World War 1(OPEN TO ALL, IC, SIGNUP FIRST)

by **Furbish Islands** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:30 am

Near HMS Shark and HMS Parzen
Mesairen waters

The Furbish fleet was moving towards Japan at top speed. However, during the journey two frigates from Mesairen have caught them, and are chasing the fleet, with more ships on the way. A biplane was dispatched to scout the ships and to possibly find out a little more about them. The pilot on the plane is Fabian Garner, and the observer is Cedric Bonhomme. The plane has a few hidden firearms, which will be used in case of emergency. After flying for some time, it came near the frigates.

Garner: "I believe we are near the ships."

Bonhomme: "I wouldn't say near, but let's not get any closer. I'd rather not get shot out of the sky."

Garner: "Keep in mind if they do shoot us down, two shots from one of our ships is enough to sink both."

Bonhomme: "True. They look quite outdated as well. Probably not even built in this century."

Garner: "I'll be circling the ships. My guess is that they don't have any anti-air measures besides arming soldiers with rifles."

Bonhomme: "Hmm, wait a guy on one of them is flashing a message."

Garner: "What is he saying?"

Bonhomme: "'We're here under orders to shadow the Furbish fleet until they leave our waters. Our intentions are not hostile but Battlecruisers are on the way to provide us support, so don't try anything stupid.' I am glad they also aren't trying to kill us. But some soldiers below to seem to be arming themselves."

Garner: "I mean a battlecruiser can't do much to our navy. But the main worry is that we might be at war with another nation. Maybe relay them a message saying we come in peace, and are just here to scout them."

Bonhomme: "On it" Grabs flashlight and mirror. "I'll aim it at the person who sent that message." To the ship in Morse code "We come in peace. We are only here to scout your ships. We will leave soon"

Garner: "Hopefully they catch that."

Bonhomme: "Continue circling the ships. The sooner we finish and get out of here the better."

by **Mesairien** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 2:13 am

Bridge of the HMS Shark

"They're still coming sir!" An ensign yelled over to Captain Tomlin, he wasn't particularly fazed, he knew that plane wouldn't just turn around and skedaddle back to its fleet just because the Shark had been kind enough to send a message of peaceful intent via spotlight. Hell, these Furbs would deserve to be destroyed if they were that dumb. He simply nodded in response to the Ensign and looked down over the side rail of the bridge down at Riley.

The two men looked at eachother, Riley ready for an order to open fire but Tomlin simply raised his hand and told him to wait. Remarkably annoyed Riley nodded and turned back towards the plane. He found it insulting that something so insignificant be allowed to come so close to a Mesairien ship without at least a warning shot. But, despite his annoyance, the First Mate also knew why he'd been told to stay his hand, if they made any kind of aggressive move that fleet would come down hard on the Shark and Parzen. That was something everybody would like to avoid, even if it meant letting the buzzing little toy fly around the skies for a little while.

"Incoming message sir!" The man on the spotlight cried out. "We come in peace. We are only here to scout your ships. We will leave soon" Tomlin let out a sigh, this still didn't necessarily mean they were friendly of course. If they were scouting the two Frigates then as soon as that plane made it back the Furbish admiral would know they were catastrophically outmatched - and if the Frubs didn't like the idea of a Mesairien Battlecuiser squadron finding and tailing them, all they'd have to do would be fire two shots and change course - then bye-bye Shark and Parzen, what happened to them? Kleira only knows,vanished without a trace in the open seas.
They'd just have to let this play out and put their faith in the sanity of the Furbish.

"Sir, the Parzen is also hailing." A lieutenant on the other side of the bridge called out to the Captain, from the incoming Morse message it seemed the Parzen had finally received a response from the 7th. Alongside updated news on the current situation within Mesairien territory.

"The 7th will arrive by tonight - the Dawn Squadron is making good time to the west, where they will shadow the Japanese fleet should they try entering our waters to intercept the Furbs." The lieutenant continued. "Do not attempt to engage unless fired upon."

by **Furbish Islands** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:29 am

Near HMS Shark and HMS Parzen
Mesairen waters

Garner: "It seems that they are all armed. It's a miracle we haven't been shot down yet."

Bonhomme: "Indeed. But again, they only have rifles. We have some guns dedicated solely to shooting down planes. We may have only a few, but it's better than nothing. If they do shoot, we have a few weapons too. And if the worst happens and they do shoot us down, our fleet can probably see that. To shoot down those rust buckets probably a single shot from a 150mm gun, or possibly 75mm gun is needed. And not to mention that will drag them into the war, which I am sure they would like to avoid as much as we do"

Garner: "Good point. But probably they will miss. But a singly lucky shot is all that is needed."

Bonhomme: "Yes. Now I think I have everything I need for this ship. Move on to the next one."

Garner: While flying to the HMS Perzen "It seems that people on that ship are also armed."

Bonhomme: "I hope their captain is as sane as the other one."

by **Mesairien** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 7:04 am

Bridge of the HMS Parzen

The Parzen was commanded by Captain Eliza Shanto, she'd made waves several years prior after becoming Mesairien's first ever Black Captain. Of course, one might make correct assumptions about how valued this incredible milestone really was within the Admiralty, when her first and only posting is one of the oldest vessels in the Eagle Navy. Unlike Captain Tomlin she was far less concerned about this plane, Mesairien wasn't at war with the Furbish and in her eyes, what would be the point in making an enemy out of the Queendom by attacking her ships? The Mesairien Navy was arguably one of, if not the most, powerful fleet in the Aluvean (Pacific and Oceania). Such an act would be suicide.

