Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. The coastal sky of Amanoki, Fenn Kingdom
The citizens of the Fenn Kingdom's long-awaited day has finally arrived. Held once in five years by the Kingdom, the Military Festival was among the most important events for the Fennese. Numerous officers from other countries outside the civilized area gathered to compete in tournaments and show off their country's equipment as it was a way for each country to show off their military power and keep other countries in check.
Soaring high above the air of Amanoki were five Wind Dragons along with their riders led by Captain Susanoo of the Divine Army sent as a sign of goodwill by the Gahara Thearchy, an island country located next to its neighbour, the Fenn Kingdom, and located east of the Third Civilization Area.
As Susanoo looked down at the festival from the sky, he saw three gigantic steel ships with no sails. The two of them were the same in appearance whereas the third one was gracefully painted white while its bow was painted with a small blue and sizeable red stripe with a roundel.
"How dazzling it is, Captain Susanoo," his Wind Dragon partner suddenly said.
"Ah, you're right, partner. It's certainly clear today," said Susanoo.
The sun was blinding as today, not even a single cloud was seen.
"No. I don't mean that, Captain Susanoo. I mean, the three large steel vessels below us. They radiate lines of light in many directions."
"Huh? Lines of light, from the three steel vessels below us? I don't see anything, however,"
"You can't see it? Hmm... I guess what humans couldn't perceive, I could. We, the Wind Dragons used the light to convey our intention to our brethren. To know if something is flying, it is possible to check. This light is similar to that,"
"Then... these ships can look further than a Wind Dragon could?" asked Susanoo.
"It seems so. Yet, the intensity of their lights is much stronger. I presumed they indeed could look further than myself," said the Wind Dragon as he and his master ascended through the airspace of the Fenn Kingdom.
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KD Kedah's Bridge POV
"This is beyond science," said Captain Hassan inside the bridge of KD Kedah as he watched the wind dragons that were flying by using his binoculars.
"Yet, there's no doubt of it, Captain, since HMS Defender and KD Maharaja Lela also detected the presence of the Lourian dragons through their radars back during the Lourian conflict," said the radar officer.
The Wind Dragons of the Gahara Thearchy were sending out electromagnetic pulses that closely resembled radio waves, and their output was higher, making their presence able to be detected by the ships.
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Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. Observing Pavillion of the Military Demonstration Site, Fenn Kingdom
"Hmm... so those are the Royal Malaysian Navy's warships. KD Kedah and... KD Selangor are their names. They look like some sort of floating steel fortress, don't they?" King Shihan uttered as he observed the shape of KD Kedah.
"I cannot help but agree with you, Your Majesty. I've been to the Parpaldia Empire numerous times, and I've never seen any ships as large as those two," said Magreb, the knight captain of the Fenn Kingdom.
Floating before them is the Royal Malaysian Navy's KD Kedah and her sister, KD Selangor who represented the navy of the FPDA. For the past seven months, Kedah and her sisters were among the naval vessels along the four nations' that saw active service in monitoring the oceans of the north, west, and south of the Rodenius Continent. This is done following the increasing amount of regular troops that left service in droves as pirates preying on the merchant ships nearby.
In addition, Kedah, Perak and Terengganu were chosen to receive upgrades for their weapons under the particular conversion programme thanks to their 'fitted for but not with' characteristics. All three ships mentioned received the decommissioned Goalkeeper CIWS from the Royal Navy and the more advanced Sea Venom missiles procured from MBDA UK.
The said Sea Venom missiles were originally meant to be launched from a Wildcat helicopter, but given the current situation of the New World, the missiles were later modified so that they could also be launched from a canister. Due to its small size, Kedah, Perak and Terengganu can carry up to eight Sea Venom missile canisters.
"Your Majesty. Malaysia's warships should begin attacking our decommissioned ships any minute now," said Magreb.
With that, two Fennese men knocked the gong many times, gaining people's attention to focus on the attack that'll be commenced on their old vessels at any moment. At first, everyone was excited to see the two steel ships performing battle manoeuvres. Still, not even a single movement was noticed by them as the ships maintained a distance of 2 km between them and the wooden warships.
"That's weird... why wouldn't they move? Please don't tell me that they're going to attack from that distance," said Motam.
"That couldn't be... aren't they supposed to try and get closer beforehand?" said a man next to him.
Shihan felt something was not right and asked Magreb for his telescope. Carefully, as the Sword King adjusted the telescope to get a better view, he noticed the two ships' 76 mm OTO Melara naval guns traversed at their emplacement while the barrels aimed towards the four decommissioned wooden ships.
"They finally moved... using a magical cannon from the beginning?" thought Shihan as he lowered his telescope.
At that very moment, a puff of smoke rose from KD Kedah, trailed by the thunderous booms of the 76 mm naval gun as it unleashed a burst of HE shells towards the first two wooden ships. KD Selangor did the same thing on the second two wooden ships. In seconds, the target ships were rocked by fierce explosions, and spray and debris shot up into the air. All four targets had been blown up and sunk.
King Shihan and his aides, as well as the citizens of the Fenn Kingdom and officers from other countries outside the civilized area, were left speechless as they stared in amazement at the power that completely upended their previously held concepts of war. The two ships' naval guns' ability to fire many shots in a row, with no lagging added to their baffle.
