13 - Operation: Thunder Cracker
While the Equestrian crown sought answers to their plight, Kepler slept soundly in the embrace of his companion, dreaming of things far from the death and bloodshed of reality. Yet within his mind, the gears of war continued to turn unabated, pulling him further into the conflict while his body prepared for the coming day.
Rolling grass shifted in the soft breeze, the sun overhead shining brightly without a cloud to disturb its radiance. Kepler lay in the grass beside his beloved, her wing resting under his body and her forelegs holding him close to her chest as she lay on her side. Her beak nibbled playfully through his mane and soft giggles escaped her throat every other second. Yet the tranquility of their embrace was disturbed when dark clouds formed on the horizon, rapidly covering the sun and plunging Kepler’s vision into darkness. His head spun left and right upon noticing that Gloria had disappeared, yet in the pitch black surrounding him there was nothing to indicate she had ever been there.
For several seconds, or it might have been hours, Kepler stood still and tried to see through the shadows surrounding him, yet there was nothing except for the rapid pulses of his heart. Finally, the darkness shifted, pulling back in front of him like a curtain to reveal none other than Princess Luna in all her glory. Kepler lifted his forelegs in preparation but was surprised when nothing formed in his hooves. His trusty rifle was nowhere to be found, and it only took a second to realize the most likely culprit.
“What are you doing here?” he asked the royal before him.
For a moment Princess, Luna said nothing, seemingly inspecting Kepler with a critical eye. The stallion ground his teeth in frustration at being ignored and was about to repeat his question when Luna finally spoke.
“We have come to question thee.” Her voice was cold and tense, almost imperious, as she walked forward. Kepler tried to retreat yet found himself incapable of doing so, as his flailing limbs only left him running in place. “We suspect thou has a part to play in the conflict that has ignited between Our nation and the Gryphon Empire.”
“Whatever ploy you think you’re pulling,” Kepler stared defiantly into the taller mare’s eyes as she stopped a mere step outside his reach, “it won’t work. I will never share information with you, or any other pony for that matter. So do yourself a favor and leave my mind before I remove you by force.”
“We are afraid that will not be an option this time around.” Luna’s eyes narrowed while a foreleg swept wide to indicate the darkness around them. “We have taken the liberty of placing thine mind in a near-catatonic state. It will do nothing to your physical body, but it will ensure thine ability to combat Us is neutralized.” Her gaze returned to Kepler’s, as the stallion swallowed thickly, realizing he might not have a way out of his predicament. “Now, thou will answer Our questions or We will have to resort to less hospitable methods.”
Kepler stood resolute, even as his heart beat a thunderous rhythm. He knew of the soft-hearted nature of the Equestrians from the books he had read in the changeling hive and fully understood that there was nothing this princess could create that could compare to the terrors he had faced back on Earth. He forced his jaw to remain closed as Luna’s horn began to glow but couldn’t stop himself from jerking his head to the side when his ears detected a soft and very familiar laugh coming from the shadows on his left.
Luna apparently heard it too, because her horn flared brighter while her gaze followed the direction of Kepler’s. “Who goes there? Reveal thyself and We shall be merciful.”
The sinister laugh returned, louder and much closer this time, but echoing in the darkness from every direction. Kepler could tell the laughter was bothering Luna, given the tightening of her wings against her sides and the frown on her muzzle. His own thoughts were a different story, because he recognized the voice behind the laugh, and it sent a shiver down his spine knowing that she was somehow inside his head.
Without warning, a mass shot from the darkness and impacted Luna’s face, knocking her head back and forcing a cry of shock from her lips. Kepler watched as dark green slime hardened over her eyes and horn, the glow of her magic fading to nothing as she shook her head back and forth in a futile attempt to remove it. Her wings started to flare but were immediately pinned to her flanks by more green goop, another salvo sticking her hooves to the dreamscape’s floor as the darkness encapsulating the two of them faded away.
Once the shadows had left, Kepler realized that his mind was now free of the spell the Princess had placed him under, his hooves raising his rifle to bear almost instinctively as he took aim at the immobilized alicorn.
His hoof was just starting to pull the trigger, when the voice from before spoke up in a calm, detached tone from his left and slightly behind him. “And here I was bringing you a nice gift, all wrapped up, and you just plan to throw it away? You wound me, little bat.”
Kepler held his aim steady on Princess Luna, allowing his eyes to shift until he could see the grinning fangs of the changeling queen that was standing beside him. “Would you mind explaining why you are inside my head, Chrysalis?”
