Chapter 330: Rogue Ship

Reincarnated as an Imperial Prince

"Shit! The Britannian battleship just fired on their aircraft carrier," the captain of the Rurik Class Battlecruiser cursed, completely flummoxed at what just happened.

"Captain! We can't contact Admiral Samuel! What do we do?"

"Inform all the captains of respective ships to commence battle stations!" the captain of the Rurik Class Battlecruiser commanded and continued. "We have to inform the Central Command about this and wait for orders. For now, do not fire unless fired upon."

***

Inside the HMS Illustrious, Admiral George and Samuel were lying on the floor, groaning in pain as a powerful shockwave knocked them out. They slowly rose to their feet, staggering and reeling as they ascertained what happened.

"Someone just fired on us!" Samuel shouted.

"Was it you?" George yelled back.

"There is no way that my fleet will attack the Britannian without my orders!" Samuel defended.

"That goes the same to my fleet," George said.

While the two admirals were pointing fingers, their respective security detail forced their way into the room.

"Admiral, a Britannian Battleship just fired on us, we have to evacuate you immediately!" the Ruthenian soldier informed Ruthenian.

Samuel looked at George and spoke. "My guy said that it was your ship who fired on us."

"Is that true?" George asked his security and they nodded in confirmation.

"So our assumption was right. Not only is the Royal Air Force compromised but the Royal Navy as well," Samuel remarked.

George clambered his head with his hands in frustration, how could they do such a thing as attack your comrade?

"What is the name of the ship that fired on us?" George asked, getting his act together.

‘It's the HMS Nelson, Admiral. The men are waiting for your orders, what are we going to do? Should we fire back?"

"They fired on us. It's a treasonous act and we can safely assume that the ship went rogue. We have to sink it at all costs," George declared.

"What if everyone on board is not associated with the Black Hand, are you still going to proceed?" Samuel raised a moral question that George ignored.

"That ship has a strict chain of command. If the captain ordered fire then the officers and the crew below would execute it. The fact that it fired means almost everyone is involved. We have to sink it before it sinks us all. You should stay your fleet out of this, Admiral Samuel. This could lead to a big disaster should your ship fire a single shell on the Britannian Fleet."

"I understand," Samuel nodded and turned to his security detail. "Tell the fleet to stand down and not engage without my say so."

The Ruthenian soldier looked down somberly and spoke. "Admiral, our communication got cut off, I'm afraid we can't contact the fleet at the moment."

"Shit!" Samuel cursed, this is a huge problem. "Let's hope that my captains have some common sense and do not act irrationally. So should we head out—"

Another explosion rang inside the HMS Illustrious as another volley of shells struck it. Samuel and George tripped forward and fell on the floor. Their security details helped them back up.

A blaring siren erupted in every hall of the aircraft carrier, announcing all of its crew to go to their battle station.

"Issue a direct order to every ship to fire on HMS Nelson, now!" George barked as they headed towards the bridge deck.

Outside, every battleship, light cruiser, and heavy cruiser turned their main batteries toward the HMS Nelson who just recently fired. It can't fire yet as it has to reload, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds. They took advantage of this information and went all out, firing main guns at it.

The HMS Nelson was stationary, making it easy for all Britannian ships to hit it with accuracy. And it did, a volley of shells that weighed hundreds of kilograms crashed on every part of the battleship. Even torpedoes were released to sink it immediately.

From the Ruthenian Baltic Fleet's point of view, the captains watched as they attacked their ship. They winced at the destructive force of their main guns. They can't imagine being on the receiving end of it.

Also, there seems to be only one rogue ship in their fleet, making it easy to exterminate it. It was a terrifying sight, the HMS Nelson was bombarded and her crew probably died on the spot.

What could have happened was the question that is running through their thoughts. Could it be that the Black Hand has hijacked the battleship? If that is the case then that goes to show just how powerful the Black Hand is. Their connections, even making their way to the sophisticated military force in the world made them doubt if their comrades are truly a comrade.

Fortunately, it's not. Because if it is, then the Ruthenian warship would have fired by now. Well, they couldn't remain complacent. Maybe they were waiting for an opportunity.

Ten minutes later, HMS Nelson sank. One of the largest battleships of the Britannia Empire or even in the world was sunk, just like that.

"Still have visuals on the helicopter?" the captain of the Rurik Class Battlecruiser said.

"Yes sir, it was unaffected by the attack. We can expect the Admiral to come out into the flight deck and get out of there immediately."

"Keep your eyes peeled everyone. This could be a prelude to something greater. Watch if the Britannian warships make unnecessary maneuvers or movements. If found, inform me immediately."

***

On the bridge deck of the HMS Illustrious, the crew hurried about, checking for the damages incurred from the attack.

"Propulsion system is fine."

"Fire suppression system was activated in the hangar deck; twenty-five planes were destroyed from fire. The number of casualties, to be followed."

"There is a huge hole in our starboard side, we will have to return the port and fix it."

Listening to their report, Admiral George gave them a go-signal, permitting them to do what is a must.

"I apologize for the inconvenience this brought, Admiral Samuel. It was unexpected," George said as he glanced at Samuel.

"No problem. It's important that you are safe, as well as your crew. Should there be some fatalities, it would be unfortunate. Our country has invested a lot into tracking down the Black Hand. I hope they are making progress," Samuel said.

"As for your request to enter our territorial waters, we still can't contact the government. But I will give it to you as you have a purpose. But sadly, we won't be able to escort you there so be careful on your way. We don't know how many ships the Black Hand has hijacked."

"Thank you, Admiral George. On behalf of the Ruthenian Government, I send my deepest condolences for your devastating tragedy," Samuel performed a salute. "We'll take our leave then, Admiral."

Admiral George returned the gesture. "Good luck and safe voyage, Admiral."