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Post by Ladorak on Jun 14, 2011 23:46:30 GMT -5
"Wellll I'll be serving as loader, in Caden's place." Ladorak said. "Speaking of which... we've got to get a replacement in for him on your gun sometime soon." he said, winking at the mouse. "I should be able to pawdle it. And yes, I am. It's been YEARS since I've worked the guns, in any sort of capacity. So I'll be across from you, as Caden used to be." he explained.
He walked over to the left side of the gun, running his paw down the smooth black iron. "Are you Sponger or Assistant Sponger? Never could remember. I believe Seajack Sleet will be joining us, as usual. He's somewhere about, though I wasn't able to get all of you in the same mess unfortunately. Captain Duckworth just had to slot you in wherever he had room." Ladorak had transferred Ocean as well, though the ermine had been going through a bit of a rough time recently, and was glad to be off the Agamemnon, and away from certain others. "He said he might like to go for a Master's Mate position at some point, though he hasn't fully decided."
Caden was taking Selvis to the other side of the ship, or rather Selvis was taking Caden to the other side of the ship. Neither side was currently higher than the other at the moment, as they were running before the wind. It was pretty level, though it still rocked from side to side every so often.
They moved in between two guns on the larboard battery, and Caden was fine with this arrangement. Out one of the gun ports, they could see the 74 gun Valiant, which was to their left now, while the 98 gun three decker Queen was on their right, where Carrow and Ladorak were. "Selvis... you need to relax." the albino said, folding his arms over his chest. "You look like you're wound tighter than a spring that's about to burst out of a clock or something." the marten stated, giving the weasel a straight face.
"Here... why don't you try and relax?" he reached out, and clasped a hold on both of the weasel's arms. "I'm sure whatever is bothering you can't be bigger than the upcoming battle." Caden's paws moved down to take one of Selvis's in their grip, and he squeezed, though not hard. "Now then... I can take a guess at why you might be feeling this way." he let go of Selvis's paw now. "And I suggest that if you need to get something out in the open, even if it's just a lot of emotions... well I'm here. I'm an officer after all, and I need to look out for my crew. You can... probably see why I've been a little upset of late. Dating back to Florence of course." he said, not looking directly at the weasel now, but more off to the side, out the port and towards the Valiant.
"But I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm sorry I keep seeing this as a competition... but it's just how I am. I guess you could blame me for that if you wanted... but I used to be very good friends with Carrow. And he keeps telling me how good of a friend I am to him... but in all honesty Selvis... and I want you to be truthful... what have I done for him in the past six months that's been noteworthy? He's always come to me before with his problems... but now... he doesn't come to me at all." Caden said, looking down and letting his features fall.
"I try... to make the effort, but every time I do... well you're always there. You and he have grown rather close... and I've just become... a distant memory it seems. He keeps calling me a good friend, but how good am I if I can't even be there for him? He doesn't really go to me anymore. You're like a brother to him... and I'm just... a nobody I guess." he said, shaking his head.
"Look... I don't resent you or anything. I'm not... well OK, I guess I am jealous, but how can I not be? You're really popular with everyone... and I'm not. I was the one who got bullied by Spender... not you. I've never had anything like you've had with Carrow. Not even close to it." he said, his countenance still fraught with sadness. "So... you have every right to be his friend... and be close to him. You apparently can give him something that I cannot. I just wanted to tell you that there's no hard feelings. I guess I should just accept the fact that I really can't compete with whatever it is you've got, and I should just step back and figure out a new place for myself." He held out his paw.
"Still friends then?" he asked, not sure if he intended to even keep this part of the pawshake, as it would be very difficult for him. He wanted to be friends with Selvis, much more than he was currently letting on. He wished there was some way to make himself comfortable with all of this... but of course, he wanted to hear what Selvis had to say as well, as maybe the weasel wasn't simply going to accept things like this. He could easily throw in his two cents... but Caden wanted to keep all their relationships intact, and that was the most important thing for him right now.
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Post by Carrow on Jun 15, 2011 7:33:14 GMT -5
However, immediately they stopped and Caden took a hold of Selvis's shoulders, the tears started to flow, and flow they did. Ah yes, Florence. The time when he'd almost completely gone to pieces. Selvis hated himself so much right now. He could see things for how they were, and as tears coursed down his cheeks and he began trembling, he listened to the pine marten speak. The longtail felt as though his world were falling apart around him once again, though this time it seemed worse. Far worse. Filled with self-loathing and a deep-rooted despair, he continued weeping softly as Caden told him everything. When he was able to speak, the weasel's speech came haltingly, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he was on the verge of complete emotional collapse and thus found it difficult to speak.
"I... don't know, Caden. I don't know... but it's not your fault. I'm the one to blame here... I don't even know why he comes to me as often as he does. I can't understand it, but that's just the way Carrow's become... I don't know... I don't want to do that anymore... I don't want it to be this way, because... now I know what I've been doing to you..." His sobs started to increase in volume, though thankfully not enough to be audible by Ladorak... or Carrow.