“CHRYSALIS?!” Luna yelled as her struggle grew frantic. “Release Us this instant, changeling, or thou shall face Our wrath!”
“Oh hush,” Chrysalis sounded almost bored, spitting another mass of green slime from her mouth, sealing Luna’s mouth but leaving her airway open, “the adults are talking. Mind your manners and you might get out of this unharmed.”
The alicorn whimpered as her struggle stilled, although Kepler could see that her hooves were still shifting to try and free themselves from the hardened resin.
“Now, I believe you had some questions for me, little bat?” Kepler could hear the snide grin in the changeling’s voice even before he turned to face her, his rifle disappearing for the moment as he addressed her.
“You never told me your kind could enter the minds of others.” Kepler lifted a single eyebrow as Chrysalis’ grin widened. “Care to explain what you plan to do now that you have me here?”
“With you? Nothing. With her?” Chrysalis’ gaze turned to the immobilized princess. “Well, I’ll spare you the less savory details. Suffice to say, we changelings have our own version of dream magic, due in part to how our hive mind connects all of us together. Little Luna always bragged about being the only one in all of Equis who could boast such a skill, yet we have watched, waited in the shadows, ready to strike when the opportunity presented itself.”
“So, what do you plan to do with her?” Kepler was legitimately curious, although his lack of experience or knowledge on the subject hampered his understanding slightly.
“I thought about entertaining her inside the hive mind for a while.” The changeling’s fangs flashed once again in predatory glee. “A little holiday for her to enjoy while we go about with our plans in the waking world uninterrupted.”
Luna’s struggles grew in strength again upon hearing the queen’s words but even throwing herself against her restraints did nothing for the trapped pony. All it did was tire her out, her head hanging limp and her breathing labored.
“So, you planned this,” Kepler mused, “ever since before you even knew my name.”
“Indeed.” Chrysalis nodded. “We have been waiting for a chance to remove Princess Luna from the equation for a long time but never had the chance to catch her off guard. We could simply kill her, as any wounds inflicted on her dream self reflect in the waking world, but that would only hamper us in the long run.”
“So, you take her as a war prisoner,” Kepler deduced, “and hold her as a bargaining chip for later or to extract information from her about our enemies.”
“And here I thought you weren’t paying attention.” A dark laugh escaped Chrysalis’ lips as her hooves carried her around Kepler. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you can cook up inside that devious little mind of yours. It’s been a while since I’ve had a new toy to play with.”
“If you enter my mind again without permission,” Kepler threatened, “I won’t hesitate to do the same to you that I did to Princess Luna during her first visit.” Kepler turned his gaze to match the queen’s. “So step carefully, or you won’t be making it back to the real world either.”
They held their staring contest for a moment or two before Chrysalis’ lips curled into a smirk. “You have bravery in spades to challenge me, little bat. Foolhardy in the extreme but brave all the same. Very well.” Her horn ignited as she lifted Princess Luna up in a magic field. “I shall leave your mind alone. Wouldn’t be any fun if I knew how my opponent’s pieces were going to move ahead of time.” Luna’s legs kicked in vain as Chrysalis carried her through the air, the changeling casting a final glance over her shoulder as she and Luna began to fade away.
“Oh, by the way,” her voice echoed in a different manner than her usual dual tone as her form faded. “The king’s spies have spotted a small Equestrian fleet headed your way from the North. Apparently, they were not in port when our attack began. They shouldn’t be a challenge for your vessel, but I figured it would be a better show if you knew ahead of time.”
Chrysalis’ sinister laughter echoed through Kepler’s mind as she and Princess Luna disappeared completely, leaving him with nothing but his own thoughts for the time being. He sighed as darkness once again enveloped his senses, allowing him to truly rest before the inevitable rude awakening came to rouse him.
A series of sharp knocks pulled Kepler back to reality, his body shifting under Gloria’s wing as his mind reoriented itself to the waking world. A second set of knocks on his quarter’s door instilled enough energy for him to slide out of the bed, his hooves moving on autopilot until he was able to open the door and see who was disturbing his rest. Korvettenkapitän Whiteclaw stood at attention in the corridor, his wings shifting slightly against his sides as Kepler met his gaze.
“Sir, we have picked up a battle group of Equestrian ships on radar.” His voice betrayed the nervous energy that affected him as Kepler nodded his understanding. “Should we move further from shore to engage, or do we stay to defend the landing operation?”
