Where's the Kaboom?

[Vera Silvertooth]

The Phantom was silent, floating in a dark bubble on it?s own. Wary of giving any surrounding pirates an idea of their location, they kept the lanterns covered and dim. Voices spoke barely above a whisper, as if fearful they?d carry across the dark waters.

Vera crossed the Phantom to the stern where Chak stood, scarred arms resting on the railing. The otter stared in the direction Rob had gone. She mimicked his posture and stared out into the fog.

?He?ll be fine,? she told him.

?Aye,? the otter grumbled.

?You could have gone with him. Watched his back.?

Chak shook his head. ?I be needed ?ere.?

?Then don?t make the rest of us nervous by waiting for him. He?ll signal us when he?s done. It?ll be fine.?

She pushed away from the rail and walked down the stairs to the main deck. The Phantom?s crew milled about, eyes constantly looking toward the dark sea. Vera shivered, suddenly remembering the last time she?d been aboard a ship in the fog. She rubbed her paws up and down her arms briskly and made her way to the Phantom?s galley.

Once there, Vera filled a kettle with fresh water. Placing it on the galley stove to heat, she pulled out a tray, a battered teapot, two cups, and found a box of tea. She placed the teapot and cups on the tray and added the leaves. Her hip bumped the table and she felt the two shells in her apron pocket dig into her. She still carried Fildering?s picture and she planned on keeping it close. She had a promise she?d made to herself that she intended to keep.

Once the tea was made, she picked up the tray and headed in search of Rindclaw. She checked his stern cabin first, but it was really no surprise that the weasel wasn?t there. She found him on deck by one of the cannons seated in the chair they?d constructed for him because of his injuries.

They had salvaged four cannons from Dead Rock before leaving. Two that Blade had left behind, one that had been incomplete but that Rindclaw had given directions for completion during the voyage. Hylan had found the fourth one in some storage cubby near where the black powder?s ingredients had been stored. Rindclaw said it had been Blade?s first successful test cannon. This was the one he was tinkering with in the foggy dark.

?What are you doing?? she asked him as she set the tray on a barrel. ?You should be in bed.?

?Can?t sleep,? the weasel muttered as he prodded a bundle of long sticks into the bore of the cannon.

?Rindclaw, you?ve checked this same cannon a dozen times. We tested a double load of powder in it. There?s no problem with it. Why are you so worried??

?I helped Blade design 'em. I built 'em. If they fail, it?ll be my fault.?

Vera began pouring the tea into the cups. ?Accidents happen, Rindclaw,? she said, trying to reassure both him and herself.

He grunted and went back work with the searcher.

She added a spoonful of honey to one cup, stirred it, and brought it over to Rindclaw. She used her free paw to help him pull the searcher from the bore and then she set it aside and held out the cup of tea.

?It?s not jus? this one,? he admitted as he took the tea from her. ?That one,? he nodded across the deck to the cannon that had been assembled during their voyage, ?hasn?t even been tested. We don?t have th? powder t? do it. It could explode th? first time it?s fired an? kill everybeast standin? around it.?

Vera busied her paws with fixing her own cup of tea. ?My crew will stand well back the first time we fire it.?

?Yore crew,? he snorted. ?Vera, you?ve gone through th? motions with ?em dozens o? times, but not a one o? you has actually fired in th? heat o? battle.?

?I trust my crew,? she lied. ?We?ll be fine.?

Rindclaw took a sip of the tea. ?Y' don?t see all the things that can go wrong, do you??

She shrugged and turned away from him, looking out over the fog-shrouded sea. How could she admit that she?d had nightmares? If something happened and the Phantom went down, it would be her fault. She had the recipe for black powder stuck in her head. She voiced the confidence that they?d be able to make the cannons work.

Now that they drifted here in the dark, in the middle of Blade?s fleet, she saw the insanity of it all. One ship against over a dozen. Four cannons facing who knew how many now residing on the Zephyr. One half-trained crew who?d never truly fired a cannon facing Blade?s army who had drilled and practiced in Dead Rock for seasons. The seven day sea voyage had given Vera and her helpers enough time to make two barrels of black powder. Blade had scores of barrels on the Zephyr.

It was hopeless.

And yet...

