Echoes

June 28th, 2002 - Kalininberg - Niemec Reich

A cool, salty breeze was rolling in off the water and onto the dockyards. It was the middle of summer, but the Baltic Sea was still as cold as ever. And yet, somehow, the dock workers were walking around in nothing but overalls and work-shirts. They were probably used to the weather here. Schleswig-Holstein however, was not used to the cold. In her opinion, the military base on Kalininberg Island, the fourth largest in the entire Reich, was a stupid rock.

"Schleswig!" A young woman, who looked no more than 19, ran up to Schleswig-Holstein, practically jumping out of her black and silver uniform. The bright smile on her face warmed Schleswig, but it could do little against the Baltic chill.

"I thought you were getting in tomorrow. You should have told me that you were coming early!" Königsberg was the Harbour Master in Kalininberg, and was in charge of organizing the new Ostflotte, the latest demonstration of power made by the Reich to ward off the Communists. 

"Yeah, you're right," Schleswig admitted, but Königsberg could tell she didn't mean it. 

Eager to change the subject, Schleswig continued "Who else is in the Ostflotte? I heard your little sister Köln was going to be here. It's been a while since I last saw her."

"You're the only battleship we have, and aside from myself and Köln, we also have Nürnberg and Leipzig for light cruisers, but Leipzig hasn't arrived yet. As for smaller ships, we have our existing garrison of light craft led by Z14, and another group led by Z15. We also have a small submarine squadron led by U-14, and I'm sure you saw U-22 patrolling outside the harbour. Also, and this hasn't been confirmed yet, but we might be getting a heavy cruiser as well."

"...That's a lot for just a show fleet. If we had any more, I might think that we're an invasion force." She said it with a light tone, but Schleswig wasn't joking. A fleet of close to 60 ships, even if it was mostly light craft, was a substantial force, far more than necessary to ward of the weak Communist Fleet. 

"What do you think Command is planning?" asked Schleswig.

"No idea." answered Königsberg. She leaned closer to Schleswig to whisper something in her ear. "There are some rumours going around that we're going to invade the Vistula Republic, but I don't have any proof."

That was insane. The Vistulas were close friends of the Reich. Unless... No. That wasn't possible. Schleswig quickly dismissed the idea, and quietly looked out at the dockyards. 

Her hull was being serviced - she was being given the Baltic camouflage pattern, and her tanks were being filled - and she took in just how many ships were here. Almost every berth had been filled, and the dockworkers were still hard at work, despite the setting sun. It wasn't that hard to see this as an invasion fleet.

Königsberg tapped her shoulder. "Hey, what's that?" she asked, pointing at a spot on the horizon.

Schleswig grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked out at the sea. "It looks like... No way!"

"What is it?" Königsberg asked, obviously confused.

Schleswig was too shocked to answer at first. "It's Leipzig, but, also, it's Admiral Hipper and Blücher, and what looks like at least a dozen escort craft."

Königsberg was shocked. "Two heavy cruisers!? For a fleet like this, just doing border protection? What is Command thinking!?"

Her reaction made sense. The Navy was extremely limited when it came to larger ships, and they almost never grouped them in any one place. And, even if they did, it would expected that they would inform the Harbour Master of whatever island they put them at.

"...Um...Harbour Master...?" A small voice came from behind them.

They both turned to see a child, bundled in excessive layers of coats that covered her from head to toe. Königsberg quickly recovered her wits. "What is it, Beitzen?" 

Z4 Richard Beitzen took an involuntary step back, before sheepishly answering. "A-Admiral Hipper has... sent a message f-for...um... for your eyes only... it's t-top secret documents from...f-from Bismarck."

She quickly handed Königsberg a sealed envelope, and scurried off towards the Harbour Offices, having fulfilled her duty.

Schleswig gave a small sigh. "I see she hasn't changed much. Well, I'll leave you to read that message. I'm probably not meant to see it anyways."

Königsberg grabbed her sleeve. "I'd prefer if you read it with me, just so that I can be sure that I'm not dreaming."

"...Alright." that was weird. Königsberg didn't normally act like this; she was normally quite upbeat, and didn't take too many things seriously. Maybe, just maybe, she had reached the same conclusion as Schleswig from the idea of the invasion fleet.

She broke open the seal on the envelope, a piece of wax imprinted with the Reich's emblem, an eagle carrying a square cross in its talons. She slid out a sheet of paper, a message from Bismarck to all frontline commanders. 

Königsberg began to read aloud: "To all frontline commanders of the Reichsmarine, I, battleship Bismarck, have taken control of the government and am enacting martial law. A series of events has forced me to do this, and I do this for the sake of the Reich. Two days ago, Admiral Graf Spee, our ambassador to the Neutral League, discovered that the Singularity has been destroyed by an unknown force, and, by July 1st, the Neutral League will prohibit any foreign ships from entering their territories. 

"The destruction of the Singularity, which has existed for a hundred years, marks the start of a new era, and a drastic change in the way of the world. Our civilian government, which managed to run the country in times of peace, is not capable of leading the Reich in wartime. For this reason, I have taken control of the capital and temporarily detained the government.

"Due to the risk of Communist invasion now being a real possibility, I have sent Admiral Hipper to Kalininberg to negotiate an alliance with them. It is most likely that the Communists will want to take part of the Vistula Republic, our close neighbour, to make up for Kalininberg. If that is the price that we must pay to secure peace on our Eastern border, then the Ostflotte will join the invasion of the Republic.

"As for how the Singularity was destroyed, I do not have an answer to that. It is possible that it was the work of Mediterrenea or Yamato, as they both want to expand their empires. We have already gained word from U-682 that Yamato has invaded Eastasia. Another possibility is that it was the work of Tirpitz's fleet, which went rogue a few months ago.

"With the destruction of the Singularity, our navy will no longer be able to grow, and, as such, every commander is to take appropriate cautionary measures to prevent any casualties. Detailed orders specific to each commander will be sent out as soon as possible.

" - Bismarck."

Having finished reading the letter, Königsberg slid it back into the envelope.

"..."

"..."

Both Schleswig-Holstein and Königsberg were in complete shock. Their worst fear, the destruction of the Singularity, had just happened.

Königsberg was the first one to speak. "Schleswig, head to the Harbour Offices and recall all ships to the harbour immediately. Get fighters in the air patrolling the waters around the island. I want to know if anyone comes within an 80 kilometres of Kalininberg. Send two destroyers to escort Admiral Hipper and Blücher into harbour. Gather all military personnel at the piers as soon as you can. I'll be making an announcement to inform them of this."

Her voice was cold and rough, and Schleswig could hardly recognize it. This serious, combat-ready Königsberg was almost a different person from the happy, carefree young woman that Schleswig knew.

"Of course, Harbour Master." Schleswig ran off to the Harbour Offices, leaving Königsberg alone on the pier.