Stormbreak (Seafire #3) - Natalie C. Parker Page 0,7
the Bullets below, delivering their shocks wherever they landed.
It wasn’t enough to stop them, but it was enough to distract all three Bullet ships, giving Sledge and Pine the opening they needed. The Blade soared ahead and its crew launched a series of fire-bringer bombs at the barge. Where they landed a solid wall of fire stretched ten feet high before reaching outward to consume the waiting sea of baleflowers.
Ripping her eyes from the sight, Caledonia tracked the Bullet vessels. Two had gone east, one west. But it was the lead ship she was concerned with. An Assault Ship with five blades of grass painted on the hull: Decker.
“Harwell, send Piston west,” she said. “Nettle, take us east.”
In answer, Nettle issued her commands to the bridge crew. “Starboard thrusters to full; reverse port thrusters, on my mark. Mark!”
The ship spun east, then shot forward as Nettle reversed her orders at exactly the right moment. They’d run drill after drill in preparation, but nothing quite matched the energy of battle. Nothing came close to that feeling of a crew pulling together and acting as one.
“Gunners ready!” Amina’s voice was a clarion from the main deck. “Team Gale, I want you on the bow. Target the lead ship and don’t let up! Go!”
The Luminous Wake assumed a collision course with Decker’s vessel. Gunfire shattered against their nose, but still they pushed forward, moving closer and closer until—“Port spin!” Caledonia cried.
The ship lurched and spun. In a single movement Nettle pulled their nose back, letting the hull bite deep into the ocean and revealing their broadside to Decker. It was a dangerous move, but it put their starboard launcher in position.
“Fire, fire, fire!” Amina’s voice shouted from the main deck.
The pop of their hull puncher echoed in Caledonia’s chest, followed by the deep grunt of metal piercing metal. They’d landed a direct hit to the vulnerable belly of Decker’s ship.
“Give them some space!” Caledonia called.
The Luminous withdrew aggressively, wrenching the deadly harpoon free of Decker’s hull and leaving a gaping hole behind. Instantly, Decker’s ship listed to one side, making a deep gulping sound as it began taking on water. The wound was low on the hull, perfectly placed to sink a ship. Decker had just been removed from the fight.
“Come around, Nettle.” Caledonia eyed Decker’s clip, now scrambling to stay afloat by whatever means necessary. Just beyond, the second Bullet ship charged. “I want us nose-to-nose with that second ship!”
As Nettle complied with her orders, Caledonia turned briefly westward where Mino and her crew had already dispatched their Bullet ship and the Blade continued to fire on the barge. Energy surged through her: They were going to win this fight. They’d taken down a Fiveson and now they were going to take down his entire fleet.
Almost as soon as she’d had the thought, a shout came from on high, “Tails! Five tails closing in fast!”
Caledonia spied them a second later: five new ships shooting out from behind the barge. Not counting the four ships they’d already disabled, that made six to her three. Good.
“Pull back!” Caledonia called. “Harwell, alert Silver Fleet and the rest of Red that we’re preparing for blue hawk!”
The crew of the Blade launched a third set of fire-bringer bombs toward the barge. On the broad deck, Scythes ran for cover or leapt overboard to avoid the explosion of fire.
The bombs landed, sending flames scrawling across the barge. Then the Blade spun away to begin its retreat.
“Pi! Send another round to our friends out there!” Caledonia cried. “Harwell! It’s time to retreat to blue hawk!”
Amina and her gunners immediately moved to Pisces and her team as they prepped the next set of silencers, and Harwell sent his message across the radio.
“Nettle, get ready to take us out of here!” Caledonia marked the pursuing Bullet ships as five silencers flew from the bow of the Luminous Wake. Three landed in the water, slipping quietly beneath the waves, but the other two struck the lead ship. Bullets dropped in droves, providing the distraction Caledonia needed.
“Now, Nettle!”
The Luminous Wake spun its nose away from the barge, swinging in behind the already retreating profiles of the Blade and Piston. Without missing a beat, the five Bullet ships still able to sail pursued, drawing together like an arrow chasing a target. One thing she had learned about Bullets was that they couldn’t resist a chase. Every Bullet needed a target, and she was glad to give them one.