“Probably trying to force us in a certain direction,” Gordon said. “And the fact they're not getting close probably means they have more ships further down the channel.”
“How much further is the question,” Shane said.
Kelvin nodded and looked back down at the map. It would be close. They had so much distance to cover until they were in the open sea, and all the while they'd be at the mercy of the smaller patrol boats.
“Should we start firing?” he said.
“How close are we to the target?” Shane asked.
Kelvin shrugged. “About two miles out?”
“Then I'd say yeah, but don't go too crazy with it. We need the engine power.” Shane glanced at Gordon. “What do you say?”
“That's fine with me. Just keep your fire discipline, like Shane said.”
“Right, heading back there now,” Kelvin said, feeling a bit of relief. Despite his concerns, Gordon and Shane seemed to be getting along. Maybe he had been wrong.
And at least they could start shooting back. Kelvin hurried out of the door toward the back of the ship.
“Gunner?” Brandon called down to him.
“Yeah.”
“Bet Teresa's disappointed about that.”
Kelvin shrugged. “We need two engineers in the boiler room, and I don't have the specialization. She'll live.”
He moved to the back of the ship and climbed in the open-topped turret, mounting just a small gun. At least it had an automated ammunition hoist, but this kind of weapon usually had a crew of three operating it. Wasting steam power wouldn't be much of a problem, since there might be up to a minute between shots. Kelvin would have to load the weapon, aim it, and fire. That might be fine with a rifle, but the size of even small steam artillery meant a lot of strength was needed. At least he had the brute temperament.
Kelvin found a telephone to the bridge on the side of the turret and picked it up. On a ship this size speaking tubes wouldn't transmit voices over long enough distances, necessitating the inclusion of telephones between vital areas of the vessel. It added yet another system that needed to be maintained, but if the crew wanted to coordinate with each other they had little choice.
“I'm here and ready.”
“Fire at will,” Shane said at the other end, his voice faint and tinny, but audible. “Careful with the steam.”
“Only way that's going to be a problem is if you come load for me.”
“You can do the heavy lifting. That's your job, right?” Shane replied with a bit of sarcasm.
Kelvin laughed and hung up the phone, then went to the ammo hoist and pulled one of the levers. Gears creaked and groaned. A shell appeared in the hoist, about two inches in diameter and ten inches long. Kelvin opened up the weapon's breach and loaded the projectile, then closed it and made sure it was sealed.
He pulled another lever on the pressure chamber and watched the gauge rise as steam poured in. Once it reached the proper mark he flipped the levers back to cut off the flow, then leaned down to look through the scope.
Kelvin wished he had taken the sentinel specialization, but they hadn't been expecting combat. He could probably manage in his current state, but the passive buffs that some of the perks gave made shooting accurately far easier. Without computers, radar, or any way to lock on target he'd be forced to do everything by eye, making minute adjustments.
And Age of Steam used realistic physics, so over long distances he'd have to account for wind, ballistic drop, even the pitch and roll of the ship as it moved through the water. Even against a stationary target scoring a hit would be difficult, and as soon as the enemy realized they were being shot at they'd take evasive maneuvers, making it even harder.
Kelvin sighted in on his target, the lead ship in the formation, made a last-second adjustment, and pulled the last lever. The ship shuddered, and a gout of steam shot out of the cannon's mouth.
He looked through the scope again to see if his shot had connected. It was difficult to tell the distance in the darkness, but Kelvin thought his hot went a little long. It had been close enough to get the enemy to take notice, though, because the ships started taking evasive maneuvers.
But as expected they also began to speed up. Kelvin estimated they'd catch up to them in about four, maybe three miles. He wanted to rattle them, maybe even score a hit and cause some damage, but Kelvin knew very well that he was playing with fire. He had just kicked the hornet's nest, and they were coming to exact revenge.
At this point they were at the mercy of the enemy anyhow, so they might as well take the opportunity to force them in a predictable course of action. Kelvin moved back to the ammo hoist and pulled the lever again, making calculations in his head. He'd find some way to place his next shot on target.
Inside the pilothouse Shane heard another faint thump and glanced over his shoulder. A solid-shot shell sparked in the dark, and though he couldn't see well it looked like it might have scored a hit on the lead ship.
“Good shot,” Gordon commented. “Really good. Pity that we're only firing small shells.”
Shane nodded, but something wasn't sitting right with him.
“I don't like this,” he said. “They're too far away from us. I know they're probably trying to herd us toward their ships further down the channel, but you'd think they'd try to stay closer.”
“Maybe they want to keep their distance because they didn't want to give use easier targets,” Gordon shrugged. “That last one was a really good shot. I wouldn't bet on him being able to make another one.”
Shane agreed. “No, I don't think he will.”
There was little they could do right now, stuck aboard a slow-moving cargo vessel. He glanced down at the map on the navigation table, then at the one in his guidebook that showed his current location. They had about a mile to cover to reach their rendezvous point. Just a few more minutes and they could put the main part of their plan into action.
