A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
EMPIRE
TWENTY ONE
Aboard HMS Iron Duke, Lord Alexander Fleet Flagship
On Transit, Malta to Gibraltar,
April 24, 2015
The designers of the Duke-class battleship did not really want to place a brig in the battleship. They held that since these ships are supposed to be flagships of the admirals in command of whole battle fleets, there would be plenty of other ships where unruly crew and prisoners could be stored, such as the consorts of the battleships that are expected to sail with these huge warships.
In the end, however, the designers had to bow down to practicality as they realized that while the Duke-class battleships are supposed to be escorted by other ships, sometimes, this would not be possible, hence, there is a need for a brig. In any case, a brig is just a box built deep into the hull of the warship and as close as possible to the side of the ship without compromising the armor integrity of the warship.
The only consolation that the designers had in this particular disagreement between them and the final authority was the fact that the brig in the warships are just the same as the brig of the other warships of the Empire, if a little smaller, and it was here where five captured North African mages were cramped per the instructions of Lord Alexander.
Usually, a couple of marines from the ship detachment would be on duty near the brig at anytime, even when there are no prisoners, but the nature of the prisoners that are being transported aboard the flagship was so secret that Lord Alexander had made it so that there are no marines near the brig. That does not mean that the prisoners are relatively free, no, if anything, they are actually more curtailed that an ordinary prisoner.
To guard against magical travel – such as apparition and portkey – the prisoners were wearing magical suppression cuffs around not only their wrists, but also around their ankles. The nature of the suppression, however, was localized, which means that it is actually possible for the prisoners to be able to escape should they be able to use their entire magical prowess. The problem would be the fact that they would be leaving behind anything that is connected with the magical suppression cuffs.
This simply means that if any of the five decide to escape by apparition, they would be leaving behind their wrist and their ankles. Of course, should they decide to leave by portkey, then the only thing that would be leaving would be their hands, because the suppression cuffs on their wrists would have prevented the magic of the portkey from travelling through the entire body of the prisoner.
As he entered the brig, Harry remembered that the cuffs were designed by the Imperial Intelligence Bureau under the direction of Remus Lupin, one of his honorary godfathers. The man – while unwanted in the eyes of the magical government of the British Isles because of his unfortunate case of lycanthropy – was a genius in runes, arithmancy, and charms. He also has a mastery in the newly emerging branch of magic known as technomacny, though that would hardly be a surprise given that Remus was one of the founding fathers of that particular branch.
Harry was forcibly returned to the present by the sight in front of him. He had expected the fact that the prisoners would be isolated, each would be in their own cells, but he had not expected the steel doors that had apparently been bolted at every entrance to each of the cell. The effect was that the prisoners were literally inside a box, unable to see anything aside from what is already inside their cells, and given that little light actually passes through the cells, Harry was prepared to bet that the prisoners could actually not see anything at all.
That suited Harry just fine, because his purpose here was not to look into every single one of the prisoners, rather, he had been sent down here by Lord Alexander with a simple mission, to ascertain the name and the personal circumstances of one of the prisoners that was currently enjoying the hospitality – or lack thereof – of the brig of HMS Iron Duke.
Harry knew that Lord Alexander – and his staff – was interested in this particular prisoner because of the fact that he is obviously not from around North Africa. The blond hair was a dead giveaway, as were the green eyes, but the man had remained stubbornly defiant when questioned, and to the horror of the mind-readers that Lord Alexander had brought with him when he interviewed this prisoner, the man had very strong mental shields.
'Of course, that indicate occlumency training,' Harry thought. That was hardly surprising, if the man was from the Holy Empire of Britannia Imperial Knights. It is standard training for every candidate for a position within the elite – and secret – mage arm of the Imperial Knights to have mental shields, as they are trained in the art of occlumency.
When it comes to the North African Mages, however, this was a rarity. To date, aside from this mysterious – and obviously non-North African – mage, no other captured mage had demonstrated even the slightest bit of mental shields that would indicate occlumency training.
It was not that Lord Alexander had expected that Harry would somehow be able to break the mental shield of the prisoner, no, that was not the reason that Harry was here. The reason that the young officer was there was purely his own curiosity. The Archduke of England was not even aware that Harry was at the brig at that moment, though that was hardly surprising to Harry.
The young Lieutenant Commander was aware that his liege lord was busy at the bridge of his flagship, together with his staff as they scan all the cardinal directions, approaches to the small – though it is actually the most powerful battleship division in the whole world – division of battleships. Lord Alexander was confident that the North Africans are going to attack him, and there was reason for that.
