The Magnus War- A Tale of Kerbin's Darkest Hour [Updated 11/25/15]

[Dman1791]

Hello everyone! Inspired by The Kold War, I'm going to try my hand at making my own Kerbal story. Enjoy!

 

Spoiler

Kerbin has been long dormant after the Great War of Kerbin, which killed off nearly 7% of the population, and led to the collapse of many smaller nations. Now, only two large nations remain, The United Kingdoms of Kerbin's North, the UKKN, and the Domain of the Grand Republic of Tau, the DGRT. The UKKN's territory spans over nearly all of the northern part of Kerbin, with the DGRT having most of the rest of Kerbin. The rest of the land is either in the process of resettlement or uninhabitable. The UKKN and DGRT have 2 land borders, both with a demilitarized zone to prevent surprise land invasions.

The UKKN is a seven-man dictatorship, where seven different people lead the country, though they are limited by multiple documents to prevent oppression.

The DGRT is, as their name suggests, a republic. Every five years, 101 representatives are elected by the general populace, who make decisions. There are also local governments. The main body decides on countrywide things, while the local governments allow an area to tailor itself to its particular needs.

The two nations were the main aggressors during the Great War of Kerbin, which absorbed absolutely every nation on Kerbin by its peak. It was actually a three way war at one time, where a lesser alliance tried to attack the two aggressors, but failed, leading to the areas being absorbed by the UKKN and DGRT. At the war's end, only they stood, their allies having been absorbed, and border areas lay dead. Now, both nations have recovered from the severe problems caused. The nations seem equal in power, but that won't stop anyone from seeking world domination...

 

Current Designs

Spoiler

These are the designs utilized by the two nations, listed in order of date created. Only craft mentioned in the story will be listed, I'm not writing a whole armory report! I may end up making some in KSP, so remember to check back here from time to time!

          UKKN Designs:

MiK-23 Musketeer

The Musketeer was completed shortly after the end of the war. It used to be the fastest plane in military service, but was beaten by the K-17 Javelin. It isn't the most maneuverable plane, but carries a heavy armament and has a fairly long operational range. It is still in second-line service, but is being replaced by the newer Ku-35.

Ku-35 Kraken

The Kraken is a fairly new design, utilizing newly developed Vector turbojets. It isn't quite as fast as the Musketeer it is replacing, but is twice as maneuverable, and carries both anti-air and anti-surface weaponry. It is slated to become the standard in the UKKN arsenal.

PAK-KA (IN DEVELOPMENT)

The PAK-KA is currently undergoing airframe testing. It uses the new Mark 2 form factor, allowing it to have two engines rather than one, as well as carrying a heavier weapons load. It is showing signs that it could be the most maneuverable aircraft ever built.

Valentina-Class Battleship

The Valentina is the UKKN's latest design. It combines four turrets of triple 16-inch goodness with a speed of 35.2 knots, as well as being well armored. It is a force to be reckoned with.

DGRT Designs:

K-11 Cloudmaster

The K-11 was the DGRT's staple fighter during the final third of the great war. It was a low-altitude dogfighter, using a Mule turbofan engine, rather than a Whiplash turbojet. It was great at the time, but has been relegated to training duties.

K-17 Javelin

The Javelin is the DGRT's current fighter. It is currently the fastest operational military aircraft, as well as being quite nimble. It carries a powerful, but short-lived, armament. It has the DGRT's standard of 400 fuel units per engine.

K-22 Valkyrie (LIMITED DEPLOYMENT)

The Valkyrie is undergoing field testing, almost ready for full deployment. It also uses the Mark 2 form factor, like the PAK-KA. It was the aircraft that inspired numerous innovations, such as Vector turbojets, ECM jammers, and the Mark 2 form factor itself.

KV-12 Ghoul

The Ghoul is a disappointing VTOL aircraft currently in use with the DGRT amphibious forces and navy. It is incredibly hard to pilot in hover mode, as well as during the transition from hover to air modes. Its controls are also very unusually mounted, making it a pain to use. It carries only a very light armament, as well as being slow and not particularly maneuverable. Despite this, it did cause innovation, introducing maneuvering jets and internally-mounted VTOL engines.

