The Aegean Sea
Turkey/Greece
NATO military command had adopted a very staunch Anti-Russia policy in Europe. This included both in land, airspace and maritime straits. Russian and Belarus aircraft and ships were sunk if they so much as attempted to come close to NATO maritime borders. Only international waters were safe.
Turkey for a long time had been a strong supporter of NATO, it was NATO backing that protected them from threats from the Balkans, Middle East and Russia. But now it seemed as if their support was waning. Casualties in the Special Region were mounting, and Turkey wasn't sure if it wanted to descend into conflict with Russia as they would likely be one of the first targets.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Italian radar detected unusual signals coming from the waters. Without thinking twice they dispatched a small reaction fleet into the sea to respond and figure out what the signal was. Five corvettes, five submarines, and three destroyers were all sent out by the Italian navy. What they found was striking.
A Russian fleet managed to sail through the Black Sea, through Turkish waters, and into Italian maritime space undetected. Either Turkey failed to detect the massive Russian fleet flowing through the straight (Which was obviously not the case), or they refused to warn NATO and try to stop the fleet. But these diplomatic talks would come later. A staunch warning from the Italian fleet came across as the Russian fleet was armed and looked dangerous. Two cruisers, an aircraft carrier, seven corvettes, and two subs. It outnumbered the Italian Fleet. But even still Italy gave the order to its fleet to not back down, while reinforcements from both the main Italian fleet, French fleet based in southern France, and the British Royal navy could move in to support them.
A warning shot was fired from the Italian fleet, and was ignored. A second warning shot was fired, and met the same result. So with the support of NATO, the Italian prime minister gave to order to fire on the Russian navy.
The Italian fleet fired a salvo of rounds at the Russian navy inflicting damange on some of the corvettes and cruisers. The Russian navy returned fire destroying an Italian corvette. The two sides continued like this, and Russian aircraft launched from the deck of their aircraft carrier. Being harassed by both aircraft, having inferior naval numbers, and with the casualties of all the crewmen on their corvette, the Italian navy began to pull back from the combat zone before they lost another ship.
But it wasn't a moment too soon, naval reinforcements began pouring in, the HMS Edinburgh being the most modern battleship of the Royal Navy led the British/French coalition to respond. British and French fighters scrambled on the decks of their aircraft carriers to launch, and the French ships launched torpedoes against the Russians. Needless to say, the overwhelming firepower of both the British and French navies was too much for Russia and after losing two corvettes and a sub to fire, they quickly beat a hasty retreat.
The goal of the Russian navy unknown, diplomatic pressure quickly came against Turkey who failed to warn their NATO allies. Some even accused Turkey of purposely allowing Russian ships through the strait. All of which the Turkish government fervently denied. But it seemed to be the only logical answer. With an unreliable ally in the strategic Black Sea, NATO sent a permanent naval fleet to be station in Greece all the while pressure against Turkey increased.
Russia soon came out frank with NATO, the purpose of the fleet was only a warning that Russia was not afraid to use force if their demands in the Special Region weren't met. It was a warning that wasn't taken lightly, and NATO responded as such. They too needed to solidify the fact that NATO wasn't joking around either and if Russia was going to use force so too were they.
An American Pacific battlefleet moved into international waters and forcefully captured a Russian civilian ship containing arms shipments to India. Russia decried the action as outright piracy, but Washington didn't care. The United States officially called a NATO summit to be held in Brussels to expand the alliance, and out of the summit, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Marshall Islands were all formally invited into NATO. Without hesitation they all accepted solidifying NATO/American influence in East Asia. Joint naval and air force exercises between the United States and these new East Asian countries began this time not aimed at China but Russia.
In Africa NATO soldiers in Libya were attacked by a paramilitary wing armed with Russian equipment, in response airstrikes against ISIS insurgent members and Russian back paramilitary forces in sub-Saharan Africa increased. Morocco joined NATO in the winter of 2022, and Israeli forces attacked the Syrian Militia in the midst of the conflict. The resulting war betwixt Israeli Defense Forces and the Syrian Army saw both American and Russian troops open fire on one another in the Syrian Desert. It took a UN intervention to ensure open war wasn't declared between the two powers, plunging the world into a third World War.
