The ships that had assembled for the rescue of the five pilots finally began to concern themselves with the fate of the officers and soldiers of Shireck who were adrift on the water's surface; to them, this was definitely good news.
One after another, ropes were thrown down and the captives were hauled onto the ships. After they were stripped of their clothes and confirmed to not be carrying any weapons, they were locked in the spare watertight compartments.
A crowd huddled together, much like pigs and sheep. Though it seemed humiliating, it was still better than remaining in the water.
The guards who watched over them politely and professionally explained in detail the use of the valves inside the watertight compartments before they left.
Every captive from Shireck was painfully aware that by opening those valves, they could allow water to flood into the warship, causing it to list to one side.
