Chapter 28: August 28th, 1705

The cold wind blew in the face of Feliks as he felt the ship rock back and forth. The small wooden galley of a hundred men was able to hold its own as its two mainsails took the wind.

The following year and a half had proven to be just as what many feared. Sweden had been launching a series of raids on Saint Petersburg with their navy. Continued attempts to knock out the fortresses and capture the city had ultimately failed, though. This had not stopped the Russians, however, from building its navy. Galleys and Frigates were coming off the dockyards like fresh bread ready to be served. This, in combination with the gun batteries and fortresses, would be able to hold off the numerous assaults that the Swedes committed to Saint Petersburg. Ultimately the Swedish navy and army decided the best course of action was simply to blockade the city with their navy in hopes of preventing the Russians’ access to the Atlantic.

Bataar was not far from the starboard side of the Yedok (Eater in Russian), a small galley in a fleet of seven that were sent Northwest by the city to attack and harass any Swedish vessels they come across.

The rowing oars were the signs that the wind was not on their side yet as the six other galleys behind them struggled to move their ships in formation.

It was later that afternoon as it was evident that nothing had been found that day.

Bataar was obviously the giant among the men as she was always asked to help move things or assist in rowing the ship. She wanted a short break, and she got it as she walked up to the main deck to see Feliks standing by one of the cannons that pointed starboard.

“I still can’t believe we got assigned to a ship when we are in the army,” Feliks commented to Bataar.

“It feels nice,” she replied to him.

Feliks took a deep breath as he inhaled the salty air. It reminded him of the beach on the little island at the Caspian Sea.

“Besides,” She added. “This is temporary. Enjoy it while you can.”

Feliks looked at her. “It’s been practically another year, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it has. We got promoted, but it seems the chain of command is rotating its army to help with the navy out.”

“It’s because we are building ships so quickly that we are trying to get people to man them. I am sure we will be taken off this ship sooner or later. I mean, we have only been on this ship for a couple of days.”

Feliks sighed. “That doesn’t help the seasickness, though.”

“Oh, stop that,” she said. “You acted all seasick when we traveled to England, but you didn’t have that when we traveled back.”

“Ugh ... I guess you’re right. It will go away.”

She put her arm on his shoulder. “Feeling age catching up on you? I know men tend to feel age catching up on them even at this time.”

“Please, I am 25. You above all the others would know better.”

Bataar chuckled. “I am just playing with you. It is nice to feel waters around us even if I am not in it.”

Feliks spoke very quietly to her so the other men passing by them could not overhear them. “How have you been doing the last couple of days, holding your ... shape?”

She saw a sailor walk past her as she looked back at Felix. “Doing alright, I suppose. I have been used to having to hold it for weeks at a time, sometimes before I can find some isolated spot. The longer I hold it, the better I get at it. It is good. I don’t have any real magic, or it would really suck. The pain gets very bearable at times.”

“I guess we have been lucky we got a barracks room to ourselves back in Petersburg. Either we lucked out again, or our promotions helped us. At least the room is better than what we had back in Moscow.”

She sighed heavily. “I agree, enough room to take my original shape again without breaking something. I miss being in my normal form again.”

Another sailor walked past them as he grabbed one of the lines to manipulate the mainsails.

“I shouldn’t keep talking like this so openly ... I can’t have people overhear us,” she added. “How are you, Feliks?”

Her attitude changed slightly as the soft side of her kept up with her “disguise.” Feliks saw her pat his shoulder again as she walked off to rejoin the men below decks.

There was a sudden gust of wind as it hit him from near the back of his neck. It was a welcoming sight as the mainsails started to catch some wind pushing the ship faster, making it easier for the vessel to move. He noticed the rowing oars began to slow down as the mainsails started to take over in propelling the ship.

Galleys often had two main methods of propulsion, and that was wind and oar. As time progressed for these types of ships, the need for paddlers to propel them was not needed as much. These vessels were ultimately on their way to becoming obsolete as newer ships such as Galleons and Frigates were taking the new roles of warships. At a time, however, when Russia was in a mad rush to get ships out to sea, newer ships like Frigates were built, but older vessels like Galleys were still pushed out as well to make up for it. Galleys did still have their uses, though, as they were generally easier to build, but the men required to man them were immense. The advantage of ships like Galleons or Frigates was that they could hold more guns at the expense of throwing out the Galleys’ oars.

