Jammers Summary: Chapter 3, Turn 12

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...

Grigree looks up towards the two ships where he was leaning on the railing as the STAR drops from spelljamming speed.

Italapate stares at the combat for a moment, then declares. "Okay... that's real enough." He turns and runs belowdecks.

Talus comments, "Maybe we will get a bonus for helping, but we won't get paid at all if the elf ship is destroyed. Lets go!" The young half-elf heads towards the catapult. Stringing his bow he sets the weapon and quiver down where it will be handy, and then starts helping ready the catapult for battle.

Kain stops short when he sees the man-o-war and scorpionship engaged in battle. "Well, so much for making our way unannounced," he says as he wipes his hands across his leather armor. "I hope this was just a chance encounter on the orcs part, I'd hate to be hounded all the way to Spiral and back," Kain grumbles as he finishes tying off the line he was working on. "I'm ready!" Kain calls as he maintains his position on the sails.

With Holland on the helm, Deigatt assumes the role of battle leader as the SILENT STAR approaches the other two ships. "Leera," he calls, "could you make hour ship look more hintimidating to the horcish crew?"

Leera nods as Deigatt speaks. "Done."

Deigatt continues, "Ferric, bring hus hin haft hand habove the scorpionship has quickly has possible. Raken hand Hitalapate, keep watch for hother henemy vessels that may be waiting to hambush hus. Everyone hon weapons, while we har still hout hof range, we need to identify the nature hof hour henemy has quickly has possible. Nilaroo has suggested they har probably horcs; hif hanyone sees hothers haboard the scorpionship hor non-elves haboard the man-o-war, make hit known loudly. Hin particular we want to watch for henemy spellcasters!"

Nodding, Raken scrutinizes the sky, looking for any other ships.

Italapate rushes to the front of the eelship, scanning the stars above. When he reaches the railing, he scours the starscape below. "It'aya, ce Talapas, nogoya tajo michichi tajo," he prays as he nears the railing.

Billy comes up on deck wearing his full battle gear. Seeing that Talus is already at the catapult, he nods and winks in greeting. Billy then cocks his crossbow and lays it nearby and turns to give Talus a hand at the loading.

Nilaroo, clad in the chainmail he has been wearing since the approaching the rendezvous, moves quickly to the catapult. He quickly checks the bindings on his bow and quiver, making sure the knots will still release with a tug. He then begins to load the catapult, anticipating combat.

Leera glances down at herself, shrugs, and undergoes a transformation. Leera now appears as a rough, middle-aged woman with stringy, dirty blonde hair. She is wearing a slightly rusted chain mail vest, and carries Leera's long dagger at her side. Scruffy Sailhand Leera smiles, "There. I shouldn't look much like a spellcaster now."

She then moves to take her place on deck, near to the entrance to the stairs belowdecks. She quickly casts a spell, muttering a few arcane phrases. As she finishes, a group of six warriors in black chain mail wearing helms concealing their faces emerge from the stairway. They run in unison to the port railing and arrange themselves in a line along the railing. Each carries a longbow and a quiver of black arrows. At some silent command, all six draw and nock an arrow in unison. They stand with their bows slack and pointed down, ready to draw the arrow back and fire at a moments notice.

Ferric yells as he dashes towards the door for belowdecks, "You heard him Holland, use the helm to steer. We'll be back on deck in two minutes to take your sails."

As various crewmembers start yelling out order, Grigree runs over to his place by the rigging, bringing the crossbow and swords that haven't been out of easy reach this entire trip. While Ferric is off getting his armor, he straps on his sword harness and loads his crossbow, which he lays at his feet -- out of the way but in easy reach.

Holland stares straight ahead and a look of heavy concentration comes over his face. The STAR shoots forward, toward the two fighting ships, at twice the usual speed.