Harry knew that the very purpose of the visit of Lord Alexander was to bait the enemy into coming after him, and while the Archduke was not sure if the North Africans knew that he was with the division, he was still sure that they are not about to let the opportunity to attack pass them, specially not now when they have just suffered another defeat.
Harry went out of his reverie the moment that he was staring at the door to one of the cells. He knew that this was the cell where the mysterious foreign mage was secreted, and with a single motion of his hand, a tiny slit on the steel door slid sideward, allowing a little light to filter into the cell.
The man inside the cell may have been surprised by the sudden entrance of light, no matter how miniscule that light was, but Harry needed that light in order to see – albeit not that well – the person inside.
The first thing that struck Harry was not the blond hair, for that was something that he had already expected. Rather, what struck Harry was the fact that even with the small light, he was able to recognize the man. It was hard not to remember the man when his father and mother had told him all about this person.
James and Lily were interested in this person not because he was someone that could be turned and could be used. In fact, if not for the actions of Lord Alexander during his visit at Hogwarts – back when the castle was still under the control of Albus Dumbledore – this man would not have been at the radar of the followers of Lord Alexander.
"Goyle," Harry muttered under his breath.
Apparently, he was not quite enough, for the man inside the room reacted at the sound of his voice. First, his ears perked up upon hearing his name, then the head of the man turned toward the direction of the light – and the voice.
Harry had been informed that this man had not say a single thing since he was captured, at least, not when the guards are watching or listening. The words that came out of his mouth in response to the sight of Harry were probably the first words out of his mouth since the day that he was captured five days ago.
"Potter," Goyle said.
It was not that difficult to guess why the man inside the cell knew his name. Harry knew that just as the followers of Lord Alexander had familiarized themselves with the people who may someday be a threat to their liege lord, those Death Eaters who had managed to escape the British Isles before the hammer fell were – according to intelligence – also familiarizing themselves with those that they may someday face on the opposite side of the field.
In the case of Harry and his parents, Harry knew that the Death Eaters are more than interested, because of the fact that the Potters were the last family that had seen Lord Voldemort before the self-proclaimed Dark Lord disappeared from the face of the world. It is not that hard to imagine that his followers want to know what happened and if the man that they worship as the Dark Lord could be resurrected.
"I should have known that you would be involved in this," Goyle said, before the man let out a harsh laugh and quickly added, "it does not matter, though, I would never talk and my comrades would not allow me as well."
Harry nodded, though with the slit in play, he very much doubted that Goyle could see his action, "I know," he said, he imagined that the man inside must have been surprised by that declaration, but before anything could be said, Harry added, "I'm not here to speak with you, and I already know that Lucius Malfoy and your fellow travelers are willing to do anything to make sure that you do not talk, even kill you," Harry paused for a few moments before he added, "I imagine that that is what you want to happen right now, and Lucius is about to oblige you your wish with the North African armored cruiser squadron, but I assure you that we are more than prepared for their approach," a dangerous grin came across the face of Harry before he added, "In fact, we are already expecting them."
Goyle let out another harsh laugh, "Do you really think that we, those who are descended of the purest of blood, the only ones who should have been allowed to practice magic, would depend upon a bunch of muggles and their contraptions to do our job for us?" he suddenly burst out laughing even louder.
Harry closed the slit at that moment. The nature of the containment door means that not even sound could come out, but the reason that Harry had closed the slit had nothing to do with him not wanting to hear the laugh of the man inside, rather, it is because he realized that he had just hit something that Harry was sure no one else knew.
As he thought about it, the more Harry realized that it made sense. Of course the Death Eaters are not going to depend on the muggles, which means that while it is true that the North Africans are coming, it is also possible that Lucius Malfoy may have a reserve plan in place, and Harry was prepared to bet that that reserve plan was already waiting for them at Gibraltar.
Before Harry could even think about it, he was already walking out of the brig. He knew that he had to warn his liege lord, and at that same time that he started walking, the mind of Harry kicked into overdrive as he tried to come up with a plausible method to silence Goyle and his mage companions if he was working for Lucius. Often, that was the best way to know what the other side was planning.
As Harry stepped out of the brig, however, sirens started ringing all around the ship. Harry paused for a few moments, before he started running toward the direction of the armored citadel of the flagship as he recognized the beat of the siren.
The voice of the flag captain of the flagship came quickly after the first round of the sirens, but that was hardly needed.
"Now hear this, now hear this," Captain Nelson was broadcasting from his position at the flag-bridge, "action stations, action stations, enemy warships detected, approaching our position from the north, all hands, man action stations."
