| Logs |
1999-11-07
| Starfall |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
Fire From the Skies
- The Deck of the Saucy Mare
The main deck of the Saucy Mare is clean and neat, kept that way by the dedicated crew. The twin masts tower overhead; aft is the steersman on the quarterdeck.
The Saucy Mare is a day out to sea now, heading north to the straits out of Starfall Bay.
Skeee runs another reconnaissance just before dawn, and returns to perch on the quarterdeck rail. "Miz Alexandra?"
Alexandra looks up a little groggily from her coffee mug, "Yes, Skeee?" Dimitri sits on the quarterdeck stairs, fox-napping. He opens one eye. Horatio hears a flapping of wings abovedeck and looks up, blinking, lifting his head up and looking around, blissfully unaware he actually fell asleep during his studies multiple times the past night.. Morning already? *sniffsniff* Ah... that concoction that Alexandra calls coffee. It must be morning. He stands, stretches, and pads out quietly, making his way up to the deck.
Alexandra yawns, then mumbles to Skeee, "C'n call me Mz Alex... like that one better anyways. W'a'z up?"
The bat grins. "Okie, Mz. Alex. They're dropping behind nicely. Sixty kilometers back they are now, and her captain is confused. We're not out of her fliers' range yet, but I think they were hoping to catch us with the sabotage."
Alexandra grins with sleepy mischief, "Good. Pity we can't leave 'em a... sign of our esteem for 'em." She blinks thoughtfully, then looks at Dimitri, "Hey, Mitya... would it be rude to leave that saboteur waiting for them, floating on a spar or something?"
Skeee grins. "Thought about it, but then they'd have an idea we were on to them."
Alexandra says, "Mm, good point, Skeee." She struggles to cover another yawn, then nods sleepily again, "Let's just keep going then... no need to push our luck so early in the game.""
Skeee squints into the brightening sky in the east and nods. "I'm to bed then. Keep an eye out for their fliers -- I saw a crow and a gull. Crow won't have the range to get to us anymore, but the gull... he'll be a problem."
Alexandra says, "Good. I'll set someone up with a crossbow... that should keep them cautious." Skeee nods and flutters up to her perch in the rigging. Alexandra waves someone over and has a sharp-eyed sailor set on watch for the seagull. Alex herself continues on watch, pacing slowly on deck in a struggle to stay awake.
Dimitri speaks up quietly. "Skeee's to sleep, Horatio's on deck. It's time to wake the Captain and you to close your eyes for a bit, Alex."
Alexandra says, "Mmf? Um... he's not up yet..."
The sun peeks up over the eastern horizon, the sky still clear. The quartermaster rings 6 bells (7 am). Horatio yawns, and has the misfortune of being right next to the ship's bell when the quartermaster rings it. Now with his head ringing, he weaves his way over to his siblings. "Good morning, Alex, Dimitri."
Alexandra blinks, shaking her head, "Whoa... later than I thought. Where is Carroll?" Carroll emerges a few moments later. Alexandra says in exhausted relief, "Carroll!" then remembers herself and adds, "Uh, captain!"
Dimitri opens both eyes. "Morning, Navigator... Captain."
Carroll also finds his siblings, smiling cheerfully, and grinning at Alexandra. He murrs, "You are relieved, Alex. Go sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens." He shoos Dimitri off too, murring, "You too, brother."
Alexandra mutters sleepily, "I'll say!" as she heads off immediately for bed. As she wanders past Horatio, yawning, she mumbles, "Heya, Horatio... time for bed!"
Horatio blinks. "Oh, good morning, Car- er, captain."
Dimitri slowly stands and follows Alex below deck. "Captain... the crew will be wondering why one of them is in the brig... call me if you need a strong stand, yes?"
Carroll looks at his brother, and nods. He murrs, "I ought to tell them, and I expect I will."
Alexandra falls into her hammock, managing to get one boot off before she's out like the proverbial light. Dimitri pauses to remove Alex's other boot, tuck a pillow under her head, and throw a blanket over her. He then settles in himself, snaring a bunk. Alexandra is utterly clueless that anyone's near... she's ZONKED.
Carroll murrs to Horatio, "Hello, Horatio, come have a look at this."
Horatio pads over to Carroll obligingly. "Yes?"
