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“We lost Nita!” Coop said.
“Is she dead?” Captain Mack asked.
“I don’t know. She might have ended up on the dreadnought.”
“Then she’s dead either way. Looks like she got that leak fixed before she went, but we lost a lot of gas. We’re going to have to bleed some altitude, and we can’t stay up here or those harpoons will get us. I’m taking us aside.”
He guided the rapidly descending Wind Breaker to port, swinging down behind the main envelope, then out and away. Gunner scrambled to reach the sack of weapons that had been thrown about the deck by the attacks. It had become lodged in the mounting of one of envelope struts. He fished out a blunderbuss and took aim at one of the propellers as they swept past. Pulling the trigger unleashed a cloud of pellets. At this range the bulk of the blast met its target, causing the motor to vent steam and sputter to a stop. Though there were no fewer than eleven other propellers still functioning, it was heartening to know that the ship wasn’t indestructible.
Their drop began to level off as they cleared the side of the craft. The bad news was that this left them at close range and in good position for the dreadnought’s deck guns. The good news was that they were now close enough for Coop and Gunner to target the crew with their pistols and rifles. Firing from ship to ship didn’t allow any real accuracy, but by maintaining a constant hail of bullets on the way, they managed to keep the enemy gunmen in search of cover. It led to something of a standoff, because they knew that if they attempted to escape, Coop and Gunner wouldn’t be able to keep the enemy gunners busy.
“I’m going to slow her up,” Captain Mack said.
“I’d advise against it, Captain,” Gunner said between shots. “I’ve only taken out three of their guns and none of their gunmen. If we fall back, the forward guns could fire on you and the helm.”
“I don’t figure on there being guns there for too much longer,” Captain Mack said. He leaned to the speaking tube. “Forward cannons loaded, Lil?”
“Good to go, Cap’n!” came her reply.
He smiled. “Firing starboard cannons.”
Firing a shipboard cannon at point blank range is not typically done for quite a few reasons, all of which were perfectly illustrated in the following moments. The blow was devastating, instantly reducing a stretch of the gunship’s hull to splinters. Shards of former ship flew in all directions, some pelting those enemy crewmembers lucky enough to be spared the primary blast, much rebounding back and scouring Coop, Gunner, and the captain. The gunship shuddered to one side, the Wind Breaker to the other, and then they crashed together, dislodging or damaging most of the guns and leaving the starboard side of Captain Mack’s ship badly damaged. The explosion knocked all three crewmembers on the deck to their backs, and there they remained, motionless.
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