Sinking Red Hopes

[Khemia]

The Eastern Ocean was serenely calm, almost ominously so, the large cargo vessel lurked in the international waters just outside of Sinhai territorial waters. The flag of Vangala would have fluttered brilliantly in the wind, if there hand been any. But like the nation itself, the water of the Eastern Ocean wasn't the most welcoming to communism, it seemed.

Several boats were nuzzled up against the hull of the ship, receiving crates from the upper deck to send into the waters of Sinhai. The act in itself was suspicious, the communist flag off the territorial waters of an anti-communist nation was even moreso. A Sinese military vessel, a humble destroyer ripped through the calm water towards the Vangalan vessel.

The captain if the SNDFS vessel paced the deck furiously, barking orders to his underlings and demanding his superiors tell him whether or not the vessel was within the jurisdiction of Sinhai law.

It wasn't. The SNDFS vessel had no right to fire on the Vangalan's. Several of the small, fast craft sped away from the Vangalan ship, and men on the deck manned machine guns and began firing at the small boats. Several took hits and shattered, sending crates of unknown objects into the ocean.

"Hold your positions or we will fire. We demand a copy of your cargo manifest and your purpose here," the loudspeakers on the ship boomed.

Another small, fast craft shot out from the Vangalan cargo ship, the another crew member manning a HMG put the small boat out of its misery. Men on board the Vangalan ship could be seen scrambling about, and soldiers aboard the Sinese vessel were quick to assume what they knew was obvious: the Communists were smuggling goods into Sinhai.

"Cease and desist your operation immediately, or we will fire upon you." The warning was given.

The Vanagalan vessel gave no response and the destroyer fired a shot just to the starboard of the vessel. The splash of the water splattered members of the Vangalan crew.

"We are conducting scientific surveys of marine life," the Vangalan vessel replied. "We are in international waters, and are free to engage in these studies as we see fit."

Two more patrol boats flew past the guns of the Sinhai ship before the Commander had enough. Naval Command informed him that the Vangalan patrol boats were indeed entering Sinhai waters without authorization.

"You are given jurisdiction under hostis humani generis, engage and eliminate all targets," the order came down from Command. Within two minutes the destroyer fired ten shots into the side of the Vangalan cargo ship. Dozens of sailors were jumping over the side to abandon ship while flames from within the ship were likely claiming the lives of the rest.

"Pick up those red scum, I want them detained immediately," the captain ordered.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Footsteps on the blank marble floor echoed through the stretched hallway. The red of the evening sun was shining through the large windows, painting the interior in a fiery twilight. Matija Dračar had spent longer than planned in his office and the Commissar was eager to return home after a troublesome day of work. To his surprise, he had to find out he was not the only one who worked overtime.

"Matija, good to see you," a happy little man with a broad smile greeted him. It was Dusan Mejic, Commissar for Foreign Affairs. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about rather briefly."

Matija just nodded. He knew instantly, what it was about. "I have ordered the Revolutionary Navy to dispatch three corvettes, as we all agreed. Do you have any new information?"

The Commissar for Defence was an inpatient man. It was known as his one great weakness throughout his military career and it was something even his closer friends found it hard to cope with. Yet, put into the position of Commissar for Defence, his hotblooded temper was well constrained by the more calculating approaches of his comrades, not to mention the many people working for him in the Commissariate for Defence.

"Yes, about that," despite being unable to completely let go of his smile and the happy nature he was so well known for, Commissar Mejic's voice became far more serious. After all, people had been killed in this whole incident. "I have contacted the Vangalan authorities. They are in compliance with the course of action we suggest."

Matija sighed. Wordlessly he turned around, heading back into his office. From a political point of view, what Commissar Mejic had told him were good news. From an individual point of view, it meant additional work and it had to be done today.

From a safe in his desk, he withdrew several documents. Checking all details just to make sure, he then drafted the order that would be sent to Captain Slobovic aboard the Revolutionary Navy corvette "chainlink break", the flagship of the small taskforce sent to the waters near the Sinhai Union. "Prevent Sinhaiese diving operations; destroy wreckage" his orders were short, but precise and would reach the ship through safe channels.

None of the Commissars cared whether this meant that the Vangalans really had to hide something within the ships wreckage or if they merely wished to prevent a framing by the Sinhai Union. Vangala was a socialist state under attack by an anti-communist rogue state, that was the official explanation for Carentanias intervention. Vangala being in Carentanias debt meant it would be far more easily pressured into a reform course, that was the real reasoning behind it. Besides, of course, the fact that the Sinhai Union had really gone over the top with their aggressions towards socialist states.

 

[Khemia]

The SNDFS Destroyer Shiva still patrolled the waters where the Vangalan vessel had sunk, striding atop the slowly churning waves of the Eastern Ocean as they writhed about, storms to the distant southeast would be approaching the area likely within a week, but the cold weather would decrease their intensity. Or so the weathermen said, but Captain Arnap had his doubts. In his experience, week-long predictions tended to be off.

