On a clear day at Emden Port, sunlight filtered through sparse clouds, casting warm light on several rusted mine-laying ships at the harbor.
Major Bernhard, as usual, hurriedly finished his breakfast and took the mine-laying ship out to sea.
Emden Port used to be one of Germany's busiest ports, with merchant ships trading with England, Holland, France, and other countries. They brought goods ashore, which were then transported across Germany by rail and road.
But after the war began, the port declined rapidly due to the British blockade, and merchant ships vanished without a trace. The merchants gathered around the port moved away, leaving only a desolate town, with few people on the streets and just a handful of fishing boats on a sea once crowded with ships.
Subordinate Herman shouted to Major Bernhard over the engine noise of another mine-laying ship: "Major, where do we 'lay eggs' today?"
'Laying eggs' was what the crew jokingly called it.