Feliks thought quietly to himself as he saw the moving waves splash against the ship. It had been a long time now since he joined the military. Xuanwu had to bear so much just to be by his side. He didn’t think he would have made it this far without her. The Russian people were made of some of the sternest blood he had ever seen. They have been lucky so far. Periodic attacks on Petersburg by fleets have been pushed back. With most of the engagements at sea right now, he and Xuanwu had barely seen much ground combat really since the Siege on Noteburg.

Feliks turned his head behind him to see the coastline. The long beach and continuous forests lay at least a couple of miles away but could still be seen from the ships as they traveled perpendicular, keeping the land to port.

“Ship spotted Captain!” yelled one of the men on the crow’s nest as he pointed his finger in the far distance.

Feliks turned his head as he looked in the direction of where the man was pointing at. He did not see anything at first. A couple of sailors came up to look in the direction but did not see anything. Finally, the captain named Hain walked from below decks as he grabbed his spyglass to take a look at the supposed ship.

The winds began to die down as the ships started to slow down. The Captain looked at the main masts for a moment, sighed, and extended his spyglass to look at the small dot in the distance that started to appear to Feliks’s eyes as well.

“I spot it, sir!” Feliks pointed his finger at it.

Captain Hain was watching through his spyglass as he looked at it for some time. His second in command, by the name of Taaveti, walked up beside him. Feliks could overhear the men talking as they looked at the vessel.

“What do you see, Captain?” Taaveti asked.

“It is hard to see from this range, but I do see the blue and yellow flag ... it might be the ‘Revel’ that was spotted in the area.”

“We should pursue it and engage nonetheless. If it is just one, then we have numerical superiority.”

“Be cautious,” the Captain told his second in command. “This is a frigate with more guns than this ship has. Even if we have numbers, we will take heavy casualties. We do have one advantage on our side, though. The winds have not been cooperative with us, and if that is the case, then it will affect them as well. They will be slow as we have the ability to fight them. Tell the men to prepare for battle! We are to catch up and engage that ship!”

Feliks’s adrenaline started to kick in, knowing that a battle was coming. The Russian galley fleet was tracking a Swedish frigate by the name of the Revel that was harassing Russian vessels in the area. Even though they had seven ships in their fleet, the Yedok was still a smaller lighter-armed vessel than this supposed ship. They had about 10 Cannons onboard compared to the fully laden Revel that was sure to have way more guns than they had. In a one-on-one battle, it was sure to be a hopeless battle, but in numbers with the other galleys, then they at least had a chance.

The ship turned as it put its back to the shore. It would take at least another hour to reach them at this speed as the oars began to pull harder into the water to give the extra speed to catch up. The six other Galleys got the message as they followed in line behind the Yedok. Feliks decided it was time to head back down below decks to help the oarsmen and Xuanwu out with the rowing. He ran back down below decks to wait for the possible coming battle.

“It is the Revel,” the Captain confirmed. “She is pretty. I count at least 28 cannons on the ship, and from the size of it ... I would say three times as many crew with it being ... about twice as big as our ship.”

The Yedok, the lead ship of the seven galleys, was quickly approaching the Revel.

“Looks like they want a fight,” the captain remarked. “Their bow is pointed straight at us. The winds might not be in their favor, but they are not going to back down either. Man, the cannons, men! In about five more minutes, we will be firing at them.”

Feliks, Bataar, and several men that were not manning the cannons grabbed their muskets to prepare for ship-to-ship combat. Some of the men naturally looked at Bataar as a source of inspiration due to her massive size.

At the ship’s forecastle, the captain closed his spyglass as he looked at the men at the main deck below him.

“Attention on deck!” Taaveti yelled.

Feliks, Bataar, and the other sailors got in ranks to listen to the captain speak. The cannons were prepped and ready to fire. The ranks consisted of forty men that were not below manning the oars.