Harry swallowed as he continued to run. He had never been inside a battleship – or any ship for that matter – during an actual engagement of the giant behemoths, and the fact that there was literally nothing that he could do in this battle did not sit well with the young naval commander.
A sigh escaped from the lips of the Archduke as he turned his attention toward the north. Lord Alexander knew that if the North Africans are going to attack, this would be the most likely direction that they would be coming from. It would seem that whoever is in command of the North Africans are of the opinion that the Britannians would not expect an attack coming from that direction, hence, the North Africans always come from that direction.
'You would think that they would be aware that we are used to it by now,' Lord Alexander thought. Of course, the tactician in him also knew that there is a chance that the North Africans were aware of that already, hence, they may change their tactic for this coming engagement.
That was the reason that while Lord Alexander and Vice Admiral Granger was currently occupying the starboard side flying bridge, Vice Admiral Ashford and Admiral Cline were both on the port side flying bridge, using their binoculars – just as Lord Alexander and Vice Admiral Granger are doing – to see if the North Africans would decide to come from that direction.
That the North Africans are coming is all but certain, Lord Alexander knew. His spies at the harbor where the North African armored cruisers are home-ported had reported that the cruisers had departed from their berths and have already left. The ships are already at sea, and all that remains to be done is for the two opposing groups to meet somewhere where they could exchange fire.
Of course, those ships left four days ago, the same time that the 9th Battleship Division had departed Cairo for the first leg of their journey, Cairo to the city of Valetta in Malta where Lord Alexander had seen Lady Emma off of his flagship.
How he wished that he could keep his wife with him, but even though he is confident that he would win the coming match, he still would not risk having his wife with him on his bridge when the shooting starts, and the Archduke of England knew that his Archduchess would insist – the way that only she could – that she would stay by his side.
Lord Alexander mentally shook his head as he abandoned that train of thought in order to latch upon a new one.
Specifically, just where did the North Africans port their ships for the past four days while they were waiting for him in their ambush. The spies at Tunisia and other harbors and ports where the North African warships could have docked all report that the warships had not returned to any North African naval base. The armored cruisers could stay at sea for months at times but Lord Alexander knew that they would have to go somewhere in order to conserve their supplies.
Another sigh escaped from the lips of the Archduke even as he pressed his binoculars against his eyes once more. Scanning to the starboard side of his column, all that Lord Alexander could see was the blue sky. Still, he kept staring toward the general direction for a few moments before he lowered his binoculars. He turned his attention toward the mast of his flagship and a smile came across his face.
In a sense, the fact that Lord Alexander and his staff are scanning the skies surrounding their flagship was an exercise in futility. It was not that the North Africans are unlikely to attack; it was just that while visual range is good, it would be the radar – the array of which was mounted on the mast of the flagship, or at least, one of the radar arrays – that would be able to detect the approaching North Africans.
Still, the General-Admiral of the Grand Fleet was scanning the skies if only to do something that would pass up time. This is because the battle plan for the coming engagement had already been decided, and Lord Alexander had formulated the battle plan – together with his staff – even before he arrived at Cairo for the awarding ceremony.
Lord Alexander shook his head at that moment in order to bring himself back to the present. He placed his hand on the shoulder of his senior adjutant – Admiral Granger was again using his binoculars to look, but this time, he was looking to the front of the battleship column – causing Admiral Granger to lower his binoculars and look toward his commanding officer.
Lord Alexander inclined his head slightly toward the direction of the bridge, and Admiral Granger nodded, though he allowed Lord Alexander to lead the way back.
The bridge of the Duke-class battleship – like the bridge of the Hermione and the King Arthur-class battleships – has two flying bridges built into the side. Although practically useless in the middle of an engagement – no one wants to be in the unarmored and unprotected flying bridge when artillery shells started landing all around the ship – it was added because it was seen as a helpful navigation aid. It also served as a means for fleet commanders to check the formation of their ships, although that is mostly done before the ships started shooting at each other.
Inside the bridge of the Iron Duke, the bridge crew busied themselves with whatever it was that they are supposed to be doing. Under the watchful eye of Captain Nelson, two dozen men – all wearing the Fleet Working Uniform with Britannian flag patches on the right shoulder and the patch of the Grand Fleet on the left – work on the systems in the bridge.
Very few systems necessary for the life of the ship are actually located in the bridge.
Engine control, for instance, is merely token and consists only of an engine order telegraph, which is just an elaborate message passing device, since the engine order telegraph does not really control the engine; it merely passes information to the boiler room buried deep within the hull and from where the engines are controlled.
