When Patroclese had come up from the cabin after completing his treatment of Xena, the first thing he'd seen was Eponin standing rigidly by the mast taking short shallow breaths while trying to hide the grimace of pain on her face. He'd quickly crossed to her side and started to examine her injuries, before the Weapons Master had collected herself enough to slap his attentions away, "Keep your Roman hands off of me!" she growled in a threatening tone.

"You're hurt," he responded, reaching for her once more.

"I'm fine!" she snapped testily, forgetting to keep her voice down.

"What's going on here?" demanded Ephiny who had been attracted to the altercation.

"Nothing," growled Poni, looking for a way to get passed the Regent.

"I suspect she's got some broken ribs and is in some pain," replied Patroclese to a pointed look from the blonde Amazon.

"They're not broken, just cracked," snarled Eponin, then catching the look from Ephiny, muttered, "Big mouth," but whether it was to herself or Patroclese was a moot point.

The upshot of the situation was that she'd been forced to accept medical attention and was banned from accompanying the party that went ashore. However, she had ignored medical advice and Royal orders both, with regard to resting, and now paced anxiously across the deck, nervously trying to figure out what was going on at the dock.

When Xena appeared from below decks, her face thunderously dark complete with a threatening scowl, clothed in her leathers and carrying her weapons, Eponin just knew that trouble was imminent. Stopping her pacing, she saw Gabrielle scrambling to keep up with the warrior as they headed in the Weapon Master's direction, "Problem?" she asked simply, not sure just how Xena was going to react.

'Could be," growled the Warrior Princess as she stalked to the rail and glared across the river to the fitfully lit dock where their friends stood in evident negotiation with the local authorities.

Realising that she was unlikely to get much information out of the uptight warrior, Eponin slid across the deck to Gabrielle's shoulder and whispered, "What's got her leathers in a wad? Shouldn't she be resting and getting her strength back?"

"Like you, you mean!" snapped the bard angry at both women. An anger that was being further fuelled by her concern for their friends on shore.

Neither Eponin nor Gabrielle could see the wry quirk of lips that etched itself into a lopsided grin as the warrior heard the women behind her while maintaining her concentration on what she could see on the docks. She sympathised with the Weapon Master's dislike of 'resting' while recovering from injury - Ares Balls! I have the same problem myself! - she mentally chuckled.

She focused her attention back on the large group on the dock. - Well at least they haven't been arrested straight away, - she brooded. - Eph must be talking up a storm .. we might just get away with this yet. - Her eyes flickered to the watchtower on the harbour side, her ears picking up movement. She concentrated her senses in that direction and saw a brief flicker of light ignite into the steady flame of a torch that was waved back and forth conveying some message. Xena turned her head and saw the wavering flare of a return signal and quickly turned her attention back to the dock where she could see movement taking place. "Damn!" she cursed.

Gabrielle, who had been continuing her debate with Eponin about the total lack of good sense shown by warriors whenever they got injured, noticed the sudden tenseness that became evident in her partner's form just before she swore, "Trouble?" she asked softly, moving to Xena's side.

"And some," came the terse response. "Eph and the others have just been escorted off the dock, and the signalling in the watchtowers suggests that the ballista crews are primed to use us for target practice."

Gabrielle bit her lip as her hand strayed up to the metal collar clasped around her throat. She shut out images of a return to an irate Caesar's hand and swallowed convulsively before asking, "What are we going to do, Xena?"

The warrior turned and looked grimly at her bardic friend, "We're going to get our friends back and get the Hades out of here .. and anyone who stands in my way better be ready for a one way trip on Charon's boat!"

"Xena," Eponin growled in warning, "there's a couple of boats headed in our direction and they're full of Roman soldiers."

"Okay Poni," responded Xena thinking quickly, her mind working through several plans and discarding them before reaching the one she thought had the best chance of working, "Organise the twenty best archers you've got with you and get them up in the rigging and hidden anywhere that the Romans won't easily spot them. Once we get all those soldiers on deck I want them to take them out as quickly and quietly as they can .. make sure that they leave the officer alive, though. I'm sure he has orders to set up a signal to let those ashore know that they're in control."

"Sure thing, Xena," answered the Weapons Master with a wolfish grin.

"Oh, and Poni," the Warrior Princess called as the Amazon started to gather up her warriors.

"Yeah?"

"You're the one that's going to have to greet them when they come on board."

"Me," protested Eponin, "but I thought you or Gabrielle ..."

Xena fingered the slave collar at her neck, "These are rather unique .. and even if the officer didn't recognise it, slaves are hardly going to be in charge here are they? We need to make sure that those men aren't any more on guard than they would normally be in a situation like this .. so you're gonna have to do it. You won't have to say anything, just stand ready .. Gabrielle and I will be right behind you."

Poni nodded her reluctant assent, "'Kay," she agreed, "Just let me get my featherheads organised!"

Turning her attention back to the two approaching craft, the warrior felt the tentative touch of her bard, "Xena?" came the soft enquiry.