"Whoa ho! This is beyond words! For their cannons to do such things is far off my imagination!" said Shihan.
"Now it all makes sense why the FPDA could win against the Lourian Eastern Conquest Navy... turned out that they possessed magical cannons that could fire multiple cannon balls at a time," said Magreb.
Not just the Fennese citizens who were filled with exclamation, Captain Susanoo and his Wind Dragon partner who was perching on top of a small hill too were perplexed by what they had just witnessed.
"In the name of the Divine Emperor of the Gahara Thearchy... What a frightening destructive power! Though I saw it with my own eyes, I still find it hard to believe! These two steel ships could conjure hurls of fireballs from their magical rods... Partner, how do I report what we saw to His Majesty?" said Susanoo.
Instead of answering what Captain Susanoo bargained for, his Wind Dragon partner informed him of somewhat alarming information.
"Err... Captain Susanoo. I can sense about twenty dragons flying towards the place we're standing from the West, coming in fast. It's the one bred by the humans,"
"The one bred by the humans? Could it be... No... No doubt... Those twenty dragons coming in fast from the West you mentioned are the Dragon Lords raised by the Parpaldia Empire for military purposes... In the name of the Divine Emperor, what are those Parpaldians up to? Aren't they supposed not to be here given that the Fenn Kingdom and the Parpaldia Empire have a strained relationship?" said Susanoo.
"That is something I'm also asking, Captain Susanoo. Yet, to say that the Parpaldians are up for bad intentions, I have no doubt of it... Should we inform this matter to King Sword His Majesty Shihan?"
"Better not, my partner. For we are here as a sign of goodwill by our nation. Yet, we must acknowledge our comrades that a conflict will soon take place beneath us all. Tell them to stay vigilant once they airborne above the sky of Amanoki. It is perchance that may be the reason why the Sword King invited us," said Susanoo.
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KD Selangor's Bridge POV
"For political reasons, it's pretty obvious that we shouldn't display our full prowess,"
"Meh... It's just a live demonstration after all. By the way... is it excellent with just this distance? Of course, they hit the targets..." said the officer in charge of manning the 76 mm OTO Melara naval gun of the ship.
As the two's conversation went unnoticed, the radar officer noticed an anomaly on the screen of the ship's radar - it detected twenty objects flying in close formation and moved in unison with a speed of 350 km/h from the west. Seeing this, he quickly informed Captain Husni.
"Captain. We've got visuals on our radar. Multiple bogeys inbound from the west. Strength - 20 units. They're still afar but we assumed them to be dragons," said the radar officer.
"Dragons... while it's clear that we have five dragons here in the Fenn Kingdom along with its riders present for the military demonstration has been confirmed by Mr Adil from a neighbouring friendly country, these coming from the west... It should be from one of the three civilisation zones," said Captain Husni who was observing from the bridge with his binoculars.
"What should we do, Captain?" asked the radar officer.
"Inform Kedah and Langkawi to prepare themselves for evasion manoeuvre. Whatever may happen, we must not be the first side to engage!" ordered Captain Husni.
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Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. The airspace of Amanoki, Fenn Kingdom
The twenty Dragon Lords belonging to the Parpaldia Empire's Imperial Oversight Army, led by Reckmeyer - a special A-class dragon knight of the Eastern Fleet of the Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, were within the range of Amanoki to conduct a punitive strike.
The oversight army aimed to demonstrate what happens to a country that dares to defy the Parpaldia Empire, and purposely chose to attack during the festival in front of all the present military officers.
It would also serve as an example of the damage that could result from provoking the Empire, or even just associating with a country that had done so. It all seemed fine for Reckmeyer and his subordinates at first as they soared through the sky until they noticed five Gaharan wind dragons present at the festival.
When the wind dragons looked over, the dragon lords, like mild-mannered teenagers being glared at by gangsters, meekly looked away.
"</Captain, the presence of the Gaharan wind dragons had caused ours to tremble in fear\>," said one of his subordinates through the helmet-mounted manacom.
"</Ugh... The wind dragons are within our expectations. That's it. All units, move to Plan B - fly straight to the military parade of these barbarians. Split into two groups. You lots will burn the coastal cities\>," said Reckmeyer.
The dragon lords scattered into two groups and began their assault, one dived sharply towards the Royal Castle, and the other one dived for KM Langkawi.
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KM Langkawi's POV
On the ship belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the crew members checked the ship's radar, as well as headed out of the bridge, and noticed that twenty Dragon Lords were separated into two groups - a group aiming for them, and the other one towards Amanoki.
"Signal bridge reports from KD Kedah - Twenty dragons of unknown nationality from the West inbound. A possible attack will happen. Prepare for evasion manoeuvre," said a maritime officer to his Captain.
The Captain started to feel uneasy.
"Order the helmsman to ignite the engine and go full speed ahead! All hands, prepare for evasive manoeuvre!" the Captain yelled.
The MMEA's offshore patrol vessel turned on its engines and watched the skies. KD Kedah had notified them of multiple incoming bogeys, but they were given no other information, and the crew stared confusedly at the Captain who looked very alert.
Simultaneously, the 20 Parpaldian Dragon Lords begin their aerial assault. Ten dragon lords, under the lead of Reckmeyer, launched a volley of fireballs at the top floor of the Castle of the Tree of Heaven, lighting the wooden roof on fire.