KV-18 Wraith (PLANNED)

The Wraith is to be the successor of the Ghoul, and is to use the new Mark 2 form factor. This will allow it heavier takeoff weights, better performance, and much higher speeds than its failed predecessor. No work is to be done until the K-22 Valkyrie is completed.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter One: Sky in Flames

 

Spoiler

 

"How long until the flight is ready? Asked Valentina Kerman II, head of the UKKN air force.

"Twenty minutes," answered Bill Kerman, her adviser and second-in-command.

"Excellent, the DGRT will never know what hit them with out new Ku-35 planes." Replied Valentina.

"Are you sure about a surprise attack? Last time we did this we nearly destroyed Kerbin!" said another kerbal in the meeting room.

"The DGRT is still using their Javelin fighters, they stand no chance against our air force. They'll be reeling in shock from the destruction of their squadrons, and we can systematically destroy their military installations. The 500 pound bombs on the Ku-35 will make short work of all their ground assets." Valentina explained, "With no air power, they'll be a pushover."

The kerbals in the meeting room began to squabble.

"But What about the K-22 Valkyrie they're making? It trumps the Ku-35 in every way!"

"Relax, we have the PAK-KA! Once that's on the scene, they'll fall like flies!"

"But that's not supposed to be ready for testing for another year! They're finishing trials of the Valkyrie already!"

"QUIET!" Yelled Valentina, "We're ten minutes from go time. If we were going to cancel now, it wouldn't reach them until they were halfway to the DGRT. Now, we discuss battle plans. It's already happening, we need to be ready..."

Meanwhile, at a DGRT airbase...

Jebediah walks out to his K-17 Javelin. He calls out to the new pilots, "Come on, let's go! It's time for the routine air sweep near the border!"

"Coming, boss!" Yelled Bob Kerman, a new recruit of the DGRT air force.

"What're the odds we meet a UKKN invasion flight?" another newbie jokes.

"None! They probably haven't even made a new plane since the war!"

The new pilots continue to talk and joke around as they get strapped in.

Jebediah radios the control tower to request permission for takeoff, which is granted.

"Stay safe, chief!" says the coordinator.

The group of six Javelins is given the green light, and one by one, they take off. They form up in a loose triangle, and fly out towards the border.

Back at the UKKN...

The squadron of 13 Ku-35s takes off from the UKKN, heading toward the border as well. They are armed to the teeth, with air-to-air missiles, bombs, rockets, and cannons. They form a large V formation before continuing on. They enter radio silence, and ascend to cruising altitude.

On the DRGT side of the border...

A young kerbal by the name of Edby Kerman is sitting atop his watchtower.

"Nothing ever happens out here... It's so boring. Why couldn't I be assigned to the other border? They said that the enemy would probably come from over there..."

Suddenly, numerous black dots become visible in the sky. They were on the radar prior, but Edby didn't care to look at it.

"Hey, what are those? The air sweep isn't supposed to be here for fifteen minutes... And they're coming from the wrong direction... Wait... There are 13 of them... There's only supposed to be six. Did I not get a memo or something?

The kerbal sits there, wondering why everything is so strange. Meanwhile, the dots get closer, their shape now visible.

"Hey, those aren't Javelins! They're not K-22s or K-11s, either! It's the UKKN!"

The kerbal hurries down the ladder to his radio, he grabs the headset and screams into it.

"I see a bunch of planes incoming and they can't be ours! The UKKN sent planes at us! Scramble the fighters or something! I can already see them!"

A kerbal responds.

"Are you sure they're not the Javelins that are flying a sweep? Or the flight of Cloudmasters back to be scrapped?"

"I'm certain! There are 13 of them, and they are coming right for me!"

"Alright Edby, I hope this isn't the little kerb who cried kraken. I'll let command know."

Edby runs to the nearby AA gun, and yells at the kerbals to get their guns primed and loaded. He then rushes back to the watchtower, and turns on his targeting radar, to get a better idea of just what the strange craft are.

"That Edby..." The kerbal on the radio sighs, "I bet he needs glasses. There are supposed to be 13 Cloudmasters going through, I bet they're just giving him a scare. Command doesn't need their time wasted..."

 

 

 

"Hey, Gergen! Stay in formation!"

