THE 2nd Cataclysm 1920. IC-CLOSED per Sign Up.

[Wonderchicken]

Bridge
WDKD Saidom Vubee
Edmar Sea, 20 nm south south east of the Laynu Strait.
Depth: 12 meters to surface
21 FEB 1920, 16:26 hours

Mr. Teenekai turned to the Vushvakh. "We may not know exactly what's above, but I think we can count on getting caught." Preenau pursed his lips and nodded in agreement.

"Even if they bought our little ploy, they won't have left yet. Have the men in the forward torpedo room rig a couple of fish to blow. Once the men are off, I'll scuttle her."

OOC: Forgive me, I'm going to tweak my last post a bit:

IC: Vushvakh Preenau set his jaw. "Even if they bought our little ploy, they won't have left yet. You have the bridge, Mr. Teenekai. I expect you to see to it that my crew is rescued and well treated. I'll be in the forward torpedo room. Once everybody is topside, I want you to sound the dive alarm. I'm going to scuttle the ship. And Mr. Zervahli."

"Yes, sir?"

"Get to the hatch. Without those hydrophones, we haven't got a clue what we're headed into. The instant we breach the surface, I want you outside to be Mr. Teenekai's eyes. You got that?" Bacs saluted and made his way to the hatch at the crest of the conning tower. It wouldn't be long, now...

[Australien]

OOC- So is that the only sub still in the strait?

[Wonderchicken]

OOC- So is that the only sub still in the strait?

OOC: None of the sinkers are in the strait. Hacs-Tolakh and his daughter-ships are still skulking about below the thermocline to the west. I've just been kind of focused on the Saidom Vubee, which is about to become a permanent fixture of the Edmar Sea.

IC: Uppermost Hatch
WDKD Saidom Vubee

The sinker gave a sickening lurch as her bow pierced the surface of the waves and plunged into the open air. Bacs clung desperately to the rungs of the ladder until the motion had subsided sufficiently to clamber up and spin the locking clamp. Desperately, he threw the hatch open and hoisted himself onto the rolling--and to his unhappy surprise, listing--deck. The sight that met his eyes as he drew himself upright and cast his eyes out to sea nearly stopped his heart.

"SOUND COLLIS...!!" he tried to scream down the open hatch. It was too late. The crunching, screeching sound of metal twisting around on itself was deafening. Bacs stood transfixed as the horrible scene unfolded (or, perhaps more accurately, folded) before him. His sinking heart was suddenly being outstripped by the sinking ship below his feet. The forward hatch was a total loss, and Bacs knew no one would be coming out that way. His head swung aft, and he could see some of the men filing out of the rear hatch. The water was already over the deck, however, and he knew that not many more would see daylight. As some of the bridge crew started making their way out of the hatch Bacs, himself, had used, he decided to make his way aft and do what he could to help there. He had just reached the edge of the tower and started to reach for the railing when...

WHA-BOOM!

The bow of the Saidom Vubee erupted in a conflagration of hellfire and shrapnel. As the searing heat and shock wave reached him, Bacs was thrown free of the conning tower. He came down hard on the starboard ballast tank, striking his head against the unyielding steel. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was hearing a secondary explosion.

ORBAT:

[Nullarni]

OOC: Okay, I am really liking your RPing quite a bit, Wonderchicken. I am curious, though. Did your Sub ram one of the surface ships? I was a bit unclear as to what the terrible screaching and general destruction was.

[Wonderchicken]

OOC: My original thought was to have the Saidom Vubee ram a destroyer, but I decided I wanted to leave it open to let the destroyer ram the sinker if Lowell Leber prefers. Either way, the sinker is sunk.

[Lowell Leber]

OOC-I was hoping to rescue the survivors. That way post war our two nations will have one less reason to be bitter towards one another.

[Wonderchicken]

OOC: Well, you do have more than one boat on the scene...

Wochiks are not an especially vindictive breed. The culture is big on personal responsibility and honor, and attitudes toward war tend to be pretty pragmatic. As long as Bacs¹ gets picked up, we're good.

1 - I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but Bacs's name is pronounced just like the fish (bass).

[Lowell Leber]

LLS Lynnette,
Edmar Sea.

The destroyer circled around the area and through the wreckage, picking up survivors from the "Wochick" submarine. The rescued sailors were stern but grateful, and many were given whiskey to help them 'purge' the fuel oil from their digestive tracts. The Leberite crew took pity on, yet respected these men and woman. They had been good sport, and the conduct of their captain had been both brave and clever. This was something the warriors from Lowell Leber could respect...