?I?m just a cook, Rindclaw. I?m not a warrior. I can?t fight. But I can?t stand by and watch Blade hurt other beasts anymore. I?ve lost friends to Blade and I?ll lose even more if he continues on this path. I...? She took a slow deep breath, then looked the weasel in the eye. ?I know we?re likely to fail, but I?m not going to run away this time.?

?Vera!?

She jumped, sloshing tea across her paw as Reedox rushed up. ?A ship?s been spotted,? he reported.

Vera left her cup behind and ran to the poop with the squirrel, then joined Hylan and Chak at the rail where they pointed at the hazy light bobbing in the fog.

Vera cast a glance towards Chak. ?Have they seen us?"

?Nay,? Chak said. ?I don? think so.?

?They will if they get any closer,? Hylan said.

Vera?s stomach clenched. ?Then I best get my crew together.?

?We ain?t firin? on ?em,? Chak muttered. ?We need ta watch fer Robert?s signal.?

?I ain?t...? She clicked her tongue. Starting to talk the the lot of them... She tried again, ?I?m not firing yet, but I want to be ready. A few moments may make all the difference.?

?Ye wait fer my command afore firin?,? the otter said.

?Aye, Captain,? she said with a hint of sarcasm. Then she ran back across the deck and quickly passed the word for the cannon crews to assemble.

?Vera,? Rindclaw said as a couple beasts helped move him away from the cannons. She glanced his way and her eyes met his hard gaze. ?Don?t miss,? he growled. She raised a paw in acknowledgment.

Five beasts had been assigned to each cannon, and those crews soon stood ready, rammers and ladles held in trembling paws. Vera checked that everything was in order, from buckets of water ready for the sponges to the linstock to ignite the powder. Hylan hovered nearby, not part of the cannon crew but sticking close just in case.

They watched the light bob in the fog and little by little, it drew nearer. She saw the outline of the ship. Their ship still sailed in a puddle of darkness, barely lit.

The muffled tone of a bell rang out through the fog.

?They?ve seen us!?

Time to see if we actually got it right. Out loud she said. ?Ready the cannons on the starboard side!?

At each cannon, the beasts bearing the ladles filled the bore with the measured amount of black powder before aiding the rammers to pack it down. Others stood with  paws over the vents to keep the powder from flying out. Double pawfuls of straw were shoved in and tamped down as well. As the rammers were withdrawn from the bore, the cannonballs were loaded. Once more, it was packed tightly, then the crews stepped back.  Two beasts primed the fuse holes.

?Ready!? the mouse who added the primer said.

?Ready!? said the shrew at the other cannon.

?Stand by,? Vera said, and looked to Chak. He stood on the poop deck, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the lights draw closer. ?Chak, we?re ready.?

The otter lifted a staying paw and waited for several long moments as the pirate vessel drew closer. Around Vera, some of the crew began to shift nervously.

?Chak, we can?t help Robert later if they board us.?

Finally he gave in, lowering his paw with a sigh. "A'right. Give 'em a warnin' shot, Vera."

Vera picked up a linstock, a stick that held a length of rope treated with saltpeter in the notch at the end. She used one of the sulfur lanterns to light it and approached the right most cannon. She eyed the distance, trying to guess if they were close enough, based on what Rindclaw had told her about aiming the cannons. She gave a few orders to her crew to adjust the cannon?s angle.

?Stand back,? she said, and every beast but her moved away from the cannons. Standing well to the side, she reached out and touched the linstock to the bit of black powder that trailed from the fuse hole. The powder flared and the cannon jumped with a concussive boom that Vera felt deep in her chest. From the ship approaching them, she heard the sharp crack of iron striking wood and the cries of panic that arose.

?Hah ha! Got ?em!? she laughed.

?I said a warnin? shot!? Chak grumbled.

?You think you can aim any better?? she barked, aware that a grin spread across her face. ?Besides, now we know for sure that they work!?

Chak raised an eyebrow. Behind Vera, her crew used the wormer and the sponge to clear any debris from the bore and extinguish any sparks still present.

?Aim and fire the second cannon,? she said, nodding to the hare who stood ready with another linstock.

Another flash and boom, followed moments later by another crack of timbers.

