Bandits

Chapter 9: Battle for The Opportunity

"A'right, lads, hold steady. Wait for the captain's signal." Carlton, a senior officer on the ship paced up and down behind his assembled boarding party. He was a short man. Uneven dark hair hung from his scalp and bushy sideburns shielded his cheeks. He wore a linen vest over a shirt of mail. A large axe was slung on his back and a double-barreled pistol and a long dagger were in his hands.

Gideon's fingers curled around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles white. The rain pounded as hard as ever, and if anything, the lightning had gotten more frequent. Gideon was usually part of Carlton's group, and he trusted the man fully. But today he was uneasy. It wasn't because of the enemy's cannons, or even their soldiers, over a hundred of whom now lined the railings. No, what made Gideon nervous was something he couldn't put into words, something just beyond the realm of understanding. It was a feeling, one of unexplained dread. Something on that ship made him nervous. He had no way of knowing what, but Gideon had a sinking feeling that he'd find out soon enough.

The ships were nearly side-by-side, with the Opportunity holding her diminishing lead. A single explosion erupted from the bow of the Wraith, cannon-smoke billowing briefly into the air before being dispersed by the winds. Moments later Daedalus' voice echoed through the air, amplified by a copper horn.

"Attention Opportunity," his voice boomed. "That was your first, and last warning. Furl your sails, strike your colors, and prepare to be boarded. Comply within five minutes. Failure to do so is not in your best interest. If you cooperate, none of your crew will be harmed. If not, I can make no such promise. Your time is running."

As Daedalus' voice faded away, silence rang in the ears of the crew. They waited and listened for a response. Every eye was on the massive ship. Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.

Two tongues of flame leapt from the stern of the Opportunity, grey smoke spilling into the air. An instant later Gideon heard one shot whiz by and saw the other slam into the starboard bow sending splinters flying.

"Well, we've got our answer, lads!" Carlton laughed. The other men roared, clanging their weapons together and whooping in excitement. Gideon lifted his own sword in the air and yelled loudly.

A sharp whistle rang from the helm. Gideon and the other members of the crew braced themselves. With blinding speed the sails on one side of the ship were let slip as the other side tightened. The Wraith's huge form turned in a tight arc until her starboard length fully faced the Opportunity. With hardly a second's hesitation the full wrath of the pirate ship was unleashed.

Two hundred cannons opened fire in near perfect synchronization. The barrage smashed into the hull of the other ship. The sound was deafening. Explosions of gunpowder, the creaking and cracking of wood as it was torn to shreds by superheated metal, the distant cries of men, and the eerie way the wind warped and twisted it all together. With the smoke of the first broadside still swirling in the air, the gunners were already preparing for a second devastating salvo. The men's' cheering and hollering was almost as loud as the cannons.

"Down! Down!" Carlton's shouting cut the celebration short. "Get down!"

Dull orange flashes, obscured by smoke, preceded muted explosions. Gideon dove to the wooden planks of the deck.

The cannonfire collided violently with the bandit ship. Deadly shards of wood shot in all directions. Ropes creaked as their tethers broke and snapped. Up the deck from Gideon, a cannon was hit. The enormous iron barrel spun from its shattered base, crashing down onto the deck, cracking the planks. The unfortunate gunner of the cannon was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the gun crew lay unmoving or crying out in pain.

Gideon slowly got up. He cautiously raised his head above the railing, the section a few feet over had been hit, a ragged semi-circle of air where the woodwork used to be. Smoke obscured the aerial battlefield. Only the foggy outline of the enemy's ship could be seen. Dozens of fires flickered through the gloom, evidence of the damage the Wraith had done.