As for the systems necessary to fight the warship, while there are some in the bridge – such as a dedicated radar technician and his consoles for instance – most are actually redundant, with counterparts located in the Action Control Room deep within the hull of the ship. It is from that room where the four turrets housing the main battery of the ship are controlled. The room could also control the secondary batteries, but in practice, the secondary batteries are allowed to operate on their own because they are relatively short range weapons whose operators could see their target without the need for instruments. Of course, the secondary turrets also have their own instruments.
The only reason that the bridge still exist is because of tradition and because it is more practical for the captain of the ship to actually occupy the highest – well, relatively highest – portion of the warship so that he could see exactly what the ship is doing and where it is going. As for the admirals, the bridge was also the best place from where he could direct the conduct of the battle. After all, this is where he could see the most with his eyes, and though the systems may not be that good, it serves.
Lord Alexander turned his attention toward his flag-captain. Captain Nelson does not have his eyes forward as the flagship sailed westward. Instead, the flag-captain supervised the operations in the flagship, though Captain Nelson stood behind the overly large navigation table that was at the center of the bridge. The overly large navigation table was the tell-tale sign that this is a flagship bridge. Ordinary ships – even huge battleships of the Hermione-class – would have a small plotting table that the captain could use to chart his planned course with his officers.
Captain Nelson turned toward Lord Alexander as the General-Admiral approached him. The flag-captain gave Lord Alexander a respectful nod – unless someone is relieving someone, no one salute inside the bridge – before he reported, "We've made radio and radar contact with McAllen and Norfield, they are approaching to rejoin the formation, Huntington Lake is still leading her squadron on search and we have no contact with them as of yet."
Lord Alexander nodded in acknowledgement of the report. HMS McAllen was the lead destroyer of the 5th Destroyer Squadron while HMS Norfield was the lead destroyer of the 16th Destroyer Squadron. Both squadrons – together with the 9th Light Cruiser Squadron led by HMS Huntington Lake – normally form with the 9th Battleship Division to form the 9th Battleship Group, which is the lead unit of the Battleship Detachment, Grand Fleet.
All three squadrons had accompanied the 9th Battleship Division during the cruise from Cairo to Malta, but Lord Alexander had detached them early morning in order to scout ahead of the main group. All squadrons have instructions to return to the division by 1600 Hours if they had found nothing.
It would have been different had they found something, because then their instructions would be to mark the opposition and their bearing as well as their range before running back to the formation, reporting to the group flagship – HMS Iron Duke – the moment that radios were in range.
Lord Alexander turned his attention toward his wrist watch – 'a man wears only two pieces of jewelry on his person,' his father had taught him, 'his wristwatch and his wedding ring' – and noted the time.
"They are a bit early," he commented, mentally noting that there is still over half an hour before the time that the destroyers are due back home.
"They report that the seas ahead of us are clear," Captain Nelson said. There was a brief pause before he added, "Perhaps they decided to return early?"
"Could be," Lord Alexander noted. There really was nothing that he could do about that, however, since it will take the two destroyer groups over thirty minutes before they could rejoin the division. Technically, they would still be within their instructions, but even if they were not, the Archduke had no intention of disciplining his men.
"We've had a little over seven hours of journey, and almost two more days ahead of us, the enemy could hit us anytime between now and then," Lord Alexander said. He paused for a few moments before he added, "Tomorrow, we would repeat the same process, and we can hope that the enemy would actually come out from wherever they are hiding and offer us battle," a smile graced the features of Lord Alexander before he added, "All this patrolling and maneuvering at sea is getting overshadowed by the events on the ground."
Captain Nelson smiled as well, though he knew that the words that came out from the mouth of Lord Alexander were just in jest.
He also knew that as soon as the sun starts to set, there would be little chance of an engagement with the North African armored cruisers. While all Britannian warships – even the destroyers and the even smaller sloops – have effective night-fighting systems – radar amongst them – the North African armored cruisers – being an older Prussian design – have no radar and would have to rely on searchlights that work both ways and human optics. In such a fight, they would be at a disadvantage. Of course, the smaller North African warships have radar, but according to intelligence, the North African Fleet only has a handful of such warships.
"Radar contact," the radar operator suddenly reported. Both Lord Alexander and Captain Nelson turned their attention toward the direction of the man, and was already staring when the radar operator continued, "Due south, bearing zero-one-four, closure rate at nineteen knots."
"Definitely not one of ours, then," Lord Alexander commented. Britannian standard calls for all warships to cruise at twenty knots or above, unless there are other extenuating circumstances. Most Britannian warships were designed to cruise at twenty knots or even above for that reason.