“The most likely target is this ship,” Kepler stated plainly, “so we will move away from shore, so we have freedom to engage the enemy without worry of friendly fire. Meet me on the bridge, and ensure the ship is ready to depart by the time I get there.”
Whiteclaw saluted. “Sir, yes sir.”
The tercel’s eyes glanced over Kepler’s shoulder and narrowed upon seeing Gloria’s sleeping form in the bed. Kepler was tempted to reprimand his second if he said anything about the hen, but the Korvettenkapitän simply frowned before returning his gaze to the stallion.
“By your leave, sir.” And with that, Whiteclaw departed, leaving Kepler with a growing headache as he closed the door before making his way back to the bed. If even his most trusted crew were harboring negative emotions towards Gloria, he had a feeling things were going to get worse before they got better.
Kepler stood next to the bed for a moment, his eyes watching the soft rise and fall of Gloria’s sides as she slept. He felt a warmth rising in his chest at her presence, but a cold dread rose alongside it when he remembered what lay before him if they wanted to be together. Kepler knew well that he was backed into a corner, but he had given his word, and as a stallion, no, as a man, he would not back down until he either died or Gloria was a free hen.
He leaned down and kissed her head softly, a small coo of happiness escaping her beak in response as she rolled over. Kepler was tempted to wake her, but knowing what was about to happen, he figured she deserved a little more rest.
With that, he left his quarters and made his way to the bridge where crew members were rushing about and orders were being shouted left and right. Whiteclaw stood in the center of it all, guiding various officers, while the duo working the comms passed on any instructions needed by other stations on the ship. Kepler walked up to Whiteclaw, passing by other members of his crew but ignoring their brief salutes as they paused before racing off again. The tercel nodded to him as Kepler came into view, pausing in his orders to salute before speaking.
“Our spotters have confirmed that the ships approaching from the north are Equestrian, with a total of four frigates and a single battlecruiser. Your orders, sir?” His words were tense, but Kepler understood the reasoning behind it. The first attack had been a surprise strike with minimal return fire, while this engagement promised to be a much more balanced affair.
“What is the ship’s status?” Kepler asked.
“Gun crews are ready and awaiting your command, sir,” Whiteclaw replied. “Engines are on standby, and our anti-air batteries are keeping an eye out for enemy fliers.”
“Good work, Korvettenkapitän.” Kepler nodded his approval of the tercel’s forward thinking. “You have the helm.”
Whiteclaw saluted. “I have the helm, aye, sir.”
“Good, now let’s show the Equestrians how much we can really do when this ship is operating at maximum!” A cheer rang out across the bridge at his words. “Signal the engine rooms to bring us up to full power. I want those boilers running so hot they can cook the decking!”
No sooner had the command been spoken, than the gentle rumble of the engines grew quickly into a mighty roar from beneath them. Kepler could feel the adrenaline start to flow as he shouted his next orders over the din. “Ahead full. Once we get up to speed, put us on a course to cut off the Equestrians. Even if we are their primary target, we can’t risk them getting past us to attack the beachhead.”
“Understood, sir,” Whiteclaw acknowledged.
The ship rumbled again as the screws engaged, the mighty ship moving forward on a northern course. If they continued onward, it would take them straight into the approaching Equestrian fleet, but with their armaments situated as they were, a change of course would be needed to bring all the Tyr’s cannons to bear. That was why Kepler had ordered the course change in the first place. He wasn’t going to put anything up to chance when he still didn’t know the full capabilities of his enemy.
The bridge fell near to silence once the standing orders had been given. Anticipation hung in the air like a cloud of smoke that attempted to choke the very breath from Kepler’s lungs, yet he stood calm and ready, calculating the orders needed once the enemy fleet came into visual range. While they could fire well over the horizon, Kepler wasn’t sure how accurate the radar in his hybrid ship was compared to his former posting, so until they had more information he would be cautious. The only sound that resonated within the space besides the rumble of the engines was the pinging of the radar, each pass of the tower cone resulting in a solid series of signals that could only have been the Equestrians. Kepler checked the readout on his own station’s display, watching the cluster of dots slowly get closer and closer to the center of the screen. Time seemed to pass at a snail’s pace and race faster than an aircraft fighter within the same moment, the energy of the bridge shifting from anticipation to nervousness the closer the enemy ships got.
