FLUFF: Jammers: Turn 2 Chapter 1 Part 3

The Past Adventures of my Jammers PBEM game.

For me, one of the joys of PBEM gaming is the ability to revisit the
old adventures by reading the turn summaries. I think they make great
fan fiction.

This game has been going on since September, 1997. I thought folks
might enjoy reading the old turns in order, as fluff fiction. I know
I post the current turns as fluff as well, but the past turns were,
well, six years ago and new list members, as well as some old, may
still enjoy getting the old reads in their mailbox once per week. If
not, let me know and I'll stop sending them.


To give folks an idea of how much is still to come, the game is now
in Turn 21 of Chapter 7. Chapter 1 has 30 turns...

Turn 1 was huge, I had to divide it into 3 parts...

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

IC:

Four hours after leaving Torik's Luck the bosun's high pitched whistle
begin beating the call for general quarters.  The veterans are already on
sail watch,  and Leera is on the helm.  Stumbling wearily out of bed you
rush to your stations,  certain this is just another of the captain's
drills.  Arriving on deck you here the lookout call again "2 vessels off
the port bow!".  Everyone who can glances that way.  About 6000 yards away
a slim vessel with a single tail sail is apparently pursuing a groundling
caravel.  The ships are to far away to make much out.  The Captain is
standing on the forecastle watching it all through a telescope.  She
suddenly takes it down  "LT SANDS!"she bellows "ORDER THE HELMSMAN TO
INTERCEPT THAT EELSHIP!  LT SABBAGH,  LOAD ALL WEAPONS AND ORDER THE
BOARDING PARTY TO PREPARE PERSONAL MISSILE WEAPONS!  STEP LIVELY,  NOW!
THAT CARAVEL NEEDS OUR AID AND I'LL NOT SEE HER LET DOWN!"

Round 1:
Watching the ships get slowly closer it becomes obvious they've stopped as
the eelship,  already close to it, pulls alongside the now stopped caravel
for boarding.  Of course at this distance (5500 yards) its hard to make out
any details of the fighting.  the crew go about there tasks at
battlestations,  watching the distance close.

         Grigree gets his crossbow ready and climbs up to a stable part
in the rigging of the mainmast.

Fidalie stands next to the mainmast, quickly checking the straps on his
leather armor to make certain it's secure,  and makes sure that his various
combat related tools and weapons are where they are supposed to be.  As he
does so he curses in what must be his native tongue.

Deigatt, armed with his great axe, stands ready on deck as the
FLOWFISH approaches the other vessels. He stands back from the railing to
allow his shipmates armed with missile weapons to be unobstructed and also
to keep
his large body from being an easy target for opposing missile attacks.

      Kain stares at the two ships, his right hand on the hilt of his
shortsword, and his left hand clenching and unclenching.

Radick leaps from his position where he had been listening to the order and
within a moment he is in position. Radick immediately prepares the first
shot fo the light catapult and waits for the order to fire as Billy approaches.

Billy walks up to the light catapult carrying his sack.

Italapate meanders up to the deck in response to yet another
drill.  His dark eyes take in the scene with a look of boredom.  But,
when he realizes what is happening, and sees the Eelship pursuing the
dirtkicker vessel, there is a palpable demeanor change.  His jaw sets
angrily, and he snaps sharply to attention.

Holland rushes up to the forecastle with the Captain and scans
around the ship in all directions to see if there are any other ships
lurking about.

Talus watches the ships from the maindeck.

Raken watches the groundling ship, with the eel in hot pursuit,  from the
forecastle.  'They still fly those things?' he ponders.

"Aye." the captain replies,  surprising Raken.  "Something's not right..."

Below, on the bridge(#1) Lt Sands says to Leera "Maintain course and go to
maximum speed."  Leera increases speed as much as she can,  watching the
surrounding astroids nerveously.

Lt Sabbagh has the rear ballistae loaded.

Round 2:
The distance closes to 5000 yards,  it seems the _Flowfish_ will be too
late to help the embattled caravel.  revenge is still possible, however.

Grigree continues waiting to fire, watching the ships close.

Fidalie remains below,  also watching the ships closely as the _Flowfish_
gets closer to them.

Deigatt stands ready unless ordered otherwise. Periodically he glances
behind him and aft to see if any other vessels might be coming up behind
the FLOWFISH.

Italapate studies the Eelship intently, "There are so many possibilities,"
he mumbles to himself, but is easily heard.  "Chainmen, Tenth Pit, Xenos,
sometimes even Zhentarim or fanatics from Iuz..." Then he says out loud, "I
wish I was a mage and could just blow them out of the stars."

