out of his seat and pacing. "Perhaps you can deliver me to the fleet?" he said, pointing in no particular direction as if to indicate the Federal ships. "I must inform Sudbury of my mission's fai... progress."

Mediate with the mixing republicans? he thought to himself, This brute's blacker than any Pollywog I ever saw!

Shoggoth

With some hesitation, the officer gestered for his men to haul the floundering swimmer aboard, and called out, though he wasn't sure if to a beast or to some person within this ship that could be sunk and still refloat itself (he assumed that Shoggoth had been sunk in Dragoman's violent scuttling, and now wondered whether it wasn't perhaps the Flying Dutchman or something of that ilk). "Wha... er... what do you want with us, stranger? Move aside! If you are not of the Federation our concerns are not with you!"

Serpents Reach

"I must inform Sudbury of my mission's fai... progress."

"No Captain, say the truth, failure. Having your ship sunk out from under you is pretty much failure." Foxworthy looked at the pacing man with a closed expression, but his tone was not unkind - but it was firm. "And my Archon has requested that I act in his stead and indeed mediate."


Shoggoth

"Wha... er... what do you want with us, stranger? Move aside! If you are not of the Federation our concerns are not with you!"

"No I am not going to move, and you are going to surrender peaceably to the two who have just arrived. Consider yourselves under arrest." If Shoggoth had had eyes he would have blinked at that. Those were about the last words he had ever expected to utter. But he was not sure if they should consider themselves prisoners of war. He had recieved no message that the Domination was at war with these strangers.

The Sea Sprite (http://www.atddm.com/Seasprite.jpg) had come to a stop some teny feet from the launch, facing the wooden vessel head on. It was now just a few feet above the surface, it's drivers spread wide. The deadly 20mm guns discretely but definitely pointed at the men aboard the launch. The rear hatch cracked and the weapons officer stepped out on the board 'wing'. The pilot now controlled the weapons as well.

"Gentlemen, if you will throw you weapons overboard." The voice was definitely female. "The Resolve will be here momentarily" She flicked her eyes momentarily towards the frigate just a few miles away, already going about the work of picking up the crew of the downed helicopters - not only theirs but the Chazakan personnel as well. Her hand was on the holstered weapon at her trim waist.

Shoggoth translated what she had said.

(Sorry for the delay, I had a few distractions. And I'm probably going to post a long story thread, soon, to describe the situation on The Continent, and that has been taking up a lot of my time. I'm re-using some stuff from years ago, and writing more off-line, since it won't be very interactive.)

Serpents Reach

Lyndeham rolled his tongue in his mouth. He had almost described his mission as a failure not because his ship was sunk -the only reason he had a ship in the first place was to find foreigners from beyond The Continent- but because these Tanaarans disappointed him greatly. Their military strength seemed impressive, yes, but they seemed to lack the social awareness and moral uprightness to be likely allies in the Federal cause. Black men giving orders, women at sea? They couldn't possibly be trusted to make a gentlemanly agreement or fight a civilised war. He was now concerned chiefly with the worrying notion that they may end up siding with the Republicans, who put common-born men in officers' dress and even had a Pollywog on the bridge of at least one of their ships of the line. They'd put epaulettes on a monkey if it flung its leavings in the general direction of the Federation! Lyndeham mused.

Shoggoth

There were several further moments of hesitation from the crew of the launch before the Second-Lieutenant, casting his eyes back and forth between the two mind-boggling machines in his way, slowly extended his pistol arm to his side and dropped his revolver overboard. His men followed suit, casting their carbines into the deep.

The look of humiliation on the young officer's face was as plain as the bewilderment and fear in the eyes of the other men.

OOC: I understand completely - RL always comes first

IC:

Shoggoth, Launch and 2nd Lt Blythe Danner Gayle

The Tanaaran weapons officer moved down till she was but a step from boarding the launch. She saluted the young second lieutenant crisply and requested "Thank you Sir. Permission to come aboard."

His senior officers might have fired on others without cause, and then violated the flag of truce but that was no reason to abandon military courtesy. And he was captain of the launch not matter how shabby or low end the tech was.

Serpents Reach

Before anything more could be said a young man clad in a deep crimson tunic and matching pants of military cut but bearing no rank insignia entered. The material was as crisp matte silk that moved with his athletic stride. His vivid green eyes settled momentarily upon Captain Lyndeham, then turned to the Admiral. He casually pulled off the right glove, of matching crimson leather and extended his hand to the Admiral who shook it briefly.