The captain walked down from the forecastle to the main deck to address the men. The sailors had all sorts of weapons from muskets, pikes, and even flintlock pistols. Bataar herself had enough room on her body to hold a flintlock pistol along with her rifle. Feliks just had his musket rifle.

Captain Hain explained to the men. “In a few minutes, we will be engaging a Swedish frigate! This ship is more heavily armed and bigger than we are! We are depending on our numbers to win the battle. Two years ago, you, the brave people of Russia and the Czar, managed to establish the great city of Petersburg. For the first time in world history, the Russians have extended themselves to the ocean. No longer are we confined to the summer times with ports that freeze to nothing, now we have the means to have regular access to the Atlantic Ocean and the other oceans. Nothing has proven to be sturdier than the Russian people. Look at that ocean, men! That was our accomplishments! Our blood, our sweat, our struggle to make this happen. Today we fight to keep that. I want that frigate to run back to Sweden, capture them, or in the bottom of the ocean.”

The captain came up and walked up to look at Bataar. Feliks could see that the captain was armed with two flintlock pistols stuffed into his coat and a saber on his belt. When he looked at Bataar and her flintlock pistol, he took one of his pistols and stuffed it into her jacket.

“You have enough room for more than that,” the captain told Bataar as she stood firm at attention. He turned attention to the rest of the men.

“All of you must be ready for what they are going to throw at you,” he said as he walked back and turned around to look at the soldiers. “May God watch over us!”

“Man your stations, men!” Taaveti yelled.

Everyone went to the cannons, with the others picking up their rifles. Others grabbed not only their guns but large grappling hooks that could be thrown when given the command. The Revel was a minute away, approaching the port side of the Yedok. The moving oars began to slow down to allow the men to catch their breath and to allow the ship enough time to fire a broadside at the Revel.

Feliks stood at the portside right beside Bataar. She lifted up her rifle in preparation for the quick pass the ship was going to make.

“The Revel was going to be about thirty feet away when we make the pass,” Feliks spoke to Bataar as he looked at the Swedish ship as it was getting very close. “We will be basically point-blank range with them.”

“I am ready, Bambuk. You take care of yourself, alright?” she said as she put her hand on his shoulder.

Feliks turned his head to a sailor that had a musket rifle. You could tell he was nervous. The size of the frigate was like watching a dwarf fighting a giant. This fight would be relatively quick, but it would be rough, to say the least.

Bataar grabbed the nervous sailor’s shoulder. “Hey! We will be alright, you hear?”

“I am glad you are on our side,” the random sailor said to the giant. He nodded his head as he steadied his rifle.

“Here they come,” Taaveti yelled. “The moment you see the ship pass in front of you, fire your guns. Be ready!”

It was all quiet as the ship’s oars rowed. The Revel was heading in the opposite direction towards them as it began to make a quick pass. The Yedok maintained its speed of at least a few knots as the large ships made their pass. Men from one side could see the men from the other vessel.

There was an explosion as the Revel fired first. A cannonball flew from past the port side as it flew past, missing the men by a foot away, landing in the water on the other side. A series of cannon fire rippled from the Revel as they began their barrage at the Yedok. The Yedok fired almost at the same time as the cannons hit the Revel but bounced off, doing little to no damage. The Revel’s guns, however, proved devastating, as cannonball after cannonball struck the ship. Feliks saw one strike the main deck and bounce off to the ocean past him. He ducked, hoping the wooden sides would protect him. More cannonballs struck the sides of the Yedok as two pierced into the hull, penetrating the decks. Wood and splinters showered the oarsmen below, followed by screaming and yelling.

More cannon shots echoed from the Revel as one of them hit a sailor dead-center. Pieces of the man flew all over the deck, followed by more screaming.

“Fuck!” Feliks yelled as he poked his head out. He aimed his rifle at one of the sailors on the Revel. He did his best to keep his aim steady with the rising and falling of the ship’s movement. He fired his rifle but missed. He felt a big tug on his arm as he was yanked down by Bataar to put him behind cover.