"Coming from south, however," Captain Nelson reported.
"Only proves that even we can be surprised by the fog of war," Lord Alexander reported. The fact that these might be a civilian convoy never even entered the minds of either officer, for the simple reason that the ships are not on the surface of the sea. Britannia may have civilian warships – with naval reserve pennants though – but the North Africans – or any country for that matter – do not.
"Sir, with your permission, I would like to go to action stations," Captain Nelson said.
Lord Alexander turned his attention toward his flag-captain and gave him a smile, "The running of the ship is the duty of the captain, Captain," he replied.
Captain Nelson nodded toward his commander before he turned his attention toward his executive officer who promptly left the bridge. Lord Alexander knew that the man would be on his way to the Action Control Room, which would be his action station. Theoretically, this would prevent command and control from being disrupted in case a lucky shell manages to hit the bridge, but with HMS Iron Duke being the flagship, a hit at the bridge may prove more than devastating.
At the same time, Captain Nelson grabbed a microphone connected with the internal public announcement system of the ship. The captain flipped a switch on one of the control consoles beside him – and as a result, sirens began blaring all over the vessel, warning the crew of the action station order – before the captain announced, "Now hear this, now hear this, action stations, action stations, enemy warships detected, approaching our position from the north, all hands, man action stations."
Almost immediately, everyone inside the bridge began to don their survival gear. For warships at sea, the survival gear typically consists only of a life jacket that would enable the person wearing the same to float, but since the ships of today float in the sky rather than the sea, such a vest would be of little use. Sure, it could still be used to prevent the person from drowning in case of ditching over sea, but if the velocity of the person who had jumped is not checked, then there would be little need to float because the man would most likely be dead from the impact.
Hence, the addition of a small parachute with the survival gear.
Lord Alexander watched with his arms across his chest as the bridge crew busied themselves with checking their survival gear. At the same time, his three closest officers – Admiral Cline, Vice Admiral Ashford, and Vice Admiral Granger – joined him. Vice Admiral Granger was the one who handed Lord Alexander the survival gear and loath as he was to accept the gears, the Archduke knew that he has no choice.
The General-Admiral knew that it is not his job to set a bad example to his men, hence, the reason why he donned the survival gear even if he would rather not.
"Additional radar contact from the south," the radar operator reported, "bearing zero-two-eight, closure at nineteen knots."
"They have not detected us," Captain Nelson said as he joined Lord Alexander and his staff officer. He turned his attention toward Lord Alexander and reported, "we are one hundred percent action stations, Admiral, all other ships report one hundred percent."
Lord Alexander nodded, but did not say anything, and for a few minutes, the bridge was silent save for the constant reports coming from the radar operator, detailing the approach of the North African warships.
At one point during the wait, the destroyers of the 5th and 16th Destroyer Squadrons had rejoined the formation, and the light cruisers of the 9th Light Cruiser Squadron had reported that they are on their way back. Harry also entered the bridge during the wait. Not being a part of the crew of the warship, Harry and his mages – those that had accompanied him for this transfer – have no action stations, but Harry reported to Lord Alexander that he had ordered his mages to provide as much assistance as they could to the other departments of the warship.
"Lead enemy ships entering maximum gun range, momentarily," the radar operator reported.
"Sir, gunnery director request to fire ranging shots," a communications officer reported.
"Establish the range with as few shots as possible," Captain Nelson replied, and after the message was relayed, he turned his attention forward, toward his 'A' turret.
Sure enough, the turret moved even as the rightmost gun housed in the turret swiveled up. The rotation of the turrets of the Duke-class warship was rated at six degrees per second, and when the gun was pointed at the right direction, there was a thundering sound. At the same time, the bow of the ship was covered in a black cloud of smoke that rapidly dissipated.
No one in the ship could have seen the ranging shell leaving the barrel of the twenty-inch gun. Travelling at a muzzle velocity of more than eight hundred meters per second, it was all but impossible to actually watch.
"Gunnery director reports enemy destroyers," the communications officer reported, "but there are bigger warships coming behind them."
"Not unusual for them to assign escorts," Admiral Cline commented.
"Sir, gunnery director reports that the range has been established," came another report, "Permission to open fire with main guns requested."
"Radar, what is our relative range?" Captain Nelson asked.
"Now at fourteen hundred meters and closing, captain," the radar operator reported, "enemy bearing has turned zero-one-five, approaching at twenty four knots."
Captain Nelson turned toward the man in command of the fleet and the division, but Lord Alexander had his attention somewhere else, "They are trying to get in range," he commented, he turned toward Captain Nelson before he added, "Their destroyers have torpedoes, correct?"
