Chapter 19

The M252 was set up again. The base plate went over the heavy beam I had installed when the ship was rebuilt. The parts were put in place and then the written sheet was consulted to make sure everything was kosher. The shells were nearby. I had a choice here. There was white and red phosphorus, some high explosive and even three illumination rounds. The phosphoreus was a sailors worse nightmare or at least fire was. The juffa sails didn't burn but the coating on them did. This was designed to protect the silk from the ultraviolet component in the sunlight and to give the wind more to bite into. The coating was light but it did burn. Once a ship caught fire it usually burned to the waterline.

The Church ship would not have the regular slaves, but a fanatic conditioned to do what it was told was perhaps worse. The ship approaching looked to be a pirate and not even a regular Adchek warship.

When Tonno was finished he saluted with a smile. I said, "Good work. Call the other ships to assist in taking the attacker and rescuing the slaves."

"Yes, my King."

I called Captain Jammas to me and said, "Prepare to launch the boats. We will drop sail soon when we attack."

"Attack?"

"Yes, Captain Jammas. I want to find out what is happening in these waters and we cannot do that from dead pirates."

"Do you know what their guns can do?"

"Do you remember the last ship?"

"You planted a bomb on that one."

"I may plant a bomb on this one, as well"

Tonno stayed by the mortar as the rest of us got dressed and armed. When we were nearly done, Tonno hurried to get his equipment. He chose a shotgun like me.

When the ship was four and a half kilometres back, Tonno loaded a high explosive round with a M734 fuze.

For the last five minutes we worked out the proper trajectory for the shell. This would be an airburst round and timing was critical. I worked out the calculation twice on a calculator using base ten while Tonno and his crew did the same with paper and their familiar base twelve. Both were in agreement. Failure to detonate was no problem because we also set it for near-surface burst and impact burst.

The mortar fired and shook our ship. Our platform was not that rigid. The shell exploded too high but shredded much of the sails. Tonno made a small adjustment and I nodded. Soon another shell was arcing aloft. This one landed in the rigging and exploded. The main mast disintegrated and everything fell to the deck. A fire started but the crew fought it.

I called out, "Drop sail, Captain, and try to come about."

"Tonno, secure weapon and prepare to board."

"Carso, inform our troops to proceed to target and prepare to board."

The mortar and shells were put away quickly. We got in the boats and pulled hard on the oars. The ship was a mess. Somebody tried to use what sails they had to get away from us but they were not getting far. As we approached the ship we saw people at the rail with rifles. They had much more solid platform to shoot from. When splashes came near we stopped rowing and those with the AK's fired. Some of the targets cried out or just fell.

Some of our boats passed us but the occupants didn't look enthusiastic. We shot until the rail was clear then surged forward. Twice more we stopped to shoot.

We used the grappling hooks and I climbed mine first. I looked through the scuppers and saw two small cannon at each end aimed along the deck. They would be loaded grapeshot and very effective. I pulled a grenade then removed the pin with my teeth. I waited just a second and tossed it toward one of the cannon. I was fast enough to launch one more at the other set of guns.

Shrapnel came through the scuppers but I was clear. A second look had me pulling out the nine millimetre and shooting one man still standing with a torch in his hand. I was over the rail in seconds.

There were few to shoot and I used my feet or a wooden peg taken from the ship to knock who I could out. Some I had to shoot because they had guns. The guys made it to the deck and there was little opposition.

I yelled, "Take them alive if you can. Kill those your have to." This way they may moderate their vengeance a little.

A man of fifty got to his feet very unsteadily. He had no gun but he had a cutlass. Blood was running down his forehead into his black beard. He saw me and charged only to fall over a body. The sword left his hand and he fumbled to find it. I knew he had to be having difficulty seeing. He was dangerous but he must be half blind. I ran in before he could get up and kicked him in the jaw. He fell over and didn't move. I looked for more threats.

Those with AK's continued to fire. They did so less than I though but more than was needed. However, I was not there to assess each conflict. The fighting lasted twenty more minutes and most of that was what it took to ferret out all those who were hiding.

I checked the Captain's quarters and found a dog ready to take my leg off. I didn't shoot the animal but closed the door instead. I was partial to animals. There was the usual compliment of pleasure slaves and one woman of perhaps seventy. She came at me with a club when I opened the door and it was only the reflection in the mirror that saved me from getting hit. My helmet would have absorbed most of the power of the blow but it would have still left me dazed.

