{DISLAIMER: "Elusive" and "Josephine" are copyright to Jay Naylor and are used without permission.}

Early dawn.

Barry still roused himself before the rest, despite the heavy drink they had all shared in celebration the night before. A carrier pidgeon had returned with a message: the Wakestriker had been reduced to seascrap and ocean carrion, while the Elusive and the Cunning had escaped the engagement largely undamaged. They were coming in for minor repairs within the week.

Barry smiled amusedly. The onshore shift had been overjoyed and disappointed at the same time and now they were hoping Josephine would agree to change over a goodly portion of the Elusive's hands early. He shook his head as he realized he wasn't sure which he preferred, being infantry in his soul and more of a lander.

He signaled to the coast watch station on the bluff as he always did first thing. There was no response. He frowned and supposed Jiman and Derek had taken a few bottles to see them through their night's watch. He couldn't blame them, but set on his way from the smitty hut to go up and give them a tonguelashing.

As soon as he reached a point to see the inlet he was given new cause to question the unresponsiveness of Jiman and Derek; there was a clipper passing into the bay at falling sails. And the flag proudly waving in the stiff coastal winds of the morn was Confederate.

Unwilling to call out and alert the invaders to his position, Barry turned back to ring a rousting bell just behind him, out of the bay's line of sight.

A shot that rang out from below the watch station away and above and ended the Commander's life, was the first warning the grounded pirates had before the clipper's cannons opened fire with calculated and well informed precision.

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Second Lieutenant Reas Hilkes was woken by the first cannon blasts echoing and reechoing loudly within the bay. He knew there was a deadly threat immediately and dressed quickly and belted his pistol before he bothered stepping outside to determine exactly 'what the hell was going on'.

Ironically, the warning bell finally needlessly joined the chorus of all the shouting between the cannon shots just as he was emerging from his cabin. And as he came out he heard a cannonball hum by and break in.

Swearing indignantly he abandoned the cabin's porch hastily in the likely event of an explosion. There was, but he ignored it. He lost nothing. He had all he would need that day on his person.

Closer to the beach and reaching a few of the other cabins, he grabbed a young marine just emerging from one of them in a rather unkempt state. "Armory, son. Prepare to repel landers!" The young man managed a nod and a bit of a grin and took off ahead of his superior.

Reas was intercepted near the camouflaged armory bunker by a very young ensign who looked stricken. "Sir! I took the liberty of sending some of my fellows around to check on the officer's cabins. They returned with the report that not Agin or Keith nor Tyler made it out alive. Commander Barry was found dead also. It seems that you are in command now, sir!"

Reas was shocked but refused to let it show. A shout of "Landing party incoming" made up his mind directly. "Right then. Drive them down at the water's edge. Keep moving or they will bombard your position. Take twelve men. Retreat when I pipe you. The rest of you, gather what arms and supplies you quickly can, rig the boobytraps and follow Ferrel to the inland dugouts. Move it!"

Feeling more responseable for the twelve of "his" men in the most immediate danger, he joined them after retrieving himself a musket and munitions pouch.

The delaying action was not going well. And neither was the retreat...