FLUFF: Jammers: Turn 8 Chapter 1 pt 2

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.

This turn was fun for me, because I loved playing Wilhelmina. There
was a problem with Italapate, the player and I ran into problems in
gaming styles.  But we worked it out over the long run, and
considering how popular the crazy Indian is, that's good. :)

To give folks an idea of how much is still to come, the game is now
in Turn 28 of Chapter 7. Chapter 1 has 30 turns...

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

IC:
Continued from part 1

As everyone goes about tying up the surrendered pirates (a total of 8
prisoners) Lt Sabbagh starts patching up those wounded during the battle,
first he finds Deigatt.  Ordering the minotaur to stand still Sabbagh
places his hands on the cut in the minotaurs thigh and murmers "May Fortune
heal this warriors wound.",  Deigatt's thigh wound closes,  leaving no
scar.  Sabbagh then repeats the process on Grigree's leg wound.  Seeing
that Raken has Kain well in hand Sabbagh heads below decks.

As the captives are bound and led across to the _Flowfish_ the Captain
calls "'PON MY SOUL, I WANT MORE SPEED HERE LADDIES! OTHERS MAY ARRIVE
SHORTLY! RAKEN,  YOU GET THAT MISBEGOTTEN DIRTKICKING SON OF A SMOKEPOWDER
THEIF ITALAPATE UP HERE AS SOON AS THAT DAMNED MAGIC'S RELEASED HIM!  AND
SEND THAT GROMMAN UP HERE!  SABBAGH,  I WANT EVERYTHING EXCEPT BASIC
SUPPLIES TAKEN OFF THAT EELSHIP AND LOADED ON BOARD THE _FLOWFISH_
YESTERDAY!"

Raken walks upto the captain. "The bridge is secure but mostly ruined,"
Raken says when he gets her attention.  "The helm appears salvagable,
Captain.  We encountered no resistance, and there are no more pirates down
below unless they are protected by invisiblity magics.  Italapate is
trapped in some type of
Forcecage; I think the magics holding him should fail soon, but I'm no
wizard.  We did find what appears to be an enslaved Gromman; it was him
that slew the pirate on the bridge.  There is nothing else to report at
this time, so if you don't need me, I'll use my last cure spell on Kain
to get him back his feet, then return to search the ship."

"Aye,  get the lad back on his feet,  he fought well."  the captain replies.

      Watching from the forecastle railing of the _Flowfish_ with a
sullen expression, Kain notices the exchange between Raken
and the captain.  Clearing his throat he calls out, trying to catch
Post-Captain Wilhemina before she goes belowdeck.
     "Begging your pardon Captain, Raken!" he cries.  Leaning
over the railing slightly so he might be heard better, he grimaces
and continues.  "Permission to stand down for a day, Captain"
Kain asks, managing a weak smile.
      Wiping sweat from his brow with the back of a hand, he
coughs once.  "Raken," Kain adds, "I'll be fine with a bit of rest,
others might need that magic."  Though he is swaying slightly on
his feet, Kain's words are spoken confidently, if not with great
volume.

  "Heal him now, Raken.    I can't give Kain the day off,  this might not be
over yet."  the Captain orders "Lt Sabbagh will heal the others, though few
of us were wounded and thankfully we lost no one."

      "Aye, Captain," Kain sighs.  Making himself available to Raken,
Kain waits patiently, slipping out of his vest.

         Raken gives a small smile and walks over to the limping warrior.  "Sit
still; Druid's orders. Great Celestrian, grant me the power to heal the
wounds of this fallen warrior so that we may continue to fight in your
honor," he says, his hands glowing blue with healing magics.  The scaring
on Kain's damaged abdomen dissappears without a trace,  but some bruises
remain.

      Once Raken's spell is cast, Kain feels tired, but able to work.
"Thanks," he says slowly, with a sombre expression.   "Sorry to be
so much trouble," he mumbles as he stands.

         After Grigree helps put the prisoners in the brig, he goes to
help people, like Holland, carry cargo up to the Flowfish.  Since Deigat
doesn't wanbt to go into the cramped hallways of the eelship, Grigree
brings up boxes for the minatour to carry.

         On one of his trips down the stairs, Gigree passes Leera and a
gromman, whom he assumes to be the prisoner some of the crew has mentioned.
Grigree smiles and nods a greeting as they walk past him towards the deck.
The gromman nods politely in return as he follows Leera towards the
deck.

Holland sees Grigree as he carries a metal box out into the hallway and
says, "There is a lot of stuff here that needs to be hauled over,"
indicating the crew bags, metal box, sword, bow and arrows.

