Second Dead Waters Incident

Military: Skirmish

"I engaged the Fortunata after it fired upon us in the dead of night, much as it had the 'Mally' earlier in the year. This time, we won. It's simple as that." -Transcript from trial of FUS Gregarious Captain Frokar Tugban.

Scarcely two Seasons after the First Dead Waters Incident a second disaster occurred in between the navies of the Impero Tharrisian and Federated Union of Eastern Kalin.   The Union Battleship the FUS Gregarious engaged in a naval battle with the Foreleni Frigate the ITS Fortunata; the same vessel involved in the First Dead Waters Incident. The ITS was sunk in the battle, and all but 23 crew members were lost.    The captain of the Gregarious would claim that, like the Mally, the ITS Fortunata began the battle by nearly crashing into them and firing upon them. ITS Fortunata survivors would claim that they came close to the Gregarious, but only because the Gregarious had sailed close to them on purpose; and then opened fire without warning.    An official inquiry and trial into the Incident by both powers came to wildly differing conclusions. The Tharrisian trial determined that the Gregarious had purposefully instigated the battle, citing the captains close relationship with a deceased Mally crew member as evidence. The Union trial would determine that the ITS Fortunata had begun the fight just as it had the first time, though conceded that the captain had acted "too quickly and forcefully considering the firepower differential between the vessels."    The captain would be demoted, but no other action was taken. This outraged the Tharrisian's, while the Union continued to be outraged following both events in which the Union saw itself as the attacked party.