The Saber had been a magnificent ship; made out of dark, glossy wood and protected against the elements by the most careful methods, it had been sleek and sturdy, able to easily maneuver the glaciers of northern seas or the rocks in the midst of rivers. Its prow had had the figure of -who would have guessed- a sabercat mid leap. Its small size had not at all compromise its effectivity. In fact, being able to escape to shallower waters had made it easier for the pirate ship to escape the Aldmeri Dominion, who were constantly trying to arrest the crew.
Sawaquiamora had been proud of her ship. So, when it was destroyed in a skirmish between her and those "blasted elves", it was only natural for the Khajiit to seek revenge.
It happened when the Saber was just returning to Solitude from a delivery of goods to Dawnstar. Sawaquiamora should have known something was up; the residents of Dawnstar, usually so chatty, had retained an unusual silence when she and her crew were taking their stay in the tavern. Most of their trip back to Solitude had been uneventful, which was odd enough in itself.
When the Saber turned into the Karth River, though, it was cut off by Aldmeri ships on both sides. Sawaqiamora had sworn profusely then. The crew had fought vigorously, despite their odds. The battle went somewhat like this:
Sawaquiamora shouted angrily at her crew to arm the cannons. A large, sea-worthy ship had cut off their escape into the Sea of Ghosts, and presently they were firing off their weapons in rapid succession. Cannons just barely missed the Saber as Sawaquiamora's first mate, a Cathay-Raht named Kindri, swerved the ship to avoid the hazardous downpour.
To the southwest, the other ship was smaller but just as dangerous. Mages were uttering spells, creating a pink haze in addition to whatever the intent of the spells were. At the sight of this, Sawaquiamora urged more of her crew to that side of the ship to eliminate the threat that the magic posed.
A cannonball struck home a few feet below deck and towards the rear of the ship. Again, the captain muttered a rude string of curses as the whole ship shuddered, threatening to bring a few uncoordinated fellows to their knees.
"Get yer aim as good as theirs, and we might make it out alive yet, ye filthy mutts!" the Khajiit yowled. It was what felt like forever until the pirates managed to severely injure the Aldmeri's seaside craft. They retreated too fast. Even as the crew around her momentarily celebrated with short woops, Sawaquiamora couldn't help feel uneasy. She turned her attention to the remaining boat only to see a monstrosity arise from the waters of the river.
A stone atronach. She'd seen the likes of them before, but this one towered above any others she'd encountered. The waters of the river came up to its knees, and the faces of the mages that had summoned it were strained with the concentration it took to keep the atronach there.
Soon, the rest of Sawaquiamora's crew had seen the huge elemental. The stronger ones ran to the cannons to take action, but some of her usually lion-hearted crew fell to the deck in terror. If those ones made it the day, the captain would be sure to give them a proper punishment.
The atronach didn't seemed affected at all by the cannonballs that were being fired at it. It lumbered towards the Saber, slowly raising its huge bat-like arms. Sawaquiamora realized what it was going to do just in time.
With a leap towards the edge of her beloved Saber, Sawaquiamora shouted, "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!" A captain was supposed to go down with their vessel, but the captain of this ship was a Khajiit first, and Khajiits valued their fur above anything else.
The pirates fled from their posts, glad for her command. They jumped into the frigid waters without much heed to where they were jumping to. When everybody except Sawaquiamora and Kindri were off the ship, the captain took one last look at her doomed craft and plummeted into the river below.
When Sawaquiamora raised her head above the water, she was able to see the atronach crush the Saber like a ripe tomato.