His pistol cracked five times. Three brutes staggered and fell, but too many tailswords still bore down on him. Stepping away from the Suncatcher to cover Narrow’s flank, Liam slammed his empty pistol back into its holster and raised his saber, shuffling back as the reptilian charge descended upon him.
The first tailsword clanged against his blade, the ring of metal matching the shudder down his arm as he held off the blow. As the first Theropod pulled back another swung into the attack, and Liam barely shifted his sword to defend again. Beside him, Narrow held his cutlass up in pure defence, both hands gripping the hilt as he blocked the mighty blows.
Liam side-stepped a low, upswinging attack, feeling the rush of air as a brute took another swing at Narrow. The Theropods had the power, but they needed space to swing those tails, and as Liam and Narrow backed against the Suncatcher itself, the fighting got very close.
Which was exactly how Liam preferred it.
Parrying another heavy attack, Liam deflected the brute’s entire tail down toward the ground, unbalancing his attacker. He stomped his left foot on the sword and hacked to his right, his blade slicing into the exposed tail of the latest attacker pushing Narrow back. Blood sprayed as he cut to the bone, and his saber wrenched free to swing inside the tail of the next brute in the line. Liam cut the beast at the neck, blade slicing clean through flesh and out the other side to block another heavy blow.
Narrow danced back, clutching his left arm as blood trickled through his fingers. His lips were twisted in pain but he kept his sword up.
Liam stepped forward, swinging his blade simply to put the Theropod attackers on the back foot. In the close quarters his wild attacks did no damage but gave them a moment’s reprieve.
“Still with me, Artificer?”
Narrow stepped forward, new determination in his eyes even as his left sleeve dripped red.
“Ready, sir.”
They hacked their way forward as their smaller, quicker blades danced past the giant tailswords, finally gaining open ground. The Theropods roared new challenges and curses at them, but seemed content to fall back and protect their wounded. Several paces away, Swift and Butcher had also fought free. All around the compound, Theropods were running and diving for cover as Hedge and the boarding party rained down musket balls from Freedom’s open door.
Just below Freedom’s hull, the big Theropod who had challenged Liam looked up, his long nose twitching as he assessed the scene above. He paused in a crouch, then leapt upward clear through Freedom’s door. All firing stopped as shouts of alarm mixed with shrieks and roars inside the ship.
Gasping for breath, Liam gave Narrow a quick glance. The artificer nodded, his face streaked with sweat and blood. Beyond, Swift and Butcher were both on their feet. A quick scan confirmed Sam and Bella were hunkered down at the ship’s boat with Hunter and Faith. For a moment, he thought Shordar’s goons had made a tactical mistake and failed to use their superior numbers to isolate and overwhelm the Humans.
But then he saw the four litter bearers scamper through the crowd of tailswords, and watched as the Suncatcher rose in the center of the pack and began to retreat. They hadn’t cared about him or his people – they just wanted the treasure. As one, the armed Theropods spread out in a defensive wall as the four litter bearers hustled toward the portico.
Liam drew his right pistol and took careful aim. The awning’s nearest pole shattered, the canvas collapsing on the bearers. The Suncatcher disappeared in a tumble of fabric, all progress momentarily halted. Snarls and hisses rose like wildfire from the retreating Theropods, and Liam emptied his pistol’s remaining rounds into the nearest brutes.
“Attack!” he ordered. “Recover the Suncatcher!”
Liam ran forward, saber raised. Narrow was close behind him, Swift and Butcher steps away. Liam glanced back and saw Hunter and Faith taking up the charge as well, as Bella frantically grabbed a tailsword from the boat for Sam.
The brutes were distracted trying to free their prize and its carriers, and barely saw the Humans rush toward them. Knowing Theropods were easily panicked, Liam hacked down as fast as he could, screaming in feigned fury. The others followed his lead and swung crazily, adding deep battle cries to the close-in chaos.
As expected, the Theropods fled the attack, falling back toward the portico. Liam bashed his sword pommel into anything that moved beneath the awning. The four Theropods trapped beneath desperately clawed their way free, abandoning their prize as they limped away. For a long moment, the courtyard was still. Perhaps a dozen Theropods stared from the portico as half a dozen Humans gathered around the tattered awning still draped over the Suncatcher.
