Howdy all,
I must be getting old.
I was trying to get to sleep when I remembered I wanted to focus attention on this tidbit.
SNIPPED 4 BREVITY
Which was why well over half of Sir Domnyk Staynair’s warships were now tied down in commerce protection and convoy duties. There was a very good reason he’d sent Payter Shain to wipe out Gulf of Jahras’ privateer bases — hopefully for good, although Rock Point was far from confident they wouldn’t rebuild quickly if the pressure was ever taken off again — but that left thousands upon thousands of miles of additional coastline, especially along the stretch between Traykhos and Shairn. Scores of fleet, weatherly schooners were swarming out to sea, and the situation was growing steadily more serious. Just six days ago, although Rock Point hadn’t yet received official word, over a dozen of those cruisers — half of them navy ships, not just privateers, and acting with far better coordination than he cared to think about — had swamped a convoy from Tellesberg to Siddar City. The outnumbered escort had managed to prevent any of the half dozen troopships under its care from being seriously damaged and had actually sunk two of the raiders, but no less than six cargo ships had been cut out despite all they could accomplish. One of the escorting schooners had been destroyed, as well, and two others — and one of the three defending galleons — had been damaged.[/quote]
So six cargo ships potentially filled with Charisian technological secrets have been captured.
Were they just sunk after butchering the crews?
Or are they trying to get them back to Desnar?
We had textev in MTaT and LaMA that a commerce raiding schooner could become rich capturing a cargo galleon and getting it back to Desnar or Howard, though there was no mention of any actually accomplishing it.
Because its so tough getting them back to Desnar, were they just sunk, or are the cargoes that critical, particularly as technical bonanzas for Desnar and the Go4?
Can they be intercepted by HMS Eraystor?
Rock Point could tell them where to search first thanks to the SNARC's, and even the tea clippers only averaged a 100-120 miles per day from China, so coaling at Tarot and Jahras Bay might enable the Eraystor to catch up.
If interception isn't possible and the tech too valuable to let into Desnar's hands, the SNARC's could ignite or explode the vulnerable cargo, but that's a last resort.
I'm surprised the ramifications of this haven't been already discussed with Cayleb and Merlin.
Is letting Desnar get its hands on such tech acceptable to Merlin and the inner circle?
Will some in the inner circle start to order SNARC's to destroy other captured ships, if Merlin won't?
The initial KH VII's steam and sail design seems more needed now as a cargo ship, although it might also serve as an escort with just 6" breech loading guns.
I await your wisdom.
L