was revenge, not ribbons. The defeat of the Toranado at Eno was a scar of embarrassment for all who served in the greatest navy of the Inland Sea, and for Wicks it was a wound that throbbed painfully. It did not help matters that what few ships she had left under her command were regulated to guarding the harbor at Cape. Sailing safely about a waterfront did nothing to assuage her pain. What she needed, what all Toranado sailors needed at the moment, was to strike back. As the land war continued to rage, the battle at sea had diminished to nothing but endless patrols about the harbor, protecting the city of Cape from any invasion force that might come from across the water. As the weeks past and no enemy fleet came, Wicks was tempted to gather her ships and head out into the Inland Sea in search of someone to attack, someone to destroy.
However, Captain Wicks was a professional and would not jeopardize the strength of the remaining navy without expressed instructions. But with the harbor at Cape no longer under direct threat she’d begun to scout farther and farther out into the Inland Sea…reconnaissance in force.
At the moment she led a group of six heavy triremes and another ten smaller, galley class ships. She didn’t really expect to find any enemy lurking about; activity in recent days had fallen off drastically, undoubtedly most of the Palmerrio warships were now guarding the harbor at Eno, consolidating their victory.
Captain Wicks bristled at the thought and promised herself that one day she would sail boldly back into her home harbor and reclaim it.
Now however, was not the time, but if Prince Phillip finally managed to defeat the Palmerrio army on land… the time would come…and soon.
Captain Wicks smiled to herself.
“Ho!” Came a shout to her left. She turned and immediately spotted a group of ships approaching from the northeast, apparently moving parallel along the Massi shoreline. The ships and shore were still over a mile to the east, and from the distance their strength was impossible to determine, but the Captain did not hesitate.
“Set a new course…due east,” she shouted and couldn’t help notice the sound of glee in her own voice. “Let’s cut them off and see just who they are.”
A great roar of approval sounded throughout the ship and Wicks heard answering cheers from the neighboring ships as the signal flags were raised, spreading the message along.
“Full oars!” Wicks ordered and almost at once the speed of the ship increased noticeably…the men were anxious to fight and that suited the Captain just fine.
She fingered the hilt of her kali as the ships in the distance grew closer and it wasn’t long before she could make out over a dozen heavy triremes in formation and nearly twice that in support craft.
Wicks’ heart hammered in her chest.
“Captain…we are outnumbered,” whispered first mate Armitage as he moved to her side. He was an enormous man, just passed his prime, with beefy arms and broad shoulders. His face was lined with creases and tanned brown from the sun. He was a hard, professional sailor, who knew the sea, his ship and his men well, but he was also exceptionally loyal to his commander. In his mind, Captain Wicks’ fast thinking had saved them from disaster several times at the battle of Eno. He was quite sure that without her leadership he would now be resting on the bottom of the Eno harbor just off the coast of Toranado like so many of his friends who had the distinct misfortune of serving on other ships…with less talented commanders.
“Yes, I am aware of that,” Wicks answered tersely then glanced over and gave a slight wink to Armitage.
“Well just move in a little closer for a look,” she added and together they watched as the ships in the distance finally spotted their approach and turned off their course to intercept them.
As they moved closer to shore, they spotted more ships in the distance, sailing just behind the initial group. Captain Wicks felt her heart drop. If these ships were under the command of the High King then the Massi coast was lost and she would be hard pressed to defend the harbor at Cape. They may even have to abandon their position and make a run for it out to sea, if so Phillip would have to be warned.
“Cassinni!” Shouted Raskin, a young sailor with very sharp eyes.
“Are you sure?” Wicks asked.
The young man nodded. He was their prime lookout and the pride of the ship. No one had better eyes in Captain Wicks’ estimation. It was an opinion all on the Universe shared.
First mate Armitage clapped the lad on the back. “Now we just need to find out if the Cassinni have bedded down with the High King,” he commented.
Wicks pursed her lips. “Lift oars,” she commanded. “Let’s come to a stop. They will have to make the first move. We can’t risk sailing into them if they’ve joined Mastoc. The ship’s speed dropped off and soon they were dead in the water, bobbing up and down with the passing of the low swells.
“Turn the ships,” Armitage shouted and at once the small group of Toranado ships came about, preparing to flee.
But such precautions were not necessary, for only one heavy trireme of the Cassinni approached, breaking away from the others to sail closer all alone.
“It would seem,” Wicks commented, “that our caution has not gone unnoticed.”
“And that the Cassinni have not joined with Caiman…the traitor,” Armitage added with a smile.
“That still has yet to be seen,” Wicks answered, ever cautious, but the signs were good and they all had reason for optimism as the lone ship approached closer and closer, coming with only half oars.
“Slip starboard,” Armitage yelled the order as the Cassinni ship drew in and the two ships moved in unison in order to get just as close as possible in the mild seas. Even so, with their oars in the way, they could not come near enough to communicate other than through shouts, but once close, the Cassinni vessel lowered a small row boat over the side and five men climbed down to fill it, then the small boat made its way quickly to the side of the Universe.
“Hallo!” Shouted a small man who stood at the bow of the rowboat. He shifted his weight smoothly as it rose and fell in the swells of the turbulent water between the two large ships, obviously a seasoned seaman. He was smiling up at Captain Wicks cheerfully, and waving excitedly.
“And you are?” She asked, but nodded to her first mate to continue with the boarding process. The man did not answer as he struggled up the rope ladder that dropped over the pitching Universe.
“Ah…that’s much better,” the little round man said once he climbed aboard.
Captain Fatima Wicks fought hard to conceal her amusement. The little man was obviously an admiral, but his stature was something of a surprise, especially when he stood next to the towering Armitage. As Fatima greeted him she noticed he was easily a half head shorter than she, though the man was stout with broad shoulders. But Wicks was not a tall woman, above average perhaps…but not tall.
“I’m Captain Wicks of the Toranado,” she said with a formal bow, and if possible the little man’s smile grew larger.
“Ah yes…Captain Wicks…Thomas spoke very highly of you on several occasions,” the man answered and it took Fatima several seconds to realize that he was referring to Admiral Cantu, her old commander and mentor.
“And you are?” She asked, repeating her question.
“Oh yes…Admiral Seymour of the Cassinni, at your service.”
“At my service?” Wicks asked taking the man’s hand.
Seymour nodded. “Yes, King Marc has ruled that we will place a blockade around the Massi homeland at the request of Prince Gwaynn.”
“Blockade?”
Again Seymour smiled and nodded. “We’ve five hundred ships that will stretch from the tip of the Massi finger to Cape if you so allow. No Palmerrio or Rhondono warships will be permitted to land.”
Wicks stood stunned for several moments and then glanced at the smiling Armitage.
“You know what this means?” she asked her first mate.
“The hunt is on,” Armitage confirmed with a nod and broke into a smile. Captain Wicks reached out and took Admiral Seymour’s hand once more, pumping it up and down enthusiastically.
“Well met Admiral,” she said, “very well met.”
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