A/N: Split the old Ch. 3 in two due to its length being a bit too long. I'll try to limit it to 10K to 12K from now on.
Ch. 3: Memories
FOUR YEARS AGO - October, 1968.
The Battle for Bergen
Unknown POV
As I watched, more and more red blips appeared on the monitors, first there were only a dozen, then two, and then more and more just kept coming.
"How many of them? And how long until they arrive?" I asked, but I was barely able to get the words out without my voice cracking.
"O-over forty ships! Arrival is estimated to be in… t-three hours sir!" said one of my officers, his words only worsening my dread.
"That's too many, our harbor defenses won't even be enough to slow them down!" pointed out another.
"Control yourselves! What's the evacuation status?" I asked as I struggled to maintain what little order there could be had.
"It's only been twenty minutes since the alert was sent out sir, barely a sixth of our people have left the city! W-what are we going to do sir?" questioned my second in command who looked at me with fear on her face.
Such questions were quickly repeated again and again across the command center, everyone's minds were terrified as they watched the large Siren fleet passing the island of Fedje on a direct course for the city of Bergen.
Right to us. I thought, the entire room nearing panic.
"Silence!" I shouted a firm voice, bringing the room to a tense halt and all attention came to me.
"Listen up! Our priority remains the safety of our people, continue organizing evacuation routes out of the city, alert our defense batteries to make ready and hold off the enemy as long as they can. And get word to Oslo, inform them of our situation and request aid immediately. Move it!" With my orders given, the room began to shuffle with clear tasks now focusing their minds away from the fear and panic that threatened to choke them.
But despite my firm tone, I was far from calm within myself. The enemy weren't supposed to have so many ships amassed in the area, but considering their numbers, it's no wonder why our Ironblood garrison fleet never returned.
Damn Rear Admiral Flegal, he was an utter fool to go charging off after only the first alert of the enemy, now it was more than likely he and his fleet were either sunk or probably running off somewhere. Either way, his arrogance has now left us near defenseless with no hope of rescue! I quietly raged to myself.
I knew it was near pointless to request aid, it likely wouldn't get here in time, but I ordered it nonetheless both to let the nation know of the enemy fleet and to help keep my men's hope alive, if only for a little longer.
As the hours ticked by, my officers and I continued our efforts to evacuate as many of the civilians as possible, but a city of two hundred and thirty thousand residents doesn't move in a day.
With every minute the distance between the enemy and the city diminished, soon they were at the entrance of the Askøy Strait and our outermost defenses began striking at the enemy and they returned the attack five times greater.
By now, I knew we would only have minutes left if our defenses lasted long enough, so I simply sat back in my chair, took out a flask of vodka to drink my last minute's way, and now I waited for the end. At the very least I took comfort in the fact that my troops and I had done all we could.
Hopefully word got out and one of the allies sent a fleet to intercept the enemy before they moved on to other cities. I thought as the liquor poured down my throat, a small warm comfort in my last moments.
That is, such thoughts would have been my last, had the sudden destruction of the enemy's frontline ships not brought my attention back to reality. I quickly dropped the open flask and it clanked on the floor as I stood up, utterly shocked at what I was seeing.
"Report?!" I demanded, looking at the overall tactical screen that showed a map of the bay and the surrounding fjords. Marked in red were the many Siren ships attacking us, but now there were new blips that, after a moment, flashed green.
Friendlies?
"New contacts sir, coming up from the Softa Strait in the south and the Herdlefjorden in the north. I-it's an Ironblood fleet! Reinforcements actually came!" shouted his subordinate in surprised excitement.
Wild cheers erupted through the room as we all watched one Siren ship after another catch fire as the German naval artillery did their work.
How the hell did reinforcements get here so quickly? Could it be the garrison fleet returning? I thought, amazed and relieved for the arrival of our last minute saviors, but I set aside those questions for later.
The battle was far from won and those Ironblood, wherever they came from, were going to need covering fire. Bringing the room back to order, I began coordinating our defenses firepower with our new allies.
Bergen might yet survive this night!
Reuenthal POV
I couldn't stop the grin from growing on my face as I stood on the observation platform onboard the kansen cruiser Prinz Eugen with a pair of binoculars to my face, watching the Sirens fumble in reorganizing themselves after our initial barrage.
Through luck and skill, the fleet had managed to remain undetected by the enemy and we now had the advantage of surprise, at least for the first few minutes of the battle.
"The closest Sirens are shifting their aim towards us, three pawns and a bishop, begin pulling back into the fjord but not too fast; we need to draw them into the strait, then have the destroyers launch a torpedo volley into their ranks. After that, we'll pull back to point two and draw them further away from the city while Mainz and Scharnhorst's flanking forces move in to cut them off from their retreat." I spoke.
At my side stood my kansen flagship, Prinz Eugen herself who radioed my orders with a smug look on her face, her own guns disabling yet another enemy ship.
