James was only a little better prepared for the tossing of the ship, but here in the stern of the ship, there wasn't much for either of them to hang onto and there was the added danger of colliding with or even being crushed by any equipment that hadn't been properly secured. He reached to grab hold of her hand, even as she was ripped from his grasp, and they were both tossed by the force of the sea.

Slumped on the deck, Ash dragged herself up onto her feet again, gripping with freezing fingers to the spray-slicked edge of one of the many equipment stands that littered the aft deck itself, her hair plastered to her face. She could feel the back of her head throbbing where she'd impacted with the bulkhead, but other than that, no injuries that she could notice. As she peered through the spray, seeking James, however, something much bigger caught her attention.

From the depths of the broiling storm plunged a huge ship - iron-clad, rather than steel, but armed with cannon that were still firing. Those shots ripped through the Mauretania with brutal force, tearing open her hull to invite the sea inside, but that was not their main problem. The bow of this uninvited ship rammed straight into the aft section of the research ship, sending shudders through every inch of steel. A heavy iron plate, knocked loose from the other ship by that impact, slammed into Ash's side, knocking her off her feet as she felt blood seep from her side and shoulder. She didn't even have time to cry out before the wave that followed that impact picked up and threw her bodily over the side, together with just about everything from that deck that hadn't managed to stay riveted down.

It was unlikely the iron-clad had been after them. Having been caught in the Nexus storm, just as they had, it was more likely, they'd been engaged in battle with some other ship before the storm had sucked them in and tossed them here. It was little comfort, however, to those on board the research vessel, whose fates were now sealed. Dazed by the violence of the impact, James had been thrown like a rag doll across the deck to collide into a metal canister of some sort, leaving him stunned, his head throbbing in pain. Cannon fire erupted, making his head ring, even as he struggled to find Ash through all the confusion. He just barely managed to catch sight of her before the other ship rammed them, and he lost her to the wave, shouting her name above the roar of wind and sea and battle.

He lunged for her just as the ship was rocked again, and a wave crashed over the side of the ship, picking him up, along with everything else that was held down, and tossing him overboard into the waiting sea.

Despite the chaos above the surface, below it was calm. Amid the sinking debris from the capsizing ships, people were visible. Most were in one piece, striking out for the reef in panic; some floated, unmoving, among the predators that had re-emerged in the hope of an easy meal. Blood stained the water where they had begun to feed on the hapless few who had fallen within their reach. Half-dazed, not truly cognizant of the pain she was in, Ash tried to look dead while aiming herself for the surface, acutely aware that some of that blood was hers. She was a prime target for the deadly mouths still circling about them.

The sea below the surface was terrifyingly calm, and James knew only too well of the dangers those predators posed. He had lost a hand to one once, after all, and he had no intention of the past repeating itself. Further dazed by the collision with the iron-clad and his ejection from the ship, he gulped a few mouthfuls of water before he realized what had happened. Blinking the sting of saltwater from his eyes, he searched the murky water for any sign of Ash, knowing he needed to find the surface himself before he either drowned or became something's next meal. Nothing he'd ever experienced before had quite prepared him for this, not even Neverland.

If James had thought scuba-diving with sharks under tank conditions was something to be worried about, then this was a lethal combination. Bleeding, and fast running out of what little breath she had got into her lungs before going under, Ash knew that death would not come from above, or in front. It would come fast, from below and behind, and she likely wouldn't know until it had her in its jaws. Unless her luck held, and she made it to the jagged reef, where the bigger predators could not go. Her mind flashed to James, panic rising when she realized she did not know what had happened to him, only for that feeling to be swept away by the need to survive. Knowing time was running out, she gave up on the charade of being dead and began to swim in earnest, every muscle screaming at her to let them rest.

Panic was rising, and he found himself whispering another prayer to a goddess whose name he didn't know, unable to believe she would have saved him and sent him to Rhy'Din only to abandon him now. His lungs were burning like fire as he struggled for the surface, heartsick that his first voyage at sea had ended in such tragedy. How many of their crew and passengers had died, he wondered, only hoping against hope Ashlyn wasn't one of them.

This prayer, offered in desperation while floating within the ocean itself ....this prayer was answered. Familiar, unseen hands caught hold of him, pulling him to the surface; turned the predators away from those who still lived; raised those survivors to the surface. She had promised him her aid in return for his love, and he had not disappointed her. With her intervention, the Nexus storm was abruptly gone from their quiet bit of peace, the surface once again calm as people began to pop up, dragging in rough breaths and calling to one another in shock.