A grunt of annoyance passes through Kain's lips as he continues to watch
the two fighting ships.  Drawing his shortsword, Kain crouches as the fight
continues to unfold.

Radick stands ready, realigning the catapult as Leera guides the ship,
making small direction changes almost constantly, "Keep it straight girl,
we can't get a bead on them if you keep changing our line."  Then he pauses
and notes the stress and pressure that Leera is under and whispers so
softly only Billy could hear it "Come on girl, you can do it... Just stay
calm and concentrate."

Billy drops the bag on the deck next to the catapult and gauges the
distance between ships. Seeing that he has time, he reaches into his sack
and pulls out his leathern hauberk and  starts pulling it on. "Time t' play
heroes, dontcha know," says Billy. Then he whispers, "'Pon my  soul, I hope
th' captain knows what she's a-doin'"

Holland continues to scan for other ships.

Talus peers over the gunwale watching the approaching vessels.

"Captain," Raken says, "shall I Bless the officers, or the catapult?  My
other spells are cures; shall I prepare for....casualties?"

"Hmm...yes,  bless the catapult crew."  The captain seems distracted and
raises her spyglass for another look at the two ships grappeled ahead
"Should see more at this range...'PON MY SOUL! IT'S AN ILLUSION!  LT SANDS,
REVERSE COURSE!"

Below, on the bridge Lt Sands calls , "Bank to Port!"  Leera desprately
tries to comply,  taking the _Flowfish_ as hard as she dares to he left.
Lt Sands' command is relayed in an instant to the bosun,  he gives two
sharp orders to the sail crews.  Leera feels the _Flowfish_ respond,
banking around in a sharp 135 degree turn.

Deigatt and Holland both shout out simultaneously as another eelship pulls
out from behind the closest asteroid and heads directly for the banking
_Flowfish_.  A ballista bolt launches from the eelship and slams into the
bow of the _Flowfish_.  It sticks there,  quivering and below Leera feels a
pinprick for just an instant.  The second eelship is only 1500 yards or so
away,  and coming at the _Flowfish_ head to head.

Round 3:
Behind you now,  the caravel fades from sight as the first eelship
accelerates towards the battle.  It slowly closes the range to 4500 yards
(despite it being a stern chase now).

The second eelship and the _Flowfish_ are closing each other at an alarming
rate,  the 1500 yards between them vanishing to nothing this round.

"SKIM PAST THEM, THEN SANDS TAKE THE HELM!  ALL WEAPONS FIRE AT WILL!" the
Captain yells.

Leera obeys,  feeling the crews aid as she guides the _Flowfish_ in a
skimming pass down the second eelship's starboard side.

Raken intones a Bless spell on Radick and Billy.  "By Celestrian's Glorious
Journey throughout the Cosmos, Bless these men so that we may fight in your
glory!"

Radick aims carefully and releases the catapult,  his shot strikes true
shattering several sideboards on the eelship as the two vessels close.

The ship's air envelopes mingle as arrows and stones fly both ways.  The
eelship's crew look to be mostly humans,  ruffians the lot.  The ship flys
the Neogi skull on a black feild, the standard pirate emblem.

Billy grabs his crossbow and fires a bolt towards the eelship and is
rewarded by the sight of one of its crewman taking a bolt to the leg.

Grigree squezes off a crossbow shot,  then curses as it goes wide into the
eelship's deck.

Fidalie watches the new vessel warily,  ducking behind the mainmast for
cover from the arrows they fired back.

Deigatt stands ready.

Waiting paitently for the long range attacks to pass, Kain looks to the
stars for signs of other ships.

Italapate continues to finger his tomahawk in nervous anticipation of boarding.

Holland says to the Captain, "Captain, I intend to place a wall
of fog on the main deck and engulf their main weapon and surroundings
with a magical web.  I can not cast these spells until I am within 30
yards for the fog and 15 yards for the web.  Is this permissible?"

"YES!" the captain yells as she fires an arquebus towards the enemy vessel,
taking down a ballista crewman.

Talus peers over the gunwale and begins casting a spell, scattering
something on the deck.  Aboard the pirate ship several pirates slump to the
deck in a sound sleep and begin to snore loudly.


Date/Time: First half of the 4th Month, 5049 OC
I had not yet started keeping careful count of time.
--
"...And nobody is to be killed at all, if it can be helped. Keep your
tempers and hold your hands until the last possible moment!"
"But if there are many of these ruffians," said Merry, "it will
certainly mean fighting. You won't rescue Lotho, or the Shire, just
by being shocked and sad, my dear Frodo."

Paul Westermeyer,  pwestermeyer@????????.??.com