Epic Unearthed

by Thomas Turner

  Chapter XXXII

  Time is the Enemy

  Admiral Ashastonous is contemplating the right time for his ships to break out and go on the offensive. His enemy is confused and Ashastonous wants to capitalize on their discord to effectively attack.

  The Atlantean fleet counters at the most vital time of the battle. Ashastonous moves his flagship to encounter both heavy battlecruisers coming toward him. His men row valiantly toward their objective, catching the massive ships off-guard.

  The Atlantean Admiral runs to the flag station onboard his ship, shouting, “Raise the flags for our ships to go on the offensive! The enemy is totally confused.”

  Four Atlantean battlecruisers and fifteen destroyers exit the circle for a full-scale attack. Two Atlantean destroyers are ordered to sacrifice their ships, and ram the two remaining enemy heavy battlecruisers. The Atlantean destroyers follow orders, angling to hit the enemy’s massive ships where the hulls are their weakest. Hitting hard, both Atlantean destroyers knock a large hole in their targets; one enemy heavy battlecruiser starts to sink, and the Atlantean cruisers concentrate their firepower to finish it off.

  The other Atlantean destroyer has rammed deep into the last Ladonean flagship and cannot free itself. The men on the Atlantean destroyer row back with all their strength, but to no avail. Those on board the enemy battlecruiser take revenge and rain arrows on the Atlantean destroyer. The Atlantean Admiral watches while his men are being slaughtered.

  Outraged, Ashastonous decides to ram the Atlantean destroyer, which is still wedged inside that last enemy vessel. Because the enemy ship is not sinking, the Atlantean heavy battle cruiser smashes into its own destroyer in the rear, and hammers it farther into the enemy ship. With the devastating impact, the men of the Atlantean destroyer start abandoning ship. Ashastonous’ archers provide cover, taking revenge on the enemy archers who just killed their brothers-of-war. The enemy ship is doomed and begins submerging. The enemy sailors from the heavy cruiser abandon ship, but the archers of the Atlantean flagship do not give them a chance to reach safety. One of the people abandoning the enemy flagship is the Admiral of the Ladonean fleet. He is hit with an arrow before he can jump into the water and dies instantly. The saved Atlantean sailors climb aboard their flagship and grab bows to continue fighting for their empire.

  Ashastonous’ offensive is succeeding. While the Atlantean destroyers keep their enemy out of the defense circle, the enemy’s hope of taking the Atlantean fleet is fading. The enemy cannot penetrate the Atlantean fortification to break their formation. Even the ships at the rear of the Atlantean circle are standing their ground.

  Two hours before sunset, the enemy has lost all but fifteen cruisers in six hours of fighting. The enemy destroyers are depleted as well. Eight fully operational enemy cruisers regroup with thirty destroyers, once again charge the Atlantean fleet. During the battle, the Atlanteans concentrate on the enemy cruisers, crippling them all. After the short offensive, the enemy cruisers begin limping out of range of Atlantean artillery.

  Ashastonous yells to his captain, “Order four cruisers to attack the retreating ships. We will destroy their morale right now.”

  The Atlantean cruisers chase the eight enemy cruisers like wolves in a winter forest. Because the Atlanteans were stationary most of the day, their oarsmen are rested; but their enemy is exhausted. Speed is now the key in this sea battle. The Atlanteans sink one damaged enemy ship at a time. This is a mighty blow to the morale of the Ladonean Navy. After their offensive, the Atlantean ships return to a defensive formation. The enemy regroups for another attack.

  The Atlanteans lose a total of thirty-two destroyers. Ashastonous has thirty-four fully operational destroyers left, and twelve impaired. Only three Atlantean battlecruisers are damaged. The enemy has seven lightly damaged battlecruisers and one-hundred-twenty-eight destroyers still in operation.

  Before the fourth engagement, the enemy appoints Vice Admiral Zanteara to take over the battle. Using the of his battle fleet, Zanteara takes the rest of his battle fleet and attacks the Atlantean Navy any way he can, understanding he cannot return to Melercertis defeated. He orders the supply and transport ships to sails forward to Atlantis. Zanteara will slow the Atlanteans to give his convoy a head start.

  Several Atlantean scout ships are ordered by Ashastonous to follow the Ladonean armada. The Atlantean scout ships are faster than the enemy destroyers and able to avoid the next conflict. These ships cannot do much damage, but can keep the enemy in sight for their warships to follow.

  The remaining scout ships are ordered to the nearest dock for more munitions. The journey will take some time, but the Admiral has told them to meet him at a specific point from their shores where the enemy may land. In calculating time and distance, Ashastonous has a small window of opportunity.