Captain Nelson nodded, "twenty one-inch torpedoes, I believe, yes sir," he replied, "Probable maximum range at just a little over four kilometers, but at that range, they would be well within range of our secondary guns," he paused before he added, "We would have fired them before they could get within range to release torpedoes."
"Still that is not a reason for us not to send greetings to our adversaries," Lord Alexander said, he turned toward his staff and smiled before he returned his attention toward his flag-captain and gave him a nod before he added, "You may fire as your bear, Captain."
Captain Nelson acknowledged the order with a nod of his own before he turned toward the communications operator who had made the report.
Standing beside his liege lord, Harry watched the controlled chaos that was descending on the bridge, but the young lieutenant commander knew that he would rather be here than inside one of the turrets where the temperature would soon rise and vision would be impaired somewhat by clouds. Those turret crews also have no idea what they are shooting at because they could not see outside, though Harry supposed that that is not a problem since the job of the turret crew is to feed the guns so as to allow them to continue firing.
The young wizard watched as the 'B' turret swung to the port side of the vessel – 'A' turret was already pointing toward that direction – and the three guns that were housed inside the armored turret swiveled up in response to the commands that were being fed to them by the gunnery director. Harry had no problem imagining the two other turrets to the rear of the ship – 'Z' turret and 'Y' turret – also swivel toward the direction of the North African warships.
The turrets housing the eight-inch guns, however, did not swivel, though Harry realized that that is because those guns are not yet in range of the approaching North African warships.
Actual control for firing the guns was not located inside the turrets themselves. Instead, guns were fired from the position of the gunnery director at one of the fire control towers – the actual highest position in the warship – with redundancy located at the Action Control Room and the other fire control towers. Inside the turret, the only thing that the seven men crew of each gun has to worry about was feeding the mighty guns with the solid armor-piercing shells – or any other type of shells that could be used by the guns – and cordite, the propellant for the shells.
Further musings on the part of Harry were interrupted when all guns of the flagship stamped their presence. The sound made when the ranging shot was fired was loud, but it was dwarfed by the thunderous sound made by all twelve guns firing at the same time.
"Hermione and Arethusa reports full broadside as well," one of the communications operator inside the bridge reported, "Leda and Daphne do not have range yet, and are holding fire."
Captain Nelson responded to the report, but exactly what the flag-captain had said, Harry did not hear because at that moment, he turned his attention toward the south, toward the approaching North African warships.
Harry knew that those destroyers would be maneuvering, they would be stupid not to. Although they have not yet made visual contact – and their radar is primitive – they should already be aware that they have been spotted. The ranging shot fired by the flagship to establish the range should have told them that.
At the same time, though, Harry knew that the shells being used by Britannian warships are capped with proximity fuses that could somewhat tell if they are going to narrowly miss their target. In such a case, the small electronic device would cause the bomb to explode. This would, in theory, cause some damage to the target, although such damage would not be a critical damage.
"North African capital ships visual confirmation," a communications officer reported. That tore Harry out of his reverie. The North African armored cruisers, after all, are the real target of this trap, and it seems that the North Africans are coming out to play.
"How soon before our destroyers rendezvous with us?" Lord Alexander suddenly asked. The General-Admiral of the Britannian Grand Fleet removed his hands from over his chest and walked toward the navigation table in front of him – his staff following behind him – while Captain Nelson also approached the navigation table.
"16th DD is closer to our position now, Admiral and would rendezvous with us in about twenty minutes," Captain Nelson reported, "5th DD, however, while still twenty to thirty minutes out is in a prime position as they are approaching from the south, they are closer to the approaching targets than 16th DD."
"Where is 9th CL?" Lord Alexander asked, naming the 9th Light Cruiser Squadron.
"Radio reports from Rear Admiral Baffin places them about forty minutes out," Captain Nelson replied, "They are approaching from the north sir, so they would not be of much assistance even if they are close."
Harry caught Lord Alexander nod, but there was absolutely no hesitation with the voice of the General-Admiral when he gave his next set of instructions, "Instruct 5th DD to launch a torpedo salvo against the North African armored cruisers," he ordered, "Just in case, move 16th DD to a position where they would be able to launch a torpedo salvo against the cruisers later."
Lord Alexander motioned for Harry to come over just as Captain Nelson moved to relay the instructions given by Lord Alexander.
"You understand don't you?" Lord Alexander asked.
Harry nodded, "The main target has always been the armored cruisers," he replied, "I would not really matter who will sink them, because this is the Grand Fleet."
