Vasilia worked the crank on the viewport’s star shield. Dim panels of crystalized shadow lowered with each turn, slowly cutting the light from the bridge. It was dull, drab drudgery so easy that she couldn’t remotely work up a sweat, with a device so carefully worked that it was impossible to go any faster than ‘painfully slow.’

Dolce called it good thinking work, and she hated how often it helped.

When she could survey the scene without getting blinded, her mind set to work while her hand ran on autopilot. This was quite the mess, wasn’t it? Redana’s stunt hadn’t bought them time so much as it had exchanged one impossible problem for another. Now instead of fighting outnumbered 150-to-1, they had to outmaneuver a fully-staffed warship, get to Redana first, and [i]then[/i] fight outnumbered 150-to-1. Oh, and find a way to shatter the [i]Lupincas[/i] while they were at it. To be frank, she hadn’t even gotten as to escaping. Perhaps if they made it that far, the Armada would take it as an omen and leave.

No, no, not good enough. That simply wouldn’t do. Not the escaping bit, that was a separate bit of unacceptable, but the situation. It truly was impossible. There was nothing she or any of them could do. 

So. If that fight was unwinnable, which one could they win? 

More importantly, what was winning, really? The [i]Lupincas[/i] must break, that was for certain, or else Poseidon would never permit them to leave. They had to reach Redana, yes, but more importantly, if they could prevent Jas’o from reaching her, that was just as good. Better, even. If they crippled his ability to mount a coordinated chase, then they also crippled his ability to bring his forces to bear on them. They could scoop Redana back up and be gone with ease. If that was all they were after, then…

A devilish smile grew on her lips. 

[i]Then do we really need to outmaneuver him?[/i]

“Everyone: I want maximum power to the engines, as fast as you can give it to me.” She commanded through the pipes. “Stand by on steering. Our adjustments will be slight, and our heading vital.” 

She eyeballed the line between their prow and Jas’o’s burning engines. 

“We’re only going to get one shot at this, and we need to make it count.”

****************************************************

Waiting. 

Waiting was...very good. Helpful for all sorts of things.

Waiting let him come to terms with the fact that not only had he not been gobbled up by an unspeakable vent monstrosity, he was (probably) not about to be gobbled up by an unspeakable vent monstrosity. Waiting told him that he ought not to call the creature tearing through their ship an unspeakable vent monstrosity, though it didn’t tell him what he ought to call them instead. (It was a Hermetician, yes? There were a few of those with the Privateers.) Waiting showed him it was actually tearing the ship apart so that it could put it back together again a little better. Waiting gave his ears blessed time to stop ringing, which was very nice for listening for Vasilia’s signal. 

Waiting very often did not let him down, and this time was no different. 

He gingerly lifted himself upright, a tangle of cables tumbling down his front. “It was Hades’ ship before he lent it to us. It would have been rude to ask.” Idly, he started sorting out the piles of scrap wire and parts they were casting aside, even catching a few bulbs before they shattered. Maybe it would help. It’d be easier to clean later, too. “Could I ask you to speak quieter, please? I can hear you well, and I’m listening for - oh!”

He perked up, listening to his Vasilia’s commands. 

“Excuse me, I must help get the engines running. If you could focus your work there, I would be glad to lend a hand.”

[Using [b]Heroes of the People[/b] to automatically [b]Speak Softly[/b]:
-What can they tell us about getting our ship moving?
-What do they want, and how could we help them get it?
-What should I be wary of when dealing with them?]