Taylor Anderson - Firestorm

ALLIED SITREP, DEC 19 1943

FROM: CMDR S RIGGS (ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF) LOCATION: BAALKPAN X FOR COTGA (CHAIRMAN OF THE GRAND ALLIANCE) ADAR

TO: ALL STATIONS SPC X CAPTAIN M P REDDY CINCAAF (COMMANDER IN CHIEF ALL ALLIED FORCES) CINCEAST COMM FLEET 2 LOCATION: EMPIRE OF NEW BRITAIN ISLES X HER EXCELLENCY SAAN-KAKJA HIGH CHIEF FIL-PIN LANDS X COLONEL T SHINYA LOCATION: MAA-NI-LA X HIS EXCELLENCY ADMIRAL KEJE-FRIS-AR CINCWEST COMM FLEET 1 X GENERAL P ALDEN X LOCATION: ANDAMAN ISLAND X HIS EXCELLENCY ADMIRAL SOR-LOMAAK COMM TF OILCAN, X LOCATION: EASTERN SEA X EYES ONLY DISTRIBUTE AT DISCRETION X BAALKPAN: SALVAGED STEAMER SANTA CATALINA ARRIVED SAFELY UNDER POWER X MAJORITY CARGO OFF-LOADED X WILL ENTER DRY DOCK FOR REMAINDER CARGO REMOVAL X SEAPLANE CARRIER ARRACCA (CV-3) WILL DEPART IN COMPANY NEW BATTLE GROUP AND TROOPSHIPS X AIR WING WORKING-UP EN ROUTE ANDAMAN X ALLIED COUNCIL CONDITIONALLY ACCEPTS MEMBERSHIP RESPITE ISLAND AND EMPIRE NEW BRITAIN ISLES INTO GRAND ALLIANCE X AWAIT REPRESENTATIVES XXX MAA-NI-LA: CAPITAL FIL-PIN LANDS ESCAPED SERIOUS DAMAGE FROM TIDAL WAVE CAUSED BY ERUPTION TALAUD ISLAND X OTHER FIL-PIN LANDS HOMES SUFFERED GRAVELY X PAGA-DAAN ALMOST WIPED OUT X RESCUE EFFORT INVOLVING LAND AND NAVAL FORCES CONTINUES X WILL DELAY DEPLOYMENT SOME ELEMENTS X TF (TASK FORCE) MAKAA-KAKJA (CV-4) AND BATTLE GROUP READY TO DEPLOY X RELUCTANTLY CONCUR NECESSITY TO SEND IT EAST TO AID CAPTAIN REDDY AND IMPERIALS X COLONEL SHINYA CAN DEPLOY DIVISION IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS X WHERE SEND? X SUBMARINE S-19 PASSENGERS AND CREW-INCLUDING SEVENTY-ONE (71) EX-TAGRANESI (LAWRENCE PEOPLE) SAFE IN MAA-NI-LA X WHERE SEND? X NAVY OILER RETURNED FROM RESPITE ISLAND WITH FIRST LOAD HUMAN FEMALES X WHERE SEND? XXX EMPIRE OF NEW BRITAIN ISLES: COMPANY COLLABORATION WITH FORCES HOLY DOMINION QUASHED ON ALL ISLANDS EXCEPT NEW IRELAND X DOMINION/REBEL FORCES STRONGLY POSITIONED THERE X NOT KNOWN IF WORD OF HOSTILITIES HAS REACHED DOMINION PROPER BUT PRISONERS SAY HOSTILITIES LONG EXPECTED X FOUNDERS DAY CELEBRATION JAN 5 1944 IS DATE AFTER WHICH THINGS WILL AUTOMATICALLY HAPPEN X GOVERNOR-EMPEROR AND COMMODORE JENKS SUSPECT MOVE AGAINST CONTINENTAL IMPERIAL HOLDINGS AT LEAST X REPAIRS USS WALKER ALMOST COMPLETE X WALKER AND SIMMS REMAIN ONLY US NAVY ELEMENTS IN THEATER X ANTICIPATE ARRIVAL TF OILCAN SO CAN COMMENCE OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS X HOPE ECONOMIC ADVICE HELPFUL X NEED MORE MARINES XXX ANDAMAN: PORT FACILITIES INCLUDING FLOATING DRY DOCK AND AIRSTRIP NEAR COMPLETE X TF GARRETT REMAINS ON BLOCKADE DUTY X ALL OTHER ALLIED FORCES INCLUDING I AND III AND IV CORPS-FIRST FLEET COMPOSED OF SALISSA (CV-1) AND HUMFRA-DAR (CV-2) BATTLE GROUPS AND TRANSPORTS READY TO COMMENCE OFFENSIVE OPS CEYLON IN MOST RESPECTS X THANKS FOR SENDING CMDR LETTS TO SORT OUT MESS! X HIS PLANE ARRIVED SAFELY YESTERDAY

XXX MESSAGE ENDS XXX

Western (Indian) Ocean

Commander Greg Garrett, former gunnery officer of the old Asiatic Fleet four-stacker destroyer USS Walker (DD-163), now captain of the sailing frigate USS Donaghey, leaned on the starboard quarterdeck rail, staring through his binoculars. The colors of the sea and sky had proclaimed their independence from each other and a yellow-red smear splashed the eastern horizon. The boisterous sea was becoming a tumultuous, toothy, pink-tinged purple. The Lemurian lookout, high in the maintop, had sighted dawn-spangled sails to the northeast with her keen eyes, but Garrett still saw nothing. As he searched, the sun darted tentative beams over the distant, hazy line of the continent.

