What happens when a fanatical Uboat crew intercepts an Equestrian convoy.
Putting a fanatical Uboat Crew into Equestria with their submarine fully armed and fueled does not work in any circumstance. But here it is, a Second World War Uboat, plopped into the middle of an Equestrian merchant convoy.
The sea is a a sailor's paradise. No matter how calm or rough the sea is, the sea will always be a sailors natural habitat and escape from the toils of life on land. It was pure freedom. But sometimes, the sea could turn rough. Rough seas are normal, but not this type of rough. This type of rough seas only comes with human input... War.
From the first conflict between man to this latest world wide conflict, the seas were always made rough by war. From the beginning, it was simple boarding or firing arrows at each other from short distances. Now, submarines lurked the depths silently stalking their targets while surface ships threw salvos of high explosive and armor piercing shells at each other as aircraft droned overhead. With each century, naval warfare kept on becoming more advanced. Gone were the volley fires of cannons on galleons and in with the torpedos of submarines.
For Captain Friedrich Zimmern, no thoughts of if he would ever make it home came to mind. He had a duty, not only for his countrymen but also to his Führer and his party. The Amerikaner and Engländer bombed his Nation mercilessly while the once mighty armies were being pushed back to the borders of the Reich. He had always wanted to play a part in the war but when it had started in 1939, he was still in secondary school, almost about to graduate. His parents wanted to see him go into a university and stay out of the war. He knew that was not right. The party was right. It was his duty as a loyal German to fight for his country by any means necessary. So here he now stood, 5 years later, on the top of his Type IXC submarine, ready to sink any enemy cargo ship transporting goods to destroy his country and his countrymen.
His crew was sound in both their drive to fight and their ideological pride in the National Socialist belief. His first officer, Michael Dietrich was a young man just like Zimmern. However, Dietrich came with experience from 3 past patrols in his previous stint. Short and stocky, one could mistake Dietrich for a Swabian or Bavarian, especially with his accent. But funnily enough, he was a Saxon. How he was a Saxon with such features went beyond Zimmern's capability to comprehend. Also how Dietrich had not been promoted to command his own U-Boat was strange enough. When Zimmern finally passed his officer training after serving as a Gunner on an E-Boat and was transferred to the U-Boat fleet, he found himself doing menial staff officer work until a promotion and new command was given to him. But all of that seemed like a distant memory. A memory that needed to be put down. He had a job to do. A duty to his country, his people, his party, and his Führer.
As the U-Boat sailed through the North Atlantic, a brewing storm caught the eye of the lookouts.
"Herr Captain, a storm is forming in front of us!" Called out one of the lookouts.
"Hm... Get me the navigator Krauss, I want to know where we are. That storm does not look very good at all." He told the lookout, peering through his binoculars at the storm.
"Jawohl, Herr Captain!" Lookout Krauss said as he made his way down into the U-Boat.
A few hours later, Zimmern found himself back inside the U-Boat as it sloshed and churned through the rough seas of the storm. While he sat in his small quarters, his men were lounging in their bunks as they waited for the storm to pass while the hydrophone operator sat at his desk, ever diligently listening for any contacts. Within the next few hours, the U-Boat crew would unknowingly travel to a new world.
*** *** ***
The Equestrian Sea, a true sailor's paradise. From Manehattan to the Griffon Coast, the Equestrian Sea was a lifeline of commerce between the nations who possess a coastline on the large ocean. Cartographers had already mapped out the ocean and sea lanes long before his time, but still... the vastness of the ocean always took his mind away from life on the mainland.
Sea Breeze was a seasoned cargo Captain. For nearly 3 decades, he sailed under the Equestrian Banner, 25 years in the Navy, and the rest as a merchantpony. Though being in the merchant business was not as exciting being in the navy and captaining your own floating fortress armed with 14 inch guns (which he happily did so for 4 years), the joy of being at sea was still there.
Sitting in his chair on the bridge of the ship, he had the ship's manifest in one hoof and a fresh cup of coffee brewed with a good Manehattan blend in the other hoof. His ship, the SS Lapsis Taylor (to this day he would never know who or what thought that was a good name for a ship), was a fairly well rounded hybrid of sorts. She had the capacity of a cargoship but could also carry passengers in a very comfortable interior lush with the finest furniture that the company, the Lunar Star Line, could afford to furnish their ships with. Just under 12,000 tons, she was by no means the largest merchant/cargo ship. Heck, she was actually a few decades old but she still kept on sailing, albeit at the rather slow speed of 14 knots during regular runs. But due to the increase in pirate activity lately, safety speed was disregarded and a convoy system was introduced.
Currently, the Lapsis Taylor found herself not indulging in a pleasure cruise/cargo run but instead found herself in a convoy escorted by numerous destroyers of the Equestrian Navy carrying relief material for the Griphons, who have once again found themselves in serious financial trouble and are also recently reeling from quite a nasty earthquake. All in all, it was supposed to be a routine trip in calm seas. But even at sea, the Pegasi cannot control nature.
"Captain, looks like a storm is brewing up." Said his first officer, Riveted Keel. He was all and all a good crewmate to have. He was loyal, outgoing, and even had a sense of humor that he apparently picked up from the Navy as well.
"Aye... Make sure Sparky keeps the radio and Moose system on and monitored at all times, I don't want any accidents to occur in that storm." He ordered.
"On it Sir." Riveted said as he snapped a salute and made his way to the radio room.
The crew of the Lapsis Taylor were mostly navy veterans and reserveponies. The Lunar Star Line tended to hire those who were already trained which served to not only strengthen their image but also make sure that their accident rates were kept low. In his time in command of the ship, he had never had a serious incident occur thanks to the strict naval discipline that was enforced at all times while on-duty. Bear in mind though, after hours, naval discipline broke down as always but they never caused serious problems. If anything, the crew enjoyed a good prank every now and then, which Sea Breeze did not mind at all. If anything, it made the crew more of a family... A large, albeit mixed, happy family.
Sitting in his chair, he looked through the glass of the bridge, thinking about his crew, unaware of what was lurking in the deep.
*** *** ***
"Captain! I have something over the hydrophone!" Yelled Steiner, the hydrophone operator.
"Is it close?" Zimmern asked. It only took a few seconds for Steiner to answer.