[Nullarni]

OOC: I am going to skip ahead in the time line a bit... actually, more like a month and a half or so. Feel free to continue on from where you are at, I just felt like posting Nullarni getting into the war.

IC:

High Council Chambers
Mittlere, Nullarni
April 5, 1920, 1426 hours

"As the vote stands 7 to 5, in favor of supporting Lowell Leber in their war against Kievistan," announced Chief Judge William Hamilton, who was filling the role of the conducting member of the High Council, "Chief Judge and Steward, Joseph Roberts, what is your vote?"

Chief Judge Roberts stood and took a deep breath. Tradition dictated that as the Chief Judge and Steward he was to abstain from all High Council votes except in cases of a 6-6 tie. The room was silent as they waited for him to officially announce it.

"I vote 'nay' on the measure at hand," Roberts declared in a calm measured voice.

The room erupted into an angry chaos. People were on their feet shouting at the outrage. Flash bulbs from the press seats were popping like fire works. Roberts streched out his arms to the crowd and motioned them to be quiet, but to little avail. So he shouted over them.

"Listen!" The noise lowered just enough for him to speak, "I understand I have broken protocol, but this is the only way for my conscience to remain clear. We have been elected to be purveyors of justice, and siding with the aggressors in this war is not justice. If it were up to me I would have every one of you who voted for this impeached. How can you claim to be the highest judges in this land and then commit your people to an unjust war? By forcing this nation to go to war, you have become an affront to all those that ever held or ever will hold the position of Chief Judge. I know my vote against this changes nothing, but I feel my protest against this course of action must be heard."

By the end of his explanation the room was silent. Chief Judge Hamilton was the one to break the silence, "...Ahem... And with a seven to six vote, the 'yeahs' have it."

Hamilton rapped his gavel and closed the meeting.

* * *

The next few months were not kind to Chief Judge and Steward Roberts. He was often referred to as a traitor to the nation. Many in the newspapers called for his empeachment. Many of his old friends would not be seen in public with him out of fear of the anger against him being directed at them as well.

[Wonderchicken]

LLS Lynnette
Edmar Sea
21 FEB 1920, 17:00 hours

Somewhere in the murk and fog, there was a voice. It swirled, rose, and sank, but it seemed to be getting clearer. He wondered idly whether he should bother with it. He was tired, and wanted to sleep.

"bAcs!"

Why did that sound familiar? As the voice faded away and mumbled elsewhere, his mind reached out just a bit and was quickly bitten by the burn in...Where was that? His throat? He felt something scrunch together in front of him, and there was a smacking sound. After a moment, he realized it was his own face that had scrunched, and he was moving his lips and tongue around, though for what reason he couldn't fathom. His...tongue--yeah, that was it--was enveloped in copper and bitterness, and the low rumble that had surrounded him congealed into the Vushicskah Fa Marching Band prancing across his brain as they blasted out the Naval Hymn at their fullest volume. As though from several meters away, but all around, he heard his own voice groan.

"Hey, I think he's coming around!" That almost sounded like the petrol parrot Bacs had cleaned out the other night in the poker game.

"Stand back, mates. Give the man some air." That had to be Tahkar, the sonar operator. "Bacs. Hey! Zervahli!" What felt like a small building slammed into the side of his head, and as the stars subsided, Bacs realized he'd been slapped. "Zervahli! Wake up, Bacs!" Realizing that another blow would be forthcoming, Bacs raised a hand to block it. He was too late, and the marching band stomped angrily, but Tahkar yelped excitedly. "Bacs! Can you move? Can you hear me? Wiggle your fingers if you can hear me!"

"I hear you just fine, Tahkar. What do you want?" Silence followed, and Bacs could feel the elation evaporate. He opened a bleary eye and saw the crestfallen look on Tahkar's face. He fought to open his other eye and sit up, but all that succeeded in doing was angering the marching band again; and this time they made the ship spin in circles...Except... "Tahkar," Bacs croaked, "where in the name of Darshek are we?"

"On board a Leberite destroyer. I didn't catch her name."

"How...?" Bacs's head was already swimming, and he could feel an undertow reaching out for his sanity.

"The few of us that made it topside were picked up and put in here," Tahkar explained. "They've been blathering at us since we got on board, but they don't seem to have anybody that speaks Katothwa Re. None of us can make heads or tails of whatever they're saying. They seem honorable enough, but they want something and none of us can figure out what."