The Admiral did not bother to introduce either man. His own chocolate dark eyes turned back to Captain Lyndeham as the younger man took a seat out of the Captains view. Those dark eyes were hard for a moment then went veiled and his voice was crisp and cold. “Yes Captain Lyndeham, I will do my duty, and seek an honorable solution to the situation."

The Pontus glided through the waves, her upper deck where free of cargo and any debris, combat stations had been ordered a few hours before with the first faint radar contact with several different ships.
"They're wooden captain." gaped the radar handler
"Yes, but they're still quite dangerous, helmsmen decrease speed, I don't want any glit to give us away. Navigator, how does the satellite images look?"
"A small squadron captain, probably a patrol we don't think its the bison flagged ones but our resolution isn't the best, we never had a reason to photograph this area."
"Good, Its probably to much to hope for but try and reach them over the short wave(/radio) use the old codes(Morse code). Tell them we wish to talk to them about the bison flagged ships. Also when we get in range, I want our flashers to flash the same message."
"Aye Aye captain..."

Launch

Shoulders slumped and face appearing sunken, the 2nd-Lt. stepped back as if to allow the female officer aboard. His men were shivering and dejected. The officer unhooked a large, ornate dagger from his belt, still in its scabbard, and held it out, grasped by the protected blade, to the Tanaaran, his eyes downcast.

Southern Fleet

Fifteen ships of the line could now be counted, along with eight lesser warships and transports, all under the flag of Captain Lyndeham's home nation, the Eastgater Federation. Chazaka's attempts at electronic contact fell on deaf ears, and without word from Lyndeham, Admiral Lord Ludele, the XIVth Earl of Hoode, pressed on in total ignorance of the on-coming bison flags.

Northern Fleet

Having accelerated to 16 knots, the two destroyers, three cruisers, and single battleship steaming under the bison flag were closing fast, and had taken a slight diversion to the west, Admiral Tarnat ordering the squadron further from the coast in the east, hoping to drive the enemy onto the rocks and assuming that his smoke would allow the enemy to find him, even if he missed them against the shoreline.

Shortly, that smoke would be visible on the horizon to the northwest of Shoggoth and the others.

Where north meets south

At the point in the ocean where the two fleets were scheduled to meet, there rested a far greater threat than either of the two fleets combined. The taskforce, commanded by Admiral Foxworthy, had arrived long before the other two fleets were in sight and had set his ships to covering a large section of ocean.

Neither fleet was going to miss the strangers who occupied their would-be battleground. Nor would they miss the fastburners running race tracks over head and keeping a weather eye on things to come.

While the wooden ships might be a harder target for radar to keep track of at distance, once they were within forty miles or so, they were under the gun so to speak as the frigates and destroyers of Admiral Foxworthy’s taskforce continually refined firing solutions. The super carrier was, as always, at the heart of the formation.

Launch

Gently the Tanaaran officer took the ornate blade from the downcast man "Sir, if you will give me your honorable parole I will return your blade to you." She offered.

The Shoggoth submerged and departed to rejoin the taskforce as the Frigate, left behind to deal with the injured and those from the launch, moved up to lie along side the Sea Sprite and the Launch. The damaged helicopter and it's surviving personell, had been hauled aboard and the injured taken quickly to the well equipped medical bay.

The Chazakan ship, the Nereus, was offered any help they might have needed with their own damaged Sea Lynx and injured.

"No response over the short wave captain."
"Is there anyone else out there?"
"Hard to say captain, wood's pretty hard for most of our sensors to pick up and satellite is having a hard enough time with this cloud cover, I could request that control divert a few of the satellites tracking..."
"No, that won't be necessary. Do we have any of the olden lifepods on board?"
"Captain?"
"We don't want a fight on our hands, the Pontu may be a fine vessel but even she can't fight a squadron on her own."
"Aye, and yes captain we have a few of the olden wooden lifepods onboard, we were suppose to switch them out a few years ago but the money never appeared..."
"Yeah, get me Notrix"
An aide quickly scarpered out of the room and found Notrix.
"Here he is captain."
"Nortix, I have a job for you, you will only get 5 of our men so make sure to choose the best, anyway I need you to take one of the olden lifepods and go talk with the schooners."
"Sounds dangerous, I'll take Jill, O'Bebly, John, Carth and George."
"Good, you have an hour, I'll send along all the information we have on the two fleets and satellite images, the sooner you leave the better, our weather satellites are reporting that we may be in for a rough one tonight."
"Aye Aye captain...

OOC: Sorry, no IC post just now, but an OOC Thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=589311) is up, and in it is linked a backstory to my nation.