Finally, a ping sounded from the comms station, the Fähnrich zur See seated there nearly dropping her headset in surprise before pressing the receiver button to her left. “This is the bridge, go ahead.
A pregnant pause followed while the hen listened, her head turning to face the bow along with the rest of the bridge crew as she replied, “Acknowledged, confirmed visual contact with the Equestrian battlegroup. Keep us informed if anything else sneaks up on us.”
The horizon before the Tyr had been broken by the topmost portions of the Equestrian ships, their design different from anything Kepler had ever seen on the waves. He pulled out his set of binoculars and walked to the front of the bridge to get a better view of his enemy, the sway of the ship under his hooves doing nothing to throw off his line of sight to the approaching vessels.
They looked like ironclads with metal gleaming on their bows and no visible sails on their decks. Yet, as the four frigates broke off from the battlecruiser at the center of the formation, Kepler realized that they were far removed from the ironclads in his own history. Upon closer inspection, the frigates looked like conventional sailing ships in shape, with high bows and sterns, and a lowered central deck where a mast would normally be. However, within that flat section, there appeared to be sets of spell cannons on rotating platforms that lined either side of each ship. The cannons could rotate within a small arc, demonstrated by the furthest port and starboard frigates as their cannons shifted to track the Tyr, yet for the life of him Kepler couldn’t understand the design reasoning. If the Equestrians were working off of an old sailing design, then that would explain the broadside orientation of the cannons, but if they could make rotating mounts, why limit their range of motion by putting them on the sides of the ships instead of the center line?
Kepler shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now was not the time to be bothered by confusing ship design. They were the enemy, and, from the actions of the frigates, weren’t interested in talking.
“Korvettenkapitän. ” Kepler’s voice rang throughout the bridge, snapping many from their awed states. “Hard right rudder. Let’s give them a real look at what they are facing.”
“Hard right rudder, aye, sir.” Whiteclaw turned the wheel before him sharply, the Tyr groaning as the ship began to turn away from the Equestrian shore on an intercept course with the starboard side frigate.
The battlecruiser had yet to turn from its current heading, making Kepler nervous about the frigates being used as a distraction so the larger vessel could flank them. He could see three huge spell cannons on the decking in similar orientation to the frigates, although the ship’s design was much closer to their own in overall shape when compared to the mismatched, smaller ships. The cannons on the battlecruiser were situated in the center of the ship on more complex turrets behind what Kepler surmised was the bridge. However, they were far too close together to rotate properly, else they would run into each other at the midpoints of their barrels. Kepler was dumbfounded at the ship’s seemingly terrible design but was pulled from his musings by a bright light that flashed from the deck of the closest frigate.
A lance of blue energy raced across the open water between the ships, streaking through the air and splashing into the waves on the Tyr’s port side. Kepler felt as much as heard the discharge of the shot, as water rained down on the decking from the near miss, his fur standing on end from the magic expanding from the point of impact.
“Bring our bow turrets to bear and sink that frigate. That was far too close for comfort. Korvettenkapitän, ahead flank, let’s make ourselves a little harder to hit. Also, get our stern turrets firing on the frigates behind us. The last thing we need is those bastards getting a cheap shot from behind.” His orders were quickly passed on by the comms officers, while Whiteclaw signaled the engine crews to increase speed.
The Tyr roared as her engines redlined, her speed drastically increasing while the first salvo of her forward turrets rocketed towards the frigate. None of the shots connected with the smaller ship, but it was enough to throw water all over her open decking, the crew flailing about as waves threatened to wash them overboard from the plumes of seawater.
Right away, Kepler could see a huge flaw with having the gun deck so close to the waterline, as even smaller waves could potentially swamp the crew if the orientation of the ship was anything besides perfectly horizontal. His lips pulled back to reveal his fangs as he thought about how stupid the Equestrians had to be to design a ship like that. His attention was drawn away from the ship ahead of him as a claw came to rest on his back, his gaze meeting with another officer who he had yet to learn the name of.
“Sir, the battlecruiser is bringing her cannons to bear on us.” The tercel was glancing over his shoulder at the enemy ship as he spoke, nerves causing his voice to shake. “Your orders?”
Kepler had a feeling his earlier thoughts about the frigates had been correct, if the battlecruiser was making a move. “Forget about the frigates; we should be able to take hits from them for a while if we must. I don’t want to risk a single shot from that battlecruiser making contact with us, given the size of her cannons. Korvettenkapitän, bring us around. I want every turret we have firing on that battlecruiser until she’s sunk. Let our secondary rifles handle the frigates.”