"They're probably...ngh, speaking English," said Bacs. "Help a guy up, will you?" The marching band pounded like a thousand To Khotejebnah shells, but Bacs fought to stay conscious. "Where is everybody?" he asked, warily cracking an eye and glancing around. He counted fifteen, maybe twenty Wochiks. "Are the others in separate cells?" Again, he could feel Tahkar's face sag.

"No one else got out."

Bacs swallowed hard. "Who's ranking officer?" Wordlessly, but pointedly, Tahkar looked right at Bacs. He swallowed again and his throat protested. He mustered all of his strength and will, then called out in English, "Guard!" He prayed his mind would remember enough English to get through this.

OOC: Bacs has almost certainly got a concussion, but there's no one left from his own boat with any medical knowledge beyond "You don't look so good."

[Australien]

An Undisclosed Location on the Kievistan/Lowell Leber Border
Feb. 21st 1920
Approx 1440
MIO Kevin Brown arrived at the small hut near the border, the only unusual feature being the large amount of horses hitched out the front. He walked up to the soldier standing at the front gate.
"Good day, I am Military Intelligence Officer Brown from the Australien Armed Service, I believe you're expecting my arrival."

The sentry saluted sharply and replied, "Major Shleck and Lieutenent von Peiper inside for you sir!".
He then sharply cliked his heals together.
"At ease soldier!" laughed von Peiper as he emerged from the hut. "Forgive the sentry for his polished manner, he's straight from recruit camp. I am Lieutenent von Peiper, XO of this little outfit and one of the best horsemen in this army. You must be Officer Brown?...."

An Undisclosed Location on the Kievistan/Lowell Leber Border
Feb. 21st 1920
Approx 1440
Brown extended his hand, shaking the Lieutenent's briskly
"Indeed I am, and we haven't a moment to waste. I assume you have something to drink in that little hut of yours?"

Northern entrance of the Laynu Strait,
Feb. 21 1920
17:30 hours
The admiral had just called off the search, heading for the nearest appropriate port to refuel, rearm and prepare.

OOC: What's the nearest appropriate port?

[Wonderchicken]

OOC: Did the Australiens actually fire any depth charges, or did they just decide it wasn't worth chasing?

[Australien]

OOC: Did the Australiens actually fire any depth charges, or did they just decide it wasn't worth chasing?

We swept the strait, LL hit the sub. It's not really worth going after a sub if it already has 2 DD's on it.

[Wonderchicken]

OOC: Did the Australiens actually fire any depth charges, or did they just decide it wasn't worth chasing?

We swept the strait, LL hit the sub. It's not really worth going after a sub if it already has 2 DD's on it.

OOC: Except that the sub that got hit was outside of the strait to the east (in the Edmar Sea) and the three scattering subs I thought you were chasing are outside of the strait to the west, some 60+ miles away from the business with the Saidom Vubee. As I understood it, your ships were in the strait and saw the Hacs-Tolakh submerge, and so came barreling west (out of the strait) to where the subs were last spotted. None of Lowell Leber's ships are anywhere near the three subs your ships were looking for.

[Lowell Leber]

LLS Lynnette
Edmar Sea
21 FEB 1920, 17:00 hours

Somewhere in the murk and fog, there was a voice. It swirled, rose, and sank, but it seemed to be getting clearer. He wondered idly whether he should bother with it. He was tired, and wanted to sleep.

"bAcs!"

Why did that sound familiar? As the voice faded away and mumbled elsewhere, his mind reached out just a bit and was quickly bitten by the burn in...Where was that? His throat? He felt something scrunch together in front of him, and there was a smacking sound. After a moment, he realized it was his own face that had scrunched, and he was moving his lips and tongue around, though for what reason he couldn't fathom. His...tongue--yeah, that was it--was enveloped in copper and bitterness, and the low rumble that had surrounded him congealed into the Vushicskah Fa Marching Band prancing across his brain as they blasted out the Naval Hymn at their fullest volume. As though from several meters away, but all around, he heard his own voice groan.

"Hey, I think he's coming around!" That almost sounded like the petrol parrot Bacs had cleaned out the other night in the poker game.

"Stand back, mates. Give the man some air." That had to be Tahkar, the sonar operator. "Bacs. Hey! Zervahli!" What felt like a small building slammed into the side of his head, and as the stars subsided, Bacs realized he'd been slapped. "Zervahli! Wake up, Bacs!" Realizing that another blow would be forthcoming, Bacs raised a hand to block it. He was too late, and the marching band stomped angrily, but Tahkar yelped excitedly. "Bacs! Can you move? Can you hear me? Wiggle your fingers if you can hear me!"

