The reality was slightly different. As Amber pointed out over a complex game of cards and dice which Morail was winning, “When ships have adventurous voyages, bad things have been happening! We want a nice, quiet voyage.
“We will be making for Kuduspar, on the north coast of the Eland Republic. We are not going all the way to Degrate, on the Forgotten River, in the Zebra Confederation.”
Daring Do discarded. Both Amber and Withers rolled dice. Withers picked up the card and added it to the layout in front of him. Morail promptly laid her entire hand across his layout and, grinning, raked in the chips from the pot!
As Daring Do watched Morail in bemusement, she offered, “The way that you play this would convince anypony that you are a Diamond Dog, for sure. You have to grow up playing this game to be as good as you are, and only Diamond Dogs do that.”
Morail grinned. “<I am a Diamond Dog! I was raised as much by the Ruby Drift as I was on the farm. Only blood separates us. I earned that Drift Supervisor and Mining Explosives Expert certification!>”
Amber grinned too. She dealt the next hand. Dice rolled and cards were laid down, picked up or added to growing layouts in front of each player.
Leaning on the railing and watching sea and sky as the Malachite sliced through the waves was another pastime. Out on the open sea there were few birds but they did occasionally see one.
Pointing with excitement, Morail exclaimed, “Look at the size of the wings on that one! What is it called, Doctor Do?”
Smiling at Morail’s excitement, Daring Do replied, “That is called an albatross. Some sailors claim that they never land, except to nest and raise their young. They do dive for fish to eat. Whether they land for anything else, you would need to ask somepony besides me. I have only seen them flying or on the water.”
Morail was almost bouncing with her present freedom. “Amber has released me from studying the ship’s operations for the next two days!”
Interested, Daring Do and Withers asked her, “What does she have you studying, Morail? Can you tell us?”
Smiling, she replied, “Some of it, anyway. I have been learning modern fire control systems! These bigger guns and being on a ship make it all really tricky!
“Besides that, she has me studying the theory of modern Mage/Tech ship engines. I really can’t tell you much about them. The history of them is fun, though. The Mage/Tech interface and first engines were invented by the Equestrian Rom, of all beings! They used them to power prostheses for their sick or injured Horses so that they could still pull their caravans!”
Withers nodded. “I can easily believe that, Morail. They invented the modern Magic Net too. Rather their foals did, so that they could stay in touch when bands were far apart. Old Marchhare claims that they used it to, and I quote, Plot against their elders, end quote. When their elders found out about it, they used it too, but made sure that the youngsters had a private part of it so that they could still plot and scheme!”
Daring Do chuckled, “That sounds so like the Rom! They say that the young have to get away with things. It builds character.”
The Malachite made her way from the Eastern Sea, south, just past the Equator, into the Stonewall Strait. The land fell away north to the continent of Epona. To the south, the land was the northern coast of the continent of Sorica, home, among other nations, of the Zebra Confederation. Separating the two continents was the Medial Sea, leading on through the Poniesian Isles to the Great Western Ocean.
The days of the voyage passed without incident until they raised the lighthouse of Kuduspar in the Eland Republic. A swift, lightly armored patrol vessel flying the Zebra Confederation banner tried to intercept them. It had a small 50 mm cannon in a forward turret and fired a warning shot across their bows.
The Zebra ship demanded, “You must divert to the port of Degrate to have all of your cargo and goods evaluated and taxed. Any beings aboard who do not have Zebra Confederation travel documents must pay a fine and have proper documents issued before they can be permitted to travel further!”
Amber returned, “Nils Downitall does not own the Medial Sea! We are going to Kuduspar and you will need to learn to swim if you try to stop us!”
Morail was operating the fire control board. The Malachite’s forward turret of 125 mm guns swung to bear on the Zebra ship. Morail was wearing the headpiece and speaking softly through it to the ship’s turrets. Each of the three guns of the forward turret shifted their aim a little.
The captain of the Zebra Confederation apparently failed to notice, or he was following a script! He demanded, “Apparently our warning shot was not enough! Prepare to be boarded and all of your cargo seized!”
Amber’s paw dropped in a slicing motion! Morail tapped her fire control board. The forward turret’s guns blazed with flame and smoke! The ship shuddered under the recoil of the heavy shells blasting out to the opposing vessel!
Almost instantly, the small turret of the Zebra patrol ship erupted! A huge hole from an exploding shell tore apart the forward superstructure, just under the flying bridge! The third shell made a hole in the side of the boat, just below the smokestack! A sudden roaring wash of mixed steam and smoke back out the hole and bursting up out the stack told of the end of the patrol vessel’s engines.
Amber sent back by Magic Net, “Apparently, OUR warning shot was enough! You were warned that are going into Kuduspar. You have only three choices.
“First, you may abandon ship and we will sink the hulk.
“Second, we can tow your vessel into Kuduspar. By staying aboard, you retain a claim to the ship after paying us for the tow.
“Thirdly, you may abandon ship and we will claim the wreck as a prize of combat.
“We will pick up your survivors in either abandonment scenario.”
Sourly, the captain of the damaged Zebra vessel decided, “We will take your tow to Kuduspar. How will you get the tow line to us?”
Amber answered, “We have a pegasus traveling with us as a passenger. She will deliver you a light line to pull over a hawser for the tow.”
Soon Daring Do was bridging the gap between the two vessels trailing a light heaving line to the now wrecked Zebra Patrol boat. She dropped the line across the bows and left the rest to the crew of the boat.
In short order, the convoy of ship and hulk was back underway, headed into Kuduspar.
At the harbor entrance, the Malachite was taken by a harbor pilot and the wreck was taken under tow by a tug.