The Stars have Aligned
The first to see them was Gaius. From the Abyss's crow's nest, he had the best view in town, both on the ocean, and to the skies. And what skies they were. It was the New Moon, so the only light coming down was that of the stars, and an hour into his shift he could see... Everything. All the constellations, of course, but on the East he could even just about see a blurry cloud of light rising from the horizon, and these were perfect conditions to catch falling stars as well. He'd been on trips farther North where he got to see the ribbon-shaped Lights of the Gods in the skies above, but they were too far south for such a thing. Still, it was a perfect night for star gazing.
However, he had to remind himself he had a job to do. He scanned the horizon for points of interest, once more. Seemed clear, as expected. Except... There, from the south, he saw something. He trained his eyepiece on it and focused.
No doubt about it. It was a faint silhouette, but that was a ship. Sizeable and full-rigged. Not one, but multiple. That was notable. He screamed a message to a colleague sentry a bit lower down the mast, who relayed his message to their command.
"What do you see, lieutenant?" The Vice-admiral never missed a chance for a learning opportunity.
"I see nine large battleships, and four frigates." The officer was matter-of-fact about this.
"Mhm. And how large are those battleships?" Kamus was sipping some Moriji wine, his favorite vintage.
"Let's see, one of them is particularly tall, assuming conventional weaponry it probably just about qualifies as an X-class, 17 to 20. The others are more modest, perhaps comparable to our Abyss." Lieutenant Houshiku seems quite proud of his assessment.
The Admiral nods, approvingly. "Well done, I would agree with this evaluation what do you conclude about this force?"
"Oh, there is no doubt about it, this must be the Marina Stellare. No other navy in the Kizuna Ocean could muster a similar force this close to Council waters."
A seaman walking nearby hears the brass' discussion and rushes back to the hold.
"Excellent, lieutenant. That's what I expected from you. As you say, there is no doubt in my mind this is the Marina Stellare." A fond smile appears on the man's face. "It'll be good to see them, these ships are works of beauty. We have nothing to worry about, with their naval presence we're safer than ever. Send courriers to the rest of the squadron to have the men on the decks, we can hail them on their approach. They've probably come to relieve us from our escort duties. I thought it odd they did not have the hand off done at sea, perhaps they didn't get our message."
Following his commander's orders, the men from the Black Fleet vessels were roused and headed out of the holds.
"Is it the Marine Stellare? Truly?"
"By the Goddess, is that the Principessa delle Stelle? I'd only seen gravures of it!"
"Holy shit, I've always wanted to see an Hoshiyomi ship-of-the-line!"
Understandably, the men were quite excited about this event. The Marina Stellare was renowned in Moriji, for upholding the faith of the beloved Shining Star Goddess, and for being one of the great naval powers of the world. To have such a fleet presented to them was a wonderful opportunity.
But it was about to get better. Kamus was wondering what was the purpose of the maneuvers the Hoshiyomi fleet were executing, they clearly weren't coming into port. Instead it looked more like they were coming into position to fire upon the town. And then it clicked for him! They were going to play out the Desusutā! He was surprised that the Hoshiyomi Admiralcy would be so mindful of Deadbeat traditions, despite being so far from their home, but it was a heartwarming gesture nonetheless. He told a nearby officer to pass the word, so the men wouldn't be too surprised, but once it began, any sailors of the Black Fleet would recognize the Desusutā.
Indeed, once a year in Memento Bay, in sight of the island's capital and of the Goddess, the Black Fleet engaged in an exercise fondly called the Desusutā. It was a celebration of the union of their Goddess of Death, with the cherished Goddess of the Stars, burning bright in the night sky. On the night whence a shower of comets was scheduled to rain upon the sky, the mightiest ships of the Black Fleet assembled in the bay, and fired all their broadsides, in a wondrous display of power of stellar fire! This was considered one of the highlights of a stay in the Capital, and must-see for the entire population.
And now, the Marina Stellare was about to grace them with the same honor! The news spread through the ranks of sailors like a wildfire through grass, and all able men were running onto the decks and fighting for the best viewing spots!
And then, it began! The explosions shook the soldiers' cores, like the most powerful bass drum this world had ever known. The firing cannons illuminated the ship's broadsides, and they were followed by honest to god fireworks! The beautiful deflagrations lit up the skies, to the hooing and haaing of the excited Deadbeats. There were explosions before, above, and behind the ships, the Black Fleet was surrounded in beautiful destruction.
Soon after the stunning stellar rockets had exploded, silence fell back onto the waves, once more, and the Black Fleet ships erupted in cheers. What a spectacle, what a night! The men and women were running on the decks, crying of happiness, hugging each other to savor the sensational moment!
The Vice-admiral Hyouka was seen, rubbing a tear of joy out of his eyes. "What an incredible Desusutā! Ah, what have we done to deserve this amazing celebration, this warm welcome! I must absolutely meet the man responsible for this! Remind me, Lieutenant Houshiku, who commands the Principessa delle Stelle?"
It only took a second for the officer to remember the factoid. "Ah, that is Vice-Admiral Martinelli, sir."
Kamus nodded as he remembered. "Right, right, Martinelli! What a great man. I must meet him before we hand over escort duties over to the Marina Stellare. He deserves our utmost thanks for the great gift and display of respect he has given us tonight."
From this time, all Black Fleet men lucky enough to witness this event would remember it as "The Night DeathStar Won".