Chapter 92: Chapter 92: The Battle of Groun Sea

May 20, 1640

Mandelas, Itrata, Nigrat Union

The Nigrat Union’s capital bustled with activity as citizens cleared the streets for military convoys. Emergency alert towers flashed red intermittently – a silent warning to the citizens below, who crumbled at the sight. Many stood in shock and disbelief, a few so dumbfounded that they had to be pulled to safety by local knights. 

Red was a color that nobody had ever seen before; the alert towers had hitherto flashed green, blue, and yellow to herald presidential announcements, warn of storms, and signal a state of war. Red, as taught in Union schools, were far more ominous. They signaled an existential threat – a crisis fit for the likes of the Ravernal Empire. Those who knew little of current events panicked, fearing the return of the feared Sorcerers. On the other hand, those who followed news updates since the fall of the Hinomawari Kingdom knew that the threat at hand was not as severe, but threatening nonetheless. The Gra Valkan Empire had finally begun their invasion.

—-

President Kassar watched the streets below from his castle, traces of red occasionally flashing across his eyes. His mind grew heavy, troubled to the extent that he could hear the constant, loud pounding of his heart. His legs felt as if they were ready to cave in, their structure unable to counteract gravity the way they had for decades. The incessant pounding grew louder, and his stomach churned, crying out. Already, he felt sweat accumulating from within his gloves – a gross feeling that he detested. At the very least, it served as a minor distraction, to take his mind off the inevitable doom that now presented itself to him. He calmed down, despite his nervousness and scratched his dark brown beard to quell his nervous ticks.

From his peripheral vision, he noticed someone approaching, but kept his head level and eyes trained at the blue-scaled wyverns in the distance.

“Sir,” the man said, “All attendees are present and accounted for.”

Kassar nodded, and peeled his eyes from the window. He turned around, facing downward while his hands remained clasped behind his back. After a split second of reminding himself that he needed to appear strong in front of his subjects, he lifted his head and greeted them. “Thank you all for coming.” Kassar analyzed the looks plastered on their faces: fear, despair, hopelessness. The pressure coming from their looks twisted his gut, but he pushed forth. His subjects needed hope, and he was the only person capable of providing that. “As you may have heard, the Gra Valkan Empire has begun their invasion.” He forced a smile, “And this is a perfect time to finally use the Americans’ weapons.”

The citizens of the Union knew exactly what American technology was capable of. Seeing Kassar’s confidence, they began smiling too, all bolstered by his optimism.

Seeing the light return to his subjects, Kassar’s fake smile turned genuine. “Generals, begin deployment of the American weapons at once. Ensure that they are spread out to prevent concentrated fire from Gra Valkan forces.” He then nodded at a man dressed in a sleek, blue uniform. “Fleetmaster, you may enact your strategy. The lives of your men may be forfeit, but know that every single Gra Valkan ship that we take down – especially if it is a transport vessel – we will be able to evacuate a thousand more citizens, and fortify our positions with a hundred more soldiers.”

“I will see to it, sir,” The Fleetmaster bowed.

Kassar turned to administrative officials dressed in neutral colors. “Delegates, send word to the other member states. The Union military will not be able to hold for long, not without reinforcements from our members’ armies. Have them deploy their men to Groun; this is the only state that has suitable beaches for landing operations.”

——

Groun, Nigrat Union

NUS Bulwark

Situated ten miles off the coast, the Bulwark sat in the very center of the entire Union Navy, which stood at three hundred warships strong. Metal glinting in the sunlight, it was the premier ironclad vessel of the Union Navy, one of the few to exist and the most powerful of its siblings. Equipped with state-of-the-art enchanted cannons, this vessel was deadly enough to face even Mu’s warships. This simple fact alone brought pride to its sailors, as well as sailors throughout the fleet.