Lord Alexander smiled, "Indeed," he replied. Everyone was aware of the fact that in the Grand Fleet, it does not matter who sinks who. In the Home Fleet, the battleships and battlecruisers are always arguing about honors and who sank what and who, which translates to poor working relationship between the captains and admirals that are supposed to be working with each other.
Of course, what made it worst is the fact that the Home Fleet had not been in direct combat in more than thirty years. The three other fleets had held the line without the need for the Home Fleet to enter the fray. Sometimes, people – especially those in the three other fleets – wonder if that is the reason why the Duke of Virginia – the first born son of the Archduke of Rosenbaum and Crown Prince of the Holy Empire – was in command of the fleet.
Still, others wonder if it is because of the Duke of Virginia that the Home Fleet acts the way that it does.
"Why torpedoes, Harry?" Lord Alexander asked.
"Although they are more expensive than armor-piercing shells, torpedoes pack a higher punch," Harry replied dutifully, "Our torpedoes also have a longer range than theirs and while they are being distracted by the artillery the battleships are firing, the torpedoes from out of nowhere may be able to sneak in."
"Without effective radar, those torpedoes are going to be coming from nowhere for those armored cruisers," Lord Alexander added. He sighed once before he nodded toward Harry, "That was basic, of course, but it seems that fighting on your foot instead of fighting aboard a battlewagon had done nothing to what you have learned at the Academy."
"I learned from the best, sir," Harry replied.
Lord Alexander shook his head but did not say anything, rather, the General-Admiral returned to the developing battle, crossing his arms over his chest once more.
"Those cruisers would be gunning for us," Vice Admiral Ashford suddenly said, "Their skippers and commanding officers would probably be having tunnel vision."
Lord Alexander nodded before he turned his attention toward his chief military advisor and said, "I would have wanted to ambush them with torpedoes coming from their port, starboard, and bow," the General-Admiral sighed before he shook his head and added, "We have to make do with what we are given by chance and fate."
Silence descended around the bridge – well, silence save for the occasional reports coming from the gunnery director, relayed by several communications operator inside the bridge, and the reports coming from the radar operator also inside the bridge – after Lord Alexander gave the order for his ships to drop speed to one-fourth cruise. By slowing down, Lord Alexander hope to allow the big guns of his battleship to come to bear against the approaching North African armored cruisers.
The Archduke knew that subjecting those armored cruisers to artillery bombardment far from their effective range would lower the morale of the crew of those ships, and if the destroyers get lucky and score some hits with their torpedoes – probably even a kill, which is not impossible given that the torpedoes being used by the destroyers are the big twenty four-inch Hammerhead torpedoes – such a bombardment would probably cause the North Africans to turn around and return home.
That, however, is not the intention of Lord Alexander. The General-Admiral had made it clear that he has no intention of allowing the North Africans to return back to their home base, or at least, not without scoring a decisive victory here and now.
"Enemy destroyers now in visual range," a communications operator – relaying from the gunnery director – reported.
Harry moved toward the port side of the bridge, near the shatter-proof, bullet-proof glass that protected the occupants of the bridge from the elements but allowed them to see. A member of the bridge-crew handed him a pair of binoculars which Harry accepted without a word.
Barely a second had passed since he first held the visual tool before Harry was looking through it toward the direction of where the North Africans are coming from. Harry knew that even if the destroyers are already in visual range, he would not be able to actually see the destroyers without the help of the binoculars, never mind the fact that his eyesight was so weak he had to wear glasses.
'There,' Harry thought. The North African destroyers were based on Prussian destroyers, and that is the reason why they look like skeletons compared with the bulkier Britannian destroyers.
An explosion on the deck of one of the North African destroyers tore Harry out of his reverie, but he kept his gaze toward the destroyers. Harry knew that the secondary batteries aboard the battleships have opened up. Although those secondary batteries – five-inch guns – could have fired beyond visual range, Harry knew that they are usually used for defensive purposes, and he supposed that the approaching destroyers – that are now turning to their port in succession – are about to launch their torpedoes. Preventing them from launching those torpedoes would qualify as defense.
Those five-inch secondary guns, Harry knew, fired a combination of high explosive and incendiary rounds. Although capable of indirect fire like the main batteries, secondary batteries being used for ship defense fire in the direct.
Another explosion on the lead destroyer was quickly followed by a secondary detonation on the deck of the North African warship. At that moment, however, the North African destroyers are running parallel to the course of the Britannian battleships. Harry actually managed to look at the grim faces of the destroyer crew as they struggled to bring their torpedoes to bear, all the while being caught in the open while being shelled by the secondary batteries – the primary batteries have stopped firing, conserving their ammunition and cordite for the approaching North African armored cruisers – and battling the fires that had started – sometimes literally beside them.