"Hold on, I'm taking the ship from the pirate."

The woman screamed and came at me again with more energy that I thought a woman her age could have. I had to throw her on the bed and use tie wraps on her wrists and her ankles. She even bit me but the vest proved to be more than she could get through. I would almost chose to take on the dog than this woman.

More of our ships arrived and I got to see just how large this ship really was. It had four masts and a slim beam. Tonno remarked that there was two hundred and twenty slaves used for propulsion.

More of our people came aboard and we searched the ship a few more times but found nobody else.

The partially blind sword wielder was apparently the captain. A bucket of water roused him. He looked around at voices as he squinted.

I said, "Are you the captain of this scow?"

"Scow! I'll peel the skin off your back and throw you to the fish. I'll boil you in oil then keelhaul you."

"Are you the Captain?"

"I be."

I'm going to shoot your dog unless you muzzle it. I don't want to, I'm partial to dogs."

"You wouldn't hurt Princess, would you?"

"Muzzle her or she dies."

"He's not a bitch."

"Then why call him Princess."

"He doesn't like being called Prince."

"A muzzle or a bullet. Your choice."

"I'll find a muzzle, just don't hurt my baby."

The man got up with my help. His hands had tie wraps and I had removed his knives and two small pistols. The captain had to talk through the door to 'Princess' for a minute before he could get in. There was a collar on the dog and the man held it tightly.

"I'll hold the dog. You have two hands. There's a leather strap in the drawer. Use that."

"If you let the dog go or there's a trap, I'll shoot your dog in the head and you in the balls."

"There be no trap, on my honour."

"Honour from a thief and a killer."

"I be no thief. I have a letter of mark from Lord Sarsen."

"Who is Lord Sarsen?"

"You do not know of him?"

"I wouldn't ask if I knew."

"He is the Church negotiator. He keeps the Adchek navy from taking too many liberties."

"That is a crock of shit. The Church is out to win at any cost." I fished out the leather thong and walked near the dog. I put my gun away and made a slip knot and got it around the dog's muzzle fairly easy. The leather was wrapped many times but it was still loose enough to not cause pain. The end was tied to the collar.

Release the dog. I was ready with my fist but the dog sat beside its master at his urging.

"Tell me more about Lord Sarsen."

"Why should I tell you?"

"I hold your life in my hands."

"Why did you attack my ship? I have legal rights."

"You were bearing down on five vessels with a large warship. This vessel isn't made for cargo."

"You attacked us first."

"You attacked by chasing us."

"I was hurrying to port. My mother is tired of the sea."

"That battle ax was your mother?"

"You didn't hurt her, did you?"

"She wears the same jewellery as you."

"Thank you. She's a sweet woman."

"Do you ever tell the truth?"

"Always."

"Do you own this ship?"

"No, it's the property of our Church."

"It's not Church property now, it's mine."

"You cannot do that!"

"Let's clear this up. You were going to take our ships or sink them. Is that true or not? Think carefully before you answer. I hate liars worse than pirates."

"I'm not a pirate."

"Answer the question."

There was a pause to think of an escape and the man mumbled.

"Louder!"

"Your ships would have been taken."

"Then we fought. You would have gained my ships if you had won but I'm the victor, and I now take yours. If the Church thinks differently they can come and take it back."

"They'll kill you."

"They've tried. Now show me where you have hidden your weapons and your treasure. If I don't find it, my boys will look."

There was another long thinking process and I found the weapons first. Some were very nice. The Captain reluctantly opened a sliding cupboard and we found jewelled collars, leashes and even some jewel bordered clothing for the dog. I saw that the man loved the dog quite a bit. Perhaps more than normal. Who knows, maybe the dog was gay.

There was a strongbox filled with copper and jewels as well as books. These were a rare commodity when each one had to be made by hand. When I glanced through the book I saw that this was the first erotic book I had seen on this planet.

All this time I heard the old woman screaming in her room. Every time she bellowed the Captain would wince and twitch. There was a lot of loot here.

"Captain —. What is your name?"

"Captain Dale Restfor at your service."

"Well, Captain Dale, I have been looking for books and special silver relics that the Church is also probably seeking."

"Books on magic?"

"Yes, but books on science too."

"I have seen them but they were always in the hands of the priests. I have none but I know you will look anyway."

