Treon finishes the latest round of his conversations, and the associated work, with his new crew, promising himself that he would do something about Hobnail's nightmares.  What he wasn't sure, but there must be something that could be done.  He walked over to Black Reed, greeting the man with a smile "I'd like to take you over to the Spring Dryad II to meet with Captain Lasuri, the man behind the Cobalt Alliance," he says, easily.

A short trip in a row boat later, and they were climbing up onto the Dryad's decks.  Treon didn't ignore bad looks that any on board gave Black Reed, instead he caught their eyes and held it until they looked away, reaching the place on decks Lasuri had chosen for his repose.

"Good day to you, Captain Lasuri," he nods his head.  "This is Black Reed," he introduces the man beside him.

"It can seem kinda fickle, doesn't it? Life at sea, I mean. Yesterday we were at war, and today we're here and we're at peace." His arm still bandaged and in a splint, the Captain stands near the railing of the Dryad, watching the waters intently with a faint smile on his lips. Things are obviously on his mind, but he speaks nothing of them now, instead taking two steps back to look at the new arrivals with a warm smile.

"Top of the morning to you, mister Treon. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Black Reed. Hope you find your new choices in life enjoyable - if not now, then eventually." He smiles and nods, then turns to Treon once more. "Again, nice work out there yesterday. I know you'll make something great out of that ship and her crew."

He scratches his neck absent-mindedly with his one good, gloved hand, and looks towards the sea once more. "Is there something I can help you with, Mister Treon? I'm kind of having to pull back and sit idly for some time, so anything would be a welcome distraction."
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:28, Mon 24 Nov 2008.

Black Reed doesn't say anything, though he remains very attentive to his surroundings. Brown-skinned and dark-haired with a long, thin braided tail, he looks the type who has seen enough battles to be apathetic about them. He wears dark, drab clothing, his shirt rolled to the elbows, and his only adornment is a single gold hoop earring on his right earlobe.

On Treon's suggestion, perhaps, Reed left his weapons on the Hammerhead, striding onto the Dryad unarmed. He looks warily at the crew, as if anticipating hostility, but he does not make any motions that could be considered hostile. He just waits.

The Dryad crewmembers, to their credit, mind their own business and don't give Reed so much as a glance. Lasuri's men know how their Captain feels about accepting peaceful newcomers, and so keep to their games and chatter.

"No more than any other love in my life," he says, his words light.  Although they seem to hide something deeper.  Perhaps someone had not been so fickle.  He swiftly moves past that though.

He nodded his head to accept the compliment about the previous days work. "The Hammerhead is what I would like to talk to you about. The ship, her weapons and her crew.  And perhaps how she might best be employed."

"I could see her fulfilling a few separate roles in the small fleet you have now, Captain, but I am curious to hear your thoughts."

Tageru exits his room and joins the captain and Treon.

"Well, any news from our divers? How long did they say they were gonna stay?"

He sits down cross-legged into a meditative stance, and relaxes.

"I have two things to ask of you, captain. You know that Dragon-Blooded woman that I knocked out and captured during the battle? Well, I think she is a good person that was in love with a bad man, and that she's suffered a lot. She is really not a vicious killer, and I think she's willing to change. If you would let her stay on the ship for a while, I think that we could help save a young Exalted life, and that's a cause as worth as any.

Secondly, she asked to meet you, since you were the one who killed Kossuth. She's bitter and sad, but I don't think she will try to hurt you or anything, I think she just wants to talk and have closure. I promised her I would talk to you on her behalf. Will you let her stay, and will you see her tonight, at dinner? The Alliance stands for second chance for anyone who truly wants it. I think this woman deserves it."

Tageru's cruel-looking eyes stare at the captain, not blinking, and full of belief in his own words...
This message was last edited by the player at 20:50, Tue 25 Nov 2008.

"Ah, so you wonder about the Hammerhead's place within the Alliance - within this very group, right?" Lasuri begins, a faint smile on his lips. "I figure, out of all of our current ships, she is the heavier armed and the most thick-skinned - that's why I immediately thought of you to commandeer her. You've got military experience, something that most of us don't. Strategically, I think you can think of things differently than us, and that's why I think you can get the most out of that ship..."

