"Keep your head down, dammit!" I hissed to Darlanis as a pirate ballistae bolt thudded into the Ronda's stern. Pulling her back down beside me just as suddenly the stern window just to the left of us shattered. The yard long heavy iron bolt thudding into the rear of the cabin! The ten warrioresses with us cowering down on the deck behind us as the missile zipped over their helmeted heads. My hair was wet with sweat beneath my steel helmet, my body damp beneath the gleaming chain mail that Darlanis had insisted that I wear. I thought of Sharon with Shirl there in the Ronda's crow's nest. I prayed to my childhood God of six centuries past that my Sharon would be safe. I asked for no more than that. Again I wondered why I had suggested this to Darlanis. Why I was putting my life at risk for her Imperial Glory!
I felt a nervous shudder go through Darlanis' body as her eyes sought mine, their azure beauty wide with nervous tension beneath her golden helmet with its Tarl's crest. "She's scared too!" the thought went through my mind. There being a certain "satisfaction" in not being the only one scared as another missile suddenly smashed through the windows. Showering us with jagged bits of broken glass as it thudded into the wall behind us. Bits of the glass cutting my neck as I felt Darlanis shudder against me, feeling her body shake as I held her. I suddenly wondered just how much actual combat Darlanis had actually seen!*
* This was the first time for Darlanis to be "under fire". She had of course faced enough enemies in combat before, but this was the first time that she'd ever had to endure being fired upon!
The pirate vessel was now less than a hundred yards off, its sails looming up over us as I saw men now gathered at its rails, weapons waving in their hands as they cursed and yelled at us. Others busily working the powerful ballistae mounted on a spine between the three masts, the big three masted schooner apparently almost carrying as heavy an armament as Sarnian Lady! Our return fire of course ineffective against such odds. Several more bolts smashed into us, another whizzing through a smashed window to thud heavily into the wall behind us. Knocking down a lamp, fortunately not lit. I could smell the fear-sweat of the warrioresses around us mingled with the smell of the sea and Darlanis' own flowery floral scent. Her perfume was heavy and overpowering here in the still damp air of the Ronda's darkened cabin.
"They'll be grappling us any moment now," Darlanis breathed from beside me. The pirate now slipping alongside the Ronda, maintaining a constant rate of fire that told of excellent discipline. The heavy thud of the missiles halting as the pirate prepared to grapple the Ronda, the Prince having played the role of a fleeing merchantman to the very end. I wondered why they had not used fire arrows to fire our sails. It would have been an effective tactic for those who lived outside the "Codes". The bracer-like polished steel arm-shield heavy on my left arm as I got to my feet with the others, knowing the waiting was over!
Darlanis and I drew our swords, my blade a bit heavier and shorter than her own rapier, the weapon a Dularnian Warrioress' sword of the finest steel that the technology of the 26th Century could provide. I thought it an excellent weapon, well suited to my own fighting style, the blade being thirty inches long and honed to a razor sharpness. I slipped it back into the sheath at my left hip and picked up my bow, giving Darlanis an encouraging smile as we then dashed from the cabin just as the impact came! The warrioresses close behind, their bows in their hands, arrows already nocked on the strings. The impact nearly knocking us from our feet as the pirate grappled us, the Ronda's hull groaning with the strain as the two ships swung together like lovers!
The pirates were already swarming over the rails when we reached the main deck. A flurry of arrows from those under Lana's command forward making them reel back as our men, helmeted with swords and pikes in their hands, some with shields, came pouring up from below. The young Prince urging them on, his sword glistening in the moonlight as he led the attack. Lana urging on her own dozen or so women, former slave girls, their archery poor, but due to the shortness of the range, still yet effective against the massed pirates. Other former slave girls followed closely behind our own men, crude spears in their hands.
