The Push Southward

March 20th, 1939 

The vast, unforgiving expanse of the South Atlantic stretched out in all directions as the battered but determined Ruthenian fleet pushed south. The waves, turbulent and dark, rose and fell beneath the steel behemoths that made up the invasion armada. For days now, the Ruthenian forces had been sailing through treacherous waters, their once-unassailable confidence shaken but not shattered.

Onboard the RNS Sovereign, Admiral Artyom Volkov stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the storm-laden horizon. The recent losses had been a bitter pill to swallow, but he was determined to press on. He had no choice. Failure was not an option, not when the Tsar's expectations hung over him like a guillotine.

"Admiral, we're approaching the southern currents," Captain Alexei Leonov reported, stepping up beside Volkov. "The Cape of Good Hope is just a day away. Once we round the cape, we will enter the final stretch toward Valoria."