A series of sharp roars focused the Theropods. Liam’s translator was hacked away and lying in the dirt somewhere behind him, but he sensed a rallying cry. The brute line parted as Shordar emerged, a gorgeous tailsword extending down his armored body. He slapped a crested helmet over his eyes and roared again.
He staggered back as a bullet pinged off his breastplate. Liam stole a look over his shoulder and saw Flatrock holding a smoking rifle. He shuffled aside as Hedge pushed the big Theropod’s limp, lifeless body forward. It fell heavily, awkwardly, hitting the ground with a hard crunch.
Shordar roared again, raising his tailsword. His followers did likewise, murder in their eyes.
“Get back to the ship,” Liam ordered, already stepping away from the reptilian horde.
The Theropods raced forward with inhuman speed. Liam pushed Narrow back behind the rumpled awning for cover, raising his sword as shots whizzed over his head from Freedom. He looked back again and saw Hedge riding the pulley rope down to the ground, more sailors lining up behind to follow her.
Then the Theropods arrived, tailswords lashing down with new fury. Liam blocked and parried, stepping back as he tried to hold the flank. Shordar himself led the charge, close enough for Liam to see the serrations along his massive blade. Shordar slammed down against Swift’s sword, knocking the propulsor to his knees with the force. Butcher was there in an instant, shouldering Shordar back before hacking down another brute coming in from the side.
Liam ducked under a tailsword swing and stabbed straight ahead, skewering one opponent. He leaned into the thrust and grabbed the dying Theropod’s tail, using their combined momentum to push the tail into the next brute on the line. The blow didn’t land, but it knocked the Theropod back enough to give Liam space. Ripping his saber free he danced away from another big tail swing, then cleared to the outside.
The Humans had naturally formed a line to defend, each man watching the flank of his mate, and the initial Theropod surge had been a tight push against that wall. But mere moments into the renewed battle all structure was falling away as brutes darted and apes swung. It was a melee of the most vicious kind and Liam used his sudden distance to assess. More of Freedom’s crew were racing into the battle and the numbers were tipping against the Theropods.
To his left, Liam saw the awning finally being ripped clear as the four litter bearers doggedly worked at their task to free to Suncatcher. Liam ran toward them, saber up, but barely caught a flash of steel in the corner of his eye.
Swinging his sword in defence he clanged against the serrated edge of Shordar’s massive weapon. Both blade and armor gleamed as the Theropod sidestepped Liam’s counter stroke. The big sword reared again, and again Liam barely blocked its titanic force.
“You are a most ungracious guest,” Shordar’s translator said, the words almost comically calm as the Theropod hissed and snarled.
“You are a very rude host,” Liam countered, leaning left to avoid a blow.
His saber struck down on Shordar’s tail, but armored scales wrapped the thick limb and his blow skittered free. Shordar stepped clear, tail retreating for another attack.
Then the brute lunged forward with his arms, daggers gleaming in each. Liam hissed as one of the blades sliced through the gaps in the padded armor beneath his shirt, felt the burn of torn flesh and the heat of flowing blood. He spun to clear the range, bringing up his saber to block the tail swing he knew was coming. He dropped to his knees to get under the swing, feeling the rush of air as the serrations whisked over his head. His deflection unbalanced Shordar and Liam was already back up on his feet, saber slashing down at the break between Shordar’s breastplate and skirt armor.
Shordar roared in pain, daggers flashing up again in defence as he backed away.
Liam could feel the hot, sticky blood seeping down his shoulder and could only hope that his own strike to his foe was drawing blood more quickly.
“It is a shame, Seel-var-hok,” Shordar said, continuing to retreat, “that we couldn’t actually be allies. You fight with courage.”
“Then why betray me?” Liam asked.
“There are some treasures too precious to give up. The Suncatcher is one.”
“Then why even have this discussion?”
If Theropods could shrug, Shordar did so. “You offered me twenty thousand gold and your ship. It was worth a gamble.”
Before Liam could reply, Shordar bolted for the portico. The Suncatcher was just disappearing into the house. Overhead, Liam could hear the preparations for Emerald Crown’s imminent departure. Those Theropods still on their feet had broken away and were sprinting for the house, their long legs easily outpacing any Human pursuers.
Liam assessed the scene. At least four of his people were down, but both treasure chests were still resting untouched on the ground and Freedom still loomed over them. He looked again at the dark opening to the house beyond the portico. Charging headlong into there would only get sailors killed, and wouldn’t stop Shordar from loading the Suncatcher into his sloop.
