Hubris

The massive battleship passed inexorably into the harbour, swastika flags snapping insolently in the breeze. War had only been declared a few hours before, but she had been waiting, ready to pounce, for some days, and now her crew lined the railings, cheering and baying as the tiny ships in port scurried to avoid them. One man pointed to the battered old sailing vessel struggling along with most of her masts bare and sniggered. More and more men began jeering at her, certain she would be ridden down by their massive armoured bow. When she barely dodged the blow, they groaned, and those closest to her spat down upon her decks as the great warship slid past her. Her hull nearly grated against the fresh grey paint as suddenly it detonated in a breathtaking blast that immediately touched off the main magazine, levelling every building along the shore but leaving nothing of the proud flagship but a storm of flame and smoke that the water soon swallowed up.