In Syria the current ruling dictator Ishmael Sullivan was assassinated by a pro-democracy militant, whose group was most likely supported and funded in part by NATO and the US. Tension between Russia and NATO was so great it could be cut with a knife. That is, until a Russian representative arrived in Washington D.C. to discuss a de-escalation plan. Both powers agreed that World War Three was a bad thing and that the lives of millions were more important than whatever was going on the Special Region. If conflict was to happen, both powers agreed it would better if it remained as an outright war in the Special Region alone than on Earth. Demi-Human lives were of less importance than the lives of Earth-bound citizens.
The UN formalized this agreement by allowing conflict between the two sides to grow in the Special Region, but de-escalating the conflict on Earth. It ordered NATO to stop its military buildup in Ukraine and the Baltic states, and order the Russian Navy to only sail within Russian maritime waters. This was sensible to both sides and soon the world heaved a sigh of relief that a major crisis had been adverted.
In the Special Region, combat was slow. Russian presence in the Special Region increased. It seemed Nora was losing power to President Valentine and his supporters. The theorized Russian-backed Coup was very much a realizable possibility, and a British envoy attempted to warn Nora, however the envoy was subsequently jailed by Iscariot Royal Forces.
British aircraft outright obliterate Iscariot military installations outside of Fargo in return, and the Prime Minister affirmed his position that the Iscariots were the main threat to peace inside the Special Region.
The United States on the other hand moved a portion of its nuclear weapons to the secret facility known as 'Black Mesa' to protect Ithaca. American Defense of Ithaca became priority number one and defense of Ithacan citizens was supposedly the main objective of American forces in the Special Region. With the backing of a nuclear power, Ithaca decreased its defense patrols around Newfoundland and East-Angelica as an attack by China or Russia was much less likely with the nuclear bomb clearly on Ithaca's side.
China in response armed the ICCR with a nuclear weapon as well. The nuclearization of the Special Region began and an arms race between China, Russia, and the US started. Almost like a mini-version of the Cold War.
Even though the entire continent was localized entirely on the Iscariot continent, it had significant repercussion in the Japanese controlled Saderan continent as well. The Japanese Navy deployed a portion of its strike force in the waters surrounding Alnus Hill. With the fear of one of the three superpowers attempting to expand into the Saderan continent, Japan issued a proclamation that JSDF military personnel would attack any military vessel owned by either China or Russia. It did allow an American fleet to base in a naval station to the south of the continent. Ithacan and Alnus trade convoys were allowed to pass freely between both of the continents with the protection of both the JSDF and US Navy. But as the Iscariot Civil War worsened, it was clear that Alnus Hill would need to rapidly modernize in order to avoid being brought into subjugation by their Ithacan allies.
The Iscariot continent became the prime focus of World Politics, and despite an ever-aggressive Iscariot Regime fighting till the end, peace was the primary goal.
However some people on the continent did not understand the significance of the Ithacan backed by NATO. The Vikos who paid little attention to continental politics, and used their brute force to raid, pillage and destroy saw Ithaca as a prime jewel. Millions of defenseless people, who seemed to have everything. They saw Ithaca as a target instead of a threat. But a big target, so they assembled the largest Viko army in history.
Ithaca, Newfoundland
Fort Ithaca, Strategic Operations Command Center (SOCC)
[Ithacan Home Guard] "This is Recon Unit 12 to Command, we've got a situation developing off the shore in the Thunder Bay."
[SOCC] "Read Situation"
[IHG] "We have a fleet of native war ships that are refusing to identify themselves, over."
[SOCC] "Understood, we are sending the Navy out to investigate. Move your units to a defensive posture, open fire only until they fire first."
[IHG] "Roger. Moving to battle stations."
A fleet of giant wooden ships with huge black sails was approaching Thunder Bay. The coastal defenses on the straits of the bay were ordered not to open fire until the ships could be identified. The last time NATO had come in contact with the Vikos was during their liberation of Minerva many years prior. That was before Ithaca as a city even existed. NATO understood that the Vikos were a pirate faction, but had no idea of their allegiance or position in the role of continental politics. As smaller kingdoms and tribes were annexed by the more modern powers, the Vikos had become less of a threat.