Jebediah rubs his temples. Except for Bob, none of them are taking the flight seriously. He's already had to stop them from doing aerobatics, and he's extreme annoyed, when his radio crackles to life.

"Uh, Jeb? I'm getting the emergency signal from watch station five. Did they say they were having a test?"

It was Bob. Jebediah looks at his display, and, sure enough, station five is broadcasting an emergency signal.

"No, there isn't a test. I hear Edby runs that station though, and you've all heard how many false alarms he's given off. Let's check it out though. Everyone, tight formation! We're going to watch station five."

Edby is staring at his radar display, looking up every minute or so to get a look at the incoming planes. He can't identify them, they don't look like Musketeers, and are definitely not a DGRT design. He looks over to the AA gun emplacement, where the guns are up and pointed at the aircraft. He sighs in relief.

"They actually listened to me, for once. Let's just hope these are scouts..."

"What in Kraken are those?! I can't recognize them!"

Jebediah orders his wingmen to go into combat formation. They set their course to intercept the unknown squadron.

"Of course we arrive at the same time as their sweep... At least they're probably only Javelins..."

Dongas Kerman lets out an annoyed sigh, and signals his men to go into air combat formation. They form a zigzag pattern, and accelerate to flank speed. He activates his fire control computer, and turns on the tracking radar. He sets the radar to target one of the Javelins. Jebediah's Javelin.

"I'm registering a lock! Break and be ready for missiles!"

Jebediah screams into his radio. He flicks on all weapons systems, and prepares to deploy evasive maneuvers. One of the cadets, who had joked about them encountering a UKKN force, freezes in fear.

"I see a missile! Look out, Jeb!"

Bob peels away from Jeb's plane, which suddenly shoots up to a higher altitude. A missile whizzes by, and explodes in a cloud of chaff Jeb had deployed. The DGRT recruits start to panic, and start to fly very sloppily.

"Dang it, he dodged it. Wait, that symbol... It's Jebediah! Look alive, they've got an ace in the skies!

Dongas enables the maneuver assistance system, and flies directly at Jeb, determined to take out the DGRT's best pilot.

"You won't get away from me this time, Jeb! Not after what you did to my last squadron!"

Suddenly, the AA gun below opens up, and one of the UKKN planes starts smoking.

"Edlu, break off and head home. Don't stay here waiting to flame out!"

The air is filled with missiles going every which way. The UKKN planes seem impossible to hit as they start engaging evasive maneuvers, and three of the DGRT recruits are knocked out of the sky: Gergen, Erlan, and Danhat.

"Come on, Bob and Chadfry ! Don't let them get the better of you!"

Suddenly, Jebediah nearly clips Dongas' fighter. He sees who it is, and tenses.

"It's Dongas! I knocked down a bunch of his wingmen in the war! Be careful, he's an ace!"

Jebediah radios back to base.

"This is Jeb, we've met a squadron of hostile aircraft! Gergen, Danhat, and Erlan are down! It's some new plane, we can barely hit them at all! We're going to try to disengage, send up more planes!"

Even though Jebediah wasn't an officer, his word is taken as an order by many, due to his status as the highest scoring pilot in the war. Andas Kerman responds.

"What?! UKKN planes?! Roger that Jeb, we'll scramble some Javelins and send out a search party for your men!"

"Alright, we need at least twenty Javelins in the air NOW! Head to the coordinates I'm sending to your computers! Get going, it's the UKKN! This in NOT a drill! Move it!"

The airbase goes from seemingly deserted to a madhouse. Planes taxi out from their hangars onto every nook and cranny on the airfield, kerbals are running every which way to get to their planes. The control tower is overloaded with takeoff requests, and planes are shooting off the runway at breakneck speeds.

Jebdiah is pulling a hard maneuver when he sees a missile smack into Chadfry Kerman's fighter, and it explodes violently.

"Chadfry, no!"

Jeb yells into his radio.

"Bob, it's just you and me. Just stay alive, don't try anything risky! I'll see if I can get them to leave you alone! Run if you get the chance!

Bob is glued to his seat, pinned down by the G-forces he's enduring. He slams his fist on the emergency power button, releasing extremely high-grade fuel into the turbine, giving him more power.

