Chapter 25: How do you eat a chawrfil?
Master Xue was feeling grand. His plans were all coming together. When he had first learned of those scientists coming to examine the comet he had feared something would go terribly wrong but he'd dealt with that and even turned it to his advantage. He was brilliant when it came to that sort of thing. It was like the way he had solved the problem of the pirates. If they had been allowed to remain free they might have caused endless troubles for the supply lines. At least in the early stages of the campaign. But he had been able to buy them up. They would be useful cannon fodder in this attack and save most of the Imperium's ships for the real work of conquering the Galactic Empire. He calculated that at least half of the pirates would be destroyed and the remainder would be so shot up that they would pose no real threat in the future. The Bosses of the Muliphein Expanse were always at each others throats anyway and they could be subdued later.
Xue looked around at his fleet. A ragged lot they were. Mostly vessels built for trade and re-equipped hap hazardly with cannon. They would do. They were nothing compared to the Mhinm vessels. His three frigates and this, his proud ship of the line. The Jiao-long Kong mounted eighty cannon and she was impressive by any reckoning. Xue smiled to himself. The emperor would make him wealthy when this campaign was over. He might even be granted a dominion in the new conquered territories. Dominar Xue. So much better than Master Xue. It had a nice ring to it. But something was nagging at him. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Was it the look on Captain Amelia's face when he'd locked her in that cell? Why should that bother him? She was out of the way. He speculated on her. Pretty in a tall lean way. At least if you went in for the dangerous sort. Perhaps he would put her in his harem. A collar around that pretty throat of hers would show her who was in charge. That nagging feeling was still there. What else could it be? Sparrow? Surely not. He thought he'd gotten the better of Xue but the master knew what he was going to do with that backward, pompous lout. Clever in a childish way but to turn on the one who is buying you is foolish. Still. Sparrow had a shifty look that was much like a Mhinm. Yes. Sparrow would have to die. These troubling thoughts were interrupted by a call from the masthead. Xue turned his eyes up to where the lookout was calling to the captain. He was pointing to the distance. Xue's eyes scanned the Etherium but saw nothing. Wait. What was that? A sail? Out here?
"Master Xue," The captain called. "It's the Smollette."
"Impossible!" Xue's anger flashed instantly. "We left it at the dock."
"She's there, master. Flying Galactic colors."
"It must be another ship." Xue went to the rail and took the proffered glass from the captain. "It has to be another ship. How could it get here?"
What Xue saw in the lens of the glass though confirmed what the captain had said.
"It's her, master, and she's coming straight for us." Prompted the captain.
"Well do something about her!" Snapped Xue. "Send a couple of pirates to deal with it. We don't have time for this!"
"Two ships breaking off, captain." Closton reported.
"Thank you, Mr. Closton." Amelia looked back toward the Livesey. Small in the distance, Livesey was still adrift. Mr. Strode had protested being left behind but she had reminded him of his duty and so at least six of her crew were likely to live through this day. "Mr. Sparrow, all divisions ready?"
"Aye, captain." Jack stood at the foot of the stairs confidently watching the Mhinm fleet. "All cannon primed and ready for action. Master-at-arms has distributed the weapons. Surgeon is standing by."
"Excellent, Mr. Sparrow." The captain turned to look at Brraadtt and Annamaria at the wheel. "Steady as she goes. Take us straight into them."
The two pirate ships closed on Smollette. One was a sloop, the other a cutter. Both were light and fast. Both were expendable. Which was a good thing for the Mhinm. At extreme range they let loose with their bow cannon sending angry, blue shots screaming by the Smollette as the distance narrowed. Smollette held fire until they reached medium range. Then all hell broke loose. With her bow lined up on the sloop she fired four shots straight through her hull, disemboweling the pirate ship. Explosions racked through the sloop's frame leaving scarlet flames licking the ether. Smollette's starboard cannon came to bear on the cutter and dismasted her. She floated on in a nearly uncontrolled arc that would take her out of the fight. The Smollette's crew cheered and jeered as they passed between the wrecks but Closton called them back to their senses and Smollette drove on.
