WesWorld

Saturday, July 11th, 1942

Capitão-de-Fragata Casimiro Ferreira watched as the final supplies were carried aboard the MIBN Almirante Saldanha. Across the harbor, similar activity was occurring on the battlecruiser Rio de Janeiro. Along with the Almirante Saldanha and Rio de Janeiro, the destroyers MIBN Baldum, MIBN Verde, and MIBN Pará, were being sent on a goodwill cruise to friendly nations around the Atlantic. Ferreira did not have the complete itinerary in his orders, just to proceed the the naval base at Macapa along with the other ships of the task force. From there, the destination of the force remained unknown. A young junior officer approached Ferreira and handed him a folded slip of paper. “Admiral Matos compliments sir. He requests that you and your ship be ready to depart within the hour.”

“So Teobaldo Matos gets to sea again.” Ferreira mused aloud. “Give the admiral my compliments and inform him that the Saldanha will be ready to sail in time.”

The junior officer replied crisply “I will pass that message onto the radio operator at one sir, the admiral has assigned me to your command sir. Segundo-tenente Victorino Matos reporting for duty.”

“Very well, please ensure the message is sent immediately.” Ferreira replied “What is your relation to the Admiral?”

“I am his son” Victorino replied “Capitão.” Victorino made a crisp, textbook prefect salute and turned to deliver the message to the radioman. Fantastic, Ferreira thought, in addition to missing my 8h anniversary, I get to play babysitter for an new second lieutenant the whole cruise. Shaking his head, Ferreira went aft to check on the status of the aircraft and its readiness.

Battlecruiser Rio de Janeiro

Almirante-de-esquadra Teobaldo Matos stood in the middle of the flag bridge of the Rio de Janeiro as men hurried around him to ensure the battlecruiser was ready for sea. Checking his pocket watch, he noted the time. “Signals, inform the rest of the squadron to move out of the harbor. We will form up fully when there is more room to maneuver. Once clear, we will set course for Macapa. Operation Boa Vontade begins now.”

Sailors waved goodby to loved ones waiting on the pier from the five ships as the were loosed from there mornings. The large crowd of well-wishers waved all manor of banners and flags, and a band played festive music. Some of the other ships in the harbor flew messages from there signal masts, tho by far the most touching to read was from the Sao Paulo. It read, GOOD LUCK LITTLE SISTER. As the small task force passed out of site from the harbor, the ships arranged themselves into formation. Once out of sight of the shore the taskforce turned northwards, bound for the mouth of the Amazon River.

nice :o)

Sunday, July 17th, 1942: Macapa, Brazil

After an uneventful cruise from Rio de Janeiro, the Boa Vontade task force arrived in Macapa. The crowd that gathered to see the ships was not as large as the one present for their departure but the level of enthusiasm was the same. The elder cruiser Bahai and the two age-warn destroyers (older then some of the men who served them), looked very trim as flags with messages of welcome flew from there masts. As the task force settled into there births, corridors through the gathered people were already being cleared to allow sailors and supplies to pass from shore to ship and visa versa. A mass of what look to be government workers has clustered where the Rio was being maneuvered into he birth. As soon as the gangway was secured, the party headed onto the battlecruiser and made there way inside.

Flag bridge of the Rio de Janeiro

Teobaldo Matos watched as the party of government officials paraded onto the bridge. Just what I needed, he thougt, the full official welcome. A small beady man stepped forward and spoke. “Almirante, let me start by saying what a pleasure it is to be aboard the bridge of the newest ship in our fine Navy. I regret that you will have to go through the labor of welcoming government officials aboard twice, but we needed to receive you as soon as we could.”

“So you are not the local officials come to bother me about every little item the catches there eye?” Teobaldo replied

The beady man chuckled. “Thankfully not. We are hear at the Emperors bequest. You know your force has yet to receive the rest of its itinerary for the cruse.”

“Yes, a fact which has me and my staff quite puzzled” Teobaldo responded. “Do you have further orders for us?”

“As a matter a-fact I do” The man replied “Have you ever been to Cleito?”

Teobaldo chuckled “No, I have not. I think it is safe to assume that I am going to be whether I like it or not? I also think I am going to be taking all of you with me.”

Now it was the beady man and his entourage’s turn to laugh. “Correct on both counts.” The man replied. Turning to his entourage, he quipped “See, I told you he was a smart man.” “Our schedule allows for a stay hear long enough to replenish your stores, then we must be off.” He said pulling a envelope out of his briefcase, which he then handed to Teobaldo. “Here are the orders, please look them over and inform me of any questions or concerns. May we be assigned quarters now?”

Teobaldo motioned to a junior officer standing idle. “Please ensure that these gentlemen are assigned quarters. Also show them where any services they might need are located. I will be ether my quarters or here for some time if anything else is required of me gentlemen. Now if you will excuse me, I must contact my captains and inform them of the itinerary.”

Now, what to make of all this?

Guess I'll learn sooner or later. Not sure if I will like it, thought...