The Captain's explanation is cut short by Tageru's arrival, and the man's direct inquiries force Lasuri to quickly change subject.

"... Good morning, Mister Tageru." He begins, with an incline of the head and an apologetic look for Treon. "Mister Treon and I were planning some things for the Hammerhead and our... well, fleet's the word I suppose." The Captain explains, turning his head back towards the monk.

"There are no news yet. But I trust our divers, and didn't ask them for a length of time, only for a sign if they were in any form of serious danger. Until then, we'll wait for their return." He smiles, turning towards the man fully now, and listening to his explanation, and waiting for him to finish his full tale before saying anything.

"I've heard the men say something about another prisoner, yes. It was my intention to ask you about it in the first place, since I like to know what's happening aboard the Dryad - and I wanted to hear it from the source, not just from hearsay." Lasuri begins, rubbing his chin with his one good hand.

"Where's this woman now?" He asks, tilting his head to one side. "If she hasn't eaten yet, I'd like her to be taken to the mess hall, and I'll arrange for some good food to be brought to her. The men are done eating their morning meal, so she won't have to fear being intruded on. I'll make sure she'll stay alone and quiet. Ask her if she wants change of clothes too, I think we've got spares somewhere around and I can fix that up if she'd like. Tell her she's to be treated like one of our own, until she's ready to meet with me." The Captain lifts his chin slightly, then turns towards the sea. "I'll meet with her alone, when she's ready. We certainly owe her that."

He pauses, looking towards Treon and Black Reed, and then back towards Tageru. After a moment, his gaze returns to sea, as if he was watching something unseen there. "Now that that's taken care of... There was something I wanted to ask, since I heard about this 'prisoner'. I'd like to know, mister Tageru, what were your reasons for not giving that girl the same choice we gave her fellow crewmen that left yesterday. I'm sure you have your reasons, and I'd like to hear them straight from your mouth."

Black Reed narrows his eyes at the sudden intrusion of the Wood Aspect and the sudden change of topic.

"You hold strong opinions and I understand that," he interjects, looking at Tageru. "Some of us were loyal to Kossuth for more than blood. The man he was and the man he became are entirely different entities. But no matter, he is gone now and life goes on. Now we are loyal to your Alliance, because it is smarter than dying for nothing."

"But I can vouch for Miss Tethia. She is a good woman and does not deserve imprisonment or mistreatment in the slightest." Having spoken his peace, the dark-haired, dark-skinned man lapses back into silence unapologetically.

"I did. I gave her the choice. I just wasn't sure she'd make the right one, so I wanted to talk to her in private. She's Exalted, and she shouldn't waste her life in vain. No one should, but it is especially so for us. And the reason I took her into my room in private was that she was badly hurt in combat, and I wanted to make sure she recovered as soon as possible. If we had just let her go as soon as she woke up, she'd die at sea, since she would have been too weak to travel in a boat. None of those other men we let off were as injured as her. That's why. Had she refused to stay even after I talked to her about it, we would have allowed her to leave at the next port we stayed in."

Tageru turns towards Reed, and looks at him like he was going to eat him "And, no, I did not mistreat her. I bandaged her wounds, practically forced her to eat something and gave her a chance to bathe. I am not without honor, to harass those weaker than I that cannot even try to defend themselves. I may no longer be a monk, but I still do those things a monk should do: teach, protect and heal."

"It is odd sometimes, what people will agree to when they are alone and injured in a room with the man who put them that way," Treon says, a small movement of his conveying the fact that he supported the question Black Reed had asked, and would support him.  What place did Tageru have to be angry at those of her old crew showing concern about her?

"Some might consider that to be harassment," he says.  "However well intentioned it was."

