[Lauchenoiria]

Captain Eugênio Quesada of the LFS Averforth was irritated to be given yet another supply run. The war in Auria had been dragging on much longer than anyone had expected when Lauchenoiria had chosen to get involved. The news of the death of the King Nićolas of Auria had led to a somber mood throughout the coalition forces. Everyone saw it as a bad omen - even the Lauchenoirians, who were among the earliest to get rid of their own monarchies. So they were distracted as they began the latest supply run.

This was unfortunate, given that CSSC had chosen to turn the waters around Auria into a minefield last year. Just because the mines had so far failed to actually blow up any of the coalition ships did not mean that they had disappeared. Today, the luck of these little explosive devices of doom was about to change. As the LFS Averforth approached the Aurian coast, they hit one and the ship rocked as water sprayed up to easily twice its height and dropped back down onto the deck.

“Mine!” someone yelled, too late.

“I know it was a damn mine!” growled the Captain. “Damage report!”

“Sir, the engine has taken damage, the hull is breached in multiple locations and we’ve already taken on a fair chunk of water. We might have to abandon ship.”

“Do you really think those Xiomeran mercs are gonna just let us get in lifeboats and row away?” the Captain snorted. “Get me actual information; no more maybes!”

The crew began to rush around, trying to get a handle on just how bad the situation was. As it transpired, the amount of water taken on and hull damage would have been survivable… but the engine was damaged beyond their ability to repair on-board. 

At that moment, the ship was rocked once again by another explosion, this one from the air. The LFS Averforth had become a sitting duck for any enemy missiles.

“Missile!” said the same person who’d pointed out the mine far too late.

“Gonna guess the systems set up to warn us about those are also damaged?” the Captain snapped angrily.

“Sir, we’re definitely gonna sink if those missiles keep hitting us.”

“Oh really?” he said sarcastically. “Get everyone to the lifeboats!”

As the crew began to evacuate, Captain Quesada waited to see if any more missiles would be forthcoming. Unfortunately for him, and 23 other members of the crew, a second missile did indeed arrive - destroying the command deck, and killing the Captain and 23 other members of the crew. Fourteen more sustained injuries but managed to be carried to lifeboats by survivors.

The survivors managed to get far enough away from the Averforth before a third missile hit the ship, cracking it in two, and hastening the sinking rather rapidly. They managed to contact the rest of the Lauchenoirian fleet, but assistance would not be fast enough. Before the Lauchenoirians could arrive to rescue the survivors of the Averforth, CSSC got there before them.

Ensign Vanessa Asturias was the first to notice the CSSC ship approach. She quickly informed Lieutenant Dina Moreno, the highest-ranking officer on board her specific lifeboat. Both Moreno and Asturias, alongside everyone else, knew there was no way their own people would get there in time, and there was no way they could outrun the enemy ship approaching.

One man jumped into the water and began trying to swim away, after shouting that he’d ‘rather be eaten by a shark’ than captured by Xiomerans. It was a sentiment that many of them shared in theory, but in practice the survival instinct was too strong. So by the time the mercenaries arrived, pointing their guns and demanding surrender, most of the surviving crew had little choice in the matter.

As a sneering mercenary grabbed Asturias, she started to fear that the dead would indeed be the lucky ones.