?Reload!? She ordered, and began adjusting her cannon for a second shot.

?Save yer powder,? Chak said. ?They be changin? course.?

Vera and the rest of the crew watched as the lights in the fog changed direction and slowly faded into the night. A small cheer went up from the crew.

?Lights off the port bow!? somebeast yelled from the front of the ship.

?Ready port cannons,? Chak ordered.

Vera wasn?t sure if it was the sound of the cannons that drew the pirates in, but as the wee morning hours wore on, they found themselves engaging more ships in the dark. Most of the pirates changed course when they realized their enemy was the one with cannons. Several times the cannons misfired and there was a scramble to clear the bore and reload. They missed a lot more than they hit, proving that Vera?s initial shot had been beginner?s luck. Though, a young mole who manned one of the port cannons had a good head for the trajectory of the cannonballs and proved quite deadly in his shots. Vera was certain at least one ship he hit had started putting on water.

A single, muffled shot echoed through the fog and every head turned towards the mass of light that marked Blade?s ship.

"Was that from the Zephyr?" a mouse asked.

Vera moved to the rail and squinted out across the darkness. ?Sounded like it. But we should be well out of their range...?

The hare who manned the rammer joined her. ?Maybe they?re firing on their own bally crew, wot.?

?Maybe,? she said, now worried that Blade would decided to bring the bigger, heavily armed ship into the battle. The smaller pirate ships had no cannons and stayed back when they realized what they faced, but if it came down to battle with the Zephyr, they would surely lose.

They slowly sailed on, doing their best to keep the dim light of the Zephyr in sight, yet themselves out of range.

Gradually, Vera noticed that the fog was lightening. The sun was rising.

?How?s the powder doing?? she asked the otter who carried the ladle for her cannon.

He said, ?First barrel?s gone. Mayhaps three-quarters of the second left.?

Vera clicked her tongue and looked over the fog-shrouded sea. No lights met her gaze, save for the Zephyr?s, so she safely stowed her linstock and went in search of Chak. During some of the fighting, he?d been rallying the rest of the crew, making sure they had weapons, instructing them on what to do in case they were boarded, and dividing crews up to defend various parts of the ship.

?Over half our powder?s gone,? she told him when she found him standing at the stern railing, gazing out at the lights of the Zephyr. ?No sign of Robert??

?Nay,? he said. "'E shoulda signaled us by now."

She crossed her arms over her chest and scanned the fog. ?I?m afraid we won?t be able to stay here much longer. Our powder?s going to run out soon and once this fog lifts, we?ll be at the mercy of Blade?s fleet.?

Chak glared at her. ?I ain?t leavin? ?im behind.?

?We may not have a choice. Staying will mean death for everybeast on board... Or back to slavery.? She turned her back on the otter and started back towards her cannons. ?I don?t know about you, but I know there are some aboard who?d rather die than be slaves again.?

?Ship off the starboard stern!? somebeast suddenly yelled. ?Coming in fast!?

Vera looked, spotting the dark shape in the fading fog. No lights shown from the deck, which explained why they hadn?t spotted it sooner. She grabbed her linstock and checked her aim on the cannon, then gave orders for adjustments. The vessel was almost on them.

She touched the linstock to the primer. There was a flash and the cannon bucked halfheartedly as it misfired. Vera swore and her crew jumped in to clear the bore and ready it for another firing.

She heard the boom of the second cannon, but the aim was too high and the cannonball went sailing above the deck of the enemy ship.

Grappling hooks suddenly came sailing across the space between the two ships, one catching the otter with the ladle of gunpowder. He cried out in pain as it jerked him against the rail.

?Hooks on the starboard rail!? she cried, then got shoved to one side as a hare with a cutlass ran forward and hacked at the rope, freeing the otter.

?Vera, get out of there!? Hylan yelled.

She waited. Her crew kept working to reload the cannon. They were ramming down the straw now. If she could get another shot at this close a quarter, she was sure she could sink the ship. She just needed a little more time.

Then Vera saw the boarding planks being lifted across. There was no more time.

?Starboard cannon crews, fall back!? she cried, as she stepped away from the cannon. ?Fall back!?

As they retreated, leaving cannons only partly loaded, the enemy began pouring over the rails.