Even if she were concerned, mere moments ago the Parzen had received its order - do not engage unless attacked first. Shanto wasn't about to lose her captaincy by going gung ho, it was hard enough for her to achieve her post in the first place. As such, whilst she'd taken a similar precaution to the Shark and had men line the deck with rifles, the order had been given not to open fire until the Shark did and although some of the crew had reservations about the colour of her skin, they were sailors first and the Captains word is law.
That scout plane would receive no resistance from this ship unless they did something particularly idiotic.

by **Furbish Islands** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 7:34 am

Near HMS Shark and HMS Parzen
Mesairen waters

Garner: "Alright I'm flying near the ship. See what they've got."

Bonhomme: "It seems close enough to the last one. Although slightly older. Circle around it just in case there is something on the other side I'm not aware of."

Garner: "The crew also is armed."

Bonhomme: "And we are almost done with this. Let's not to anything stupid just before the mission is over."

Garner: "Yes. So we're at the starboard side. With just enough fuel to make it back to our fleet, land, and just a little left over."

Bonhomme: "I am nervous of moving back. They can still take a lucky shot, while we can only do the same. I don't think grenades will get very effective the farther we go."

Garner: "Well again, they will be blown to bits if they shoot us down. Now we're headed back for the fleet."

by **Kawaii Seals** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:45 am

Gibraltar Spain, base of the Unions Armed Forces

Now seeing that the Lotharians will not be detered by extreme trade sanctions the Bases Grand General has a plan of action to deter Lotharians from advancing enemy lines.

"We are creating a large scale blockade all over the Mediterranean sea fully equiped with 25 battleships and 100 Small Fighter planes" Said Grand General LeBlanc.
"But how will we defend the capital cities?" Said a random officer. "We will defend Milan and Venice in Italy from Lotharian Forces and hold the chinese from entering in from the canal in Sparta and our Egyptian colony in Alexandria"
"We will need 250,000 troops in each one with large heavy artillery". "And make sure our planes have been fueled." "Yes sir". "Then let us commence our mobillization". Said the Grand General. "We will notify our allies of this plan and begin immediately."

The Mediterranean Union has now sent 250,000 troops and 500 heavy artillery at Milan,Venice,Sparta,and Alexandria.

The Mediterranean blockade is being created right now and will be complete in a matter of days.

by **Strala** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 10:06 am

Imperial Palace, St.Petersburg, Strala
The King was currently talking with General Alexi about their next move about dealing with the Germans. This was interrupted when a messenger knocked on the door to signal that he had news. The king immediately told one of his servants to let the man in. When the messenger came in the room, his face pale. He immediately read what he had "Your Majesty the Lortharians declared war on us ." The King merely laughed at this news while telling the man that he is excused. "Alexi the Lortharians think they can challenge the mighty bear. IFf they believe an eagle can harm a mighty bear, then they are wrong. The Eagle might do inflict some damage but in the end, it will run out of energy and go away or get killed by the bear. We will show them how we treat unwanted foreigners."

"My Lord you are correct to think that they can't beat the bear online, but they have allies. We are dealing with 4 enemies this means we have four fronts, although one front is covered by the Furbish." Alexi tried to inform the king about the dire situation that they are in. "Alexi my old friend all we have to do is destroy one side and then it will be easier." After the king said this he and Alexi immediately started to plan out their actions. "My Lord what are we going to do with the 7 armies." Alexander responded by saying "We will move twenty armies from the eastern front to the western front. That will bring up the total amount of active forces to 1.5 million. We will also try to raise at least 20 more divisions from the east to send to the west, also we will send the Baltic and the Black Sea fleet to try to create a blockade and harass the enemies " After finishing, Alexander asked Alexi about how his project is going. "Alexi do you think you will be done by the end of 1915."Alexi responded by saying "My Lord I am already have finished experimenting, I believe it can be used now." "Good I want you to give every mortar and artillery team some 'gas' shells, also give them pass masks"

As they finished talking Alexander went to his ministers and started to discuss about starting a parliament.The Foreign Minister told Alexander, "My Lord I believe we should continue with the plan to start a parliament. If we start a Parliament then we will win over more of the peasantry." This got some of the older traditional members angry "Why should we let the peasants and the middle class the power of voting?" Alexander thought about this and decided to listen to his more radical ministers and decided to start a parliament. His reason was that they were at war and they needed more volunteers to join the military. This was a turning point for Stralan history. This will be the first time the peasantry will have power.

Strala will not leave the coalition, also we will send another 13 divisions by boat to Radimostan. The Imperial Army is currently receiving 50,000 volunteers per month

by **Vrijstaat Limburg** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:28 pm

Oud-Gouvernement, Mestreech, 10th of March, 19:00

The duke is tired. His advisors have been shouting at one another for about 8 hours. The duke was sweating, and felt uncomfortable. But Limburg called, and every man in that room knew that every word they'd speak, every step they'd set, would have to be for Limburg and its faithful citizens. After some discord about the expansion of the Air Force and the conscription of civilian pilots, another discussion emerged, that about the intervention into the war with the Mediterranean Union. The wretched nation had disturbed Limburg with its Mercantilism and its ambitions in the trade sector, and after the Lotharian declaration of war, the Limburgers took use of this development and decided to announce an embargo. No longer would a Limburgs miner be discredited by the hands of a Mediterranean trader. The duke decided to chip into the conversation, which slowly grew louder and louder. "We have no reason to attack the Italians! Yes, they are at war with the Lotharians, but we haven't got any serious military pacts! Yes, the germans have been economically close to us, and a large procent of our population feels that we should ensue close bonds to the Lotharians, but this war can be hurtful to us. There's been disastrous reports of casualties in the Burmese mountains, and I'm not sure whether there'll be a clear winner in this war."
A Brigadier-general of the old guard, Jan-Alexander de Geen, laughs and looks up to the minister. "Wars always have winners, and if we get into this one quickly, the Lotharians will grant us foreign lands once we're victorious. It's necessary for this country, for its glory and its position on this large earth. We need to show these Asian primitives that our western ways of life are highly superior to theirs. We've got an excellent military, an outstandingly professional and large air force, and our people's manufacturing spirit is massive. We'll win this war, and Lotharia will be thankful. We need to have troops in Italy to counter the Mediterraneans. They haven't even made an official response to our embargo! They've insulted us for far too long, my duke, I beg of you, send me to Italy."
The duke thinks to himself, and tries to compromise the two plans. He finally settles on sending an army group (A single division) to Südtirol to support the Lotharians and to show the Mediterranean Union that they will not be fooled by their arrogant politics, but they will also not disturb the global tension too much, because they're not officially declaring war. They'll also entrench the embargo, and will now start imprisoning citizens of the Mediterranean Union currently living in Limburg. To support their division of 30.000 men, they'll send out a squadron of Fighter/scouting aeroplanes.