"Ja, it is almost like we are on top of them. From the sounds of it, we may have found a convoy." Steiner said with an enthusiastic tone.
Though Steiner was a veteran of 4 patrols, never had the submarines he had been stationed on been able to sink any ships. Some of the crew started calling it the Steiner curse but that rumor was all but forgotten when word of the convoy spread around the ship.
From that moment, the ship's crew began to move around getting ready at their stations. The torpedo tubes were being primed and loaded as the the deck gunners went up to the conning tower to help the lookouts. Though the sea was still too choppy for the deck gun to be used, the gunners could still be used to help spot. Deep in Zimmern's mind though, he was slightly worried. This was technically his first actual combat experience. Life as an E-Boat gunner could only get exciting if any enemy aircraft were spotted. This now... This was different, now he was in his own command, ready to sink any allied scum that dare transport war material to be used against his country. Now... It was his time.
Forgetting about his bout of nervousness, Zimmern dinner his Captain's cap and his coat and made his way up the conning tower. There with him was his crew, a crew that was new to him, but also a crew that treated him as family. A good crew. He knew it was his duty to protect his crew, and protect he would. He did not know what he was in for though.
It has been hours since the storm has stopped. By now, night had fallen. Amidst the dark ocean, only the only source of light was the moon shining high above the sky with the stars only providing a backdrop to the darkness. Sailing through the calm seas, Zimmern's U-Boat searched for their target. Steiner was still picking up the convoy on the hydrophone so the crew knew that it could not be far. Ever the vigilant young officer, Zimmern himself was up-top with Dietrich and the lookouts, eyes pushed deep inside his binoculars.
"Your first time doing this?" Dietrich said out of the blue. The question nearly startled Zimmern but over the course of the weeks that he knew the man, he felt compelled to tell the truth.
"Ja, how could you tell?" He admitted.
"Simple, you seem confident in yourself... a light in this darkness we face." He said in a cynical manner.
"What do you mean by that Dietrich?" Zimmern asked, now curious.
"This whole war... all of it. Do not get me wrong, the kommunist scum deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth, but this war... I am tired of it all." Those words shocked Zimmern.
"You would do good to keep your voice down if you are going to utter those comments, those are treasonous words you know." Zimmern warned. Well, half of him nearly wanted to through Dietrich overboard. Those words went against everything the party had taught. It was almost like Dietrich did not believe in the final victory.
"Don't mind me, I am just a sailor, not a party member or Gestapo agent." Dietrich chuckled. The words stung and Zimmern cringed inwards at the jab and he wanted to lash out. His judgement got the better of him and he decided to fall silent instead of speak his mind, subordinate officer or not. He had a job to do, not a reprimand to file through with.
For next few hours, nothing changed. The stars kept on shining above the U-Boat as it sailed towards the sounds of ships coming from the hydrophone. Eventually, lights were spotted among the reflections of stars and slowly, the U-Boat pressed on not only to meet it's target, but it's destiny.
*** *** ***
If there was one thing that the Lapsis Taylor was truly known for in her old age, it was her impressive lighting system. For as old as she was, the night sky always made the old hybrid liner look somewhat majestic as it sailed through the ocean, especially with all lights blazing. She still couldn't match up to the newer and significantly larger Marenard Liners like the Princess Platinum or the recently retired Celestic class ocean liners that were built for the Lunar Star Line.
But still, what pony needed to sail on an Ocean Liner as brightly lit as the city of Manehattan is when every single light is on. There was no grace, it just looked like a floating spot light. The Celestic and other Lunar Star Liners did it right though. The decks were well lit, floodlights lit up the lower half of each funnel to give off a more ominous and foreboding effect during the night, and each porthole was Equally lot quite well, and light from the outer lights of the ship never managed to reach the cabins inside. It was not spectacular, but it worked and kept the mood of an Ocean Liner being a ship that goes from point A to point B, not a ship that is a party cruise for young couples to party all night on.
The thought of it all passed away with the slight gale that was coming over the port bow as Sea Breeze stood on the left bridge wing. As like all nights at sea, the temperatures tended to drop quite quickly and the breeze only made certain that he was going to head back into the comforts of the ship's interior once he finished witnessing the naval maneuver right in front of him.
About 3 minutes earlier, the ponies on the destroyer ENS Starswirl finally managed to get their hydrophone and sonar working after apparently, some clumsy sea pony decided to accidentally spill their morning coffee all over the new equipment. To add insult to injury, the Starswirl was the only destroyer that was escorting the convoy that was actually equiped with the technology as all the other destroyer escorts were outdated and recently pulled out of the "reserve fleet". The reserve fleet was basically the limbo between scrapping or conversion for navy ships. Due to budget constraints though, none of the ships in said fleet were ever upgraded with even the slightest newer variations in equipment. Their only saving grace was the fact that the Navy had enough money to simply maintain the equipment that the ships already had so nothing was broken. But back to the Starswirl.
Once the ponies on the Starswirl fixed the hydrophone, they picked up a contact a few miles Southwest of the convoy. At first, it was thought to be another merchant vessel but when the radio and moose code signals were used, nopony responded. Pegasi scouts were sent to the approximate location but nothing was found. That was when the Navy began to worry so they decided to send the Starswirl and a couple destroyers to go hunt down the missing contact. What they did not know was that they had sealed their fate in doing so.
*** *** ***
Diving is something that never brings joy to a submariner. But when the U-Boat began to get within viewing range of the convoy's ships, they had no choice. So there it was, sailing through the depths of the sea, lurking beneath the waves, getting ever closer to it's targets. Zimmern had his head nearly glued to the periscope as he searched for contacts. While he was doing that, Dietrich was listening in on the hydrophone with Steiner. The rest of the crew was on high alert and was at each and every one of their stations. Tension was as high as ever. Suddenly, Steiner heard something over the hydrophone.
"Herr Captain, I have a contact approaching. It sounds like a destroyer." He whispered. Turning his body with the periscope, he swivelled around until he saw the target. There, bearing straight towards them, a destroyer with all of it's lights blazing came into view.
"Ja, I see it. It looks like an American Fletcher Class. Dietrich, can you verify this?" He asked, head still glued to the periscope. When Dietrich came over, he made way so he could have a look at through the periscope.
"Ja... I can see it. She doesn't look like she is on alert yet. No Dummkopf would leave his lights on in a war." Dietrich stated.