“Back to Freedom!” he shouted, jogging toward his crew. “This is now a ship battle.”
Hoisting the wounded was the natural priority, but it took far too long. Freedom’s crew threw down scramble nets from the other doors for sailors to climb up, but Liam stood impotently as he watched Emerald Crown let go all lines and thrust away from the tower.
“Shall we pursue with the boat, sir?” Butcher asked, pointing to where Faith and Hunter had climbed into their small vessel and were watching expectantly.
“There’s no point,” Liam replied. “Tell them to dock with Freedom as soon as we slip. We need to pursue with our cutter.”
“Can Daring intercept?”
Liam glanced at the coxn, appreciating the fresh perspective. He made for the nearest scramble net.
“Coxn, supervise the last of the personnel and get those chests aboard; I’ll get on comms with Daring.”
Liam struggled up the thick rope of the net, appreciating the strong hands that grabbed him and hauled him aboard as he reached level with Freedom’s deck. With barely a glance outward to watch Emerald Crown pull away, he raced for the bridge.
Brown turned as Liam climbed the ladder up onto the bridge, her youthful expression set for duty. Beyond her, through the low canopy, Shordar’s sloop slowly gained altitude as its thrusters fired.
“Sir, we’re loading the last casualty and will be ready to push off in sixty seconds. The boat reports ready to slip and will come alongside as soon as we’re clear of the compound.”
“Very good,” he said, striding to the comms panel. “Make ready to push off as soon as able. Steer a course to pursue Shordar’s vessel.”
“Yes, sir.”
He grabbed the handset for inter-ship communications.
“Daring this is Freedom, over.”
Through the crackle of atmosphere, Riverton’s voice came back. “This is Daring.”
“This is Freedom. Prize sighted, currently in target vessel leaving our location with thief embarked. Freedom will pursue but assess capture unlikely. Request Daring move to intercept target vessel.”
There was a pause, likely as Riverton sought confirmation from her lookouts. From orbit, details on the surface were too indistinct to capture in detail.
“This is Daring, understood. Pursue as best you can to help us localize.”
As expected, Daring did not have a visual on the situation. Traffic over Morassia was sparse compared to many other worlds, but the sheer volume of space made finding a single ship in good time a tricky endeavor.
“Everyone’s aboard,” Brown announced. “Commencing push-off.”
Liam’s mind raced as he felt the deck shudder. Freedom was a big ship to be this deep in a gravity well and getting her off the ground took effort. Emerald Crown was also struggling to rise, but it was smaller and lighter – and likely had augmented thrusters that the master thief routinely used for surface thefts.
“Are the cannons loaded?” he asked.
“Yes,” Brown replied, “but the crews aren’t ready to fire. Shall I close them up?”
It would take several minutes to make the guns ready, Liam knew, and Shordar was pulling away every second. Once both ships reached the edge of space, Freedom would need everyone on board to extend the masts and set the sails.
A quick measurement showed the sloop already at the edge of cannon range. And unlike in space, any cannonball that missed its target would eventually rain down on the planet’s surface below. Morassia was barely under Imperial control as it was – the last thing His Majesty’s Navy needed was reports of stray fire destroying houses.
“No,” he said finally. “Get that boat recovered and make for open space. We’re going to have to catch her.”
Brown couldn’t quite hide her grin. “Yes, sir.”
As Freedom gained altitude, Liam was joined on the bridge by Swift and Butcher. Both looked worn and tired, but thankfully intact.
“Any bad casualties?” he asked.
“We’re running out of bandages below,” Butcher replied, “but most wounds are superficial. Narrow took a bad hit to the arm, but Song tied a tourniquet to stem the flow.”
“I’d like us to save his arm, sir,” Swift growled. “He’s more useful to me with two of them.”
“You should probably get that looked at, sir.” Butcher pointed to where blood was staining Liam’s tunic.
“Take care of the others first.”
Liam looked ahead to where Emerald Crown was moving through wisps of clouds. Its thrusters glowed like mini-suns as it pushed upward. Freedom’s deck rumbled as she pursued at full power.
“Daring is going to try and intercept.” Liam said. “Should we put Narrow in the boat and send him home while we conclude this chase?”
“I’ll check on his wound,” Butcher said, heading for the ladder.
