OFS Kestrel II, Amanoki, Fenn Kingdom — July 30, 2019/1639
I’m going to make this briefing quick, as we’re expected to be in the AO as soon as possible.
As we are all no doubt aware, the Kestrel II and its escorts are currently in the Fennese capital of Amanoki, where several naval fleets from across the New World are attending a local festival—some kind of expo where the local powers can show off their military might. Needless to say, Osea thought it was a good idea for us to show off our own naval capabilities by deploying the carrier fleet responsible for Louria’s destruction, as well as an opportunity to make contact with ‘bigger fish in the pond’, as Harling put it.
While this approach has proven to be a success, and we have in fact established secure lines of communication with a few major powers in the region, we also appear to have attracted some unwanted guests. The OFS Puffin was patrolling the waters to the north of Amanoki when they sighted over fifty pirate vessels, likely heading south to launch a raid on the capital itself—the Puffin has successfully held off the vast majority of the enemy fleet but is now at risk of being overwhelmed through sheer numbers, and now requires our assistance in order to pull back and regroup with the rest of the Kestrel II force.
Reports so far indicate that the enemy has only a limited amount of aerial assets and AA weaponry, with magical assets being limited to propulsion and increased accuracy. Be prepared, regardless—we do not want to risk any unnecessary casualties, especially with representatives from all over the continent watching us.
Any questions?
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Twenty kilometres north off the coast of Amanoki — July 30, 2019/1639
“This is the OFS Puffin to the Kestrel! Give me an ETA on that air support, because those ships are still going no matter how many of them we sink!”
“Hey, Sky Keeper, isn’t that our cue?”
“Way ahead of you, Mage One. OFS Puffin, this is AWACS Sky Keeper—I’ve got two fighter squadrons en route to you now, callsigns Mage and Golem. ETA: one minute.”
“Good to hear your voice, Sky Keeper! This is Captain Robin Airey of the OFS Puffin—we’ve sunk over ten of the fifty vessels we first sighted, but we aren’t equipped to deal with this many vessels and in such rapid succession. Can you give us some breathing space?”
Clown frowned. “Knocker, Trigger and I can swat the vessels closest to the Puffin while you hit the key points of the enemy formations. If we can block entire parts of the pirate fleet from advancing with a few wrecks—”
“—we could split up the entire group and force them to hold back while the Puffin retreats. Good idea, let’s make it happen.”
“Trigger, on me!”
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“Are those the winged wyverns of Osea?! Those aren’t beasts at all—they’re mechanical monstrosities straight out of Mu!”
“That one! It’s got the markings of a demon on its tips, and it’s sinking the other vessels with the wrath of a demon itself!”
“Hey, Captain—we’ve got three more of those armoured ships on the horizon! They’ve got more reinforcements inbound!”
Captain Ruffle grimaced as an explosion rocked the side of his vessel, before another blast saw the frigate right next to his shatter and burst into a glowing ball of fire. Quickly running through the options available to him even as they narrowed by the second, the young Lourian privateer began gesturing wildly towards his fellow sailors—even while partially stunned by the sheer destruction happening around them, they were still disciplined enough to begin frantically adjusting Rodenius's present course.
“That’s it—we’re pulling out! Blackbeard and his Core Ships can die by fire to these Ravernal monsters if they want, but not us!”
“But what if some of his Cabal survives and tries to find us, boss?”
“After all this?! Their words ain’t gonna mean a damn thing to the rest of the Guild after all this! Now lend me a hand with those sails before we all get sent to the Dark Hole Below—we’re gonna make it out of this shitshow alive even if it’s the last thing we do!”
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“Trigger, we’ve got several boats breaking off from the main force—looks like they’re retreating. Want to take them out?”
“Negative, negative—new orders from HQ: let any retreating vessels leave the AO unharmed, but destroy any that stick around or do not stand down. The OFS Chopper will broadcast instructions for those who wish to surrender in three minutes, so keep an eye out for anyone who takes up our offer—we’re dealing with pirates, but international law still applies.”
“Let me guess: we want people to spread the word about how terrifying we are?”
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“Something to that effect. Keep at it, folks—three minutes!”
Knocker, Clown, Brownie, and Trigger’s F-16s swooped downwards towards the thickest cluster of man-of-wars and frigates, clearly still intent on chasing down the Puffin even with the odds completely stacked against them—six GPBs and a variety of missiles and machine gun fire found their targets, the former smashing cleanly through the upper decks of the massive vessels before detonating—
“Shit, evade! Brace—”
A massive explosion engulfed what remained of the Black Fleet, once considered the most infamous pirate fleet in the entire Third Civilization Area—a blue blast of light proceeded to vaporise the shattered remains of the vessels even as they were hurled into the sky by the sheer shockwaves produced. Clown’s left hand slowly lowered from his face as he carefully turned towards the scene: only flames and embers were left, and a great mist obscured the countless wreckage and immolated sailors floating in the sea.