The Shiva was an aging ship, but a trusty design. A ship he had captained for nearly 13 years. Though his crew had seen little action in their time in the SNDF, they were technically experienced. Perhaps that was an understatement. The majority of the crew were volunteers in the SNDF and had already served on the vessel for six to eight years, some even past their mandatory citizen-ship requirement of ten.

He paced the bridge silently, watching the clouds in the sky above move slowly across the sky with the force of the wind. He sighed, listening to the cacophony of noises that sounded through the bridge, a printer in the far corner, however, caught his ear.

The XO grabbed the sheet and hurried toward the Captain, handing him the paper. "Carentanian vessels en route to position. Prevent intervention, use of force authorized; first strike suggested against."

Great. Basically, command had just told him 'Get shot at'.

This was going to get interesting. He looked at the horizon in the futile hopes that maybe he'd see the silhouettes of the enemy vessels his commanders knew would come, any chance they could have to get at the throats of a nation sane enough to be paranoid of Communism.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Aboard the command center of the Chainlink Break stood captain Slobovic amongst his officers, all wearing the deep blue uniforms of the Revolutionary Navy of Carentania. With a tall, proud posture he was monitoring the many little things that happened simultaneously as the group under his command approached their target zone. Together with the Chainlink Break were two more fregates of the same class, the Slavedrivers Death and the Popular Uprising. They were all modern ships, the most recent design completed in the shipyards of Cazma about five years ago.

"Comrade, the Sinese ships now have us on their active radar."

Captain Slobovic took a deep breath. He had his orders and they included clear instructions for any eventuality that could arise. Still, one error, one false decision or even just an incorrect pacing of the planned steps could mean his death and the one of the men and women under his command.

"Does the Popular Uprising know about their orders?"

Slobovic's question was answered by a loud "affirmative" from the communications officers.

"Very well, begin the recording."

The Chainlink Break had been outfitted with a video camera on its command center, which was to record the operations and the events on the ship. Carentanias higher-ups had fears that the Sinese would make up a story to cover up for possible aggressions and this record was Carentanias secret weapon against such diplomatic schemes. Of course, it wouldn't record everything that happened and the Chainlink Break was the only one of the Carentanian fregates that had it.

"I am Captain Slobovic aboard the Chainlink Break. We are approaching the sinking site of the Vangalan ship. We will now call the Sinese ship at the area."

Without further orders, the Communications Officer began to send a message through the radio. It was in Sinese. "Revolutionary Navy ship Chainlink Break calling the Sinese destroyer. We are securing the shipwreck on behalf of the rightful Vangalan owners. Do not interfere and cease all operations affecting the state of the ship."

Meanwhile, unrecorded from the camera onboard of the Chainlink Break the other Carentanian fregates split off from their flagship, approaching the target from a different angle - and with radar jamming on full power. The supply ship that had made it possible for the fregates to operate so far off their homewaters was distancing itself from the area, slipping into open seas and out of range of the Sinese.

 

[Khemia]

Captain Jaroenpura of the SNDFS Shiva grumbled aloud and bashed his head into a bulkhead aboard the ship while his communications and intelligence officers gave him a variety of reports, none of which matched the other. They hadn't even been able to pinpoint the location of the wrecked ship after a week, much less deal with the numerous Communist vessels sitting off the coast of Sinhai.

While the Communists, in theory, outnumbered the Sinese, it didn't really matter. Gunboat diplomacy only worked during war, the only threat the Communists actually posed was possibly ramming one of the two Sinese destroyers.

"Captain, the Moksha has a helicopter en route, requesting permission to land," one of his ensigns called out.

"Grant it," Jaroenpura waved his hand. Obviously the Admiral knew some information and didn't feel secure giving it out over standard communications channels. No better way to send a secret message than by giving a man a note.

Outside, the helicopter had begun its communication with the crew and began to land on the aft deck of the destroyer. The moment the landing struts touched down, a young kid, by Jaroenpura's standards, had jumped off and was hurrying towards the bridge.

Hopefully that moron doesn't bash his head on a bulkhead, Jaroenpura thought to himself.

It took almost three minutes, but the young seaman hurried into the bridge and snapped a salute before handing a small envelope to the Captain. The seal was unbroken, which was good, but Jaroenpura still cast a suspicious glance at the lad before breaking the seal and reading the note.

He didn't let the emotions he was feeling register on his face, instead he grunted, folded the note in his pocked, and turned to the helmsman. "Helmsman! --"

An ensign shouted out without permission, "Captain, the Carentanians are hailing us!"

The Captain glared at the ensign. "Helmsman, set course for Sri Rama," he moved towards a bulky phone on one of the panels to his left and picked it up shortly after his XO had barked off the orders. The room was silent, but active, and the Captain nodded to the communications officer to let the call come through.

"If you want to take me out on a date, I expect expensive wine and good food. Otherwise, call a diplomat," he grumbled and hung the phone up.