0858 March 23rd, 2020 CE

0729 Start 23rd, 196 AE

In the ocean between the Soane League and Magus Imperium

The six submarines of the Magusian 9th Submarine Squadron neared the seas where there were reports of enemy ships. Their mission was to infiltrate and sink the enemy convoys. It seemed to be quite simple. When they got to the area where enemy warships patrolled, they would submerge and slip past them. Magusian submarines were more submersibles than true submarines. This meant that they operated mostly on the surface and only submerged to avoid detection or to sneak up on enemies. They had to surface to recharge their batteries.

Commander Kaius Merula was the commander of one of the six submarines of the 9th Submarine Squadron. He looked out towards the sea through his periscope. Turning it, he noticed something on the horizon.

“Enemy warships. Seems to be a group of destroyers.”

Running up to an enemy patrol already was not a good sign. It was quite lucky that they had already submerged. There shouldn’t be any way for the enemies to detect them. Just in case, he ordered his submarine to dive deeper.

In an elven destroyer, a sonarman stared intently at his equipment before looking up.

“Captain, our sonar is picking up a lot of pings. There could be a group of submarines nearby.”

The Captain stared intently at the equipment.

“Can’t be ours. We don’t have any assigned here. Fire the depth charges.”

Sudden explosions rocked Merula’s submarine. The crew was confused. How were they detected? They weren’t on the surface. These were the last thoughts of the crew.

A massive explosion split the submarine in two.

0524 March 24th, 2020 CE

0542 Start 24th, 196 AE

Magus Combined Task Force

There were reports from patrolling elven submarine and destroyer squadrons of a large Empire fleet approaching the route the elven convoys took to get to the Empire. With this, the Elven Navy decided that this was their chance to wipe out the human navy. Wolfpacks of submarines were gathered to harass and sink as many human ships in that fleet as possible.

In addition, a fleet of 3 carriers, 5 battleships, 11 cruisers, and 21 destroyers was also gathered to face off against the human fleet.

The plan to stop the elven convoys by using submarines failed completely. The submarines were somehow easily detected and sunk by the elven warships. Admiral Manius Vedius had been ordered to lead a large fleet in an effort to stop any Elven ship from getting to the mainland. It had been finally confirmed that the enemies they were facing off against were elves. Admiral Vedius was not at all confident of his victory. He understood that they were facing a super-advanced civilization. The only reason that the Magus Imperium had their current technology was because of the elves. The elves now might even have the same technological capabilities that the Americans had. He had read about what happened in the American-Mach War. What happened to the Mach will probably now happen to them. But he still had a duty to do and he wouldn’t just run away because he was scared. More than half of the Magusian Navy was dispatched to destroy any Elven naval assets in the seas which the elves were using to transport their units. 14 pre-dreadnought battleships, 5 dreadnoughts, 20 cruisers, and 50 destroyers were gathered to try to stop the elves.

A massive explosion rocked the MIS (Magus Imperium Ship) Honor, a heavy cruiser, and a water plume rose from its port. More explosions occurred on other ships.

“Admiral! Multiple ships are reported to be taking on water because of torpedo attacks! We are being attacked by submarines!”

“Where are they?”

“We are looking around the ocean but we can’t see any, sir.”

“Drop the depth charges!”

Massive plumes of water rose as Magusian ships dropped the explosives into the ocean.

0200 March 26th, 2020 CE

0400 Start 26th, 196 AE

In the ocean between the Elven Continent and Magus Imperium

The depth charges seemed ineffective. The fleet was harassed by Elven submarines many times. By the third day, they had lost 15 destroyers and 8 cruisers. Because the dreadnoughts and pre-dreadnoughts were at the very center of the massive formation, they were more protected and none were sunk.

0904 March 26th, 2020 CE

0732 Start 26th, 196 AE

Elven Interception Fleet

Admiral Edyrm Vaynore looked as one of his staff pushed a couple of red blocks on the map towards a couple of blue blocks. Earlier scoutings from elven destroyers have allowed an estimation of the whereabouts of the human fleet.