When the torpedo launch did come, it was not aimed straight toward the battleships. That would have been a waste. Instead, the torpedoes were launched at a course that is convergent with the Britannian battleships.
"Torpedoes have been launched," a member of the bridge crew – who, like Harry, was watching the North African destroyers with the help of binoculars – reported, but unlike Harry, the man had spotted something that Harry had not, "Enemy destroyers are bugging out, but the lead destroyer has already lost considerable speed and appears to be descending steadily."
'Critical damage?' Harry thought, he returned his attention toward the lead destroyer – deciding that he really did not need to see the look on the face of his liege lord – and watched as it continued to belch smoke from its stacks. The stacks, however, were not the primary source of the smoke that was even then threatening to hide the North African destroyer, rather, it would appear that the smokes from the fires on the deck of the lead destroyer was burning out of control.
Shedding altitude would allow the crew of the destroyer to bail out of the warship, but as with every ship that can sail the skies, that was always a race of just what would happen first, either the ship would descend to an altitude where the crew can bail and deploy their parachutes, or the ship would tear itself apart either through an explosion in the magazine, or the ship would just come apart in the stress.
"Lead destroyer bailing," the same man who reported the impending death of the lead destroyer reported. Sure enough, Harry watched as the crew of the North African destroyer jumped from their ship. Quite a few of the men had the survival gear around their waist and behind their back – and parachutes were quick to open – but there would always be those who would not be wearing them, and quite a few of them always jump.
Harry, however, supposed that that was the choice and he does not know what he would do if he is placed at that exact situation. Either face death by being burned when the explosion comes or death when he hits the ground at a velocity.
The young naval officer removed the binoculars from his eyes and returned his attention toward Lord Alexander. As he had expected, the General-Admiral was already planning for the engagement with the approaching North African destroyer, and when Harry turned his attention toward him, Lord Alexander looked as if he was receiving a report from Captain Nelson.
"…reports that North African armored cruisers are divided into two squadrons," Harry heard Captain Nelson said, "second squadron, final two ships, had been hit by torpedo spread from the destroyers of 5DD."
"That should at least decrease their speed," Admiral Cline commented. The chief-of-staff to the General-Admiral turned his attention toward the navigation table – and it was now online, displaying information critical to the battle planning – before he added, "16DD should come within torpedo range soon, let us see what kind of damage they would deal."
"It would never be enough," Vice Admiral Ashford commented.
"Gunnery director reports that all guns are primed and ready to fire, they are merely awaiting targets," Captain Nelson said, he looked at Lord Alexander before he added, "As soon as those armored cruisers come within range, we can open fire."
"Sir," Vice Admiral Granger thought to add his thoughts and Lord Alexander turned toward him, "Those armored cruisers are equipped with torpedoes, engaging them in line may very well be exactly what they want us to do."
"Right now, we have incoming torpedoes," Captain Nelson said, "We're intercepting."
Harry knew that the first – actually, the only – defense against torpedoes aboard Britannian warships would be the heavy machineguns mounted along the railings of the warship. The heavy rounds of those guns cannot deflect a torpedo with just one round, but that is the reason why machineguns are employed. Of course, it would be better to actually shoot the ship launching the torpedoes before he could do that.
"North African destroyers have completely bugged out, Captain," one of the bridge crew reported, Captain Nelson turned toward the direction of the man making the report before the man added, "We took down three of their destroyers and the other two are limping back."
"Let that be a lesson on how stupid it is to send a destroyer division – or five – against the 9th Battleship Division," Captain Nelson said with a smile.
Harry could not help but smile at that declaration as well. He had heard some declarations – mostly from the crew of the ships that form up the 9th Battleship Division – that Lord Alexander's battleship division is the most powerful in the world. Of course, that may very well be true; after all, no other battleship division in the world could field twelve twenty-inch guns and sixty eighteen-inch guns – not to mention hundreds of smaller caliber guns – against an opponent. When one considers the fact that the division is commanded by Lord Alexander, then the division really has no equal.
"Sir, 16DD reports that they have launched torpedoes and are pulling out to rendezvous with us at maximum best speed," one of the bridge crew reported, "5DD also reports that they have visual range of flagship and would rejoin the formation in fifteen minutes."
Lord Alexander nodded, acknowledging the report. He turned his attention toward his staff – including Harry and Captain Nelson – and a grin appeared on his face, a sharp predatory grin – before he said, "Now, now we are going to be engaged by those armored cruisers,"