"You're not a nobody... you meant everything to him and you still do... it's just maybe he doesn't get to show you that as much as he used to... and it's my fault, again. You're right that I'm close to him. I'm too close to him now, because all along I've been ruining something that was perfect before I ever got involved in it... I'm a terrible friend..." The tears started coming thick and fast now. Selvis felt dizzy and lightheaded, like he was going to have some sort of collapse.
"You've every right to be jealous. Hell, I'm surprised you don't hate me for what I've done... but..." He took in great lungfuls of air as his head started pounding. He tried to articulate his next words as best he could... before emotion swept over him. "You could never hate me for this as much as... as much as..." His paws clenched. "As much as I hate myself for it...
"I'm sorry I ruined things between you and Carrow. I'm a terrible friend, Caden. All along I was just making things worse, and I don't deserve either you or Carrow as companions anymore. You're both too good to me. What the hell have I ever done for you, Caden? Nothing, that's what. Spending most of my time helping Carrow, when I shouldn't be with him anywhere near as much as I have been... because I've edged you out... you have no idea how sorry I am...," he whispered, his voice all over the place. "I don't care how popular I am, not when I hate myself this much for something I, and only I, have done. You're not to blame for any of this, Caden. It's my fault. I've been giving him too much of my time and not allowing you your fair share of time with him. You're well able to give him something too... it's just I haven't given you much of a chance. So you're not the one who needs to step back and find a new role... that's what I have to do instead. I'm going to let you two build that friendship of yours back up. I'll still be around I guess, though not even close to as much as I used to...," Selvis told the albino mustelid, barely able to see through the tears that filled his eyes.
"Still friends?," he repeated, wiping his eyes briefly before offering his paw and grasping Caden's, squeezing it a little as he felt his legs start wobbling beneath him. "I want to remain friends with you more than you could possibly imagine, so whether we're still friends or not... that's your call... if you still see me as somebeast worthy of your companionship, I'll be... forever grateful to you..." The weasel was trembling visibly now, and his paw slipped from Caden's grasp. "I want to make things up to you so much... and taking a back seat for a while will be... a start..."
Selvis felt exhausted all of a sudden, legs on the verge of buckling beneath him. He began shaking his head in disbelief, unable to comprehend how completely terrible he felt. It was an all-encompassing sadness which enveloped him. He whispered the only words he could think of before things became too much: "I've let you down so badly that I'm not sure I can ever make it right... I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me... because I can't... can't forgive myself..." Selvis finally broke down then, emitting a strangled sob before burying his face in his paws as he began weeping silently again, tears cascading down his cheeks and staining his fur, the weasel scarcely able to support himself. The anguish that lay within him couldn't be expressed in any other way he could think of, so he cried without a sound, feeling as though his life were crashing before his eyes.
--
Unaware of the emotional turmoil his longtail friend was going through, Carrow was listening to Ladorak's response to his question, and the stoat raised an idea that piqued the mouse's curiosity. "A replacement, did you say?," the rodent repeated, smiling a little. "Well that would be nice. "It's been sort of strange doing gun training without the usual number of creatures on my team. Having Caden oversee things has been just as good as when he was working on the guns with us, though. He's always been helpful to me no matter what position he's been in. It'll be nice to have that space filled, though. Have you been thinking of whom you might draft in as his replacement?," Carrow enquired curiously, still smiling.
The mouse remained where he was as Ladorak put his next question to him. "Y'know, Jal Fugate... I'm actually not sure which of those positions I'll be filling for this one. When we started with the training last year, I was Sponger, but I backed out of doing that when we had our first battle because I was too nervous," he admitted, "so Ocean switched with me. He took my spot, and I was Assistant Sponger for the first battle. So I can't actually say which one I am. Maybe if Ocean were with us we might be able to discuss this briefly before we start... see what he feels like," he told the stoat 'seajack', not wanting to force anything on the ermine.
His eyes lit up a bit when Ladorak told him that the aforementioned mustelid would be joining them. "Ah, that's good. I'll ask him what he thinks we should do. For what it's worth I think I might be able to pawdle being Sponger this time around, but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions about what he wants, as said. We'll sort something out." The field mouse was quite glad to hear that Ocean was around on the ship. He hadn't spoken to the ermine in quite some time. It wasn't that the ermine was avoiding him, or Caden, or Selvis - well, as it turned out, not them anyway - but he'd struck Carrow as a creature with a lot on his mind the last time they'd spoken at any great length.
He shook his head a little. "Yes, that is indeed unfortunate. I would have liked to catch up with him... see how he's doing," he added in a softer tone of voice. Again, Ocean hadn't seemed anything like his normal self when the rodent last saw him. Maybe he could lend a paw with things if he got the opportunity. "Master's Mate, he said? That'd be a good choice for him, I reckon. I don't know much about that particular position, but what I DO know tells me that it would probably suit him rather well. It'll be nice to see him at any rate," he remarked with a smile. He hoped the ermine was holding up alright. Ocean was great company, and made an effort even when he seemed to be in bad form, but for the ermine's sake, Carrow hoped he hadn't been hit too hard by what had happened. Being reminded of him also jogged the rodent's memory and made him realise he was inwardly worried about him.
