Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood onboard the Honoria-class Corvette, which had replaced the previous iteration of the ship known as Queen Honoria's Revenge. This corvette was essentially a Ritter von Bettinger-class Destroyer that was scaled down to the size of a corvette.

The ship had a complement of 65 people, and consisted of a limited armament of one 127mm automatic gun, two 20mm point defense systems, and four torpedo tubes. At the moment anti-ship missiles were still under development, but once the technology was perfected, Honoria's crew would be able to modify their vessel to accept a such weapons.

There were a total of three Adela-class Destroyers which acted as escorts to the smaller ship. These ships each housed a detachment of marines who would be accompanying Honoria and her girls on their journey to Australia. 

At the moment, Berengar gazed upon the Mediterranean sea as the sun descended from the sky with a glass of his finest 12-year-old whiskey in his left hand. He sipped the amber liquid slowly, as if to savor the intense flavor.

While the Kaiser was drinking alone, his third wife Honoria approached him. The two of them were currently dressed in naval uniforms, though Honoria adopted the appearance of a sailor, and Berengar wore that of an admiral. 

While Berengar had noticed his woman's approach, he silently stared off into the sea while she wrapped her arms around him from behind. There was a faint smile on her perfectly sculpted face as she whispered the words just loud enough that the two of them could hear.

"It's hard to believe this is the last time we will sail off into the sunset together..."

In response to this, Berengar merely scoffed as he turned around and placed his hand on Honoria's cheek. There was a look of hope in the man's eyes as he spoke the words that his wife wanted to hear most.

"On the contrary, I believe there will be many voyages that await us in the future... However, rather than being militant in nature, they will be pleasure cruises which our entire family can enjoy. Perhaps after the war with Japan is over, and the oceans are safe for us to travel, I will commission a grand yacht for our family to sail across the world, and see all which it has to offer..."

Honoria rested her head on Berengar's chest. She gazed up into his deep blue eyes with a more noticeable smile on her pretty face before uttering the words that she felt deep within her heart.

"that sounds nice..."

Unfortunately for the couple, their romantic display was interrupted by the giggles of three women who rushed onto the deck in their underwear. From what Berengar could tell, Elfrun was playfully chasing after a few of the new recruits with a bottle of rum in one hand and a dildo in another. The veteran pirate called out to these young women as she wrapped her arms around one of them and stuck the toy in the girl's delicate mouth. 

"Come on, girls! It's time for your initiation!"

As if Elfrun had utterly forgotten that the Kaiser was onboard the vessel, she pushed the recruit down onto the ground, and began to play with her body. Berengar merely sipped from his whiskey as he enjoyed the show. However, Honoria was in the middle of facepalming as she sighed in disappointment before alerting the trio of women towards her presence.

"Elfrun, did you forget that we have a guest onboard? It's fine if you want to play with the girls in your own room, but to do so in the middle of the deck is inappropriate, don't you think?" 

A shameless smile appeared on Elfrun's lips as she finished kissing the recruit's exposed breasts before nodding her head in agreement with her captain's words.

"I suppose you're right, girls. Let's head back to my quarters, and I'll show you the true meaning of sisterhood!"

The two recruits blushed in embarassment as they heard these words, but they did not resist in the slightest. It was only after the three women were gone did Berengar sigh and shake his head.

"She seems to be enjoying herself..."

Honoria merely snatched the glass of whiskey from his hand and quickly downed its contents before responding to the man's statement.

"A little too much, if you ask me. However, most of these girls joined the crew to get away from their civil responsibilities. It's not really a surprise that half of them experiment with one another..."

A slight chuckle erupted from Berengar's lips as he wrapped his arm around Honoria's shoulder and dragged her close. The next question he posed caused chills to go down the woman's spine.

"What about you? Have you ever 'experimented' with your crew?"

A single glance into Berengar's chilly gaze told Honoria that this question was more than just a mere curiosity. She was forced to calm her nerves before answering it with the honest truth.

"No... As much as Elfrun has wanted to get into my pants, I've never played with any of my crew. As a member of your royal harem, I felt it was inappropriate to lower myself to such common pussy. The only women I have ever been with are your other girls."

Utter silence prevailed for several seconds, as Honoria waited for her man's reply. In the end, a single word escaped his lips as he nodded his head in approval.

"Good..."

Not long after, Malissa entered the scene while shaking her head in disapproval. She couldn't help but comment on Elfrun's lustful behavior.

"Good god, that woman sure knows how to take advantage of the new girls... I think she's just coping with the fact that this is probably the last time she will ever see you."

Malissa brought with her a bottle of rum, and a pair of glasses which she filled up for herself, and Honoria, along with Berengar's empty cup. The trio clinked their drinks together as the former prostitute gave a toast to her captain. 

"To a new tomorrow! I truly hope that you can be happy after putting the life of a privateer behind you."

A bitter smile appeared on Honoria's lips as she heard this, but she refused to say anything, and instead took a sip of the black spiced rum. Her eyes drifted to the sea as she contemplated what the future had in store for her. After several moments of silence, she finally commented on her situation.

"I'm sure you'll make a great captain Malissa, after all, you have led these girls on more adventures than I have..."

However, in a shocking response, Malissa shook her head and sighed heavily. There was a defeated expression in her eyes as she commented on the whole ordeal.

"This is my last voyage as well. I've made a vast fortune during the time I've spent pirating with you girls. If I'm being completely honest, I don't even recognize half the faces onboard this ship anymore. Most of the girls who I've seen as sisters have either perished in conflict or retired in peace.

I can rest easy knowing Elfrun intends to continue what you started. Perhaps I'll settle in Neuhafen. I hear the city is a den of vice, and that sounds like it is my kind of place. I might use the wealth I've gained to open up a brothel and treat the girls nicer than I was treated during my years in such a profession.

I'm not going to lie. The only reason I have stayed on this long as a member of this crew was to make sure you were safe. Once you retire, I will go with you. Besides, there's something else that deeply concerns me. Be honest with me, this upcoming war with Japan is going to be more dangerous than anything we have come across before, isn't it?"

Honoria didn't answer Malissa's question, instead it was Berengar who replied to her with a solemn tone in his voice.

"More than you can possibly imagine. For the first time since I granted you girls a letter of marque and reprisal, you will be facing an adversary whose vessels are at the very least on a near-peer level. If this ship is unfortunate enough to be intercepted by a Japanese Fleet, it is game over for you all. If I'm being perfectly honest here, this is the primary reason I am forcing Honoria to step down."

Malissa simply nodded her head and sighed once more while she heard this before responding to the Kaiser's claim.

"I understand... While I know that I can't force Elfrun to retire, at the very least, I can alert her to the danger she will be facing. Thank you for being honest with me. The two of you enjoy yourselves for the rest of the evening. I'm going to go make sure the crew is aware of their responsibilities over the upcoming days."

After saying this, Malissa abruptly departed, leaving Berengar and Honoria alone on the deck together as they gazed upon the setting sun with troubled looks in their eyes. Only time would tell how much devastation would result from the war between Germany and Japan. However, one thing was certain to Berengar, the end result would be a new world, where Germany reigned unchallenged for generations to come.

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