After hearing the reports of the Mediterranean force in the Adriatic and other parts of the vast European seas, the Limburgs council decides to send additional volunteers to Lotharia. A division is currently forming in Sittard (1st Regiment of Foot "Koempel, 23rd Regiment of Foot "Maoswach", 22nd Regiment of Foot "Lekewald", as well as an artillery group, a medical company, a transport group and the general HQ in Lankgroaf. Brigadier-General Jan-Alexander de Geen has been promoted to a Major-General to lead the volunteer group. The Limburgs Weermoag also send a squadron of fighter aeroplanes, manned by volunteer fighters from Oas-Limburg. (20 aeroplanes, 50 men). Afraid of any major country retaliating against the Limburgers because of their embargoes, the country starts mobilizing an additional 50.000 men from their reserves.

The Limburgs Weermoag asseses their vast manpower deposits. They mobilize a large portion of their reserve troops, and send 30.050 volunteers to Lotharia to support them in their war against the Mediterranean Union. These volunteers are properly trained and experienced, because they all used to be Active soldiers. The composition of the "Lothoars-Limbörgse Divisie" 3 Infantry Regiments and support companies. They also send a fight squadron of 50 men. The Volunteer groups will be sent from Sittard to Trentino

Limburg tightens their regulations on Mediterranean goods, and will start to imprison citizens with Mediterranean backgrounds.

by **Mesairien** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 10:12 am

As the Furbish plane turned about and began to fly away, both Captains of the Mesairien Frigates let out a relieved sigh, at least for now they could avoid a potential firefight. Though how the Furbish Admiral reacted to a Battlecruiser squadron heading straight for them would truly decide how this day would end... Everybody hoped it wouldn't end with two smouldering Mesairien Frigates. Meanwhile, the men lined in the firing lines grumbled about the missed opportunity, the missed glory, of being the first Mesairien to shoot down one of these these brand new flying machines.

On the Parzen, Shanto had already begun waving her men back down below decks to stow their rifles, afterall, what was the point of having armed sailors when the enemy was heading away from you? As for the Shark, Tomlin decided to stay his hand for a moment. He didn't want a fight but he still didn't trust this situation and ordered his First-Mate to remain on deck with his firing line and keep themselves prepared should that plane turn around or another plane fly over to take its place. Far better to be prepared for a fight and have that preparation be wasted than to be caught off-guard.

For now, all both ships could do was wait and continue on their course toward the Furbish fleet, by now they had almost reached their targeted position, out of range of the standard gun of a destroyer but still well within range to maintain direct visual. Once there the Frigates planned to take up a parallel sailing position and maintain the same distance between themselves and the foreign fleet until support arrived, at which point they intended to move closer in order to encourage the Furbish to leave the area as soon as possible.

by **Montagne Riche** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 10:44 pm

The Kingdom of Montagne Riche is joining The Coalition. We are preparing our naval fleet, army, amphibious forces, and air forces.

by **Furbish Islands** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:23 pm

Near HMS Shark and HMS Parzen
Mesairen waters

Bonhomme: "I think we're out of range of their rifles. Luckily no misunderstanding. But for a second it seemed that we were close."

Garner: "True. And those were two frigates. They said something about battlecruisers coming."

Bonhomme: "Well we have some super-dreadnoughts. I am sure a single shot from a 35 mm gun will sink a battlecruiser."

Garner: "They might be able to take out a destroyer or two. But true, it will be suicidal for them."

Bonhomme: "Not to mention they have frigates. Those things are outdated."

Garner: "Yes. And we are about to land."

The biplane soon landed in the water near the FIS Noorderstein. The crane was quickly lowered, and picked up the plane. It was raised to the top deck, and then back to the hangar deck. Both pilots quickly reported what they saw to an officer, who sent the signal to the FIS Vincent Gederman, the fleet's flagship.

The fleet commanders decided to not take any action. But guns were pointed at the two frigates, and other guns would point at the battlecruisers when they arrive. The Furbish did not intend to shoot, but they were ready to if anything happens. A few minelayers would stay in the back of the fleet just in case a fight broke out.

by **Allyrije** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:34 pm

The Emperor was gathered in the Central Forces Complex at the Maravirr Palace. Surrounded by historical artwork depicting great and renowned battles on bloody fields with zealous Karthspiri Generals leading the way. National symbols dotted the room but the effect they seem to have was lost on the newer generations who lacked in national zeal. The Emperor looked around the desk at his advisors, "How is our nation's industrialisation proceeding? Have urbanisation levels reached over 50% yet or is our nation still full of back-water country yokels speaking dog languages?" The Emperor sneered, he was in a particularly bad mood.

His head general, Erlan Trisleth, grunted - annoyed, "My Liege, perhaps if the ruling classes showed more respect to the smaller cultures of our empire then it wouldn't be slowly fragmenting?" The General was also in a foul mood. Standing up to the Emperor in person was near unheard of, and punishable by death, but the General judged himself too valuable to simply be killed; he possessed a sense of earned aloofness few other Officers had done in many years.

The Emperor sneered, "Putting aside your remarks, my question still stands."