"Come on, hold together!"

He jerks the stick this way and that, narrowly avoiding missiles. He is struck in the wing by a gun round, but it luckily doesn't hit anything explosive or important. He's almost constantly hitting the countermeasure button, the sky is full of heat decoys and chaff.

"Bob, get going! nobody's on you!"

Bob looks back, then peels off as he confirms Jebediah's words. He makes a beeline for the base.

"Base? This is Bob Kerman, I saw Chadfry get blown up! I'm returning on Jeb's orders, and my wing is hit!"

"Roger that Bob, we'll be ready for a hard landing. Reinforcements are on the way!"

Dongas finally gets Jeb in his sights, and hits the missile release.

Click.

"No! I'm out of missiles! Dang it, I was never good with guns!"

By the time Dongas switches to gunnery mode, Jeb has left his crosshair.

"Aha! Got you, you dirty UKKN slug!"

Jebediah watches as his last missile slams home into a UKKN Ku-35, blowing its jet clean off. He switches to his cannon, and guns down a second plane. It turns tail and shakily glides towards home hopelessly.

"Another down! Y- Oh crap!"

Jebediah notices Dongas right behind him. His gun comes to life, peppering Jeb's tail. He pulls hard to the right, shaking Dongas off.

"Not this time, Don! It's your turn to be downed!"

Jebediah lines up the shot, and releases a burst of 20mm fury. Dongas evades the majority of the shells, though one clips his wing, knocking a chunk out of it.

"Oh for Squad's sake, let's get out of here! Jeb's not going down. He won't follow us over the UKKN."

Dongas' squadron turns for home, and Jebediah does as well.

"I can't believe it... Those dirty UKKNs! Now Chadfry's dead, and Gergen, Danhat, and Erlan are MIA. They're no better than criminals, attacking out of the blue like that!"

Jebediah sees the reinforcements on the horizon. He radios them.

"Keep this place locked down. They're gone now, after 3 got knocked down, but four of our guys went down as well. Be careful, they're in a new plane that's almost impossible to hit."

"Roger, Jeb. We'll take it from here. Fly safe!"

Anming turns her radio on silent for a moment.

"Four downed? That's two thirds casualties! What in Kraken are they piloting?!"

She turns the radio back up.

"Alright guys, we're facing superior craft. We need to be on high alert, and don't take your eyes off the horizon. Stay vigilant!"

Later, at the UKKN base...

"WHAT?!"

Valentina is furious.

"THREE Ku-35s down? Are you men BLIND?! They were piloting JAVELINS, for Squad's sake! JAVELINS!"

The pilots recoil in fear. Val has a notorious temper, and even Dongas doesn't dare say a word until she is done venting.

"Erm, Val? Three were downed because Jeb was there."

Valentina's eyes widen.

"Jebediah? As in, the best pilot of the war? What was HE doing on a routine sweep? Dang it, worst timing possible!"

Bill pipes up.

"So, what do we do now? We just lost the element of surprise, and their best pilot is still in the skies."

"We cut our losses and send a bigger squadron."

Meanwhile at the DGRT base...

Jeb hops out of his lightly damaged fighter. He approaches the control tower. Andas exits and meets him halfway.

"Bob got here just fine, though he almost crashed, he had a fuel leak."

"Thank Squad. I was worried about him. But we have a bigger problem. The UKKN has a new toy."

"You told me, what's it like?"

"It's too maneuverable for our heavier missiles, and even our light ones usually miss... Even with gunfire it's hard to hit with just a single bullet..."

"I see. I'll let command know, you take a breather in the break room, Bob's there."

Andas heads to his radio set to relay Jeb's message. Jebediah heads to the break room, where he finds Bob sitting on the couch.

"You okay, Bob?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Jeb... That was the scariest thing I've ever been through..."

"Same here. I've never seen a UKKN plane fly that well. Let's hope the Valkyrie is ready. It's a real beauty to fly, plus it has better missiles."

"Let's hope."

 

 

 

Chapter Three: Gunboat Diplomacy

 

Spoiler

 

Camdos Kerman watches the video footage captured by Jebediah in awe. Camdos is the DGRT's air force director, and sees just how dire the threat is.