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Post by Ladorak on Jun 16, 2011 0:32:21 GMT -5
"Well... you should probably make up your mind, soon." Ladorak said, smiling down at the mouse. "We've got bloody little time left I take it. They'll be opening fire on us soon as we approach, and we'll be giving it right back to them. Ah... here comes Seajack Sleet now."
Ocean came up to them, and almost threw a salute when he remembered that Ladorak was in disguise. "Whoops! Sorry!" he said, managing to catch himself in time. "Don't want to give you away after all. Hello Carrow. Good to see you again. And good to NOT be seeing a certain weasel." Ocean muttered, baring his fangs.
"So... what have we got? Who's going where?" Ocean asked, looking from Ladorak to Carrow.
"Well, I'm going to be taking Caden's Loader spot, so that leaves you two to sort out either Sponger or Assistant Sponger amongst yourselves." Ladorak said, giving them a smile.
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Caden was distressed at seeing his friend like this right before combat. It would poison him, and keep him from operating effectively at his post. "OK... let's sit down by the gun, OK?" he asked, guiding Selvis to a sitting position, and helping him get his back up against the gun carriage. He held onto Selvis as well, not letting him go initially.
"Now come on there, mate. You have to try to calm yourself. I don't know if taking a backseat to Carrow is something I fully want to see, especially since you have a such a... strong relationship." Caden tried to prevent his voice from wavering at that hitch.
He held a paw up to his mouth, and exhaled. "I... would like the chance to start rebuilding my relationship though, but I don't want it to be at your expense. It just seems rather hard right now. You have a good thing going... and I don't want you to give that up... but at the same time, I'm not happy with my present position with Carrow, either. Why don't you... calm down... and we'll think about this? Maybe we can come up with something that's beneficial to the both of us?" he suggested. "A more balanced way of doing things, instead of you fully taking a step back and me shoving you out. I'd like a balance I think. Maybe INITIALLY I get more time with Carrow... but it shouldn't always be that way." the albino added.
"We can equally get time. I just... need to find my pawing, that's all." he said, chuckling a little. "Look... I don't like seeing you all torn up like this Selvis. If you're gonna get torn up... save it for the battle." he half joked. "You're a good weasel, and you only meant well. Don't get upset and cry. Please. I want you to be OK. I want you to not shake like you're doing. I didn't mean to bring this up... but I wanted to tell you now, before things got... too rough I guess. I was on the verge of... not... liking you as much." he admitted, though sugar coated it of course. "And I didn't want it to get to that point... so that's why I'm talking to you now... to prevent that from occurring, as you're a friend to me, and I don't want either of us getting to that point." he stated firmly.
"You gonna be OK for now at least? Can you say you'll be OK?" he asked, patting his shoulder. He really did abhor to see his friend in this state, and he wanted to help pull him out before it was too late. "I don't hold it against you. I forgive you, OK? You can't always help who you are sometimes, but you can at least see through others' eyes, and make a change if it's necessary." he threw in, wanting to sound encouraging at least. "It's worth it too, if you really care about the people you're changing for. I've been making the effort in certain fields myself." he reminded the weasel, and hoped this would help him out. "I still struggle with anger issues... and just flying out at those I don't like. So yeah... I've been working on it... mostly for my friends' sake, so they don't have to see me like that." he concluded.
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Post by Carrow on Jun 16, 2011 10:19:18 GMT -5
Selvis was too upset to reply at first, only able to nod haltingly as Caden suggested that he take a seat. Tears still streamed down his face, and even though he tried to stop crying, he found that he couldn't, like the situation had burst a dam within him and all the liquid that it had been containing was now flooding out. He was eased into a sitting position, finding that he had to let Caden do most of the work on that one. The weasel felt completely drained, and was clearly struggling with things. When Caden put his arms around him, the longtail returned the gesture, unwilling to release Caden for a moment, wanting to have him there beside him. He needed to be comforted, and having the pine marten there helped him a little, even if he was in no position to properly show it, due to the turmoil he was in.
The things that kept him together were now starting to unravel all over again. He was starting to realise that he'd never been that good of a friend to Caden, and almost felt as though he'd been too good a companion for Carrow. "I don't care how strong our relationship is!," the distraught creature exclaimed in response to the albino marten's words. "I don't care, not when it's doing this to you. I don't want to be that creature, the one who drives any sort of wedge between you two. Maybe I want to take a back seat for my own sake, and not for yours...," he admitted hopelessly, still crying now that Caden had let go of him. "I feel so bad about what I've done that I don't think I should be around him as much anymore, anyway..."
"I'M not happy with MY position with Carrow either, not after all this. Something has to change... I don't know what, but I think the most important thing is for... is for you to be able to start spending more time with him regardless. Once you can start doing that... I'll start seeing where I can fit in... because right now, I don't think I do," he told Caden, wiping his eyes again and paving the way for fresh tears. Everything was coming out now. Selvis couldn't bear to think of himself like this. He'd never been the self-lacerating type... not before now. Not before he'd made this terrible mistake. "I'm... I'm glad you still think of me as a good weasel, Caden... because I don't right now... I didn't think I was doing anything wrong until earlier today... and now it turns out I've been going about this the wrong way the whole time... you have no idea how sorry I am that you've been marginalised since you met me... it's almost making me wish I never joined the ship, for your sake.