"Well, mister Cathak, those some weren't there, were they? And Tethia will join us at supper this evening, so whatever questions you might have, whether about her treatment or about her opinions, you should ask her. As for me putting her there, what would you have me do? We were fighting, it was a battle, and I spared her life. I had her bound, since I did not know what she would do, and I didn't want to risk this ship's safety. I trust her enough to untie her now, so I did. I could have also killed her in battle, and nobody could say I wasn't right to do so. Would you have preferred that, mister Cathak?"

"Indeed not, Mister Tageru," he says, his voice still mild and polite.  "But you reacted with such hostility on your face to a question over the treatment of a woman who was until yesterday on Black Reed's crew, one of their leaders for no small passage of time," he points out.  "It did not deserve such a reaction.  I would ask the same questions after you, had you been injured and separated."

"I certainly would not have preferred that she was killed in a fight, but that has little bearing on how she should be treated afterwards.  Just as I would have killed the corsairs in a fight, but would not execute them after they surrendered.  Would you prefer to crew with people who expressed no concerns about such things?"

"My response was not hostile, it's just the way I speak. I'm sorry if it sounded like that. I assure you, she's alright. I stitched her wounds, made sure there was no infection, and fed her. She was bound by the wrists, but that was until I was sure she's not going to attack us or do something foolish... She's fine now, and sound asleep. I took her chains off, since I don't believe she'll do anything to harm us."

Tageru still looks and sounds a bit pissed, but, then again, you can't remember if he ever looks or sounds different...

"Sirs, please." Lasuri starts, his voice slightly more firm than usual. He lets a moment pass before speaking again, letting the silence build for a time. After that moment passes, he continues.

"I wanted to have your version of the tale, Mister Tageru, to confirm or deny what I'd heard through other sources. You've spoken of your reasons now, and I thank you for clarifying that." He turns, leaning his back against the railing. "You've done what you believed in, by that account. I'll be speaking privately to Miss Tethia myself, since she wanted to have a work with me - one on one, like she deserves. I'll have her own version of these facts right there and then, and put an end to the debate in that fashion."

"Until then, I won't pronounce myself on the matter, except for one point. Whenever a situation like that surfaces again, I would just ask to be consulted with before a prisoner is made, especially it it's on the Dryad. The rest, I'll clarify with Miss Tethia herself. She will still be joining us over dinner, of course, so everyone will have their chances to speak. But until she makes a choice of her own, she's to be treated like our guest, and not as a prisoner."

"Is that understood?" He asks, looking at both men in turn. "I won't forget the points you raise, mister Treon, as I wanted to make certain of what you venture as well. And I won't ignore your words either, mister Tageru. Both your points are taken in consideration, and I'll make certain to get to the bottom of this myself."

"Alright, captain, I agree. But, since it was I personally who captured her, I thought it was I who should decide the prisoner's fate. I agree that I should have probably asked for your permission to take a prisoner on board your ship, but the situation was a bit messy, and I didn't want to disturb you with needless information. But, if you want me to, from now on I'll ask before I do something like that on your ship. Is that alright?"

Treon glanced sideways at Black Reed, to see how this discussion sat with him.  If he was satisfied for the moment, then Treon would be too.  He trusted Lasuri's judgement.  Besides, you didn't argue with a man too strongly on his own boat.  "Understood, Captain," he nods confidently.[Private to GM: That assumes Black Reed seems satisfied, anyway.  If he isn't, I'll need to edit.]

After waiting for Tageru to depart once more, he turns back to the Captain.  "I believe you had some thoughts on the Hammerhead, unless you would like to resolve this first?"  He politely enquires.

Black Reed seems at least appeased that Tethia has been bandaged, fed and allowed to rest. And it is true she would be in greater danger against other predatory pirates if sent away in that state. That much simmers him down to a point his expression is mostly impassive, though he doesn't seem at all content with Tageru's attitude.

He looks at Treon and nods slightly. "Seems I've stirred up what appears to be a controversy. All that I wanted to know is that Miss Tethia is safe and treated fairly. She deserves this harsh life even less than we. And not because she is an Exalt." Reed seems to be suggesting he knows something more about Tethia, but he remains stoically silent now, allowing Treon and Lasuri to continue their conversation.