A young officer sparked to life, "My Liege, our nation is 55% urbanised with the core regions being entirely industrialised. It is mostly the west and south of our nation which lacks real infrastructure and industries. This is also where population growth is most rapid."

The Emperor smiled, mostly to annoy Erlan, "Finally! Some competence in the Officer Corps. Well, isn't this a rare sight - Trisleth?" He cleared his throat before continuing, "Placing aside these petty games, have the Lotharians reacted to our partial mobilisation and deployment of 100,000 troops on their border with us?"

The General shook his head, anticipating the disappointment of his Emperor but he cared little for it, "The Lotharians either have not noticed or do not care. I advise the deployment of another army, 100,000 men, 5 divisions, however, you wish to put it. If you do truly wish to enter the war, only after the additional deployment would I advise it to be slightly advantageous to enter the Coalition."

The Emperor nodded with certainty, "Deploy the extra army, but no more men from the East on the border. I want to keep the casualties sustained by the core groups of our Empire to a minimum. Use the groups from the west instead, it'll make the demographics of our country look much more stable and feasible for the creation of strong, modern nation."

With that, the meeting was adjourned.

by **Mesairien** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:54 pm

Several Hours Later
7th Battlecruiser Squadron, near the HMS Shark and HMS Parzen

The 7th Battlecruiser Squadron had made incredible time over the last several hours, by pushing their ships to the maximum and burning through a less than ideal amount of fuel, the crews had finally managed to catch up to the Furbish fleet. They were now finally on the horizon, even so, despite now being within visual range, they were still trailing behind thanks to a minor miscalculation by the HMS Parzen on their current speed. With the sun beginning to set, the 7th continued sailing West to catch up to its Frigates and take up the pre-planned position to continue shadowing the Furbish fleet.

With the lookouts establishing visual contact, it was decided they would slow down, so as not to look as though they were being overly aggressive. A firefight was not the primary intention for this mission. Even more importantly, the sun was setting in the direction of the Furbish fleet, the squadron would have glaring light to contend with if they needed to open fire making a battle in this particular situation wholly untenable.

Making up this fleet there were 12 ships - 6 Destroyers, 2 Scout Frigates (A Mesairien equivalent to a Scout Cruiser), 2 Armoured Cruisers and finally its 2 Battlecruisers at the head - the HMS Queen Akemi and HMS Dekko. The Akemi served as the squadrons flagship and was commanded by Vice-Admiral Ling Teno, one of the longest serving female commanders in the Mesairien fleet. She was a veteran of the Mentzi straight skirmish and has been at the head of the 7th ever since its creation five years prior to this day.
The Akemi and Dekko, are one of the newest class of Battlecruiser, the Regal class - their 14 inch guns are some of the biggest in the fleet, only the Queendom's two Dreadnoughts and the brand new HMS Archangel could outgun her, all with 15 inch guns. Whilst the term Battlecruiser might sound weak and ineffective to other navies, the Mesairien fleet put great stock in the ability to both out manoeuvre and out-gun your enemy, no sense in taking unnecessary fire and losing lives when you could simply evade the oppositions shells, all the while blasting your guns into their slow Dreadnoughts.

Usually, the squadron's destroyers would lead the fleet but since this was peace time and they were still in Mesairien waters, the HMS Wanderlust - a brand new Scout Frigate - had taken up the lead of the fleet. Vice-Admiral Teno wasn't particularly concerned, she knew these oceans well and in her eyes, there was nothing to fear as long as she stayed in the Queen's oceans.

"Alert the Shark and Parzen of our arrival, inform them of our location and order them to break off and join us once we are closer." Teno ordered one of her ensigns to go down to the wireless room to alert Captains Tomlin and Shinto to her arrival. "Oh, and Ensign, tell the Wanderlust to slow up and fall back into formation, just encase." She shouted at the ensign as he began to leave, he turned back, gave a salute and continued on his way.
"Keep the crew at their posts for now, we're going in prepared."

by **Vrijstaat Limburg** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 7:15 pm

Alpine trenches north of Verena. April 7th, 18:00

Enter Private Frans Becker, a son of a Lotharian-Limburgs family, and a soldier in the Limburgs expeditionary force to Italy. His group, the Choenk Company of the 3rd Limburgse Joagers Regiment, had dug itself in among the Alpine ridges north of the Mediterranean city of Verena. There had not been casualties yet, and the front was relatively quiet. The sun started to set on the fortifications, and Frans was quite sure that there wouldn't be much fighting any more. As it began to become darker and darker, most of the men were recalled, but not Frans Becker. The Corporal and his team of 3 privates had to contruct a listening post, otherwise known as a "sap", to try to get information on Mediterranean troop and trench size, and to have a place closer to the Italian trenches if an attack was imminent.

The expansion of trenches has began in northern Italy. Soldiers and engineers are constructing listening posts and are trying to expand their trenches to host more men and for assaults to be more effective. The aeroplanes flying above Trentino will be used to suppress Mediterranean soldiers on the opposite side. The division of 30.000 men hasn't taken any casualties yet, but will do assaults to try to gain land, and will launch an offensive on the Italian city of Verena.

by **Furbish Islands** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:27 pm

FIS Vincent Gelderman, Second Fleet
Near Mesairen fleet, Mesairen waters

The ships continued moving along the coast for several hours, with two frigates trailing behind them. After the plane flew by, the Furbish decided to ignore them and head to Japan. They did not need another enemy. A few guns were aimed at them just in case, but no one cared of them after that.

But soon, more ships arrived. A scout on one ship noticed some in the distance. Immediately, orders were given. More vulnerable ships were put in the center of the formation. Many ships aimed their guns in the general direction, just in case a fight broke out. They hoped it would be unlikely, but it is possible. All of the guns were ready to fire. Submarines were in front of the dreadnoughts, but on order they can go underwater and attack the enemy ships from there.

