Helsinki, weeks after the raid
The victorious fleet decorated their naval base with the flags of Kalmaria. The spirit of the Winter War animated them with vigor and joy. Their wishes even reached the Mannerheim line where the Northern Parliament was stopped for the first time. The exploit of the soldiers was all over the news and it encouraged the populace even more. The factories started working night and day.
"Do you know how many ships were sunk by any chance?"
An agent was standing in front of the submarine Flora who was giving her story that would be run in the newspaper as the attack on Leningrad. The bureau of propaganda was making sure that at least some ships and some bridges had been destroyed, as reported by their own submarines.
"And I shot a shipgirl's hat for style point!"
The agent wrote it down and asked for the next girl. It was the coastal defence ships, Charles XII of the Viking-class, and Gustav V, of the Sverige-class. They explained the accident and the warning they issued to their enemies. Gustav said nothing about their clear lack of any possible frontal engagements. The submarine story made it to the paper, and the capital ships were ignored.
[…]
In the headquarter offices, Gustav V was reprimanded for following the enemy fleet further than it was intended.
"You are not equipped to fight on enemy territory! What if they had tried to give chase!" said the Chief of the Kalmarian Navy, Fabian Tamm. He was a rather tall man with a head like an egg.
Gustav V could have said they had used Siren technology, but it was prohibited in their navy. It was a secret between her and the Ironblood. She simply said it was the best course of action.
"We told them we would not surrender without a fight!"
"You are one of our last line of defence," the vice admiral for Copenhagen said, Aage Helgesen Vedel. He was a small skeletal man whose skin was almost as white as the snow, "don't go and die."
Henry Diesen, the vice admiral for Copenhagen who had a similar stature as Tamm, expressed the same thought. The only man to congratulate her on their accomplishment was the vice admiral for Helsinki, Eero Rahola, an exemplary naval officer whose gaze was confident : "To seize opportunities is to seize victory. We are happy you made it back in one hull."
He looked at his fellow colleagues who tone it down a bit and appreciated that, at least, their strategies of coastal defence were worth something. They deployed map of the Baltic Sea.
"Here are the minefields minelayers have to cover – Rahola said while pointing at the map – for now, you will remain in Helsinki with the fleet until further orders."
"Excuse my curiosity, admiral," said Gustav V to Tamm, "but shouldn't we make sure to deal a devastating blow by bombing Leningrad once more?"
"You won't have the element of surprise next time. We can't afford a single loss and they can afford as much as they want. The Northern Parliament does not lack resources," the admiral explained while getting closer, "but look at it this way. Your efforts had a great impact on the navy. Our budget went up and the construction of the Tre Kronor and Göta Lejon will be accelerated with more designs underway because of your exploits. Yes, you fought. But for now, you must remain in port as our cheerleaders while the army defends the country with its blood. Understood?"
Gustav preferred it that way. They shook hand. She left the building. On her way to the docks, she was lost in her head. She knew some people who would disagree and be more than furious about their current situation. But she would keep the news to herself for that one magic night.
A strong smell of Nakkikastike's sauce guided her to the docks. In the kitchen, she found Oscar II, Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, the cruiser Gotland and the Storfinland submarine Vetehinen and Iku-Turso. In a pot laid a thick brown sauce with sausages and green spices. Oscar II came and stirred the sauce, tasting it with her finger. On a gentle tone, almost mommy tone, Gustav was asked to go to the dining room. On her way, she found a cauldron with chopped carrots, potatoes, pickled beets, onions boiling in water. Ilmarinen was chopping cucumbers while her sister was frying eggs. All the strong aromas wrapped the kitchen in a comfortable atmosphere. Gustav's stomach gurgled.
In the hallway, she passed the training cruiser Fylgia, the light cruiser Björn Järnsida and Niels Juel, and the minelaying cruiser Clas Fleming who would be acting as servant for the feast. Voices came from the dining room. They were already celebrating.