"All ships acknowledge, commander. Scharnhorst is stationing just off the remnants of Fort Ramsøy and Mainz is only minutes away from entering Bergen's bay. All seems to be going as planned." Eugen said.
For now. I thought.
The enemy still outnumbered my ships three to one. Were this battle in open waters we'd have no chance, but here in the fjords there are dozens of choke points through narrow straits that will allow us to bottleneck the enemy, making their numbers useless against us.
As long as our ammunition and luck doesn't run out at least.
In response to our attack, a group of the enemy's smaller Pawn-class ships charged us through the strait in an effort to disrupt my forces long enough for their capital ships to get into position, which only pushed them right into my plan.
"~And here they come, like bees to a flower.~" fluently spoke Eugen, her wicked smile never faltering from her face, "~Oh little ones, it's your turn.~"
"Stop calling us little!" A younger voice shouted back at the cruiser from the radio.
Then several smaller destroyer kansen girls moved in, skating on the water with their riggings as they began sabotaging the enemy ships at close range, one by one the Sirens small escorts became disabled and were prime targets for my larger Ironblood ships to obliterate.
After the destroyers had cleared the line of fire, I ordered the three cruisers of my battleline to hit the enemy with all they had. Eugen, Hipper, and Graf Spee unleashed their full might against the enemy.
The result was the destruction of the Siren's escort units, whose burning hulls now blocked a majority of the straight, trapping the larger enemy hulls where they were, and presenting them as prime targets for Scharnhorst and Mainz to strike at from their rear with their escorts.
And attack they did.
Explosions from behind the enemy's front and the echo of large caliber artillery told me Scharnhorst was having fun with her task.
Mainz and her group got to work too as I saw more explosions to the enemy's right flank near the opening to Bergen harbor.
With the enemy's attention now divided in three different directions, it was merely a matter of fighting smartly and methodically.
Thus the battle progressed throughout the following hours of the night until the first spark of dawn broke above the mountains of the frosty fjords, illuminating the burning hulks of what was left of the Siren forces.
After regrouping with my detached forces, it was more than obvious the battle had ended in victory, thankfully with only a few wounded among my fleet.
Though a few Siren ships had escaped, their numbers were no longer large enough to be a major threat within the North Sea.
After mooring in Bergen harbor, my fleet thankfully began receiving what little repair assistance their small port could offer, but we were more than welcome by the local population after we had managed to save them from certain death at the hands of the Sirens.
A celebration was made and we did little else but eat, drink, and laugh to our victory.
As a bonus, Eugen surprised me with a passionate kiss in front of the whole crowd on the first night of dining. Cheers and whoops were shouted at us though I barely registered their calls, instead I looked at Eugen in a different light.
"A glorious moment not sealed by a kiss, is a moment wasted." she whispered to my ear, and with that, the fun and passionate night that followed was one I would never forget as long as I lived.
While I knew what would eventually be awaiting me upon my return to Hamburg, I took what time I had to bask in my victory for as long as I was able to.
Five Days Later
"Captain Victor Von Reuenthal, come forth." I came to attention as I stood in a small courtroom.
The speaker, an older commodore, looked at me with contempt and irritation as I walked forward. A look shared by the majority of the dark courtroom's occupants.
Upon my return from Norway, the Prinz Eugen was boarded and I was immediately arrested by military police.
Eugen and the rest of the fleet tried to speak on my behalf, as well as made quite a few threats that made the arresting officers tremble, but the presence of several other Ironblood kansens prevented any of them from acting out further.
From there it was straight to a prison cell where I stayed for a day or two until I was dragged out and immediately brought into this tribunal court.
The lawyer who apparently was representing me simply told me to shut up and play along unless I wanted to worsen my sentence.
So here I was, standing before a group of unfamiliar officers that would now decide my fate.
The commodore cleared his voice and brought up a document paper and began reading.
"You now stand accused of the following charges: Mutiny against your commanding officer, Rear Admiral Hans Von Flegal. Disorderly and dishonorable conduct in physically assaulting said superior officer. Instilling and promoting open rebellion among the kansen ships of the North Sea Fleet's second attack squadron. And lastly, failure in acknowledging and maintaining communications with the Ironblood Fleet Command after repeated orders to stand down from your activities." After the commodore finished speaking, he looked to my lawyer who stood next to me.
"The charges have been called, how does the defense plead?" he asked..
"The defense has chosen not to dispute the charges, sir." The lawyer spoke with a practiced monotone voice while I looked at him in shock, his words astounding me.
He was a military legal representative whose job was to act in the defense of his wards in court, but thus far the man had made no effort to act in any way towards my defense.
Looking at the witnesses around me, I saw no sympathy towards me, only stoic faces and ugly grins.
This… this entire preceding is nothing more than a drumhead trial! No case was ever intended to be discussed or argued here, all of this was mere theatrics made to appease egos, nothing said in my defense would make any difference. The outcome was already decided. I thought, finally realizing the true absurdity of the situation.