"Do you have any spare spectacles here?"

"How did you know?"

"You can't see well and you fumbled around. It saved your life. If you had brought out a gun you would have been dead."

We went on the deck with a properly bespectacled Captain. The wounded were being bandaged or operated on. There were also a lot of bodies to one side. Tonno was holding his shotgun but the pirates looked thoroughly cowed at the moment.

Captain Dale said, "What will happen to my crew?"

"I haven't decided yet. I don't like pirates and I don't like them working for the Church."

"The Church has their own ships and you may have a difficult time taking them."

I checked my own people. Some were wounded though none looked fatal. Some of the galley slaves from the Skussa went down to talk to the ones on this ship to tell them what had happened to them and what should happen to the present crew.

I found that the ship was the Covva which meant the wolf. Those crew members that were not wounded were sent aloft to take down the damaged rigging and sails. There were spares but not a full compliment. Our own people had to assist and it was near nightfall when we were ready to sail but there was no wind.

I needed competent crews to man the ships and I didn't want to abandon any ship. Restfor swore everlasting oaths to me but I suspected that it may not mean much. His crew did the same thing. The crew of the Covva and some of the wounded were split up among the rest of the fleet while some of the other crews moved to the Covva. The Captain was sent to the Pinta as the bos'n.

One night of Restfor's mother and wives was too much. The mother and the most obnoxious wife were put in a boat and we towed it behind the Covva. The mother must have had more than a hand in picking out the wives because they acted the same way she did when they felt safer. I went back to the Scors for the quiet. Restfor had told me everything he knew or suspected about the pirates around Buseland so we could avoid most.

When I could I went back to my studies, trying to find more information. The chest had dried out and I stood it upright with the lid closed. It served as a convenient tabletop for the silver objects. I reached for the lever and fulcrum while thinking how heavy it was when I picked it up with my arm extended. It came up as expected but part of the trunk did too and it was fairly heavy.

I was quickly on my feet and papers scattered everywhere. The lever went back but this time over the centre of gravity. The lever didn't work for a while until I thought at it the right way. The lever weighted perhaps twenty grams but the trunk came up with it and it still moved like twenty grams even to altering inertia.

This new toy kept my interest for a long time. It wasn't necessary to put the leaver over the centre but only on an object. Putting the icon on a sheet didn't necessarily pick up the bed until I began to think the right way.

With this success I put up the original chain portal and tried to think of Artlam's home. Nothing seemed to work. One of the coins was still there and I tried to focus on that with the headband but the results were the same.

As we sailed, we found more ships but none of them approached us. They may have been merchantmen or pirates. If the latter, they may have recognised the Covva.

The capital of Buseland was a city called Soot. It apparently was resisting the best and receiving the most attention from the Adchek forces. King Carrser had provided charts and Captain Jammas was familiar with the Harbour. He was now captain of the Covva while I now had his first mate as Captain for the Scors.

During the voyage here, I had talked to those that had some ideas about how to proceed. This meant a lot of shouting from boat to boat but it allowed all of us to know what was happening. Plans were made about a lot of scenarios and they all sounded good. The situation before us now fit one of these fairly well.

The Covva stayed well out to sea as we tried to see just how many ships we may have to get through. We retreated to plan out the timing. That night I radioed home and told the family the situation though there was nothing they could do to assist me.

The next morning, the Covva sailed toward the port and the Scors was well behind. The river mouth had a heavy chain across it and so far it had held and the Adchek ships could not get closer to the fort. The cannon were fired from both sides of the conflict so the Scors would not look like much of a menace. The flags on all the masts said they were Adchek though I knew some were the Church.

A launch left a ship even larger than the Covva with a dozen men. This had to be just a way of transporting messages. A few minutes later we were in position and the mortar was ready as our sails dropped. Our five man crew had changed. We now had three strong women, Tonno and myself. The rest of the Mendabians were on the Covva.

There was a little chop on the bay but not much to rock the ship. The mortar fired at the major ship and one shell did what two did to the Covva. The rigging took a major hit even though the sails were furled. The deck was what I was after. We let it have two more because of the size of the vessel. We then worked both sides of the bay so none of the other ships were allowed to escape. The Covva fired at us but only to hide her true colours. None of the other ships were able to do much in any case.

