During the war against the Pellini Isles, near the end it was not going well
for the Imperial Navy. During one battle, the Imperial ships became
separated and each had to fight alone, not being able to coordinate with her
sister ships. During the battle, two ships, the "Marach's
Hammer" and the
"Wolf Eyes" actually collided. Neither ship was greatly damaged,
and both
survived the battle.
When they returned to port, both captains challenged the other to a duel.
The admiral heard of this, and requested that he, as an impartial observer
would choose the weapons used for the duel. He stated that if his request
was not granted, then he would order both captains into the brig until the
Pellini Isles was once again part of the Empire. Both captains accepted
his
request.
When the appointed time for the duel arrived, both captains were astonished
to see the admiral, being followed by two orderlies, each carrying a bucket
full of soapy water, and a mop. Each bucket was placed next to one of the
captains, and the mop was thoroughly soaked in it before being handed to the
captains.
The captains did fight their duel, and other than some bruises, neither were
hurt. Word of the duel had gotten around, and so there was an audience,
mostly normal sailors, but also some of their own fellow officers. As the
two duelist fought, both became thoroughly soaked. The spectators were
enjoying the fight, if that is what it could have been called.
Later, the two captains did become friends, and each apologized to the other
for the original incident, attempting to take the blame for their ships
running into each other. When asked about his choice of
"weapons" the
admiral said that each of the captains was a good captain, and that the Navy
couldn't afford to lose either one of them.
© 2000 J. K. Wykowski & T. Coonrod