"Without either of you in my life, things would be so much worse for me... but I just wish I'd never made you feel this way... keeping secrets from you and coming between you and Carrow... hah, some friend I am...," he said brokenly, still shaking and sobbing though trying hard to get himself under control. "You were on the verge on 'not liking me as much', were you?," he repeated, "Well, I can hardly blame you, can I? Like I said, I actually hate myself for this... but I don't think I could ever get to that point with you. I could never really hate you for anything. Or anybeast else for that matter... I just... don't have it in me, I suppose...," he told the marten, his breathing slowing down slightly. His striped grey-and-white shirt was soaked now, and the weasel's whiskers and tail were drooping in a dejected fashion.
Caden's shoulder-pat made him smile a bit, and he sniffed. "I... I'm not sure...," he responded honestly. "I know we have a battle coming up, but... but I'll try my best anyway. I'm sorry I've made things so hard for you, Caden. I still don't think I deserve you as a friend, but if you're willing to give me a second... no, wait, THIRD chance," he corrected himself, sighing. All he ever did with Caden was let him down... "If you're willing to give me that, I'll change. For both our sakes, but especially for yours. I don't want to you feel shoved out. I'm glad you've been working on your own issues. I could probably take several leaves from your book," he added, struggling back onto his feet. "I care about you, of course... sorry I don't show it that often. You deserve better," he finished in a tremulous fashion.
--
"Yes, of course, Jal Fugate," Carrow responded promptly, returning the stoat's smile, looking back up at him, eyes sparkling a little. "In fact, I think I've decided what I'm going to do anyway, but I'll run it by him first... assuming he shows up soon, that is. I'm quite sure we don't have much time to go through it, so I'll just keep it brief," he told the mustelid, tail swaying to and fro behind him in a thoughtful manner. Now... which position did he think he was more suited for? He was more used to being Assistant Sponger (as he had assumed that role in training after the first battle), but of course had memorised the instructions for Sponger as well. It was much of a muchness to him, really.
The field mouse perked up at the approach of Ocean, smiling and waving at him. From what he could see, the mustelid seemed to be in a good mood, so Carrow felt instantly reassured. "Ocean! You're here!," the rodent exclaimed, smiling broadly. "It's great to see you again, mate. It's been a while. And yes," he said in response to Ocean's comment, "I think we're all quite relieved to be off the Agamemnon for a bit and able to turn our mind to other things," he said diplomatically, even if being away from the ship meant being away from Elle and Tally. He particularly missed the latter, as he'd had to leave her suddenly and she'd been making good progress the last time he saw her.
Ladorak responded to the ermine's question, and Carrow piped up immediately after, smiling a little. "Yes, that's the plan. I was thinking, since I really don't mind where I go. I'd be comfortable in either position this time around as I'm thankfully far less nervous about things, which is ironic since this is altogether bigger than what we've seen before," he quipped, chuckling a little. "The way I see it, I'm going to let you make the decision. Sponger or Assistant Sponger? Your call entirely, mate," he said gently. "From what I can recall you seemed well-suited to both of 'em. What's it to be?," he asked, looking up at the ermine.
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Post by Ladorak on Jun 16, 2011 23:28:08 GMT -5
"I think we both deserve it there, mate." Caden said softly, taking in everything that Selvis had told him. They both deserved better it seemed, and Caden wasn't seeking to be a selfish jerk. He didn't wish Selvis to think any less of him, but it seemed Selvis was taking full blame here.
Caden sighed, and shoved his paws in his pockets as he too stood up. It seemed Selvis no longer wished to conceal himself behind a cannon, and that was fine with Caden. No more hiding. They would confront this head on. "If it makes you feel better... I'll support your endeavors. Part of my job anyway, but not just that. Because I want to, as well." the albino offered. "I just hate to see you this way... and you should know that. Even if you feel you deserve it, I don't think anyone deserves to feel like they're being torn apart, and that wasn't my intention going into this." the marten explained. "So I'm sorry that I brought it up, but glad we got it out into the open as well."
Caden paused however, as he thought he could hear drums beating far up on the main deck. "That might be..." but before he could finish, a Midshipjack near the stairs started calling out to confirm it.
"BEAT TO QUARTERS! BEAT TO QUARTERS!" he shouted, and Caden ran out into the middle of the deck to pass the word along.
"BEAT TO QUARTERS! BEAT TO QUARTERS! BEAT TO QUARTERS!" he cupped his paws about his mouth and shouted both forward and aft, making sure everyone could hear it. Beasts started scrambling to their action stations, and Caden glanced over at Selvis. "I'll see you on the other side... and I'll see you regardless through the length of this battle." As a Pawspiker, Selvis would be closer to Caden as it were, as Caden would be standing behind the gun a bit.
Ocean glanced over at Carrow. "I'm comfortable with either one. Why don't you try Sponger, this time?" he suggested. He was initially going to go with his original setup, but as Carrow had drawn the number fair and square, he felt it was the mouse's right, and as the mouse stated he was OK with any position, Ocean decided that this would do. "Let's get to our action stations, then. I'll be backing you up every step of the way." the ermine said, clapping him on the back.