American aircraft departed from the airbase in Fort Ithaca, the naval fleet based there also departed. The fleet was much smaller in size but SOCC was confident it would put up a decent defense against the wooden pirate vessels.
The captain of the Viko fleet, a goblin by the name of 'One Eye' looked at the coastal city of Ithaca through the glass of his telescope. His right eye was missing, rumored to have been lost in a sword fight with another infamous Viko/Pirate. The rumor was confirmed by a scar in the shape of a slash over the closed eye, but he didn't wear an eye patch. He was short, muscular, hairy all over. Gnarled teeth, uncombed hair, he was a fearsome warlord. Feared by the smaller kingdoms around the continent. He was an infamous warlord known to take and destroy everything. Before Newfoundland was a NATO stronghold, he always used to raid the multiple cities and towns on the delta. But the large city of Ithaca, destruction of the Viko navy at Minerva, and multiple other things intimidated most pirates and prevented them from returning to Newfoundland. Even the Vikos were a bit impressed at the loss of their entire river-based fleet while the Minervans took no casualties. But One Eye was convinced that it was all because of cowardice on account of the Viko captains who led the fleet, and a weakness of the sailors on board. He was sure that he would not repeat their failures, and so he decided to go for all the fame and glory and take the legendary city of Ithaca in one fell swoop.
He was so confident in fact, that he even made plans of what he would do to the city after subjugating it and putting it in its place. He fantasized of making it a tributary to the Viko clans, or perhaps basing it as the new capital of his clan. Either way the inhabitants of the city would be screwed, both literally and figuratively.
The Vikos were savage brutes and embraced the reputation as such. Selling the citizens of Ithaca off to the Iscariots as both slaves for labor and pleasure, or even keeping them for themselves was not something the Vikos were foreign to. Depending on how the local populace looked aesthetically, he might just keep the whole population for whatever his soldiers and sailors wanted to use them for.
But throughout all of his plans he had to keep a clear mind on the target, the prime jewel of the delta, Ithaca. As his fleet approached closer and closer to the city, it was clear that the legends and rumors surrounding it were true. A tower, the likes of which he had never seen before, stood high and erect over the hills and mountains that surrounded the Thunder Bay. It seemed a multitude of ships both wooden and made of steel came to and from the bay carrying an untold plentitude of goods worth enough to make a man rich for thirty lifetimes! Fire contained locally inside of signs and the buildings themselves displayed images, and highlighted the streets. It was gorgeous beyond belief, he had never seen a city like it. He would take the city, plunder all of its riches, and put the civilians to work most definitely.
"Captain sir!" One Eye's fascination with the city was soon diverted by one of his sailors. His second in command as a matter of fact. He was a human who had served with One Eye faithfully, his name was Blackburn.
"What is it, Black?" Asked One Eye.
"I'm sorry to warn you, but it looks like the Ithacans are launching a fleet in response to our presence. Take a look right there…" Blackburn pointed to the harbor, and indeed there was a fleet. A multitude of large iron warships left port and were floating out to sea. It seemed like the Ithacans meant business. One Eye might consider a surrender just to spare himself the casualties of having to fight these sea dogs.
"Aye, I see them. Let the dogs come, in the meantime move the fleet to firing range of their precious city. Let them come aboard if they so wish, and we shall negotiate the fate of their pitiful existence."
He heard a small cough come from his second, "Is there…something wrong Black?"
Blackburn looked a bit nervous, "Yes, with respect sir. If I may ask, haven't you heard the rumors of these people?"
One Eye had never seen Blackburn nervous before, he was a brave, valiant, and determined sailor who was never afraid. But this sudden change of attitude…It almost scared him.
"Perhaps we haven't heard the same rumors," said One Eye.
"I am sure you are familiar with the Iscariots. Word has it that these are the people who practically destroyed their kingdom. They are the people who have King Fredrick captured-"
"Nonsense, people built themselves off of rumors and 'superstition' rather than force and action. It seems to me that these people are proud, but foolish to spread these rumors without having the means to prove them true."
"Yes and I agree, but look at their city. And I've never seen a ship as big as those made of iron. Surely these people cant be bluffing!"