Tuesday, July 19th, 1942: Macapa, Brazil

Casimiro Ferreira once again watched as the Almirante Saldanha's crew prepared her for heading to sea. The mood aboard the ship, and the other ships of the task force, was much different then before. The men had known that this voyage would bring them to ports far from Brazilian shores, but only the craziest members of them them would have bet on the force sailing to Cleito, the heart of Atlantis. The Atlantian Navy had been, and still was, one of the most powerful navies with a permanent presence in the South Atlantic. Two of the destroyers accompanying the task force were native built copies of an Atlantian design. Some still harbored ill-will towards the Atlantians for not intervening in the Paraguayan-fueled conflict almost a decade ago, a conflict which cost Brazil and her Navy dearly. Casimiro knew however that any ill will that the current government might have was being swept under the proverbial rug as quickly as possible.

On Sunday, Casimiro had joined Admiral Matos and the other ship's commanding officers for dinner on board the Rio de Janiero. There the Admiral had informed the men of the task force's next destination. The reasoning for there journey there took some explaining, and most of the dinner conversation was lent to the Admiral passing on as much information as he could to his commanders. Since the signing of the BUNAP Treaty with the United States as the end of the previous year, the government had been continually seeking new allies. Even tho BUNAP had originated out of an investigation of the possibility of joining NATO, it was clear that the Emperor especially wanted more then one assurance of peace on the international stage. Casimiro was unfamiliar with the full text of the treaty, tho rumors had surfaced that it was more then the simple non-aggregation and friendship pact it was laughed as. Evidently, the group of civilians who had boarded the Rio de Janiero earlier that day were being sent to Cleito to see if such an agreement was possible with the Atlantians.

As to why the Rio and the rest of the task force were being sent to deliver them, the Admiral was quite clear. “The government” he said “wants to show the Atlantians that any agreement reached is not an attempt by Brazil to hide behind the skirts of Atlantian might, but that we are capable as standing as an equal to Atlantis in partnership on the international stage and will do so to honor any agreement” One of the destroyer captains had summed up that statement best. “So it is reverse gunboat diplomacy, we are sure to get what we want.” That comment caused a burst of laughter from all in the room. The talk then had changed to the laundry list of tasks that would need to be completed prior to arriving at Cleito. Casimiro had related that list to his staff the next day, and made a general announcement about the destination of the ship to the remainder of the crew around lunchtime. Ever since the mood on the ship had been a mix of urgency and excitement that permeated every crewman, and even the ship herself it seemed was straining to get underway.

Casimiro was unwilling dragged back to reality by the appearance of Victorino Matos on the bridge. The young officer had been preforming excellently so far, and much to Casimiro's satisfaction, had not leveraged his obvious family connection to evade tasks of which he was adverse to. Casimirio had said as such when the Admiral asked him about Victorino's performance to date after the Sunday dinner. Victorino stopped short of Casimiro and made his expected academy prefect salute. Casimiro returned the salute, gestured at the envelope in Victorino's hand, and asked “What do you have to report?”

“Capitão.” Vinctorino said. “I have here the official set of diplomatic orders for situations pertaining to contact with vessels of the Atlantian Navy.” He extended the envelope to Casimiro.

Taking the envelope, Casimiro inquired “Did you have a moment to review these orders?”

“Yes, would you like me to summarize them for you?” Vinctorino answered. At Casimiro's nod, Vinctorino began to reiterate his own summary of the envelope’s content. This man will make a fine commander some day. Casimiro thought to himself as Vinctorino commented on the sort of gun salutes which should be expected. He has a good grasp of the important parts of what needs to be said and carried out. I still have to see how well the correlates to relating these points to those under him and ensuring they are accomplished. I think he will do well at that, tho, maybe a little test is in order. After Vinctorino finished his summary, Casimiro thanked and dismissed him. After Vinctorino was long out of earshot, Casimiro approached his first officer and said “So, I have an idea...” Those sailors who observed the conversation saw the grin on the faces of both men grow wider as the idea was explained in a volume only the two men could hear.

Later that day, the task force slipped there mooring lines and harbor tugs guided the ships around into the channel back to the Atlantic. A small flotilla of private small craft from Macapa, plus the cruiser Bahai escorted the force as they progressed down the channel. One by one or in small groups, the escorting ships turned around until finally only the weathered Bahai was left with the task force, her appearance looking more disheveled in comparison to the ships of the task force but still proud. When she finally turned off, signal flags flew the message, MAKE BRAZIL PROUD. In return, the Rio ran up FOR THE EMPEROR AND HIS PEOPLE WE SHAL. The destroyer Verde decided to have a bit more fun, and the message WE WILL MAKE YOUR MOTHERS PROUD taunted the crewmen of the Bahai whose signalman, at the request of his commander, retaliated with YOU MEAN YOU CANT MAKE YOUR OWN PROUD? via signal lamp. Several more lighthearted and jokingly insulting messages flickered around via signal lamp, while more serious replies were raised on flags. Eventually, the Bahai lost sight of the task force as they made there way towards Atlantis over the darkening horizon. She then turned for Macapa and her comfortable birth at the dockyard, resuming the briefly interrupted vigil she kept with her two elderly companions, ever watchful of the Amazon and the sea she feed.