"That is the Americans for you. Those pigs can only sit on their asses and bomb us from above instead of fight a war like a real man. It goes to show how stupid they are compared to us Germans." Zimmern said. With that, the crew had a good, albeit brief, laugh at their enemies from above. Dietrich however, did not laugh and kept his eyes peering through the periscope.
"I think we can evade her Here Captain." Dietrich said. For a while, Zimmern thought of the idea but relented. A destroyer sailing in open water without even turning her lights off was a target too good to pass up on, especially since it was sailing in a straight line.
"Nein, prepare to flood tubes 1 and 2, we will sink her and the Dummkopf commanding her. Then, we will evade and make our way up to the rest of the convoy." Zimmern ordered. For a moment, Dietrich looked like he was going to say something but he relented.
"You heard the Captain, flood tubes 1 and 2. Prepare to fire on his mark." Dietrich relayed. With that, the U-Boat suddenly burst into activity as every man prepared for the upcoming battle.
*** *** ***
It had been 30 minutes past and the 3 destroyers had still not found anything. By now, most of the merchant ships had begun to fall into a tighter formation with each other as they waited for the all clear over the radio and moose telegraph. For Sea Breeze, he decided to take one step further and had all lights below the hull and cabin lights in the super structure turned off. He kept the deck lights, the floodlights on the funnel, and the navigation lights on for the sake of not having a ship ram him but if he could, he would've turned those off too.
The whole situation just didn't seem right to him. As a seapony who served in the Navy for the better half of his life, he knew from experience that caution was to be taken. It seemed like no other pony in charge of their ships had that feeling though as they kept their lights blazing brightly.
Sighing, Sea Breeze sought to return to the crew mess to geta cup of coffee before he returned for the final night watch before he turned in for bed. When he was about to put his hoof on the door handle though, the sound of an explosion broke the eerie silence of the sea. All around him, spotlights and Pegasi began to shoot up in the air as seaponies began to flock the decks to witness what had just happened. When he made his way to the stern, he finally saw what had just happened.
The Starswirl had just blown up.
After a few minutes of shock and pandemonium across the deck, Riveted Keel finally turned up in the swarm of sea ponies dashing to prepare the lifeboats and signal flares.
"Captain, what happened? I just heard an explosion and..." Riveted became quiet as he made his way slowly towards the edge of the stern railing to see the Starswirl slowly slip into the waves as the 2 destroyers that went with it to investigate made their way towards the sight of the carnage.
"Wha... What do we do now Captain?" Keel asked, slowly recovering from the shock.
"Get Sparky on the line and get him in contact with the admiral." Sea Breeze ordered.
"Sir, the rear admiral is most likely thrashing in the sea dammit!" Keel pointed out.
"For Celestia's sake I know that! That is why the admiral needs to know!" Sea Breeze nearly yelled. For a moment, Riveted Keel's face wore an expression of shock and worry as he looked at his Captain's face and pondered over the order. Sea Breeze wasn't mad at his first officer for doing so though, as he knew that even so much as mentioning the admiral was something that many did not want to think about. But the fact remained, this was a serious situation and nopony could contact the Elements of Harmony so the next best choice was the admiral. Once Riveted Keel broke out of his shock, he hastily saluted and made his way over to Sparky in the radio room to relay the orders. Deep in the back of his mind though, Sea Breeze felt a fear he had not felt in a long time and worried if he had made the right decision.
Over the dark waves of the sea, distress calls in all forms of modern communication flowed out in all directions. One specific message however, traveled only 60 miles due north east of its origin point to reach its target. "What is its target?", one might ask. That has been more or less a secret that only the higher echelons of the Equestrian Navy up to the Princesses themselves only know. Not even the nobility knows this secret, as one can only imagine how large their mouths may become when at official events.
As the message made its through the chain of command, it passed through many hands and saw many faces until it came into the hand of "The Admiral". Upon seeing the message, the old sailor ordered his ship at full speed and to proceed towards to message's point of origin. He could only imagine the slaughter that was to commence.
*** *** ***
30 Minutes Later
Flames lapped over the oil-slicked seas as the sinking ship's boilers blew up and split the ship in half. Sea Breeze watched as the bow and stern bobbed over the flames for a few minutes as the Lapsis Taylor and the other ships within the convoy sailed full speed away from the point of attack. Never in his life did he ever want to see such a thing happen again since his time in the Navy, but there he stood, awestruck at the sight as the glow of the flames provided the only visible light that illuminated the darkened Lunar Star Liner.
As the Lapsis Taylor sailed with every boiler lit, she was still going at a slow pace due to her outdated propulsion system. Still, she was making 15 knots, which was amazing as a whole. But the threat of being caught by whatever beast that was plucking ships from the sea was still near and her slow speed could make her an easy target. As soon as the convoy was clear of the sinking hulk, Sea Breeze went back to the radio room.
Opening the door, he found his radiopony, Sparky as the crew called him, frantically scribbling down notes in one hoof and holding the headset on the other foot. The room itself was a near mess with papers lying everywhere on the floor. Normally, his Captain's instinct would've kicked in and he would've told the young radiopony to pull his head out of his flank and clean it up. But whatever sort of instinct that would've kicked in was lost in the frenzy.
"Sparky!" he called out, hoping that he wouldn't have to rip the headset from his hooves. Thankfully, it seemed like his hopes were answered as the young disheveled wireless operator turned his head to face his Captain.
"S-sir! I am getting a whole lot of traffic right now! I got messa..." The operator began.
"Sparky, I don't care about what other ships are saying right now. I need to know if the admiral has responded yet!" Sea Breeze said. Immediately, he could see the fear in the young stallion's eyes as soon as the admiral was mentioned.
For a moment, they stood silent, staring at one another. Sea Breeze knew that this was probably was the Stallion was expecting, so he switched into his "caring captain" persona.
"Look kid... I know you probably didn't sign up for this... Tartarus, I did not even sign up for this bull... I signed up because I wanted to escape this... so look at me now, you aren't alone in this. I just need to know if the admiral has gotten our signal." He said with a me sympathetic tone in his voice. It took a far minute, but it seemed like Sparky finally calmed down.
"They said that they will be here in a few hours." Sparky said with a gulp.
"Did they say anything else kid?"