As Gustav V made her way to her seat at the front of the long table, discussions continued amongst the destroyers and submarines seated on other tables. The big ship club table had quite a few seats empty. Drottning Victoria and Drottning Kristina were reading poems; Carl Wrangel and Charles XII were arguing about military leaders and politics while drinking; Sverige, Eidsvold, Norge, Bjørgvin, Nidaros and Peder Skram were talking about Nordic foods and Norge expressed her desire to eat Oscar's dishes. Despite the place looking like an inn, it felt like a family assembled for Christmas. After a few minutes, the plates came in and were served to everyone. By respect to the cooks, the family was waiting them to sit down before eating.
"Klas, don't touch your plate yet!" Oscar II warned as she was serving other destroyers.
"But I am so hungry!" said at the same time Klas Horn and Klas Uggla.
When the plates were served, and the cooks finally sat down, the family started eating and drinking at their leisure. Oscar and her team received praises for their amazing cooking. The feast lasted late in the night. Never had Gustav seen everyone this happy and close. For that one night, she forgot the sound of gun, the touch of the snow and the smell of gasoline. It was their familiar voices, the pleasant feeling of food, and, above all, she was blessed with their presence.
London
The raid on Leningrad galvanized support for Operation R4 and the confidence of both Iris' and the Royal Navy's parliament on their capacity to stop the black and red menace. The political support was accompanied by strong popular support. Kalmaria had to be defended. After 3 months of preparation, time was not of the matter anymore as Kalmaria had negotiated a ceasefire agreement. The diplomats were doing their best to forestall the negotiations against the Northern Parliament, aware that the Reds could launch a final attack to penetrate the country.
Queen Elizabeth, who had just received her new retrofit, was sipping on tea and reading the newspapers. While Warspite was gone for the Mediterranean, Valiant and Barham had taken her place, the first one just awaiting the final touch of her retrofit, and Barham, who had just been repaired after getting hit by a submarine torpedo. All three had been selected for Operation R4 and would depart to Narvik in 7 days if everything goes according to plan. Valiant and Barham were excited for the operation while Queen Elizabeth was (). She was focused on an old edition of three months ago : "Raid on Leningrad! Will the house of cards come tumbling down?"
"What a farce," she thought, "and nothing since…"
The phone on the table rang. She picked it up.
"Bad news," said the officer, "Kalmaria refused the aid and agreed to the Northern Parliament's demands. Are you still in favor of the operation?"
Silence from both her sisters fixing her. Queen Elizabeth was lost in thought. She answered : "Get me Churchill on the phone."
After some minutes, a rough voice answered the phone.
"Is the Parliament still in favor for the operation?" she asked.
"We were awaiting your final judgment. I take it as a big yes. Anything to add?"
"We weren't briefed on what to do if we encounter hostile or friendly Kalmarian ships or soldiers."
"Get that from your superior. But always remember who you are fighting for."
The phone beeped. Queen Elizabeth immediately called her trusted warrior now that Operation R4 was official.
"I want Warspite with the Home Fleet by next week!"
Tallinn, at night
Kirov and Leningrad had been waiting in the cold spring of March. Their visitors, Schlesien and Z10, had finally arrived after dodging mines and ice. They seemed a little bit annoyed by their long trip, but it was of utmost importance for Bismarck. Kirov and Leningrad invited them to the dock were they finally transferred to the comfortable visitor's lounge. The Northern Parliament had tried to rid the building of any Intermarium's decorations or ensigns, but the impeccable floor's pattern depicted an imperial eagle. Leningrad's arrived with drinks while Kirov examined Köln's documents.
"Protecting our sphere of influence…" she read.
"The Royal Navy has shown its total disregard of international law by attacking the Altmark and mining the waters of Oldenburg. It will be a temporary occupation for the duration of the war, then we will give it back to Kalmaria and your zone of influence in the north. And you don't make yourself an enemy of the Royal Navy or Iris. Your neutrality will be respected."
