P.D.A. Tomato

Sir Évreux sat in the command chair on the bridge of his new ship. He watched as his crew went through each of the complicated preflight checks. When he first saw the ship he wanted to find Guy and beat the living daylights out of him, but then after touring the ship and meeting the crew, he started to feel a sense of belonging and ownership of the Tomato. His first act as captain was to have everyone switch out the normal blue and red Skyforce uniform to a solid red. Then he had an artist paint a giant skull and crossbones on the rudder of the ship. Each of the crew added a patch on their right shoulder of the very same skull and crossbones. He gave a speech for his crew.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the P.D.A. Tomato, when our enemies see this red, let them know death is coming for them. When our allies see a crewman from the Tomato let them know that we are not soft fruit to be crushed. We are bigger, stronger, faster and meaner than they are. Wear this patch with pride. Wear this uniform with pride. Let our story from the battlefield be one of legend, not ridicule." Sir Évreux saluted his crew with a fist over his heart.

Each of his two hundred crewmen returned the salute. Not one face looked ashamed to be wearing their uniform or serving aboard the Tomato. They felt honor and as if they were an elite fighting force. The best of the best.

A crewman saluted with his fist over his chest and said, "Your Excellency, we are ready to fly. All preflight checks are green, all tanks are green."

Sir Évreux nodded and motioned with his hand, "Take us out, half ahead, revolutions fourteen hundred. Set course one six zero"

A crewman asked, "Your Excellency, when will the ship see action?"

Sir Évreux smiled and said, "We'll be headed south, we're to meet up with the ship from Wütendes Menschenreich, the Teiwaz, that left the dock the day before us. We'll be engaging the southern tribes. Don't expect any retaliation on this trip, they don't have anything that can hurt our lady." He patted his hand over the armrest.

Another crewmember spoke up, "Your Excellency, radio room reports message from the Muffin, 'a flock of geese are in your flight path, recommend evasive maneuvers' sent from command of P.D.A. Muffin."

Sir Évreux frowned and said, "Set course one five zero, let's get some distance on those birds. Just in case."

*****

It took the Tomato an extra two hours to leave Pays Des Abrutis airspace and enter the southern lands. As they passed overhead they saw wide open fields and the occasional small nomadic tribe camped out. Sir Évreux frowned as he looked down, his own experiences near the border made him expect to see camps ten times as large as what he was seeing now. Sir Évreux called out, "Lookout, do we have a visual on the Teiwaz yet?"

A crewmember spoke into one of the tubes and finally spoke up, "Starboard watch negative, your Excellency. The port watch says they have a smoke spot at one five eight."

Sir Évreux and several others on the bridge picked up their telescopes and looked out in that direction. Sir Évreux suddenly called out, "Battle Stations, charge first four tanks for steam cannons prepare for port broadside, bring the ship to one seven zero, full speed ahead!" He turned to the weapons officer and called out, "Load all guns with Cannister Shot, hold fire until my say so!" He then took a deep breath and infused mana into the forcefield around the ship.

In the distance, ten puffs of smoke were seen coming from the side of a mountain and then the sounds of whistles until ten large projectiles collided with the field around the ship causing the massive ship to lurch. Sir Évreux called out, "Bring the ship up to 1200!" He turned to the lookouts, "Spotter get the guns a bearing and distance to those smokes!"

A moment later ten more clouds of smoke appeared on the mountain and once again the ship shook. The Spotter yelled a bearing and distance to the mountain and then the weapons officer called out, "Port cannons ready to fire!"

Sir Évreux nodded and then said, "bring the ship to one two zero, fire on my mark..." He waited until the ship's port side was aligned to the smokes and then called out, "Port cannons, fire fire fire!" The ship lurched and then a loud 'Pssshhhhaup!' sounded out. The side of the hill lit up with thousands of hits as the ball bearings loaded into the Cannister shot hit their mark.

One of the spotters called out, "Several secondary explosions seen, we have positive eyes on the Teiwaz, your Excellency, it's on fire and adrift."

Sir Évreux called out, "Ready starboard cannons, bring the ship to one eight zero, all cannons reload Cannister Shot! Spotters watch for enemy aerial units." The crew on the bridge suddenly understood that if the Teiwaz was burning, that meant they were also unsafe. Everyone on the bridge seemed a little more panicked than they had been. Sir Évreux recognized this and started to call out crewmembers by each station for reports to keep their minds occupied.

One of the crew called out, "Enemy air units at one two zero, approaching port side fast!"

Three biplanes were flying in a triangle formation, to the crew of the Tomato they looked like spaceships. The biplanes started to fire machine guns at the Tomato, the shells crackling against the forcefield and falling harmlessly to the ground, the planes pulled up and did a backflip rolling away and headed around for another pass this time Sir Évreux called out, "Port cannons fire fire fire!" 'Pssshhhhaup!' sounded out as the ship lurched, three biplanes didn't know what hit them it was like flying through a field of death. Each plane spun down to the ground in flames.

Another crewmember called out, "Your Excellency ground force commander sent by radio, 'You have illegally entered Bromanian Airspace, this is considered an act of war.' Sent by Ground forces commander."

Sir Évreux frowned and then said, "Send to Ground Forces command. 'If you want blood. You got it.' Sir Charles Évreux Baron of Évreux." He then asked, "Watch, do we have any movement from ground forces?"

"Negative your Excellency, spotters see nothing moving." The crewman replied.

Sir Évreux called out, "Bring us alongside the Teiwaz, damage control party be ready to assist."

Once they pulled up alongside the Teiwaz they quickly put out the fires and searched for survivors in the wreckage. The found that most of the ship's crew had been able to abandon ship through the gate and only a few dozen were killed. The ship itself was unable to be repaired in the air, so the Tomato attached towlines to pull it back to the shipyard.

Sir Évreux looked unhappy as they pulled the other massive ship back to the shipyards. One of the crewmembers asked, "What do you think happened to the Teiwaz, your Excellency?"

Sir Évreux rubbed his chin and thought out loud, "Those puffs of smoke we saw might have been ground-based cannons. No, I am sure they were. The three aircraft they had were more maneuverable than our ship as well. I doubt they will make the mistake of coming alongside us like that again. We didn't see a mage attack, that's what I am worried the most about. They had aircraft, which must mean they have magic too. How else could something fly?"

A crew member called out, "Radio reports, we received a message from the palace, 'Hold your current position and await the Muffin and the Fenrir. Prepare for enemy forces.' Sent by Prince Guy de Montfort."