Surprise!

With a heavy heart, you order the crew to cut Windspeeder loose. You watch helplessly as she floats away still taking on water. She's listing pretty badly now and sinking is only hours away with no crew to pump out her hold and repair the damage from the reef. You feel like you want to reach out and touch her, but you've no time for emotions. You must turn your attention to the approaching pirate ship and its crew of cutthroat brigands.

The pirate ship sails ever closer while you pace up and down the deck yelling orders to your crew. The firing doors on the sides of the ship are opened and the cannon loaded. Your ship carries twenty cannon, ten on a side - plenty of firepower for even the largest pirate ship.

"Ready the cannon," you cry to your crew.

"Aye, Cap'n, we'll give 'em a fight," calls back your first mate, Andrew. "Cannons loaded and ready, sir."

"Fire," you scream just as the pirate vessel returns the broadside. Flame erupts from the sides of both ships and cannonball and steel shot hiss and scream through the air. The sound of the roaring cannons are deafening, the smoke belching from the sides of the ships obscures a clear view of the battle.

Three of your cannonballs miss high and lob into the ocean on the far side of the pirate ship, but two find their mark in the rigging and five more on the deck and in the side of the pirate ship. You hear the sharp cracking of splintering wood as mast and rigging falls on to the deck while railing and other parts of the ship go exploding off into the sea.

The pirates are pretty good shots themselves but the damage looks worse than it really is. Your mainsail bursts into flames from the pirate's steaming shot. As the flaming remnants fall to your deck a couple of your crew quickly extinguish the fire.

As the pirate ship approaches, you realize it is close enough to board. Not knowing their full strength yet, you hesitate for just a moment before you shout your next command. . .

"Boarding party ready. . .BOARD THEM!"

"Full about. . .HEAD FOR OPEN SEA!"

"Hard to starboard. . .we'll give 'em another round of cannon fire!"