He moved around the gun, to the right side of it, and stood back where Carrow's tools were all laid out on the deck. Sponge, rammer, and worm. Everything he'd need for this. Ladorak moved to the left side of the gun, right to the mouth, and got ready to do his part as well, though initially, as the gun was already loaded, he had nothing to do. Guns were loaded after clear for action was sounded, and left that way until beat to quarters, when everyone took up action stations and fired away.
Caden stood behind his battery, taking command of four guns in this. He adjusted his hat a tad to make it more comfortable, and watched as everyone began taking their stations. The two Lieutenants who would commands this gun deck were taking positions at the fore and aft companionways as well, getting ready to shout out their orders when the time came.
Despite the racing of his heart, Caden felt strangely calm as well. Nervous of course, and stressed that he was in a command position, but he always faced challenges head on, and he saw this as the ultimate test of his command and leadership capabilities. He would have to get used to it from now on, and wanted to always be near his friends if he could be. This was it! Their first big fleet battle! Caden could say he was very well looking forward to it.
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Post by Carrow on Jun 17, 2011 17:17:22 GMT -5
The truth was that Selvis DIDN'T think any less of Caden. The only creature the weasel thought less of after all this, was himself, and this upsetted him even more than he had shown - which meant that even the minor emotional breakdown he'd just had, right in front of his friend, wasn't the full extent of how terrible he felt over what he had done... and hadn't even realised he was doing until it was too late. "Would it make me feel better?," he wondered aloud. "Slightly, but that's a start in itself," he told the marten at length, finding it quite difficult to speak, and further removed from his usual cheerful self than he had ever been before. He'd already decided what he was going to do with Carrow. He obviously couldn't tell the mouse the truth about why he was in such a state, after all.
Even if he didn't feel he deserved to be Carrow's friend anymore, he'd tell the mouse nothing, and save himself further distress. His situation was depressing enough even as it was, but he didn't want things to be blown out of all proportion. He was a mess, sure, but he could provide a number of reasons for this if the mouse asked. "Oh... I know it wasn't your intention, but let's face it, it had to come out sometime," he said gently, sighing again. "Better you said it now before... well, before things got any worse."
The longtail was about to say more, but then the Beat to Quarters sounded, and Caden ran off to pass the message along. It was true, nobody deserved to feel like they were being torn apart... but it wasn't even Caden's fault, it was Selvis's. He felt as though he were being ripped apart from the inside. He knew there was a chance he could be literally torn to shreds during the battle, but that was the risk he had to take.
"Alright. Good to know you'll be keeping an eye on us," he said when Caden addressed him again. He'd always thought of the albino mustelid as a comforting presence after all. After having run out to meet him, Selvis spoke again. "Best of luck in your new position - I'm quite sure you'll do splendidly!" For a creature who felt utterly hopeless, Selvis could certainly muster enthusiasm when he needed to. He really wanted to see Caden do well in this upcoming battle, and patted the marten's shoulder to let him know this, before turning and heading back towards the gun.
The weasel took his time heading back, (relatively speaking of course) as he didn't want to startle Carrow if he could help it at all. The mouse, meanwhile, was quite pleased with Ocean's suggestion. "That's fine by me, though I never suggested otherwise," he quipped, eyes sparkling a little. "Gives me a little more to do, in this instance. From what I can recall, we make a good team," he told the ermine, sounding just the slightest bit more confident than usual. The rodent was pleased with the encouragement he got from Ocean, and the clap on the back energised him a little. "Thanks, mate. I appreciate that." He followed the mustelid around the right side of the gun, and smiled a little when he saw his tools laid out for him. Carrow felt a lot better about things than he had before. He was going to make sure he didn't let things get the better of him, and try to ensure same for Caden and Selvis. The pine marten, in particular, had quite a task, but the field mouse reckoned he'd have no trouble with it.
When Selvis reached his station, standing behind the gun, Carrow was taken aback by the weasel's appearance. His shirt was drenched in what Carrow assumed to be the longtail's own tears, judging by how red-eyed he looked. The badly-shaken mustelid smiled weakly at his friend. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Carrow... I... tried putting a brave face on things for all of us, but... sometimes that doesn't work...," he said in a hoarse tone of voice.
Carrow was inwardly alarmed. He'd never seen his companion look so distraught before. The worst thing about it was that the mouse knew he wouldn't have the opportunity to ask the weasel what was wrong, as they would be ready to begin firing at any moment, and there'd be no point going into things. Carrow, who had been there before, reckoned his friend was a whisker's breadth away from some sort of breakdown. Little did he know that Selvis had already been through one, and was desperately trying to hold himself together...
Selvis, meanwhile, had a number of different reasons with which he could explain his despair, all as valid as each other. That way, when the time came to open up, he knew he wouldn't have to tell his friend an outright lie... he'd just have to keep the whole truth concealed for everybeast's sake. He stood where he was, trembling, nervous because of every one of these valid reasons - yet strangely enough, he knew in his heart that the upcoming combat wasn't really one of them.