Glancing from my spot at the center of the room, I looked up to the row of high ranking flag officers who were administering this trial, each was probably specifically chosen on the basis that they would convict me as guilty. Despite that likely fact, most of them looked extremely uncomfortable in being involved with this.
Since they were about to sentence the man who had won the greatest Ironblood victory in recent memory against such outnumbered odds, I imagine even they felt that this trial was wrong, yet still not one of them seemed eager to speak out against it. I thought as I tried to make eye contact with each one, but almost all avoided my gaze.
"Captain Reuenthal, prepare to answer the questions of the court regarding the details of your actions." instructed the commodore.
I glanced at him to nod solemnly, then caught sight of my former commanding officer who had just been mentioned in the charges, Rear Admiral and High Noble Baron Hans Von Flegal was sitting off to the side as an observer and witness of the court.
He looked almost just as I remembered, shorter than most men in height but was gifted with a luscious head of dirty golden hair, yet his physical appearance was rather pale and weak.
Considering he probably had never known the feeling of a hard day's labor, it made sense his body would be rather lacking in proper muscle and body fat.
His current health however was apparently in question since he now sat in a wheelchair with his arm in a hanging cast and his face adorned by several medical patches, the largest over his nose.
Apparently I had been so violent in striking him that he required a large degree of medical attention.
But he was actually quite a funny sight all bandaged up like that, considering all I did was break his nose after punching him in the face, perhaps the rest of his injuries must have magically appeared from his sudden fall to the ground afterwards.
Who knew high nobles turned admirals were so fragile? The humor brought a smirk to my face.
Upon catching my eyes, I gave the leech a hard look and Flegal's sour face flinched, his eyes finding other targets away from me. While he had the gall to appear as a victim in want of justice, he apparently wasn't brave enough to look me in the eye.
A fleeting feeling of satisfaction poured into me until I glanced over to a man standing next to Flegal who placed a hand on the baron's shoulder in support, but his grip seemed tighter than it needed to be.
The man stood taller than me in height and was also gifted with rather luscious brown hair that flowed down his head to his shoulders. His face was older but showed no sign of weariness or stress, owing to the man coming from privilege and nobility. Though I had never met him personally, I knew of him and what his presence here meant.
This was Duke Otto Von Ritcher, an Admiral in the Kriegsmarine and the commander of the North Sea Fleet, who also happens to be Flegel's uncle.
Ritcher had achieved his rank and position mostly through political deals and intimidation of anyone who dared challenge his goals, and without his influence it would have been impossible for an incompetent man like Flegal to have received his own rank in the navy, so it made sense the Duke would bring swift punishment to whoever got in his way.
Unlike his nephew, Ritcher's face never faltered in his smugness at my glare, if anything he smirked more at my expense.
No doubt it was Ritcher who orchestrated this entire trial for the sake of righting his family's honor that I just so happened to have tarnished after my actions preceding the battle for Bergen.
With such high opinions of themselves, one would think the nobles would at least make some effort into earning their standing instead of just being granted their commissions. I thought to myself, remembering how the military often kneeled to the whims of the noble families since they aided in its funding.
I wonder how much an admiral's rank costs these days?
"Captain Reuenthal." the voice of the head admiral of the tribunal board called my attention back. "Before we continue with the trial, is there anything you wish to say to the court?"
The question may have seemed like a courteous gesture, but it was probably just a chance given by Duke Ritcher for me to admit my wrong doing and plead for mercy. Or perhaps he wanted me to spout some nonsense of how unfair it all is and how I deserved better, he might like seeing the futility of my words falling on deaf ears.
Regardless, I still intend to take advantage of it.
After all if I was going to be condemned no matter what I said, I might as well make it enjoyable for myself and throw some insults at the man's ego.
"Yes, I do." the room became even more silent as they awaited my words. "I would just like to say that I-"
"Room! Attention! Salute the Fleet Admiral!" shouted a voice behind me, immediately the entire room turned and rose to attention with everyone giving the man who had just entered firm salutes.
As I turned around myself, I was met with a man who looked to be in his sixties with dark-gray hair and a hard face that sported a set of intimidating sideburns that traveled down to a full mustache.
His uniform was well adorned with medals and citations, but the most noticeable pieces were the gold shoulder epaulets that bore the highest rank within the German Imperial Navy.
Standing before the room was none other than the infamous Fleet Admiral Sigurd Von Reinhertz, the supreme commander of the entire Kriegsmarine.
Before I had even realized I had done so, I was saluting the flag officer, my stance more straight than it had ever been.
How could I not? Standing before me was the man who had rallied the allied forces in the Baltic Sea and led the final push against the Siren forces, finally routing them out of the region beyond the Skagerrak Strait of Denmark.
He also was a well honored noble with the high title of Duke and was the head of one of the most prestigious families in all the empire, yet his bravery in battle and attentiveness to his subordinates had afforded him high popularity among the common people.
