Introduction Grand Battery

[Kaii Nashirou]

Even while at the shore, Kaii still was at times needed at the Golden Hide. He didn't shy from any chance at getting some extra experience or income, so when he told that they looked for naval engineers to check and maintain all metal, mechanical or engine related things on the ship, Kaii was there the next day. Wearing a badge from the Urk, he was welcomed in without a word. And while he grew to like doing improvised work with Swifttail, there was something feeling good to him to have access to any tools he could desire from the dockyards.

There was just one tiny matter he didn't account for. After thoroughly checking the engine, making some fixes and getting to point out an inefficient solution he found while on the sea, asking and getting from the dockyard master the permission to rework it. The marble fox spent the next day checking the piping and water systems, all the pulleys, hooks and every single moving element of the ship and the rigging. He was pretty certain his work would be done after that, but he was still told to come again.

That was the one day he was slightly clueless. He was told to do maintenance for all the cannons and their little carts they were put at to deal with recoil. He could manage the latter without any problems, but while he knew how cannons and ballistics did work, it was more of an academic knowledge. Meaning that once he got to the first cannon, properly cleaning, levelling, sanding, derusting and dredging, it took him two hours to do it all. And there were seventy-three more of those. He wasn't afraid of the task, but there surely was a better way to do it, or at least, to maintain those, Kaii wouldn't have to basically restore them. Beasts that were on the ship could do so without spending days to constantly work on them.

Still, he had no idea how to approach this any better, so leaving the first, now looking brand-new cannon, he started repeating the process for the second one.

@Credence Moody

 

[Credence Moody]

It had been a long run ashore for Credence, but with new orders to report aboard the Golden Hide she was relieved to finally been getting away from the various problems that naturally plagued any sailor who stayed on dry land too long. Those mostly being money owed for gambling, free spending of coin on ale and other diverting activities. So, leaving behind all those joys and worries, Credence had reported herself aboard the Golden Hide, first to the officer of the watch and then on to the Armorer. After a brief conversation, she was sent to look over the guns. There had been a mention that some engineer had come aboard to also look over the guns, and she found him for'ard on the main gun deck.

Short enough that she had little need to stoop beneath the overhanging beams supporting the main deck above them she moved across the deck and paused to watch as the engineer worked on one of the guns.

"They been slackin' off that bad on keepin' their guns clean?" came the first surprised remark as she half-crouched to examine the barrel of the massive cannon, paws running along the black-painted metal, as if she might feel impurities or corrosion in the metal.

"Or do you just like breakin' your back, mate?"

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii turned upon hearing the feminine voice. He didn't expect anyone coming and he was not familiar with anybeast on Hide having that voice. Seeing a smaller, but well-built rat in sailor's clothes, the marble fox relaxed slightly, but decided to stick to the formalities and procedure. Unmoved by the rough comment directed at him, he stood up and spoke calmly, trying to at least to gather some knowledge about the beast in front of him.

"I think no beast do, still, maintenance has to be done with adequate precision. Upon those depends our safety and combat ability after all." Kaii now gazed directly at the doe. "Tell me, who are you? I have not seen you on the ship before and while I doubt you were allowed to this place without passing at least multiple checkpoints, I am still obligated to ask. Don't take this personally." He continued in his usual, flat tone observing the potential reaction. The todd expected that she will most likely be a new sailor, but he had to be sure. He was after all in part responsible for the ship.

@Credence Moody

 

[Credence Moody]

Credence dipped her head, not quite deferential and she doesn't bother to knuckle her forehead--she has clearly discerned Kaii is no officer. She patted the cannon again and straightened to look back at Kaii.

"Credence Moody. Senior Seabeast. Been workin' with guns for a while and they told me someone might need help with 'em and so I headed down here. Need somethin' to get my paws dirty, after all." She grinned, sticking a thumb into the broad belt she wore.

"They got you doin' all of 'em on your own?"

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii took in the words with a deep nod. She was a sailor, that was good. And she gave her name and position. Enough for him to at worst put a complaint if it was needed. But she seemed casual. Thus the fox accepted fully the explanation that she came to help.