One Eye knew what Blackburn had said was true. But it couldn't be. His fleet was the most fearsome in the entire continent, nothing could be said to disrupt that. One Eye had a goal, but perhaps these people were worth some of their value. If they proved to put up a resistance strong enough, perhaps he might not destroy them but turn them into useful allies. A strong pet to use whenever the Empire comes knocking on his door for tribute.
It was commonly understood fact that no empire on the continent was as strong as the Iscariots, and anyone who claimed otherwise was an idiot. But perhaps, these people were right. If they were stronger, it made Ithaca all the more attractive target.
"Press on…" One Eye stared out into the Thunder Bay with a determined face. His second gulped in nervous fear.
"…Yes sir." Blackburn moved out onto the deck to order the sailors to steer the vessel to firing position, as One Eye continued looking on. This in his mind, would be a legendary battle. One that future generations would talk about for centuries, and would bring him glory and honor. He would be the most feared Viko and Pirate in all of the continent!
"Bring it on! Show me what you dogs are made of!" One Eye thought to himself.
The Ithacan response to the Viko naval presence was simple. The 1st fleet departed from Fort Ithaca's docks and sailed out into the bay and the ocean. Ithacan natives who worked in the government identified the fleet as hostile and warned that there would likely be conflict, but there was a chance it could be a diplomatic envoy. So coastal defenses were ordered not to open fire, and the fleets were given the orders to sail towards the Vikos and intercept them for talks.
However, the Ithacan government set its readiness alert at 2 in preparation for a possible full scale naval attack and invasion. The Ithacan home guard mobilized and set up positions in large residential neighborhoods in Ithaca to defend the local populace and prepare for an emergency to give both shelter and aid. The coastline near the bay was blocked off and designated as a military sector and civilian/merchant ships were ordered to dock and relinquish all goods and passengers. Civilian freighters and passenger ships inbound to Ithaca were ordered to dock at another port.
Children who attended schools were sent home, universities told students to stay indoors. NATO troops in Fort Ithaca were set at full alert, aircraft were lined up on the runways ready to fly. Everything was ready for a full scale invasion, all that was needed now was the order to go into full defense mode.
The fleet under the command of Captain Huey Goethals and Rear Admiral Lower Half Matthew C. Bates, moved swiftly to respond to the Vikos with 'appropriate armament'. A fleet of six corvettes, three destroyers, three frigates, and two cruisers escorted the USS Anthem Aircraft Carrier (all of them constructed in the USA and transported to Ithaca through the gate). It was a formidable fleet and the most powerful response that Ithaca could come up with for now without having to rely on coastal defenses.
[Anthem] "This is Rear Admiral Bates of the USS Anthem to SOCC, we are approaching the unidentified fleet, standby for any developments."
[SOCC] "Understood Bates, we will be transferring you to General Defense Council of the Ithacan Home Guard. Switching channels…"
SOCC was responsible for the movements of both NATO and Ithacan troops. However GDC was an Ithacan establishment that was a part of the Ithacan Home Guard, they would be handling the command of units responsible for the defense of the nation. Despite this, SOCC would of course still be listening in and had the power to overrule the actions of GDC if NATO High Command decides and gives the order. But this would be the first actual threat in which the GDC would have to use force since King Fredrick attempted to lead a attack against the city.
[General Defense Council] "GDC to the USS Anthem, welcome aboard the operation. We are confident you understand the situation at hand. We don't have to brief you about it, do we?"
[Anthem] "No sir."
[GDC] "Good, I am Major Daniel Jefferson from the US Armed Forces. Glad to have you aboard Admiral."
[Anthem] "Likewise Major, likewise. Any further orders?"
[GDC] "You have been given permission to use live fire only if absolutely necessary. Remember we want to figure out why these guys are here. Some of our Demi-Human informants say they are hostile Vikos, basically Vikings or pirates, whatever they are called here in this world. They are masters at sea and are pretty feared by many of the locals. I'd urge caution when dealing with them personally, they wouldn't hesitate to kill an officer."
[Anthem] "I see. But I think it's about time we show these sons of bitches what we are really made of. To knock them off their high horse. If they attack any of our sailors, we oughta-"
[GDC] "Easy there Admiral, remember this is a delicate situation. I understand your anger though, but I assure you that if the conflict escalates you fleet will be able to deal with any threat. But for now, talking is what we are concerned about. The British Royal Air and American Air power are available on shore for aid if necessary. If you need extra firepower, which I highly doubt, call Yankee-Seven. She is the leader of our coastal batteries, they should be able to deal with anything you cant."
