Blood and bone, Fire and Faith - Part One

The stage has been set and plans concocted. There's only so much prepping one can do for arming oneself or drilling the crew. As the days pass, the enemy grows in number, and more provisions consumed. The tension is as thick as the hull of an Ark. People are starting to get on one another's nerves, because effort must be expended. Keeping sailors busy is easy, but anticipation just keep growing, like fungus in the bilge.
The Beast has been relegated to a position within the main mass of the fleet. Groups of ships arrange themselves as best they can into a convex fence. Gun ports are opened on all vessels sporting cannons below decks. Marines aboard have firearms primed and sailors have cutlasses sharpened. The fleet is moving at speed, though hampered by the Arks. The plan to protect the Arks is given to a rearguard of frigates, while ships-of-the-line prepare to give and take punishment before the slower massive vessels, along with underarmed galleons, come within range.
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