And it was generally known that he bore a steep dislike of Duke Ritcher and other high nobles who used their family status to profit only themselves.
After a glance around the room, the fleet admiral returned the salute and it was only after he had placed his hand down that the room released their own salutes.
"G-good afternoon sir, to what do we owe the honor of your presence?" nervously asked the head officer of the tribunal as Reinhertz walked forward to stand before them, stopping right next to me.
It was then I noticed another man had entered the room behind the fleet admiral, though he wore civilian clothes and chose to stand back to observe rather than accompany the officer up, but the man's arrival was just as much a shock to me as the admirals.
What are you doing here brother? I thought, but dared not speak without consent of the fleet admiral as he began conversing with the tribunal head officer.
"I was just passing through when I heard talk of this little event. Might I ask why you are charging a man after he has accomplished such a praising victory against the enemy earlier this week?" he asked, his voice was firm and deep, a fitting tone for one such as him.
The tribunal's head officer looked extremely uncomfortable in the presence of his superior.
"Yes sir, he was victorious, but that should not overshadow his actions prior to the battle. Military law is extremely firm on the consequences for insubordination and treason against a superior officer." stated the officer, his voice remained unbroken but he still bore a nervous sweat.
"Maybe so, but what of the kansen who chose to follow him. When will their trial begin, if I may ask?" the fleet admiral's question was met with silence.
Not having any idea of how to answer, the high seated officer glanced over to Admiral Ritcher in a vain attempt to ask for assistance. I followed his gaze and saw the man now bore an annoyed glare at Reinhertz, and as for Flegal, he was now standing straight up with no noticeable strain or pain from his so-called injuries that required a wheelchair.
A sudden recovery, how convenient.
Reinhertz, catching the look as well, turned his attention to the two high nobles and walked up to them.
"Ritcher." greeted the fleet admiral.
"Reinhertz." the admiral answered in return.
The tension between the two men was impossible to miss and it seemed to flood the whole room with unease. Then Reinhertz turned to Flegal, much to the young noble's displeasure.
"Since you are the victim of these charges, perhaps you can enlighten me more into their details, Rear Admiral Flegal. That is, if your injuries are not… straining you too much."
Flegal's face was extremely red with embarrassment from his mistake of ruining his look of a wounded victim by standing up and compromising himself before Reinhertz who could now guess that most of his injuries were false.
"Y-yes sir, y-you see, sir, Captain Reuenthal is obviously guilty of several crimes of military regulations against both myself and the North Sea Fleet, I have over a dozen eyewitness accounts. T-this court is charged with administering his punishment." spouted Flegal, though there was no confidence or authority in his voice.
"Is that so?" Reinhertz's look was enough to crack ice and the younger admiral's legs were starting to shake under his gaze.
But before Flegal could collapse under his intimidation, the fleet admiral glanced back at me with a sharp look of consideration that still made me stand even straighter.
After another few seconds of the fleet admiral thinking to himself, Reinhertz walked back up to the board of officers. "If you would permit it, I request a recess and an audience with all those who are involved in these charges."
The head officer, still unable to compose himself, nervously glanced over to Ritcher who slowly nodded with a scowl on his face, granting the board permission to call a recess and confirming who was really running this trial.
"Thank you." Reinhertz said, glancing back to Ritcher as he spoke, then turned back to the rest of the room. "Clear the room please."
Upon his request, all those who were merely observers or had other duties within the court immediately began filing out, leaving only a small group composed of Richter and Flegal, the fleet admiral, the board officers, and myself.
That is until Reinhertz finally spoke to me.
"Wait outside, Captain Reuenthal. I will talk with you afterwards." the fleet admiral said, confusing me for a moment, but the look he gave me screamed that that was one order that was not to be ignored.
Giving him one last salute, I quickly walked out of the room, the doors closing behind me and I finally sucked in a full breath I had been holding.
Questions flew through my head over what had just happened and what could possibly have convinced the fleet admiral to intervene in my trial.
A clearing of a throat drew my attention and, once again surprising me, I saw a familiar man sitting on a chair set before an open window. His name was Ernest Von Reuenthal, my older brother.
My brother and I shared many similar features. He was slightly taller by only a few centimeters and grew his lightly brown hair longer than mine, but our eyes were the same striking blue. Had he joined the navy like myself, it is likely the two of us would have been often confused for one another.
"Victor, it's been a long time." he said.
"Over three years, before the war started." I replied.
The two of us stayed silent as we looked over each other.
My brother hadn't grown much since the last time I saw him, but his hair was longer and styled differently, I'm sure he was thinking similar thoughts of me.
After one too many seconds went by without either of us talking, Ernest gestured to the adjacent seat and I simply took it without any argument.
"You've certainly wedged yourself under a mountain of trouble this time, haven't you little brother." he stated.
"I guess I have, but regardless I have no regrets for my actions." I said, not at all surprised he was getting straight to the point.