Carroll leads Horatio over to the damaged mainstay and asks, "Can you fix this? Or, perhaps, can this be fixed?" Jared comes up on deck, looking around at things in a grumpy way.
Horatio erks! at the stays, blinking. "Oh, dear. I think I can. It'll take a while, and it'll be dangerous while we're under sail, though.
Carroll nods. He murrs, "I hope we'll be able to land and take care of it. Will it hold for, say, four days?"
Horatio bites his lip, and climbs a bit up into the rigging, slowly. "I think so, Carr- er, captain. But only if we keep her as she is and we don't run into serious winds or try to do any serious tacking."
Carroll nods, "That's the plan."
Horatio half climbs, half falls out of the rigging beside Carroll. "Urf! Well... aside from that it'll hold just fine. I wouldn't put much more sail on than we have now, though.
Carroll nods, murring, "That's still the plan."
Horatio bobs his head. "All right. It shouldn't be hard once we make landfall."
Carroll smiles slyly. He murrs, "Good." Jared, a short distance away, also gets a sly look, glancing around the deck.
Horatio blinks. That's a rather odd reaction of his brother's to this news. "Ah... what are you planning...?"
Carroll murrs to his brother, "Excuse me, I need to speak to Jared." He looks back at Horatio, "Why, nothing." He grins again and heads for the bosun.
Horatio blinks again, and nods. He looks up into the rigging and starts to climb it a bit to get a closer look at the severed stays.
Carroll walks up to Jared and murrs, "Good morning, Mister Greytail. According to my brother we're best off if we can make a landfall and repair this damage while we're not under sail. We also have a furr in the brig, both of which the crew might like to know about. Will you please make a point to assemble them at the afternoon shift change, when I can speak to everyone at once?"
Jared nods. "Not a problem, sir. Noon bell works for you?"
Carroll nods, "That should be all right. I'd like Alexandra awake if possible. She'll be groggy, but it will do." He adds, "If you hear any rumbling or mutterings in the crew as to the damage or the prisoner, please tell them that I'll be explaining everything then, mm? Let the counter-rumor circle."
Horatio bites his tongue as he reaches upward for one of the severed stays. Al... most... got... *blink* What...? He sees it then -- diving out of the sun comes the gull... "Oh no..." He suddenly raises his voice to as much of a bellow as he can manage, "CARROLL! INCOMING BIRD!"
Carroll calmly calls up, "Thank you, Horatio," and moves in near the mast.
The lookout spins around at the shout and finally sees the bird. "Cap'n! He's diving straight out of the sun!"
Carroll mutters, "That's a bad sign," and puts his back to the mast, holding up a hand, trying to see. Horatio tries to keep an eye on the bird, shielding his eyes with one hand while managing to hold on to the rigging with his other hand, and limbs. The lookout is squinting into the light, trying to aim. Carroll tries to see, also squinting, if the bird is armed and how so. Offhand, the mode of approach indicates unfriendly intentions. Proper etiquette on the approach is to come in from windward and announce yourself, not try to hide...
In the command crew cabin the ruckus dimly filters into Alex's dreams. Someone's... shouting?! Alexandra grabs her sword belt, slaps a hand down on Dimitri's feet under the blanket (she knows NEVER to whack a warrior out of sleep if you're in hand's reach!) as she heads out the door barefoot, "What is it?!" Dimitri stirs, shakes his head, and rolls out of the bunk. Grabbing his sword he follows Alexandra out. Carroll keeps his back to the mast and draws his sword.
Carroll shouts, loudly, "Keep him away! He's got a torch!" Horatio's ears perk. A torch? Oh no! Jared yells for the fire parties to scramble. The lookout shoots -- but unfortunately misses. Carroll realizes that all the other crossbows are in a locked cabinet, to which there are two keys... he has one, and the sleeping Alex has the other. Erk!
Alexandra looks puzzled, shading her eyes as she looks around, "Bird... diving? Why..." she hears Carroll's shout, then gasps, "Oh no!" and barks out over the ship, "Keep it away from the sails! If it tears the sails the ship can catch up to us!" She whirls, looking for Jared as she adds, "Dimitri, watch out for more saboteurs please -- seargeant!" She tosses the keys to him, barking, "Get 5 more sharp crew with crossbows out across the ship -- get crossfire on that damn bird -- and keep someone you trust at your back, and another on the brig!" She looks around worriedly, "Did we forget anything? Skeee... where's Skeee roosting?! Horatio, get out of the rigging -- you'll get hurt!" She cups her hands to her mouth and yells, "SKEEE!!! WAKE UP!! You're a target!!"
