"Ship board time: 0500 Hours." The metallic voice of the automated alarm broke the long silence in the Falkengraf's Operations Center. Admiral von Ehrenberg stood quietly, arms folded behind him, staring out the bay windows - beyond, just visible in the distance, piercing the nebulous clouds that wrapped their cloying tendrils around the ship, lay Honshu. The sun glittered on the atmosphere, bathing the already beautiful planet in a incandescent glow. To the world it would have looked as though the admiral was just standing there staring out of the window, as he had been for hours now; but in truth his mind was racing - a thousand possibilities, a thousand variabales.
A faint buzzing briefly interrupted his reverie, followed by another - louder and more insistent this time. The door. Shaking himself free from the analysis paralysis that gripped his mind, he straightened himself up and faced the entry way. "Herein!"
The heavy armoured bulkhead door that seperated the Operations Center from the Bridge slowly heaved open, revealing a tall, slender, man in his thirties. He had an unspecific handsomeness about him, and cut a dashing figure in the grey-green uniform of the Kampfgruppe Vallentorm; on his collar the insignia that identified him as a command officer. Upon entering the room the officer came to attention, snapping a formal imperial salute. "Herr Admiral, ich bitte gehorsamst zu melden..."
A raised hand from the admiral interrupted the report; "Bitte, Alfi... we're alone here. Informal will suffice."
The young officer hesitated a moment, as if expecting a trap, before visibly relaxing. "Na gut. We've had word from Kampfgruppe Admiral Scheer and the Admiralty, the first offiziere should be arriving within the next few hours."
Reinhardt nodded slowly in acknowledgement. "Gut," As he spoke, he rubbed his temples, massaging his aching head, "inform me when they arrived."
"Your cybernetics are bothering you again, Reinhardt?" The admiral looked up at the man standing in front of him, dropped his hands and gave him a tired smile. "I'm sorry Alfi... no, just... tired. Its been a long day." The young officer nodded by way of response, turning toward the door. As he did, he saw the tacitcal display screen at the far side of the room, a map of Honshu still frozen on the last stages of the war. He stopped dead in his tracks; "Was that really the plan, Reinhardt?"
The admiral looked up at the officer, trying to gauge if it was shock, or judgement he heard in his voice. "One of many, Alfred. One I am glad the peace with Kusari has put an end to. Inform me when the other admirals arrive, dismissed." He did not want to talk about it, not now. As the door hissed shut, Reinhardt's gaze fixed on the planet, and the bio-hazard attack indicator that ominously pulsated above it. Damn glad, he thought to himself.
"Licht!" He barked the words, and the main room lights turned on in an instant, near blinding him. Gathering his notes together he reviewed his presentation one last time. A while later, the door beeped again, heralding the arrival of the first attending officers.
(06-12-2019, 01:04 AM)Nepotu Wrote: Remove the SNAC for good
Quote:[08.07.2019 03:20:17] =CR=Zulu: Situations like these makes me wish they left me behind in Crayter.
The wraith with the insignia of task force "Admiral Scheer" landed in the docks of RWK-Falkengraf. The pilot of the ship exited the main hatch of the ship and used wraith's automatic stairs to went down to battleship deck, while Falkengraf crew were approaching him. Claus removed his pilot helmet and asked Falkengraf's personeel to refuel his ship. Crew members saluted and began their work. Claus nodded and moved to nearest elevator.
"Operations center."
The doors of closed, and elevator began to move to heart of the battleship. After five minutes, doors opened and Claus entered the Operations center.
"Ich guess, Ich the first, right?
Claus approached konteradmiral von Ehrenberg and shook his hand.
"Long time no see, Reinhardt. Glad to see you here."
Konteradmiral Auttenberg poured a glass of water and sat down on the nearest chair.
A ship approached the Falkengraf and the sign showed the persoal wraith of Wolfgang von Thielau. As the Konteradmiral left his ship a Unteroffizier yelled "AAAACHTUNG!" All soldiers stopped their work immediately and saluted to Von Thielau. He passed the soldiers.
"You may move."
A soldier opened the doors of the elevator for the Konteradmiral, Wolfgang entered the elevator and moved to ghe operations center. He left the elevator and now stands in front of the other Konteradmiräle.
"Guten Abend, die Herren."
He respectfully nooded at both.
"I guess I don't have missed much now, Reinhardt mein Freund, have I ?"