Grigree growls, the adrenaline from fighting still in his blood.

Holland gets ready to reenter the room when he says to Grigree, "There
are also four crates in the main hold.  You might want to pry the lids
off of them to see what is inside."

         With a raised eyebrow, Grigree looks over at Holland.  He lets
out a low, slow growl as a smile creeps across his face.  Grigree picks
up a long, straight piece of bulkhead broken during the battle.  With
a turn and a nod he heads for the hold, still smiling.

         Once in the hold, the hadozee uses the broken piece of metal
as a crowbar to pry the boxes open.  Grigree finds each of the crates holds
2 dozen or so shortswords, each wrapped in oil soaked rags to protect them
from rust. Hammering the lids back on he then moves them two by two to the
FLOWFISH.

Leera walks up onto the maindeck with Nilaroo and heads over to the Captain.
"Captain.  This is the prisoner we found in the ship's helm.  Also, before
you interrogate him, I'd like to appologize for my... theatrics during the
battle.  I meant no harm to our crew.  My training teaches me that
confusion and intimidation is indeed a good weapon. With your permission, I
would like to speak to you soon about what tactics you would permit me to
use in future battles. Finally,  I believe that these darts are dangerous
magic.  Shall I give
them to Lt. Sabbagh, or should Holland and I examine them?"

Overhearing Leera's comment about battle tactics, he turns toward Captain
Wilhemina and bellows, "I hagree, but for the whole crew. This boarding
was a total disaster! Hin the future, we need to have a coordinated plan.
Not hall ships we hencounter will be has easily taken has this one was."

The captain glances at both "Keep them for now.  And we will discuss
everything else shortly."

Italapate sees the Captain bellowing to her crew, ordering them to hurry the
process of taking prisoners aboard the Flowfish.  "Italapate reporting as
ordered, sir," he says smartly, saluting and snapping to attention.

Tha captain stares at Italapate for along second,  as the crew stops what
they are doing to watch the confrontation.  She reaches down,  grabs
Italapate by his trousers (he doesn't wear a shirt) and lifts him off the
deck until his face is even with hers.  She murmers something no one but
Italapate can hear,  then heaves him _off_ the ship,  Italapate screams
"YEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" and twists around performing a swan dive
through the gravity plane. He bobs for a while, moving arms and feet as if
swimming. before finally settling there and beginning his drift towards the
edge of the ship's air envelope.  "Deigatt," the Captain says casually as
she heads to speak with the gromman, "Throw that fool a rope and drag him
on board."

Deigatt hurls a rope and begins reeling Italapate in.

The Captain glances about,  and sees that most of the goods from the
eelship have been recovered.  "Lt Sabbagh,  have all the new hands move
their gear to the eelship at once." To the gromman she says "Who are you
and why are you here?"

         "Greetings, Captain.  I am Nilaroo of the Braal Shipwrights Guild.
I was formerly on board the Lycaeum, supervising a trade mission to Minial's
Arch for wood.  Three weeks ago, the Lycaeum was captured by these pirates.
Those of her crew not killed were sold into slavery, with the exception of
myself.  One of the crew, in hopes of procuring a better fate for himself,
alerted the pirate captain to my skills as a shipwright, and I was kept to
provide repair services.  Having no other alternative, I complied until your
timely arrival gave me a chance to begin my escape."
         "You have done me a great favor, Captain, intentional or not.  I
would humbly ask to join your vessel until you either reach Braal, if that
is one of your destinations, or until we reach a port where I could obtain
passage to Braal.  I would gladly continue my services as a shipwright in
return for my passage.  I will also serve in any position you wish, as I owe
my life and my freedom to you.  As for revenge, I have killed the helmsman
and you have captured Captain Kleobis there.  The crewman of the Lycaeum who
wished to procure his future has gained it there," he points at one of the
pirate corpses on the deck.  "How may I be of service?" Nilaroo concludes in
his bass hollow voice.

The Captain glances at Lt Sabbagh,  who nods yes once.  "Glad to have been
of service.  My vessel doesn't need you,  but if you wouldn't mind
supervising repairs to the eelship's bridge,  I'll see you'r properly
rewarded back at Bral.  Find your gear,  if its left on board there,  and
find a more comfortable bunk on the eelship then you had previously"  with
that she turns and continues supervising the crew moving gear back and
forth.

On his way back to the deck Radick notes that the bow, arrows, and sword which
most likely belong to their new gorilla buddy, are now laying in the hall.
He picks these up as well.

