"Amazing! Dion needs an increase in his personal funding after that move!" Crassus laughed as he and Dom sat down outside a tent that had been erected near the Bellona. Zhou Yu, Artemisia, Sun Ce and Gan Ning were also there as the sun had now set and the moon was high in the sky. Dom had just finished telling them about his short conversation with the Captain Eudoxus and then his other one with Xanthippus.
"So he knows about Artemisia and he has seen a Hoplite he thought was dead. This definitely a positive turn, hopefully he makes time to visit our fleet and I can show him some of the other wonders." Zhou Yu nodded in agreement, whilst Artemisia shook her head in frustration.
"I should have kept my mouth shut." She grumbled, "But, it is what it is. Tomorrow the Samos delegation should arrive and that is our time to push our agenda in the meeting."
"I just hope that they do arrive." Zhou Yu replied seriously, causing everyone to look at him with questioning looks. He smiled reluctantly and continued. "We did our research and based on when we arrived, we knew the flow of the battle. If our enemies have arrived as well, not only can they warn against the Ionian's switching sides, they can also stop the Samos delegation departing and heading here asking for help. If they do that, we have no reason to head to Samos and therefore they could come here and ambush us instead."
"Or, they could cause the Samos delegation to be delayed so that they have additional time to prepare." Sun Ce agreed. "It's a good tactic, but it depends on the minds on the other side."
"From my understanding, our main foe other than the Persians is GeneralSlaughter. He seems to want to Battle, so I expect he would let the Samos delegation leave if he is even aware of them." Dom replied confidently.
"He'll only be aware of them if he has the right people to ask. We are lucky to be surrounded by Hoplite, have Artemisia and Thucydides." Crassus agreed with a nod of his head, "But it is a good point, if the Samos delegation doesn't arrive, then we need to think of a second option."
"We could get a ship to head to Astrid and have her report finding them." Gan Ning put forwards, "It isn't the same as those on Samos asking for help, but it is still enough of a prompt to show where the enemy is located."
"If I was Masistes or Artayntes, the two Commanders of the Persian fleet. I would not be inclined to destroy my Ionian's allies based on a strangers word. They are both confident in their own abilities and will only trust another Persian or someone like myself." Artemisia explained, having met the two of them before when she had served Xerxes in the previous campaigns. "The most they will do is put the Ionian's in the back line. I would expect them to listen to the possibility of those on Samos asking for help, but that is if they even mention it in the first place."
"If they do mention it and get ignored, they could set up an ambush to capture the Samos Delegation and bring them back. It would raise their trust levels with the Persians and give them a larger speaking power at the table." Sun Ce replied after some thought.
"We could deploy a small fleet early in the morning under the guise of scouting our surroundings for enemy ships." Gan Ning put forwards, "I could take a small fleet, using the Sibylla as a flagship, another Trireme and two Bireme and two Liburna. It's enough to not cause a massive weakness on our side, and also enough if we are involved in a small skirmish."
"If for some reason GeneralSlaughter did try this tactic, if he has as many ships as we did initially, you would be massively out numbered." Dom replied whilst he thought of a solution.
"He would be stupid to do so, the Persians will not allow him to deploy that many ships if he is part of their fleet. It will be no more than ten ships if he does so, we could ask Xanthippus and Leotychides to send a ship or two each with you on the premise that they will get the same information back that isn't diluted from the scouting." Artemisia explained, "I do like how you chose my ship as the flagship, I thought we were choosing not to risk the Bellona and Sibylla."
"If we are outnumbered then we will retreat." Gan Ning stated in a promising tone, "The best situation is we come across the Samos delegation alone and can bring them here. At least then we can claim some merit before we progress."
"Leotychides want's the commanders gathered at first light to begin planning, I will bring this forwards as a suggestion." Dom agreed, "It also shows that we are proactive and are worth more than just our financial gifts."
"I will send word to some selected Captains now to plan for it, and then head to sleep with the aim to depart when the tide begins to recede." Gan Ning said, whilst Zhou Yu replied saying he would work out some routes for them using the map and make sure that the majority of supplies were removed to increase the Sibylla's pace if she needed to flee. The rest also decided to go to sleep, with Dom leaving Artemisia and Crassus sat beside a fire as he headed to his own tent.
.....
"First light is on the horizon Lord Lazarus." Actumerus spoke softly as he woke Dom up, his head peaking in to the tent, with the sight behind him still being mostly darkness. Dom rubbed his eyes in response as he sat up, feeling like he hadn't slept as long as he had needed.
"Thanks Actumerus." Dom responded as one of his other Batavi guards headed in to Dom's large tent and helped him prepare his armour.
