The Steam War (The Steam War #1)

Chapter 9: The A.S. Blitz

"Are we ready to engage?"

The captain of the A.S. Spigot stood in the cockpit, staring at the enemy airship less than a mile ahead of them. Hard rain was hitting the windows, and lightning cracked above them. It was only mid-afternoon, but the heavy clouds made it seem like a starless night. Wind battered the ship, tangling their American flag on its pole.

"Yes, sir. The Nikola is ready for battle," a voice cracked over the radio in front of them.

"Gentlemen, ahead of us is the A.S. Blitz. This monster has taken too many of our ships. Our generals have assigned us this task because we will be the ones to finally end this Nazi behemoth."

The captain grabbed a cane that was leaning on their seat and pointed it at the Blitz, which menacingly hovered in front of their two American ships. The clouds contrasted against its rigid figure.

"Our children will be told stories of today," the captain predicted, still pointing at their enemy. "I just hope they will be happy stories."

Lightning cracked again between the opposing ships.

"It's a hell of a day to die, ma'am," the pilot commented, a grin on his face.

"Dying isn't something Captain Wings does well," the captain of the Nikola said over the radio.

"No," Captain Wings confirmed, "no I don't." She pressed a big red button on the dashboard of the cockpit, which turned on the ship's broadcast frequency, allowing them to talk to the Nazi ship.

"I can understand any fear in your hearts," she taunted, speaking into the microphone next to the button, "seeing as your kind are a bunch of cowards anyway. Just know that there will be no escaping your demise. Let it be known that Captain Katie Wings will defeat you and avenge the world through your deaths."

After a moment of hesitation, a voice cracked through the receiver. "Fraulein, your ego has taken you too far. My boys will be happy to take the only American tramp with a ship down. Maybe it will teach your kind a lesson."

"So be it. Gentlemen, let's give this Blitz the blitzkrieg it deserves. Captain Cannon, fire away."

"Copy that, sir," the Nikola's captain confirmed over the radio.

The two American ships were the first to fire. Cannon fire and bullets sprayed from both ships towards the bigger Nazi ship, and the Blitz's shields reflected everything. Their first wave of attack was useless.

"We knew that would happen," Captain Wings said. "Cannon, tell Valentine to get out the Lightning Rod."

"Are you sure, Wings? If we lose Valentine to a lightning strike, we're both in big trouble."

"I'm well aware of the risks, Captain," she retorted, a little too forcefully. "But we're not going to make any progress if we don't immediately take out their shields."

As if on cue, the Blitz returned fire on the two ships. Despite having their own shields, a few shots made it through and caused some minor damages.

"Are you good to work without being ordered around, repair team?" she asked over her radio.

"Yes, sir, we are. We're already on our way."

Ricky Valentine sat on his perch aboard the Nikola, picking through his rifles. The government had generously compensated with a bunch of toys to use: a few long-range rifles, several sniper rifles, an anti-tank rifle, and the Lightning Rod. Created by Nikola Tesla himself, the Lightning Rod fired an ionized spear of copper that was enough to attract a dangerous amount of lightning.

Valentine was never nervous. Not after what he'd been through. All the things he'd seen, the battles he'd fought, and the people he'd killed. He just wasn't comfortable holding a gun that had the power to redirect lightning. Even in the moments leading up to using the weapon, the rod was a hazard. For as long as he had the rod in the gun, he was the most valuable target for every wild lightning strike in a twenty-mile range.

"Preparing the shot," he said over his own radio. "I only have one shot, so do your best to keep us steady."

"Of course," Captain Cannon asserted. "With the way Katie's talking about those shields, I wouldn't risk anything stupid."

Alright, so maybe he did get nervous. He felt his heartbeat in his fingertips as he leveled the gun at the enemy ship. The great Ricky Valentine had the entire battle in his hands. Again. Just because he was a good shot didn't mean he wanted to be the star every time he was fighting. At least Captain Wings, the world's favorite captain, was here to take some of the celebrity pressure off him.

An additional volley came from the Blitz and crashed into their ships. Their shields still held, but they suffered more damage from this attack than the last one.

"What's the hesitation, Cannon?" Katie yelled into the radio. "We need to take out those shields as soon as possible!"

"He was lining up right as they attacked, Captain Wings. Give him another second, and—"

A loud crack of lightning rumbled in the air, trailing behind a rod of copper flying through the air towards the Blitz. The charged rod connected with their cockpit, and the electricity visibly traveled through the Nazi airship. Flames burst through in a couple of areas, glowing against the gloom of the rain. The shield surged across the ship prior to flickering off.

Captain Wings stood tall, a grin growing on her face.

"Great shot, Valentine," she congratulated, pointing her cane back at the Blitz in front of her. "Boys? Let's show these Nazis the power of America's greatest."