---

OOC: By the way, I just realized the Disturbing flaw should've counted in Tageru's social rolls, too. Definitely remembering that from now on.

"No, you did right on that," Treon reassures him.  "Don't be afraid to speak up if you think something isn't as it should be." a look in his eyes promising some questions later about Tethia, although he feels she's had her laundry aired in the relative public of the deck enough for one day.

And then, noting the stoically silent manner he seems to have settled into.  "You should let me know if I have misjudged the Hammerhead too." He wanted it to be clear that he hadn't brought the man over just to stand around and look uncomfortable.

---

OOC: I think it ended up being roleplayed fairly well, at least. :)

"I would appreciate it greatly, Mister Tageru. Thank you." He nods firmly towards the monk, then turns his gaze to Black Reed.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, Mister Black Reed. As long as you and your men serve under Captain Treon, you're part of the Cobalt Alliance. And while you're fighting under that banner, you're not going to be expected to stand meekly and hold your tongue. It's in our charter - every man and woman who joins us has a say, a vote, and a fair share of what we gain. You're no different, so your words also matter. Thank you for sharing them with us." He smiles to the man, before once again turning back towards Treon.

"Sorry for speaking so disjointedly, Mister Treon. I don't want you to think that I'm not taking your point seriously." He smiles, then nods at the man. "What I was trying to say is, I'm trusting your military insight, and I think the Hammerhead is a good fit for the experience you've had. The Black Mirlena's fast and swift - she's going to be great as a scout and for flanking maneuvers. But she won't be able to take much of a hit when we get into battle. The Dryad's more steady and sturdy, but again, her main advantage is speed - so that's why it's crucial to have a ship like the Hammerhead in our lineup."

"You correct me if I'm wrong - you've been on her deck and at her command, so you're likely to have more of a feel for her - but from what I've seen, that girl can take a hit like no one else. She's strong and sturdy, and she'll be more than enough muscle for our needs, once she's repaired and in top condition. So what I'd expect would be for her to be our sword and shield. Strong attack, strong defense. But that sort of thing takes skill to harness. Even the best weapons in the world, crafted by the most skilled blacksmith you can find, are just lumps of steel if wielded by an amateur."

"That's why I thought of you to commandeer her from the start. You've seen heavy combat, I would think. You know how important it is to keep your wits about you when you're risking getting torn to shreds by enemy gunfire. You know how to drill men so they'll work efficiently in heavy battle situations. If anyone can bring out the true potential of the Hammerhead and her crew, it's you, Mister Treon."

"You are doing your fair Dryad a disservice.  The Hammerhead is a good example of modern shipcraft and tough for her size, but the Dryad is in another league.  She can shrug off an attack that would leave the Hammerhead as so much floating driftwood.  Don't be fooled by her designation as a 'Light Warship', she's one of the toughest ships on these, or any, waters."

"That being said, the Essence Cannon will give the Hammerhead a punch well above her weight class, though to get the best use of it, I will need a skilled gunner.  I'll also need a few more crew if she is to be used in boarding actions, but with her cannon, she is probably best holding off and covering your approach, as much as that puts me away from the fighting I prefer," he says with a pat of the Caress.

"It's this that makes me think perhaps that the Dryad should have the cannon off of her, perhaps aimed and fired by the Lady Thornbloom, whilst the Hammerhead keeps her sailcutters and perhaps one of the catapults off the Dryad and gets in close.  There would then be much less risk of the Dryad or the Essence Cannon being captured, or sunk.  On the other hand, the toughness of the Dryad makes her a natural choice for closing to board..."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:32, Fri 28 Nov 2008.

"Yeah, that's the thing, here... The Dryad is tough as nails, of course. Like I said when I introduced her, she's the one that is tough to down. But even past that, she's actually built for speed. Doesn't show much now, of course, crippled as she is. Once we manage to get her fixed and patched up though, that's where she'll truly shine. Like you said, she'll be good at boarding maneuvers. The speed and hull strength will also make her a contender for ramming actions, something that might cripple fragile ships a whole lot. Which is why I first thought of keeping the canon on the Hammerhead. At too close a range, that thing might not pack the punch it deserves."