"Nothing Captain... that.... that was it." With that, Sea Breeze almost felt his heart drop. It probably would've if it weren't for Riveted Keel bursting through the door after a mad dash.
"Sir! We just lost the Crystal Galley!" The Keel wheezed out. That came as a shock to Sea Breeze. The Crystal Galley was the fastest and most modern of the ships assembled in the convoy. The fact that they lost it meant that they weren't gonna last two hours. But... the Lapsis Taylor was the slowest of them all so if the Lapsis was left behind, the convoy could escape at a faster speed.
"Keel, get the inventory. I want everything transferred onto the next ship. We are going to buy the others some time." Sea Breeze order. For a moment, his first mate did a couple of double takes but soon he understood what the orders meant. With that, they both saluted each other and got to work.
*** *** ***
6 kills. 6 kills in a span of just over half an hour. Morale was high and torpedoes were beginning to run low. For Zimmern, this was his dream come true, serving Germany and the Fuhrer to the fullest. Even Steiner, the hydrophone operator who supposedly brought no good luck, was giddy with joy while he worked at his station as he overhead the cheers through his headset. Still though, more targets were out there... ready to be sunk in the name of the fatherland.
Peering through the periscope, Zimmern could see that most of the ships that were in the convoy were not fleeing west. However, something caught the corner of his eye... Something... Odd. The night was lit up by the stars and the moon, however... Just over the horizon, a black figure covered up the stars. It was hard to make out, but it certainly was not warship. Instinctively, Zimmern called over for his 1st Officer to get confirmation.
"Dietrich, I need your eyes... What does that look like over the horizon?" He said, passing the controls of the periscope to Dietrich.
"I don't know... It looks like the outline of a ship but it is hard to say... Do you think we should investigate?" His first officer asked.
"Ja... We can catch up the convoy later... Move up, silent 1." He ordered. Slowly, the Uboat began to sail towards the black splotch in the water.
*** *** ***
Sea Breeze looked through his binoculars and inwardly sighed in relief at the sight he saw. Through the glass of his binoculars, he could see what remained of the convoy sailing away over the night sky to it's destination. That was the only satisfaction he would be getting though for the next few hours as he now stood alone, with nothing his ship and crew left. Not even the escort destroyers (though they were outdated) opted to stay behind. All that there was between him and the unknown threat was the sea... At least, until the admiral arrived. But now was not the time to regret decisions and choices, now was the time for him to act like a true Captain.
Out of his trance, he made his way towards the dimly candle lit bridge to find all of his stallions standing at their posts, ready to follow orders. With a heavy sigh, he ordered for the ship to proceed slowly towards the origin of the threat, the location where the Starswirl has sunk.
*** *** ***
"He'rr Captain, I am picking up a contact. Seems to be coming from the north." Steiner said, listening in on the hydrophone. Immediately, Zimmern turned the periscope back up north and saw that the black outline across the see was gone.
"Verdammt" he whispered under his breath. He had just lost another target. Swiveling the periscope it's full 360°, Zimmern made his next decision.
"Gentlemen, prepare to surface." He stated as he began to order the ballast be blown.
"He'rr Captain... may I speak with you for a minute... in private?" Dietrich suddenly asked. Moving to the relative private Captain's quarters, Dietrich pulled Zimmern in with a strong grip.
"Zimmern, are you out of your damned mind? Why the hell do you think it is a good idea to surface just for one ship?" The disgruntled first officer began.
"Dietrich, there are no other ships in the area. Besides, we still need to identify it and setting a fire on her superstructure will help with that." Zimmern retorted.
"Are you mad? What if the Amerikaner are waiting for us to do that exact thing? You will get us all killed!" Dietrich hissed.
"You best watch your words Dietrich..." Zimmern warned.
"I don't care damn it. I won't let you sink us for some petty pride."
"The pride of the party and the fatherland depend on our actions you fool!" Zimmern nearly yelled.
"Where has the party gotten us now huh? Because of the party and the Fuhrer, we are being crushed on all sides while those idiots in Berlin want to fight this war to the end and take us all down with it! Can't you see that?" Dietrich said as her face grew red with anger.
All Zimmern could do was stand there in anger. He was furious as the comments his own first officer had just made about the party and the Fuhrer himself. It was absolutely disgraceful but as much as he wanted to throw the man overboard, he decided that now wasn't the time. He would get back at Dietrich though, in the name of the Fuhrer.
Making his way back to the con, Zimmern glared at the ballast operators and with the stern look on his face, they knew immediately what to do. Slowly, the U-Boat began to rise out of the depths to meet it's destiny.
*** *** ***
15 minutes later
The flames of the Starswirl stopped burning only a few minutes before, but the Lapsis Taylor was still far away from the site of the wreck. Sailing through the still burning seas to the point of origin of the convoy's troubles was clearly nerve-racking for the crew. Twice, Riveted had to make sure that the helmspony did not collapse from the constant shaking and had to carry to poor Stallion to the infirmary so he could be given a sedative.
Now, here he stood on the bridge with his watch officers while his Captain was up at the bow, checking up on everything. As the ship sailed through the water, a dark figure could be made out over the horizon through the thick smoke and flames. It didn't seem like anything large but it was still too far out to see. Immediately, he sent a runner to alert the Captain but deep inside he felt like he had just made the wrong decision.
*** *** ***
The deck gun was loaded with high explosive shells as was primed in the direction of where the phantom was ship was spotted. However, from the conning tower, nothing was to be seen through the heavy flames left by the burning oil of the previous 6 ships sunk.
For Dietrich, he was on edge and nearly wanted to through his binoculars over the side along with Captain Zimmern. How a man could be so blinded by false beliefs had made him sick to the core. He would've left the army as a whole if his nation didn't need him. He was compelled to at least serve Germany but not those who currently ruled her. Stories from his father of the days of the Kaiser made him long for that sense of elevated national and military pride. The Weimar days and subsequent Nazi takeover made him sick of politics though, which is why he joined the Kriegsmarine, to escape it all. However, like all officers back in 1938, he is as forced to sit down through some stupid National Socialist ideological class mandated by the Fuhrer himself. If he could fail it, he would've... But alas, if he wanted to keep his job, he needed to pass it. He never believed in it all but he never despised those who did. At least, not until just a few minutes ago with his argument with Zimmern.
