Post

Operation Varrak

The ironclad Devastation bobbed along the North Atlantic, lights strung along her sides, as the black fins of waves churned and dipped underneath her. A relatively moderate sea state. A curtain of steam rose from the ship's twin funnels. It wasn't the only one. The swirling stars overhead gave way to a column of steam and cloud in the distance, illuminated by lightning, and from some distant source on the ocean's surface. The Captain, one arm behind her back, walked about on deck, eyepatch lifted, and faced out towards the sea. Her first mate, a short-haired lady with a sullen look, hovered near her, steadying herself on the rail.

Commander Gundega Kreslina: "-And so the barometric pressure is continuing to drop. She's seaworthy alright, Captain, but depending how much weather we have to fight..."

Captain Viktorija von Voldemariene: "-We might not have enough fuel for a return trip. Understood. Thank you, mister Kreslina. Does... the crew know? About the weather?"

Commander Gundega Kreslina: "Hard for them not to, Cap. Anyone can look out a porthole."

With that, the Captain wandered to the right, under the shadow of one of the pancake-shaped turrets. She fell with a thud onto the slick deck, and the XO ran to steady her. Looking towards the object that had caused her to trip, they found a cot lashed to the deck, and a red-haired fellow wrapped in an oilskin, unhappily stirring. He grumpily looked up, only to be scared stiff by the Captain's glowering face, and empty eyeslit. Slowly, rubbing his bruised head, he got up, and the trio began to withdraw to the chartroom.

Commander Gundega Kreslina: "Are you alright, Captain?"

Captain Viktorija von Voldemariene: "Sigh... yes. Thank you. Good morning, mister Linhardt. What are you doing here?"

Chief Engineer Albrecht Linhardt: "M-m-morning, Captain. Very sorry. I was... just sleeping, it... can get a little intolerable in the boiler room, I was hoping to cool down."

Commander Kreslina: "How can you sleep here?"

Chief Engineer Albrecht Linhardt: "I can sleep anywhere, ma'am. If you don't mind, I'm gonna go find the head-"

Captain Voldemariene: "Just a moment, mister Linhardt."

Albrecht Linhardt: "sigh... fine, I mean, er, aye, Captain."

Captain Voldemariene: "How are you all holding up in the engine room? How's the crew's morale?"

Albrecht Linhardt: "Ma'am, I... don't know how people work. I'm more of a machines guy."

Commander Kreslina: "..but?"

Albrecht Linhardt: "Well, some of the stokers have been kind of shaky lately. They're acting like we're gonna fall of the edge of the world or something."

Commander Kreslina: "And what do you think?"

Albrecht Linhardt: "I think they're a buncha cowards. I'm eager to punch through this column of seamounts or whatever's going on, Captain. So we can get to the fine sunbathing weather on the other side... not that I'd be doing that, of course.."

Commander Kreslina: "Captain, if even Lin here's noticed, morale has to be, er, bad."

Captain Voldemariene: "At the moment. But I trust this ship, and I trust her crew. Once we punch through the mid-atlantic ridge.."

Commander Kreslina: "Then what, ma'am? From what reports we've heard from the adventures of the Swiss, America is an insanely heavily-armed continent. Advanced weapons systems beyond almost anything Europe had, just lying around to be snatched up by any no-goodniks."

Captain Voldemariene: "What's your point, mister Kreslina?"

Commander Kreslina: "I, er, don't wish to speak ill of the Devastation, ma'am, but-"

Albrecht Linhardt: "I will. Ship's obsolete, Captain. If we face a serious fight, with no support to call on, we might all get ourselves killed. Might be that she should stick around the Baltic sea, where it's safe."

Captain Voldemariene: "Mister Linhardt, you're suggesting we abandon the mission? I'm not the type of girl to just give up, without accomplishing a damn thing!"

Albrecht Linhardt: "Er... I'm... sorry... the Sumpurnis - no, she doesn't have the range - maybe... when the Urania's finally commissioned-"

Commander Kreslina: "We don't have to come home empty handed, Captain. We could... survey the Saharan coast-"

Albrecht Linhardt: "Pre-war encyclopedias put it as one of most uninhabitable spots on the planet, ma'am. I doubt it's gotten much better."

Commander Kreslina: "Wait, right, the charts! There's plenty of islands off the African coast that might be more noteworthy - for one, Madeira's an option."

Captain Voldemariene: "Madeira... why's that island sound familiar?"

Commander Kreslina: "We were supposed to get an intelligence dossier on it, ma'am. Someone at ONYX KEEP must have goofed, and forgot to actually deliver it to the ship."

Captain Voldemariene: "Sigh... mistakes happen. Wish they wouldn't. Any chance we could contact the radio at Finistere, see what they have?"

Commander Kreslina: "The wireless room's been trying, ma'am. They haven't managed to get through tonight."

Captain Voldemariene: "Alright, I'm curious. Mister Kreslina, take us about. I want a course plotted for Madeira. Mister Linhardt, head for the engine room, if you will."

Albrecht Linhardt: "First thing, Captain. ...after I find the head, so, er, second thing. Oh, actually, make that third, I could use a cup of that koskela stuff..."

Captain Voldemariene: "What will we find in this strange land, this 'Madeira'? What discoveries await in its cliffs and jungles? What strange and exotic peoples to us, what cultures and traditions will we encounter? Well, whatever we find, I'm sure it'll be nothing like what we've ever seen before..."

(..over to you, The Arthurian Brotherhood-)