A plane was sent out to look at those ships. The pilot was instructed to stay at the front of the ships, so the setting sun will give the ships a disadvantage if they try to shoot down the plane. A plane was fueled up, lowered into the ocean, and it took off, headed for the fleet.

by **Strala** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 9:53 pm

Novoluga, Vladivostok
Strala

Labyshkino Naval Base

The city of Novoluga is a large city situated in Vladivostok. It originally started off as a small trading port with Japan, but then the port was replaced with a naval base. The base started because Strala didn't want to seem weak in front of other naval superpowers. The city is one of the largest cities in Far eastern Strala, most of the gods from the Pacific come through there. The naval base was named after the first admiral of the Pacific fleet.
The base has been built over the former port and has expanded to take over most of the waterfront. The base's piers have a capacity of a little over two hundred ships. The base also serves as a base of operations in all areas in the Pacific since early 1800s. Many ships are often supplied in the base before leaving, and often many get repaired there as well.

Currently, the entire Pacific fleet has docked at the base. The ships have taken up about 1/2 of the total room in the pier. These ships usually aren't stationed in the same port at once, unless they will soon embark on an attack, or they were on a mission to defend friendly waters. For this case it was the first option. While Lotharia has declared war on Strala and the other nations didn't, Strala would not let valuable time be wasted. Strala will strike first and strike confusion among our enemies. The Navy also has started to equip the Pacific fleet with more modern ships.The fleet has a large variety of ships, but most of the ships were outdated and old, but there were some dreadnought and semi dreadnought battleships. Most of the battleships were from pre-dreadnought designs. The scout cruisers would lead the fleet, patrolling for enemies, followed by the main force. The flagship is the ISS Prince of Strala, which is one of the only dreadnought battleships in the Pacific fleet. After final preparations, the fleet began to depart. The Admiral was Prince Vasily Inavov who was known to be a capable naval officer. He stood on the deck of the ISS Prince of Strala, watching the rest of the ships and the sea ahead. The fleet was trying to meet the Furbish Second Fleet. The ships moved along the waters as quickly and stealthy as they can. They did not have the capabilities to win against a modern fleet.

The Imperial Stralan Pacific Fleet will try to regroup the Furbish Second Fleet. If the fleet successfully returns they will be outfitted with newer ships including 3 more dreadnought battlecruisers. The Imperial Navy is also intruding it's first two seaplane carriers. The ISS Admiral Orlav and the ISS St.Petersburg. ISS Admiral Orlav will go the black sea fleet while ISS St.Petersburg will go to the Baltic sea fleet. Another Seaplane carrier and superdreadnought will be completed in the following months

by **Mesairien** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:49 am

HMS Queen Akemi
Just east of the Furbish Fleet, Mesairien Waters

"Plane incoming Vice-Admiral!" A vice cried out from the speaking tube connecting to the lookout tower. The bridge staff gave a chuckle, but no jokes were made and everyone seemed unfazed. Unlike the two old Frigates this crew had seen foreign planes on multiple occasions and seen what they believed to be the full extent their usefulness, whilst they hardly respected the contraptions they knew good intel from one of those things could turn the tide of the battle. They'd seen as much during the Mentzi skirmish.
It was well known amongst the main Battle groups that airplanes were merely scouts - flies buzzing around the mighty behemoths of the oceans - not a true threat in the slightest. Even so, Vice-Admiral Teno wasn't particularly fond of the idea of a scout ascertaining just how large the 7th was and finding out just what their capabilities would be in a full-scale battle.

"Lieutenant, get 20 men and line up on the forward deck. Ensign, prepare the spotlight." The Lieutenant and Ensign nodded and saluted Teno before running off to complete their duties, Teno intended to do the same thing as Tomlin had done several hours prior, warn the plane to stay away but take no immediate action. Although, she intended to keep it as far away from the Akemi as possible, in her mind a simple threat of retribution should suffice. She walked out of the bridge onto the walkway on the left hand side, where the Ensign had powered up the spotlight.
"Are we sure they'll be able to see this ma'am? Its awfully bright today." The Ensign asked, holding his hand above his eyes to shield them from the sunlight, trying to get the small, distant plane in his view.

"Of course, we may have the sun to contend with but they do not. They can see us perfectly." The Admiral replied, walking over to the railing and resting up against them.
She sighed quietly and looked over to the Ensign.
"Relay message: Incoming Plane. We offer no hostile intent. However, these ships are Her majesties vessels of war. Maintain at least a 1 mile distance at all times or be destroyed."

Her threat was clear and she had full intention of following through, whilst a few old Frigates might be forced to endure being scouted by some flying toy the prides of the Mesairien fleet would not. She didn't want to end up in a firefight and in Teno's mind the best way to avoid one would be to establish dominance and aggressiveness early on. There would be no capitulation, that plane would keep away from the Squadron or find itself sinking beneath the waves.

by **Furbish Islands** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 9:38 am

Near Mesairen fleet
Mesairen waters

The plane took off from the sea. This time, Daly Garrod was the pilot, and Maikel Roijakker was the observer. They flew towards the ships, to see how many there were, and their weapons. The crew believed it may be the battlecruisers the scout frigates warned about earlier. After a few minutes of flying, they got a good view of the ships.

Roijakker: "From the looks of it, there are twelve ships. Besides the ships from earlier, there are two cruisers, two battlecruisers, six destroyers, and two ships that are too small to fit into any category. Fly closer, I want to see what guns they have."

Garrod: "And they sent crew with rifles. But shooting us down is a pretty stupid move, because if they do, they will have to deal with a force that outnumbers them by at least ten to one. Not to mention a few submarines would probably be enough to wreak havoc on the entire fleet. And- wait it seems that they are flashing a message."