However, the captains and admirals did not share the same confidence. Unlike the enlisted, the higher-ranking officers were well aware of the dangers posed by the Gra Valkan Navy. Through intelligence derived from American sources, they knew of Gra Valkan weapons, armor, equipment, and tactics. The range of Gra Valkan naval guns were unmatched, capable of hitting targets tens of miles away. Even if the Union Navy could pull off the impossible feat of closing the distance, Union cannons would only serve to tickle the armor on Gra Valkan battleships. It was unwinnable.

Though the battle was clearly unwinnable, there was a way that the Union could prevent a complete defeat. Admiral Makaan knew exactly what the Fleetmaster’s strategy entailed. Considering all of the Gra Valkas Empire’s advantages, it would be impossible to even land a single blow. However, there was a way to close the distance with the Americans’ help. Somehow, they could disable the Gra Valkan radar systems, leaving them blind and forcing them into a knife fight. Then, they would be able to deploy magically produced fog and get within range of their own cannons, or perhaps even conduct boarding operations, much like the barbarians of the non-civilized countries. All the while, the Gra Valkans would be tormented by their secret weapon.

Slight ripples formed along the ocean surface, as if acting as an affirmation of Makaan’s thoughts. He grinned as he addressed his men, “All forces, today we face the Gra Valkas Empire in battle! Unlike the former superpower Leifor, we understand our enemy, and have adjusted our tactics. Men, we may not be able to defeat the Gra Valkans in direct combat, but mark my words, we WILL injure them! The Gra Valkas Empire, and all of Elysia in turn, shall know our might, and we WILL turn back these invaders!” He glanced at his watch – a quaint device given to him as a gift from the Americans. “The Americans have now disabled the enemy radar. All forces, prepare for battle!”

The lumbering ships in the distance disappeared from sight as walls of smoke rose from the water, reducing the visibility to less than a mile. The height of the fog reached the top of the ships’ masts and towers, but no further, allowing visibility from the skies. Flying at their altitude limit and unable to be detected by the disabled Gra Valkan radars, a squadron of Union wyverns loitered above the Gra Valkan fleet, watching them as they closed in on the coastline. Unsuspecting Gra Valkan aircraft flew past them, unable to spot the camouflage wyverns amidst the blue backdrop of the sky.

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The squadron of wyvern riders sent frequent updates, which Makaan and his commanders used to modify their strategy board. They moved pieces corresponding to coordinates given to them by the riders, and moved their forces accordingly. Makaan wanted to wedge his vessels in between the Gra Valkan ships. If his own broadsides couldn’t penetrate their armor, then friendly fire from the enemy might.

The two fleets moved toward each other as two hundred Gra Valkan fighters struck at the Union fleet from above. Before they reached within range of the Union ships, hundreds of wyverns swooped down, their camouflaged bodies unseen until it was too late. Acting on advice from the Americans, the wyverns targeted the Gra Valkan dive bombers, taking out twenty planes in their first strike. The wyverns then continued their descent, piercing through the thick layer of fog until they reached the ocean’s surface. They then flew low, retreating back toward the coastline as they prepared for another surprise attack from above.

The Gra Valkan fighters pursued their targets, leaving the bombers with little protection. Their confidence bolstered by their victory over Leifor, the Gra Valkans did not anticipate a nation of lower technological quality to possess any threatening anti-aircraft capabilities. This assumption proved to be their undoing, as the relentless pursuers unwittingly came within range of powerful machine guns. A hail of bullets rained upward, striking down dozens of planes, including fighters and dive bombers.

Meanwhile, the Gra Valkan bombers aimed for larger ships, taking out numerous ships-of-the-line, detonating their ammunition stores and sending them to the depths of the ocean amidst magnificent explosions. The fighters strafed whatever ships they could find, prioritizing the smaller vessels, from which anti-aircraft fire seemed to be originating from. Bullets shredded the light iron and wooden armor of these smaller ships, eviscerating them with great ease. 

