Post by America on Jun 6, 2011 20:11:27 GMT -5
Date: July 14, 1853
Location: Ugata Harbor, Japan
'You mean you AREN'T?'[/color] Alfred immediately thought, incredulous.
Of course, the Commodore had come over before Alfred could voice that thought. Japan was repeating the same sort of thing he'd told Alfred to Perry, but Perry didn't look impressed by it. Those warships weren't stopping either, and there was no way to tell them to stop, huh? Alfred couldn't just throw Japan over as hard as he could and expect the other nation to be able to order the ships to back off?
...Well, Alfred admitted to himself with a sigh, if it came to Japan's people versus the safety of his own people, he knew exactly who he'd pick. And surely Japan's boss would see the error of his ways if his navy got a little well-deserved kick in the ass, right?
"So I guess...we're gonna change your boss's mind the hard way, huh?"[/color] Alfred replied, a slightly predatory smile blossoming on his face.
It wasn't the best thing in the world to open fire on the people of a nation who he was trying to make friends with, but you had to stand strong if you wanted to make a point, right? And besides, Alfred couldn't deny that he really, really wanted to see those cannons firing. Deep down, he'd been hoping for a chance all voyage! Sea voyages were way too boring without any action going on!
Commodore Perry observed all of this, stoic as ever, for a few more moments. Then he nodded, and waved over the junior officers.
"We are under attack," Perry ordered, "Open a broadside on the approaching vessels. Signal the Plymouth and Saratoga to cover our flanks and have the Susquehanna move in another league off our starboard. If we cannot dissuade the Japanese ships by normal means, she is to open fire directly upon their harbor."
The Commodore gave these orders just as calmly as he'd given any other ones during their voyage, but Alfred couldn't help but feel a thrill in his chest as the boilers choked out a plume of thick, black smoke. As the paired sloop-of-wars chugged closer to the Mississippi, guns bristling and ready to defend her, and the Susquehanna began gliding past on a direct course toward the harbor properly, their own vessel turned slightly aside to allow the guns the best possible target.
Despite expecting it, Alfred nearly jumped as he heard the paixhans cannons roar to life - aimed directly at the midsections of the much-slow-moving Japanese ships. Damn, Alfred hadn't realized how loud they were! France really liked to come up with some noisy, flashy cannons, didn't he? Not that Alfred really minded them being flashy.
The fact that the nation of the people on those slow-moving and utterly wind-dependent ships was standing right beside him had escaped Alfred's mind entirely. Neither had he noticed that it was getting late in the afternoon.[/center]
----
- Let there be CANNONS!
- So far only the warships are being attacked. The Susequehanna is just going to slip around one side so she can get between the warships and the rest of the harbor.
- The reason they're known as black ships is that these all have big paddle-things that propel the boat when there's no wind for the sails - and with the coal-fired engines, that releases a lot of black smoke.
Location: Ugata Harbor, Japan
Alfred heard what Japan said, of course, but it was hard to believe it. Well, maybe the closing of the ports made a little sense after he gave it some thought - if you didn't want to spend time around any other nations, refusing to let them near your house would probably be a halfway decent plan. But Japan's house was all on islands. Didn't he end up needing stuff that you would be able to find on those islands? There was bound to be something...
But the rest of it? No sense to it at all. Especially the last line Japan said of that little spiel.
"Are you saying, that you are permitted to disagree with your superiors?”
[/color]But the rest of it? No sense to it at all. Especially the last line Japan said of that little spiel.
"Are you saying, that you are permitted to disagree with your superiors?”
'You mean you AREN'T?'[/color] Alfred immediately thought, incredulous.
Of course, the Commodore had come over before Alfred could voice that thought. Japan was repeating the same sort of thing he'd told Alfred to Perry, but Perry didn't look impressed by it. Those warships weren't stopping either, and there was no way to tell them to stop, huh? Alfred couldn't just throw Japan over as hard as he could and expect the other nation to be able to order the ships to back off?
...Well, Alfred admitted to himself with a sigh, if it came to Japan's people versus the safety of his own people, he knew exactly who he'd pick. And surely Japan's boss would see the error of his ways if his navy got a little well-deserved kick in the ass, right?
"So I guess...we're gonna change your boss's mind the hard way, huh?"[/color] Alfred replied, a slightly predatory smile blossoming on his face.
It wasn't the best thing in the world to open fire on the people of a nation who he was trying to make friends with, but you had to stand strong if you wanted to make a point, right? And besides, Alfred couldn't deny that he really, really wanted to see those cannons firing. Deep down, he'd been hoping for a chance all voyage! Sea voyages were way too boring without any action going on!
Commodore Perry observed all of this, stoic as ever, for a few more moments. Then he nodded, and waved over the junior officers.
"We are under attack," Perry ordered, "Open a broadside on the approaching vessels. Signal the Plymouth and Saratoga to cover our flanks and have the Susquehanna move in another league off our starboard. If we cannot dissuade the Japanese ships by normal means, she is to open fire directly upon their harbor."
The Commodore gave these orders just as calmly as he'd given any other ones during their voyage, but Alfred couldn't help but feel a thrill in his chest as the boilers choked out a plume of thick, black smoke. As the paired sloop-of-wars chugged closer to the Mississippi, guns bristling and ready to defend her, and the Susquehanna began gliding past on a direct course toward the harbor properly, their own vessel turned slightly aside to allow the guns the best possible target.
Despite expecting it, Alfred nearly jumped as he heard the paixhans cannons roar to life - aimed directly at the midsections of the much-slow-moving Japanese ships. Damn, Alfred hadn't realized how loud they were! France really liked to come up with some noisy, flashy cannons, didn't he? Not that Alfred really minded them being flashy.
The fact that the nation of the people on those slow-moving and utterly wind-dependent ships was standing right beside him had escaped Alfred's mind entirely. Neither had he noticed that it was getting late in the afternoon.[/center]
----
- Let there be CANNONS!
- So far only the warships are being attacked. The Susequehanna is just going to slip around one side so she can get between the warships and the rest of the harbor.
- The reason they're known as black ships is that these all have big paddle-things that propel the boat when there's no wind for the sails - and with the coal-fired engines, that releases a lot of black smoke.