What have we, sur? asked Lieutenant Saaran-Gaani, joining Greg beside the rail. Saaran was Donaghey s exec, her salig maa-stir, in the Lemurian vernacular. Hed replaced Muraak-Saanga, whod been recently appointed to cothe new USS Tassat when Garrett declined the honor in favor of remaining with Donaghey. Saaran was a bona fide Sky Priest, of a southern denomination, so he filled the sailing master role without suffering any of the religious resentment that sometimes plagued laymen in his post. More and more Sky Priests joined the Navy these days, surely out of patriotism, but also possibly to help secure their relevance in these strange, transitional times.

Garrett didnt care about that. Saaran was a fantastic navigator, as were most of his order, but like Adar-the highest-ranking Sky Priest Greg knew-Saaran was a fanatic for the cause. Greg lowered his binoculars and looked at him. The oversize, dark amber eyes gazing back were common among Lemurians, but the fine, almost perfectly symmetrical coat of brown and white fur was unusual. Lemurians could be almost any color and were often striped, blotched, or even brindled, but not many had so much white. Greg shrugged mentally. Sky Priests were often odd in a number of ways. In Saarans case, it might even be his southern lineage. He was one of the few Cats from the Great South Island, the land humans remembered as Australia, whod joined the Grand Alliance so far. He even talked funny. Word was, some land Homes of north and west Australia, culturally similar to Baalkpan and Maa-ni-la, were forming regiments and might apply for full membership in the Alliance. Garrett hoped they would. This war was a fight for all Lemurians to make-all people of whatever race or species.

Regardless of where he was from, Saaran was an aggressive, eager student of naval warfare, and Garrett felt lucky to have him. He scratched the dark hair poking from under his hat with his left hand, while still holding the binoculars with his right.

Sails, Garrett replied. Plural. No count yet. Lookout caught em in the northeast, probably sailing in column. I cant see squat from here.

Ah, Saaran said, smiling. The predawn GQ strikes again!

Garrett smiled too. It wouldnt be the first time theyd snapped up a Grik ship simply by being on their toes at that critical time of day.

Maybe. I hope so. Its been a little boring out here lately.

Boring! Saaran huffed. Donaghey and her sister, Tolson, under the command of Russ Chapelle, as well as the newly arrived Revenge, were blockading the western approaches to Ceylon and India. Besides the occasional enemy ship, these waters teemed with some of the most dangerous creatures in the known world. They were packed with an unprecedented (in their experience) density of ridiculously large and scary predators-some more than capable of destroying ships twice as large as theirs. The Navy had developed countermeasures that worked-when there was time to deploy them-but discovering the threat in the first place was the tricky part. Dangerous submarine creatures, like submarine boats, were difficult to detect and the blockading squadron was operating on one of the most nerve-racking stations imaginable.

Well, maybe not bored, Greg allowed, but there hasnt been much business since we clobbered that east-bound convoy a couple of weeks ago. He shook his head. As I said before, I think theyve figured out that somebody out here is beating up the mailman!

Donaghey and Tolson had been making things rough on the Grik mailman for a while now, paired continuously since Tolson s return from a special mission to Tjilatjap (Chill-Chaap) where Russ helped salvagean old freighter-and her impossibly valuable cargo. The two first new construction frigates were the last dedicated sailors in the Navy besides the dozens of prize Indiamen that had been razeed into swift, lightly armed corvettes, and they were commanded by the most experienced skippers. Not only were they independent of fuel requirements and able to remain on station longer, they were the fastest ships in the Navy-with the exception of the ship that brought the destroyermen to this other earth in the first place: USS Walker herself.

Revenge had just arrived in theater. She was a new construction steam frigate of an entirely new-hopefully improved-design called the Scott Class. Named for the first Revenge, a captured Grik ship whose human-Lemurian crew fought to the last against staggering odds, she was bigger, faster, and more powerful than the first allied steamers. Her auxiliary sailing rig remained, but she was supposed to be almost as fast as Donaghey under steam alone. She had a good skipper too. Pruit Barry had been Walker s assistant gunnery officer, and hed commanded Tolson during the Battle of Baalkpan. Although hed saved his ship, hed been so sorely wounded that he was just now returning to action. Garrett was glad to have him back.