Carrow turned to face Caden for a moment. "Best of luck, mate! From what I've seen from working under you so far, you'll have no problem running the show here! Let's give these Rosferians as good as we get, eh?," he called, raising his voice a little to be heard over the sounds of activity. He felt anticipation streak up his spine, remembering how he'd felt the last time things that been thus. He turned his attention to Ladorak who was on the other side of the gun, smiling at him. "You said it's been fifteen years or so, right? Well, time to show this lot you're not out of practice!," he commented mischievously, winking at the rust-coated stoat.
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Post by Ladorak on Jun 18, 2011 16:53:12 GMT -5
"We'll give back that and more, I think!" Caden shouted. "Remember, we're trained crews! A lot of them will be green, and while brave, we SHOULD be able to maintain a firing rate much faster than they can put out!" the marten said. It was no secret that the Rosferian Grand Atlantic Fleet had undergone a major shakeup due to the Revolution, and was struggling to catch up to the former glory and level of efficiency it had once held. Both fleets were "rusty", but Caden was willing to put money on the Welkinite fleet being less so.
Ladorak was peering out of the gun port, watching the flags flying from the HMS Queen. He squinted, reading them off as they snapped from her mizzenmast. "Uh huh... fifteen years is right. I should be fine." he said, smiling a little, but keeping his eyes fixed on the 98 gunner. The Queen was Rear Admiral Alan Gardner's flagship, and as such, needed to repeat all of the Admiral's signals back to the flagship, in order to acknowledge them. "Alright... Admiral Howe is ordering the fleet to pass THROUGH the enemy's line and engage to leeward. Seems we'll see if the Orion can do so, and if not, we'll see how the idea works out in general." Ladorak was extremely fascinated by the idea, and would take ardent mental notes about the whole affair.
"I won't be out of practice." he said, eyes gleaming as he shifted his attention over to the Lieutenant, who was shouting out the first orders. "RUN OUT YOUR GUN!" Already the ship was beginning to execute a larboard turn, heading back to the west in order to come to grips with her opponent. Blast! So Duckworth was NOT going to break the line. He must have not felt confident enough to do so... or perhaps the Valiant, the next ship ahead of her, was not doing so either, and Duckworth simply didn't wish to break formation where he would be unsupported.
Already, they could see the line of Rosferian warships again. They were all painted blood red for the most part, a symbol of their Revolutionary fervor, or something like that. The 74 they were paired off against was called the Northumberland, an oddly Welkinite name, for she was named after a ship that had been captured by Rosferia during the War of the Kostritz Succession, though this was not said ship, as said ship existed fifty years ago, and this ship was merely her successor and namesake, built and constructed in Rosferia.
The auxiliaries on either side of the gun got to it, taking up the ropes and hauling on them, rolling the heavy weapon forward against the pitching of the ship. Already, distant booms emanated across the water as the Rosferian fleet began to open fire on the approaching Welkinite warships. To Ladorak, it sounded almost like a thunderstorm, coming from somewhere off on the horizon. It would get much louder very soon.
Some vessels were already engaged at various points along the line, and Ladorak could see puffs of smoke blowing out from the sides of the Northumberland, though felt nothing on the ship tremble as of yet, the shots probably sailing overhead somewhere.
The gun carriage bumped up against the hull, and the barrel now stuck out of the open port, along with all the other guns on this deck. "PRIME!" came the next order, and the gun captain stuck his priming wire down into the vent, doing his best to open up the canvas cartridge inside and rip open the sack. Upon withdrawing the copper wire and noting the black powder upon it, he proceeded to shove the quill down into the vent, as well as dish out some powder for the flash pan. Snapping the lid closed over it, he stepped back to give the pawspikers room.
"POINT YOUR GUN!" was the next set of instructions. Caden bent over a little to look out the gun ports. It was his choice on where to order his battery to shoot.
"Alright, we're still a little ways off, so until we close distance, let's aim high to get a plunging effect. Elevate the guns!" he commanded, and the pawspikers knew what this meant. They would need to lever the gun up so that the gun captain could move the quoin out a bit more, pointing the barrel upward in order to create a sort of mortar effect when they fired. "We also came off a little crooked on this gun." he motioned to the one Ladorak and the others were at. "So pawspikers, if you please, let's move the gun a little to the right if we can, and get it centered." the Midshipjack ordered. It seemed the pawspikers certainly had a job to do this time around. Once they closed distance, it wouldn't really matter much, but at the moment, they needed to ensure they were accurate.
It seemed too as if they might also hit the next 74 in line, the Patriote, as that vessel's stern was currently showing in Caden's field of vision out the open port. The Queen, behind them, could also direct her forward battery fire into the stern of the Northumberland, due to the oblique angle they had approached at. It wasn't perfect, but more targets was always a good thing.
It was now the job of the pawspikers to wrestle the back of the gun over to the left, so that the barrel would swing right and center itself, and then lever up the breech in order to allow the gun captain to take the quoin out a little to give the barrel some elevation.