A quarter hour later, we had hit seventeen enemy ships. Six larger ones by our high explosive shells. We used both kinds of phosphorus on the rest. The ships had burst into flames and the burning metal drove any firemen into the sea for relief.

The Covva moved close to the Church owned ship but the help they gave wasn't what was expected.

Thirty minutes after the first round left the barrel there were no remaining operational Adchek ships. From the top of the Covva and the Scors were two hastily made flags of Mendab. This might keep us from being hit by the fort.

The Covva and the Scors now went to the ships we could seize. The other ships were burning brightly and there was nothing to do for them. Tonno and I used the shotguns when needed and left a holding force on each of the ships as we went to the next. One ship blew up before we got there. It must have been an accident because they could have used it to take us out.

In two hours we had control of all the surviving ships. Long boats were coming from the city and fort now and I hailed them to the last ship we took. There was only a little hesitation and they came to me. They were cautious enough to not try boarding. I saw a lot of worried looking soldiers looking up at me.

"I'm King Hugh Driscott of Mendab. We have come to offer your country our aid. We have five ships full of nitre. These ships in the bay, I now claim."

Nobody was allowed to board the ships and we were towed to a dock that had taken lots of abuse from cannon fire. I took command of the local troops with only a little hesitation and let them guard the Adcheks we had taken. The people and the guards wanted to kill them out of hand but I talked about proper executions later if they were called for.

Slaves were removed from the first ship and segregated. The other ships were treated the same way when their time came. Our own ships pulled into the harbour when I called by radio. Long boats pulled them near the royal wharf to be unloaded.

My own people went through all the wrecks looking for loot, but this time I was getting a major portion. I knew I would have to give out some as bonuses.

The Vecta was the large ship we had taken. She was still in the bay with the Covva. That one I wanted to search myself. Officials and the military now came out in large numbers.

One man in a uniform started giving orders to his men while pointing at the Adcheks. I walked over with the shotgun and said, "My name is King Hugh Driscott of Mendab. I took these men captive. They are my slaves. They may or may not be criminals but that is for me to decide."

"They are on our land now."

I said in a calm voice, "Do you challenge me for them?"

The guy was big but I was bigger. They hadn't seen our smaller weapons work close and personal but they must have had an idea. He replied, "These men have killed many of our people. They should be killed."

"We can discuss this later. Is your king in the city?"

"He's out with the army."

"Tell me what the situation is and perhaps I can help."

I got a run down from the start of the war and I had to listen to it all. The man apparently didn't know of the word concise. When he was done I saw that we could possibly help a bit more.

"Are there a lot of wounded in the city?"

"Not an excessive number. Our walls are thick."

"Will you send your physicians out to tend the wounded?"

"They're Adcheks. They should all die."

"Are you trying to take the duties of your king into your hands?"

"No, never!"

"Do you believe that I'm King Driscott?"

"You could be none other."

"Then call out your physicians for me."

He didn't look pleased but he did pass the commands. I went back to work but most of my time was watching that the Adcheks were not harmed. The physicians came out and started to work. I had seen a fair bit of Bejek medicine and knew it was good.

Some of my new slaves were rational enough to go onto the ships and prepare a good meal. Both the prisoners and the slaves were fed. The prisoners would not want this. They reminded me of those who would prefer death.

The chains used in the galleys now held the healthy prisoners. Other ships had to contain irrational slaves. Tonno kept watch for both of us while I got the Scors cargo of nitre unloaded. This was put into the Harbourmaster's hands to be processed into black powder. At least I had no problem with the excise man.

More of our ships came. As they were unloaded, I was able to go back to finding out what was going on. I talked to other people and tried to find out who was in charge. I learned this man was out fighting a smaller incursion some thirty klicks away.

The galley slaves had been canvassed. If they were from Buseland, their names were posted. Family had to come and claim them first or I had to be satisfied that they were able to be on their own.

Food was in short supply in the city and we made do with what was onboard the ships. Before it got dark, the wounded prisoners were put in irons and the slaves put back in the ships to sleep.

The Vecta pulled into dock and I hurried to it. From the reports I knew that there were problems. There was little fighting but what there was happened to be intense. Fillo and Solsa now held the ship but Carso had died. His body was found in a large state room. It was burnt as if from the blast of a furnace. The ceiling and deck had caught fire as well as the interior of the room but the fire had been put out. The shotgun Carso carried was gone as well as his 45. On the wall was a silver chain. I collapsed and stored it.