“We should now be getting close to the human fleet. Our submarines should have whittled them down a bit. They will be in range of our aircraft in less than 15 minutes.”

Admiral Vaynore narrowed his eyes and drew a circle on the map with his fleet at the center.

“Recon.”

1024 March 26th, 2020 CE

0812 Start 26th, 196 AE

Recon aircraft had finally found the human fleet. The fleet was well within the range of the elven planes. Airmen ran towards their aircraft on the decks of the aircraft carriers. Torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and fighters were all loaded up and ready. One by one, the aircraft took off from the decks of the aircraft carriers and into the sky. 36 torpedo bombers and 36 dive bombers escorted by 36 fighters. 108 total aircraft.

1100 March 26th, 2020 CE

0830 Start 26th, 196 AE

Magus Combined Task Force

“Enemy aircraft!”

A sailor shouted at the top of his lungs on the MIS Caelus, the dreadnought that Admiral Vedius was on. Vedius was surprised. It didn’t make sense at all. How was there enemy aircraft in the middle of the ocean? Then he remembered that the Americans also had the same capability

The 3-inch anti-aircraft guns on the dreadnought opened up towards the swarm of approaching planes. The destroyers and cruisers on the outer part of the group and have anti-aircraft guns had already started opening fire. The first formations of aircraft that approached were biplanes. They started to seemingly skim the water. One of the Elven aircraft was hit as it got close. A flame appeared on its tail and it crashed into the water. A few seconds later, objects detached from the bottom of the first formation of aircraft and hit the water.

Explosions ripped two of the destroyers apart.

“Admiral, they are dropping torpedos!”

“Shoot down as many of them as possible!”

Almost all of the Elven aircraft were able to drop their torpedoes. Only a few were shot down. Multiple destroyers and cruisers had been hit and were sinking. No evasive maneuvers were performed by the ships since they weren’t prepared for air attacks in the middle of the sea. More formations of biplanes came and wreaked havoc.

A different type of formation approached. They were monoplanes. This time, instead of dropping low onto the water, it continued at its high altitude. The aircraft started a steep dive down towards them.

“What do we do?!”

“Evasive maneuvers!”

“Avoid them!”

These aircraft seemed to be aiming at the larger ships. Bombs dropped from them. The lumbering dreadnoughts and pre-dreadnoughts couldn’t avoid them. An explosion rocked the top of a dreadnought and dark smoke plumed into the sky. More explosions rocked the same ship.

“Admiral! The MIS Tiberius is being abandoned!”

“Why?! They aren’t sinking.”

“The conning tower has been destroyed and the guns are completely disabled.”

The planes buzzed around the fleet like flies around garbage. The Magusian ships had too few or zero anti-aircraft guns. Even the dreadnoughts only had two anti-aircraft guns aboard each.

The Elven aircraft waves stopped and the chaos subsided.

“Damage report! How many ships did we lose?”

The men in the brig of the MIS Caelus started receiving these reports. An officer quickly read out the compiled information to the Admiral.

“Four pre-dreadnoughts were sunk, a dreadnought was disabled, three cruisers were sunk, six destroyers were sunk, and a dreadnought was heavily damaged but can continue. Some other ships received light damages”

“Rescue the survivors.”

Admiral Vedius was visibly upset. Almost half of the fleet was sunk. And it wasn’t even because of naval battles. It was from attacks from submarines or aircraft. They only had 10 pre-dreadnoughts, 4 dreadnoughts, 9 cruisers, and 29 destroyers left. The Admiral looked out towards his sinking ships. They had only shot down 2 planes.

“We are turning around. Set a course back to port.”

“But sir, what about the mission?

“This entire fleet will be sunk before we can even actually engage the enemy or their convoys.”

“Send a report to HQ. Tell them we are taking too many losses and that we are returning.”