Roijakker: "'Incoming Plane. We offer no hostile intent. However, these ships are Her majesties vessels of war. Maintain at least a 1 mile distance at all times or be destroyed.' So, how long is a mile again?"

Garrod: "I do not know. All I remember it is a unit of measurement used by the Yanks. I thought the rest of the world uses kilometers."

Roijakker: "I mean we should keep a reasonable distance away from them. But if they choose to fire, I have grenades."

Garrod: "So we are about one and a half kilometers away from them. I think we should get a little closer. Maybe by a fifth of a kilometer."

Roijakker: "Yes. I can see well from there. And I know where the guns should be aimed, if they do choose to attack."

Garrod: "Also relay them a message. Something about us coming in peace, and that we won't get any closer."

Roijakker: "I hope their leader is as sane as the other one." Grabs mirror and flashlight, to the ships "Don't shoot, we come in peace. We will not get any closer than we currently are."

by **Kawaii Seals** » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:45 am

The Italian Front Lines, Venice, Italy

The Mediterranean Union's Front lines in northern Italy have now been fully equipped with 50 Heavy Artillery Weapons and 5 Anti Aircraft Guns and are starting to begin expanding the trench all over the Northern borders of Italy and Southern France. The General has announced that any advances made by the enemy will be met with heavy artillery and our vast array of our new Fighter Planes.

"General!, shall we start the blockades in Gibraltar and Alexandria?" "Yes Private, Let the Limburgs and Lotharians know we will not be deterred by any kind of Sanctions on trade".

"Shall we notify our allies?"

Of course Head Chief Clark"! "Have our fighter planes fully Fueled and begin scouting any threats."

"I need 10 ships to head over to Alexandria and begin the blockade and supply the outpost there." "We will not let the Shin Dynasty through at all costs."
"Yes General".

"How our are allies doing"? "Are they in need of supplies"?

"As far I have been told, not at all."

"Then we will begin our Blockade."

The Strait of Gibraltar and The Suez Canal have now been blockaded by the Unions navy.

by **Mesairien** » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:25 pm

HMS Queen Akemi
Mesairien Waters

"Message complete Vice-Admiral" The Ensign said packing the cover back onto the ship's spotlight.

"Good, lets hope they aren't foolish enough to test us." Both Teno and the Ensign headed back onto the bridge, confident that the Furbish plane would follow its instructions and keep well away from the Squadron. What the Vice-Admiral had failed to take into account however, was that the Furbish utilise the Metric system and measure distances in Kilometres, not Miles and the conversion rate between the two was arguably ludicrous and difficult to figure out at the best of times for your average person. For a pilot and observer already preoccupied, it might prove somewhat of a challenge.

To make matters worse, the plane was still currently within the glare of the sun, making it hard to even see them let alone their message back to the ship. In-fact, the Queen Akemi would never know those pilots bothered to send a reply over to them as no-one on bridge could notice the spotlight.

Teno walked back over to the speaking tube on the bridge and contacted the lookout nest.
"Crewman, what's their distance."

After a significant pause as the crewman checked his instruments, and re-checked them considering the sunlight hindering his ability.
"About 0.8 Miles ma'am, maintaining distance."
The news infuriated Teno, she let slip an angered scream of; "Stupid fuckers!" before reigning herself in and regaining composure.

"What should we do Vice-Admiral?" The ship's first-mate asked, concern in his voice, that plane had now violated Mesairien commands and now the crew had every right to shoot it down. But, that would risk dragging this small Squadron into a full firefight, something that could not be sustained considering the difference in the number of capital ships. The 7th had 2 Battlecruisers and 2 Armoured Cruisers, according to previous communications from the Parzen, that Furbish fleet had at least double that in Super-Dreadnoughts.

"Ignore it for now." Teno looked over at the First-Mate through the corner of her eye before going back to the speaking tube. "Alert us if they move closer."

Meanwhile, the 7th continued steaming ahead. Even now, they were still lagging slightly behind and the Wanderlust was still out ahead of the group, they'd slowed their engines but so had the rest of the Squadron so the change in positions wasn't going as quickly as it arguably should.
Luckily for that plane though, Teno had already taken the precaution of informing them of her orders and that they should wait for her response to them before responding themselves, so no-one would open fire until the Akemi did.

by **Furbish Islands** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 11:40 am

Near Mesairen fleet
Mesairen waters

Garrod: "What does it look now?"

Roijakker: "I have a good view, not not enough. I want you to fly the plane closer, but I have a gut feeling that we are too close now. I wouldn't want to risk all those guns firing at us."

Garrod: "Ah, don't worry. If they shoot us down, they'd be destroyed. But I doubt they would even hit. The plane is a small target, and over a kilometer away. Only dedicated snipers could probably manage a lucky shot, and they probably don't have any."

Roijakker: "True. Finding the caliber of the guns is impossible from here. Fly a little closer. No further than one kilometer."

Garrod: "Alright. Flash them a message. And just in case, they have to look towards the sun to see the plane. We only have to look away from it. Wait. While I'm flying closer, message them saying we use kilometers and not miles. I hope they may not shoot if they realize our problem."

Roijakker: "So I hope they will see this." to the ships "Please do not shoot. We only use kilometers, not miles. We will not get any closer than a kilometer."

Garrod: "Wait a second. I just had a terrible realization."

Roijakker: "What is that?"

Garrod: "What if they can't see our message, since the sun obstructs it?"

Roijakker: "Oh. If they do shoot, I will pull out my rifle."

Garrod: "Pray they won't."

by **Mesairien** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:45 pm

HMS Queen Akemi
Mesairien Waters

"Plane moving closer, now 0.7 miles." A voice cried out down the speaking tube. The bridge went silent, all the men who didn't need to be keeping their eye on something else, turned to look at the Vice-Admiral. By flying closer, those pilots had now challenged not just her dominance, but her word. Teno didn't reply immediately, she took a moment to steel herself - on the inside she was screaming fits of rage, she took this action as serious sign of disrespect, not just to her, but to the crew of Akemi and to the authority of the Mesairien people within their own waters.