"I hear you just fine, Tahkar. What do you want?" Silence followed, and Bacs could feel the elation evaporate. He opened a bleary eye and saw the crestfallen look on Tahkar's face. He fought to open his other eye and sit up, but all that succeeded in doing was angering the marching band again; and this time they made the ship spin in circles...Except... "Tahkar," Bacs croaked, "where in the name of Darshek are we?"

"On board a Leberite destroyer. I didn't catch her name."

"How...?" Bacs's head was already swimming, and he could feel an undertow reaching out for his sanity.

"The few of us that made it topside were picked up and put in here," Tahkar explained. "They've been blathering at us since we got on board, but they don't seem to have anybody that speaks Katothwa Re. None of us can make heads or tails of whatever they're saying. They seem honorable enough, but they want something and none of us can figure out what."

"They're probably...ngh, speaking English," said Bacs. "Help a guy up, will you?" The marching band pounded like a thousand To Khotejebnah shells, but Bacs fought to stay conscious. "Where is everybody?" he asked, warily cracking an eye and glancing around. He counted fifteen, maybe twenty Wochiks. "Are the others in separate cells?" Again, he could feel Tahkar's face sag.

"No one else got out."

Bacs swallowed hard. "Who's ranking officer?" Wordlessly, but pointedly, Tahkar looked right at Bacs. He swallowed again and his throat protested. He mustered all of his strength and will, then called out in English, "Guard!" He prayed his mind would remember enough English to get through this.

OOC: Bacs has almost certainly got a concussion, but there's no one left from his own boat with any medical knowledge beyond "You don't look so good."

[Wonderchicken]

A young ensign approached Bacs and Tahkar at the edge of the main deck. "Are you the officer in charge of these men...??"

LLS Lynnette
Edmar Sea
21 FEB 1920, 17:00 hours

Bacs glanced blearily at Tahkar and translated. "<He wants to know who's in charge.>"¹

"<I told you, Bacs. That's you. You're the Vushvakh now.>" Tahkar helped Bacs steady himself as he turned back to the guard.

"I guess I am," he slurred. "I am...Vushvakh...Bacs Zervahli of the WDKD Saidom Vubee. Thank you for rescuing us. Have my men been inspected by a doctor, yet?"

1 - For this conversation, I'll be putting the Katothwa Re in blue and brackets. English I'll do normally. Hopefully, that will help with any confusion caused by using the two languages.

[Lowell Leber]

LLS Lynnette
Edmar Sea
21 FEB 1920, 17:00 hours

"Your men are being attended to by medics now "replied the young ensign. "Captain Graff will be here any minute now to talk with you about the actions that have taken place here today..."

[Wonderchicken]

LLS Lynnette
Edmar Sea
21 FEB 1920, 17:00 hours

"Your men are being attended to by medics now," replied the young Ensign. "Captain Graff will be here any minute now to talk with you about the actions that have taken place here today..."

"Very well," Bacs said. Tahkar tapped him impatiently on the shoulder, and Bacs turned.

"<Well?>"

"<There's a 'Captain' that wants to talk with me...>" Bacs thought a moment, then added, "<That's like a Vushvakh.>"

"<I don't know, Bacs,>" Tahkar fretted. "<You don't look so good. You took quite a spill when the bow went up. One of the petrol parrots from the engine room said he thought he saw you come down head first on the ballast tank. Can you even open your right eye with all that blood caked around it?>" Bacs tried, but his eye wouldn't cooperate. "<We've been fired on, Bacs. They've been pretty civil since we came on board, but that doesn't mean much if we're at war.>"

Bacs sighed wearily. "<You're right, of course.>" Bacs turned to the Ensign who had spoken to him and announced "You should know: I am the only member of my crew that speaks English." He swallowed, hoping he hadn't just given away something important in his effort to spare the other men. "<Tahkar, I think it best if you stay with the men if this Captain wants to have his conversation in private.>"

[Australien]

OOC: Did the Australiens actually fire any depth charges, or did they just decide it wasn't worth chasing?

We swept the strait, LL hit the sub. It's not really worth going after a sub if it already has 2 DD's on it.

OOC: Except that the sub that got hit was outside of the strait to the east (in the Edmar Sea) and the three scattering subs I thought you were chasing are outside of the strait to the west, some 60+ miles away from the business with the Saidom Vubee. As I understood it, your ships were in the strait and saw the Hacs-Tolakh submerge, and so came barreling west (out of the strait) to where the subs were last spotted. None of Lowell Leber's ships are anywhere near the three subs your ships were looking for.