Schlesien remained composed as Kirov did not see any problem with the papers. She contacted the council of Leningrad who approved the motion. They had their approval for Ironblood's intervention. Schlesien contacted Berlin's HQ.
"Can I get Bismarck?"
"It's me Tirpitz, Bismarck is gone at the moment."
"The Northern Parliament has authorized our peaceful strategical occupation of the Oldenburg's ports of Kalmaria. Operation Weserübung can begin."
The shipgirls made a toast, wishing that their pact would last a long time.
Kalmaria, Copenhagen, evening
The spirit of the Winter War had vanished. Pessimism had hit every part of the Kalmarian society from the everyday people to the shipgirls themselves. Their fight had been for naught and their promised aid from the Royal Navy and Iris had never came. They felt betrayed. The same atmosphere existed in Copenhagen, where Bismarck decided to make a personal visit to the Kalmarian's navy. Sitting at the table, Gustav V, Oscar II, Charles XII, Eidsvold, Norge, Väinämöinen and Peder Skram.
"You thought we haven't seen your 'peaceful' occupation forces ready to invade?"
"Our operation aims at defending your territorial integrity. The Royal Navy and Iris are ready to launch their operation. My contacts give more or less 5 days."
They had just been invaded by foes who claimed to do military occupation. Now, they had two on their shoulders.
"We can defend ourselves just fine!" Peder Skram said.
"Yeah. We will welcome them with the shore batteries!" Norge added.
Bismarck looked at them. A long list of the Royal Navy components had been compiled. More than fifty ships were to take part in Operation R4.
"We are not talking skirmishes," Bismarck said, "but a fully ready force to invade you. If you side with us, we will have a better time defending you."
It made them uncomfortable, but the truth was the truth. Two monsters were ready to feast on their country who just made peace with another beast. Their situation was truly hopeless. No miracle, spirits or Siren technology could save them from annihilation.
"It's all cool if we accept," Gustav V said, "but if our government says no, then we will have to fight you. We have an oath to uphold."
"About that – Bismarck took a paper from her pocket – we already some backup personnel ready to cooperate with us. Side with them if your government refuses."
Gustav V looked at the list wondering who these men were. She passed the list around and they got the same reaction. They had no idea who these men were. They were no more than an assurance policy as their decision would truly dictate on which side they fight. They withdrew to the hall where fierce discussion ensued. Gustav V, Eidsvold and Norge wanted to side with Azur Lane while Väinämöinen, Charles XII and Peder Skram wanted to side with the Crimson Axis. They owed much more to Ironblood then the cowards of London.
"With Siren tech and Ironblood mighty fleet, we will be invincible!" Charles XII said.
"What about our honor and neutrality!" Norge argued back, "we are basically surrendering before the fight."
"Neutrality is no longer an option when two alliances are planning to invade you in the next days!" Peder Skram retorted.
"These cowards abandoned us!" Väinämöinen was furious that it was even a matter of debate. Storfinland had taken a heavy toll from the war with the Northern Parliament. Only Ironblood could help them in time of need.
Oscar II was torn with the decision of fighting anyone, as they seemed all friendly. She hated the political game so much, as it tore them for petty reasons. She hated choice, especially ones that were imposed on her. These divides did not exist when the Sirens were the sole enemies. Now, it was old friends against old friends. Her heart ached. No matter her decision, it would be painful. As the breaker, she calmed the Azur Lane's sympathizers.
"We can reach an agreement where we let Ironblood occupy our bases in exchange for us not fighting on any side. We will maintain our territorial integrity while not fighting for or against Ironblood."
Her compromise got the wrath of both sides.
"You have to be kidding!" Gustav V shouted, "this is no time for compromise! Our country's unity is at stake goddammit!"
Gustav V was confronted by Charles XII. It became a face to face between both sides, with Oscar II stuck in between. The spirit of the Winter War had vanished, and her heart wept. Forced to take a side, her vote went to joining the Crimson Axis. The tension went down. The Azur Lane's sympathizers sighed and agreed with the vote, as democracy prevailed.