Liam was used to ship engagements taking hours to unfold, but those always took place in deep space with no immediate reference points. Watching the surface of Morassia slowly drop away gave this chase an immediacy that made him pace the small deck. Emerald Crown was a dark shape in the pale sky, slowly growing as Freedom pushed upward.
“Thruster fuel down to fifty percent,” Brown reported.
“We’re closing,” Liam countered, “continue on full thrust.”
The sky was fading to the black of space when the radio crackled to life again.
“Freedom this is Daring,” Riverton said. “We’re tracking multiple ships outbound. Can you localize?”
Liam grabbed a telescope and scanned upward through the canopy, searching for Daring’s squat, dusty form. There were dozens of ships in motion, and none close enough to clearly identify.
“Charlotte,” he said, “do we have signal flares ready?”
“Yes, sir,” Brown replied, a puzzled frown creasing her forehead. Flares were used to signal other ships with basic messages. “What shall I prepare?”
“Mason, load flares in the forward gunports. Point them at Shordar as best you can.”
Swift nodded. “A little fireworks display for Daring to close?”
“Exactly.”
The propulsor departed the bridge.
“Daring this is Freedom,” Liam said over the radio, “Look for two fast vessels moving together. We’re astern and we’re going to light up the target with flares.”
“Understood.”
The distant glow of the Hub began to shine as Morassia’s atmosphere faded below, a deep golden sector of the sky to Freedom’s port. Liam raised his telescope again and spotted the glow reflecting off Shordar’s hull. The sloop was altering as it climbed, no doubt searching for the first of the solar winds.
“Come ten degrees to port,” Liam ordered, trying to get Freedom pointed directly at their quarry.
Brown gave manoeuvring orders and the view through the canopy shifted, centering the sloop ahead.
The internal phone whistled and Liam picked it up. “Bridge.”
“Four flares loaded forward,” reported Swift. “Twenty in reserve.”
“Continuous fire: fire at will.”
It was odd to give cannon commands for flares, but Liam knew Swift would get it right.
The first flare rocketed outward, looking like a dazzling green comet at it sailed past Morassia’s limb and against the black backdrop of space. Seconds later a red flare followed, then a yellow, then a white. The brilliant balls of fire stretched forward, finally fading just short of Shordar’s fleeing sloop. The pattern repeated itself only seconds later. The fireworks lit up the sky, no doubt catching the eye of every ship in sight.
“Freedom, this is Daring,” came Riverton’s voice, “we see you. Closing to intercept.”
Liam trained his telescope upward, scanning the vessels nearby. There! What looked like a tubby transport ship suddenly hauled to starboard, sails fluttering as it shifted tack and began to descend.
“Thruster fuel status?” Liam asked.
“Twenty-six percent,” Brown replied. “We’re closing the gap.”
Clear of the atmosphere, Liam would usually be thinking about extending the masts and switching to the ship’s natural form of propulsion, but the brilliant sparks of Shordar’s thrusters indicated the thief still considered this a sprint. Liam smiled, knowing Freedom was up to the challenge.
“Steady as she goes, Ms. Brown.”
The flares faded away as Swift depleted his stock, but Liam knew Daring had her target. He watched as the bigger ship tacked again, sails flush as she rode a favorable eddy through the maelstrom of close planetary solar winds. Riverton was steering ahead of Shordar, and Liam was closing from behind. He couldn’t help but smile again. He doubted even a master thief had much experience against the officers of His Majesty’s Navy.
The distances continued to close, until Liam could clearly see the stern windows of the sloop, behind which was no doubt a luxurious cabin. The bridge bulged upward just forward of that, but otherwise the sloop’s smooth lines were marred only by the four masts still pressed firmly along the hull. Daring was farther ahead, dropping across the view as she cut off the escape route.
Then, the sloop’s thrusters sputtered and died. The ship was still hurtling forward, but had suddenly lost her ability to manoeuvre. If Shordar wanted to evade now, he’d have to extend his masts and sails, and that made him vulnerable.
“Time to intercept,” Liam asked.
“Two minutes,” Brown replied.
Liam reached for the main internal broadcast. His voice echoed through Freedom’s interior.
“This is Commander Blackwood. We are closing to intercept the enemy ship in two minutes. All boarding party members report to the lower airlocks: prepare to board.”