"So... The UKKN launched a surprise air attack. Those dirty tricksters! Jebediah is lucky to be alive. Those things REQUIRE the K-22!"

The commander of the armed forces, Hadger Kerman, begins to speak:

"Correct. We need to be ready for anything, even a land offensive, or a seaborne invasion. If they'll break peace like that, who knows what else they could do..."

Edgas Kerman, the head of the navy, speaks up.

"I suggest deploying the aircraft carriers, it would slow or stop an enemy seaborne invasion, as well as preventing oversea air attacks."

"I agree, we need to mobilize. Everything we have needs to be ready for a full invasion. They could well be rolling out an armored spearhead as we speak."

Suddenly, a kerbal bursts into the room.

"Hey, we're having a war council in here! What are you-"

"There are two UKKN squadrons incoming! They're coming from out to sea!"

"Wait, coming HERE?! The capital?!"

"Yes!"

"Alright, everyone to the bunker! Scramble the fighters!"

"Have the ships put to sea!"

"Ready the static defenses!"

The important kerbals enter a small hatch, and descend into a bunker to protect themselves. The air raid sirens begin blaring, and the city folk scramble for the bomb shelters. Fighters take off from nearby airfields, and ships begin prepping to be deployed. The anti-aircraft defenses are place d on high alert.

At the nearest airbase...

Jebediah hops into the still-experimental K-22 Valkyrie.

"Alright Jebediah, this will be the first combat test of the K-22. If ANYTHING goes wrong, disengage and return immediately. For both your and the plane's well being."

Jebediah nods. He waits for the ground crew to load the armament, and tests the controls. A short time later, he is prepped and ready for takeoff. He is given takeoff clearance.

"Here goes nothing."

The K-22 rockets up to takeoff speeds, and shoots off the runway. Jebediah turns towards the capital, Tau.

"This plane is so much better than the Javelin. I just hope it's good enough."

Jebediah meets the scrambled fighters, and broadcasts on combat frequencies.

"Alright, this is Jebediah. I'm the formation leader, we'll be forming three wedges. I'll lead the main. Anming, I want you leading the second, and Corbin, I want you leading the third. Bob, I want you on my right. Everyone, form up!"

The previously disorganized force pulls into tight formation, and flies out to meet the threat. It it comprised of mostly veterans and well-trained pilots, Bob is the only one with less than 50 hours of combat flying.

At the UKKN force...

"Alright, they'll be sending planes after us soon. Form up for combat, and be alert. They won't go down easy, and I have no doubt they're sending out their best. Be ready."

Dongas Kerman is leading the UKKN force again. He is determined to succeed after the disastrous first attack. He is thankful that a friendly fleet isn't far behind, though the DGRT men don't know that.

After a while, the two forces achieve radar contact.

"Huh, that's odd. They have three wedges, but the central one doesn't seem to have a leader. Seems fishy to me, stay sharp."

Back with the DGRT wing...

"Alright, we've got radar contact. It looks like 40 planes, so we're in for the fight of our lives."

Jebediah gets ready to push the throttle to maximum. He has been holding back to stay in formation with the slower Javelins. He arms weapons systems, as do the rest of the wing.

"We'll break on my mark. Until then, stay in formation. Even if a missile is coming right at you. Trust me."

Suddenly, the UKKN planes start to acquire target locks, when Jebediah's Valkyrie appears on their radar.

"What!? He just appeared out of nowhere! How?"

Jebediah activates the newly developed anti-radar countermeasures on the K-22. He drops off of their radar again.

The two forces close to within sight. The DGRT fighters remain in formation, not locking on yet.

"Now!"

As Jeb yells into his radio, the formation breaks apart. Javelins shoot off in random directions, all at once. They begin acquiring locks. Jebediah pushes the throttle to maximum, and rockets straight at the UKKN force.

"What in Kraken is going on? I can't get a lock on that thing!"

"It must be a Valkyrie!"

Parts of the UKKN force begin to panic, afraid that the Valkyrie is impervious to them. They try to stay as far as possible from Jebediah.

"I bet it's Jeb in it, too..."