"0.65 miles! Continuing to close! Looks like their attempting to send a message, but cannot read, sunlight is hindering." The crewman in the lookout tower continued. Teno didn't even take a moment to consider what the plane was trying to communicate, in her eyes whatever the fools were saying it was too late. They'd made their final mistake, this was now a matter of honour. The Furbs were violating Mesairien law, as informed by a Mesairien Vice-Admiral, in Mesairien waters. Their lives were forfeit.

"Ensign, tell the wireless room to get the Parzen and Shark out of there. Withdraw immediately!" Teno cried out, slamming her fist into the palm of her hand. "Lieutenant, send the signal to the riflemen. I want that plane killed. Helmsman, bring us about to broadside. First-Mate, prepare the guns for long range engagement. Everyone, expect that fleet to open up on us in retaliation."

"Aye!" Multiple voices cried out as the crew rushed to their duties. Despite the best hopes of everyone involved, this situation was about to escalate out of control. The Lieutenant sent to give the signal to the riflemen went out on the bridge's walkway and blew on his whistle in 3 short bursts, this was the signal. Almost immediately the Riflemen began opening lined fire, they would all fire and then reload together in sequence.
The gunfire attracted the attention of the other ships in the Squadron and quickly their riflemen also started taking potshots at the plane and as the Akemi began to turn right and aim her guns, the other capital ships knew immediately what the move was and followed suit, whilst the scout frigates and destroyers continued steaming ahead.

Whilst the riflemen opened up, the Vice-Admiral quickly took it upon herself to man the spotlight and began communicating with the other ships in the squadron, she sent orders for the destroyers to prepare to withdraw the moment the enemy ships begin opening return fire, if the Furbish were dumb enough to force this situation to escalate further as it almost definitely would.

by **New Doltania** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:07 pm

In the bridge of the NDNS Sao José, a dreadnought of the New Doltanian fleet, Vice Admiral Hans Josef Habranakic and Captain John Peters were deep in conversation. The first moment they were no longer conversing, the Captain shouted to First Officer Julius Cater. "How far away is that plane, First Officer?". Cater called back "0.88 miles, sir. Heading for Mesairien fleet.". The Captain and the Admiral returned to conversation. Then Captain Peters called "Approach the aircraft and fire in it.".

by **Furbish Islands** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:50 pm

Near Mesairen fleet
Mesairen waters

Roijakker: "THEY ARE FIRING! TURN BACK NOW!"

Garrod: "Holy..."

Both men were surprised at this. They had sent a signal, but the ship crew ignored them. They fired at this ship, seemingly for no good reason. They said to stay back a mile, but most soldiers or their rank never learned any measurement system other than SI. This was a small misunderstanding, but it has had huge consequences. Roijakker pulled out his scoped rifle, and fired into the deck of the ship. Garrod was desperatly trying to return to the fleet, where they could get some cover.

FIS Vincent Gelderman

Communications officer: "Sir, they have done it. Those gunshots aren't warning shots, they probably want to shoot down the plane."

Admiral Brenner: "I do not wish to get into a fight with the nearby fleet. Even though we have the advantage, we will probably be at war. This will be disastrous for us, and I do not want to say that we created another adversary. I want all the ships to continue on their course. Tell them to keep guns on the fleet, and to not fire unless fired upon. Plan Echo may be used if they fire. But I want to get out of here before anything happens."

Communications officer: "Yessir." On the radio "Attention Second Fleet. New orders have come from Admiral Brenner. Guns should be aimed at the ships. Continue the pre-planned course. And do not fire unless fired upon. If they shoot, Plan Echo will be used."

The ship captains and commanders did as ordered. They were also worried for the same reason Brenner was. This could bring another enemy against Furby Island, and Japan was enough so far. Many of the smaller ships were vulnerable to heavy guns placed on the battlecruiser, and crew on the larger ships did not want the ships' armor to be damaged before they even reached the Japanese coast. They all hoped for the best, and that an armed conflict won't break out.

Communications officer: "Admiral Brenner has stated if the plane will be shot down, the fleet will fire."

Everyone hoped the plane would make it back safely.

FIS Eagle

The FIS Eagle is a destroyer with the task of laying mines. It was completed and commissioned very recently, only two years before the war began. It was part of the new class of destroyers built during the arms race before the war. It had several 120mm guns, and also 75 mines. It looked like a normal destroyer, and it was hard to tell apart the different between it and some of the destroyers next to it.

While the crew went through their routine checks, something was discovered. There was some damage of unknown origin in the minelaying equipment. It was quickly fixed by the crew, before any mines could leave the ship. The crew soon forgot about it, and aimed the 120mm guns at the ships. However, they made a very terrible mistake.

A few minutes later, a crewman counted 74 mines. He thought he made a mistake, and counted them again. He quickly told an officer, who saw that a mine went missing. But both didn't care much about it. After all, it will probably not explode near any ships. And the ships probably moved past it by now. Or a ship with minesweeping capabilities destroyed it. But those assumptions were false.

The mine was underwater, bobbing up and down, waiting to be hit by a ship. Its release was an accident, but it will cause large ramifications. In the short term, results can be catastrophic. But in the long term, it would be worse by orders of magnitude. One careless mistake, and that can happen. No one knew this, but this would become the greatest mistake in Furbish history. All due to a single malfunction.

FIS Noorderstein

A biplane landed near the ship. The ship moved its crane, and picked up the plane. Garrod and Roijakker walked out of the plane, and called for repair crews. Most shots that hit the plane hit a wing or the body. Several holes were on the canvas. The wings would have to be completely replaced now. A few shots also hit the body, bad that could be easily repaired. That plane couldn't be used for a while. No bullets have managed to hit Garrod and Roijakker.