Feliks looked at Bataar in surprise as he saw a musket bullet narrowly hit him. A sailor on the Revel had a bead on him and narrowly shot him when Bataar saw him. She aimed his rifle at the sailor and fired. She struck the sailor on the shoulder as he recoiled in pain. The cannons on the aft section of the Yedok opened fire. Two cannon rounds struck the Revel but did little to no damage to it. Within as little as twenty seconds, both ships passed each other as almost twenty cannon rounds were fired, including the series of rifle rounds that fired.

“Reload!” yelled Taaveti as the sailors began to reload the portside cannons.

“Thank you,” Feliks told Bataar.

She turned her head and smiled at him. “Got to protect my future,” she replied.

Feliks was distracted as he tried to reload his musket. He poked his head up over the side as he saw the Revel was now in line with the Russian galley ship, the Akula. Because the Revel had just expended its rounds, the vessel was busy reloading its port side cannons. The Akula was safe from all but the small arms fire as the Akula fired her port side cannons at the Revel in its passing. One of the cannon rounds successfully hit one of its three masts, only leaving a small crack on the wooden pole. The other cannon shots hit the hull and bounced off, landing in the ocean water. Men from both sides fired with their muskets, inflicting a small number of casualties on one another.

Feliks began to reload his musket. Even the thirty seconds seemed like an eternity as his heart was pounding.

“I am having trouble pulling the cannon out! I need help!” yelled one of the cannon crews.

Bataar was the first to act as she got up. One of the men that were struggling to pull the cannon back saw the towering “man” as he nodded. Bataar was more than enough as she grabbed the barrel and, with a mighty heave, pushed the cannon back enough to allow the crews to reload it.

Captain Hain was watching from his position as he watched the next ship behind the Akula, the Shchuka, fire its next broadside at the passing Revel. Again minor damage was inflicted on it.

“It is turning to starboard! Turn our ship forty-five degrees to port!”

“Aye, captain!” yelled some of the sailors as the starboard oarsmen lay low to allow the port side to pull the ship to the left.

The line of galleys followed suit as they maintained its line behind the Yedok.

Feliks was ramming the musket ball down his rifle as the men reloaded a cannonball into the cannon that Bataar helped pull back. She ran back to sit by him as she picked up and reloaded her rifle.

His rifle was finally ready as he poked his head up to look at the Revel that was still holding strong despite being blasted by three ships. When the vessel turned to port, he started to notice a problem.

“Shit...” He said. “We are almost in perfect parallel with the Revel. We are heading at the same speed as they are. Once we get closer to them, they are going to turn to keep themselves in parallel with us. Their starboard side cannons are fresh and ready to fire, no doubt. It is going to become an all-out brawl with a ship that can reduce us to splinters.

He turned his head at the red smear on the deck of the unfortunate sailor that got hit as the cannon crews finished reloading the cannon. They began to push the cannon back into place.

“We fight to the end, Bambuk,” Bataar said reluctantly as she finished reloading her musket. She positioned herself upright as she took aim.

The Revel had essentially done a one hundred and eighty-degree turn to starboard. It began to turn slightly to port to meet up with the Yedok as it got closer and closer.

The fourth galley in the line, the Del’fin, tried to fire its cannons at the Revel, but they were too short. The cannonballs landed in the sea with a hard splash not far from their target.

“Ready to fire!” yelled the cannon crews as they successfully reloaded their cannons and pushed them back into place.

Feliks lifted his rifle and used the wooden sides to help steady his aim. This was easier said than done as the ship naturally lifted and listed from the seawater, causing his aim to vary too much.

“Being on land is so much easier to shoot,” he complained.

“Perhaps after this, you should commend the men for being able to fight against such adversity,” Bataar commented.

The Revel had finished its turn as it began to make an adjusting turn to port so that the ship would start to face its starboard side to the Yedok.

“In about another minute, it’s going to become a slugging match again,” Feliks commented.

He looked to the left to see the nervous sailor before was breathing hard as he had his rifle aimed at the coming ship. Feliks could see the Swedes as they had muskets of their own.

“For every one of us, there are three of them. They are doing well even if they are outnumbered.”

