One ship facing off against almost thirty of lesser strength was still terrible odds, even with Trixium armour. It seemed that the Crimson Guard's only ace would be that not all of them were on the ship preparing for combat. Sure, the enemy might sense Butland and Asher teleporting, but they wouldn't expect me to attack from the sea. I'd only have to find the mermaid first; I owed her that much.
The same Black Sun mages that had once assaulted the old Gemini Station from outside, sailing through the hard vacuum of space, could easily travel through the water as I was. Whether disguised as Merpeople or some other amphibious creatures, those people were masters of transmutation magic, and so, in the future, I'd be inclined to get in the first strike before they could.