[Anthem] "Understood sir, anything else?"
[GDC] "Word just in from SOCC, they want a sit-rep every half hour at maximum. Try and get one in every ten minutes at best. They want to know whats going on the bridge live."
[Anthem] "WILCO, starting timer. I'll contact you in exactly thirty minutes or when we contact the Viko navy, whichever comes first. Anthem, out."
The naval ships left the bay towards the giant Viko fleet. On the bridge of the Anthem, sailors went into battlestations. Locking and sealing doors, preparing to fire, heading to positions. The bridge reported that there were no radio masts or wireless communication posts on any of the ships, and therefore probably meant that contact would have to be person to person.
The two fleets closed in within a kilometer of each other. And then both navies just stopped. Neither side moving, a few colorful flags from the USS Anthem used for wireless communication were flown about, but they weren't understood by the Vikos. It was clear that no maritime standards for non-radio communication were established and so the two fleets stopped in an awkward limbo for a while…
One Eye looked on at the Ithacan fleet. They flew flags, but they weren't a white one. He suspected that they meant something he couldn't decipher. He attempted to move his flagship to board their ships but everytime he did so the large iron ships moved away. And they were surpisingly fast. They had no sails and seemed to be able to completely disregard the wind, and yet they moved swiftly without it. Not to mention they were huge. The largest of them was a weird looking (all of them were weird but this was significant) flat-topped ship. It's bridge was put off to the side and its deck was purely flat with smaller vessels ontop. What it was for sure, he didn't know.
One Eye was getting impatient, he wanted his throne over the city, and he wanted it NOW. He had dragons aboard his ships. Elite level dragon riders had carried him in battle numerous times before. Perhaps they could be used for a more civil manner of discourse?
He sent his second in command and a few messengers atop his best dragons, and had they fly off towards their fleet. All the while he continued to take note of the Ithacan ships. They didn't seem to have many cannons, unlike his ships which had hundreds upon hundreds of them. They did however seem like they would be hard to penetrate, even with his largest caliber cannons. He would have to wait and see.
He looked at his messaging force, he instructed them to ask for the Ithacan surrender. Surely the Ithacan cowards would accept, and if they didn't they would be destroyed. He almost couldn't contain his excitement.
The dragons landed on the deck of the flat topped ship. And everything was quiet. He'd have to wait.
The sailors and crewmen of the USS Anthem saw the convoy of dragons. They were intimidating to say the least. Orders from the bridge told the anti-air to not completely obliterate them. It would be a mess to clean up…
The scaly lizard beasts touched down on the flight deck of the Anthem, Marines armed with rifles quickly surrounded them shouting orders in Special Region language for the envoys to depart their dragons. It was a most unusual sight to see. Marines dressed in their modern tactical garb surrounded the medieval era and pirate like Vikos. It was almost comical, but there was nothing funny about what was going on.
The dragons, confused by the yelling began snarling and hissing at the Marines who were of course much smaller than they. It scared them slightly, but the Marines were confident that their rifles could easily pierce the armor of the dragon, whether or not that was true. The envoys and dragon riders disembarked with their hands up, their dragons almost in sequence spreading their wings and shielding their riders from what looked like a threat putting their bodies between the Marines and their masters.
One of the Vikos told the dragons to heel, and begrudgingly they did. More Marines poured onto the deck guns still drawn, safeties off.
"Hey man, make sure those lizards are secure. My boss wants to speak with y'all." Said a Marine with a clear Pacific-Northwest Accent. The accent was a bit to high for the Viko envoy to understand, and so the Marine was forced to repeat himself.
"I assure you," Said the envoy, "The dragons only want to ensure my protection and safety, I'm their master."
"Okay, since you're the dragon whisperer, tell the son of a bitch to back off!"
The Viko grunted in disapproval, "take me to your superiors."
In a small meeting room in the bridge Captain Goethals sat across a small wooden table from the Vikos. He had identified one of the naval officers, Blackburn, as the second-in-command of the fleet. Surrounding him were the dragon riders and envoys of the fleet. They too were armed with daggers and swords, but for confidentiality he didn't request for the presence of an armed Marine in the room.