Shocked and traumatized, wet and cold, James did not at first realize that his prayer had been answered. Instead, he was simply relieved to have found the surface and take his first breath of air since being tossed from the ship. Gulping deep breaths of air and coughing up saltwater while he struggled for land took up the better part of an hour, collapsing on the sand with whoever else had been lucky enough to find their way to land. Ashlyn was never far from his mind though, he heart heavy with the knowledge that he might have lost her.

Ashlyn surfaced not far from him, gasping for breath as she flailed with a splash. That first breath was painful, each successive breath panicked until she got control of herself enough to take measured breaths. She was just barely aware of the calm sky and sea around her, of the fact that the ship that had rammed them was nowhere to be seen. The second she found land, however, she became acutely aware of her own injuries, ashamed of herself for crying as she dragged herself awkwardly over the sand and away from the lapping surf.

James was vaguely aware of his own injuries, of a throbbing pain in his head and a familiar ache in his ribs, though it was nothing compared to other injuries he'd suffered in the past. His first thought as he struggled to his feet was for Ashlyn and the other survivors. Clutching his side, he stumbled away, searching for her in a panic, checking on other survivors as he made his way down the beach.

Survivors of the storm and crash were littered along the shoreline - most able-bodied, if in shock, and thankfully coherent of what was happening. Some called out to James as he passed, making sure he knew they were there as the disparate groups began to gather together in the warm sunshine. A weak voice called for help ....Ashlyn's voice, her body itself hidden behind an outcrop of rock. She couldn't move any further, the gash in her side only the start of her problems. She was pretty sure she'd broken a few ribs, and sustained at least one blow to the head, and she didn't dare look down at her right leg, which had dragged painfully through the sharp coral before she'd made it to the sand.

Somewhere in the back of his head, James was worried he'd somehow been the cause of the storm - that he was cursed or something, as he'd been in one before, but there was no time to think on that now. Now, it was all about finding Ashlyn. As he stumbled his way down the beach checking on survivors, he asked each one if they'd seen Ashlyn, his heart growing heavier with each shake of the head or mumbled response, until, at last, he heard a feeble voice calling for help and he made his way over the sand toward it, shouting her name. "Ashlyn!" Please God, let it be her.

"For what?" James asked, knowing she had nothing to apologize for. If anyone should be apologizing, he thought it should be him. After all, he seemed to be a magnet for Nexus storms. "This is going to hurt," he warned her, just before very carefully covering the gash in her side with seaweed, which would help stanch the bleeding and prevent infection, even if it did hurt like hell.

"I'm just ....sorry," she admitted in a soft voice, swallowing hard. She didn't admit to her sense of guilt, too caught up in swallowing the strangled yell that wanted to rise up as he applied the seaweed to her wound. Squeezing her eyes shut, she ground her teeth, fingers digging into the sand beneath her as she fought to stay still under his ministrations. Well, if it was hurting, at least that meant she wasn't dead, right"

He didn't have to see the look on her face or the way she tensed beneath his hands to know what he was doing was painful, but he also knew she was strong enough to endure it. It was one of the things he loved and respected most about her. "Easy, love. I know it hurts like hell, but there's no other way," he told her as gently as he could.

Pale and shaking, she endured that lancing pain for as long as it took to ease into a slightly less distracting major throb, finally breathing out as she made the effort to relax. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking at the youngest of her students, a scared-looking sixteen year old with a beautiful bruise on her clavicle that looked like it was hiding a broken bone. "Hey, Suzie," she managed. "It's all good, don't look like that. Help's coming."

Though James' attention was focused on Ash for the time being, he knew he had to make the rounds and see if anyone else needed help. There wasn't much that could be done for his own wounds, which probably amounted to a concussion and bruised ribs. He'd been one of the lucky ones, it seemed. Maybe the goddess had heard his prayers after all. Satisfied he had done all he could for Ash, he turned to look at the girl standing nearby who looked close to tears. "There, now. She's going to be just fine. See?" he said, forcing a smile for them both. "Now, let's have a look at you, shall we?"

Suzie looked as though she was going to be changing majors when they got back to Rhy'Din. There was a little too much trauma in those big frightened eyes as James turned to take a look at her. "M-my shoulder hurts when I'm not holding my elbow up," she volunteered in a timid tone, glancing nervously to Ash.

"He knows what he's doing," her professor assured her, relieved to see Giles bringing the other three students over to where she had been set up to endure her own rough first aid.