Both sides begin flinging their missiles at range, the sky is filled with streaks of smoke and metal fragments. Chaff clouds block out a large amount of sunlight on the surface of the sea. Both sides begin taking losses, the UKKN less so.

"I'm hit!"

"Going down!"

"I can't shake th-"

The DGRT radios are filled with kerbals having problems, some cut short by their craft exploding. The UKKN takes some losses, but not as many. Jebediah tries fruitlessly to prevent the downing of his comrades, knocking down UKKN planes as fast as he can.

"Alright, I want anyone who isn't an ace or veteran to run back to the airfields. We can't be taking so many losses!"

As Jeb sends these orders, about half of the force turns for home, accelerating to maximum speed. Of the 24 planes that began the fight, 7 have been shot down, and 8 have turned back. Only 9 are left, Jebediah, Anming, Corbin, and, surprisingly, Bob are among them.

"Bob, I said turn for home. Don't kill yourself trying to stay here."

"Jeb, I'm not leaving. If it weren't for you, I'd have died during that first attack, and I intend to return the favor, eventually."

"Just don't get killed!"

What was previously a by-the-book engagement has turned into an all-out dogfight. Flares are spread across the sky, making Kerbol look dull by comparison. The cannon fire sounds like a massive, airborne chainsaw.

"Come on, let's get this done! They only have one fighter that matches us, pick up the pace!"

Dongas is frustrated with the management. They've refused to let many veterans fly, Dongas himself had to bribe one of them to be on the fly list. He's commanding a force of kerbals who, for the most part, haven't seen combat. This was what killed the UKKN in the first war.

Jeb runs out of missiles. He switches to his cannon, and gets ready for classic dogfighting.

"This should be interesting. It is the most maneuverable thing I've flown."

The UKKN force begins to overpower the DGRT fighters, as they run out of missiles quickly.

"If you don't have missiles, turn tail. Guns are nearly useless against things that can turn faster than you can."

Anming and two of her wingmen turn for the airfield. Bob has but one missile left, and Corbin has only two.

Seven of the 30 UKKN planes have been shot down, three by Jebediah, two by Anming, and another two by Corbin. Bob is aiming his last missile.

"Alright, it's all or nothing! Missile out!"

Bob's missile barely clips one of the UKKN planes, but the fragments hit the fuse of one of its bombs, blowing it apart.

"YES! My first air kill!"

"Alright Bob, you're out of missiles and should have left already. Congrats on the kill, but you have to go, NOW."

"Alright Jeb, stay safe!"

Bob flies towards home as well. Only five DGRT planes remain, Jebediah, Corbin, and their wingmen.

"I hate to say it, but with Jeb here, they have us outmatched unless we drop our bombs over the water. Let's lead them to the navy, shall we?"

Dongas and his men turn towards the nearing UKKN fleet. Another plane is shot down as they do so.

"Are they... Running?"

"I doubt it, probably regrouping. We should definitely chase them down if we can, though."

As they follow the UKKNs, the navy comes onto radar.

"Oh Squad, they've got ships inbound! We won't survive concentrated anti-air attack from a whole fleet, we better get back to base. I'll radio command."

The DGRT unit heads for home, and Jebediah switches his radio to the command channel.

"Command? This is Jebediah Kerman. Confirmed nine air kills. Three by me, two by Anming, two by Corbin, one by Bob, and one by Alney. Confirmed eight of ours down, another three possibly going down before making it back. We only managed to survive due to the fact that this was a veteran squadron, though, they seemed like newbies. But we have a big problem. There's an enemy fleet incoming, and 21 of theirs are still in the air."

"A fleet!? Roger Jeb, I'll relay the message! Get back safe!"

A short while later, Jebediah lands on the airfield, and hops out of his Valkyrie. The head engineer that had talked to him beforehand, Bardun Kerman, runs up.

"How's the Valkyrie, Jeb? Any problems? Shortcomings?"

"Well, unless you can strap more missiles to it safely, no, nothing wrong. Far better than the Javelin, and really hard for them to lock on to."

"Excellent! I also heard you scored three air kills. With such a great success, it's sure to go into mass production. Great job up there!"

The now-ecstatic kerbal rushes back to where he came from.

In the command bunker...

"A fleet!? Dang it, Edgas, get those ships to sea already!"

