Tenebris Landing

[BrookSkimmer]

The sun shone muted through the sky as the Tenebris sailed onward. Smoke and debris from the mostly oil run metropolis of Dremmel seemed to linger always even leagues from the city herself.  Captain Rillan's eyes narrowed as he took on the scene before him. Three schooner vessels from the main fleet of Faldren were fast approaching. They would strike by air first. If that succeeded then they could get to Dremmel by airship. This was the much hoped for result of the air combat soon to come. If the Tenebris was grounded by the forces of Faldren they would have a long and dangerous trek to even get to the city they were commissioned to defend.

"Luietenent Rigel!" He called the trusted cat to his side. "Tell Yertip and Jale to have this ship ready for an air strike on the double.! It will be our calling card to Faldren to take down his schooners."

The fox looked about his ship. He turned to mid decks and gave a shrill blast to his ship's whistle and waited while the main forces of his crew came to attention before him.

"Each of you know your positions aboard ship. Now is the time to put your training to the test! We will destroy these schooners that Faldren has sent and make for his ship soon after!"
______

Cristo Markan cured the gods as she readied her vessel for attack on the Tenebris. The grey rattess felt her paws slip with sweat on the fork as she navigated through the sickly skies that ringed Dremmel. Why Captain Iden had sent his own Aide on what was sure to be a death run was beyond her. Still, there was always a chance. She had two other schooners at her sides, perhaps they would succeed in their mission.

She moved the throttle forward. Soon it would all be over.

[KitrallStreamrippler]

Durge heard the captain's whistle and knew what it meant: they were soon going to begin battle. He swallowed a bit nervously and tried a smile, which ended up looking more like a grimace. Loosening his dagger in its sheath, he turned back to the pot on the galley stove. Inside it was a thick, slowly bubbling mixture of a darkish color. The young mouse wrinkled his nose in disgust, muttering, "Tchah. Don't know why they need me to dirty my best pot and stink up the galley with this mess- blasted foolish idea, if you ask me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlie stood silently at the ship's railing, watching their distance to the schooners decrease second by second. He let his thoughts swirl inconsequentially, until an image struck him. An image of the schooners aflame, carrying screaming beasts to the ground far below. He forced his thoughts elsewhere, thinking instead of the sprawling city below him. The beasts down there had no idea what this crew was about to sacrifice for them. No idea at all... The fox shook his head, angry at himself. There was no reason for him to be getting soft right before a battle, and absolutely no reason for him to think that the crew would t survive. There would be losses, of course, but there were in every fight. Whether beasts died or not. He faced forward grimly, his paw resting on the hilt of his cutlass.

[W0NWILL]

"Yes sah!" Yertup yelled, in his military an dloud way, and turned to the others, "H'aaaaaaaalright, y' wee beasties! H'I lived h'a fair nummer 'o seasons, h'and H'I h'ain't gonna stop livin' them now 'cause some beastie here thought they could slack h'off! H'unnerstood? H'I want e-er-y last gunner h'on deck h'and ready to fire when H'I h'or anyone 'bove ye commands!" His ears stood straight as a flagpole, then pointed toward the prow.
Jale frowned at Yertup as he made his way toward the engine room, "Heeze, could'ya not talk so loud? I think I busted 'n' ear listenin' t'ya, never mind those oor creetures next t'ya."
Yertup's ears went stiff and he slammed his cane on the floor, "We're h'inna middle o' h'a war! Don't ye worry 'bout yer h'ears! Worry 'bout takin' care o' wot keeps us h'inna sky!"
Jale patted the ship, "Ah, the Tenebris will get us through this, won't she?" and continued toward the engine room, "We'll need to add more fuel to our engines, we gotta be fast an' powerful durin' this fight. i'll have t' see wot we got, mebbe we could stop fer more coal'n'fuel afterwards, s'we kin hurry on t' Faldren's own ship. I wunner wot sorta ship his is, a rich creeture like that, an' he'd have a wunnerful un. Never as good as you, old gal, o' course, but probly fast an' new. Thet don't make a good ship though, don't y' worry."

[BrookSkimmer]

The schooners were moving into position as Rillan moved into his position at the railing of the forecastle. From here he would give commands to the crew. The fox wiped his brow and watched as various crew beasts took their positions. Gunners, boarders, steersbeasts, technicians, all moved the their places on the decks and below decks.

"Gunner Hallowhip! Join me!" The Captain called out to his master gunner.

"Are we fit and ready? The first volley will need to be deployed soon. Those schooners mean business I'm thinking."

[Redwaller]

Captain Rage Iden was hunched over his desk, inspecting closely the sky-map lying neatly across the wooden surface. His lips moved soundlessly as his fingers traced invisible lines, laying out a plan of defence. War was close, and he had to act quickly before the enemy came too close for him to lay plans. Fifty ships were at his disposition, which he would deploy strategically to trap the opposite forces into a circle of death. Small islands were dotted everywhere across the map, which were good to replenish the ships’ supplies, and make for quick defences. He took an ostrich feather, dipped it in the inkwell, and started marking the positions of every ship.