James did his best to hide a wince at his own pain as he moved to his feet to take a look at the girl's injury. "May I?" he asked, not wanting to presume anything, especially in view of the girl's fright.

With another glance to Ash, encouraged by the woman's nod and smile, Suzie swallowed, looking back to James. "Um ....okay," she agreed reluctantly. "Does that happen a lot' The storm, and the other boat?"

"No, it was a Nexus storm," he explained calmly, as his fingers very carefully probed her shoulder, telling him what he already knew. "Broken clavicle," he told her. "It needs to go in a sling." He considered a moment before stepping back and unbuckling the belt at his waist. "Can you hold very still for me?" he asked the girl.

The young girl whimpered as he probed gently at the bruised flesh over her break, tears forming to trail down her cheeks as she tried not to flinch away. "I-I can do that," she sniffled softly, her good hand cupping the elbow of the arm that was putting all the pressure on her break. "Is-is it bad?"

"Oh, nothing that won't heal. You won't be going sky-diving anytime soon. Will that be a problem?" he asked, trying to add a little levity if he could as he wound the leather belt around her neck, carefully fastening it so that it would support her injured arm.

The tears that could so easily have fallen were turned into a shaky laugh by his gentle joke, the young girl relieved to find that she could slide her hand away from her elbow without too much pain in her shoulder now he was done.

Ash's smile gentled, glad to see the damage wasn't permanent. "James, go," she told him softly. "You need to check the crew. We're all here, and we'll stick together right here."

Yes, he knew what sky-diving was. He wasn't completely caught up to some of the modern advances and culture on Rhy'Din, but he had managed to make at least some progress since his arrival. Satisfied he'd done as much as he could for Ash and her student, he nodded his head grimly, unsure what he was going to find once he made his rounds of the crew and passengers. There were things that needed to be done, if they were to survive until a rescue ship found them - if a rescue ship found them. There was no way of knowing if Ashlyn's call for help had been received, but he was trying to be optimistic, despite their circumstances. "Aye, I'll have Stanton send over some water as soon as he can. Both of you just sit tight and try not to move around any more than necessary."

"Aye, aye, captain," Ash smiled, reaching out her arm to invite Suzie to cuddle against her good side. Yes, things had gone horribly wrong, but it had not truly been a predictable accident. Yes, they were stranded on an unpopulated atoll for now, but they knew there was a source of fresh water, the weather was warm, and there could be help on the way already. All five of the students and both professors were accounted for, with no life-threatening injuries among them. These were good things to hold onto, and Ash had a feeling James was going to need a few good things to hold onto. There had been twenty crew when they'd set sail - even she could see that there were faces missing from the men and women who were working together to deal with injuries and create a camp.

James flashed the two women a reassuring smile, pausing a moment to touch his fingers to Ashlyn's cheek, before hobbling away to find out how the rest of the crew and passengers had fared. It was only when he had his back turned to Ashlyn that it became apparent that he wasn't holding himself right, obviously favoring one side over the other. The hair on the back of his head was matted together with dried blood, where his head had struck the side of the ship, but he was alive, and that was more than could be said for some others.

In a way, they had been lucky. The storm had hit them in the middle of the day, giving the survivors plenty of daylight in which to do what needed to be done. By the time night fell, they had a campfire and plenty of wood to keep it burning through the night; they had fresh water stored in gallon bottles rescued from the ship before it became dangerous to enter; likewise, they had managed to pull out blankets and towels, and even some of the personal belongings, all of which had been left out to dry under the sun. But they also knew the cost of the appalling incident.

Captain Fry was dead, crushed when the two ships had impacted while he was trying to radio their position to anyone who might be listening; Dex had lost his left leg below the knee to one of the sharks that had been circling when he hit the water, and was even now struggling with shock and blood loss, despite their best efforts; of the seventeen other members of the crew, four bodies had been found, and the rest were more shaken than hurt, sporting bumps and bruises and bites that would heal. James was de facto captain, and they looked to him for orders and discipline, only too happy to obey basic instructions in the wake of the disaster that had destroyed their ship.

As for the students ....Suzie was the only one of them who had been injured badly, but they were all struggling with the sudden shock of a very real accident that had swept them up. Thankfully, Stanton had taken the initiative and included a couple of those students in a hunting trip, coming back with a couple of buckets of crabs, which were even now baking in the embers at the base of the fire. Even James had had his injuries seen to. But the mood around the fire was somber as people cracked open shells and ate the sweet crab meat inside. It was very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.