“Aye sir.” Whiteclaw pulled the wheel back the other direction, the Tyr groaning once again as she pulled back towards the center of the enemy formation, dodging another shot from the frigate as the energy blast whistled past the starboard bow.
Kepler did what he could to remain calm, lest his nerves infect his crew, and watched as the battlecruiser came into full view through the port bridge windows. All three of her cannons were aimed right at them, with bright blue energy collecting within the barrels of the outer two at a rapid pace. The Tyr managed to get a salvo from her rear turrets on their way while the forward ones realigned, but only one of the shells hit the battlecruiser and it was a glancing blow on the stern. The explosion from the high explosive round sent metal and smoke flying into the air, but it wasn’t enough to throw off the ship’s aim as both the charging cannons fired.
“Incoming!” Kepler cried, forgetting he wasn’t at his station and therefore the ship’s crew couldn’t hear him. Thankfully, his comms officers were more than happy to echo his warning over the ship’s speakers as two massive energy bursts erupted from the cannons’ barrels.
One blast shot over the decking between turrets three and four, causing the metal to glow from the heat before detonating in the water on their starboard side. The second hit directly on their beltline armor, just behind the bridge. Alerts started to ring as the resulting explosion shook the Tyr violently, the comms officers calling out damage reports as power surged through the decking and made the fur on Kepler’s body crackle with static. The ship rocked from side to side before settling in the water again, Kepler’s request for a report muffled by return shots from all four of his ship’s turrets. Kepler ignored the shells impacting the water and rigging of the enemy ship, favoring his own over the destruction of their foe. He had to shake the tercel at the comms out of his stupor, his partner too busy passing reports from one section of the ship to another to notice the gryphon’s rattled state.
“What is the status of the ship?” Kepler yelled as the alarms blessedly fell silent, his hooves practically pulling the tercel from his seat before he could get himself under control.
The officer shook his head before locking eyes with Kepler. “E-Engine room two reports moderate flooding, but the biggest problem is the heat.”
“Heat?” Kepler echoed.
The Kapitänleutnant nodded. “The magic blast seems to have transferred a great deal of heat into the compartments near the impact. Reports are coming in of gryphons catching fire as their feathers ignite.” A shiver ran up his spine. “The ship is otherwise intact, but our crew is unable to assist those in the affected areas until the temperature drops.”
Kepler cursed. “Great, so instead of destroying the ship, their magic seems to be much better suited to cooking us inside it.” He turned to Whiteclaw. “Do whatever you can to spoil their targeting signature. I don’t want another shot to hit us from that battlecruiser if possible. If we need to take hits from the frigates, so be it, but do not let those cannons get line of sight if you can help it.”
Upon the tercel’s nod, Kepler turned back to the officer still in his grip. “Pass the word to every firing crew that has a clear shot. I want that cruiser sunk. I don’t care how many shots it takes; it will sink before this battle is finished.”
The fire in the officer’s eyes brought a smile to Kepler’s face. “It shall be done, sir.”
With that, Kepler returned to his post at the center of the bridge, his gaze roaming across the waves, as shots from all sides raced through the air. The frigates had taken advantage of the Tyr’s preoccupied state and were doing their best to hammer her with everything they had. Luckily, the power difference between the cannons on the frigates and the ones on the battlecruiser was drastic, with only minor damage occurring even from direct hits. Kepler’s body had become so charged with magic that he felt like a thundercloud, but he ignored it in favor of watching the battle unfold. Most of the shots from the Tyr were now making contact with the battlecruiser, although there seemed to be less damage occurring than what he expected. Could the armor of the battlecruiser be enchanted? If so, this was going to be a lot harder than he had originally thought.
Well, things are certainly heating up, if you'll pardon the absolutely terrible pun. Kepler has some big choices to make and the world seems to just love taking options out of his reach. Will he manage to command his ship and crew to victory in his first true engagement? Will he be able to defend Gloria from her nation's fury? Will Chrysalis ever stop being creepy-as-f
in every possible definition of the phrase? Find out next time in part two of Operation: Thunder Cracker!!
Once again, a HUGE thank you to both Helping Hoof and Grau for providing their expertise in editing this monster. I know I'd never have gotten as far as I have without their assistance and input. Give these two a big round of applause, because they deserve it just as much as I for creating this amazing book that you all enjoy!!