The other ten headed for Langkawi as it accelerated along with its roaring engine. The dragon lords unleashed their fireballs after one another towards the patrol vessel in its wake.
"Helmsman! Steer hard right!" yelled the Captain.
"Hard right! Aye, sir!" said the helmsman as he rotated the ship's steering gear to the right.
The ship immediately made a sharp turn to the right, and soon the fireballs directly hit the water near Langkawi, causing splashes of hot water and steam to rise afterwards as she performed the evasive manoeuvre.
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"What?! They were able to dodge almost all the fire blasts?!"
The ten dragon lords had pulled up from their dive and were flying horizontally now. Even though they were so close their attacks should have been unavoidable - the riders were all stunned that no hit managed to land on the patrol boat.
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The entire crew of Langkawi begins to bear tension, even though they were lucky that they escaped death. Despite their occupation as maritime enforcers, when it comes to this situation, they have no other choice but to get involved in real combat, and the good thing is that they've got a naval gun at their disposal given that KM Langkawi itself was once a Royal Malaysian Navy's OPV under the name KD Musytari.
"General quarters! All hands, man your battle stations! Engage the intruders as a form of self-defence!" the Captain ordered.
Langkawi's crew scrambled towards the port and starboard to man the 12.7 mm M2 machine guns along with the Bofors 57 mm naval gun traversing on its emplacement while its barrel trained towards the sky.
"All mounts! Local control! This is legitimate self-defence! Open fire!"
Using the image on the screen, they aimed the 57 mm naval gun at the flying dragons in the sky before they fired in unison. After firing a barrage, the barrel would automatically be raised to load new ammunition for a short period while those that manned the machine guns proceeded to engage the targets.
In the end, Langkawi killed all of the ten Dragon Lords with its riders in succession.
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While Langkawi was under attack, both KD Kedah and KD Selangor had also identified the dragon lords as enemies following their attack on the Castle of the Tree of Heaven. Raising its Goalkeeper CIWS towards the open sky infested by the Parpaldian dragons, Kedah unleashed a hail of 30 mm bullets that shredded six dragon lords, including Reckmeyer. The rest were gunned down by Selangor using its 76 mm OTO Melara naval gun.
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King Shihan and his aides had their mouths hung open. There was no mistake — the dragon lords were sent by Parpaldia. For the Fennese, driving off wyvern lords was an extremely difficult task. An entire squad of warriors wouldn't be enough, and their scales were too tough for arrows to pierce.
They would have to hit them by surprise with ballistae or use something like the legendary longbow Berserk Arrow. However, such a weapon required too much strength, there were probably only three people in the entire kingdom who could draw it.
Practically, it was deemed to be impossible to shoot down a battle-ready dragon lord if not a battle-hardened one. If any nation outside the civilized area could defeat even one dragon lord, they could be proud of their place in the world. It was unclear if the Fenn Kingdom was powerful enough to do so...
Plus, there were these Malaysians, who crushed a superpower's squadron of twenty elite dragon lords as simply as stepping on an injured fly that couldn't even move, and they suffered little to no damage at all. The white Malaysian ship on the other hand wasn't part of their navy - it was a law enforcement vessel.
At the Military Festival, all the visiting officers from other countries saw with their own eyes the might of Malaysia as the representative of the FPDA and how they defeated the fearsome Parpaldia Empire's elite dragon lords. They felt the sensation of history moving, of the world changing.
In all likelihood, those dragon lords were sent to the Fenn Kingdom on a punitive strike. In contrast, the possibility of the FPDA getting pulled into the conflict must have been the will of Heaven, much to Shihan's satisfaction as he watched the fire on his palace now in control.
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"These vessels are, indeed, beyond my understanding," said Captain Susanoo's wind dragon partner as the two watched from afar.
"Indeed, it is, my partner. Now... It's crystal clear that I'm going to have one hell of a report when we return to our kingdom," said Susanoo.
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Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet. The western coast of the Fenn Kingdom
Meanwhile, off the western coast of the Fenn Kingdom, lies 5 ironclad gunships namely Washinashi, Paos, Galiass, Mamiz, and Cummashro of the Phishanus-class ironclad along with 17 other ships-of-the-line vessels.
(The ships-of-the-line vessels)
(The Phishanus-class ironclad)
"Captain! Something seems off! We have lost contact with the dragon squadron,"
"Against a barbarian nation like the Fenn Kingdom? Unlikely! They must have goofed off somewhere," said the captain of Washinashi.
"The fact that the squadron hasn't returned is a message by itself," said an elderly man with narrow eyes and a gentle face, wearing a moustache. His outfit resembles a sort of 18th-century navy admiral frockcoat uniform with epaulettes.
Admiral Poquetoire
"Ah! Admiral Poquetoire!" The Captain of the Washinashi said before he saluted the admiral.
"Easy, young man. This situation itself can be pictured as a lion to the rabbit. We required no extra forces for this situation. No matter what happens to our wind dragon squadron, we must adhere to direct orders from Kyeos," said Poquetoire.
"Captain, order all of our ships to advance towards the Fenn Kingdom," ordered him.
"Aye, sir!"