"Well, I was the only Engineer who agreed to conduct maintenance during the break. So I was tasked with checking and, if needed, restoring each moving or metal part. Cannons are made of metal so I do suppose they are my duty, albeit I cannot say I am too familiar with cannon maintenance. I could use a paw that knows a thing or two, so if you are here for it, I would be honoured to have your assist."

@Credence Moody

 

[Credence Moody]

"Oh, aye, mate. Happy to help--though if this crew knows their duty they'll take proper care of th' guns, I'd wager--" Credence says with a warm grin and moves over towards the cannon that Kaii stands next to. She leans over it with a pursed-lip expression of concentration on her face, peering at the touch hole for a moment before running her fingers around it, feeling the metal for any cracks or signs of stress.

"Love these bloody things. Soon as I first heard th' great guns firing I knew I wanted to be a gunner," she mused happily. "Nothin' wrong with the touch hole I can see, better check th' muzzle and such next, then we'll look over the trucks and carriage."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii observed Credence with interest, mostly noting how she was both passionate and capable alike. He could understand the former, there were many subjects he just enjoyed getting into and talking about. What he couldn't understand really was how she was casually stating the metal was alright by the touch alone. To check for microfissures, any deformations of internal structure of metal caused by heat and pressure, things like that were very difficult to check without a labratory. Kaii did his best to check for those but even he was limited by the tools he had on paw.

He also remembered one thing, to establish proper rapport, it was good for both sides to know respective names and he needed that rapport to potentially learn someting new. "Forgive my manners. I am Kaii, Gentlebeast of the Nashirou house, Seabeast and Engineer's Mate on this very ship. I wish to ask, since I can very much see the passion you have for those modern pieces of applied balistics, is it just experiece that allows you to speak so surely about the state of the cannon, or are there methods I am unaware of? I am simply perplexed you can by mere look and touch define if the metallic structure is still well, consideting how most issues are typically invisible to the naked eye."

While asking with a slight shift of his stoic tone into slightly curious one, he leaned down to assist checking the carriage. That was well within his capabilities and after producing all needed tools, he went over joints, fulcrums and bearings, making sure they are all in good shape, at proper places and within adequate skews to remain fully operational.

@Credence Moody

 

[Credence Moody]

It took a moment for Credence to comprehend some of the fancier words Kaii was using and she frowned, her brow furrowing as she looked around the bore in the sunlight streaming through an open gunport, seeking out any obvious deformation, cracking, rust, or flaking paintwork.

"Eh? I mean, I ain't lookin' for anything small, but if there was serious cracks 'round the touch hole I'd feel 'em, yeah? Ain't like you got all the fancy instruments and such out at sea, so I just do what I can." Credence replied with a shrug after she finally managed to get her head around what was being asked of her.

"Besides, if they're doin' their duty the guns oughter be in good shape."

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii considered what he heard carefully, he felt like it was a flawed approach to the matter. He remembered from his studies that most of the issues with metal failure came from the issues that were in fact, not big enough to be spotted easily. Material fatigue being one of them. However she made one good point, on the sea, one had no tools to do all that.

"Not that I disagree with you, I know well how... cumbersome repairs can be on the high seas without proper tools." He admitted remembering his adventures with Swifttail. "But should we apply same logic here at the dock where we have those tools? I may be inexperienced, but it seems foolish to me to just stop at what we can see." Kaii words were stern, just as his voice was stoic. But slow movements of tail, his ears and slight tilt of the hear suggested his curiosity that really driven him.

He pulled out a detailed design sheet for a cannon he made, based on the Hide armaments. "I come from a family of weaponmakers. Cannons are a new to me however, so don't take my questions in bad faith. It is just a scientific curiosity."

@Credence Moody

 

[Credence Moody]

"If'n you want to use your tools, don't let me stop ye," Credence replied with a shrug. Her hand rested at her hip as the fox pulled out his design sheet. She leaned over to peer at the drawing with all of its notes and details, squinting. Her letters were... passable. She could write her name, anyway, and read other things if she took her time and it wasn't terribly technical.

