[piosenniel]

The elf was cleaning her sword when Veritas found her. 'You must come now! I've finished going therough the programs on the PC and the REG and they're up and running,' said Veritas, 'though not exactly in the way you had hoped.'

Pio paused in the rubbing of oil on her blade and furrowed her forehead in question. 'What do you mean by "not in the way you had hoped"? I'm a little in the dark here. Can you draw me a clearer picture?!", she demanded.

'Better than that! Come look at the PC monitor!' Veritas pulled Pio toward the cabin.

From the door, both could see the shape of the Inland Sea and the landforms defining its perimeter. There was a small image of a ship just near the inlet to the larger area of the sea.'That must be us.',said Pio, pointing to it.

To the south and west were a number of ship images which were just turning to move north and east toward the single ship. They were still quite a distance off, and were moving slowly. 'Yes, and those are our companions' ship and the others who are coming to fight with us.', said Veritas. 'But look at this ship image, here.' she said tracing a slow moving vessel just coming down from the north and east. 'This is a ship we know nothing about.'

'Well, we know one thing,'said Pio, 'all our ships' images are in white, and that single one is a definite blue!'

'This is a new wrinkle in the problem.' thought Pio. 'We were supposed to get in position, and then the offer was to be made to the Blue Wizards, who would then come to meet us. But now it looks as if they mean to make the first strike.'

'Pio, we need to contact the other ships and let them know what's happening. They could be sailing blindly into a trap!'

Veritas handed Pio the silver cell phone, having pressed speed-dial #2. But all that Pio could get was the voice mail service saying the number was 'unavailable', and 'please leave a message'. She left a brief one, but with little hope. As she recalled, the batteries on the phone Child had were nearly, if not actually, dead.

Pocketing the cell, she took Veritas out onto the deck and showed her where the helmsman stood. 'Tell her that I wish her to belay that last order to hold a steady course. We need to drop anchor. And I will try another way to relay our news.'

'Another way?', thought Veritas, watching Pio walk toward the stern, and settle herself at the edge, her legs hanging over the side.

The elf leaned back on her outstretched arms and relaxed her body. Focusing her attention, open-eyed on the clear sky, she relaxed her mind. Tendrils of directed thought reached out across the long sea distance, toward a familar mind:

Idril, I have urgent news. Are you there?