"They're going as fast as they can! I'm sure we can get at least ten worthy ships oceangoing within the time we have!"

"I'd hope so! If not, we'll be done before we've even gotten started!"

The kerbals are all tense. They know that if the fleet is successful, the capital is sure to fall.

On the UKKN flagship...

Admiral Bardin Kerman stands in the bridge of NKS (North Kingdoms Ship) Valentina, named after the first Valentina Kerman, who was one of the best gunnery captains of her time. The air force director was also named after her.

"With the enemy aircraft beaten off... despite the casualties... we should be able to bombard their capital effectively, afterwards putting ashore the commandos to finish things up. Prepare the main guns! We will be arriving within two hours!"

A lowly shiphand on the ship next to the Valentina thinks.

"Can we really win so easily?"

 

 

 

Chapter Four, Part One: Full Steam Ahead

 

Spoiler

 

"This is TNV (Tau Naval Vessel) Krakenbane, requesting permission to arm weapons."

Grand Admiral Alcas Kerman, one of the DGRT's greatest naval tacticians, but quite young, had recently been given command of the TNV Krakenbane, an aging but fearsome ship that had just been upgraded. The behemoth of a ship was the largest to date, showing in its speed of only 28.9 knots. This was not a problem for the ship, however, as it mounted four turrets, totaling 8 19.5 inch guns. Just one of these shells could sink a cruiser, a single broadside enough to sink another Krakenbane class, if such a ship existed. The shells themselves had recently been replaced, gaining stabilizer fins, higher efficiency explosives, and a more refined penetrating head. This terrifying main armament was supplanted by an astounding 32 6 inch guns, meant for use against lighter targets, such as destroyers or cruisers. Instead of anti-aircraft guns, it mounted a large, 32-tube vertical missile array, each tube having one reserve missile, for a total of 64 anti-aircraft missiles. Underwater, swiveling torpedo mounts for anti-sub operations, anti-torpedo sonar decoys, and ECM units had been installed with the upgrade, giving it near-immunity to submarines and antiship missiles, the Krakenbane's only worries beforehand. Many doubted even the mighty Valentina class of the UKKN could match the behemoth.

"This is Edgas Kerman, permission granted. Official permission also granted for unrestricted engagement and command of naval and naval aviation assets."

Alcas has the ship turned to the heading of the last sighting of the UKKN naval force. He is in command of a ragtag group of scrambled ships, only one of which was new.

"Alright, fleet. I know you are short on information, but know this. The enemy is superior in number and overall quality. That won't change for another 48 hours while the main force steams from Daz Seaport. Unfortunately, we are absolutely required to engage. If the enemy is allowed to shell Tau and deposit troops, this war will be over before it has even begun. We must fight them, we must keep them occupied, we must beat them when our reinforcements arrive. We must defend our great capital Tau, and all of the people who live there. We must succeed! We will succeed! Take them to the ocean floor. Take them with your own hull to the seabed! Take them to the very realm of the Kraken itself! By Squad, we will send those dogs running like the cowards they are! Hear me, fleet! WE! WILL! WIN!"

The other ship captains offer a hearty cheer at the admiral's words of encouragement, and the makeshift fleet forms up for combat, full steam ahead.

 

 

I know, it's probably disappointing that I came up with so little, so late. I had a bit of a hiatus, and may still have trouble getting more out, but please bear with me!

 

 

Edited November 29, 2015 by Dman1791
Formatting fix for the new forums

[Generalstarwars333]

Moar!

[astrokerb]

Moar!

I agree. MOAR.

[Dman1791]

Yay, people like my story!

Moar coming soon!

[Generalstarwars333]

It's good!

[Dman1791]

And chapter three is up! Gunboat Diplomacy!

[Generalstarwars333]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!1!1!11!!!!!111!!!1!!1!1!1!!!!!!!!!! If i knew how to give rep i would!

[Dman1791]

And, finally, the first part of chapter four! I know it's not much, but I've had a lot of stuff to do lately, so I hope it's enough for now!

[Generalstarwars333]

It's good. I personally would've had bagpipes, but then again, not many have experienced the rush of adrenaline and courage that hearing the pipes and drums gives you while charging into battle.