"General Gan Ning is preparing his ships for departure, whilst Lady Artemisia, Chancellor Crassus and Admiral Zhou Yu are waiting for you before departing towards the headquarters that Leotychides has had built overnight." Actumerus explained to him as the other guard helped strap his breastplate on. "Captains Wine Wind and Chung are preparing their ships to support General Gan Ning, whilst Captains GiantWrangler and Steven McSteven are also waiting nearby to accompany you."
"Has anyone prepared any food?" Dom asked, his stomach feeling the need for some before his busy day ahead.
"The Legionaries have prepared something basic for the morning, some of the other Guards are holding on to it ready for you." Actumerus smiled knowingly, as he pulled his head out of the tent as Dom headed to leave it.
Dom walked towards his waiting entourage, Artemisia still wore her veil, even though it wouldn't be on for long. Crassus was lightly armoured, as was Zhou Yu who wore a mask. His own entourage seemed to look dangerous compared to those that surrounded them, with only GiantWrangler's two Macedonian Hoplite seemingly fitting in with the rest of their surroundings.
"Good morning everyone." Dom welcomed as they began heading towards the hill they had met at the day before, this time another large canopy had been erected with more seats having been placed.
...
"Wake up Kai, we are ready to depart to Halicarnassus." Astrid's voice sounded in Kai's ear as he slept comfortably under some animal skin blankets on Astrid's longship. They had travelled during the daylight south to avoid the Persian fleet's and had spent the night in the shallows beside the Isle of Astipalea. The rest of their fleet was around them, ready to push themselves to Tilos and prepare their scouting and future ambush attack on the Persian fleet.
They could have reached Halicarnassus in the night, but Astrid wasn't confident in all of the ships capabilities and didn't think it was worth the risk. Kai had agreed with her as the person who was deemed the most senior person in the command structure. He had found it strange to be in charge, as he was naturally a follower when he was with his friends, but he had his own plans and wanted to see how far he could push himself.
Kai's plans weren't fully his own, he had his own ideas and had put them past some of Dom's Civilian Heroes when he had met them briefly in Riverside. Xun Yu and Crassus both supported the risk and he was now taking the chances he wanted to take.
"Are you nervous?" Kai asked Astrid, as the other Player smiled at him in response.
"Excited more than anything." She grinned, "I spent most of my evening chatting with your Centurion Chariovalda, I wonder just how further ahead Lazarus is to other players."
"Honestly, I was surprised myself when I got there." Kai smiled as he looked at the raising sun in the distance.
"Why did you decide to join him?" Astrid asked, not knowing of their real life friendship when she asked.
"Because Lazarus is just that kind of person." Kai replied honestly as he watched some of the Bireme and Liburna begin to start moving in the water away from them.
"If we win this Battle and get the rewards we all hope for, I expect other Players may try and follow as well." She explained as she shouted some orders to her crew to begin their journey.
...
"We hide the ships here." Maron, one of the Spartans explained to Ling Tong and Centurion Phillip as they all looked down on a map that had been created for them before departure from Riverside. "We head here first, and then cut inland across here. We can then join up with the others on the route in to Plataea."
"I think we should take this route, we could potentially catch some enemy scouts off guard and bring a prize as our entry price." Alpheus, Maron's brother explained. "This is definitely where the Persian's outer scout lines will be."
"We could do that, but our role isn't to fight in the Battle, but to recruit. What is the best way for Phillip to sneak north in to the enemy lines?" Ling Tong asked the group. Around him were a handful of Spartans, Hoplite and some of the Balearic Slingers and Wudang Archers who were exceptional in mountain and forest terrain.
"I would say we send them here then. If we can purchase some horses they can head to Thebes itself." One of the Hoplite put forwards, their small fleet slowly approaching Salamis itself, a large island south of Athens and not far to the battlefield of Plataea itself.
"That would be ideal, if we can join up with them and join the enemy side, we should be able to fit in easy enough." Centurion Phillip agreed. They had all been given a different mission and a different set of guidelines depending on how the battle changed. A lot of effort had gone in to the planning, but everything could change at a minute.
"I hope Centurion Alexander has positive luck at home." Another Hoplite commented as he looked across the water longingly towards his own past home.
.....
"This is so much fun!" Andrew exclaimed joyfully to the Spartan Leonidas as their newly purchased Bireme began to head south from their location. The Bireme was reaching a fast pace and the crew were a mixture of experienced Warriors from Riverside and new recruits who were excited to join up.
"I can't believe you actually agreed with this." Leonidas replied with a grin, the Spartan almost like a new person compared to the more stern one that had arrived in Riverside in the very early days.
"It was a great thought and means that my own idea will work out!" Andrew laughed as he looked out across the water.
"And if it doesn't work?" Leonidas asked seriously, confident but wanting some reassurance.
"Then we abandon our gains and meet up with Ling Tong like originally planned!" He grinned.