In the eerie of the night, rolling waves wash against the side of the ship. On deck, a sailor stands on deck, chewing on a piece of salted beef jerky. his eyes scan the dark outline of the horizon, his face bath with the light of the full moon. Behind was a large mast, the sails bellowing with the eastern winds. On top of the mast was a out of place chunk of gray metal, a dish shape revolving on a pivot. Cables connecting to the device spirals down the mast and lead to a hole in the deck of the ship. Waterproof tar had been plastered on the entry.
"Yo, Heng!" A voice calls out from a opened port side deck hatch. Kerosene light illuminates from below. A head comes out from the hatch, and a sailor walks up onto the quarterdeck.
"Heng, we got beer below deck, come down and join us man." He walks up to Heng with a mug of cherry ale.
"No, I'm fine out here Kan." He continues to scan the horizon.
Kan gives a loud sigh. "Dude, you don't need to be on watch out like that, we got the radar now." He takes a sip from his mug.
Heng turns to him. His face was plaque with anxiety. "You think...that they're gonna come?"
"Look man, none of us is God," Kan said. "Who knows, maybe nothing will happen...and maybe we'll get a chance to blow something up."
Heng frowns. Suddenly, a loud whistle punctures the air, and black smoke begins to bellow out from a smokestack at the stern of the ship. The rumbling of a engine is heard from below deck.
"Eh, looks like we're heading back for shore..." Kan drains his drink. Just as he finishes, a uniformed man slips into view.
"Captain." Both Kan and Heng gives a salute to the man.
"At ease, boys." Captain Nai leans his back to the railing. "Norwic says the batteries are almost out, gotta get back to port to recharge them if we want that radar going".
"Should we take down the sails?" Heng asks.
"No, leave them up, makes no difference. The crews probably tired from the day, no need to stir them up tonight." The captain fiddles around with the button on his sleeve. He was in his late 30s. A scar marked his neck, a wound from his earlier years as a fisherman tending hooks. He was thin but tall. Not much build, but handsome all the same.
"Sir...forgive me for asking...but what do you think of this operation?" Heng asks.
"What I think? We're soldiers, we don't share opinions, only orders," Nai replies. Heng droop down his head in embarrassment. A four year recruit should know better not to ask. The captain grins.
"No need to feel bad, I'm a little puzzle myself on what the State wants us to do with our little steam tub here." He reaches into his right pocket.
"Sir, if you ask me, the Sabre has no chance here, we're gonna get blown out of the water by those demon rockets." Kan says. "Can't we just leave the fighting to the Saletsians?"
The captain looks at him, and shakes his head in disappointment. "Kan, haven't your mother ever told you: no matter how small someone is, one must help out with the family." Both Kan and Heng nods in agreement. From his pocket, Nai pulls out a cigar.
Kan and Heng watch with surprise as their captain lights up the Loyalist Standard.
"When did you start smoking, Captain?" Kan ask.
Nai takes a deep draw from the cigar. "The day the Navy Chief came up to me with this crazy operation."