Ladorak began removing his shirt, pulling it up and over his head, being careful not to knock his spectacles off as he did so. No way was he going deaf after this battle. He began to wrap it around his head, tying it about his ears and giving it a few good knots in the back. It would get both hot and loud in here very soon, and less clothing on was always a good idea, both to protect your ears, and to help cool your body. He glanced across the way at Caden, and gave him a nod as he finished tying his shirt about his head.
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Post by Carrow on Jun 18, 2011 18:38:21 GMT -5
Selvis was inclined to agree with Caden's assessment of the crew. Even though he and Carrow had only recently resumed gun training (as they had been on shore for six weeks beforepaw), they had both found that things were a lot easier this time around. Of course, both creatures knew that training was so far removed from the real thing as to be almost incomparable to it. Added to this, in Selvis's case, was the weight of a great many things.
At the same time, though, the weasel knew he couldn't drop the ball now. He'd always been good in situations like these, and just because he was filled with self-doubt and worry didn't mean he had to let it consume him. When Carrow looked over at the longtail, he saw resolution stamped upon the mustelid's features. This was immensely reassuring to him. Selvis had been worried Carrow would go to bits in their first battle... and now the shoe was on the other footpaw, but he seemed to be holding up well enough.
Carrow listened intently to Ladorak as the stoat told him what Admiral Howe was seemingly going to attempt. The mouse tried to visualise it all in his mind, and the widening of his eyes said everything. He reckoned it was quite a risky move. Ladorak said he wouldn't be out of practice. Carrow knew HE wouldn't be.
He felt very different to how he had been the previous October. Of course, certain painful memories that cropped up around that time every year weren't weighing on him now. His ears perked up as the Lieutenant gave the first orders. The ship started to turn to larboard side. Carrow recalled what Ladorak had said earlier: this meant that Duckworth was apparently planning to play it safe; the mouse knew he'd do the same thing if he were in his place.
The sight of the Rosferian warships sent a tremor up his spine, and set his paws trembling a moment before he managed to get them back under control. Okay, sure, this was a lot more impressive than before, but it wasn't daunting for the rodent... well, maybe a bit. He glanced back at Selvis and could see the weasel removing his shirt. This reminded him how conditions would change in this battle, and sooner rather than later. The mouse had good hearing and didn't want to let it go to waste by going deaf, so he followed suit, removing his shirt and tying it about his head, something that knocked his flat cap askew a moment. He smiled a little before righting it. Mustn't forget the cap, the mouse thought.
Of course, Selvis would probably have needed to change anyway, due to his soaked shirt, so the thought of the worsening conditions merely provided him with an excuse to take it off. Besides, he knew that his head would be kept cool by his wet shirt in any case, so tied it, headband-style, as he stood waiting for his first orders.
His fellow pawspiker was a zorilla, a bashful-looking creature who looked like he needed a little encouragement. "Here, don't worry about it. You've done this before, I'm sure," he murmured, smiling. The striped mustelid's large brown eyes regarded him curiously as he tried to take heart from the weasel's encouragement, before he nodded, returning the longtail's smile.
As per the most recent orders, the weapon had been primed. Selvis reached across and patted the zorilla, who was slightly shorter than him, on the shoulder. "Ready?," he asked, and received another nod. Maybe he was a bit too nervous to talk much, Selvis thought; that was understandable. "POINT YOUR GUN!" The order that the weasel had been anticipating finally came, and he strained his ears to catch what Caden's verdict on where the gun needed to be pointed, would be.
Selvis rubbed his paws a little. He and his zorilla teammate would need to first of all lever the weapon and THEN push it to the right a tad. This would take considerable effort from both creatures... but at least now Selvis had a chance to put his inner frustration to good use. He slotted his pawspike in, watching as his companion did the same. "Good," he said gently, smiling. "OK, now, on three. One... two... three!" The longtail and zorilla took tight hold of the spikes and pulled with all their combined strength.
Selvis was pleased to see their efforts have almost immediate effect. When they were sure that the gun had been suitably levered up, the duo started to haul it to the right a little, as per Caden's instructions. The process was smooth, proving that the zorilla, despite being quite a nervous chap, worked well as a member of a team. The strength that came from Selvis was his usual, plus a little extra born out of frustration. When he was finished with things, he clapped his teammate on the back, smiling. "Good work! See, there's not very much to it when you've been doing it for as long as I assume you have, mate," he said cheerfully, looking at Caden and shooting him a smile. The marten was indeed setling into his new role.
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Post by Ladorak on Jun 19, 2011 1:28:52 GMT -5
The gun captain sighted along the barrel, and pulled the quoin out a little, telling the pawspikers when to set the gun back down. "OK, looks good lads." he said, and nodded, letting the gun settle back down on its quoin, but with more elevation than it had previously.
There was only one thing left to do now, and Ladorak stepped back, as did Ocean. The gun captain and second captain moved to the middle of the ship, safely away from the recoil of the gun. Selvis of course would have an upcoming part to play, as he was still the right pawspiker. He would have to chock the wheels of the gun carriage after firing, until the train tackle could be reattached.
