Dawn of Mechanization

Chapter 6

January 6th, 1900
Brathorn Coasts, Brathorn Imperium

"Captain, massive settlement spotted on the coast approximately forty kilometers out. Profile matches the description of the capital city we've been search for."

"Brilliant. Set all ships on alert and arm their secondary and AA batteries. Based on what's been going on it's highly likely these people will turn hostile against us, and I rather we be prepared to fight our way back to our waters."

The Sartoman fleet sent to make contact with the Brathorn Imperium had found it's destination and altered course to sail towards the capital. However unlike the fleet sent to the Kingdom of Arkport they came more prepared and in higher numbers.

Given the likely tension currently rising within the Imperium, the fleet consisted of an aircraft carrier, two battleships, two large cruisers, four heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and four destroyers as a show of force in hopes the Imperium would respect and take heed of their words.

Since they passed out of their territorial waters, the fleet had begun tracking multiple ships via radar. Current estimate was fifty ships being tracked in a one hundred kilometer radius. So far none of the ships approached the fleet, either not noticing or wanting to steer clear of such imposing warships. For now they sailed unopposed and unchallenged, making for the Brathorn capital with ease.

Multiple small vessels they believed to be sailing fishing barges were in their route, and were hit with the biggest shock after realizing there were several massive steel warships converging on them and then sailing by without even visibly acknowledging them. Their pathetic small wood hulled and wind powered boats paling in comparison to the almighty steel hulled diesel powered battleships.

Upon reaching twelve kilometers from the capital shores, they were most definitely spotted as what looked like a small naval fleet was passing by, most likely patrolling in defense of the capital.

The fleet comprised of ten ships-of-the-line, four frigates, and sixteen brigantines. The Brathorn ship-of-the-line comprised of a outer wood hull with a length of seventy meters, a beam of fifteen meters, a draught of seven meters, and a displacement of two thousand tons, powered by two mana engines for a top speed of twenty knots. Armament consisted of four forward facing and fifty port and starboard facing 127mm magiguns. The frigates comprised of a hull with a length of fifty meters, a beam of twelve meters, a draught of six meters, and a displacement of fifteen hundred tons, powered by two mana engines for a top speed of twenty two knots. Armament consisted of two forward facing and twenty port and starboard facing 127mm magiguns. The brigantine consisted of a hull with a length of thirty meters, a beam of ten meters, a draught of five meters, and a displacement of nine hundred tons, powered by a single mana engine for a top speed of twenty four knots. Armament consisted of ten port and starboard facing 127mm magiguns. All ships were equipped with mana tanks for both powering the engines and weapons and internal mana steel plates as armor.

The fleet must've noticed them as from one of the larger ships a bright red flare shot up into the sky, signaling an alert to other vessels and the city of the approaching fleet. After doing so they maneuvered to intercept said approaching fleet and prevent them from reaching the city.

"Looks like we're about to have company. Have all guns at standby and prepare for general quarters." The captain in command of the carrier and entire fleet ordered, taking extra precaution and increasing the alert level as combat was now becoming a more likely possibility. He was hoping his predictions were wrong as the two fleet were now just a kilometers away from each other.

"By the high heavens!" The captain of the ship-of-the-line taking charge of the Brathorn fleet shouted as he immediately recognized the size different from his ships to these ships. "Where did these ships come from?"