"So…Blackburn? What is it you want from us again?" Asked Goethals, this was the strangest day in his life. A bunch of dwarves, elves, and pirate-humans were sitting across from him with daggers and swords. They don't prepare you for this in Naval College, for damn sure.
"Your city of Ithaca has attracted the eye of our lord. We see that it is populous, rich, and potentially useful. We are requesting…how should I say…an alliance?"
Goethals breathed a slight sigh of relief and leaned back into his chair, "I apologize for the initial rudeness of our Marines out there, this isn't exactly protocol our meeting. But an alliance, if that's all you are here for…I don't see why not-"
"Well an alliance isn't a good word," Blackburn chuckled to himself, "More of a surrender."
Goethals' face scrunched up now, there was no way in hell he was serious, right?
"I'm afraid we cant do that. We would gladly accept an alliance, but a surrender is unacceptable-"
"You haven't heard our terms. Your city is rich in everything that we so need and desire. We are willing to be gracious enough to spare you populace from the wrath of our soldiers and dragons in return for a peaceful handover of your city and our throne on it."
It was Goethals' turn to laugh now. He laughed out loud, holding his nose with his fingers. He sighed at the end, "You are joking right?"
"I'm as serious as a plague. We want to do this peacefully, clearly you are all very rich and we want it."
"And what if we just refuse?"
One of the Vikos pulled out a dagger and drove it into the wooden table, "Hey that costs mone-"
"If you refuse, we will unleash our fury and wrath upon your pitiful populace! And your precious people will become our property! There would be no mercy at all! Your women would be sold off or forced to bear your overlords, your men would be forced to shine our boots! Your children would all be killed! Do you want the blood of your entire nation on our hands?" Blackburn leaned over the table and looked Goethals in the eyes, with a steely and cold glance. Goethals returned the look.
"You'd have to get past us first. And then you'd have to get past them."
"Who is them?"
"You'll see, if you live to survive past this moment. This charade has gone on long enough now! I am ordering you, with all the power vested in me as Captain of this ship, to depart our waters or else face our wrath. And believe me, we are being merciful here."
Blackburn spit on the floor next to Goethals, he stood up along with the rest of his gnarly posse, "I'll enjoy seeing you all enslaved."
They opened the door and left, bound back to their own ships.
The Rear Admiral entered, Bates looked at the sword in the table and then at Goethals.
"That went well." Goethals said sitting there, almost unimpressed.
"Soooooo…whats the situation?"
"It's war."
"Aye. Should've saw that coming. Get everyone back into battlestations, I'll radio GDC."
"Aye sir, and as a special request sir…"
Bates looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "When this battle is finished, I think we oughta rescue a few of the sailors. Especially their captain and second in command. Show them what we are truly made of."
"I was thinking the same thing…"
Alarms blared on the ship and sailors rushed about trying to get themselves ready. Bates sat at the controls of his ship surrounded by other officers and sailors who jotted down naval positions, kept an eye on the wooden fleet, and coordinated the different stations on the vessel.
[Anthem] "This is the USS Anthem to GDC with a sitrep, come in GDC."
[GDC] "Speak to me."
[Anthem] "Negotiations failed, we are going into battle."
[GDC] "High command will be notified, move in and engage all hostile targets until they are all eliminated or retreat from our seas."
[Anthem] "Understood, inform Yankee-Seven to be on standby to fire."
[GDC] "It's as good as done."
The dragons departed from the deck of the carrier and returned to their ships.
"Kill them all…" Said One Eye as he was told the details of the interaction by Blackburn.
"Aye."
The pirates and Vikos aboard the ships were ordered to get ready to fire. With the stroke of his hand the fleet lined up pointing their starboard side cannons at the Ithacans. And all hell broke loose. It seemed as if an explosion formed from the sides of all the ships, creating a force so powerful it could destroy a mountain.
One Eye laughed hysterically as the smoke engulfed the sides of the ship. This is too easy-
A massive explosion erupted from one of his 1st rate ships, and the massive fire that resulted engulfing the wooden frames and mast revealed that all was not as they seemed. The smoke had barely cleared, it would be impossible for the Ithacans to get such a direct hit.