Daring had positioned herself in front of the sloop and was retracting her starboard mast to open cannon arcs.
“Freedom this is Daring,” Riverton said calmly over the radio, “I’m preparing grapples.”
“This is Freedom,” he replied. “My boarding team is ready.”
Freedom continued to close, her thrusters still burning as the sloop sailed helplessly ahead. Daring’s bulk blocked the way. Even from this range Liam could see the gunports opening all along her side.
“All teams,” he ordered throughout the ship, “prepare to board.”
One of the sloop’s masts began to extend, as the thieves finally seemed to realize the trap they were in. But Liam knew it was too late. Freedom was practically on top of the target. The sloop’s extending mast was on the side closest to Freedom, almost like an arm trying to push them away.
“Reverse thrusters,” Liam ordered. “Match her course and speed. And keep clear of that mast they’re trying to point at us.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just get us lined up with their airlocks,” Liam said, as the sloop’s dark hull filled most of his view. In the glow of the distant Hub he could even make out sinewy lines of green running the length of the sloop and circling a painted crown of gold. Emerald Crown. A subtle extravagance befitting a master thief.
In the near distance, a line of smoke burst forth from Daring’s side, obscuring the ship as the cannon fired their grappling hooks.
Liam was suddenly blinded by a burst of light outside the canopy. Instinctively shielding his eyes, he sensed movement ahead, and peered up just in time to see the sloop’s hull vanish from view, a line of small thrusters lighting up its entire side. The sloop lurched away, displacing itself neatly from the trap, but before Liam could utter a word, he realized the mistake they’d made.
Freedom clanged as Daring’s grappling hooks smashed into her hull. The deck heaved as the grapple took hold, and Daring’s gunners began to heave in. Liam scrambled for the radio, watching as Emerald Crown thrusted further clear and all four of her masts began to extend with surprising swiftness.
“Daring this is Freedom, release your grapple,” he signaled. “You’ve got us!”
The pull didn’t relent as Daring’s gunners, unaware of what target they’d hit, diligently did their job and hauled in their catch. Liam repeated his hail, watching in impotent frustration as Emerald Crown unfurled sails and began to open the distance.
The hull creaked under the force of the grapple, and Liam could practically see people moving on Daring’s bridge as the bigger vessel closed in. Finally, the pressure eased as the hooks released and began to retract.
Shordar was already clear and under full sail, his ship no doubt capable of high speed. But the Theropod hadn’t had a proper race against Freedom yet.
“Ms. Brown, prepare to deploy all sails, racing configuration.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Daring this is Freedom,” he said over the radio, “I’m prepping for a high-speed chase. Keep up as best you can.”
“Freedom… Confirm you’re equipped for a long voyage?” Riverton’s voice was calm, but Liam could sense the weight behind her words.
Was he equipped for a long voyage? Freedom might be small, but she was fully capable of independent travel between the stars. He was about to answer in the affirmative, but something made him glance at Brown.
“Thruster fuel at twenty percent,” she said simply.
That was well below what any ship should deploy with, he knew, and his mind suddenly made the shift from tactical to logistics. Freedom hadn’t been stocked with food. She hadn’t been topped up with air reserves, or extra sails, or anything a good captain made sure they had before departing into the unknown. And, he had wounded on board, at least one of whom definitely needed Dr. Templegrey and her sickbay. Liam the warrior watched in frustration as Emerald Crown continued to flee… But Liam the sailor knew that he shouldn’t follow.
“Daring this is Freedom,” he said, suppressing a sigh. “Negative. Prepare to receive us alongside. Medical team requested at the airlock.”
“Ready to receive.”
“All positions,” he said over the internal broadcast, “stand down. Prepare to come alongside Daring. Priority disembarkation is the wounded.”
He resisted the urge to thump the console, merely leaning both his hands on it and letting out a long, slow breath.
“That was a tricky move by Shordar,” Brown muttered, her young face dark with a mix of anger and embarrassment. “He caught us all by surprise.”
Liam was tempted to snap at her, but she only spoke the truth.
“I think we need to re-assess our adversary,” he said finally, looking up at the looming bulk of Daring. “But first, let’s get these ships secured.”
“Yes, sir.” Brown turned to confer with the skeleton bridge crew, then did a visual sweep of her sailing table.
Liam forced another deep breath and allowed himself one last look at the diminishing form of Emerald Crown.
“Damnation.”