From another hatch aft came our third force of ten warrioresses under the command of Princess Janis and their own lieutenant, scattering at her command to more effectively use their bows. I heard swift barked orders behind me as ten bow strings were drawn back, the snap of the bowstrings almost as one as they fired their volley into that pirate horde, driving their shafts deep. The Janis' sails gleaming in the moonlight against the star sprinkled sky less than half a mile away. I saw Sarnian Lady perhaps a mile away under sail and oars, the bright moonlight now flashing off the splash of the great wooden levers.
I saw Sharon lean down out of the crow's nest, her bow at full draw, her hair silvery in the moonlight. The swift shaft driving deep into one of the yelling horde swarming over our deck. Shirl at her side, the pike in her capable hands. My stepdaughter waving down to me before fitting another arrow on her string. A true "War Maid" of the 26th Century! My Sharon!
Suddenly, I saw a string of heads along the enemy's rail as pirate crossbowmen replied to our fire, something going "zip" just past my ear as Darlanis cried out and slammed me down to the deck! Behind us a half dozen of our warrioresses struck down! "Attack!" I screamed, scrambling to my feet, Darlanis at my side, her rapier in her hand shining in the moonlight. Both of us knowing that the pirate crossbowmen were our greatest danger, and that we must strike before they could reset and reload their compound bowed weapons with their so deadly foot long lethal bolts!
There are three types of crossbows in general use, the best known and used being the "Dularnian", which is actually a copy of a hunting crossbow of the 21st Century. It is cocked by means of a foot stirrup and a belt hook. The maximum range of the most powerful ones (200+ lbs draw) is about three hundred yards, although the "effective" range is a third of that. A second type, more crude, lacking the involved and expensive to manufacture pulley system, has a shorter range of about an eighth of a mile. A third type, more powerful and heavier, is wound up by means of a small windlass, and will fire a heavy iron bolt about a quarter of a mile. All three types may be fired from a hidden position much as firearms of the past were, but the first two virtually require that you stand to reset the weapon. The third type is quite slow to reset, and is not generally used to any great extent anymore in anything but more settled siege type operations.
While it is true that a strong archer can equal the "cast" of the second type of crossbow, the weapon does have the major advantage of being usable under conditions where a bow would be next to useless. The more effective compound longbow of the 20th Century is virtually unknown here in the 26th Century, although I understand a few have been made in Dularn, which has a somewhat superior handicraft technology to that of the Empire of California in some things. The composite bows used by the various barbaric nomads to the east of the Empire have little or no advantage over the standard Imperial laminated bow except in length, being usually about two thirds the length of the laminated bow and thus better suited for use from the back of a horse or unicorn. The nomads being quite skillful in the use of such weapons from the backs of their mounts, which is why Darlanis has never been able to expand her domain to the east past the mountains.
I have no desire to get into the centuries old debate as to which is the superior weapon, except to say that it depends upon the tactical situation. In general, one can say that the bow is superior in close combat, while the crossbow is best used from a defensive position where its accuracy and range can be better utilized. To me the bow is similar tactically to the submachine gun of the 20th Century, while the crossbow is more similar to the rifle. Archery is "best" at "close quarters", while the crossbow is best when you are firing over a greater distance as between two ships at sea or something. As a hunting weapon, the crossbow is my own personal weapon of choice, as it is easier to hit with and more powerful and "sure" in its strike. For "war", however, I prefer the 60# draw compound bow that was once a gift from Darlanis, the same weapon that I first used on the Ronda...
Leaping to the top of our rail, with a mighty bound I leaped the gap to the enemy's rail. My sword flashing in my hand as I slashed and thrust at the enemy gathered there, my bow in my left hand. Darlanis following close behind, her rapier seemingly dealing instant death to any it touched. The terrified pirate crossbowmen dropping their weapons and going for their swords, a half dozen dead or dying before could defend themselves. I marveled at Darlanis' swordsmanship as she leaped in among them, as deadly as she was beautiful. Her rapier singing a song of death as I followed her, aware only of the enemy that we now must kill!