"The odds are a little better now." Delbert said under his breath. Amelia gave the slightest of nods. This wasn't over. It had not yet truly begun.
Next came three ships. Two brigs and another sloop. Like a greyhound the sloop out distanced her comrades and bore in on Smollette. She sailed a twisting course firing wildly as came. Smollette's bow chasers held fire until the ships were nearly on top of each other. Then they swatted it like a fly. In less than two minutes Smollette had disabled or destroyed three ships. Spirits were high but there were the two brigs still coming. These captains seemed to know their business better. They fired a few ranging shots but not the wild volleys of the sloops. One shot tore away some rigging and men scrambled to make repairs.
"Hard a port, Mr. Brraadtt!" Amelia ordered. Smollette came round handily to her new heading. The starboard guns lined up and began firing as they came to bear on their targets. With more power and range Smollette's guns had greater accuracy. And these men were the best of the best, hand picked by Amelia from the best crews she had ever commanded. From the deck Jack could see men and cannon thrown clear over the side of the nearer brig. She seemed to shudder as the cannon fired again and again. The pirates were brave. They stood to their guns and returned fire but there was so much damage and with the impact of the Smollette's rounds shaking the gun cradles, their shots were less than accurate. More rigging was shot away on Smollette and several enemy rounds thudded into the hull but the modifications Mr. Weyt had made shrugged off the impacts and even dulled their sound. The farther brig opened fire as soon as Smollette cleared her consort. It was as though the pirates were trying to dismast her for their shots ravaged the sails and killed several spacers trying to set the rigging right.
"Bring us up , Mr. Brraadt. Give their deck to our guns." Amelia was cool. This was something she knew. She was the daughter and grand daughter of a mighty line of ship's officers. She was literally bred to this and God help her she loved it so.
Smollette rose at a steep angle to the pirates and her starboard cannon sent crackling blue death to plunge into the deck and crew of the pirate brig. The maneuver had been sudden and perfectly executed. The pirates were taken off their guard and chaos ensued. Men dove for cover and left their guns in the face of the carnage on their deck. The main mast gave way and collapsed over the side dragging more pirates to a cold death far from home. Far from help. The men in the fighting tops added their musket fire to the Smollette's big guns. They shot away cables and killed crew raking the deck with lances of fire. As Smollette settled back to her original heading the stern chasers fired into the first brig and set its stern works alight. They fired and fired again until the enemy's drive was shot away and she drifted without power. The second brig luffed sail and even with her main mast gone she turned to engage Smollette again. But the stern chasers met her with death. They blasted her hull and upper works until her captain pulled down his flag with his own hands. She would fight no more. Smollette drove on.
"Clear away that wreckage there." Jack shouted at the crew. "Haul down those damaged sails and lets have new ones run up. Lively now!"
"Eight men dead, sir." Closton reported to Jack. "Four wounded. One bad."
"All right, Closton. Keep them at it we're about to have more company."
"I want flank speed, Mr. Brraadt." Amelia was watching the Mhinm fleet as smollette closed the distance. Near the back of it she could see three or four of the pirate vessels leaving. They were breaking off, hauling down their flags and actually leaving the fight!
"By all the stars, Amelia." Delbert's voice was hushed. "Is it always like this?"
"The Procyon were tougher." She answered matter-of-factly. Her mind was taken up with the problems she had yet to face. Yes they had dealt with five ships and reduced them to burning hulks. Yes their damage and casualties were light. And yes some of the enemy were leaving the fight before they had even fired a shot. Yet before her lay more than eighty ships and some of them were crewed by professionals. And those ships were much larger than her own. She didn't want to face those if she could keep away from them. What was the old riddle her mother was so fond of when a large task had to be done? How do you eat a chawrfil? One bite at a time. Well Smollette had just taken five bites. But now there was the main course.