Ryan chose the man with the blaster. Gauging the crosswinds, he began to sway with the movement of the ships, then laid the crosshairs of the longblaster on the man’s face, shifted his aim into the wind and below, then fired.
The report echoed between the ships, skipping across the waves, and the target doubled over, clutching his gut. Ryan fired again, and the man at the wheel lurched backwards, spraying blood into the air.
Out of control, the ship swung with the wind, and veered away from the Constellation just as the pirate cannons bellowed again. The balls splashed harmlessly into the ocean.
The mixed crew of the Constellation shouted in victory and waved their weapons. Two hundred yards away on the pirate ship, the men shouted in anger and waved their weapons.
“Now they know we mean business,” Jones said, obviously pleased. “Okay, swabs, prime your blasters and grab a blade! You there, master gunner, give me six cannons with solid shot on my command. No more and sooner! Aim to hit amidships! Only got ten shots, gotta make every one count. Get going!”
“On my way!” J.B. said, tossing Mildred the shotgun. She made the catch and he took off at a run. “Doc, Dean, with me!” The adult and teen followed close behind.
Grimly Mildred slid a fresh cartridge from the loops on the shoulder strap and fed it into the belly of the S&W M-4000. Not buckshot, but the stainless-steel slivers called flechettes. Just let the pirates get close, and they’d think they stepped into a meat grinder.
“Ready on the deck… aim…mind the pan flash…fire!” Jones bellowed, and a dozen sailors discharged their flintlock muskets. Puffs of smoke on the enemy ship showed where the .75 miniballs impacted, but not a pirate fell.
In response, a flight of arrows from the Delta Blue arched into the sky, then plummeted to hit all over the Constellation, mostly only punching holes in the taut sails.
Then Ryan shot again, and a lantern shattered, starting a small fire. The archers rushed to extinguish the blaze.
“Good shot,” Jones said, pouring black powder into his musket.
Ryan said nothing and jacked a fresh round into his weapon.
The pirate cannons bellowed flame and smoke, and another volley of cannonballs whistled over the deck. But much lower. Caught loading her blaster, the busty redhead gave half a scream as she was hit directly in the stomach. Blood vomited from mouth, and both arms and legs broke off from the brutal collision. The torso went sliding across the deck, leaving a crimson wake and went over the side of the ship.
“Susie!” the scarred girl shouted, reaching out an arm as if to help her friend.
Abagail grabbed the girl by the arm and shook her hard. “Forget the dead! Now start shooting straight unless you want to know the feel of the pirates’ table under your ass!”
The girl went white with fear, but her hands moved, purging the spent flintlock, filling the pan, ramming home the shot and cloth. Cocking the hammer, she aimed, fired and started the long process all over again.
Estimating the range at 150 yards, Ryan started levering rounds at the pirates. The man in the crow’s nest clutched his face and fell, spiraling to the deck.
The acne-scarred man flinched as a spoke on the wheel exploded into splinters, but he never let go and continued doggedly for the Constellation. Ryan aced three more men on the open deck, but it seemed to make no difference. Another pirate was already climbing into the crow’s nest, shouting orders to the crew below.
The rest of the companions stood with blasters ready, waiting for the other ship to get closer so they could shoot.
“Ace them!” Ryan shouted, and the others cut loose, the barrage of rounds startling the pirates and chilling several.
“We need a bastard bazooka,” he cursed, jacking out the spent magazine and shoving it into a pocket. Searching his belt, he found another rotary clip of five rounds and slid it into the open breech of the hot weapon.
“Satchel charge,” Jak added, thumbing fresh rounds into his .357 Colt revolver.
Shotgun slung over a shoulder, Mildred did the same with her Czech-made ZKR .38 target pistol.