The poor visibility worked both ways, and although the Gra Valkans suffered significant losses, their casualties were not enough to completely decimate their forces. From two hundred aircraft, the Gra Valkan carrier wings were whittled down to just over a hundred. On the other hand, the Union lost 40 wyverns and 30 ships – an acceptable trade in the eyes of the Union. Unable to sustain the ruthless close-quarters engagement any longer, the Gra Valkans pulled away and retreated to their carriers to rearm and refuel.

Unable to communicate with radio, the Gra Valkan ships pushed forth using light signals, talking as if they were subjected to radio silence. Adapting quickly, the ships slowly formed a relay network. Ten destroyers and a cruiser stayed behind with the carriers while the rest of the fleet – which consisted of forty destroyers, fifteen cruisers of varying tonnage, and six battleships – moved to engage the Union Navy.

For twenty grueling minutes, both sides inched closer to each other. The silence was nerve-wracking, even for the Gra Valkans, who started to grow weary of the Union’s antics. Finally, the silence was broken by a thundering blast from a battleship’s guns, followed by a massive explosion that engulfed a Union frigate. The battle had now begun in earnest, as cannonfire and explosions rocked the seas.

Gra Valkan submarines surfaced every so often to get a bearing on their positioning. They traveled toward the sides, picking off isolated Union vessels. Instructed to only target vessels in their clear line of fire, the submarines’ effectiveness was diminished by the chaotic engagement, which presented many opportunities for friendly fire. This concern affected the Gra Valkan surface warships as well, who became isolated by swarms of Union ships.

Only the battleships and heavy cruisers were spared from this swarming tactic; the Union knew that there was no hope of penetrating their armor. Thus, they sat back and picked off what targets they could, sometimes even ramming overconfident Union ships that strayed too close. Due to their relative isolation and importance, however, they soon became subjected to attacks from underwater.

American-made naval mines, dragged along by sea-faring pegasi, were brought toward the larger ships and unleashed, trapping the Gra Valkan battleships and heavy cruisers. Massive columns of water shot into the air where the mines were detonated, creating large holes in the hulls of these vessels, causing them to sink. A few mines happened to be a bit more lucky, finding the ammunition within these ships and setting them off. 

In the heat of the battle, the Gra Valkans lost all semblance of communication, with light signals unable to penetrate the bright explosions that frequented the battlefield. Only a few attentive vessels managed to receive the order to retreat, while the rest were left to fend for themselves. The Gra Valkans pulled back, eventually finding the burning remains of their carriers, which had been attacked in a similar fashion to their battleships and heavy cruisers. Fearing the worst, they continued to flee, not daring to assist the few destroyers present with rescue operations.

Across the battlefield, Makaan caught wind of the Gra Valkans’ retreat. Numbers and updates continued to flow through as wyvern riders overseeing the fleets from above analyzed the situation. Small skirmishes continued to rage in small pockets, but these were quickly being snuffed out by Union reinforcements. With the battle drawing to a close, the wyvern riders above determined that the Gra Valkan fleet had lost all five carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, and fifteen destroyers.

“And…” Makaan said somberly, head hanging low, “Our casualties?”

The report came in, the operator’s voice just as solemn as the admiral’s. “Sir, we’ve lost a hundred frigates, sixty-three ships-of-the-line, forty-one wyverns and two of our ironclads, as well as a single pegasus. We have also expended over ninety percent of the mines we have.”

Makaan sighed. The burden of war was tormenting, but he was nonetheless grateful that they had forced the Gra Valkan fleet to retreat – a feat that not even Leifor could accomplish. “Good work, lieutenant. You may return to your airfield.” He then turned to his communications officer. “Prepare a broadcast, fleet-wide.”

“Ready, sir,” the officer replied.

“All vessels, this is Admiral Makaan. We have successfully deterred the Gra Valkan invasion!”

Cheers erupted.

“Unfortunately, this came at a heavy price. We do not know the exact number of the dead, but we have lost over half of our naval force. All seaworthy ships are to commence rescue operations immediately, and those who are not are to return to port for repairs. We may grieve the fallen, but only after we know our citizens have been protected. We must now prepare for the next battle. May we find strength in solidarity.”

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