Stormbreak (Seafire #3) - Natalie C. Parker Page 0,104
I can do it.”
Sharks, Hime signed. The tow is too dangerous. Has to be a boat.
Caledonia’s lips felt numb. Her eyes landed on a dark spot just beyond the Net. The Silt Rig was the final piece of this long fight. None of this had ended with Aric and it wouldn’t end with Lir; it had to be the rig. And whoever went to destroy it was very likely not coming back.
In Caledonia’s mind, that left one option: her.
“Incoming!” Tin shouted an instant before the Luminous Wake bucked and lurched heavily to port.
The battle was coiling around her, Lir’s ships, Sledge’s ships, they were all pulling together into a dense cluster. If she didn’t get out soon, she never would. And to get out, she needed her fleet to protect her, to form up around her while she aimed for the tunnels. It would make them even more vulnerable than they were now; they were too few in number.
In order to win the war, she was going to have to lose the battle.
No sooner had she had the thought than another shout came from high on the lookout. “Tails! Tails! Tails!”
Following the line of the lookout’s hand, Caledonia’s heart stumbled before it squeezed.
There, along the northern horizon, dozens of ships roared toward them, pushing tall plumes of water into the sky. As they drew closer, she recognized them: there were colonists and Slaggers and rogue ships. Everyone who had ever sought to elude Aric and Lir was here now, joining the fight at her side.
The sight of them sent a spur of energy through the entire fleet. They roared, cheered, and dove back into the fray knowing that reinforcements were on their way.
This was exactly what they needed to turn the tide in their favor. And it was exactly what would allow Caledonia to leave it altogether.
“Pi,” she said, reaching for her sister. “Pi. It has to be me. I have to go to the rig.”
“No.” Pisces shook her head. “It’s too dangerous. We need you out here, commanding this fight. I can’t do that. I should go.”
“You can,” Caledonia said, settling into her decision more fully. “You’ve always been able to command, Pi. I’ve seen you do it. You just have to trust yourself.”
“But you—”
“Pi.”
Pisces stopped, squeezing her eyes shut and drawing in a deep breath. “All right. You’re right. We’ll keep them distracted while you set the charges. Amina, get on the comm and tell the Hands to be ready. She’ll need cover until she’s through. And tell Nettle to bring us around; we need to get her as close to the megaship as we can.”
“Understood.” Amina turned on her heel and sprinted for the bridge.
“Hime, ready the mag bombs.” The girl nodded once and disappeared. “Ready a boat!” Pisces shouted. “The captain’s going in the water!”
Right before her eyes, Pisces was transforming, from the supportive second-in-command she’d always been into a leader. They hurried down the ladder and across the deck, ducking below the aft port rail as bullets rained against the hull.
“Pi,” Caledonia said, reaching for her hand.
“I know why you have to do this,” Pisces said as though reading Caledonia’s mind. “You can end it.”
Two missiles exploded in the sky above. Ash drifted down around them, dusting their heads and shoulders in pale gray. The world around them was on fire, yet they were alone. It was just Caledonia and Pisces deciding what came next. And they were making the decision together.
With a sudden surge of love, Caledonia pulled her sister against her, hugging her tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered before pulling away again.
Amina raced across the deck as the Luminous Wake hurtled back toward the megaship and half of Lir’s fleet. “The Hands are ready,” she announced. “And Sledge says the Blade will cover you as well.”
“Boat’s in the water!” Folly’s voice rang out clear as a bell.
Hime arrived then with a backpack clutched in her hands and a helmet tucked beneath one arm. Her face was streaked with gun oil and sweat, her jaw clenched tight as she handed the items over. Caledonia accepted the pack with a nod of thanks and quickly slipped the straps over her shoulders. The helmet was made of matte black metal with a visor of self-repairing glass. Caledonia pulled it on at once, tightening the strap beneath her chin.
“There’s a flare in here as well,” Oran said, securing a strap on the side of the bag. “Give us a sign if you need help.”