The sweet strains of a mourning violin floated over the humid air, playing a melody foreign to the expansive jungle that loomed at the edge of the beach. The breeze carried the melancholy whine with its breath, and up above the darkened clouds stood still, as if the heavens were listening as well.
Gneisenau finished with a neat flourish and the little audience clapped with delight. She bowed, and sat down on the fine sand, her violin and bow resting beside her.
"Frau Gneisenau, that was a splendid performance!" Seydlitz squealed, jumping on the unwary Gneisenau in a sudden embrace. Z1 was a little more restrained, and beamed as Gneisenau detached herself from the adoring Seydlitz.
"Ah, that song brought back memories of home," Bismarck mused, eyes closed in reminiscence. She leant back, but then suddenly swatted around her. "If it weren't for these damn mosquitoes, that is."
"You liked it, Frau Bismarck?" Gneisenau enquired, as the effusive Seydlitz now played with Z1. She had always admired the great Bismarck and her reputation as the symbol of the Kriegsmarine. Even now, she felt a little twinge in her heart as Bismarck praised her skill.
Bismarck nodded. "I always have, Frau Gneisenau. Your skill with the violin is undoubtedly the finest in the service," she replied, grinning. "Of home and of battle, there is none better."
Gneisenau blushed and turned away, trying to suppress her emotions. She tried to look nonchalant, tuning her violin strings, but she only managed to clumsily drop it. Bismarck, blissfully unaware of Gneisenau's emotions, turned to look at the remaining two figures still standing on the beach, Scheer and Konigsberg.
"I wonder how long they are going to stand there? " Bismarck wondered aloud. She yawned and lay back, settling in a comfortable position. "I am going to take a nap now. Wake me up when they finish, Frau Gneisenau." She placed her cap down and cuddled the sand, and within minutes she was asleep.
Off near the water's edge Scheer gazed out at the sea, still in her battle gear with her two main batteries pointing down. Just off to the side stood the light cruiser Konigsberg, dressed in a navy pea jacket and short-hem dress, with cropped blonde hair with a sailor's cap and rimmed glasses. She faithfully kept the silence as the impassive Scheer studied the dark rolling sea.
Regarded as the dark horse of the Kriegsmarine, Scheer was of the prestigious Deutschland-class cruiser, the unique design of which prompted some to call it the "pocket battleship" class. With her unparalleled speed and armament she was known as a terror of the Atlantic, a fearsome raider which many merchantmen quivered at the mention of.
In Kiel and Hamburg she was known as a cold and somewhat ruthless girl, whose personal emotions never showed. While spoken of in hushed tones at base she was widely respected as an efficient commander and a brilliant fighter, and her status was enhanced by her natural beauty – with carefully kept long dark hair and unblemished complexion, as well as the formidable vice-admiral's uniform she wore, she was a favourite of the Admiral, who (many rumoured) had a soft spot for her.
And now she stood on the sandy beach of an unnamed island in the Pacific, on the other side of the world from her home. Scheer would never think of home while out on missions, believing that reminiscence would hinder her concentration. Instead she recollected and pondered the little information she had been given about their contact, the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Even though they were once allies, intelligence about them was scarce. The archives in Wilhelmshaven had little to say on the subject of their former allies. Most active communications had been cut with the Abyssal invasions a decade ago, and nowadays every navy in the world was cut off from one another.
For most people the sea rolled quietly, the waves lapping gently under the dark sky. Not Scheer. With the eyes of a falcon she peered into the solid darkness, undaunted.
"Konigsberg, recent Abyssal movements?"
Konigsberg snapped to attention and read from her notes. "Frau Scheer, immediate radar reports and graviton readings indicate two Abyssal groups in the outer immediate area. Tidal shift reports indicate positions of 330 and 265 respectively. Enemy strength is believed to be moderate, suggesting a lack of enemy awareness to our position."
Crossing her arms Scheer contemplated the intelligence, formulating a plan to evade the Abyssal patrols. Compared to her experiences the Abyssal forces here had been easy, too easy. Perhaps something more sinister, more monstrous awaited them.
She turned to the small group on the beach. Bismarck still napped, while Gneisenau amusedly watched Seydlitz chasing the laughing Z1. Scheer registered no emotion as she watched the homely scene. A mission was still a mission, and to her a break was nothing more than a necessity for the others.
"Frau Seydlitz!" she called. In an instant Seydlitz, who had been playfully chasing Z1, abruptly skid to a halt and turned towards her. In a sulky saunter she made her way to Scheer.
"Yes, Frau Scheer? You called?" Seydlitz came to a halt before Scheer, her face creased by a frown.
"Send out the reconnaissance planes. We need conclusive aerial intelligence of the immediate area. Understand?"
"Aff-irm-at-ive, Frau Scheer." Seydlitz turned about and trudged back to the group. Picking up her heavy crossbow she wound up the iron cranequin and placed a jet-black bolt into the groove. Raising the contraption into the air Seydlitz released the catch and the bolt whistled high into the night sky, disappearing in the inky void.
The drone of tiny radial engines filled the air for a short moment, fading away into the distance. "There, it is done. They will be back in half an hour, if the weather permits…." She turned to Scheer, who had resumed her silent staring contest with the sea. Seydlitz sighed and turned back to the group. "Frau Scheer is no fun at all, eh?"
"You cannot complain, you know what she is like. Let her be. Maybe our encounter with Nippon will change her," Gneisenau mused, idly plucking a violin string. "Hopefully for the better…"
"I guess you are right, Frau Gneisenau," Seydlitz turned away and looked back at Scheer, still staring at the sea. After a moment of contemplation she brightened, and turned to the unsuspecting Z1 who sat on the sand, building up a small heap. "On the other hand, however…." With a playful roar she pounced on the startled Z1, who kicked up the heap of sand in her surprise.
"Got you, Z1!" Seydlitz squealed, holding the squirming destroyer close to her. Z1 struggled with all her might but in a moment collapsed on the sand, crying with laughter – Seydlitz was tickling her, having at last found her weak spot.
"Hahahaha! Stop it, Frau Seydlitz, that tickles!" Gneisenau looked on the little scene with an indulgent smile, amused at their antics. Beside her Bismarck slept contentedly, completely undisturbed.
Over the dark seas three buzzing specks swept across the murky sky, relentlessly scanning the surface. They flew in a loose formation, covering the endless expanse.
A blinding light pierced the darkness, its beam cutting through the night sky like a slash of the black canvas, exposing the white underneath. In an instant one of the black planes erupted into crimson flames, the light picking it off with pinpoint accuracy.
Without further prompting the other two veered away, racing back into the darkness, but the thunder of guns shattered the silence, filling the air with the resounding blast of cannon and rattle of machine-guns. Another scout erupted like a blowtorch and fell in flames into the void. The last of the three managed to escape the storm of flak and tracers, and in an instant, like a magician's cloak, the thunder ceased as abruptly as it had started.
The lone plane shook its wings and gunned the throttle, hurtling into the night sky. While it sped out of the area its cameras whirred and developed the images – images of a terror that one commander had perfectly anticipated.