Dimitri draws his sword, moving to intercept if the bird arcs close enough to the deck. "'Ware aloft! Deck crew to the buckets!" The seagull squawks defiance and continues his power-dive.
Skeee wakes up and flutters groggily down to the deck. "What now?"
Alexandra just points. "Gotta torch."
Dimitri calls out, sharp and loud, "Gull aloft!"
The bat 'looks' in that direction with her eyes closed. "On it." She opens her wings and takes off.
Alexandra blinks startledly, then says to no one in particular, "Can she do that? in the day?!"
Carroll holds, not seeing too much he can do from here and not wanting to be in the way. Horatio is trying to clamber down out of the rigging while keeping an eye on the bird. Horatio almost gets out of the rigging, then falls the last few feet to the deck. "OOF! Blast...!"
Alexandra calls worriedly, "Horatio, are you all right?"
Carroll watches Skeee take off and worries more for her and crossbowmen then he does his clumsy brother. His brother's done that before. Horatio blinks. "I'm.. I'm fine, Alex! I'll be all right...!" The crew is rushing around to set up the fire parties. The lookout is reloading his crossbow. Alexandra looks relieved, then looks around to see what's not been taken care of. Skeee continues climbing to intercept.
Dimitri watches, eyes sharp, blade out, holding. "Skeee, drive him this way!"
Carroll looks around carefully for anything else that may be going wrong. He watches the crew for more sabotage mostly. Horatio gets to his feet and dashes for the weapons locker. A ballista would be WAY too large.
Skeee charges the diving gull, who dodges but is forced to deviate from his course toward the sails. The gull screams annoyance and tries to throw the torch into the Mare's sails. The torch bounces off the mainsail and falls to the deck, mostly harmlessly at first. The waiting fire party pounces with buckets of seawater. Carroll spares a glance up at the sail. Does it catch? No, thank goodness, it didn't. The bat's attack forced him away from his target zone; he didn't succeed. Carroll sighs a huge sigh of relief!
Alexandra sighs in faint relief at the gull's deviation in course, then stiffens at the flight of the tumbling torch. She realizes she's not paying attention to the ship's deck -- someone standing very close to her might hear her soft mutter to herself, "First mate, first mate... okay, they're taking care of that, what should I be doing..." She glances around warily, then patters swiftly over to peer down the quarterdeck ladder, making sure the cross bows are being correctly handed out and will be up on deck soon. The sergeant is still tossing them out at the crewfurrs who are being issued them. Horatio's joined the line of crew being issued bows.
Alexandra nods to herself, looking pleased -- that seems to be going fine. She looks up, thinking as she gazes around... then nods to herself again. She swiftly patters across the deck for the forward opening and peeks down, checking. The gull pulls out of his dive and streaks away. Carroll is still watching the crew's work, making sure nothing else goes wrong.
Skeee can't begin to match the gull's speed, so she swerves back to the Mare and waits. The lookout fires his crossbow again as the gull speeds past... but misses again. Dimitri relaxes, looking back across the deck. He stands quiet, watching the seagull's path. The gull, having failed in his surprise attack and with the fire parties putting out his torch, decides that discretion is the better part of valor and continues to head out.
Carroll continues watching the crew work, offering encouragement and thanks to those on the fire crews for their fast response as he makes his way across the deck looking for Skeee. He's not calling out or being too obvious though, just apparently meandering and looking at everything. Dimitri slowly follows Carroll. His eyes dart, looking for Alex. Skeee orbits the ship a few more times, then settles back onto her usual perch on the spar. "Don' think he's coming back, Captain."
Carroll looks up and murrs to her, "Thank you, Skeee. Excellent work. You may have saved the ship." He shakes his head and adds, "Fire. Not subtle."
Alexandra whews -- nothing untoward at the brig -- then straightens and scans the deck carefully... then grins in relief, and goes pattering back towards the quarterdeck. As she passes under the area Skeee roosts she calls out cheerfully, "Thank you, Skeee -- I didn't know you could do that! Sleep well!" She waves at Carroll too, "I think Mitya 'n I are gonna go crash again -- s'okay?" Horatio's ears perk, and he steps off line, poking his head out onto deck.