That's how my brother was, all business and no time for anything personal.
"I figured you wouldn't, but that doesn't make the situation any better. Do you know how much trouble you have caused, not only for yourself but for the entire family?"
"Last I checked, neither you nor father or mother had any interest in my career in the military, why should I worry about them if they don't worry about me?" I countered.
"Don't talk like that, of course they worry about you, we all do."
"Then why aren't they here?" I pointed out, but I had said too much.
"Enough Victor! Do you even realize the full scale of the situation we are all now in?! Not only did you disobey and strike down a superior officer, you humiliated one of the top noble families of the empire! Baron Flegal may not carry the name of the Ritcher family, but he is no less a part of it. As a consequence, nearly all of the Reuenthal family's assets are being pillaged by allied families of the Ritchers, we are now at risk of losing our noble status all together." Ernest explained.
"Noble status… is that all you're here for, to lecture me on how wrong I was to put two hundred thousand civilian lives before my own family name? If it is, you're wasting your breath." I said, my glare intensifying as the conversation dove into what usually happens whenever my brother and I talk, we always end up fighting.
"I know what you did was an incredibly brave act but… Damn it Victor! It isn't like you have nothing to lose!" he countered.
"Like what? My life? I'm a soldier, it's my job to put that on the line. As for my name, I honestly couldn't care less about it. If Father disowned me, perhaps that would be for the best." I said.
The idea of him doing so was not too far-fetched. He and I had never agreed with each other on anything, he didn't approve of me attending the naval academy, and had never even once written to me. Me being gone would probably be the best thing for him.
I sighed in resignation of the facts. "So why don't you just go back to- ugh!"
Before I realized it, Ernest was on his feat with one hand tightly gripping my collar and the other reared back in a clenched palm ready to strike.
"It isn't just your name on the line you idiot!" he nearly shouted, the venom laced within Ernest's voice was more than I had ever heard him say before.
I was completely shocked his normally conserved temper cracked so easily and I clenched jaw in anticipation... yet he stayed his fist.
Instead, Ernest took a deep breath, released me, and then slouched back, in his chair looking exhausted as if the whole world was on his shoulders. But his eyes remained firm in their glaring of me.
"It's my name too! It's our sisters', our mothers', and my own children's name for God's sake! Whether you like it or not, your actions have put all of us at risk!"
His words had struck at my heart with guilt and I looked away from my brother's eyes in shame.
While I was not on the best of terms with my parents, I never intended on bringing the rest of my family any harm, but I always seemed to end up being the black sheep of my siblings.
"I… never meant for that to happen, the situation just… got out of hand." I admitted, and thankfully my brother took a breath and motioned for me to continue.
"Had I done nothing, an entire city would be burning right now and a Siren fleet would have been left unchallenged to spread across the North Sea bringing more death and destruction to the region. My decision… may not have been the smart one for our family, but it was still the right one." I explained, and thankfully Ernest lost some of his anger in hearing me out.
"Sigh-I know it was little brother, and were our places reversed I doubt I would have had the courage to make that choice. But you must understand, your actions are reflected on our family; for both the good, and most especially the bad." his statement was far from wrong and he deflated my will to argue more with him.
How he managed to find all the right words to silence me was beyond my understanding, but I guess that's what older brothers are for.
"Well, who knows, maybe by today's end I might be permanently out of your hair if Duke Ritcher has anything to say about it." I said, the sullen mood not helping my already low esteem.
But a small chuckle from Ernest cleared my depression, but only exchanging it with confusion.
"Don't be so sure of that Victor, after all we have Duke Reinhertz in there, hopefully he's speaking on our behalf. Or more specifically yours." Ernest's words had finally connected another question that was hot on my mind.
"You brought the fleet admiral into this? How did you manage that, and more importantly why is he bothering to help me at all?" I asked.
"The Duke and I have been having secret talks for months. We've been working together in finding ways to increase our nation's industrial capabilities, without the other noble's personal interests interfering, but after hearing of your impending trial I decided he was your best chance so I pleaded with him for help. But he seemed just as eager to help you as I was, apparently you've caught the man's favor as of late." That was hard to believe.
I had never actually met the fleet admiral, and while my latest battle may have been noteworthy, I couldn't think of any further reason for him to favor me from before that.
"Why would he want to-" CRACK!
Before I could say more, the trial room doors violently opened, revealing an angered Baron Flegal whose face was now red with rage. Looking at me, his gaze was the ugliest look I had ever seen on a man; he began to storm our way, ignorant of how his body now moved without even a hint of pain despite his apparent injuries.
"You unworthy rat! When I am through with you-"
"Enough Flegal." spoke the deep voice of Duke Ritcher as the older nobleman exited the room next, with Duke Reinhertz right behind him.
"B-but uncle! This bastard is not worth your mercy and deserves-!"