I'll get the next chapter up and running as soon as possible, knowing all of you and how well the fandom in general takes cliff-hangers (myself included). Until then, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the towel section below, we authors feed off of such offerings you know, and drop a like if you haven't already. Feel free to follow me or check out my other works while you're at it, and remember to have fun!!
Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
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Well Luna done goofed.
What curious ship design. I suppose since spell cannons don't require conventional ammo, they decided to stick to the full broadside rather than go to fewer but heavier guns. Since magical defenses could potentially be refreshed much easier than physical plate, a few heavy caliber "guns" might not be as effective as many smaller guns firing in volleys.
better late than never
He he going to protect his girlfriend and defile the king to keep her safe and will he let the griffin kill innocent ponies and foals
More please
REDUCE THAT WRETCHED PONY VESSEL TO WRECKAGE ON THE SEAFLOOR!
Its Chryssy, she will never stop being creepy.
And I bet the nobility had a hoof in those designs
10952375
Yup, it was a beast of war, but she (or he if you're the captain, apparently he referred to the Bismarck as male), wasn't exactly the most....efficient
10880436
TBF, as unwieldly as Bismarck was, she was partly made to boost morale. Like, "Hey guys, we have a big, badass ship. Oh, it can't hit planes well, eh, its fine. The enemy will be shitting their pants when they see this big beauty!"
10879116
Well, iron was often an anti magic metal, and steel IRC contains iron...
Interesting chapter.
Nice to see another chapter and glad it not just “I’m a human ship thus I am by default stronger then you an you cant do crap to me” and instead has ships that are a challenge to it.
11022511
Im surprised i didn't get notifications of this reply but glad I found it. I heard that it was only Heir Hitler that decided to call the ship a "He". Mainly by saying that the ship is to powerful to be called a She. But I could be wrong with who said what
11022514
Ha! I honestly wish that was a joke but it's probably what Hitler was thinking. Though it was able to hit planes, it wasn't the bismarcks fault that most of the shots just happen to pass through said planes
11022136
Either that or they are early on in their Ironclad history, since we humans did the same thing with mounting turreted guns on cruisers and the like. Especially during the Pre-Dread era
11025028
Yup. The Bismarck was, partially, a propaganda ship, at least in my point of view
Nice! I hate how most fanfics make Luna the only one who can travel to the dream world, as her "special talent".its more interesting to see someone can do that too
I just finished my binge of this story and it has been a blast. I love the whole setting with the gryphons and changelings (I have never seen a story have those two combine forces, awesome) and the whole political intrigue going on with keplar and the other high profile people. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see how all this plays out. Keep up the amazing work!
How would this work?
I hope Luna will be okay I'm just depressed at what my twisted and mutated subconscious is throwing at me
10879532
'Muricah.
Is the texas an oil burner or is it using coal? Cause in WW1 it was a coal burner however by WW2 it was converter to oil
Took a while but I finally managed to catch up with this fic.
I gota say, Luna’s situation will definitely be interesting in the long run. I doubt the griffons and challengings, or even ponies. Will fear well if Celestia discovers something happens to her lil sister that results in Day Breaker awakening. Although that’s very unlikely.
Nice to see a more capable pony ship, though she seems to have the growing pains of pre-Dreadnoughts.
Gotta say, Kepler is taking a lot to realise he ended in the more questionable side of the war. If that’s what awaits Gloria, I don’t want to know the fate of pony POWs
Anyway, time for patiently wait for a new chapter
11296166
I'm about 100% sure you misread his comment.
He states he's a fan of the song (by Sabaton), not that he has the impression that Bismarck is some sort of folk tale.
11301002
BASED
9846763
done in by a bunch of half frozen brits riding biplanes in the dead of night
I like this story I just wish it continued I must know who won
11421821
No, I do know how well Bismarck was. The Outdated Armor Layout, the 2 separate secondary batteries, the unarmored conning tower, the 3 screw setup, and how it was a 50,000 ton ship that was only as good as a 35,000 ton ship. She was fortunate to face a ship that just came out of drydock and a ship that needed to be drydocked for a major reconstruction half a decade prior. ntm the kriegsmarine lost all of their honor when it went down with Langsdorff, after that it was a Nazi puppet no better than the IJN
Question: any current plans to update this story soon?
11504141
Currently re-reading the chapters I've already written in order to remind myself of where I was before I get to the next update. Thank you for checking in and I hope to have the new chapter up sooner than later after my editing team gets a hold of it.
Have a good one, and I'll see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.