As he was halfway through his work, the door slammed open as a hare - with long floppy ears and rickety fur - came rushing in. “Sah! Land has been sighted, should we turn to it and ransack any valuable things?”
Rage looked at him with deep, expressionless eyes. “Should we?”
The hare gulped visibly, “You’re in charge captain, and I’m not the one to decide what to do.”
“Well answered!” Said the wildcat with a slight smirk on his lips. “Tell the bosun to charge the island!”
The hare exited the cabin, and Rage Iden could hear him running up the stairs and speak to the bosun.
Soon, war would be upon them.


OOC: Sorry for the short post.

[W0NWILL]

OOC: That was short? It was a good length. Too long and it gets boring.

BIC: "Yes sah!" Yertup barked, running toward the captain, "We're ready, H'I'd say, ye h'or H'I kin call the volley once the mechanics do ther thing. Sae h'any sec now." He put a forepaw to shade his eyes and peered toward the schooners, "Y'know, H'I could do whi' h'a schooner fulla h'ale when this h'is h'over." He said, stroking the barrel of one of his guns.
It was a stress thing, an unconscious action that only a beast knowing Yertup for seasons could realise.
"H'I'll get t' me h'own position nae, h'and H'I'll make sure them layabouts don' get too fat waiting fer first volley, 'tis bad fer ther health."
He didn't voice the fear that they wouldn't make it out alive.

Jale ran around the engine room, blowing on hot coals, rubbing cold ones on bits of the engine for luck, and generally getting himself worked up over the welfare of his baby. The danger of the Tenebris was rumoured to be the only thing that could get him worried. He wiped sweat from his prickles with one paw and rubbed his gloves on his apron. She wouldn't be falling apart during the battle unless she was shot down, most likely. But there were always a million things that could go wrong. The coals could burn too fast since they were too dry...too many things!

[Rusvul]

Ferron was busily shoveling coal into the furnace's hopper, enough to keep the ship going during the battle. He proceeded to load the cannons, and make the gunpowder more readily accessable.
OOC: Heh, sorry for the short post. Not sure what else the engineer would be doing, up until combat.

[BrookSkimmer]

(this post makes room for anyone on the Darkphase or Tenebris to post. You can write about the battle between the schooners and the Tenebris, you can write about what is happening to your character on the Tenebris, you can write about the line ups occurring on the Darkphase. Rigel, Faldren, and engineers aboard the Darkphase all have a place to post now. )

Aide Markan swallowed hard as her eyes narrowed on the Tenebris. Even from the distance she knew light schooners such as the one she was currently piloting would have no chance against the massive galleon. Her orders were to keep Captain Rillan busy until the Darkphase was in position to take on Dremmel. She could do as ordered thought it might cost her the lives of crew beasts or even her own.

"All air schooners report! Prepare to fire the port side of enemy ship. Give them the heaviest salvo we can put together!" She set down the device that echoed her voice to the other pilots. Soon this would be over and she could report back to the Darkphase. She found herself urgently hoping the outcome was favorable.
_________________

"Ready all port side portholes for fire! Bring the fire bolt slingers into position! We'll knock these schooners to the ground!" Rillan stood at the forecastle issuing orders.

Armaments were clicked into position and the smell of gunpowder was heavy in the air from the second deck. Rillan knew he had the best in the business working down there, with excellent officers to boot. He knew what Faldren was doing. Get their attentions focused on the air war while Dremmel is taken from below. They would soon send these schooners packing, then deal with the enemy galleons.

The contingent of Escopios air war fleet was heading in the direction of the Darkphase. It would only be a matter of time before an all out war was at hand.

"Fire!" Soon a rain of fire brands and munitions was hurtling towards Faldren's schooners. Adie Markan swiveled her vessel out of time in the last second, daving her and her three beast crew from certain death. Next to her she watched as a schooner was hit. It exploded in flames and smoke.

She swore under her breath. "Keep up the fire for one more round!"
__________

"Sergeant Noblis?" The huge tom nodded to Captain Rillan. "Go and check in with Lieutenant Rigel.  Make sure the crew is are maintaining position."

The tom nodded again and left Rillan's side. He had no problem going to find the Lieutenant. Even in the heat of battle she still kept her cool. He was enthralled by everything about the pretty feline.

He strode up to Rigel and saluted. "Are the crew holding well Lieutenant?"
____________

The Darkphase was on a direct heading for Dremmel now. The crew of the massive air ship knew their Captain could already taste victory. His conquest would mean good things for anybeast under the Iron Hammer of Faldren.

Tialian, First Mate of the dread ship clicked his way to the side of his master the black rhino. "All is ready Captain. Shall I call the troops to order?"

It was not long after that the engineer crew of the Darkphase was called to attention lines. Faldren would have words for all the crew and he had a special task for the engineers to preform once they had grounded outside of Dremmel.

[Dannflower Reguba]

Quentin the ferret was one of the last to get the call, "Those blasted messengers really need to step up their game," he said as he rolled his eyes. He had just finished fixing a rather significant boiler re-route issue as Surreil the head Technician was out checking a balloon patch that one of the newbies had, "done." He quickly tied retied his apron and shoved his gloves in the pockets before rushing off to the meeting. Upon arrival, he made a beeline for the nearest place in line.

[BrookSkimmer]

OOC: Due to lack of activity I'm suspending this thread for the time being.