Taking his mind away from the political nonsense that had just occured, Dietrich focused back on the sea, unaware and blinded by the smoke and flames that destiny was sailing right towards the U-boat.
*** *** ***
As soon as he heard of the object spotted in the water, Sea Breeze made his way as quick as he could to the bridge in order to get an update. When he got there, he found his first officer staring through the binoculars as the Lapsis Taylor sailed as quick as she could.
"Alright Riveted, what the Tartarus does this hulk look like?" He asked, pulling out his own pair of binoculars.
"Hard to tell Captain. She is very low in the water though. Spotlights might be able to get her if we pass through the flames." His first officer recommended.
"Alright, do that and make sure to have men on the bow ready if we need to board. Got that?" He ordered.
"Already on it Sir." Riveted replied, gesturing to the seaponies moving towards the bow, spears and crossbows in hooves.
*** *** ***
5 Minutes Later
"Contact spotted directly north!" One of the lookouts yelled out on the conning tower. Immediately, Zimmerm turned his head towards the direction his they were pointing in. There right before him, a hill sailing with spotlights blazing brightly was sailing towards them full speed.
"Full Speed! We need to get out of their path! Gunners, open fire!" He ordered as he yelled both down in the U-Boat and at the gunners. Almost immediately, the gunners opened fire with a single high explosive she'll that fell short of the ship and the engines began to pull the U-Boat forwards. However, nothing could stop destiny from playing out in the form of the Lapsis Taylor ramming the rear of Zimmern's U-Boat.
The sound of metal grinding against metal is a sound no sailor ever wants to hear. But the sound of metal grinding against metal and cannon-fire is a sound that puts every sailor into action, regardless of what they were doing previously. Staring down from the bridge at the large metal object he just rammed and was currently fighting with, Sea Breeze was caught in a trance. Right now, he felt trapped... but he knew that he needed to act. He captained a battleship armed with 14 inch guns... and yet he found himself frozen in fear... something he hadn't felt in a long time.
The questions went along through his head:
"What the buck am I going to do?"
"Is this the end of it all?"
"My crew... I need to save them from this fate."
All of it went through his head in a flash though as he was soon jostled by Sparky and was snapped out of the trance.
"Captain! The Admiral is about 30 minutes out!" The disheveled and panicking radio pony yelled.
"Sparky, I need you to get the camera and photograph that thing we just rammed and radio what it looks like to the Admiral right bucking now! We don't have much damn time!" He yelled above the sounds of gunfire.
It looked a if Sparky was about to say something... but when the kid opened his mouth... no words came out. For a second, he stood there frozen... and then the blood began to dribble down his mouth. Falling to the side, the radio-pony had a wound in his right side and was bleeding profusely from it.
"MEDIC!" Sea Breeze yelled. Almost immediately, the ship's surgeon Steady Hooves rushed towards him and the wounded radiopony and together, they loaded him on a stretcher and carried him inside the ship while gunfire whizzed all around them.
*** *** ***
"Captain! We have damage to the bulkhead! I do not think she will survive 50 meters!" One of the engineers yelled from below. Zimmern was too busy barking orders to the guns crews to hear the rest of what the engineer said. But he had to do something though. It is not every day a merchant ship rams your U-Boat. Apparently, that had only happened once before... with the sister ship of the Titanic of all things. But petty thoughts and facts learned back at the academy were useless now. He needed to act and fast.
Above from his point on the bridge, he could hear yelling in English on the near ancient merchant ship. He heard a mix of accents though... some American, others English. Are the allies that desperate to crew their ships with mixed crews now? he thought. Inwardly... his heart dropped at the useless thought. Dietrich would probably some smart comment to say to that but Dietrich didn't matter. Politics did not matter... his U-Boat mattered. His crew mattered... his leadership capabilities mattered.
He had options though... dive and make a dash... board the merchant ship and seize it... or make a run for it. The later option seemed like the best... but he had to do something to make sure the blasted Merchant ship would not follow and ram them again or follow them and call in some destroyer or aircraft. They had anti-aircraft weaponry... but knowing the allies... they would send their carrier groups again them. Diving was risky... especially with a ship stuck to the hull. So... the next option was chosen... and it could not come at a better time.
"He'rr Captain! The engine room has been breached! The boys below are trying to stop the breach!" Krauss came up and yelled.
Verdammt he thought. He knew he had to act fast and as much as he did not like it... he had to enact plan B.
"Krauss... go find Dietrich and tell him to get some men and firearms... we are going to board this piece of junk." He ordered with a cool voice. His fear could not be known to the crew... For it would lower moral.
"J-jawohl He'rr Captain." Krauss stammered before going to search.
*** *** ***
Sparky was fine... The metal shell went right through his flank but he was going to live. Albeit he would probably be stuck in a wheelchair for a few months. The merchant services find would pay for his medical care though so that was good. However, the situation outside was nowhere near good.
A while back... The sounds of gunfire stopped and a crewpony reported seeing bipedals scurry across the deck of the weird looking metal boat. Apparently, the boat had a sizeable Cannon and a few smaller ones on what looked like it's bridge. The larger one had caused quite a bit of damage though and managed to nearly wipe out the bridge. It probably would have completed the job but it stopped so suddenly right before it fired again. Now... There was complete silence.
The engine room was currently scrambling to make repairs from the ram but it was going to take a while. So for now, the two boats were stuck to each other. Like any good captain, Sea Breeze had ordered his sailors towards the bow armed to the teeth and ready to make due with the enemy until the admiral.
So there he stood on the bridge... Looking down at his seaponies under the lights of the stars and the deck lights with his first officer standing next to him. They both remained silent, each occasionally checking the radio room (that thankfully was not destroyed) to see if the admiral was any closer. The last time they checked was 5 minutes ago... And the silence was getting to them both. Suddenly, as if some deity above heard their pleas for some sort of noise, a voice sounded from below the Lapsis Taylor.
"Achtung, my name is Friedrich Zimmern. Surrender your ship now or face a bloody boarding process." The voice said with a heavy accent.
*** *** ***
Zimmern called out to the crew of the vessel that had rammed them three times now and he got no answer. It was almost like they were asking for a fight to him. There with him on the deck of the U-Boat with him, stood 9 men, plus Dietrich, armed with whatever firearm they could find. The deck and anti aircraft gunners were also present, their high calibre weaponry aimed at the ship, ready to provide whatever support they could.