The entire gun deck quieted down as they all waited for the command to fire. They were delivering a broadside, meaning all guns would be going off nearly at once. After that, it would be pretty irregular fire from that point on, as broadsides could only be done so many times before shaking the stability of the ship a bit too much.
They were edging in closer, getting ready to send a wall of steel hurtling toward their opponent. 37 guns vs 37 guns. The weight of the broadside must have been about equal. Either way, it was now time, and the Lieutenants barked out the order.
"FIRE!" The effect was tremendous. The entire deck shook, as did the ceiling above, as the guns on the upper gun deck went off as well. Pulling the lanyard, every single gun on the starboard battery was discharged. Thirty on the gun decks, and seven on the forecastle and poop. The flash of the fifteen guns on the lower gun deck alone was incredible. It was more powerful than any fireworks Caden had ever seen, and the noise was phenomenal. Just one gun going off was loud, but all fifteen was ear splitting, and it was a good thing they had a modicum of protection.
Ladorak had taken the extra step of holding his paws over his ears, to further deafen the noise. Ocean had done the same, and Caden, who had no shirt to wrap around his head, simply plugged his ears with his paws. Thirty-seven shots sailed across the air, arcing up towards their opponent, and crashed down with great force. Some tore through the rigging, ripped holes in sails, or struck masts. Others smashed into the hull, breaking in to throw around deadly splinters, or sometimes bouncing off due to the thickness of the wood and wrong angle they had been fired at. Either way, it was a good first salvo. Splinters erupted everywhere from the Northumberland, who was feeling the weight of part of the Queen's broadside as well.
The group's gun rolled back violently as it recoiled, but the breaching rope caught it, and it moved back no further. Now it was up to Selvis to get it chocked, and the gun captain was already diving for the train tackle, snatching it up and ready to hook it onto the back of the carriage the minute he saw the wheels had been chocked.
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Post by Carrow on Jun 19, 2011 11:16:46 GMT -5
Selvis smiled a bit when the Gun Captain complimented his work. He didn't really feel as though he had very much to smile about at this particular point in time, but at least he knew when he was appreciated. If he didn't get such a boost from helping others out, no matter what the context was, the longtail probably would have thrown the towel in right then and there. He was terribly depressed now and as a result had to find something to apply himself to, because he'd clearly failed at being a friend, and that was one of the few things the weasel had thought himself to be good at. He honestly wasn't sure anymore, though.
In any case, he wasn't thinking about that; he was thinking about the next order he'd have to carry out, about how he'd need to use his pawspike to check the gun when it began to roll back after firing. There was a collective intake of breath as the crew waited for the next order to be given.
The weasel spotted Carrow, staring straight ahead as though he were in a sort of trance. He only hoped the mouse wouldn't be too frightened by what was about to happen. When the order finally came, everybeast stepped back and covered their ears. Carrow chose to plug his large ears with his paws; Selvis opted to place his paws firmly over his ears and flatten them against his head.
Both were left unable to shield their eyes, and when the morning was lit up by the flashing of the guns, Selvis came away much better. Carrow, meanwhile, was left seeing stars. He swayed a little, left momentarily dazed by what he had seen, before righting himself and smiling slightly as he saw the shot sail through the air and strike the enemy vessel.
Selvis was surprised by how badly his mouse friend had reacted to the firing of the guns. It had hardly bothered the weasel at all, but Carrow's swaying indicated that the mouse had some adjusting to do. The longtail was on tenterhooks now, waiting for the gun to start shooting back towards the gun crew before he acted. It was thrown back due to recoil, and even though the mustelid had only been right pawspiker for a few weeks, he had no trouble with the task.
Quick reflexes were required for this task, and he moved like lightning. He shoved the 'crowbar' down in front of the wheels, and smiled again when he saw the gun freeze in place. As he did so, the longtail couldn't help but think of Peskers. He had been used to seeing her do it, after all, and now that her secret was out, it was unlikely she'd be coming back aboard the Agamemnon once it docked again. Maybe she hadn't even been allowed back on after Bastia, he wasn't quite sure. He'd miss her, though, to a certain degree. It was always an odd feeling when somebeast you'd spent a year being around just left. She'd just seemed to accept her fate. He knew he'd probably have to adjust a bit when he got back - and the longtail was still saying 'when' and not 'if'. Even if his confidence had already been shaken to an almost irreparable degree, he wasn't going to lose hope... at least, not entirely.
Now that the wheels had been chocked, it was up to the Gun Captain to attach the train tackle. Selvis stepped back again, taking his other paw from about his ear. The first encouragement he got was from his fellow pawpiker, the zorilla, who seemed a tad less nervous now that the first shot had been fired. He patted the weasel on the back, congratulating him. Selvis shook his head modestly. "It wasn't all that... thank you, though."
Carrow shook his head too, though for an entirely different reason. The field mouse was shaking himself out of the daze that had come over him when the shots had been fired. He wasn't trembling, nor was he feeling unduly frightened by what had taken place. The mouse felt that no amount of preparation could have readied him for what he had just witnessed. He was sure it'd get better as time went on, all the same. He stood awaiting further orders, his eyes wide as he turned and tried to catch Caden's, clearly impressed by what he'd seen.
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