Chapter 151: The Orline Imperial Navy
The sea was eerily calm.
A blue sky.
A blue ocean.
Along the boundary of that peaceful, glittering blue expanse stood a row of black shapes that didn’t belong.
“Enemy fleet sighted to starboard! Exactly where Major General Willard’s reconnaissance placed it!”
Those black shapes were a fleet of warships.
The lookout’s shout rang across the bridge.
“Hmm…”
The captain raised his binoculars and confirmed several columns of black smoke climbing beyond the light haze on the horizon.
The enemy fleet.
Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.
All of them were advancing slowly. Waiting in the Friez fleet’s path was the Orline Imperial Navy, which had learned of its approach in advance and prepared an ambush.
“All hands to battle stations!”
Alarms rang throughout the ship.
Sailors raced across the deck. Turrets groaned as they turned, and the enormous main guns slowly trained upon the enemy.
The smells of fuel oil and gunpowder began to mix with the sea breeze.
“Range, twelve thousand!”
“First and second main batteries, prepare to fire!”
The atmosphere on the bridge tightened.
No one seemed to breathe.
Then–
“Fire!”
A thunderous roar erupted.
The entire battleship shook as though struck by a giant fist.
Massive muzzle flashes dyed the dawn sea white. Several seconds later, towering columns of water rose in the distance.
The enemy returned fire.
A low howl rolled across the water. The formerly peaceful sea churned.
“One hit!”
The Orline navy had formed its battle line in advance, while the Friez fleet had still been underway. The exchange clearly favored Orline.
The instant the sailors began to show relief, the sea exploded behind the port quarter. A column of water dozens of meters high rose beside the ship and drenched the deck in cold spray.
“That was close!”
There was no time to relax.
The guns fired again.
The sea shook.
The air split.
Steel and gunpowder traded destruction on an enormous scale.
Destroyers raced through the chaos.
The Friez navy was at a disadvantage. This wasn’t the massive fleet that had attacked the Lunoa navy, and transport ships that required protection sailed among its warships.
In those circumstances, Friez turned to its destroyers.
“Enemy destroyers approaching! Watch for torpedoes!”
Through the binoculars, small silhouettes charged forward trailing white wakes.
Enemy destroyers.
They intended to slip through the battleships’ heavy fire and launch torpedoes. Friez possessed many destroyers and was prepared to sacrifice some of them to damage the Orline fleet.
“Secondary batteries, fire!”
The broadside guns erupted together.
Shells streaked across the water.
One destroyer burst into flame amid the white spray and listed to one side.
But the rest didn’t stop.
“Torpedoes spotted! Port side!”
Long white trails cut across the surface and rushed toward the ship.
“Hard to port!”
The enormous vessel groaned into a turn.
The hull listed, forcing sailors on deck to cling to the railings.
An impact should have followed.
“…What was that!?”
There was an impact, but not against the ship.
A huge earthen spike had fallen from the sky and pierced the torpedo racing through the water.
“I only had one of those! I can’t protect you from another!”
While the stunned sailors stared at the unbelievable sight, a lone boy–Noah–descended from the sky before them.
“I’ll support you from the air. Keep going.”
For the first time in decades, Orline was fighting a true naval battle rather than a minor skirmish.
Its war at sea had begun in earnest.