1868-09-03: A day of rest for Alasce
A day of rest for Alasce
Summary: Given the Royal Court's decree, Augustin sails south to 'greet' the Kentairish dogs currently bombarding Alasce from the sea.
Date: 1868-09-03
Related: All logs pertaining to the war in the west. Also Court of Aequor is pertinent. Westwar.
NPCs: {$npc}
Players:
Augustin  

—-

It was the darkest of nights, and Augustin stood upon his deck, gazing out into the darkness as his vessel the HMS Redoubt sailed south along the coastline, towards the enemy. It was likely that the enemy was well prepared, though Augustin's features barely shifted from hardly concealed contempt as he noticed a gesture from the nest up above.

"We're close. No noise. Not a squeak." Augustin growled softly beneath his breath, his voice a fierce whisper, "Bring us about…" And gesturing to save on the merest cause of noise, the hardy frigate creaked faintly on the seas and headed towards the bombarded and besieged Alasce. And indeed within the darkness shapes loomed, yet the darkness was all.

The time for noise however was swiftly ended as flares erupted within the nights sky, having punctured the Kentairish perimieter, a fact not lost on the near ancient sea captain, if the crooked and oh so brief grin was anything to go by, and in return, Augustin's voice cracked across the frigates deck, "Bring us about! Port battery!" The pause was all, if only for a few seconds…

"FIRE!"

And a well reinforced battery, cannon taken from the starboard side to reinforce the sheer brutality of that opening salvo, erupted and sent their deadly cargo crashing into and through the utterly unprepared KRS Gladius. And even as the Redoubt sailed onward to the next, a brief second later there was a dull whumpf. And then an explosion so loud and so large, that the very waters upon which the vessels rested was shaken by the force of the explosion. A pillar of flame erupted hundreds of feet high into the air, illuminating the night's sky better than any Kentairish flare and splinters of wood were scattered wildly. The poor souls aboard obliterated by a strike against the Gladius' magazine. Not that Augustin paused for a moment as his grim countenance was bathed in the fiery light of the Kentairish vessel's oblivion.

And finally Kentaire returned fire.

The response was brutal as the Redoubt was shaken by a good many hits, wood splintered throughout the deck below, men impaled upon such deadly splinters or killed by the shots themselves. Screams erupted, blood was soon awash on the lower deck and the upper deck as the finely wrought carpentry of the Redoubt was shattered and splintered. Yet still the Redoubt moved, wounded, but still considering itself the predator. Even as the mighty Risto class Man o' War hoved into its slow attempt to join the fray, Augustin barely gave the fleet commander aboard that vessel a moments thought. For he had barely moved from his spot upon the deck. The screams dwindled, yet the Redoubt's 'greeting' continued.

Another broadside erupted from the wounded frigate, the shots overshooting their target, another of the Trinovantes that had been bombarding Alasce. And so resumed the deadly game of cat and mouse, even as two Singulaires's flanked the approaching man o' war, each aching to sink the damned frigate.

With little care for how this appeared up above in Alasce, Augustin's only concern was scoring another hit before making for the open sea. At the very least Alasce's walls would be spared for a moment, and Kentaire would curse the Redoubt.

"Port battery! Your time has come again! Prepare to fire on these damned Kentarish interlopers! Hard to starboard!" Augustin's voice rose above the din of the creaking vessel, wooden seams complaining, joints splintering and the dark crimson stains above and below slopped from one side of the wounded vessel to the other.

"Fire!"

And again the Redoubt's broadside struck home, splintering her hull and causing some damage, though nothing as impressive as the explosion that lit the night's sky so violently before.

"Full sail! We're done here!" A brisk assessment if anything as he turned from the carnage before him to gaze upon the vessels that were in pursuit, and indeed fire is returned once more, with the Redoubt's speed and agility somewhat underestimated as cannon balls slam into the water about the frigate. The Aequorian flag does indeed fly high, perhaps some in Alasce might well be heartened, though Augustin himself cares little for such cheer. Providing the Kentairish fools know that it was an Aequorian. A single Aequorian frigate at that, that snuck past their perimeter and illuminated the night's sky with their doom, then that is indeed all that matters.

Watching and relishing the spray upon his weathered features, Augustin gazed after the six singulaire that had been sent after them, six swift and sleek vessels, though more than a match given their pairings. Each hunting him and his crew. Latched upon his 'scent' even as he continued south, seeking solace within the rivers that would see him safe to some Aequorian port, and indeed, upon reaching the rivers entry, the Singulaire's turned about back for Alasce no doubt.

"We'll head for Rhone, see to it." And with that brisk order, His Lordship, Captain Augustin al'Mordran moved to attend to the ships needs. As the ship's healer and assistants sought to staunch the flow of blood from many a wound, so did the ship's carpenters seek to stem many a hole within the poor vessel. Blood was soon curdled with sand and sawdust, water from the river drawn up in buckets to slosh against the shattered decks of the once beautiful frigate.

And it would be beautiful again. And again would Kentaire suffer, Augustin was certain of it. Not that he said, for that grim façade barely broke as he moved to offer his men, his good men, a few brisk and oh so rare words of praise before moving back to the shattered remnants of his quarters.

—-

And Alasce? Well they at least were spared further bombardment for a day…

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