With that, the steam engines of five ironclad gunships let out their might as they easily pushed the beasts forward whereas the 17 other ships-of-the-line vessels used the Tears of the Wind God to fill their sails with the wind as the entire fleet headed towards the Fenn Kingdom.
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Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. The waiting hall, Castle of the Tree of Heaven, Fenn Kingdom
"It seems like we've certainly stepped in it now..." Adil mumbled as he and other two Malaysian officials waited for the arrival of Sword King Shihan.
He was somewhat at a loss after observing the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency suppress the squadron of unknown origin that showed up to attack the Fenn Kingdom. They had somehow gotten involved in an international dispute... it seemed that the FPDA might be thrown into another conflict.
After a short time, Knight-Captain Magreb came to greet him along with King Shihan.
"Honored guests from Malaysia. Please allow me to express appreciation on behalf of the Fenn Kingdom. During the unexpected ambush earlier, your forces were incredibly adroit at exterminating the enemy forces," Magreb lauded solemnly with his head bowed low.
"Not at all, Sir Magreb. Our intention was not to repel the attacks on your country; we simply retaliated against an attack on our forces," replied Adil.
The delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tried to play off their involvement. The Fenn Kingdom was chomping at the bit to become an ally of the FPDA just like Qua-Toyne, Quila, and Topa but following the recent incident, things went complicated.
"Before we go further, I would appreciate that if you could answer this question. Do you know the perpetrator behind this sudden attack?" asked Adil.
"Unfortunately, yes. It was the oversight army of the 3rd Foreign Bureau of the Parpaldia Empire," said Magreb.
"Parpaldia Empire? The nation that demanded the southern forestland of this Kingdom as well as even bargained to lease it for 498 years so that they could bring their protection and seal an alliance?"
"Correct! You see... In the past, there was another country like ours that Parpaldia punished with their military. They ambushed their dragon riders and massacred them, eventually invading and conquering that country. Anyone who defied the Parpaldia Empire was executed; everyone else was enslaved and sold off to other countries. The entire royal family, including anyone who had royal blood, was skewered and left to rot in front of the royal castle," explained Magreb regarding the situation.
Adil and the other two Malaysian officials nodded.
"Perhaps a nuke would settle them off," thought Adil.
After being sent off with that horror story, the delegation made their way out of the palace and headed for the harbour.
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The harbour of Amanoki
At the harbour of Amanoki, the view of all the warships from all the countries outside the civilized area anchored there was magnificent. However, the Malaysian escort flotilla wasn't there as countries outside of the civilized area didn't have the harbour depth to accommodate their escort ships, so the Foreign Affairs officials used the MMEA's KM Langkawi to shuttle back and forth.
Langkawi was anchored at the harbour with their engines off, waiting for the Malaysian delegates. People nearby looked at them with shining eyes and waved their hands towards the crew who went out to take some fresh air, to which they replied in the same manner with stiff smiles on their faces.
"Oh... The suits of our foreign affair have arrived," said the Captain of Langkawi as he spotted Adil and the other two Malaysian delegates walking towards his vessel, accompanied by several Fennese soldiers.
"I begged your pardon for the delay, Captain," said Adil.
"It's okay, Mr. Adil. It's time for us to hit the sea and head back home," said the Captain of Langkawi.
"But... Beforehand. I need to talk with Captain Jarjit," said Adil.
With the Malaysian delegates on board, Langkawi started its engine and began to pry off from the harbour with the Fennese bid farewell to them by waving and cheering, as well as praying for their safety.
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Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet. The western coast of the Fenn Kingdom
"Ships ahoy! They're confirmed to be the Fennese Navy!" the rangefinder of the ironclad gunship Washinashi yelled.
Admiral Poquetoire and the Captain raced towards the roof where the spotter stood.
"How many of them?" asked Poquetoire as he prepared his telescope and looked through it.
"Thirteen, sir!" said the rangefinder.
Through Poquetoire's telescope, he saw in the distance where the thirteen ships in the Fennese navy, under the direct control of the palace, were patrolling the waters 150 km west of the kingdom.
"At this range, they should've been able to see us," the spotter added.
"Captain! Give the command to your subordinates, now!" said Poquetoire.
"Aye, sir!" said the Captain before he went inside and got himself to a nearby speaking tube.
"All hands! To your battle stations! We're going full broadside on our starboard!" the Captain ordered before he called for the manacom operator.
"Messenger,"
"Yes, sir?"
"Tell Paos and Mamiz to point their starboard towards the enemy ships - the three of us will go full broadside... And order the rest to split into different positions and if possible, try to engage the enemy forces,"
"Aye, sir!"
"Helmsmann! Prepare to take us into the fray! Make revolutions for five knots!"
"Aye, sir!"
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Fenn Kingdom's Navy
The thirteen Fennese ships consisted of wooden ships relying on the inefficiency of sails to move. If it was necessary to move while fighting, they had oars they could use to row. These ships were equipped with wooden shields, set up at regular intervals for protection against fire arrows, three ballistae for attacking enemy ship hulls and a pot of oil for their fire arrows.
The flagship Sword God, under the command of Commander Kushira, was bigger than all the other ships, and it had a cannon installed on the bow.
"We wouldn't have been able to fight their dragons... Yet, we're facing their fleet right now!" an officer behind Kushira exclaimed.
"Lucky for us that the wind direction is on our side! We can attack them before they can perform mano a mano with us," said Kushira.