Brandon saw the shell impact on the lead patrol boat, throwing up a shower of sparks and quickly fading into the night. The darkness made it impossible to tell what kind of damage it might have done, but at the very least it would get the guild's attention.
He waited impatiently for them to close the distance, to a point where he could fire. Eight hundred to a thousand yards. That was enough to try on the open water, even though Brandon doubted he could get anywhere near his target. But he wanted to do something to strike back.
He shifted his gaze forward, peering into the channel ahead to look for any signs of other activity. The enemy had more ships waiting for them. Everyone knew it, or else the guild commander was a complete idiot. He couldn't see anything, but he suspected the enemy would have their lights off in order to ambush their ship.
A light blinked in the distance, and for a moment Brandon thought it might be the enemy. But as he looked through his binoculars he saw the signal flash again, and then he read the short message.
He grabbed the phone to the pilothouse. “They're here,” he said.
“Got it. Signal them back and let's get this plan into action,” Shane ordered. “I'll let the engine and gun know.”
“Understood.”
Brandon hung up and then grabbed the handles of the signal lamp. He aimed it toward the other vessel and sent them a quick message in morse code.
The other ship broke away from the shoreline and steamed toward them at full power, gliding through the water quickly. Within a minute it swung around and began to pull alongside them.
Brandon looked back at the pursuing ships, now charging toward them as fast as they could manage. A few shells streaked toward the other vessel, but as soon as it began to pull alongside them the enemy stopped shooting.
He grabbed the phone again. “I'm heading down to the deck.”
“Got it. I'm headed there as well,” Shane said. “Kelvin will be with you in a second.”
Brandon hung up and hurried down to the deck, making it just in time to see the other ship pull alongside
them and draw even, matching their speed and keeping steady.
“Rope!” someone on the other ship yelled, and a length of cord tied to a rock flew past him and landed on the deck. Brandon grabbed it and tied it to the rail.
He hesitated for a moment, but then the rest of the crew showed up.
“Well, that was fast,” he commented.
“Wheel's locked in place, the engine's running at a constant speed. Let's get out of here,” Gordon said. “Blueprint first, though.”
Brandon watched as the guide grabbed the rope and then pulled herself across to the other ship, the blueprint case strapped to her back. Once she was across the others began to follow, first Will, then Teresa, then Kelvin and Shane.
“Go ahead,” Gordon told him.
Brandon hesitated for a second, wondering if he should take the steam rifle with him, but he thought better of it and tossed it on the deck. All that effort and bother for nothing, he thought to himself as he went across. He hadn't even fired a single shot, but at the speed they'd be going trying to hit small targets in the darkness would be nearly impossible. Besides, he didn't want the extra weight to impede him and make him fall into the ocean.
“OK, we're clear!” Shane yelled toward the pilothouse after Gordon came across. He drew his blade and hacked the rope away. “We can go!”
Brandon heard the engines rumble, and the ship pulled away from the cargo vessel, picking up speed and zipping through the water. He felt a bit of relief, but they still had a long way to go. And with enemy ships likely waiting for them further down, they weren't out of trouble yet.
“I hope that they know what they're doing,” he said.
Shane nodded. “Yeah. I hope so too.”
“How's it coming?” Jocelyn asked, having to raise her voice to be heard over the machinery.
Bailey looked at the gauges and instruments. “Both boilers are holding steady. We can probably get some more pressure out of them.”
“No need to stress them out right now. We're making good speed.” Jocelyn moved over to the speaking tube and opened it up. “Alex, how's it coming? Do we have enough power?”
Bailey couldn't hear the response over the clatter of the crankshafts. They'd have to do something to dampen the noise, but she couldn't deny the impressiveness of the changes. Adding another engine dramatically increased the amount of power they were able to put out, but the switch to compound engines made the difference even more pronounced. Even with all the extra weight they were able to almost double their cruising speed, and that was without stressing out the engines.
And with the ship stripped down to only the essentials, the vessel almost flew through the water. It had speed and agility beyond anything she'd seen before, and Bailey was sure they hadn't even begun to test the limits of its power.
Of course, the ship had limitations. It had no armament, and with no armor a single shot in the right place would tear the vessel apart. But the enemy had to hit them first, and with this kind of speed and maneuverability that would be very difficult.
Bailey looked up as the hatch swung open, and Teresa climbed down the ladder.
“You need extra hands?”
“Not really, but there's enough room for another person,” Jocelyn said. “So, how'd it go?”
“Pretty terrible, actually. A bunch of running and getting shot at. But at least we got it.”
Bailey glanced toward her. “Are we going to find out what it's actually for?”
“I don't know either,” she shrugged. “But if they want us to know then they'll tell us.”
Bailey wanted to say more, but she went back to work. She didn't like the way that some of the others followed orders unquestioningly, but she didn't want to cause conflict at the moment either.
So like it or not, she kept her mouth shut. Once they got out of this mess they could argue as much as they wanted.
