The leaders were debating whether they would surrender to the fleet of Krassian warships currently besieging their atoll. River had only listened for a short while before wandering off. She didn’t like this at all. How could they do that? Mikaela had promised that she would protect them hadn’t she? And everyone knew that no one could stop her and her crew. The Krassians was lying when they said she had run off and left them. Mikaela would not do that River told herself. She had promised she wouldn’t leave River behind.

“Approaching position Captain.”
“Repairs?”
“…….We are battle ready.”

River climbed up to her favourite looking spot high on one the towers dotting the wall that surrounded the atoll. Looking out over the surrounding sea, she started to count the ships in the Krassian fleet. Nine destroyers, six cruisers, 2 heavy cruisers and the Krassian giant flagship the Tyrant, fully 700 meters in length and bristling with armaments, it was said that it was the most powerful warship sailing the seas, baring the few remaining carriers that had been built.

“Ensign!”
“Yes Admiral, Sir?”
“We have given them enough time to decide, broadcast the ultimatum again and tell them that if they don’t surrender immediately we will open fire.”
“Yes Admiral.”

“River?! You shouldn’t be up here! Get down to the others right now!”
River spun around at the sound of the angry voice and looked directly into the face of Deren, one of the guards and protectors of the atoll.
“Why? Aren’t the elders going to surrender anyway?!” She yelled back at him. She was 16 now and if it weren’t for the thickheadedness of the guard captain and elders she would already be in guard training. Of course, that hadn’t stopped her from training on her own and she knew that she could probably take Deren in a straight fight.
“Since it seems that the Shadow Angel has deserted us yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe for a girl to be up here.”
“If those ships start firing it won’t be safe anywhere and you know it. I just wanted to see it. And she has Not deserted us! She wouldn’t do that!”
“Oh? Why is that? Because she promised not to? River she’s a pirate, they can never be relied upon, she is probably a thousand miles away by now.” They were down on the wall now, Deren dragging her by the arm.
“No! She isn’t like the rest, she’s different. She…… she promised she wouldn’t leave me….”

“Ronja?”
“In position Captain.”
“Good. Begin ascent, lock targets as soon as you can. All hands to battle stations.”

Deren sighed and put his arm around Rivers shoulders and was about to say something dumb and comforting when the speaker systems on the Krassian fleet came alive again.
“Attention citizens of the atoll Iriams Rock. We have given you your three hours to think over our offer. Now the mighty admiral Jormal demands that you surrender to the glorious Krassian Empire. If you do not we will take you by force. You have 30 seconds to respond.”

“Fuck! River get out of here now!”
“No! She promised she would be here!”

“Targets locked, marked and in range in 5 seconds, awaiting order to fire.”
“Arm all weapons.”

“Targeting towers for first strike…. We are ready to fire Admiral.”

“Please be here…”

“Fire!”

“Fire!”

River screamed and threw herself flat as the tower they had come down from exploded in a ball of fire. Picking herself up and looking around she saw that Deren was dead, killed by shrapnel that had torn his back to shreds. Picking up his rifle and ammo bandolier, she crawled up to the outer wall.

“All hands, prepare for emergency blow!”
“10 seconds to first impact.”

On one of the Krassian cruisers, a sonar operator turned to his captain with a troubled look on his face.

“6”

“Captain, I’m picking up something. It’s very faint but it sounds almost like…. Whispering.”
The captain’s eyes widened and he immediately turned to his coms officer, his face pale.

“3”

“Signal the fleet. Torpedoes in the water. I say again. Torpedoes in the water. We are under attack by the Shadow Angel. All hands brace for impact!”

“1”

Standing on the wall River had an excellent view of the legend now unfolding. Three of the destroyers and two of the cruisers in the midst of the Krassian fleet suddenly rocked as if they had been hit and started to sink.
“I knew you’d come”

“All targets well struck.”
“Torpedo room reports second salvo in the tubes and ready to go.”
“All missile tubes are loaded and ready.”
“5 seconds to surface.”
“Brace, brace, brace!”

The Shadow Angel broke through the surface like a giant sea monster from the old legends, fully half of her 200 meter long body shooting up into the air before coming crashing down again.
She had barely hit the water before the hatches on the missile tubes opened, revealing their deadly cargo of surface-to-surface missiles.
“Report!”
“Captain. Emergency blow successful, missiles tubes armed and free to go, RFMs coming online as we speak and new targets are locked and marked.”
“Fire first salvo.”
“First salvo has left the tubes and is running true. Second salvo ready in 15 seconds.”
“RFMs, suppressing fire on nearest ships. Torpedoes, give me a firing solution for the Tyrant.”