When they returned to the room, Bismarck felt the mixed reaction from the shipgirls as she accepted their answer. Bismarck left Oslo in the night. Oscar II apologized to Gustav V, Eidsvold and Norge. They laughed, tapping her shoulder.
"We are happy that you took a decision at least. I hate having to break votes," Gustav said.
Eidsvold got closer : "Don't worry. We stand as one. We are the compromise."
Oscar II felt a little bit happier. They embraced each other. Norge joined.
"We are family. Our bonds cannot be broken by politics or alliances or oaths. Even if we are apart."
These words cheered up Oscar. She knew it was an illusion.
Orders were transferred to Bjørgvin and Nidaros who were sitting in Oslo. Their orders to cooperate with Azur Lane were changed to cooperation with the Crimson Axis. They expressed their confusion through the phone. Peder Skram put down the receiver. Norge and Eidsvold prepared their departure to Oslo.
"You are not coming with us?" asked Norge.
"I will prepare the welcoming visit of Ironblood. I don't want unnecessary blood to be spilled if our government chooses the wrong side."
Norge and Eidsvold departed into the night.
"The wrong side, huh?" Eidsvold laughed.
"Is something wrong?" her sister asked.
"You are still ok with Operation R4?"
"I'll always defend my country against the first invader – Eidsvold smirked. Her sister wanted to side with Azur Lane. Bjørgvin and Nidaros were also on stand-by to welcome the Royal Navy. The Intermarium submarines, who had run to Stockholm harbor at the beginning of the war, had been assembled to meet their sisters. – Also, I won't have to hear anymore of Oscar's stories, morals and stories! If I wanted a mom, I would have search for it!"
"Says the one always liking her cooking!" Eidsvold teased.
Norge became flustered.
Azur Lane naval base, unknown
In a giant library, a man could be seen amongst the bookshelves in a dark corner. He took off the virtual machine he had put on his head earlier and put it on the table beside him. He was puzzled. In the Archive on the shipgirls, he found little information on Kalmaria from all the gathered timelines. The country either doesn't exist because they were annihilated by the Sirens; they were one or two member states depending on who survives; or they united for a brief time and were disbanded during the interwar period because of a lack of Sirens. The occurrence of surviving until the Second World War were almost non-existent. Still, he believed what Oscar had told him at the party and after it was truth. It had happened somewhere distant, yet so close. In an alternate universe lay a cat box waiting to be opened. He remained impressed about their strategies.
"They act like predators on their own turfs. Overall, I am confident they would be of some use and not just for show, but their use of Siren tech is reprehensible," he thought.
As he was about to leave the library, two shipgirls intercepted him.
"Commander! We were searching for you!" Almirante Latorre said on a jovial tone. The only battleship of the Andean Condor unit, Almirante Latorre, was also the sister of HMS Eagle. Dressed in an elegant white robe, reminiscent of Illustrious, it contrasted with her tan skin, a souvenir from the South Pacific.
"What am I needed for?"
"Can I participate in the next mission!" Tirpitz pled.
Tirpitz light blue eyes met the commander who had received numerous similar demands before. Instead of turning them down, he simply said : "You are more useful in port for now. But don't worry, if I get the opportunity, I will send you with the first strike group."
"See," Latorre said, "we are battleships. Our job is to stay in port and wait for opportunities."
"But I don't want my opportunity to never come."
"I will find the opportunity!" the commander swore, "Siren attacks are numerous anyway. I will move you closer to a Siren hotspot."
The commander thought about places. Tirpitz only demand was a place in the south, as it would be warmer. The commander got a virtual tablet out and moved Strike Force G, with Bismarck and the Gneisenau's sisters to the Indian Ocean.
"You will reinforce Force I. North Carolina and Washington will be waiting."
Tirpitz was so happy, she jumped into commander's arms. Under Latorre's gaze, the commander simply reciprocated the hug.
"Latorre, do you have a demand?"
"No! I like it here!" Latorre wanted to stay as far as possible from the Pacific Ocean. They left.