Joseph Porta was looking at the Falkengraf and smiled, knowing that his ship the Liechtenstein was operating as an autonomous unit under the Vallentorm KG. The armored transport carried him and 4 more people, an operation officer, a telecommunication officer and two escorts. The symbol of his unit shined on his shoulder."Not bad for a farmer's son" he muttered and watched the Falkengraf growing on his comm. "Tell me, Hans, is a bit funny that we are meeting in Kusarian space, when our orders were a bit different, isn't it?" "Ja, I think that the Fleet will be redeployed and we are about to get further orders" "Nein, I will receive the orders, you shall be waiting in the shuttle and make sure that you are keeping an eye on what is happening to our unit. Speaking of it, who is escorting us?" "Fraulein Anneka and Bernadette" "They are new, aren't they?" "Ja, from the Polizei, they were top of the class" "Sehr Gut"
On the speakers around the cabin, a metallic voice started speaking: "Approaching Falkengraf, 200m, Received Data burst, Docking information acquired. 100 units.....75....50....25...Docking complete"
Porta looked around and signaled his staff to stay put while he was heading to the hatch. A Militar Soldaten was waiting for him and saluted. "Permission to come aboard, Soldaten?" he asked smiling. "Permission granted, sir!" and waited Porta to get out of the transport and yelled "Offizzier aboard! Achtung!"
"At ease, Kamaraden" and turning towards the soldier, asked "Where is Admiral von Ehrenberg ?" "Main Bridge, mein Herr" "Jahowl"
A few minutes later, Porta entered the Operations Center "Guten Tag Admirals, Konteadmiral Joseph Porta, at your disposal" he said, saluting the people in the room and taking a seat. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting..."
From the deeps of the nebulas of Honshu a heavily reinforced Donau-Class Cruiser approached the Falkengraf along with two Oder Korvetten and a bunch of Jägergeschwader. The Kommandozentrale identified this Cruiser as the Hilden, the personal Cruiser of Admiral Hetzer personally.
"Oberster Admiral Hetzer, the docks are ready!"
The Hilden docked at the Falkengraf and the bridge opened the tunnels to make the Crew board the Battleship. Behind a group of guardians Admiral Hetzer arrived onboard of the Falkengraf. He looked around with an ice-cold glance, searchingly and very strict.
"Mein Admiral, please let me guide you towards the Gipfeltreffen!"
Hetzer remained silent and followed the man. After the other Admirals there were waiting for the remaining ones, the reinforced door opened up and Admiral Hetzer entered the room in his glance of various medals and ribbons. Von Ehrenberg and the other Admirals immediatly stood up tightly.
"Oberster Admiral!" is what they said synchronous.
"Meine Herren, es ist Zeit!" said Hetzer, he walked towards his place and sat down. "Setzen!"
"Konteradmiral Hiestand, we are approaching the Falkengraf. Orders, sir?"Said the navigation officer on duty. Standing up from the Kapitan's seat, Hiestand began to issue orders to the crew of the experimental battleship Westerwald."Disengage the cloaking device, and request permission to come alongside and moor. Open a channel to Konteradmiral von Ehrenberg. We have much to discuss.""Cloaking device disengaged, opening a channel to the Falkengraf.As the cloaking device was disengaged, a Bismarck-class dreadnought shimmered into view and came alongside the Falkengraf."Airlocks are sealed, board when ready.""Danke, you have the bridge."With that, Hiestand left the bridge of the Westerwald and boarded the Falkengraf, where Konteradmiral von Ehrenberg was waiting for him at the airlock."Guten tag, Reinhardt, my friend, how are you?"
Another Wraith unit arrives at the Falkengraf. The combat unit of the callsign Viper requests the docking sequence. A communication channel has been opened;
"Rheinwehr vessel, identify yourself" the speaker said.
"Hier ist Vizeadmiral Kreuzer, i am requesting to dock at the Falkengraf" replied the pilot.
The man walks along a Dimly lit floor, following the Soldat. He then enters a room where the other Admirals are already have taken their seats.
"Die Herren Admiräle, excuse me for my delay. Minor botherings have taken too much of my time." Kreuzer said.
The crowd, inspecting the slim but tall man, fell silent. No one spoke a word, everyone was simply staring at him.
Admiral Hetzer then broke the silence: "Herr Kreuzer, bitte nehmen Sie Platz."