Epic Unearthed

by Thomas Turner

  Chapter XXIX

  The Atlantean Fleet

  At the Atlantean capital, Admiral Ashastonous boards his flagship and inspects the heavy battlecruiser, feeling very confident about what is ahead of him. The Atlanteans need a victory, and their sailors are committed to fight to the death for their empire.

  If Ashastonous loses, or cannot find the enemy before they reinforce their supplies, the war will be lost. The Admiral believes the key to saving the Empire lies in his hands. When negotiations began between the two superpowers, Ashastonous witnessed enemy ships inside the capital’s harbor, but is unaware of their numbers and battle tactics. The Admiral does not know enough about his enemy, but will go to sea and defend his beaches the best way possible.

  Within the last ten months, seven new Atlantean destroyers have been built, giving the fleet eighty-five destroyers, ten cruisers, and two massive battlecruisers. Almost one-hundred ships will fight and protect Atlantis’ shores. With new ships, the Atlanteans are ready to see how their navy will fare in battle

  To the Atlantean north, the Kyrenians’ and Mantineians’ navies are very weak, having almost nothing that can impose a threat to the peninsula. Their only way to attack Atlantis is to sail through the Atlantean Western Sea. Atlantean spies have seen their ships and are not afraid of a sea battle with these two empires. Because the Mantineians’ and Kyrenians’ harbors are so distant, they will take days to reach the shores of Atlantis. Ashastonous is sending more scout ships to the Western Atlantean Sea to search the waters, in case of any surprises.

  Because of distance, the enemy will be unable to outflank the three-hundred-fifty Atlantean scout ships scouring the Eastern and Western Seas. Atlantean scouts will spot the enemy days before nearing the peninsula. In that amount of time, the Atlantean Navy can concentrate their forces to intercept any fleet sailing toward their homeland. Ashastonous does not think the West Atlantean Sea will be the main thrust of an amphibious attack, so he concentrates the main forces to the East.

  At Vasic, Vice Admiral Radious prepares for battle. He will use forty military cargo ships, converting them to protect the West. Ashastonous gives the Vice Admiral the other heavy battlecruiser and the new seven destroyers in order to strengthen his weak side.

  Over the years, the city of Vasic has stockpiled ship catapults and giant crossbows. Every man, woman, and child in the city help in the war effort. Other than military personnel, children carry arrows to the warships and civilian women help in the placement of navy artillery to retrofit the cargo ships.

  Atlantean cargo ships are not armored as well as the destroyers, but are similar in body-style. Their hulls are thicker, to support the weight of land artillery and cavalry. For speed, the ships’ sails are larger to help compensate. The converted crafts are slower if there is little wind, and the sides of these ships are thin. If an enemy catapult projectile hits the sides of the military ships, the bombardment can inflict heavy damage.

  On the East Atlantean Sea, Ashastonous sets sail. The fleet will congregate ninety-five miles east of Halotropolis. The City of God is thirty miles from the Eastern beach and thirty-five miles southeast from the Great East Wall. On land, the Continental Alliance is ten miles deep into the Atlantean Empire, but the enemy does not move. This is where Daygun thinks the enemy will try to bring supplies in by sea.

  When Ashastonous arrives to his destination, he waits. The scout ships report to their commander that they have found nothing suspicious. Every twenty minutes, Ashastonous receives an update. There are many islands in the area, each a part of the Atlantean Empire and with eyes for the Eastern Fleet. If anything is sighted, the Atlantean towers on the island will be ablaze. The towers can be seen twenty miles. When ignited, the Atlantean scout ship will know there is trouble and inform their Admiral.

  Ashastonous envisions the enemy’s navy like a herd of wild horses stampeding toward his empire. He knows they will not be as organized as his fleet. The Atlantean battle group will attack as one. Ashastonous plans to take out their supply ships first. If he sinks their provisions, the Ladoneans’ war machine will quickly crumble. The Continental Alliance needs to resupply their warriors on the Atlantean mainland.

  During the night, Ashastonous sails toward Atlantean islands, on which there is no sign of the enemy. Nothing is happening yet, but why? Ashastonous looks at the bright full moon, and wonders if the enemy is looking at the same object in the sky, awaiting battle.

  Atlantean fleet captains are on-board the flagship for a late dinner with the Admiral to discuss battle tactics. The dining area can easily accommodate ninety people. The woodwork and craftsmanship are equal to that of the Ladoneans’.

  All captains eat slowly, as if this could be their last meal. Because no one knows what they may fight against, the Atlantean captains have no concrete battle plans. The men under Ashastonous’ command are not afraid of fighting or dying, but do fear the unknown.

  After dinner, Ashastonous stands and says, “We are here to fight the enemy. Our scout ships see nothing, but our antagonists are coming. We have almost one-hundred ships. Tomorrow, we might fight one-hundred ships, or one-thousand. As brothers of war, we may die, or grieve for our fellow shipmates. I look at everyone here, and know this may be the last time I see your faces. We are Atlanteans, and we have been trained for this moment. The enemy may defeat us on land, but not at sea. If we work and fight together, despite fear of dying, we will be victorious. Each step in life is hard, and each following step is harder than the one before. Life is comprised of challenges, but this challenge will make or break our empire. Mark my words: the enemy doesn’t know what’s going to hit them.”

  The night continues as Atlantean captains, who have been friends for years, discuss everything except what can happen the next day. Everyone wants to go into this with a clear head and let their instincts dictate the battle. No one knows what to expect, but every officer has complete confidence in Ashastonous’ leadership. Because the captains have to wake up at daybreak, all depart before midnight and return to their ships.