Sighing, the Warrior Princess masked herself with a cold demeanor and turned to face her friend, "It's got to be done, Gabrielle. We can't risk either the shore or the watchtowers noticing the fight. If any of them live through this the healers can patch them up .. but we have to make certain that we retain control of the ship and this is the only way that I can guarantee that we'll succeed."

"Are you sure?" questioned the bard tentatively, not liking the idea of the coming slaughter.

"Yes." responded Xena tersely in a cold distant voice.

The young queen swallowed then asked, "What do you want me to do?" in a firm voice.

The warrior allowed some warmth into her face and tone as she replied, "Keep close to me and stay out of trouble."

Gabrielle ventured a half smile, "Don't I always?" and saw her friend's lips quirk in response before she turned her attention back to the approaching vessels.

Claudius Fortunus was not happy with being hauled out of his nice warm bed, and from his nice warm whore, to lead a detachment of thirty men out to a purported pirate ship that had run afoul of the Tiber's boom. - It's not as if the bastards are going anywhere! - he grumbled silently, - There wasn't any need for me to do this right now. It could have waited until dawn at least. -

"Come on you bloody slackers," he growled at the men hauling on the oars. "After all this time of being garrisoned in a port you'd have thought you'd have at least learned how to row a boat."

That got a lot of discontented murmurs from the men who were no more enamoured of being out in a rowboat than the optio was, "Alright, alright. Just put your backs into it!" he snapped, then added, "I heard that this ship is carrying those Amazons we've been hearing about so there's a boatload of women out there just waiting for our Roman charms!" That go a bark of appreciation from the men and made him feel slightly better at the prospect of some fun. He'd heard that Amazon's were a real hot commodity and could make a man's heart beat faster with just a sway of her hips.

Rowing with renewed vigour, Fortunus' men soon reached the 'Wave Dancer's' side and were eager to get on board. The boat lines were quickly tied off and the Optio headed up the sidings followed by his men. As he cleared the railing, his busy eyes swiftly spotted a figure that could only be an Amazon, flanked on either side by two female slaves.

Something about the slaves' demeanor tickled the edges of his mind as his battle instincts warned him that all was not as it should be here. He had almost reached the three women when his instincts for self-preservation screamed at him and he yelled a warning to his men, "It's an ambush! Take cover!"

He was too late!

Xena could see the optio tensing as his sub-conscious was busy trying to tell him that something was very wrong. As the Roman started to shout his warning to his men, the Warrior Princess shouted out "NOW!" and the deck was washed by a swathe of deadly Amazon arrows and the blood of Roman soldiers.

Fortunus fumbled for his sword, but found his wrist enclosed in the crushing grip of the dark haired slave's large, calloused hand. The grip tightened until he was forced to his knees from the pain, and the small slave bustled to remove his weapons. When he had been disarmed the vicious pain that lanced through his captured wrist lessened as the looming slave released her hold.

Terrified, Fortunus rubbed at his wrist and threw a panicked glance around the deck at the fallen corpses and groaning injured that were all that was left of his command, "Wha .. what do you think you're doing?" he demanded shakily, looking at Eponin. "You'll all be executed for daring to attack us ... for killing my men."

Ignoring the Roman, Xena turned to Eponin and ordered tersely, "Get Patroclese and Sheraya to see if they can help any of those soldiers. Treat them and then find somewhere safe to lock them up ... after you strip them of their uniforms." Poni nodded her agreement and headed off to do the Warrior Princess' bidding.

"Just who are you slave?" demanded Fortunus, his brown eyes beginning to show anger as he recover his poise and struggled to come to term with the situation. He flinched as the dark haired slave turned piercingly cold blue eyes on him.

"What signal were you supposed to give to let them know you took control of the ship?" she demanded.

Fortunus scowled, "Go fu ..." his crude retort was cut off by sudden pounding agony as he lost control of his limbs and felt the burning pain of oxygen deprivation course through his body.

Xena's hands had moved so swiftly they had defied the eye, "I've just cut off the flow of blood to your brain. You've got maybe thirty seconds to live. Do yourself a favour and tell me what signal you're supposed to use."

"A lantern at the mast head and on the port and starboard bows," he rushed to give the information, knowing that he didn't want to die .. not here .. not like this.

"What else?" insisted Xena, guessing there was likely something else in case the soldiers were overwhelmed by the 'pirate' crew during the long hours of darkness.

"Port and starboard lanterns are to be swung three times each at the top of each candlemark," he stuttered.

Releasing the 'pinch', the warrior allowed him to take one long shuddering breath before saying to him, "That wasn't so hard, was it?" as she delivered a power driven punch that turned his lights out. She motioned over an Amazon, "You heard that?" she questioned, receiving a nod of agreement. "Get the lanterns set up, then tie him up and lock him somewhere safe .. after you get his clothes."

Leaving the Roman optio to the Amazon's care, Xena crossed over to Gabrielle, who had retreated to the rail of the ship. "What now?" questioned the bard.

"Now we go find Eph and the others," was the calm reply.