When Italapate arrives back on the deck, he wears a vest of wood, painted in elaborate native designs, a stylized profile of a dog prominent in the center. He grips the shaft of his short bow in one hand, a quiver of arrows on his back. His face is marked with brightly colored paints. "We have the element of surprise this time, let's use it!"

"Time to do or die!" Robert exclaims, rushing towards the ballistae from below while loading a silvery-white crossbow. Upon arrival, he places it close by, but out of the way while greeting his fellow weaponeers, "Hiho guys, the wind will be with us today." and begins loading the ballistae.

Seguld emerges from below a little behind the others. His usual hobble is still present, and after a number of small, stuttering steps he finally reaches the ballista. "Load'ErUpGuys! We'reGonnaBeTakin'ItTo'Em." Seguld then affixes a rope to himself and the ballista. He pauses long enough to make sure his rifle is loaded, then goes about the process of cranking the ballista.

Returning above decks Ferric's eyes widen as they STAR is much closer to the battle than he had thought. Ferric begins shouting orders to bring the ship above and behind the scorpion as Deigatt requested while at the same time shrugging into his armor and then stringing his bow.

Raken approaches the big minotaur. "No sign of enemy ships. There might be other ships or that scorpion could be something more dangerous; scro casters are quite skilled, I've heard," he reports, then quickly turns to scan the rest of the ship. "I'm going to bless our catapult crew; we're going to need every advantage we can get," he says.

"Celestrian bless these men," Raken simply says, and those on the forward half of the ship feel slightly more invigorated and ready to fight. Once done, Raken retreats to the aft part of the ship.

"Vais!" Raken calls out, "you're with me. There's going to be wounded real quick, so get prepared," he says. He makes sure his scimitar is secure in its scabbard at his side. "Hopefully this won't be needed," he mutters to himself.

The hadozee's ears perk up at this. Grigree then looks down and shakes his head, eyes closed. "Faith in _jetatin'_ drills," he mumbles to no one.

"Very good, sir." Vais answers and walks over to Raken. A pouch is slung across his shoulder, "I have taken the liberty of putting together a crude healing kit as none was available."

"Strafing run or a flight of missile fire and then boarders away Mister Deigatt?" the Ferric asks. "I need to know so the speed will be right." Cinching down the last straps and checking to make sure his blade is loose in its sheathe he watches the battle get closer very quickly.

"Veer to their port side has we come hup behind, hand we'll ready to board hafter hour missiles have done their jobs," the minotaur replies. "Steady hin, hand be sure that that tail structure doesn't get hin the way hof hour fire.

"Everyone, keep hin mind that combat can be confusing, hand the helves may not realize hat first who we har. Hour plan his to come hin from habove, shower the scorpionship with missiles, then board their port side, squeezing them between the helves hand hus. Hour goal his to take the scorpionship hand defeat hits crew. The horcs may have taken some hof the cargo we're here to retrieve, so we cannot hallow them to flee the battle should they gain that hopportunity. Talus, Nilaroo, Hitalapate, hand Galan will be the hinitial boarding team, hon my mark. Robert, Leera, hand Grigree will back them." Deigatt looks to the catapult and ballista, then at the sailmaster. "Hall stations ready!" he declares. "Let's strike."

Upon hearing his name assigned to primary boarding duty, Italapate removes his clawed gloves from his pouch and tucks them into his belt.

Seemingly oblivious to the approach of the STAR, the man-o-war and scorpion continue their violent dance. Suddenly the port wing of the man-o-war cracks off and the ship tumbles to that side, before slowing to a halt. The scorpion dives for the powerless man-o-war, intent upon boarding and completing the kill, but a massive fusillade of spells and arrows fly from the crippled vessel. Fireballs and arcane beams sweep across the scorpions deck, though the distance is too far to determine how much damage is caused, the port claw cracks off and the scorpion ship banks up and over the now motionless man-o-war.

As the STAR comes within weapons range, the scorpion takes a position just behind the man-o-war....

Date/time: 11:05 am 7th day of the 6th Month, 5049 OC