  On the fourth round of attack, the Atlanteans go on a full-scale offensive. They have to intercept the enemy supply and transport ships prior to their reaching the shores of Atlantis. The enemy has about an hour head-start, and darkness comes soon. Ashastonous knows there will be a full moon, but finding the enemy in the dark will be difficult, even with his scout ships following. Waves of the sea will hide their enemy. In the middle of the fourth battle, Atlantean Admiral also orders his destroyers and supply ships to pursue the enemy supply and transport ships.

  Two hours into the fourth engagement, only three Ladonean cruisers remain to fight the Atlanteans, and Zanteara cannot fight any longer. The battle has essentially been decided. The enemy has only twenty fully-functional destroyers remaining, and sixty-two others damaged. The Atlantean flagship and battlecruisers are showing no weaknesses. With another attack, the Atlanteans will destroy the enemy completely. Zanteara stops the attack, ordering a retreat back to his homeland. The Ladonean Admiral has to retain the remaining navy. The rest of the enemy warships are on fire or at the bottom of the sea. Zanteara has done all he can, allowing his supply and transport ships to have a head start on the Atlantean fleet.

  Admiral Ashastonous sees the enemy warships trying to retreat, and orders his fleet to let them go. While enemy rescues many of their warriors from the water, Ashastonous chases the enemy supply and transport ships that have escaped him. In fifteen hours, the enemy armada will reach the Atlantean beaches.

  The Atlantean supply ships reach the enemy three hours after sunset. They have little ammunition and destroy only twenty-five enemy ships. Some of the Atlantean supply ships ram the enemy, attempting to stop them. The rest of the enemy ships continue at full speed toward Atlantis.

  Atlantean destroyers reach the enemy about midnight. The enemy loses close to three-hundred-fifty ships during the night. By daybreak, the destroyers are out of ammunition. They sail in front of the enemy fleet to slow them, but the enemy is not deterred. Although the Atlantean warriors aboard the destroyers have been awake for over twenty-four hours and are very exhausted, they know their families and fatherland are in jeopardy.

  The next morning, the Atlantean cruisers are nearer the enemy armada, use their final ammunition, and sink all but two-hundred enemy ships. Ashastonous then orders all cruisers to ram the troop ships. Following that desperate move, the method is damaging the Atlanteans’ massive ships. The Atlantean Admiral orders all his fleet to pull ahead of the enemy ships and meet the scout ships, which will hopefully have ammunition.

  Time is an enemy to the Atlanteans. The enemy supply and transport ships keep pushing forward. Ashastonous orders his men to eat, drink, and sleep. The officers take oar and let their warriors rest.

  When the scout ships reach their ports, everyone who can carry ammunition does so and resupplies occur very quickly. In haste, the scout ships return to sea with as many munitions as they can hold.

  The first of the scout ships finally catches up with Ashastonous’ fleet. The ammunition is first laded aboard his ship while the enemy can be seen on the horizon. The Atlantean ships are only half supplied, then ordered to return to the battle. With damaged
ships and exhausted sailors, the Atlanteans keep going. There is not enough time to fully supply Ashastonous’ remaining fleet. They must destroy as many of the enemy armada as possible. Hundreds of Atlantean scout ships resupply their fleet. After scrambling for munitions, Ashastonous’ fleet sails quickly between the enemy armada and the Atlantean beaches.

  The Atlantean fleet is only six miles from their beach. From land, the Continental Alliance armies can see their supply and transport ships on the horizon. Atlantean ships use their artillery and attack. Some of the enemy convoy makes it through. Atlantean cruisers and destroyers hit and destroy enemy vessels quickly, but there are simply too many of them. It only takes minutes to destroy an enemy ship, but seventy-two enemy ships escape.

  Ashastonous orders his ships back to Vasic. His fleet is damaged from ramming their enemy. The flagship returns to the military port. His destroyers are ordered to finish the enemy convoy that is beached on Atlantean soil. Atlantean cruisers cannot attack because they are too massive and will bottom out so close to the shore. Atlantean destroyers are the only ones that can get close enough to the beaches to destroy their enemy.

  After the Eastern Sea Battle, over eighty percent of the Ladonean Navy is destroyed or damaged. The Atlantean destroyers have done what was asked of them, and return to Vasic feeling good about what has transpired. When the Atlanteans’ fleet reaches Vasic, Atlantean battle scars can be seen by their countrymen. The Atlanteans still have thirty-nine destroyers, five cruisers, and two massive flagships in action.

  These two sea battles have almost destroyed the entire enemy navy in two days. Ashastonous has done his duty as a warrior. The ships of the Ladoneans did their duty as well, but at a very high cost. There will be no other supplies sailing from the enemy’s homeland. Because the enemy can only get supplies by land, their attack against the Atlanteans will be delayed. Daygun has more time to prepare his city-states for the inevitable.