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never used much as a weapon in the days of the old square riggers back in the
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Seventeenth and Eighteen Cen- turies. Sort of like the use of atomic weapons
in the last half of the 20th Century. There is little sense in fighting wars
from which there can be no "winners". Such applied here in this case.
"Less than half a mile now," I heard someone breathe, star- ing at the
rapidly approaching set of sails that was the enemy. Despite the coolness of
the day I was already wet with sweat now. My dress clinging to my body,
sticking to my back, to my breasts.
"Prepare to fire to starboard!" I snapped a number of sur- prised faces
greeting me as the North Star was actually to port! "Let fly the jib, haul in
on the spanker!" I cried, the man at the helm rapidly spinning the wheel.
Huntress turning like the lithe ship she was, swinging, the North Star coming
around to our starboard side about a quarter of a mile away now. I wanted us
to get to within two hundred yards if possible. Long bow shot. Our compound
bows having an effective range of about two fifty.
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"She's up to something!" Maris breathed, standing there by her helmsman.
With my now having the "wind gauge"" there really wasn't too much that she
could "do" just then without suffering the risk of having her ship rammed by
the now onrushing Huntress.
"Stand by to fire to port!" the first officer snapped, men rushing to
their weapons, the warrioresses nocking arrows on their bows. The crossbowmen
taking their places at the rails. A cold chill going through Maris' heart as
she saw the Huntress continue to swing about there in front of her own
onrushing ship!
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"Fire as your weapons bear!" I cried, seeing the North Star rushing
towards us. The ship shaking as our weapons fired! The Huntress still wheeling
about, Maris' own return fire now being nothing but a few crossbow bolts in
reply as we crossed her path. She was turning her own ship now, trying to run
parallel to us so that she could get her own weapons into play. Her heavier
ship slower to respond, although I saw her loosen up her spanker to try to
swing about. I wondered how much "damage" we had done!
"Cross her bow!" I cried, "Keep up the fire on her crew!" I knew that
once Maris got over her surprise she would prove to be a worthy foe. She had
the bigger ship, the larger crew, and the heavier armament. She also had the
famous Dularnian compound crossbow, which we did not, although our compound
bows were in my own opinion probably the more "effective" of the two weapons.
The jib being used to swing us about again seemingly right in front of Maris'
own ship. Our continuous fire no doubt hampering her own efforts to bring her
ship under control to return fire!
I could see the effects of our fire on her ship, the holes in her sails
where a couple of our catapult balls had torn holes. A crossbowman on the
forecastle taking aim at me, then dropping his weapon to clutch at an arrow
from one of our own archers. I had armed our "ship's girls", everyone who
could pull a string!!!
Janice with drawn sword directing our fire, while keeping another eye
out for the sails, her "first" standing there on the quarterdeck next to the
helmsman. Her golden haired counterpart on the North Star doing much the same.
Her own lack of battle experience showing here. Before she had fought a poorly
handled, poorly fought clumsy first rate, and while she had taken a heavy
beating, she had shown considerable "mettle" in the battle. Here however she
was fighting a different sort of battle, and her own lack of battle experience
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and skill at ship handling was showing! While she was a skillful sailor, as
she had already shown, Maris lacked experience "under fire", and she had so
far been mostly on the "receiving end" of my own fire without being able to do
much in return. A state of affairs I did not expect would continue!!!
"She's swinging around with us!" someone yelled, although I could see
that for myself. Maris using her jib effectively to get her ship turned about
almost in its own length, it seemed now as the North Star now for the first
time was able to get its own broadside into action! And there was nothing that
I could do now to prevent it! We had done considerable "damage" but not
enough!
"May Lys Be Merciful To Us!" a man breathed beside me, wind- ing up the
windlass on a ballistae. The North Star now coming into position to fire its
first broadside into us. I could see Maris standing there, her sword gleaming
in the bright sunlight.
"Let fly the jib! Helm hard to port!" I cried. We would have to receive
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