“Admiral! It’s the Shadow Angel! She’s ambushed us!”
“I can see that you imbecile. Damage report?”
“Sir. The Gods Grace and Impervious were both struck by the initial torpedo wave and is sinking. We’ve also lost 3 of the destroyers.”
“She’s firing STS missiles sir! 2 more destroyers are hit and burning. They got the Donau! Missiles impacting all over her.”
“Order to all remaining ships; Engage the Shadow Angel. The two remaining destroyers next to her are to supply suppressing fire until the rest of the fleet can come about. Furthermore…”
“Admiral. The two destroyers are reporting that they are being bombarded by light but rapid mortar fire from the Shadow Angel, they are unable to provide effective fire support.”
“Damn it! Both heavy cruisers are to form up with the Tyrant. Engines to half power, take us in and prepare to fire broadsides. The Vengeance is to pass on her port side and the Invincible on her starboard. The Tyrant is to run straight for her, firing as we go.”
“Yes Sir!”
“NO ONE humiliates the might of the Krassian Navy and gets away with it.”

“Fire second salvo.”
“Second salvo away Captain. Missiles running true.”
“Torpedoes?”
“No can do Captain, those two cruisers are blocking the Tyrant.”
“Then fire on the cruisers, coordinate your fire with missiles and take out all the remaining cruisers.”
“Aye Captain. Torpedoes have targets marked as blue one and two, targets locked.”
“Missiles have target marked as blue three, estimate half a missile salvo will be sufficient. Target locked.”
“Fire!”
“Fire Aye. Torpedoes away.”
“Missiles away.”
First Officer Ronja took a step back to better observe the performance of the ship and its all female bridge crew. What she saw made her proud, the crew were trained to be the best and countless battles and raids had made their teamwork perfect.
She surveyed the bridge and listened to the damage reports caused by enemy fire that were now starting to come in.
“Captain. The Tyrant has begun firing. Port missile tubes 3 through 6 taken out by sporadic fire from the remaining cruisers. Flooding tubes and securing missiles now.”
“The front ballast tanks are hit! Dive and depth capability down to 19%.”
“Incoming fire from one of the heavy cruisers….. they’ve hit the starboard RFM battery. The battery is offline and we’ve got a hull breach ranging from section red 5 all the way to yellow 1.”
“Captain. The Tyrant and the two heavy cruisers are moving. Estimates show that the cruisers will try to pass on either side of us.”
“The Tyrant?”
“Coming right for us. What do you want us to do?”
Everyone on the bridge was now looking at the Captain. She just stood there motionless, her eyes fixed on the 3 dimensional image of the battlefield being displayed by the ship in front of her. Another captain in the same situation might have considered surrender. But as she raised her gaze no one who saw her had any doubt that nothing like it had even entered her mind. The fire in her eyes matched her red hair as she gave her orders.
“Load remaining missile tubes with subsurface missiles, load armour piercing torpedoes, no one fires until I say so.”
Being second in command Ronja asked the question everyone was wondering about.
“What’s you’re plan Captain?”
Turning to look at the person who not only was her next in command but also closest friend Mikaela smiled.
“Wait and see. Helm!”
“Aye, Captain.”
Mikaela walked over to her two helmsmen, a pair of sisters, both with black hair and marked features that could make the 400 ton sub move as gracefully as a dancer.
“Lydia, Valerie, I need you to give me a crazy Ivan.”
The sisters looked each other in the eye, totalling up damage and the stress such a manoeuvre would put on the already weakened hull. Then they both smiled the same identical smile before turning back to their posts and answering.
“Aye aye, Captain.”
“With pleasure.”

“Admiral. The Shadow Angel has changed course, she’s coming right for us.”
“Ha! Challenging us is she? We will accept. Helm hold course. See to it that everyone will be in the right position at the right time. And no one fires until I give the command to do so.”
“What? But Admiral...”
“Are you questioning me?!”
“No sir!”
“Good, then follow orders. This is a matter of honour.”
“Yes sir.”