He assumed the sacred gunpowder storage lot in the ship had caught on fire, but when the smoke from the blast cleared a large hole in the side was revealed, they had fired a round that hit them straight in the middle. Pirates and Vikos alike caught on fire on the other ship, and were running about flailing as their ship slowly sunk underneath the water. Some who were engulfed in flames jumped over board to save themselves.
Before One Eye could even process the scene in his Viko brain, another similar explosion rattled the ship sailing directly in front of his own. The explosion was so intense that it knocked One Eye to his feet.
"The Ithacans have bite alright, but lets seem them handle THE DRAGONS!" In his mangled mind One Eye ordered the captain of the Dragon riders to depart and attack. The dragons quickly took off, but from the deck of the flat top ships it seemed that the Ithacans had launched aircraft of their own. All of them were strikingly alike though, of silver color and made of metal.
But the most striking thing about them was how fast they traveled. No dragon could fly that fast, what form of sorcerers magic allowed the Ithacans to fly so fast? The Ithacan dragons upon closer look, turned out to be machines. They were really flying!
The Ithacan "Dragons" absolutely annihilated his elite dragon unit. A bloodbath to say the absolute least. He watched almost helplessly as his own dragons plummeted to the sea.
When he looked at the Ithacan ships themselves he marveled upon what he saw. The round of fire he had launched against them did absolutely no damage! He had to have missed! Quickly he ordered the turn around of his ships to port. But before the maneuver could be executed another three of his ships were sunk.
But instead of fear or anger, One Eye felt happiness and was intoxicated with the fury of the battle. Not only had he for the first time failed to inflict any damage on a enemy ship, but he also lost so many to them. He had met his match, and he was impressed to say the absolute least. A worthy opponent!
Perhaps…perhaps I misjudged these people- One Eye was thrown to the wall as his own ship was rocked by a ordinance. He was knocked unconscious.
When he awoke from the blackness, he woke in hell…
All around him was fire. An intense heat. The walls of his ship were burning, his crew men running around in a dizzying panic some of them were dead. Their bodies tripping the other panicked sailors. One Eye dizzily came to his feet, slowly. And he stumbled all over. The ship was sinking. He could feel it. His weight was slowly being pushed to the opposite wall and he found it difficult to stand upright.
His crew one by one jumped into the water to save themselves from the burning wreckage. But him…no.
A captain dies with his ship.
A final explosion, the flames must've gotten to the gunpowder reserves.
Back in Ithaca, the youth of Ithaca's first native-born generation came to watch the battle out to sea. It was difficult to observe as the coastline was blocked off and the bay wrapped around the harbor a bit too much. But it was still clear what was going on.
Filo and Perceval had gotten to witness the battle. They managed to take an elevator up to the higher floors of a skyscraper n the bay area of town. They met a crowd of many others who had the same idea to get higher up standing on the rooftop of the building. Some people had cameras and phones, imported from Earth out, and were recording the whole thing.
The two managed to see the entire event, a humongous explosion from one of the wooden ships blasted through the air. The sound was more forceful than anything anyone has ever experienced. It was almost surreal. But they saw it before they heard it. The sight was that of the largest fireball they had seen erupting into the skies. And the sound like a thunderous echo.
Both Filo and Perceval's jaw dropped in astonishment at the scene. It was clear the Ithacan navy was barely scratched by the fighting. But the Vikos in return…had been annihilated.
Filo was impressed. For the second time.
She had witnessed the first time NATO had fought against a Viko assault force. But this time was different. A fully armed Ithacan fleet engaged a fully armed Viko fleet, the most fearsome there was.
"The days of the Iscariots are surely numbered, if this is the kind of power Ithaca has!" Said an older man in the crowd.
The comment had sparked an intense pro-Ithacan discussion. People began talking of how the Iscariots would be crushed, easily. How Ithaca would protect and save them all…
[GDC] "Damn…"
[Anthem] "This is the USS Anthem here to GDC and SOCC. I think you can see for yourselves. The Viko fleet has been annihilated."
[GDC] "Hell of a fireworks display. Good work Admiral. Destroy the few remaining ships and round up the survivors. Ithacan Home Guard will take of them."
[Anthem] "Aye-Aye sir."