“Once the winds fall into their favor, they will retreat,” Bataar noted. “Even if they sink us, they can’t fight the rest of the fleet. They are doing everything they can to delay till it happens, and they are doing a good job at it.”

“Be ready, men! Do not fire until I give the ok to do so!” Captain Hain yelled.

The Yedok maintained its position as the Revel continued to position itself in parallel with their opponent. The ship was getting closer and closer to the point they were forty feet away.

Cannon shot rang out from the Revel as Captain Hain yelled, “Fire! Fire!”

Both ships began to fire their broadsides at one another. For every cannon that fired on Yedok, the Revel had three to fire in response. Cannon shot after cannon shot rang out from both sides. A large chain-like shot consisting of two cannonballs with a chain or chain shot for short was fired from the Revel as it struck the mainmast of the Yedok. One of the cannon shots fired from the Yedok tore into the starboard port window of the Revel, hitting the gunnery crews inside knocking out one of the guns. Two more cannonballs fired from the Revel hit the Yedok’s side with one piercing into the hull, slamming deep into the ship, showering the inside below decks with wood and splinters.

Feliks poked his head up as he took aim at another Swedish sailor. He took his time as he pulled the trigger. The shot rang out amidst a series of musket shots as he seemingly hit a sailor in the chest. He fell to the ground but was unsure if he killed him or not when he ducked down. Bataar took aim with her rifle and pulled the trigger. The shot grazed another sailor on the Revel, but their shots were proving to be devastating. Five men on the Yedok were down on the deck bleeding from various wounds inflicted from the Revel.

Feliks ran up and grabbed the nearest rifle that was lying on the ground from a sailor that was not able to fire his round off before getting gunned down. He readied himself as Bataar began to reload her rifle.

Another cannon shot from Revel was fired. It was another chain shot fired aimed at the main masts.

“They are targeting the masts!” Feliks told Bataar.

Two of the cannon rounds fired from the Yedok fired from aft. The shots hit the rear section of the Revel sending wood splinters everywhere but still not doing enough damage.

“Keep firing men! Fire at will!” Captain Hain yelled.

The cannons were being reloaded as the Revel still had cannons firing at the Yedok. One cannon shot struck dead center piercing the wooden sides that Feliks was not far from. Men, limbs, blood, and splinters were sent flying as three men went down.

There was a calm while both sides had expended their cannon and were hastily reloading. The sun was setting as it was getting darker, as this was turning into a night assault. Feliks poked his head up again as he took quick aim at another sailor on the Revel. He aimed and fired. He grazed the man as he went down, clenching his right arm.

“Bambuk!” she yelled. “They are getting closer! They are...”

Another cannon shot rang out as another round of chain shots flew from the Revel. This one struck the mainmast again, shattering it. The entire mast started to fall starboard as it took one of the two mainsails down.

“Damn!” Feliks yelled. “We can’t...”

“They are going to ram!” Bataar yelled. She grabbed him and pulled him away from his wooden wall that he was being hidden behind. She practically threw him away just in time to see a grappling chain being thrown from the Revel. It landed at where Feliks was at as the grappling chain took hold and pulled onto the hull.

“Prepare for boarding!” yelled the captain. “Bayonets, pikes, and swords at the ready!”

Men from below decks came running up as the ship lost control as it was being grappled by the Revel. Another chain was thrown as it landed near the forecastle. The ship was in the maw of the Swedes now.

The oarsman came from below decks with swords as the men were prepared to fight hand to hand. Feliks could see that the Yedok was in serious trouble. The ship was almost dead in the water as the Swedes used their numerical superiority onboard in hopes of beating the helpless galley.

“The ship is being pulled in!” yelled a random crew member as he picked up his musket and fired at the Swedes.

There was a tug as the ship was slowly being drawn in. The Revel had the Yedok in its grasp now. Feliks looked back real quick as he saw the Akula and the other galleys do a port turn to avoid running into the Yedok. It tried to pull to the port side of the Revel.

“Hey!” yelled one of the crewmembers as he looked at the man. Feliks turned his head to see a sword tossed to him that he could use. “You, big man,” another man threw a sword to Bataar, in which she grabbed the handle from the air.