OOC- Yeah, we let those subs leave and decided to search the strait. But as you said, the sub was in the sea to the east, so that's just another reason for my fleet to not bother. So basically, the ANTF just searched the strait, found nothing and decided to head for the nearest LL port.

[Wonderchicken]

OOC: Gotcha I guess now I've got to bone up on the Hacs-Tolakh, huh?

[Wonderchicken]

Main Bridge
WDKD Hacs-Tolakh
8 nautical miles west of the Laynu Straits, periscope depth.
21 FEB 1920, 17:30 hours

Csahreeah Mehvek exhaled in a short, exasperatedly loose raspberry. Jahncs hadn't been kidding about the sheer number of Australien vessels picketing the Laynu. The past few days had been a challenge, but the Hacs-Tolakh appeared to have eluded outright detection. Thankfully, too, she had been able to re-establish contact with the Aihah Yojahn and the Aihah Kornee. The Vushvahkhs of both vessels reported the same as Mehvek's eyes were telling her now: The sinkers appeared to have evaded their pursuers, but there was no getting through the Laynu without detection. That strait was blocked up worse than the south end of a hibernating bear.

It shouldn't matter, Mehvek thought to herself. It's the Kievi we're supposed to be evading, not the Australiens. The Vushvahkhs of the Yojahn and the Kornee had expressed pretty much the same sentiment, but something in Csahreeah's gut told her to wait. She wanted to know what on earth the Australiens were doing here, and had sent Aihah Yojahn north in the hopes of contacting Kucsah without giving away too much about the whereabouts or activities of her other two boats. At least the Australiens were concentrating their efforts in the strait, which left much of the Adran Ocean wide open. All three of her sinkers had been able to get clear of the crisis zone and run topside long enough to properly recharge both crew and batteries.

"Hel-lo...What have we here?" Mehvek asked no one in particular.

"Vushvahkh?" the dive officer asked. Mehvek ignored her.

"Sonar, Conn. Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"Conn, Sonar. Depends. Are your eyes telling you that the picket line might be loosening up a touch?" Csahreeah smiled, folded the scope handles, and gave the order to retract the periscope as she straightened her hat.

"Ladies," she grinned, "We might get a crack at the Edmar after all."

[Nullarni]

OOC: I kind of wish I could contribute. I am starting to regret writing myself out of things for a while. I guess that's one of the consequences of not breaking character.

[Wonderchicken]

OOC: I kind of wish I could contribute. I am starting to regret writing myself out of things for a while. I guess that's one of the consequences of not breaking character.

OOC: On the contrary. I doubt that a responsible nation like Nullarni would simply sit by and watch a war erupt without trying to apply influence in the hopes of breaking up the fight before it starts...

[Nullarni]

OOC: I didn't even consider that. That is an interesting thought.

I toyed with the idea of RPing out the high points of the High Council hearings, but.I figured that would be tedious and unintersting for all parties involved. So I opted to skip to the end. I may have to continue things and then repost it in a more logical position.

Also, just for the record, the transmitted message about Lowell Leber attacking was not encypted in any way and would be easily heard by anyone with proper radio equiptment.

And, I understand that Lowell Leber is wanting war with Kievistan, but I am terribly interested in why Lowell Leber and Australien would go after a third party nation. I would think that it would force a willdcard nation into joining firmly with the opposing side. I am curious as to the intent and reasoning behind it, and I am sure we will find all that out in just a couple of posts. It will be interesting to see how my nation will react, and hat road they will take to reach the conclusion I have already posted.

[Australien]

OOC: I didn't even consider that. That is an interesting thought.

I toyed with the idea of RPing out the high points of the High Council hearings, but.I figured that would be tedious and unintersting for all parties involved. So I opted to skip to the end. I may have to continue things and then repost it in a more logical position.

Also, just for the record, the transmitted message about Lowell Leber attacking was not encypted in any way and would be easily heard by anyone with proper radio equiptment.

And, I understand that Lowell Leber is wanting war with Kievistan, but I am terribly interested in why Lowell Leber and Australien would go after a third party nation. I would think that it would force a willdcard nation into joining firmly with the opposing side. I am curious as to the intent and reasoning behind it, and I am sure we will find all that out in just a couple of posts. It will be interesting to see how my nation will react, and hat road they will take to reach the conclusion I have already posted.

OOC-Well, to be brutally honest, it was simply a matter of the Australien admiral in charge of the ANTF completely overreacting and performing some excessive moves. The Wochicks panicked and Admiral Hawke has pretty much made it seem as if they were the aggressor to LL.