"Commander Kushira. Is it possible for us to win against them?"
"Even against a superpower, we must fight! Just because our nation is small, doesn't mean that they can set their filthy feet on our homeland at their leisure. Plus, what should we fear of? Our ship has a cannon installed in the bow, and it can rip through any warships that we encounter in our path," replied Kushira confidently.
He couldn't be anxious in front of his subordinates. However, the commander was aware that the superpowers - the Parpaldia Empire, had 'gunboats' that were capable of destroying ships wholesale. The gears in Commander Kushira's head were turning as he tried to think about the possible outcome of their encounter until...
"Enemy ships! Dead ahead!" yelled lookout from atop the mast.
They could see the shadows of the ships on the horizon. The ships they observed through a telescope were far bigger and more advanced than the palace navy's ships, notably the ironclad gunboats.
Powered by the latest steam engines, the ironclad gunships were the most intimidating and baffling ones aside from the regular ships that used the Tears of the Wind God to propel their ships forward.
The enemy fleet slowly grew as they approached from the horizon; even in Commander Kushira's eyes, they were elegant, beautiful, and powerful. From how smoothly they each moved, it was clear how refined these ships were.
"Action stations! Action stations!"
The crew of the previously sighted Royal Fennese Navy scrambled to their weapons as the Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet made an appearance at the western coast of their kingdom.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! Form up with the Sword God at the front, and we'll plunge right in as a giant line!" ordered Kushira.
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Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet
The gun ports on the starboard of Washinashi, Paos and Mamiz opened, revealing a row of magical cannons aligned perfectly as they were pushed from inside.
"Heave-Ho! Heave-Ho!" The Parpaldian gunmen said as they prepared the cannons, now facing towards another of their ironclad gunships, not with the intention of friendly fire, but preparing to make the Fennese Navy face their inevitable fate.
"All hands! Local control! Target will be fine on our starboard!" The order from the captain of Washinashi sent from the speaking tube echoed through the hull of the ironclad. A similar command was given by the captain aboard Paos and Mamiz.
In unison, Washinashi, Paos and Mamiz turned their hull to the right side as their smokestack rattled while black smoke gushed out of it, with their guns ready to bear upon the Fennese fleet while the rest either stayed behind or moved in different directions.
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Fenn Kingdom's Navy
"What are those gunships trying to do?!" said Commander Kushira, wracking his brain to discern the intent behind the movements of the three ironclads.
It didn't take long for him to notice the magical cannons aligned in a row at the starboard of the ironclads.
"Tch! For the sake of the Sword King... They're going full broadside on us! We can't win this if we don't act fast!" thought Kushira.
"Sir! We're now within the effective range of their cannon! What should we do?" a subordinate reported to him.
"Engage them with our cannon! Even if it's us to be obliterated in the first place... Better a slim chance than none!" said Kushira.
"Aye, sir!"
Quickly, the Fennese personnel in charge of Sword God's cannon load a cannonball into the breech; now waiting for the command from Kushira.
"Sir! We're ready to engage! Target?"
"Aim for the middle one's square!" said Kushira, referring to the Mamiz.
"Aye, sir! Target; aim for the middle gunship's square!"
After a moment, Sword God's cannon was covered in smoke before a single loud sound reverberated over the ocean. With a powerful impact, the projectile slammed into the armoured hull of Mamiz, causing everyone inside the ship to experience a concussion wave that caused some of them to stumble back.
A visible smoke can be seen at the place of impact from the view of Kushira, but much to his shock, no penetration occurred when they cleared.
"We shoot her square... The cannonball did slam the hull... Yet no damage?" Kushira said in disbelief.
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Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet
"Up here! It hit her!" A Parpaldian gun loader of the Mamiz pointed at the place where the cannonball from the Sword God had landed, revealing the dented surface along with the broken wooden structure that acted as support as his comrades gathered to look.
On the spur of the moment, Mamiz's manacom crackled.
"</Washinashi to Mamiz. Washinashi to Mamiz. What's your status?\>" the voice of Washinashi's captain came.
"</Mamiz to Washinashi. Mamiz to Washinashi. We received little to no damage except for the starboard was dented by the enemy fire. Repeat, we received little to no damage except for the starboard was dented by the enemy fire \>" Mamiz's captain replied.
Aboard Washinashi, the crew are ready to retaliate along with Mamiz and Paos.
"It's time to show these barbarians what true firepower is!" said the Captain of Washinashi with vengeance and hatred filling his eyes while clenching his fist.
In response to the attack, the three Phishanus-class ironclad gunships discharged a full salvo on their starboard, raining the thirteen Fennese warships with their much more powerful magical cannons.
The rest two ironclads surrounded and attacked them from their port along with the 17 other ships-of-the-line vessels. Wherever a cannon shell fell, big pillars of water streamed up into the air. Under eight minutes of bombardment, the Fennese warships were decimated one-after-another following the heavy assault from the Parpaldian Imperial Oversight Army.
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Fenn Kingdom's Navy
A ship sailing behind the Sword God was hit by a cannon shell and exploded, knocking over the ship's pot of oil, which spread all over and caught fire, quickly immolating the entire ship. Fenn's elite sailors, with all their training, and their sword skills obtained through hellish effort, were now burning and rolling around the deck in horror.