“They’ve stopped firing Captain.”
“Perfect. Proceed with the plan. Prepare the ship.”
“Everything is being stowed and tied down as we speak.”

“She hasn’t changed her course Admiral.”
“Of course she hasn’t. She knows she’s already dead and wants to face it head on. Why would she then turn away from it?”
“Yes sir.”
“How long?”
“20 seconds until she’s in the killzone.”
“Wonderful, open fire on my command.”

“Captain?”
“Just a little longer….”
“12 seconds until we reach the killzone.”
“Just a few more seconds…”

“10”

“8”

“6”
“Emergency dive!”
“Aye, Captain!”

“Admiral! The Shadow Angel is diving!”
“What?!”
“She’s diving sir!”
“The Vengeance and the Invincible are asking for permission to fire.”
“Fire! Use depth charges and sink that bitch!”
“It’s too late. She’s to close, we would hit the Tyrant.”
“Damn her! Ready aft batteries for when she surfaces.”

“Hull breach in sector yellow 3, 2 and red 1. Partial flooding in those sectors!”
“Seal them!”
“Aye.”
“How much longer?”
“We will be directly bellow her in 4 seconds.”
“Prepare to fire.”
“1, 0.”
“Fire missiles!”
“Missiles away.”
“Brace for shockwave!”
“Aye, brace.”
The massive submarine rocked along her entire length as the shockwave from the close range missile salvo hit her. New warning lights added to those already blinking as bulkheads and weakened hull segments gave away to the water.
“Report!”
“It worked! Missiles have blown out the Tyrants keel, one even got a few of her generators. She’s sinking like a rock.”
“Us?”
“We’re barely operational Captain. We now have flooding in one third of the ship and 70% of our missile tubes are offline.”
“Torpedoes?”
“Still operational and awaiting your command.”
“Fire all of them at the heavy cruisers on my mark.”
“Yes Captain. Both targets locked and marked. Will reach optimal range in 5 seconds.”
“Lydia, Valerie. Crazy Ivan now. Everyone hold on to something.”
“Aye Captain.”

“The Tyrant is gone, Commander!”
“Come about to starboard! Coordinate with the Invincible, she’s to badly damaged to stay under much longer. As soon as she surfaces we will hit her with everything we got.”
“Yes sir.”
“Sonar, give me an estimate.”
“Unclear sir. Too much interference from the Tyrant.”
“Tell me the minute you hear anything.”
“Yes sir.”
“Sir…”
“Yes? Are they ascending?”
“Yes sir but there’s something strange… it almost sounds like she’s trying to make a loop.”
“What?! Oh no they’re doing a crazy Ivan. Everyone open fire as soon as you have a target.”

Ronja held on to the hand rails in the roof as the world turned upside down and started to spin. The bridge was now bathed in the blinking red light of the alarms. The ship groaned and shuddered around her as it first made a loop on the spot and then rolled itself right again. With all the alarms and the screaming protests of the hull it sounded like the ship would tear itself apart any second. The manoeuvre only lasted seconds but it felt like hours. And then it was over.
“Torpedoes?”
“3 tubes damaged and offline Captain, the rest are still ready to go.”
“Targets?”
They are turning for a broadside. We have optimal range and firing solution.”
“Fire!”
“Fire, aye. Torpedoes have left the tubes.”
“Guidance?”
“All five torpedoes are running true. Time to impact 12 seconds.”

“Torpedoes in the water! 2 are heading for us and 3 for the Invincible.”
“Evade?”
“Not a chance sir. Impact in 8 seconds.”
“Brace for impact!”
“Yes sir. Brace for impact.”

The Invincible was struck by all three torpedoes along her hull, blowing gaping holes in her just at the water line and flooding her engine and generator compartments, resulting in secondary explosions as the water short-circuited the electronics, leaving the ship powerless.
The first torpedo that struck the Vengeance hit her aft, taking out her propellers and started partial flooding of those compartments. The second went in right after the first, it’s on board guidance systems steering it straight into hole blown in the ship and onward into the generator room. The resulting explosion tore the mighty ship in half.

“All targets taken out Captain.”
The mood on the bridge was approaching jubilant now. They had stared death in the face but once again their Captain had lead them through insurmountable odds and gotten them out victorious on the other side.
“Dock with the atoll and begin repairs. We will have to make sure we don’t break apart on the journey home. I also believe we have a new crew member to pick up.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”