On the flight deck of the HMS Illustrious, the Admiral of the Home Fleet, Sir George Callaghan stood along with his guards armed with bolt-action rifles. They waited on the deck for their visitors who will be coming from a fleet they had not expected, the Baltic Fleet.

Their intention of coming into the North Sea was justified but he wondered how they were able to get into their jurisdiction so fast. Are they conducting exercises near the North Sea, if that is the case, why are they doing so? Well, he knew the answer to that, Ruthenia Empire considered Britannia Empire as a potential adversary and thus led them to formulate a strategy around the North Sea to counter their dominance should the war between them erupt.

Not only that, the Deutschland Navy posed a threat to the Ruthenian Navy so, all the more reason to prepare.action

But in times of crisis, when the chain of command is rendered inactive, small confrontations can lead to big ones, and its absence can affect the decision-making of the crews who tried to shoot down a Ruthenian aircraft.

Well, the Ruthenians understood the risk of incursion into someone's airspace without permission.

Glazing his eyes over, he pondered, why did the Admiral of the Baltic Fleet wish to talk with him? What would the business be about? He guessed that his questions will be answered once the Admiral of the Baltic Fleet arrives.

In the air, a distinct drumming sound can be heard, getting the attention of almost everyone on the flight deck. They looked up to the source of the sound and once their eyes were trained on it, they saw a peculiar aircraft that hovered in the air with rotor blades spinning on top.

As one of the high-ranking officers in the Royal Navy, he was already informed of the advancements of Ruthenian technology when it comes to aviation. It was a helicopter, a magnificent aircraft that can take off and land vertically without the use of a runway. He was also informed that the Britannian is trying to make one for the Air Force and the Navy.

Inside the helicopter is probably the Admiral of the Baltic Fleet. He'd asked for an audience and wished to talk face-to-face, to which George Callaghan agreed. The helicopter he is flying on is a copy of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, a heavy-lift transport helicopter.

While the Ruthenian helicopter approached the HMS Illustrious, Admiral George Callaghan brought his binoculars up to his eyes and observed the vessel from which the helicopter came, the sight made him uneasy and intimidated because of the sheer size of the Ruthenian vessels. Their battlecruisers, aircraft, carrier, and destroyers are imposing and grand enough to make him tremble in his knee. The only thing that is missing from their fleet is a battleship, which was aground in the Port of London after a massive explosion that made a gaping hole in the hull.

Since when did the Ruthenians catch up to the shipbuilding skills and technology of the Britannia Empire?

The Ruthenian helicopter arrived at the vicinity of the HMS Illustrious and every crew on deck braced for what was next. It started its slow descent on the cleared flight deck. The wind generated by the helicopter was so powerful that their clothes and hair fluttered violently. Some of them tried to keep their hat in place by pressing them on their head.

Seconds later, the wheel of the helicopter made contact with the flight deck and the gust of wind weakened gradually.

The door opened, revealing five commandos clad in a black combat suits, covering them from head to toe. Their eyes, which are supposed to be visible, are covered in sunglasses. Their appearance was intimidating as their bodies were bulk, like a synthesized super soldier.

The soldiers stood to the side as the last person exited the helicopter. There was no doubt about it, it was the Admiral of the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Ruthenian Navy.Admiral George approached them with his entourage and performed a salute. The Admiral of the Baltic Fleet returned the gesture, showing respect to his equal.

"Thank you for accepting my offer of discussion, Admiral. My name is Samuel Greig, Admiral of the Baltic Fleet of the Ruthenia Empire," Samuel introduced.

"George Callaghan, Admiral of the Home Fleet of the Britannian Empire Royal Navy, it's a pleasure to see you. Can we continue this inside? The flight deck is not suitable for discussing important matters."

Samuel smiled as he nodded his head in agreement. And thus, George led the way inside the HMS Illustrious.

Two minutes later, they arrived at the captain's quarters. A place befitting of holding up meetings between two high-ranking officials.

"Do you want some tea, Admiral?" George offered as Samuel sat down on the couch.

"Yes please," Samuel replied in a deep, calm voice,

George poured him a cup of steaming tea in front of Samuel and took his seat across from him.

Samuel stared at the cup of tea briefly before taking it. As he was about to bring it up to his mouth, he stopped.

George tilted his head to the side. "You don't like the aroma?"

"No, it's not that. I just remembered that Britannians love tea," Samuel said, chuckling softly.

"It's in our blood," George smiled back. "Why don't you give it a try?" he suggested.

Samuel nodded and took a small sip of a cup. The bitterness of the brew hit his taste buds and he winced slightly.

"It's delicious," Samuel commented as he put the cup back on the saucer.

"Great, so shall we proceed to our main discussion?" George asked.

Samuel nodded and George began.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for shooting at your aircraft. You know that an unidentified aircraft crossing into our airspace is a threat we took seriously."

"I understand Admiral. If it's us, we would do the same, though we would identify the aircraft first before firing warning shots," George said.

George frowned from the subtle implication Samuel had made and continued talking. "So, what is this all about? Why are you in the North Sea? The Baltic Fleet is a long way from here."

"We are conducting naval exercises and we happen to be near the North Sea. While we were at it, we received an order from St. Petersburg to pull out the Battleship that was rendered immobile in the Port of London and escort the destroyer carrying our Emperor. I assume that you know the crisis going on in your capital, Admiral," Samuel said.

"Yes, it was depressing. It was a terrorist attack orchestrated by Black Hand. We were informed and that was it, we can't reach London."

"It's the reason why we came to you, Admiral. Since your government can't take calls and even conduct its basic functions, we ask for your permission to let our fleet enter your territorial waters," Samuel requested.

"I understand. Without consulting us, we could have misunderstood your intention and accidentally start a war between us," George said and continued. "But why bring a fleet?"

"For safety measures. We also received intel from St. Petersburg that your Royal Air Force is compromised. Your fighter aircraft fired at the helicopter where the emperor was flying in. We also assumed that the navy could be compromised as well. Of course, this is an assumption based on facts, please don't misunderstand."

"That's tragic…"

***

Outside the HMS Illustrious, the crew of the HMS Nelson was acting out of the ordinary. They glanced at each other meaningfully, as if signaling themselves. They all nodded their head and began performing their duties beyond the scope of their roles.

Meanwhile, at the side of the Ruthenian Baltic Fleet. On the bridge deck of the Rurik Class Battlecruiser, one of the crews of the ship noticed something unusual on one of the Britannian battleships.

"Captain! You need to see this," the crew said, pointing at one of the battleships of the Britannia Empire.

The captain of the battle cruiser peered through his binoculars. It was the HMS Nelson. He saw that its main batteries were turning in a certain direction.

"Why are they turning it?"

He observed further. The main batteries stopped, pointing at one of the ships. It wasn't aimed towards their direction, but instead one of their own.

His eyes widened. "Shit contact the security of the Admiral now!"

Too late, the HMS Nelson fired a full broadside towards the HMS Illustrious. The shockwave tore through the air with the momentum of an earthquake.

The HMS Illustrious took a direct hit, causing explosions on its starboard side.