"This... This can't be happening!" said Kushira as he watched his ships succumb to the cannon fires- many of them went up in flames before a sudden dread realization washed over him.
The number of warships, the presence of their ironclads, the power of their cannons, and the speed of their ships; everything was an order of magnitude higher than their ships.
"So... This is it... This is what it means to be a superpower!!!"
Commander Kushira's consciousness was lost forever when three cannon balls from Washinashi struck the bow of his ship where the cannon along with its ammunition were located, resulting in a massive explosion that opened up a giant hole in the deck, instantly turning it into a sinking wreck.
In the end, not even a single Fennese warship and its crew survived the onslaught.
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Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet
While everyone inside Washinashi was celebrating their success, Admiral Poquetoire on the other hand felt the opposite. Instead, he felt an uneasiness sprouting from inside of his mind.
"Why others are celebrating when I'm the only one feeling like something that is yet more dangerous is waiting for us?"
Then, someone called out his name which woke him up from his reverie. When he turned around, he saw the Captain of Washinashi.
"Admiral! Reports from Cummashro stated that thirteen ships in Fenn's navy had all been sunk. We had zero casualties, but Mamiz suffered small damage from the flagship's cannon," said the Captain.
Poquetoire simply nodded.
"Excellent, Captain. Yet... I'm not expecting the Fennese to own a cannon!" added him before he chuckled.
"That's the thing, Admiral... Words from my subordinates hypothesised that they might obtained it from any of the civilised areas, but rather old-fashioned compared to our cannons based on the damage to ironclad Mamiz," said the Captain.
"Alright, Captain. Order all ships to set course for Amanoki. I don't want a single second wasted," ordered Poquetoire.
"Aye, sir!" the Captain saluted as Poquetoire saluted him before he went down from the pilot house to check the morale of his fellow soldiers.
"What a lucky day for us! We'll be exercising some more gunboat diplomacy!" the Captain thought as a small, evil smile carved on his face.
The fleet, without losing a single ship headed for their next target.
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Central Calendar Year 1639, Month 11, Day 8. Deck of the Gurchan Singh, water adjacent to the Fenn Kingdom
Not far from the Fenn Kingdom, lies KD Gurchan Singh, the lead ship of RMN's Gurchan Singh-class Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS). These MRSSs were designed and built by the Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering company Damen Group.
Unlike other RMN ships, the MRSSs were named after the three non-Malay heroes during the Second World War - Gurchan Singh, better known as 'The Lion of Malaya' for his anti-Japanese information and public relations campaign throughout the Japanese occupation, Sybil Kathigasu, a nurse who supported the resistance during the Japanese occupation, and Albert Kwok, the ringleader of the 'Kinabalu Guerilla' and the mastermind behind the 'Double Tenth' revolution.
Aboard the Gurchan Singh, Adil can be seen talking with Captain Jarjit.
"So... You're telling me that the Parpaldia Empire isn't just sending twenty dragons - They also sent in their ships?" asked Adil.
"It's true, Mr. Adil. Our ScanEagle drone that went on for an aerial scout long ago detected an enemy fleet with the strength of 22 ships in total, where five of them are surprisingly... Ironclads. The fleet will likely attack the Fenn Kingdom just like the dragons did," said Captain Jarjit.
"In addition, Mr Adil. I received an order from the Minister of Foreign Affairs; you are to remain on the Gurchan Singh for your safety," added him.
"I see... Captain, I'm very sorry that events have come to this point..." said Adil with a regretful tone.
"It's alright, Mr. Adil. In the meantime, Kedah and Selangor will deal with the enemy if they proceed with their act of aggression," replied Jarjit.
"Do you think the invading Parpaldian can be kept off without causing any bloodshed? I don't want us to spark any conflict that will worsen the matter," asked Adil.
"That's a hard question to be answered, Mr Adil. Judging by the situation, there are unlikely chances that we can repel the Parpaldian without the mean by show of force," replied Jarjit.
After a moment of discussion on the spacious flight deck, the two headed off into the ship's quarters.
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Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet. The coast of the Fenn Kingdom
Admiral Poquetoire observed the eastern sea on the roof of Washinashi along with other officers. The skies were clear, but the breeze over the ocean was dry and pleasant. Currently, they are about 100 km from the Fenn Kingdom.
Everything seems tranquil for Poquetoire. It was a smooth journey and the cacophonous squawking of seagulls above their heads added to his relaxed demeanour after the encounter with the thirteen Fennese ships as his fleet made into the water of the Fenn Kingdom.
Yet, it was all about to change when he noticed two floating objects from the distance. He squinted his eyes for a moment and took his telescope; his eyes widened in surprise when he saw a pair of giant grey vessels without any sails cruise towards them.
It wasn't just Poquetoire who had such a reaction, several officers behind him including the Captain shared the same expression with him. They could only stare in shock and disbelief at what was before their eyes; two giant grey ships that were moving without sails, now at a distance of 2 kliks from their fleet.
"What are those huge ships!?" said Poquetoire, breaking the silence.
"They look like made of metal... Did the Fennese even possess ironclads in their hands!?" the Captain added.
"The two unidentified ships are getting close to us, sir!" the rangefinder said as the two vessels came nearer and began sailing parallel to their fleet.
"Admiral... What should we do?" asked the Captain.
