Tyranny of Steel

A young marine by the name of Johan Visel stood on watch within the German outpost that had been established on the western coast of Australia. The man was barely eighteen years old and had just graduated from his training to become a marine.

For his first deployment, he was shipped an entire world away from the fatherland, and ordered to sit in a watchtower that faced the ocean. His objective was to keep a lookout for any potential threats that might exist on the horizon.

Alone, he stood there and smoked a cigarette while his g-27 semiautomatic rifle rested on the edge of the window. He could not help but complain to himself about how shitty his job was.

"Man, if I knew I was going to be sitting in a fucking watchtower all day, I would have purposely fucked my rifle qualifications score so that I wouldn't be issued the damn marksman's rifle."

As he said this, a brief chuckle erupted from the stairwell as a gruff voice called out to him in a lighthearted tone.

"You think this is bad? You should count your lucky stars that you are not a kampfschwimmer. Those fuckers are deep behind any lines engaging in clandestine operations against the Japanese. Meanwhile, here you are bitching about being safe and sound in an outpost where the only threat to you is the local wildlife, and a couple of stone age savages.

Just pray that your entire service is as easy as this, because at any given moment we could be given the order to hop on board a ship and sail to the Japanese Empire, where we will have to fight against a force armed with automatic weapons and modern artillery."

Upon hearing this voice, Johan smiled before pulling out one of his cigarettes and offering it to the man who had just climbed into his tower.

"Erich, your words of wisdom are enlightening, as always. Assuming I believe you know what you're talking about, explain to me how we are at risk of entering a war with the Japanese at any given moment?"

The man named Erich, who wore the stripes of a corporal, chuckled as he grabbed hold of the cigarette and lit it aflame with his own lighter. After taking a hefty drag from the device, and expelling the smoke from his lungs. He lectured the bored private on the current geo-political situation.

"Empress Itami has done her best to provoke a conflict with the Reich at every given opportunity. Though I don't expect a war to break out at this very instant. Her aggressive expansion into her neighbor's lands has alerted the Kaiser to her ambitions.

As you may be aware, the bitch is already arming and supplying the Bengal Emperor who intends to conquer all of India. Including our ally in the Anangpur Empire. By doing so, she has shown her hostility to the Reich. All it will take is one small incident and-"

Erich trailed off on his speech and gazed in astonishment at the direction of the Ocean. The moment he did so Johan looked behind him to see what had stunned the man. In the distance, a fleet of ships was visible. This was nothing new, as supply lines had been established between the Naval base at Singapore and the German outposts across Australasia.

However, what was weird about this was the fact that they were not scheduled to receive supplies for another month. As a result, Johan pulled out his binoculars and inspected the fleet while questioning the odd scenario aloud.

"What the hell? We're not scheduled for resupply anytime soon, are we?"

However, in the next, Johan dropped his binoculars to the floor and trembled on the spot. His peculiar reaction caused Erich to quickly replicate the private's actions. The moment he looked through his binoculars, he saw the flag of the rising sun waving on the back of the destroyers. Instantly spurring the man to action.

Unlike the recruit who was standing next to him, Erich was a veteran, and knew that right now the base needed to be alerted to this hostile presence. Thus, he quickly grabbed hold of the microphone which was attached to the nearby radio and sent out an alert to the headquarters of the outpost.

"Red alert! Enemy Fleet spotted on the horizon, this is not a drill!"

The moment after saying this, the alarms resounded across the outpost, spurring the German soldiers who were stationed within its interior into action. Quickly the naval guns that existed on the coastline were loaded, and aimed in the direction of the oncoming Japanese fleet, awaiting orders on whether they should open fire, or wait until their enemies proved their hostility.

Onboard the lead destroyer of the Japanese fleet, was a man by the name of Admiral Izumi Hiramori. He was a relatively young man in his early thirties and was a member of the cult of the war goddess. As a fanatical follower of the Empress Itami Riyo, he had been chosen to lead the expedition to Australia in search of what misdeeds the Germans were planning.

Coincidentally enough, the moment he came within the vicinity of the continent, he noticed a small but well fortified military outpost, where the flag of the German Empire waved proudly in the sky above. One look through his binoculars and the man could tell that the coastal guns were being shifted in the direction of his fleet.

A sneer of disdain appeared on the man's face. Though he was only equipped with destroyers and submarines, he still felt as if his fleet were superior to the coastal defenses. This sentiment was not grounded in reality, but rather absolute arrogance, as the Japanese Fleet was equipped with mere 12cm guns at the largest, while the German coastal defenses made use of triple mounted 28cm naval guns.

These massive artillery pieces were not only protected by steel turrets, but were embedded in steel-reinforced concrete bunkers. This was the standard coastal artillery that Germany deployed to protect the shorelines of its mighty Empire. One of these shells was more than capable of ripping through the hull of a mere destroyer.

Where the Japanese Admiral got his overwhelming confidence from was unknown, but he felt that even if they were to engage in a conflict with this German Outpost, the Japanese would emerge victorious. Luckily for everyone involved, the executive officer beneath the Admiral's command was quick to remind him of their orders.

"Sir... Our objective is to find out what the Germans are up to. It would appear that the Empress's fears have turned out to be a reality. The Germans are colonizing this region. We should immediately report back to her highness and withdraw before this visit our ours escalates into a full-blown conflict."

It took the Japanese Admiral several moments to calm his bloodlust, but in the end he sighed heavily before nodding his hand and responding to this advice.

"Very well. Tell the fleet to withdraw and head back to our homeland. We must inform the Empress of this reality as quickly as possible."

Thus, with the command given, an all out war between Japan and Germany was narrowly avoided. However, Berengar's colonization of Australasia was revealed to his rival in the east. Which would force the young Empress to respond.

As for the German soldiers in the outpost, they sighed in relief as the Japanese Fleet turned around and departed. The shells were removed from the coastal batteries only after the hostile ships disappeared behind the horizon. Each man understood all too well that had they opened fire without receiving the order, they would have plunged their Empire into a major war. One which would have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of their own people.