Shane stepped into the pilothouse to find Alex at the wheel.
“Right on time, as requested,” the guild-master said.
“Thanks for that. And we have the package you wanted,” he said.
“That's all we could ask for.”
“It's too bad that we couldn't rig up the vessel to explode. I don't like the idea of the Iron Guild getting their hands on it and taking it as a prize. And I don't like them taking the cargo, especially since we have to replace it. Even if the blueprint is worth it.”
“Oh, it is,” Alex said. “That I can assure you.”
“Can you.”
“Yes. And for now that's all I'm going to say about that. We have to get back to Beylan without tipping off the enemy. Oh, and by the way,” Alex said as their guide stepped into the pilothouse, “you may have already suspected this, but the Frostwind Guild is going to be disbanded shortly.”
“I suspected that was the case,” she said. “That's why we didn't go through the trouble of changing the ship's registry.”
“So what are you planning on doing? Joining another guild?”
“Likely yes.”
“Rho has room for you Jamie.”
She slipped off her hood, and Shane got his first good look at her face. She had pale skin and dark hair, black with almost a purplish tint.
“I'll think about it.”
Shane felt Alex tap him on the shoulder. “This is your vessel, by the way. I just borrowed the helm to get here. So I think it's time for you to take the wheel.”
“Anything special I should know about it?” he asked as Alex handed off control to him.
“This has power. A lot of it. So be careful you don't accelerate or turn too fast. The controls are going to be a lot more sensitive than you're used to.”
Shane barely had time to get himself into a good position before a message came down from above.
“We've got two more ships moving in on our position from the east,” Brandon said through the speaking tube. “Looks like they're trying to cut us off from the end of the channel.”
“Got it. I see them,” Shane replied. “We have the speed. I'm just going to try to blow past them.”
“Understood.”
No time for fancy maneuvering. They didn't have any weapons, but they did have speed. Once they were in open water the enemy could do nothing to stop them. They just needed to get past the last obstacle.
“They're firing on us,” Brandon reported.
Shane saw geysers of water shoot up around them, but they were far off the mark. The quick movement of their vessel was probably giving the enemy fits.
One of the enemy ships ahead attempted to move into position to cut them off, turning lengthways across the channel, but Shane responded quickly. With one flick of the left wrist he altered the course of the wheel, and with a push from his right hand he increased the power to its maximum, as much as he dared without going over the redline.
Their ship altered course, ready to pass between the enemy's stern and the shoreline. With one ship blocking the way the other could do nothing to stop them. All they needed to do was get past the last turret, the last gun on the stern of the only vessel that could stop them.
Shane held his course straight ahead, trusting the ship to bull forward with enough power to spoil the enemy's aim. He didn't dare to zigzag, not when they had to pass through a tight spot. Shane had no idea how shallow the water near the shoreline might be, and their hull was so thin that running into a rock would rip through their hull like a can-opener.
He braced himself for impact as they sped by the enemy patrol boat, fearing the worst. Shane's heart thumped in his chest. Even after acting as a helmsman for so long, the right situation could still get his blood pumping.
“We're clear. We're clear,” Alex said, and Shane dared to take a glance out one of the side windows. They had just passed near the enemy vessel, less than five hundred yards distant.
“Did they fire?”
“They did,” Alex said. “Missed.”
Shane held in his sigh of relief and turned to wheel to port. Now that
they were past the blockade they could move into the middle of the channel, giving them more options. And while the enemy continued to shell them they could zigzag to dodge the worst of it.
“The engineers did a good job on this,” he commented as the ship chugged its way through the black waters.
“They did. They did indeed.”
Shane had never felt a sensation quite like it. The ship tore through the water like it wasn't even there, but he felt like it was still being chained, held back in some capacity. Whenever he needed a little bit more power it was there for him to access, and the engine room hadn't given him any warnings about the pressure dropping. What could they do with a ship like this? The possibilities seemed endless.
And the enemy simply couldn't keep up. Their ship flew through the channel, leaving the Iron Guild further and further in their wake. Shane began to feel more at ease. Even if the enemy put a blockade at the end of the channel, it might not be enough to stop them without a lucky hit. Their vessel could simply blow by them by going full steam ahead.
But questions still lingered in his mind. They had gone through so much trouble to get their hands on the blueprint. What could be so valuable that they'd risk everything for it?
Chapter Ten
Somehow they made it back to Beylan without any more incidents. The crew unloaded their find and headed back to their offices the next day, just faces in a vast crowd.
Kelvin was just glad the entire ordeal was over, especially since it nearly ended in disaster several times. He wanted to get back to business running goods past the guild blockade, not get caught up in a game of intrigue.
But it wasn't all bad. The capabilities of their new ship had impressed him. In fact, they were so dramatically different that it didn't even seem like it was the same vessel they had purchased straight off the market.
Now that they were in port Bailey gave him a tour of the vessel, docked in a sheltered berth where prying eyes couldn't spy on their work.
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