Foot by foot, the ship was being pulled in. Once the vessel was close enough, they would storm into the ship and capture it. More musket fire reigned from the Yedok as the Revel was shooting back. Men from every angle were firing at the other. It was chaos.

The crewmembers were slowly getting whittled away as the Revel was using their numbers to take down the Russians. The Russians were, however, inflicting losses on the Revel, though, but not enough.

Feliks ran back to the stern of the ship dodging the occasional shots as the other crew went to various areas. The cannons were abandoned as the ships were now too close to fire.

Bataar walked up by the stairs to blockade the incoming soldiers as the men formed a defensive line at the forecastle and stern of the ship. Finally, wood touched wood as both ships were together.

“Here they come!” she yelled.

Swedish sailors hopped onto the galley. One, five, then ten, more and more were pouring onto the ship.

Men from the forecastle came charging down at the Swedes as sword met sword in melee combat. Some of the other men from the Revel went aft to fight the men at the ship’s stern. Four sailors approached Bataar with a sword and musket in hand.

Bataar would not even let the men try to shoot her. She pulled out one of her flintlocks, aimed at the nearest sailor, and fired as he went down. She then dropped the pistol, picked up the other one, and fired it at the next sailor, putting a bullet square into his chest. She then dropped it and held her sword at the ready. There was fire from the stern as they shot downward at the incoming sailors from the Revel.

Suddenly there was cannon fire from the distance as the Akula was firing her starboard broadside at the Revel. The Revel returned fire from her port side. The other galleys were at least trying to provide some cover fire for the beleaguered crew on the Yedok.

The forecastle crew was slowly getting wiped out one by one. What was once a crew of a hundred was now a crew of sixty as the Revel still had about two hundred and fifty crew. The captain was still alive as he was holding his own against the Swedes. There were still about twenty crew up forward left as sword met sword and hand to hand combat. There was still occasional musket fire as men tried to snipe one another from various areas from the ship.

Three more men charged at Bataar as she swung her sword hard at the nearest sailor. Her strength was so powerful it knocked the man down as he tried to block it. Another man swung at her as she grabbed the man’s arm and threw him several feet away.

With his last musket, Feliks aimed it downward at the sailors that were trying to climb off the stairs to get to the rest of the crew at the stern. His shot was perfect as he shot him in the head. He then threw the musket rifle down and got his sword ready.

More and more Swedes were pouring from the Revel as the next galley behind the Akula opened fire on the Revel. While not doing much damage, each shot was chipping its armor-like mosquitoes sucking blood from an animal.

Bataar swung her sword wide, hitting and slashing a sailor in front of her. Her powerful strength cut through the sailor’s defenses like a knife through butter.

“Men! I need your help to pull the hooks off!” she yelled.

“You heard he ... him!” Feliks yelled, almost calling her a ‘she’ by accident. “We get these hooks off, and we might have a chance!”

The men from the stern didn’t need to hear it twice. Like a wave, the remaining men from the stern charged forward. Some even jumped to the Swedes below meeting swords. It was an all-out act of desperation as the crew knew that the hooks were what was holding them there. Bataar charged forward, almost knocking a Revel crew member to the ground. She charged forward with her sword, practically impaling a man and slamming him to the ground as she reached the first hook that narrowly hit Feliks. Another Swedish sailor with a flintlock pistol fired point-blank at her. The ball struck her and did no damage as she threw a punch square in his face knocking him to the ground unconscious. Feliks was with a group of three other Russian sailors trying to fight with all his might. He blocked a sword swing that was thrown at him as he swung around again, slashing the sailor to the deck.

The dead were piling up. The Yedok were down to fifty crewmembers now as more and more Swedes were pouring in.

“Don’t surrender, men!” the Captain yelled. “Don’t...”

Up forward, the men that were protecting the captain were getting wiped out. There were only five against twenty as the men were making their last stand. One of the Swedes from the Revel fired at the men up forward but hit the captain on the Yedok. The captain grabbed his side as blood poured to the deck. He pulled out his flintlock as he took aim and shot one of the Revel invaders down.