Carroll pads over to Alexandra and murrs more quietly to her, "You did very well, too. Excellent work and quick thinking." He murrs more publicly, "If you can, not a bad idea."
Dimitri says, "Captain, Mister Alexandra, you do know if we can't get a gull's flight ahead he will be back."
Alexandra beams happily at Carroll, then dashes off a snappy salute -- then almost yawns enough to split her face! She blinks a little guiltily, then tilts her head at Dimitri and nods, "Good point."
Jared snorts. "A gull's flight ahead? That would be halfway to Ilrayel before you could count on it. What we need to do is change course tonight so he won't know where to find us."
Dimitri nods quietly. "But to where?"
Alexandra nods again, then looks around, "Hey um captain? Why not just tell the crew now the stuff we were gonna say? We're all up and awake?"
Carroll nods to Dimitri and Jared, "Yes. It's a pity we didn't kill the bastard."
Horatio comes up on deck, noticing that the crisis seems to have passed. Carroll looks to Alex and murrs, "Some of it, Alex." He murrs to Horatio, "Horatio! Can you gather all the crossbows that were gotten out, and re-secure the locker? Keep three total out." He hmms, realizing he has just sent his navigator on a task. He murrs, "Well, either south following the coast to Jarrow or Andalin or straight across around the point and towards Falkirk."
Horatio bobs his head. "Yes, Captain!" He hops to the task, keeping, as usual for him, an accurate count of the weapons.
Alexandra says, "Gimme the keys when you're done, please, Horatio?"
Jared shakes his head. "We don't need to change our destination; so far we've been on course for Alburtis pretty close anyway. I mean make a sudden course change tonight, probably southward, so they'll be in the wrong place come the morning."
Alexandra says, "Oh, I get it! It's like riding a dodging horse in a hunt. You expect them to go straight and they don't."
Carroll nods, "A sharpish jog southwards to confuse them. Could we jog north instead? Or perhaps towards Lancer?"
Jared scratches his head. "Aye, certainly. But we'd not end up at Lancer that way."
Horatio wanders on by carrying two crossbows and pipes up, "They might expect us to change course." He continues on with his task.
Carroll murrs, "True, and we do need to make landfall. Southwards probably works best then. My biggest worry with that is that is what they'll expect us to do... but we can guess back and forth for ever." He looks up and asks, "Dimitri? Any sound tactics?"
Dimitri says, "The question is two-fold, Carroll. Yes, they will expect us to jog at this point. The question is which way. They can only follow one way." Alexandra covers another yawn and leans against Dimitri as the adrenaline starts to fade.
Carroll nods, "Yes. Which way would you expect us to go?'
Alexandra mumbles sleepily, "The way it's hardest to find us..."
Dimitri stands quiet, and then gently braces himself. He gently nudges Alexandra upwards, his voice very, very low for just her ears. "You are on deck, first mate..." Alexandra straightens abruptly, her ears tilted back in embarrassment, trying to look like that was a momentary aberration... she hastily clasps her hands behind her back and tries to look keenly interested in the conversation!
Carroll murrs to his sister, "Obvious but profound." He looks to the others and calls Horatio back over to explain. Alexandra looks blank at Carroll's comment, but doesn't ask. Better to just look a bit groggy than confirm that she's having terrible trouble staying awake OR following the conversation.
Horatio finishes stowing the crossbows, carrying three of them gingerly. "Didn't think you wanted me to hand these out just yet, Car- uh, Captain." He carefully hands the weapons locker key to Alex.
Alexandra takes the keys, "Thank you, Horatio," and carefully tucks them away.
Carroll explains the conundrum to Horatio and asks again for his or Dimitri's suggestions, hoping the navigator will have input or the military man will know tactics.
Dimitri says, "Carroll, we know House Pravinchandra doesn't like us. But is there another House, let's say up Port Lassen or Liska way?"
Horatio blinks and frets a little. "Uhm... Dimitri's right. No matter where we go we may run into a house that doesn't like us or is allied with Pravinchandra.
Carroll adds, "Jared says south. My instincts say south. This is why I question it -- too obvious." He looks at his brother and asks, "Do you mean an ally or an enemy?"
Dimitri says, "An ally, or at least one who would look the other way and not report back?"
Carroll murrs, "Perhaps. I doubt we can prevent someone reporting back."
Dimitri shrugs. "There's always the other alternative."