"I said that that's enough. The decision is made. If you want retribution, you must be patient… for now." Ritcher said, looking right at me with his own disapproving glare. "You should count yourself fortunate, Captain Reuenthal, but be warned. The next time you overstep your place, there will be no mercy for you."
With that, both of the noblemen left with the tribunal officers soon following after their masters, leaving the fleet admiral with my brother and I. It was only after the group had gone out of sight that his gaze relaxed as he turned to look at us.
"You certainly are well versed in irritating the high nobles, young man. Let's hope it is a habit you do not take part in too often." spoke the fleet admiral in his softer but still commanding voice that compelled me to once again stand straighter.
"No sir." was all I said, still not believing the man had come to my aid.
After a hum in acknowledgement of my words, Reinhertz looked at my brother who, while not standing as straight as I, still presented respect to him with a small bow.
"My lord Duke. As the next head of the Reuenthal family, I express my deepest gratitude for your favor on this day and swear that from here on you will have the full loyalty and support of my family." Ernest spoke, while I had expected some sort of personal oath of loyalty from him, even I knew pledging our entire family was a bold step on my brother's part.
This meant that no matter what Reinhertz requested, every member and asset the Reuenthal family possessed would work towards succeeding in his desired goals. That included myself.
I hope you know what you're doing. I thought to Ernest, feeling as though I had traded one fowl fate for another.
"I humbly accept your loyalty and promise I shall not take it lightly. But for now, I would like a word with Captain Reuenthal, in private." his gaze on me as he spoke was… unnerving. I felt as though I was a sheep now at the mercy of a mighty wolf who was deciding whether I was worth the effort to eat..
Ernest nodded and, after giving me a warning look to behave myself, left us to our talk.
"Walk with me son." spoke Reinhertz, and I immediately fell in next to him but still a step behind as a show of respect.
We did not speak one word until we reached the outer courtyard, by then I found the lack of speech unbearable.
"If I may, sir, I too am grateful for your help today. But I must ask, how did you convince them against charging me?" the question had been on my mind ever since the fleet admiral had entered the trial room.
"I explained to them that, while your actions against Flegal were obviously disrespectful and a major breach of the military code of justice, we are still in the middle of a war. Your victory has been the greatest our navy has won on its own in over a year, thus your skills were deemed too valuable to be locked away." Reinhertz spoke as we walked.
"I doubt that was enough to satisfy them sir." I said, longing for the full picture.
"Correct, I ended up compromising with them. In exchange for dropping the charges, I promised that the true events leading up to the battle in which Admiral Flegal had abandoned his post would not be made known to the public. Such a disgrace would be a huge blow against the Ritcher family name." he said, and I couldn't help but think maybe getting imprisoned would not be the worst idea if it meant Flegal got what was coming to him.
"Additionally," the vice admiral's eyes narrowed before he continued, "I gave full credit of our victory to Flegal."
Upon speaking those words, I couldn't help but stop mid step. All of my thoughts pausing in disbelief.
I did not consider myself to be a prideful man, but the idea of giving all the credit my fleet earned to that… weasel of a man was impossible for me to accept.
He hadn't risked his life or put the needs of others before himself, he was a coward and a liar who had never earned his titles, he lived a life of privilege and comfort with the expectation that he was entitled to everything he desired.
I should have just shot him dead, it would have saved the world a lot of trouble and misery.
My anger must have been obvious to the fleet admiral and I expected him to scold me to not waste my breath over the nobles, but instead he placed a hand on my shoulder with a firm grip that brought me back to reality.
"It is unfair and an injustice, I know. But our nation does not need justice at the moment, it needs dedication. This war is far from over, and I need every capable officer I can get out there fighting and winning. That includes you, Captain Reuenthal." Reinhertz spoke with a care and understanding I had never really received from a superior officer in all of my career in the navy.
"I… understand sir." I said.
Truthfully it was the best outcome that I could receive, all things considered. But I still felt the painful spike of bitterness in my heart.
"Besides." started the fleet admiral, his tone regaining its firmness, but face now bore a rather evil look.
"Men like Flegal and Ritcher will always make mistakes, it is in their nature, this was not their first misuse of their authority nor will it be their last. Nobles like them are weak to temptation and fear, a far cry from the nobles of the old ages that founded our great nation. For now we must tolerate them, the war comes first, but once it's over… perhaps then we can begin addressing the issues that plague our nation more… thoroughly."
Of all the things I expected to hear from a man like the fleet admiral, who was an honored high noble himself, words such as these were not among them. They were the words of reformation and change, such things were seldom spoken by the likes of noblemen such as the Duke.
"If… that is your intention for the future sir, then what is it you require of me?" I asked, curious as to why he would want to involve himself with me, an officer who'd just shown blatant disobedience to their superior.
"For you, captain, all I need you to do is win. But you must also exercise restraint in any further… disagreements with the nobles. This incident may have been avoided, but you now have their attention, they will be looking for an excuse to get their revenge for your actions; Flegal especially." he warned.