Zimmern was tired of waiting to board, but his conscious told him to wait... No matter what happened... That and Dietrich's advice. As useless as that man was to the party and the Fuhrer, he was at least useful at sea and in warfare with his experience.
Zimmern was about to call out for a final time but was stopped when he heard a sharp ear-piercing whistling noise coming from above.
*** *** ***
2 Minutes Earlier
Steiner was scared, annoyed, and tired. He was scared because his U-Boat was just rammed, annoyed because said ship was blocking out part of the signal from his hydrophone, and tired because well... He had been at his station for hours without rest.
He was about to fall asleep when something started to make noise. Something very powerful... Was coming closer to their location. Listening in, he could hear what sounded like... 3 large propellers spinning through the sea. He did not hear the sound of cannon fire and water splashing though. He only reacted when somebody yelled "Alarm!" From topside.
*** *** ***
The pressure hull was damaged too heavily. Harry Meir, the Chief Engineer, did not want to report it to Zimmern, but he had no choice. The ship that they rammed into had torn a deep gash when the engines were put to full speed when the shells from whatever battleship fired upon them. He had no choice though as now they needed to escape. He was not ready for what was to happen next though.
*** *** ***
The Lapsis Taylor was saved, albeit damaged and flooding at the forepeak, but still saved. Cheers erupted on the decks as the metal object began to retreat with haste. Suddenly though, the cheers were broken up by the sound of a horn coming from the East.
There, in the foggy sea, a spotlight began to shine from a funnel, followed by a few more shining on the Lapsis Taylor. Soon after, a metal bird was launched from some sort of catapult and flew into the air above the ship. In the midst of the spectacle, nobody saw the lone torpedo streak sailing towards the ship.
*** *** ***
An explosion filled the night sky once again, with the culprit of the attempted ramming being hit by the torpedo. It was a victory, but it was short-lived. Soon, high velocity shells began to rain down around the U-Boat, sailing away as fast as it could.
"Schneller! SCHNELLER!" Zimmern yelled from on top of the conning tower.
It seemed like every second, spouts of water caused by the unknown battleship were thrown into the air around the U-Boat, drenching Zimmern and the crew on top of the deck. The onslaught just wouldn't stop.
His damaged U-Boat was making a break for it. Whether it be some Spanish port or home in Wilhelmshaven. Whatever it was though, it didn't matter. They did their duty to the Fuhrer and their country and there was a humming sound... Wait, humming sound? Zimmern thought.
Looking up above him, he could see the black outline of a floatplane flying above him. It was hard to tell what model it was but judging by the silhouette, the pontoons were both mounted under the main fuselage... Something a German ship would have. But that could not be possible... All German capital ships were laid up in Port or stripped of all forms of weaponry and aircraft. It didn't make sense...
What also didn't make sense to Zimmern was the Flotilla that managed to get close to his U-Boat and surround them in the shadows. That... he was not going to take lightly when the time came.
She was sinking... after all they had been through and survived, the Lapsis Taylor was going under. She was a one of a kind ship... she did not deserve such an end. With her lights still blazing and the crew rushing about to the lifeboats and spare rafts, Sea Breeze calmly went over to the mast of his sinking beauty, and slowly lowered the house flag of the Lunar Star Line, the Equestrian flag, and his personal naval reserve ensign. It was the least he could do.
By now, the ship's bow was already 14 feet underwater and she probably had only an hour left to float. The inner components of the ship were empty and devoid of crew now. Her compartments were closed and boilers left running in the chaos of the explosion. She probably would blow up... but that would come in time. Making his way over to the chart room under the nearly destroyed bridge, he passed by the radio room... Sparky's room. Inside, he saw most of the radio equipment functioning and some of Sparky's belongings in a suitcase. His mind thinking back to the wounded sailor, he decided to put whatever he could find that was Sparky's into it. Surprisingly, there was still enough room by the time he was done so on a hunch, he decided to remove one of the many radio sets and the headset and microphone and pack it into the suitcase. It was hard to fit, but the suitcase finally closed without any problems or damage to the equipment.
With all that done, he finally made his way to the chart room and made sure to collect everything of importance. The navigational charts, the ship's log, the manifest... everything. No doubt that they would all be used in the investigation that was bound to happen once word of the attack was heard of back home. It was all matters that he hopefully did not have to participate in other than giving his statement.
After packing up everything... he made his was to the boat deck and silently, stood in the crowd of sailors, looking for his First Officer. It took a few minutes but he eventually did find Riveted directing a lifeboat that was being lowered. After said boat was launched, he pulled him aside and handed him the items.
"I want you on the next boat Riveted, and I want you to take these." He ordered.
"Aren't you going to find a boat Sir?" Riveted asked.
"Well, not exactly a boat... but I'll get into one of the rafts before she goes. A Captain goes down with their ship after all." He said.
"Your a crazy old Stallion, I hope you know that." His first officer joked. With that, they had a little chuckle that was only silenced when the ship lurched slightly beneath them.
"Alright, you know what to do... go get in the boat now." he said, gesturing his hoof towards the boat.
"Aye Captain... see you on the other side eh." His first officer said before saluting and walking away.
*** *** ***
Spotlights shined all around the U-Boat and every piece of sea was lit up around the stricken submarine. It was so bright, Zimmern and the crew up-top could not see their attackers but it was obvious what it was... destroyers. The end was near, but no loyal citizen and defender of the Third Reich was going to give up that easily. Even Zimmern joined them in that fact.
"Surrender your vessel now or be subject to a forceful disarming!" A gruff voice called out from one of the sea of spotlights.
"If we are to do that, we would be violating out Soldier's Oath you Amerikanisch pigs!" Zimmern yelled out.
"Have it your way then." The voice returned.
Zimmern was about to give the order to fire all surface weaponry when a flash of light blinded him and the crew. Then, there was simply silence.
*** *** ***
The ending of the Lapsis Taylor was a a somber scene. Her bow lurched under the sea as her stern rose high into the sky, going nearly completely vertical, with every light still blazing. And then just like that, she slid into the water steadily like a hit knife through butter and did not even make a noise as she went under. There were no groans or creaks, just simply the sound of the waves crashing against the ship's sinking hull.