Carroll looks at his brother and murrs, "I'm not prepared to do that, if you're thinking what I am." Horatio blinks, not quite getting it. Carroll asks quietly, "Anyway, how could the rest of the crew trust us again?"
Dimitri looks to Horatio and Carroll, his voice still cast low in a whisper. "At night, turn around and convince them not to follow us. With extreme persuasion."
Horatio blinks and slowly looks up at the sails with the severed mainstays. Alexandra blinks sleepily... then blinks as Dimitri's words penetrate her fog of tiredness! "Um... while that would be a rather satisfying thing to do perhaps, we should keep in mind, Dimitri, that this crew isn't warriors? And um... well, you always said that he who laughs last laughs best... aren't we laughing last here?"
Carroll ahs, and murrs, "You're not thinking what I am, then. Do you think we could win such a battle? I have my doubts." Alexandra eyes Carroll, and wonders if she really wants to know what he was thinking... Carroll isn't volunteering, so she'll get to keep wondering.
Dimitri shrugs quietly. "I didn't guarantee we would win, but it would be the last thing they would expect. It would also settle the matter one way or another. Eventually we will have to, you know. With this crew. For where will we be getting another?"
Carroll adds, "Another ship would be useful, too."
Alexandra frowns, thinking aloud, "On the other paw... if we're going to attack Pravinchandra shipping, won't we need to start some time? But... hm... wouldn't it be wiser to dump the untrustworthy crew first?"
Carroll murrs, "This discussion should happen someplace more private."
Horatio ers softly. "If ah, we're going to go into battle, it might be better to go into it with a rigging that's completely reliable. Wouldn't it...?"
Alexandra nods, "That too, Horatio."
Carroll murrs, "Not, Horatio, if we just let them sail up next to us, dead stop."
Alexandra nods to Carroll too, "Your cabin, captain?"
Carroll hmms and considers. "We need to repair, and solidify the crew. I still think we should try the original plan if we can."
Dimitri says, "Then expect another visit from the gull... and that they will catch us when we are laid up with repairs. Unless we can become... lost."
Alexandra grins tiredly, "Apparently lost is good, yup."
Horatio frowns softly. "Then the best way to get lost is, well... south."
Carroll nods. "Yes, we will expect it, Dimitri. I hope he'll become a pincushion next time, too. As to direction... why not west?"
Horatio thinks for a moment. "They might not expect that..."
Carroll murrs, "It's still the way we want to go, and it's less obvious, yes."
Dimitri says, "West is right down their throats, Carroll, unless we can silently pass them in the night. But it's true, it's the last thing they would expect."
Carroll hmms, "Simply stopping in the dead of night and letting them pass us in blackout is a good idea, if it's dark. I meant east. Got turned around."
Alexandra shakes her head, "I don't think we want to let them get any closer to us if we can help it. We only had one opponent this time. We know they have 2 fliers at least... we have only one."
Carroll ahems, "So, east?"
Alexandra says, "And all it takes is one voice in the dark from one untrustworthy person to warn them we're there... I think east or south would be best. Let's at least try to keep heading to where we really want to go, no?"
Horatio says, "Uhm... maybe, ah, we could release a small boat... let it train behind us a bit tonight. A few people on board, and when the other ship gets close maybe they can sneak closer and... and do something suitable to their hull?"
Alexandra says, "Horatio, would it be easier for us to get lost if we went east or south?"
Carroll murrs, "That depends entirely on which way they expect us to go."
Alexandra shakes her head, "No, I'm just asking as far as which would be harder to find someone in, captain."
Horatio says, "I'm not really sure, Alex. South we have the entire ocean to play in. East, the way we're going, well... they know we started out in that direction."
Alexandra says, "Then why not go south? The more ocean we have to hide in the better, yes?"
Jared adds, "And they likely know our destination, too."
Carroll nods, "That's a given."
Alexandra says, "No, they know where we're scheduled to go... not where we want to go, right?"
Carroll murrs, "Tonight, southwards, then. We'll see if we lose them tomorrow." Horatio nods. Carroll adds, "Stay on this course until dark, then change course."
Alexandra says, "Great. Okay... do you need me or Dimitri for anything else, captain?"
Carroll shakes his head, "No, go sleep. You look beat." Alexandra grins sleepily at Carroll, then wanders slowly off to the cabin.