While the plane was being lowered to the hangar deck, and both men went to their quarters, something happened. What just happened was unexpected by both sides. It happened so suddenly, no one even thinking that something like it could happen. This one event, a single one out of the countless ones happening in that day, would affect more than them combined. The frigates Mesairen, the battlecruiser squadron, the planes, the shots, all of them meaningless compared to what just happened.

by **Mesairien** » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:26 am

HMS Queen Akemi
Mesairien Waters

As the Furbish plane flew out of the range the Mesairien rifles grew silent, the deck crew grumbled loudly, all those men opening fire and that plane still managed to limp away. Even worse, one of Roíjakker's shots had gotten lucky, it'd ricocheted off the deck and into a mans leg, just by pure chance. It was like adding an insult to an injury, violating a direct order from a Mesairien Admiral and then having the Gaul to shoot a Mesairien crewman, just going about preforming their duty.

With the plane now gone though, the riflemen across the squadron began to pack up their rifles and return to their posts. No-one was quite sure what would happen now, they'd opened fire on a Furbish plane and its pilots. The Furbs may decide this is not worth starting a war over, but if it were a Mesairien over there they'd open fire imminently and the men were needed back at their posts.

Up on the bridge the Vice-Admiral wasn't sure exactly what to do next, she could just open up on the Furbish fleet, a preemptive strike, but that would make her the aggressor and the Mesairien public wouldn't appreciate that. No, far better to let the Furbs make their move and react accordingly, it may not be in their best tactical interest but this day was just as about politics as it was about tactics.

Moments later, the lookout cried down the speaking tube; "Ships sighted on the Horizon! Unknown flag! Mesairien flag beside!" Teno was perplexed, who else could possibly have entered into Mesairien waters without her being informed?

HMS Parzen

With their orders now in hand from the wireless room, Captain Shinto had her Frigate pull around at full speed and begin running as fast as they possibly could back towards the Mesairien fleet. If things erupted into shooting, the Parzen and Shark wouldn't last a moment.

However, about 10 minutes before turning about... something happened, a crewman at the rear of the ship spotted it. A ship had just dropped something, he wasn't sure what it could possibly be. But, now that things risked erupting into a shooting match, he thought it best to alert someone, he ran up the ship and scaled the bridge.
"Captain! Ship, port-side, dropped something in the water!" He cried, the bridge crew were confused at this, what could the Furbish possibly gain by throwing things into the Mesairien ocean unless... No, it couldn't be.
Shinto's eyes widened as she came to a realisation.

"Crewman, which ship?! Point it out!" She cried, the crewman nodded and pointed out over towards a Furbish mine layer. A MINE LAYER. Shinto stood in shock for a few seconds, unable to speak as the wave of reality washed over her, the Furbish had dumped a mine in Mesairien waters. They had just prepared a sneak attack on a Mesairien ship, the Wanderlust was still steaming ahead, that mine couldn't be far off from them, surely the Wanderlust would have noticed though? Surely!

"Ensign, spotlight now! Warn the Wanderlust; Mine in the water! Mine in the water!... Do it now!"
Without a moments hesitation the Ensign began shining his light towards the Wanderlust, praying they'd see it.

HMS Wanderlust

Over on the Wanderlust however, things were proceeding as normal, they had opened fire on the plane and were busy securing all the firearms back in the armoury. They had slowed their speed slightly further now though, the ship's captain wanted to get back to the squadron a bit quicker, he was far too exposed out here in the lead of the squadron now that things had escalated into shooting.

For a moment, he hoped he'd get lucky, perhaps calmer heads would prevail and the Furbish would simply continue on their way and pretend that this little event had not occurred. Afterall, they were already at war with Japan, going at Mesairien would only put their fleet at a serious tactical disadvantage. Yes, they wouldn't jeopardise their whole Nation. The Wanderlust was safe.

But then, the First-mate noted the Parzen, which was now running back towards the fleet, was sending a message via spotlight. But the sunlight was causing trouble for the bridge crew, nobody could make out what they were trying to say, but the message kept repeating so it had to be important.
"M...Mi in.... Mine... Mine in the.... MINE IN THE WATER!" The Captain cried out; "Bring us about now!"

Within moments the Wanderlust began to turn about, hoping to dodge wherever this mine may be. But this act of trying to dodge the mine, would be the death of them all.

The Wanderlust had hit the mine with her midsection as it turned, a terrible explosion erupted and the side of the ship went up in smoke. Barely a minute later, the heat from the initial explosion caused the ship's magazine to ignite and a secondary explosion tore the already damaged ship in half. The crew's cries could be heard all around as the fires began to rage and the Wanderlust began rapidly sinking into the waves.

The Parzen and Shark immediately diverted their course over to the wreckage to try and rescue whatever men they could.

HMS Queen Akemi

The bridge crew stood in horror. The Wanderlust lay in-front of them, going up in flame and sinking beneath the waves.

For only a moment there was silence. One moment, but this one moment felt like eternity, nobody said a word, nobody breathed. A Queendom ship had just been destroyed by a foreign power in a dirty, cheap tactic. This was now a flashpoint. Mesairien was almost definitely going to declare war and this first battle would decide everything, a moment to be remembered for all time.

The moment the destiny of the Queendom and the Furbish Islands would change forever.

"Open fire! Now, Fire every gun. Everything!" Vice-Admiral Teno screamed on the bridge and everyone erupted into a flurry of action. Seconds later the Akemi's 14 Inch guns opened fire in a deafening blast. The Dekko and the two Armoured Cruisers soon followed suit. As they quickly reloaded for another volley, the shells went crying out into the distance at the Furbish fleet.

World War 1(OPEN TO ALL, IC, SIGNUP FIRST)

Aboard NDNS Sao José, near Furbish Fleet, Mesairien Waters

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