Ashsib and the Cat Beast

Chapter Fifteen

"Ashsib, Vel, and Calder go and prepare the cannons." Quinn commanded the next day. He hadn't spoken for some time and his voice was gruff with agitation. Over his shoulder, the pursuing ship had only grown larger. If nothing else, it was a fast ship, you had to give the pirates that. "I'll sink them if I have to."

Ashsib gave a shiver at the coldness in Quinn's words as he followed the order. Taking lives at sea was bad karma for sailors, possibly incurring the wrath of the ocean. Typically, only pirates and the P.O. sunk ships, and Quinn had always maintained they were 'merchants' of the gray sort so, while they occasionally got into fights, it was pretty much defensive and never aimed at the other's ability to escape. Stranding someone with out the means of making shore was a death worse than murder.

Below decks, there were two cannons. It was Vel's job to maintain them and sustain the stores of gunpowder and cannon balls. It wasn't a huge arsenal, but it was necessary. They could only really shoot port-side, the cannons weren't used often enough to be on the deck, so their home was a room on the opposite side of the boat as the living quarters, through the door directly opposite the infirmary, ironically.

The three men opened the gun ports and, hauling on the heavy ropes that kept the cannons in place, moved the muzzles to firing position. It was easier than it had ever been, Ashsib noted.

"Move yours up a bit, Ash." Vel instructed, inspecting the work, "That's good. We'll flip the barrels, but won't load the balls yet. The ship is still pretty far off."

Calder picked no fights as they worked the heavy cannon barrels to face away from the portholes and set the wooden props to give them the right angle for loading. The cannon work was the one thing Vel was trusted with completely. As ex-military he had lots of experience with weaponry.

"You can go above, Ash, see what the Captain says." Vel waved, his hands black with gunpowder residue as he measured the grit in metal cups.

Ashsib was happy to leave the gun room, and quickly escaped to the fresh air of the deck. The smell of gunpowder always made him sweat.

"Cannons in position, Captain." Ashsib informed Quinn, "Ready for your orders to load them."

"They raised a flag." Quinn lowered his binoculars.

Ashsib looked to the ship, a line connecting their masts displayed a green flag with a red triangle on it. A Peace Officers signal that told citizenry that the soldier ship wished to approach and speak. As Ashsib watched, another message flag joined it, the one for 'hold fire.' It had been too dark and stormy to have seen it at their first approach, but Ashsib doubted they had raised it, and they hadn't put up any the second time. That just cemented their fake status even further, actual P.O. were not as careless.

"Tell Vel to load one cannon." Quinn commanded, "Then you and Calder return up here with the rifles."

Ashsib ran down to the cannon room again, gathering Calder and a large lock-box, which he set in front of Quinn.

"Alright, everyone!" Quinn called out, gathering Bretta, Elian and Pashqua with Ashsib and Calder. Challah was staying below decks, her nerves not recovered enough to deal with the pirates again. Namere hadn't been seen all day, Ashsib hadn't asked Elian, but she was probably abed.

Quinn pulled his keys from a belt loop, several of the places they unlocked had copies, but the rifle box was one with a single key. Quinn used it. Inside were exactly eight rifles and four single-shot pistols. Vel had taught the crew to shoot both, but the number of times they'd actually held the guns were very small beyond that.

"Take a rifle and stand at the rail. I'm not convinced that flag doesn't mean they won't be aiming at us. I trust your judgement." The Captain took his own rifle, his three shot pistol already in his waistband.