Admiral Poquetoire just stared at the two ships, speechless.
According to the orders of the head of the 3rd Foreign Affairs Department, Kyeos, they were ordered to carry out a punitive attack on Fenn for not wanting to comply with the wishes of the Parpaldia Empire, and they were allowed to destroy whoever obstructed them in their path.
However, in front of him were two giant grey ships from an unknown nationality. Judging by their design, they did not belong to Fenn nor the other countries around the third civilization area.
Even so, considering the two ships belonging to the enemy forces, no matter how big it was, they couldn't possibly be superior to the 22 ships in a superpower's fleet. Plus, Poquetoire also noticed that each of the two ships was equipped with a single cannon barrel housed in a dome compared to his fleet which was far more armed, which reminded him of the Fenn navy's flagship that had a piece of such technology possibly obtained from the civilized areas.
With that, Poquetoire didn't consider the mysterious warships any threat at all, but an uneasy feeling started to rise inside him as if he could predict that something bad was about to happen. He was in deep thought when he heard the Captain order the messenger to tell the other ships to take down the two vessels.
"Wait, Captain!" Poquetoire exclaimed, but to no avail when everyone started to empty the deck of the roof. He took the last sight of the two grey vessels before heading back into the combat quarter.
Instantly, the frontal gun port of the ironclad gunships opened as they revealed the pivot magical cannon whereas the 17 other ships-of-the-line vessels used the Tears of the Wind God to fill their sails with the wind as they spread into different directions to get a clear shot onto those two grey vessels.
Once the grey vessels were within the range of their guns, only one word was uttered by the Captain of the Washinashi through the manacoms of every Parpaldian ship; "FIRE!"
The sound of cannons firing echoed over the sea. Overcame by confidence after obliterating the Fennese Navy as easily as stealing candy from a baby, the 22 ships in the Eastern Fleet of the Parpaldian Imperial Oversight Army threw all their might at the two RMN's offshore patrol vessels Kedah and Selangor.
"Su-Such magnificent view! Only two ships were coming straight at us yet we're attacking like there were thousands of them!" said Poquetoire as he watched the cannonballs fly towards the two ships from the small opening of the pilot house, much to the agreement of the helmsman that was next to him.
A small, evil smirk carved on the face of the Washinashi's captain as he witnessed the barrage.
"Let those barbarians know that this is the consequence for challenging a superpower!" thought him.
However, their shots were immediately missed after Kedah and Selangor accelerated their speed and managed to avoid all of the Parpaldia warships' shots, causing a mess of gigantic splashes of water all over as the projectiles failed to hit the two.
"Reporting! All shots... missed the target!" said the rangefinder.
Admiral Poquetoire and the Captain were very surprised to see these results, all their shots were missed at the moment the two ships dodged using their extraordinary acceleration and speed before they halted at about 3.5 km from them.
"The enemy ship has retreated outside the range of our magic cannons!" the rangefinder reported, again.
The face of the elderly Parpaldian admiral turned from pale to horror upon the realization that these two ships were able to move at a faster rate without the use of any sails, as evidenced by how quickly the enemy ships moved away from their fleet.
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KD Kedah's Bridge POV
Captain Hassan looked at the Parpaldian fleet through the glass, staring intently at the fleet.
"Sheesh! It seems like they're really serious about sinking our ship!" said the helmsman.
"Sir, what's your order?" the Chief Petty Officer next to Captain Hassan asked with anticipation.
Instead of giving the command, Captain Hassan asked the officer, "CPO, do you think we can pull this off?"
"I cannot guarantee any casualty, Captain. So let's do it carefully then... and for the rest, it's not a problem to immobilize them," said the officer.
"Then... What we're waiting for? Let's show them what we can do! Instruct Selangor to retaliate as well!" Captain Hassan responded before he grabbed the speaker.
"</This is the Captain speaking! All hands, to your battle stations!\>"
Then, the alarm of Kedah and Selangor sounded in unison. The officers returned to their respective seats and focused on the screen in front while waiting for the next command to act. The tense atmosphere was palpable in the room which was lit only by the light from the screen display, apart from a few dim lights. All diligently with their respective tasks.
At the same time, the 76 mm OTO Melara naval gun on the front bow of the ship spun and aimed at the ships of the Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet.
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Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army, Eastern Fleet
Admiral Poquetoire saw the two ships' naval guns were starting to move towards his fleet through his telescope.
"What in God's name are they doing? Are they trying to hit us from such range?" Poquetoire mumbled.
Generally, a magical cannon couldn't shoot a target placed at a distance of more than 2 km. Even if it managed to do so, its accuracy would be poor, meaning the possibility of missing the target was very high, so he didn't care much about it.
However, Poquetoire's assumption is turned into a pile of ashes when he hears a muffled explosion from the first Malaysian warship.
"One of the two enemy ships has fired at us!"
"What!? One of them engaging at us? You're not toying with me, right?"
However, his face immediately turned pale when a 76 mm shell hit right in front of the fleet, erupting into a giant pillar of water that washed over the pilot house of Washinashi and Paos.
"What a ridiculous power! How they can reach us from out there?!" yelled Poquetoire as he demanded an answer.