Radick strides confidently to the deck in search of the captain. "Captain,
these weapons I believe belong to Nilaroo. Shall I turn them over to him,
or will we be holding them for now? Also, I have found these daggers,
sword, and a fine pair of bracers." Radick holds up the bundle so she can
see the bracers on him. "Mind you,  I only wear them to make the carrying
easier. Your orders, Captain?"

"Keep the bracers for the moment,  give the gromman back his grear."  the
captain responds,  "Then get your geart aboard the eelship like your
shipmates."

Holland turns the papers and book he found over to Lt Sabbagh,  who glances
through it,  hands it to Lt Sands to examine.  Lt Sands gives it to Holland
again,  "Hold onto this for now,  and load your gear aboard the eelfish as
the captain ordered." he says.  Holland goes off to do just that.

Raken turns to watch the captain do a heave-ho with Italapate.  "Oooh, been
there done that," he winches with sympathy.  After he hears her order the
new crewmen to the eelship, he quietly walks up to her.  "Prize crew, I
take it?  I assume our new orders are to follow the Flowfish back to the
Rock so that our employer may best decide what to do with it."

"Just follow your orders,  Raken,  I speak with you all momentarily."  the
captain then joins Lts Sabbagh and Sands where they start going over the
papers Holland has brought up from the hold.

When Nilaroo is finished with the Captain, Italapate offeres his hand
grasping Nilaroo's forearm.  "Welcome aboard," He says somberly.  "No one
should have to suffer what you did.  I pledge my life to that."

As Leera returns to the eelship carrying her belongings and a crate
containing Holland's gear, she pauses and looks up at the Neogi flag
flying above the ship.  She works a minor bit of magic <Cantrip>, and
the knots holding the pennant to the rope come untied.  It drifts down
toward her; she catches it and presents it to the captain: "Captain
Wilhemina, I thought you might appreciate this souvenier."

She then carries the gear down to the crew quarters, putting her gear on
a top bunk.  She tosses the gear of the pirates out into the hall.

It takes about 15 minutes all told for the crew to empty the eelship of its
meager cargo,  and for the new hires to transfer their gear.  When its all
complete the Captain joins the new hires (and Nilaroo the rescued Gromman)
on the deck,  carrying her arquebus and a large backpack.  She gives a
signel to Sabbagh on the FLOWFISH and the lines tying the two craft
together are released.  On the helm of the FLOWFISH Lt Sands slowly eases
off,  until the air envelopes and gravity planes of the two vessels are no
longer in contact.  He eases off another hundred yards or so and then the
FLOWFISH sits there,  obviously waiting for the eelship to get underway.

The Captain turns,  and sees everyone starting to move to get the ship
underway. "Hold a moment," she says in a surprisingly quiet voice "there's
a few things to get straight first.  I hadn't planned to mention this until
the next voyage,  which was planned as a pirate hunting expdition,  but
fate has taken a hand and I'll not gainsay her."  She sweeps the assembled
group with her gaze,  "You were not hired to act as coomon sailors or
helmsmen,  as you might have guessed.  Indeed,  several of you are not
really qualified for those jobs,  though you've worked hard enough these
past few days.  In point of fact,  you were hired as a test,  a screening
process of sorts.  Lady Moune has decided to sponsor an adventuring
company,  a small band of enterprising individuals with various skills.  A
group who might be used in a variety of situations,  yet an independent
group who would be a source of income rather then a drain on the Houses
resources when not activily employed on House Moune's behalf.  You were
hired as potential members of that group.  I was to evaluate your skills,
and you ability to function as a group.  I've seen you in battle now sooner
then I expected and you did well."  She looks a bit embaressed at handing
out a compliment,  "but I'm not convinced you can work together yet.  And I
have this prize to deal with.  So,  I've transfered all the important cargo
to the FLOWFISH.  This vessel now holds only me and the expendables.  I am
here no longer as your captain but rather as an observer.  As we continue
on to Finagle (the second and last farming astroid on the trip) we will
follow and escort the FLOWFISH.  You will run the ship as you see fit and I
will observe.  When we get back to the Rock I'll tell Lady Moune what I
think,  and she will decide whether or not to offer to you her sponsorship.
I'll say this,  I don't care how or if you organize as long as you work as
a team.  And,  you are not obligated to accept this proposal when we return
in anyway.  Fidalie," everyone notices for the first time that Fidalie is
still aboard the FLOWFISH, "has already informed me he desires to return to
Realmspace and had decided not to stay on after this trip.  Some of you I
may recommend not be accepted.  Any questions?"

Date/Time: First half of the 4th Month, 5049 OC
I had not yet started keeping careful count of time.
--
"...How shall a man judge what to do in such times?!"
"As he has ever judged," said Aragorn "Good and evil have not changed
since yesteryear..."
J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_

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