As her stern sank deeper into the water the power finally began to fail as the funnel flooded with water and the boilers were put out by the Cascade of water flowing into them. However, that did not stop the generators in the engine room from running for nearly 30 more seconds after the ship fully submerged. It was a near spiritual sight to see, and all around them in the boats, those who managed to snag cameras into the boats snapped pictures of the lit ship underwater before the power system finally gave way. And with that... The Lapsis Taylor was truly gone... Claimed by the sea.
Sitting in the inflatable raft, Sea Breeze looked upon the horizon as he saw numerous spotlights be turned on by destroyers and centered around a certain section of sea. They had found the culprit of all the misery that had taken place throughout the night.
Clutching the bags of charts, logs, flags, and the belongings of Sparky, his mind was put at ease and he felt his heartrate lower. Slowly, he drifted off into a well needed sleep. When he eventually woke up, he found himself on the deck of a battleship.
*** *** ***
Friedrich Zimmern woke up to an unpleasant point of view. When his eyes first opened and his brain's gears finally began to turn, he found himself lying face down on a cold, hard, metal floor. His surroundings were meager, 3 metals walls and one cell door. From the onset of when he finally got up, he could tell he was on a ship due to the feeling of the swells from beneath him. That meant only one thing in his mind... He was in the brig.
He had no idea what had happened earlier, only the thought that he and most likely his crew as well had been captured by the enemy. However..... The ships seemed oddly... German. The whole design of the bright itself and it's bulkhead cell door reminded him of German designs... But he did not know what to make of it. The only thing he could do was simply wait.
*** *** ***
It had been a long time since brig duty was even so much as assigned to an officer, let alone one of the principle members of the ship's officer corps. But Zahlmeister Rudolf Hartkopf did his duty, no matter how boring or tedious it was. It was certainly better than standing guard over the rations given to the crew of the U-Boat that had opened fire on their allies in the Equestrian Navy. Those boys were full on fanatics and he hoped to God that they would not be that way for long.
So there he sat, a copy of the Manehattan Times in one hand and a cup of actual coffee in the other. It was getting towards breakfast and he was looking forwards to getting something to eat as soon as Rollenoffizier Max Rollmann came to relieve him of the eternal boredom. All he had to do was sit and wait unless the sleeping U-Boat Captain decided to wake up. And as if God decided to throw him a curve ball, said Captain in the brig did wake up... And he did not seem too happy. Folding up and putting the newspaper away, Hartkopt got up from the chair, popped his back, took a swig of coffee, and made his way towards the bridge.
*** *** ***
The calmness of the previous night had vanished as soon as the morning sun broke through the clouds and began to shine on the German fleet. At first, it seemed like it was to be a calm day but that was not to be the case. Soon after dawn broke, clouds began to form and the once sunny morning was replaced by a heavy storm. However, said storm did not seem to hinder the view from the bridge of the Bismarck. In the distance, one could see the outlines of the Konigsberg and Karlsruhe sailing in formation with the accompanying destroyers Z26, Z16, Z27, Z21, and Z7. Numerous other destroyers were behind the ship but they were not to be seen from the bridge. Also accompanying the fleet were a few Equestrian destroyers who were towing the captured U-Boat along with them back to the base in Baltimare. The Scharnhorst and Blücher would've followed them if it weren't for a slight incident with the Griffon Navy which saw both ships be put into floating dry-docks for the foreseeable future.
There on the bridge, Captain Ernst Lindemann sat in his Captain's chair, sipping a warm up of coffee, reading the report of the previous night's action. It was relatively quiet on the bridge as the only sounds present were really those of the voices of the officers conversing of last night's action and the "new arrivals". If he were one of them, he probably would've joined them as well but after a talk with Admiral Lütjens, he decided that his best course of action was to stay silent.
Just as he was about to take another sip of his coffee, one of the doors to the bridge opened up and the ship's Administrative Officer Hartkopt made his way into the bridge with a half filled cup of coffee in his hand.
"He'rr Captain." He said, snapping a sharp salute to his superior.
"Ah, Hartkopt. I am guessing our guest is awake now?" Lindemann asked.
"Jawohl, He'rr Captain. I must say though, he does seem quite groggy." Hartkopt answered.
"Seems to be the norm with party indoctrinated ones... Well, do report this to Admiral Lütjens as well and tell him that I will be waiting at our guests "accommodations"." He ordered.
Hartkopt simply said "Jawohl He'rr Captain." And saluted before walking away to the stern to meet that Admiral at his quarters.
*** *** ***
It had been 3 hours since he had awoken from his involuntary slumber. While he took a slight nap, his breakfast was apparently slid into the bright without him noticing. During that time, he simply ate the food and toyed with his fork while he waited for something to happen. Voices were heard outside the door every now and then so he knew that something was going to happen involving him. It was just a matter of time before it did.
Without warning, the door to the bring began to open up and to his surprise, a man wearing the uniform of an Admiral within the Kriegsmarine walked inside. Immediately, Zimmern snapped to attention and saluted his superior officer, his military discipline never wavering. The admiral saluted back just as sharply and a few seconds later, an apparent aide to the admiral brought in two chairs for the two men and then closed the door behind them. Soon, both men found themselves sitting in silence. As they looked at each other, Zimmern could not help but feel as if he had seen the admiral before... Yet he didn't know where to pinpoint it. Without warning, the admiral decided to begin the conversation.
"May I have a name?" The admiral simply asked, his eye not darting from Zimmern's face.
"Friedrich Zimmern." Zimmern replied cooly.
"What is your rank He'rr Zimmern?" The admiral asked.
"Kapitän Zur See He'rr Admiral." He answered.
"Quite young for such a rank." The admiral observed.
What is he getting at? Zimmern thought.
"Anyways... That is beside the point. Tell me Captain, are you a member of the party?" The admiral asked.
"I beg the Admiral's pardon, what do you mean Sir?"
"It is a simple question, are you a member of the party?" The admiral once again asked.
"Jawohl He'rr Admiral. I am a member of the party like any other sensible German." He answered, unsure of where the Admiral was going. Suddenly, he began to notice details on the Admiral's uniform. The swatstika and eagle had been removed from both the tunic and the cap and were both replaced by Iron Crosses. Something was very wrong here...
"So... You say you are a good German yes? Well then tell me... Would any good German fire upon neutral warships and civilian merchant ships without provocation? Hm?" The admiral pressed.