"Ain't cannons grand, though? Ye can knock down a mast or stove in a hull at five hunnert yards, if ye aim it well with one of the big thirty-two or twenny-four pound smashers." She enthuses as Kaii mentions that his family makes guns. "Your family works in th' foundries, then? Can't imagine that, all of that glowin' hot metal. Must be akin to Hellgates!"

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii shook is head and raised his paws at the misunderstanding. He didn't seem much concerned for the following words, but his eyes were sadder for the moment he spoke. "I should have said former. My family is dead, our foundries and workshops ruined. I remember them well from my kithood, the heat, the expertise and all the most innovative tools the forge or foundry could have. But it was just before the cannons came to play that it all ended. I have the knowledge and hundreds of designs, but... that is it."

After taking a moment, the marble fox decided it was enough sadness for today. "But as you've said, cannons are indeed a fascinating topic. They seem simple, but they are impressive piece of modern engineering for sure!" He exclaimed more enthusiastically. His tail now starting to wag and his eyes getting a glint of kitlike wonder. "They have great power and range, but they lack in accuracy and reload times. I was many times thinking on how to fix those problems, because I really think cannons will play massive role in the future. Making them portable or maybe giving them a solid cart made of plated wood to allow safe reloads maybe?"

@Credence Moody

 

[Credence Moody]

"Arr. I'm sorry to hear it matey," Credence allowed with an awkward shuffle of her paws as she tried to focus on not putting her paw in her mouth over such missteps! Thankfully the fox seemed happy to move on and not dwell on his misforune.

"Well, the accuracy is helped if'n your ball is well-fit to the bore and smooth and free of rust an' other defects, and the quality of the powder is sure to help as well. If you have fine, well-dried powder it'll fire quicker and the ball flies faster! Then it's all down to the skill of the beast what aims the gun." Credence enthused, peering along one of the barrels as if she were imagining sighting the gun at a foe's vessel.

"Better carts or carriages would do a heap o' good, I figure. Or a better system of ignitin' the guns. The match-fuse is ol' reliable, but havin' heaps of smolderin' match around is askin' for trouble on any ship, even if it's necessary."

@Kaii Nashirou

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii was now much more focused on the part he preferred much more than doing maintenance, thinking of solutions. He had an idea, not a bad one when it came to dealing with a fuse, but it would take a lot of testing before it could be done. After all, gunpowder was actually a thing that required some care to handle, lest one wants to lose an arm.

"You are right about the gunpowder, but I feel like there must be solutions that would increase power without just putting more of it. I was not allowed sadly to test some on the present cannons. I am however assured that threading the barrel would help quite a lot..."

While he spoke he dutifully went over another cannon, this time trying to follow the example he saw and focus more on any actually visible defects.

"Same goes for the igniters. However, the carriages? I have to say, I was pondering, since the cannons on the ship are stationary, wouldn't putting them on some sort of a rail be the best for dealing with recoil?"

 

[Credence Moody]

"If'n there was a way to make the powder better or finer, so it burned faster it might be able t'shoot the ball further without increasin' the size of the charge, but I ain't no alchemist..." The transition into what amounted to gun-obsessed shop talk was more than welcome to Credence. The only thing she liked better than talking about her guns was perhaps setting them off. She did delight in something going boom.

"Well, a rail I suppose... but I were thinkin' wheels, a little cart of sorts that could roll back under recoil and then be hauled back in. Th' rail I think might not be fit for the great guns--might take up too much space to work proper with how much these things jump."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Considering the proposal wasn't hard, it was just another case of advantages versus disadvantages of each solution. "You aren't wrong. Rails would be more bulky and expensive but would provide much more recoil control in comparison. Also, unlike carts you are proposing, they wouldn't roll back, giving a need to push them onto position again each time. In other words, allowing for much more consistent targetting." Kaii explained yet he knew that to refit whole hold with rails would at least require building a ship fully our of metal. Something that was possible, but not yet economical at all.

"Then again, such little carts would be much easier to fix and maintain on the sea. As an expert, when you shoot the cannon, how do you typically manage recoil and need for retargetting? I know how it was done with ballistas, but cannons aren't much like them I presume."