The Council War #02 - Emerald Sea by John Ringo

Author:John Ringo [Ringo, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 0-7434-8833-4
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2004-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"Great day to be sailing," Commander Mbeki said as he reached the quarterdeck.

"Sure, if we were sailing the right way," the skipper said sourly. The ship was currently on the northerly tack, as it had been for a good half the morning. To sail to the east required turning first one way and then the other, tacking, so that the winds could be caught by the sails. They had been taking long tacks, far out to sea, to ensure that they avoided the shoals along the north side of the isles and the voyage was, unfortunately, taking longer than anticipated. "At this rate it'll be a week before we get to Whale Point. And what happens if they've hared off somewhere else by then?"

"We'll deal with it," Mbeki said.

"Sail off the starboard bow!"

They were well off from the islands so it was unlikely to be some stray fishing vessel. Chang and Mbeki both shrugged almost simultaneously.

"We'll stay on this tack," the skipper said. "We'll come up on it."

"If it's hostile, it will have the weather gauge," Mbeki pointed out.

"We'll figure that out soon enough. Get Donahue up on the mast with a pair of binoculars; I want to know what we're dealing with as soon as possible."

In no more than thirty minutes the midshipman called down.

"Square-rigged ship," he yelled. "Looks something like a caravel. No flags that I can see. Looks like some dolphins swimming around it."

"If it's a caravel we can sail rings around it," Mbeki said.

"Sure, but we don't have so much as bowmen on board," the skipper replied. "Get me Evan."

When the engineer was shown onto the bridge he nodded at the news and frowned.

"I've been working on something, but I don't know that you'd want to use it on the ship," he admitted.

"What is it then?" Mbeki said impatiently.

"It was an idea that Lieutenant Herzer had," the engineer temporized.

"The materials he asked to bring on board?" the skipper asked.

"Yes, sir," the engineer said. "He wanted a way to make the dragons an offensive weapon. He was working on that but I thought I'd make something else."

"What is it, man?" Mbeki snapped.

"A flamethrower," the engineer said nervously.

"Shit," the skipper said, looking around at the tinder-dry wood of the ship. "You're right, I don't want that used on my ship."

"Sir!" the midshipman called down. "Sir! There's a flag hoisted now, I can't make it out exactly but it's red and blue! And they've changed course towards us!" The New Destiny flag was blue field with red ND on it.

"That caps it," the skipper said. "Clear for action, all hands stand by to repel boarders."

"I have an idea, sir," the engineer said after a moment. "But we'll have to have them to port."

"We'll figure that out later," the captain replied. "Get moving on it. And don't you dare fire that damned thing on my ship."

"Yes, sir. I mean, no sir!" the engineer said, hurrying to the companionway.

The two ships continued on nearly reciprocal courses, the caravel bearing down on the clipper.

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