"Of course, you're Captain of the Hammerhead now, so you get to decide what she does best, and I'll play around with it. We're likely going to be able to have some work done on her as well - reinforce the hull, for example - and actually help shape her more to your liking. Might be a good idea to try to have a chat with her Spirit as well, if you're into that sort of thing - she might be able to tell you what she's good at too."

"Bottom line is, there's a lot of different ways we can go with this. Find what makes you the most comfortable and confident - you can tell that better than me, since I haven't seen you serve while you were in the navy - and we'll organize things around it. The Dryad's pretty fluid, the way I like things. We'll find a way to arrange this so everyone can focus on what they do best."

Lasuri and Treon's thorough discussion about fleet organization and tactics is put on hold by a rather spectacular disturbance in the water about a half mile distant. Bursting from the ocean surface is a multi-tiered platform of adamant, crystal and jade, with a base at least twice as wide as the Dryad in diameter. Two pairs of figures stand at the center of it, clinging onto a central railing... the excavation team, though it would take above average vision to see them in any detail from here.

The Sea's Bounty has already begun to react to the surfacing of the ancient structure, starting to pull in closer almost as soon as they retrieve their third diver. The manse -- for one assumes that is what it is -- appears at first sight like some giant water lily floating on the ocean surface: the two-tiered central platforms forming a prominent calyx, while the piers arrayed around it are organically curved, much like a flower's petals forged in metal and crystal alloy.

---

OOC: Don't let this keep you from completing your conversations if you're not done yet. I just wanted to point out that whenever you're ready, you can rejoin the main thread (Chapter 1, Phase 3 - Chrysalis of the Deep).

Treon smiles "At that point she'll also be able to outstrip the Marlena for scouting and swift return, so by that logic she should be our scout," he grins.  "She's a sweet vessel you have here."

"Some work on the Hammerhead could definitely be done though.  What would you think Black Reed?" he asked the man a question.  After all, he knew the vessel better than Treon did.

"It bears some-..." the sentence cut off by the rise of the manse. "... think ... ing ... about. Wow, will you look at that?"

He chuckles, then shakes his head. "See, that's the thing. Good as she is, she can't do it all at once. Which is why some responsibilities have to be shifted, no matter what the Dryad's performances are..." He nods, then listens to Treon and Black Reed's conversation... Then takes a step forward once the interruption comes. He shields his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun, then watches in awe as the structure rises above the surface. His expression switches slightly at the sight of Jadira, and a fond smile traces his lips as he witnesses her display. "Looks like they didn't go for nothing after all." He smiles and nods to Treon, Black Reed and Tageru, before stepping closer to the railing.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:31, Sat 29 Nov 2008.

Tageru just looks in amazement at the structure as it rises from the sea and says nothing. He's seen lesser vessels in Realm's service that went both above and under water, but nothing of this size, not even close. This thing was... huge was the only word that came into mind...
'well, I guess we found what we were looking for. I just hope we can keep it, that someone or something doesn't come to kill us for it...', Tageru thinks, but he keeps quiet.

Black Reed inclines his head when addressed. When he puts his mind to it he can actually be fairly eloquent. Treon has the impression he must have been an educated slave, serving the wealthy and fortunate before escaping to sea. Wealth, of course, does not indicate that he was treated well in captivity... or he may very well have stayed.

"Captain Fireblade, sir, I am no crafter, but I believe the Hammerhead could benefit from retrofitting without limiting its payload. It would certainly need it, to keep up with your flagship. The time and expense, you would have to ask of one skilled in such endeavors." His eyes widen in intense interest at the surfacing of the manse across the sea. "Argent Mist, our ...ah, former technician, sought that very treasure here. The Chrysalis of the Deep. Few of us believed it possible..."

He lapses into silence, thoughtful and surprised both, as the Dryad closes the distance toward the ancient structure now floating on the ocean's surface.

---

OOC: closing thread, please continue in "Chapter 1, Phase 3 - Chrysalis of the Deep".