Now that Strike Force G would be departing, it would leave the base with only a single force, consisting of Latorre, Rivadavia, Moreno, and some new recruits. The commander thought about his actions, hoping that the Siren would not see an opportunity to strike the HQ.
As he was walking back to the headquarters' office, he stumbled upon the Kalmarian Navy exercising, not in the training ground, but in the open ocean around the base. Usually, shipgirls were using the training ground for training and practice individually. Here, the Kalmarian shipgirls were conducting an exercise as a gigantic group against their fake target put on rocks. In the background, Oscar II, Peder Skram and Eidsvold were supervising the operation with a virtual map in hand. He came down his balcony to the docks where he called.
"Oh commander!" Oscar II said as the trio was approaching.
"You are already exercising? I thought I had to supervise these things?"
"We are practicing for the practice," Peder Skram said joyfully.
"I see you are enthusiastic!" the commander rejoiced about the new recruits but feared their camaraderie could make them harder to separate into groups. Oscar II reassured him.
"We know how to follow orders. We can adapt too."
"We have our limitations though," Eidsvold said as she was pointing to her numerous 88mm AA guns. Her retrofit had transformed her class into a floating fortress. She had only her two 210mm gun to defend herself against surface targets. Peder Skram had two 240mm and Oscar II had two 210mm gun for themselves. They were quite underpowered.
"Like they say, it's all about how to use them," the commander said, "as coastal defence ship, you are like a mix between a cruiser and a battleship and follow a specific doctrine of defence. You don't have to whine over your weapons when they are good for what they were intended to do."
His words reassured them. Oscar II was reminded an important point she needed to know.
"Is this base equip with smoke dispenser, weather magnetic fields and some good engineers?"
"Yeah. They are pretty much useless against the Sirens who seems to be able to see through smoke and control the weather. Why? Do you need it for training?"
"No. We were wondering," Skram said. "If it's all right, we will go back to training,"
Copenhagen, Oldenburg, hours in Operation Weser Exercise
The Intermarium submarine Orzel had just sighted a ship before she was going on lunch break close to Oldenburg. She ordered the ship to stop. The ship continued its course. Without choice, the submarine opened fire on the Ironblood transport ship Rio de Janeiro. Orzel, who had been sent in recon, sent her finding to Queen Elizabeth, kilometers away to the west.
"I just sank a transport ship with Ironblood's flag. Awaiting orders."
Queen Elizabeth relayed the message to her admiralty, but also to the Kalmaria Kingdom.
"Ironblood is planning an invasion. Prepare your forces."
The message, who would have taken hours to reach the capital, took minutes through the open radio channel. The general staff of Kalmaria, who had just dodged a bullet with the Northern Parliament, was thrown once again into battle. The Chief of the navy Fabian Tamm rushed to the King's HQ.
"We are being invaded again. The Royal Navy claims Ironblood is coming."
The king was eating.
"You know what to do," he said.
It was the end of the Phoney War. The Oldenburg parliament was suspended. Martial law was imposed on Oldenburg for the duration of the operation. As soon as the news got out, Greenland declared independence; the Faroe Islands were occupied under Operation Fork and Iceland was invaded by the Royal Navy. Oldenburg's parliament refuse to collaborate, declared their immediate secession from Kalmaria and joined Azur Lane. Suddenly, Kalmaria lost a third of it's kingdom. The King refused every demand and asked for the arrestation of all the men involved. The rebellion would be dealt with accordingly since they retained control of Copenhagen. Peder Skram was waiting at the entrance of the harbor, overseeing the safe passage of the Ironblood Fleet. Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, Deustchland and the new cruiser Blücher.
"We have learned that Azur Lane's forces have come like you expected. We hope you will deal with them accordingly."
"Have your compatriots been informed?" Deutschland asked.
"I am unable to join them now. They must be fighting secessionists' forces!" Peder Skram said, convinced.
The Ironblood shipgirls looked at each other, skeptical.