The admiral, captains, ship's officers, and all the crew were stunned at this display. An instant later, the second warship's gun sounded. This time, a burst of seven rounds was released towards the fleet and the ironclad Paos received the hit as the shells pierced the casemate, eventually igniting a chain reaction when the fire hit the compartment where the ammunition was stored. With a great explosion, Paos and her crew met their demise, and what remained of the ironclad settled to the bottom of the.
"Ironclad Paos has been destroyed! Repeat! Ironclad Paos has been destroyed!" A report came to the Admiral before another series of explosions was heard from the first warships. This time, a shell from Kedah struck the mast of the ship-of-the-line Mainmast while the rest pierced its starboard bow. Instantly, Mainmast and her crew sunk into their grave of fire and water.
"Another one! We've just lost the ship-of-the-line Mainmast!"
"!!!"
Poquetoire could only stare at the sinking ship in disbelief. He had completely misjudged the strength of the enemy ships in front of him. As far as he knows, the cannons used by the Empire and the rest nations in the civilised area have cannons that were sometimes very inaccurate, which led to the creation of the Ironclads. However, the two ships in the distance from his fleet had an insane amount of accuracy, faster reloading time and even could fire multiple shells at a time!
He knew that charging straight for the two ships would be suicidal but what could he do? The task given by the head of the 3rd Foreign Affairs must be heeded or else the dignity of the Empire would be scratched and he'll be accused as a traitor for not fulfilling the responsibility given.
Still, he realized that there were only two of them, and they had only a single cannon mounted on them. If he and his fleet charged at them while performing evasive movements, they would likely overwhelm them with their superior number and cannons.
Quickly, Poquetoire ordered his fleet to pursue the two ships and destroy them from close quarters - the remaining sixteen ship-of-the-line and the four ironclads begin their pursuit. His decision, however, turned into a deadly mistake when the smokestack of Cummashro was hit three times by Selangor's 76 mm gun before it lit up in a massive blast and scuttled.
The Goalkeeper CIWS of Kedah came to life, as it sprayed a hail of 30 mm bullets upon the ship-of-the-line, cutting their masts if not destroying them with ease as if mowing a field of grass to immobilize them.
The pivot gun of Mamiz recoiled as it fired a projectile to hit Selangor, only for it to receive devastating shots from Kedah when she sent four shells that destroyed the pilot house before eventually the interior and slammed the smokestack. Mamiz shared her demise with Cummashro and Paos.
"Admiral! We've lost the ironclad Mamiz!"
"This... this is preposterous!"
Now, the sea had turned into a chorus of distant weapons fire and the screams of the Parpaldian. The Tear of the Wind God on every single ships-of-the-line was activated to fill their sails with the wind and move quickly while carrying out evasive manoeuvres aside of trying to hit Kedah and Selangor, only for them to either have their masts blown off or get themselves sunken by the combination of 76 mm OTO Melara naval gun of the two RMN's OPV.
The attacks continued, a chain of impossible feats right before their eyes as the Parpaldian oversight army could do nothing but watch hopelessly as they were outmatched by merely two enemy ships' unparalleled accuracy while keeping their distances.
Eventually, the attack stopped with heavy casualties on the side of the Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army. It is confirmed that three ironclads and eleven ship-of-the-line were destroyed whereas the rest were immobilised as their masts were chopped down by the enemy fire, leaving only eight Parpaldian ships surviving.
Above the roof of Washinashi, Admiral Poquetoire and the Captain can be seen witnessing the scenery in shock and speechless. Previously, the Imperial Oversight Army had a moment of overwhelming victory against the Fennese Navy, and now they're experiencing an overwhelming defeat against two grey warships of unknown nationality with a capability beyond their comprehension.
"For such thing to happen... Is this a dream?" Poquetoire murmured.
They couldn't simply abandon their immobilized allies, and it was clear that, if this situation continued, there wouldn't be any ships that could sail by the end. From here, Poquetoire deduced that the enemy's objective was to halt their advance, and if they proceeded, they would receive a similar fate to their downed comrades.
With a reluctant heart, Poquetoire ordered the retreat as he acknowledged that this mission was a total failure. The ropes on each ship-of-the-line were tied either onto the submerged end of Washinashi or Galiass before the two ironclads towed them back to the waters of their nation.
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As the Parpaldian retreated, the crew of Kedah and Selangor celebrated their success against the enemy forces. After the Sulu militants intruded on Sabah in 2013 and the Great Naval Battle of Rodenius, the Royal Malaysian Navy carved a new chapter in its history and will be forever known by many as the Fenn Kingdom's Open Sea Battle.
Adil would later return to Amanoki via KM Langkawi and informed Motam about the success of KD Kedah and KD Selangor in repelling the Parpaldian that tried to enter their waters to harm them, much to the please of Motam and King Shihan. As a gratitude, Shihan awarded a wakizashi-like sword to the captain of Kedah and Selangor, which will be represented by Adil himself.
The repulsion of the Parpaldia Imperial Oversight Army by the RMN spread among the military officers visiting from countries outside the civilized areas. While they were still overshadowed by the terrifying sight of the two steel grey ships, they also wondered if they could ally themselves with Malaysia and, eventually the rest nations of the FPDA.
They wondered, if their own countries became friendly with Fenn, and by extension of the FPDA, maybe they could get out from under Parpaldia's thumb - freed from having to condemn their citizens to slavery and gifting their land away...