"Considering I'm still under his command, I expect to be relegated somewhere in the rear lines, it may take me some time to work my way back to a combat position." I said, already dreading the mountain of paperwork I'll be buried in.
"That won't be a problem. As of today you've been transferred from the North Sea Fleet to the first cruiser squadron of the newly formed High Seas Fleet under Vice Admiral Gunther Hauser." Once again, surprise hit my face.
The High Seas Fleet, a designation given only to the Kriegsmarine's strongest battle group that was intended to operate in the open waters of the Atlantic. It hadn't been used since the time of the First World War, but with the North Sea being almost completely secured, I supposed the Ironblood now had to turn its fleet out onto the rest of the world.
And now I was going to be a part of it.
"I-I'm honored sir. But aren't they scheduled to deploy soon?" I asked.
"Indeed they are, next week to be specific, I'll have your orders written up by the end of the day. Until then, best pack up and mentally prepare yourself. While Flegal was impudent as an admiral, Hauser is the complete opposite. He will expect your best, as will I. Report to my office by 1700 tonight for your paperwork, understood?" finished the fleet admiral and with a crisp 'yes sir' I saluted and he returned it in kind.
It wasn't until I lost sight of the fleet admiral that I remembered to breathe and began to walk towards the exit of the grounds. While I walked, my thoughts were flooded with what had just happened and how lucky I had been, but also how annoyed I was at myself.
Were it not for Ernest or the fleet admiral, I'd be on my way to a dark cell to rot away while my family would be forced into poverty. All because I wanted to do the right thing, what kind of world allows men such as Flegal and Ritcher to have so much power and not face the consequences of abusing it? I thought as anger boiled within me.
Though I was now safe, it was only due to the actions of others that my life was spared. I felt utterly useless and wanted nothing more than to find Flegal and give him a real reason to be in a wheelchair.
As I continued to walk on, my anger clouded anything and anyone I passed by; that is until I noticed a presence that was following me,I stopped and turned to face the person committed to chase them away.
But my voice went dry in my throat as I gazed into a pair of familiar ember eyes that were as bright as an inferno.
Prinz Eugen?!
"~Oh my, what an ugly face you are wearing today.~" she spoke as I had stopped dead in my tracks, whatever anger I felt suddenly left me as I looked at the kansen whose hand somehow found itself caressing my cheek affectionately.
Eugen looked as stunning as I remembered her to be. Despite it only having been a few days apart, I found I had been missing her presence and seeing her now seemed to quell all of my rage.
"Eugen, what are you doing here?" I asked, she simply giggled at me.
"What a silly question, where else should I be after hearing the man I favor has been unjustly arrested? I would think you'd be happy to see us." she says with a pout, the cute act forcing a smile on me.
Wait, 'us'? I thought as I looked behind Eugen and saw she hadn't come alone.
Standing behind her were two other kansen whom I had commanded at Bergen.
The fast battleship Scharnhorst and the light cruiser Mainz, the former leaning back on a lamp post with a friendly smirk on her face as she gazed at me with her two deep blue eyes, and the latter was standing tall with her hands clasped behind her back but her face also bore a friendly smile.
"You both came too?" I asked.
"Of course we did sir, it would be improper of us not to show our support for you." spoke Mainz, but our attention was drawn to Scharnhorst who was giggling like a mischievous child.
"He he, yeah. That, and we were actually thinking of going in guns blazing and busting you out like the rebels they think we are." the boisterous battleship admitted.
"Scharn! Don't tell him that! Please forget what you heard sir! We were only…j-joking about such things. Right, Eugen?" Mainz looked to her fellow cruiser for help.
"~Actually, I found the idea quite appealing, all of us going out on our own again. It was so much fun the first time after all.~" Eugen teased her friend, much to Mainz's annoyance.
Still surprised by their presence, I looked back to Eugen who met my gaze, her beautiful smile was the same I had seen the night we indulged in celebration in Bergen, and I somehow found myself blushing at the drunken memories.
"But… why?" I asked.
"~Tch, tch, tch!~ Yet another silly question. No matter what those noble pigs may say, you've more than proven yourself to us by showing you're a man we can trust our lives with. So you are unfortunately stuck with us until we find somebody better, I hope you can keep up, my deer commander." she said, hooking her arm into mine and leading me away with her two companions in tow.
Today may have had its downs and ups but perhaps now, with a new fleet and a new purpose, my future would take me farther than I ever thought possible.
Slowly, the world seemed to brighten, and my eyes became heavy. Closing them I heard a voice coaxing me back and when I opened them again, I felt as if my whole life had just gone by, and I was met yet again with a pair of eyes that held the warm glow of an inferno.
Present Day - 1300 hrs - April 8th, 1972
Military Docks of Rostock, Germany.
"Wake up my dear geliebt. Did you have pleasant dreams?" spoke an elegant voice that brought me back from my slumber.
