(Episode 11.3.a Mission Assist HUD)
>Off the coast of Sicily, on board Duilius' flagship, 260 BCE<
vōs vomitis.
incrēdibiliter, quamquam modo brevī tempore adfuistis; it already feels like you've been vomiting forever, and will continue to vomit forever.
Tertius, standing beside you on the small puppis of the quinquereme, is of course unaffected.
The Roman imperātor seems far too anxious to notice you. He's on the other side of the ship (really 10 feet away at the most), looking intently towards a group of islands about a mile away.
"ō imperātor!" clāmat centuriō quī in prōrā stat. "corvus est parātus!"
It's at that point that you notice this ship's bizarre defining feature--what looks like some kind of draw-bridge, drawn up against a mast at the ship's prow, with a tremendous spike at the very top.
Now you overhear what the imperātor is saying, apparently to himself.
"sed Scīpiō dīxit. . . ego faciō ōrātiōnem? potentia Lapidis? quid est? mortuus est Asina ille! atque stulta fābula about how the whole classis was built in 60 days isn't helping, either. I suppose I have no choice."
Prompt: Get the imperator's attention in a way that doesn't make him suspicious.