"He'rr admiral, if this is about my command last night, those ships were valid targets as they were carrying war materials to the allies!" Zimmern nearly yelled.
"He'rr Captain, there is no need to raise your voice, especially in front of a superior officer..." The admiral vaguely threatened. With that, Zimmern quited down a bit.
"Now... Did you even bother to check the flags the ships were flying or identify them? Surely a man of your rank would do so." The admiral asked.
"With all due respect He'rr admiral, it was too dark to check the flags being flown but the ships we identified were direct matches to allied ships. We even spotted and sank a Fletcher class destroyer." Zimmern defended, his temper rising.
"Captain Zimmern, those ships you fired upon were not even American or British!" The admiral yelled.
"We identified those stupid pigs and they were allied ships He'rr Admiral. Those idiots did not even dim their own lights!" Zimmern yelled back.
"You do not even know what you have done here Captain so I suggest you sit down and listen!" The admiral ordered.
"I will not take orders from some loony who dares to desecrate the national emblem and the ideology of the party and the Führer!" Zimmern said in blatant defiance.
"Enough with this party nonsense damnit! Don't you understand the situation, it was lost when it began! For me and this ship, it ended when they took out our steering gear and the Führer left us abandoned. Don't you understand that or are you too brainwashed to comprehend the moral rights and wrongs of what you have done today?" The admiral retorted, his face devoid of rage but full of anger.
"TRAITOR!" Zimmern screached. The admiral remained unphased by that comment but the anger was still there. Slowly though, the admiral calmed down.
"You and your crew may see that of me... But you will soon learn Captain, like all of us have. I hope you do not attempt anything while you are on board. The Bismarck has already seen too much bloodshed. I expect you to expect reformation, and for your sake, I hope you see the error in the party and the Führer." The admiral said calmly before leaving the shocked Zimmern in silence.
The Bismarck... But she sank... he thought. Inwardly, he wanted to throw up and cry for a reason he didn't know. But then, another realization came upon him... He just spoken with Admiral Lütjens. As if the weight of the world was dropped upon him, the room faded to black as Zimmeen collapsed onto the floor, his heart aching from the pent up stress and fear he had held back.
Within minutes, a medic was brought in and the former U-Boat captain was placed into the infirmary for a heart attack. When the Bismarck and the fleet docked in Baltimare, he was in a coma for another 2 weeks.
*** *** ***
1 Week Later
There was no covering up the arrival of a fleet with an entirely different species on board now. For the isolated incidents, it was possible but after the tragic incident with the apparent U-Boat, there was nothing that could be done. The announcement was to take place later in the afternoon, but it wouldn't help anything. All it would do was confirm rumors already well spread throughout Equestria.
That all didn't matter to Sea Breeze, now officially unretired. In typical Equestrian fashion, those up top who read the report of the ramming attack thought of the possibilities of more U-Boats showing up and sought to create a task force to prevent anything like said incident from happening again. So, who do they think is the best to lead said taskforce.... Sea Breeze. He really thought that the Germans were the better pick but considering all of this was new to the nobles in the assembly, they decided that an Equestrian was to lead this new task force. And who better to lead it than the pony that successfully rammed a U-Boat. Not the best choice in mind but there certainly were worse.
So there the newly recommissioned reservist sat, in a little dive bar in Baltimare, wearing the uniform of a newly minted Admiral (a few ranks up from where he was as a regular Captain). Sipping on his beer with the newspaper in his other hoof, he chuckled as he read the articles on the humans and what threat they posed. The article itself was a whole load of aliens bullcrap and none of the sources were even credible so it was something good to laugh at to keep his mind away from everything that happened in the past week.
As the alcohol made it's way into his bloodstream, his mind drifted off back to the night when he had to load Sparky into a stretcher before the Lapsis Taylor went down. Sparky currently was doing quite well in the hospital and was very much surprised to see all of his belongings in a suitcase when Sea Breeze brought it to him during a visit. The smile on the young stallion's face would never leave Sea Breeze's mind for the rest of his life.
Taking another sip from the beer, Sea Breeze did not notice the door to the bar opening and the entrance of a German officer and his former first mate Riveted Keel.
"Drinking Sir? I thought you gave that up years ago on the Puddinghead!" His first mate called out.
"Ah... Just a little medicinal pick-me-up for the road ahead." He replied.
"Ja... I think we all need it quite frankly." The Admiral, Lütjens, said... Taking off his cap.
"Hey... Question to ask before the next few drinks comes Lütjens, what happened the kid?" Sea Breeze asked nonchalantly.
"Ach, he is still in a com from what I have heard. If he ever comes out, I hope he won't be the same in regards to his beliefs... But I do think Reformation is needed." Lütjens replied with a sigh.
"Yeah... But I think Reformation may have to come after the prison sentence after the shit he and his crew pulled." Sea Breeze replied.
"Indeed... Maybe we can convince the Princesses to do something. Princess Luna may have a good idea in terms of reforming those who have gone to the deep end. Not to be offensive to the dear element of kindness, but with the way the kid and his crew were talking, they take the National Socialist belief of the "master race" quite far..." Lütjens said.
"Yeah... Well, all of that can wait I guess. Right now, I need a few more drinks. You guys up for some as well?" He asked.
Both Riveted Keel and Lütjens said yes and with that, the rest of the afternoon between the two ponies and man we're spent drinking as more company from their respective crews began to arrive.
*** *** ***
Darkness was everywhere. It was a scary feeling for many. For Zimmern, he felt nothing. No fear, no pain, no suffering... Just emptiness in the void. It felt like he was floating with nowhere to go... Trapped in his mind as he could only think about where his life has led him. Halfway through his reminiscing, a voice echoed throughout his mind and figure appeared in the dark.
"My my... You have caused quite a lot of chaos my boy." The figure said, slowly clapping it's hands.
"Who are you?" Zimmern asked.
"Oh, me? I am nothing to you at the moment. You may call me... Discord though, if the name suites you." It replied, not coming out of the darkness.
"What do you want from me?" Zimmern asked.
"Nothing my good Captain. I just came to congratulate you." The voice said before the echo faded into the darkness.
Nothing but darkness and silence occurred for the next week. Unknown to Zimmern, his end had already drawn near and was upon him. It was just a matter of time for the young Nazi.