1124 March 26th, 2020 CE

0842 Start 26th, 196 AE

Anti-aircraft guns from the destroyers one the outer part of the fleet started again.

“More aircraft!”

They were subjected to the same hell they had experienced before.

1124 March 26th, 2020 CE

0842 Start 26th, 196 AE

Elven Interception Fleet

“Reports from our aircraft indicate that the human fleet has turned around.”

Admiral Veynore watched as his staff pushed the blue blocks away and the red blocks forward on the map. He looked up after thinking for a little while.

“Pursue them.”

“Admiral, we will be within firing distance in fifteen minutes.”

“Good.”

1154 March 26th, 2020 CE

0857 Start 26th, 196 AE

Magus Combined Task Force

“Ships spotted on the horizon!”

After the second air attack, the Magus fleet had begun limping back to port. The second attack reduced their numbers to 7 pre-dreadnoughts, 4 dreadnoughts, 7 cruisers, and 24 destroyers. Many of their ships were damaged. They had downed some more aircraft but it didn’t really matter.

The 3 aircraft carriers were left a bit behind the rest of the Elven fleet since they were only meant for air support. In a straight line, the battleships, cruisers, and destroyers ran parallel to the human fleet formations. Two of the battleships were Venharice-class battleships. The other three were the older but still very new Alinar-class battleships which were named after the former Great Magus.

Admiral Vedius stood with eyes wide open as he looked at the Elven battleships he faced. They were much larger than any battleship in the Magus’s arsenal.

The three triple 11-inch guns of the Alinar-classes, the four twin 15-inch guns of the Venharice-classes, and the heavy cruisers opened up in a salvo.

Admiral Vedius watched as the shells came flying towards his fleet. The five twin 12-inch guns of the Magus’s newest dreadnoughts were not close enough to hit their targets so his fleet was turning towards the elven firing line in order to get closer. He heard the whistling of the shells as they got closer. His dreadnought was lucky since it was at the front of the other dreadnoughts and pre-dreadnoughts. The elves seemed to have targeted the middle of the fleet. The shells rocked his fleet. A turret blew off from one of the pre-dreadnoughts in a massive explosion. The conning tower of a dreadnought was seemingly leveled. Multiple other ships that were hit suffered horrifying damage.

The Elven destroyers loosed their torpedoes as they got closer. No torpedo trails could be seen. The agility and torpedo range of the Elven destroyers prevented them from being easily attacked by the human cruisers and destroyers. Some of the torpedoes slammed into the human destroyers.

The human fleet seemed to be doing a suicidal last dash towards the Elven fleet. The battleships and the cruisers opened up a second salvo towards the humans’ fleet.

Admiral Vedius’s ship was miraculously still floating after his fleet was pummeled two times. Now the remainder of his ships faced off against the Elven fleet which was now within his fleet’s firing range. His pummeled fleet numbered only 3 pre-dreadnoughts, 2 dreadnoughts, 4 cruisers, and 16 destroyers. Most of them have suffered some damage. The bigger ships opened fire as the destroyers attempted to get closer in order to get the enemies into torpedo range.

A shell struck the Garrick, one of the Alinar-class battleships, and did some damage. Most shells missed. An elven cruiser was struck and suffered heavier damages.

Another salvo came again from the elven fleet. This time Admiral Vedius’s ship wasn’t as lucky. The MIS Caelus was struck multiple times and its entire deck seemed to be leveled. With this, the morale of the Magus fleet plummeted. Their ships had been torn apart and they had only inflicted very minor damage to the enemy. Some started to flee. Others decided to die for their country.

Elven Interception Fleet

“Damage report?”

“Minor damages to the Garrik and the Sanev. We also lost two destroyers.”

“Should we pursue the fleeing enemy? We should be able to outmatch their speed.”

Admiral Vaynore shook his head.

“Those that flee are cowards and cowards are beneficial to us. Let them spread the word of their defeat. The humans shall tremble before our might.”

Vaynore closed his eyes. That was the signal that the operation was over.