deep in the sea (I give you my heart) // jenlisa

Chapter 1: The Clashing of Tides

Lalisa Manoban walked down the cobblestone pathway that lined the court yard. There were a group of soldiers in grey uniforms standing in formation, all gathered in a long line. A Sergeant yelled out a direction, the soldiers in training turning in unison. They continued to practice as Lisa strolled past, crossing through the court yard and entering the inner naval fort. She had just been summoned to her general's office for what she knew was going to be her next assignment.

Lisa reached Seung-hyun Lee's office, knocking twice before entering. He was sitting at his desk, another naval captain sitting slightly off center from him, back turned to the door. Lisa stood stiffly at attention as she stepped fully into the room. Seung-hyun looked from the other captain to Lisa. "Ah, Captain Manoban! I'm happy to see you're back from your trip," General Lee said with curt nod.

Lisa returned the nod while Lee offhandedly told her to at-ease, inviting her to sit down. Lisa did as she was told, glancing at the other captain as she adjusted herself in the slightly uncomfortable chair. She recognized the man as Daesung Kang; he captained a larger fighter ship named The Harpy. It was well known for being one of the most well-armed ships within a hundred miles. Right next to Lisa's ship, The Oryx.

Normally Lisa was assigned to be alone during her deployments, or if she did have a second hand they weren't nearly as armored as The Harpy. She silently wondered what task they were going to be given that required such heavy fire power.

Lisa didn't have to wait long for her answer, Lee launching straight into their assignment. "I have you both here because I need you two to work together; you're the best captains in the fleet, and the most armed in all of the Royal Navy. The Harpy and The Oryx will be put on an escort assignment." Lisa tried not to quirk her eyebrow. An escort assignment? What- or who –was so important that it needed both of them to be its escort?

Seung-hyun seemed to see the confusion on Lisa's face, briefly explaining more. "The Queen has personally asked for you two. She recognizes your near perfect track records, and knows you'll get the job done right." He glanced between his two captains, thick eyebrows low in concentration.

After a pause Lisa couldn't help but ask the question burning in her mind. "What exactly are we escorting, sir?" Lee met her gaze, prepared for the question. "Officially, you're transporting a simple shipment of supplies to our allies across the sea... Unofficially, you're escorting Mark Lee back to his kingdom."

Mark Lee was the king of the neighboring continent, which just so happened to be a very important trading route and a very powerful ally. "But sir, doesn't Lee have is own naval fleet?" Daesung asked, raising his own eyebrow.

"He does, but technically he's not supposed to be here; which is why you two will tell no one about who you are escorting... Not even your crew. If anyone should ask, you're transporting a simple shipment of supplies to allies across the sea." Seung-hyun gave a stern look to each of his captains, trying to make sure they understood.

Daesung put a hand to his chin, petting his scraggily mustache as he leaned on his elbow. Both captains were rather confused, looking to their general. It was an odd assignment and Lisa had many questions. Why was Mark Lee secretly on their side of the ocean? What was he doing with the Queen that no one could know about?

"You two will set sail tomorrow morning. You have two weeks to get the shipment to its required destination." Lisa tried not to show her disgruntlement. Where they needed to go wasn't exactly close, and with only two weeks it would be near impossible to get there on time. It normally took over a month in her experience, but she had to remind herself that that was with multiple stops and different ports. Lisa and Daesung would have to plan their path very carefully in order for this to work, but something told Lisa that they weren't on the same page.