“Sky Keeper, care to tell me what was that?”
“Looks like we might have hit some kind of magic gem they were keeping in storage. The sheer energy kept inside must be immense…”
“Magic in Qua-Toyne, magic in Louria, magic here in Fenn—we really need to figure out how to fight against these kinds of things before we ever encounter even more powerful enemies,” Brownie mused on the radio. “Someday, we’re going to find something that not even Trigger’s flying style will be able to avoid…and I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”
Clown grinned. “We’ll deal with tomorrow’s problems when tomorrow arrives, Brownie. Let’s just take care of today, shall we?”
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“Captain, on the manacomm! Here, listen—”
“…who wish to surrender, strike your colours and raise a white flag. Those who surrender will be treated with the dignity and care required for prisoners of war as per IUN law—”
“Do it, do it! Raise the white flag! Do we not have a white flag on this ship?”
“We never needed the white flag before, boss!”
“Well, get someone’s clothes and strap that to the mast, then!”
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Eshirant, Parpaldia Empire — June 16, 2019/1639
“Director Kaios, what is the meaning of this? I summon you to my office three times, and yet I receive no response from you or your dim-witted secretary; I am then forced to proceed to the Third Foreign Affairs Office—an incredibly long and tedious journey, and one that required significant effort to arrange, mind you—and I find you in a room sharing tea and biscuits with some barbarian emissary while a foreign metal fleet lies upon our very shores? Explain your impudence at once!”
Kaios and the barbarian in question quickly rose to their feet, their eyes never wavering from the woman who had burst into the room. The Parpaldian official sighed, internally cursing his people’s arrogance for almost instantly beleaguering the very delicate negotiations he had been holding with his counterpart—he hoped the man’s seemingly infinite patience would outlast his superior’s ignorance…
“If I may,” the Osean delegate began, “I take it you are—”
“Lady Remille, considering the present circumstances, I believe referring to this man and the metal fleet outside that escorted him to our lands would hardly be considered barbarian.”
The woman paused. “Oh…so this…man, you claim, is the emissary of whatever nation that fleet comes from? I find that doubtful, somehow.”
“A lot of what he says about himself and his nation comes across as…unique, to say the least, but I believe it would be better if he himself said it—Ambassador Harling, this is Lady Remille, Foreign Affairs Auditor of the Parpaldia Empire. Lady Remille, Ambassador Vincent Harling of the Osean Federation and the International United Nations.”
Ambassador Harling gave a deep, respectful bow, dignified yet succinct and surprisingly cultured for an emissary of the Third Civilization Area. “Lady Remille, a pleasure. The Osean Federation has heard many tales of the wealth and opulence of the Parpaldian Empire, and wished to send someone to witness the wonders of Eshirant first-hand—from its buildings to its elegant women, it seems that Parpaldia has yet to disappoint.”
The faintest hint of a self-satisfied smirk could be spotted for the briefest of moments on Remille’s lips even as she turned to face the Osean delegate—he was finely dressed for a diplomatic mission, his black suit and azul tie smooth in appearance and his greying hairs giving the man a hint of wisdom and grace that seemed to give his previous words more strength than Remile had previously considered.
With a brief moment’s pause, the young lady decided to hear what the ambassador had to say.
“Ambassador Harling, an apology may be in order for my outburst. But before anything else, perhaps you might be able to explain why such a large fleet lies before my Emperor’s city?”
“Simple, Lady Remille: a gesture of strength from one nation to another—a recognition of your power and a desire on our part for your Empire to acknowledge ours.”
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Osean Broadcasting Corporation — July 31, 2019/1639
IUN forces participating in the Fenn Kingdom’s naval festival were forced to engage a sizeable fleet of pirates off the coast of the Kingdom’s capital of Amanoki. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Osean forces present in the battle had the technological advantage and were supported by elements of the OADF, who made quick work of the vast majority of the pirate fleet—of the fifty vessels that engaged the Kestrel II fleet, over forty-two were destroyed or disabled. All surviving sailors were later picked up by Osean vessels, where they will be later extradited to Fenn for further processing under Fennese and IUN laws.
According to local sources in Fenn and Louria, this group of vessels was previously known as the Black Fleet, widely feared for its sheer size and unstoppable firepower. Kingdoms at risk of being plundered would often give tribute or ransom to its captains in return for leaving its lands and vessels alone, and more powerful nations would be known to commission the Black Fleet to sack targets they deemed a threat. With the Black Fleet’s presence in Fenn at the same time as the festival itself, questions have already been raised as to who hired them to launch such a daring attack.
In other news, Prime Minister Kanata of the Qua-Toyne Principality confirmed that his nation would begin the process of applying for full IUN membership; Qua-Toyne would be the third nation of Elysia to formally request admission to the IUN after the Kingdoms of Topa and Calamique submitted their own requests last month…