Opening my eyes, I found I was right where I expected to be, laying on my ship bunk for a nap after a long overnight sea voyage from Hamburg followed by meeting after meeting of various issues and topics, all of which were of one priority or another. Though there were now some key differences to my bed from when I had fallen asleep alone in it.
For one, I was no longer alone.
Instead of a feathery pillow that I had drifted off on, my head was now resting on the cushy thighs of none other than Prinz Eugen as she sat on my bunk with her hand gently scratching through my hair, the massaging feeling threatened to coax me back to sleep.
How does she always manage to keep me asleep when she sneaks into my bed? I wondered, but knew she would never say how, calling it her 'trade secret'.
Glancing up at her, I saw those same eyes I had seen in my dreams while her exquisite bust hid the bottom of her chin, her pale bangs flowed down to me as they framed her shadowed face.
With such beauty before me, I found I didn't want to speak for fear of spoiling this amazing sight, but then that annoying voice in the back of my mind reminded me there were things still left to do today.
"What time is it?" I asked, as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
"~Oh~ Afraid you might have slept the day away? What a truly awful fate for the great war hero of the Ironblood." she teased, her finger twirling a lock of my gold hair.
I knew she was only kidding around, but still, I began mentally preparing myself to force my way off of these heavenly thighs. But her hand pressed down on my forehead, preventing me from going anywhere.
"Oh relax for once, the day is hardly all spent so just lay back and enjoy the moment before I change my mind." she said with her familiar scolding tone.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw that she was right that there were still plenty of hours to work with, so I settled for staying where I was for a little longer with my head comfortably resting on the lap of a beautiful woman.
Despite these passionate moments together, Eugen and I were still very busy individuals who hardly had time to ourselves let alone each other. So times like now were precious, and they demanded I spare what time I could for them.
On her part, Eugen seemed more than happy to have these small indulgences of our relationship.
While she often portrays the look of a devilish and scheming woman (which was entirely true), she was also a person of passion, though some of her wickedness on the battlefield does show from time to time when we lose ourselves in the throws of our intimate nightly activities.
Perhaps that's what one could call her personal charm or something along those lines. I thought.
"You know Victor, you should take more time for resting like this, your plans will mean nothing if you are too exhausted to see them completed. Perhaps a day off would be in order?" Eugen offered.
"If it pleases you, today I will be taking the evening off to visit an old friend of ours out in Rostock."
"Might that be our devious sponsor, Duke Reinhertz?" she asked.
"In fact it is."
"Then it's hardly a time of rest and relaxation, even I find that being around that man to be taxing." she complained, her face taking on that familiar cute pout. "Besides, you offer that old man far too much leniency; he's been retired from the service for years and you are now a vice admiral, surely he should be the one to be visiting you?"
"Perhaps one day…" I said, then gazed back into her eyes, remembering the look she gave me on the day I was on trial all those years ago. She looked as beautiful then, as she does now.
"~Hm? What has you looking at me like that?.~" she asked, noticing how deeply I was looking at her.
"...Do you remember Bergen?" I asked out of the blue, she didn't seem surprised, but instead bore a happy smile at her own memories of back then.
"How could I not? That was our first true victory together. It showed me your brilliance in battle," her eyes gained a teasing look, "and your furosity in bed."
"Heh, you were pretty excited that night yourself." I pointed out, more than used to her teases after all these years.
"I suppose I was, but then you went and had me all worried when they dragged you away to that ridiculous tribunal." she said with a frown.
"You were actually worried about me back then?" I asked, giving her some teasing of my own. Eugen's face made a rare blush, then formed a pout.
"Maybe a little." she mumbled, I would have laughed if I hadn't known she would pinch me as a punishment. "You were the first one that ever let me fight my way, if not for you I would have been stuck with that idiot Flegal for the rest of the war."
Her look changed back to her loving smile as she lowered her head to be just above mine as we looked into each other.
"I owe you so much, mein liebling." she quietly whispered to me, as if we were two young kids hiding away our love together.
I gripped over her hand that now rested on my cheek and smiled back at her.
"Without you, all the other kansens would never have followed me in the beginning. You trusted me, and I can never thank you enough for that." I said, our gazes locked until she leaned the rest of the way down and kissed me.
When she pulled back, her loving eyes were now partnered with a knowing smirk.
"~I can think of one or two ways you can repay me very easily, my dear Victor.~" she said, a spark of lust struck me at her insinuated offer.
"Should I reschedule my dinner plans?" I asked, my body already starting to react appropriately to the now heavy sexual feeling of the room.
Upon noticing the same thing, Eugen smirked and moved her legs out from under my head then promptly straddled my groin that tensed at the pressure of her own.
"~Why don't we just see where the afternoon takes us.~" she said, leaning down on my chest to capture my lips again.
From there our clothes were removed, deeper kisses were exchanged, and pleasure was shared by both of us for many hours later.
Unsurprisingly, I ended up rescheduling my dinner for the next day.
Next - Ch.4: A Rough Morning