Thrusting my sword point down into the pirate's deck where it would be ready in hand, I drove three swift shafts into the bunched up enemy at the other end of the ship. Darlanis standing at my side, her breast heaving with emotion like a Viking goddess. I saw one of the pirates, a big heavy man there in the moonlight, turn and order men to attack us. My fourth shaft dropping him as they charged us, a yelling, screaming horde of perhaps a dozen men. I got off another shaft, burying it deep into a man's belly, then they were upon us! A yelling horde!
I struck a man in the face with my bow as he swung down at me with a longsword, a heavy two handed weapon with a blade a yard long, taking the blunted blow upon my armored left arm. The impact denting in the steel through the leather of my long bracer-like arm shield with numbing force! Driving my sword deep into his gut as Darlanis thrust into another. The ruler of California a beautiful deadly dancing golden demon of death as she fought! Her marvelous swordsmanship striking terror into the hearts of those whom she fought! "SHE'S DAMM GOOD!" I thought to myself, seeing her fight. Then the pirates swarmed around us, and I had other things to do than admire Darlanis' swordsmanship!
With my back to a mast, I fought like a demon, Darlanis a whirling dancing angel of death as she quickly fought her way to my side. The ragtag pirates falling back in terror as they saw something behind us! Then I saw a pirate clutch at the half- buried fins of a crossbow bolt in his gut, eyes wide with horror. Another dropping his sword and falling to his knees before us, pleading for mercy! A third falling back, dying from my thrust!
"Darlanis!" I cried out as I turned and saw what it was! Shaking the Empress with my own emotion as I grabbed her arm, for there proud and majestic, less than a hundred yards away, was the mighty JANIS! Her sails seeming to fill the star sprinkled sky itself as she slowly came alongside, the pirates fleeing in terror as I saw the long row of eighteen ballistae along her spine suddenly spit metallic death! Darlanis dragging me behind the mast, the deck of the Seahawk suddenly covered with dying men!
"Darts!" Darlanis hissed, the Janis having used the much more effective steel darts rather than the heavy metal javelins. I noted that none had come our way, the few surviving pirates near us untouched. Every shot of that awesome broadside had been aimed only at the swarming pirates! Dozens having been killed!
With a terrible groaning of timbers the Janis grappled onto the pirate vessel. Faint screams coming from below that puzzled me, while pouring over the Dularnian's rail came a surge of tall warrioresses led by a blonde lieutenant a good six feet tall! The helmeted warrioresses under her command pouring a swift deadly volley of arrows into the surviving pirates as they turned to face this completely unexpected new threat from behind them!
Following the warrioresses came the men of the Janis, big burly men like the Vikings of old, swinging their great shining longswords. Leading them a tall officer proud in his fine uniform, rugged and handsome and totally masculine! "Their captain!" Darlanis breathed, the man a perfect specimen of everything a man should be! He was dark and totally masculine, several inches over six feet, with rugged manly features that stirred the red blood in my veins and made me wish with all my heart that Darlanis in all her golden beauty was somewhere else just then!
Before the crew of the Janis could even engage them, the pirates dropped their weapons and knelt, sullen beaten men awaiting our pleasure. Princess Janis leaping among them to greet her own people, WHEN SUDDENLY HORROR STRUCK AS A BLURRED STREAK IN THE AIR PASSED BEFORE MY VISION AND I SAW THE TALL PRINCESS STAGGER, HER EYES WILD, CLUTCHING AT HERSELF! THEN TO MY HORROR, I SAW THE PIRATE CAPTAIN SLUMP BACK DOWN ON THE DECK, DROPPING THE CROSSBOW HE HAD JUST USED AS JANIS FELL INTO THE ARMS OF HER CAPTAIN, THE BLOOD RUNNING FROM HER MOUTH, DYING IN HIS ARMS AS HE HELD HER!
The end came swiftly for the pirates, perhaps in its way a more merciful end than that they would have received at the end of a noose. For a minute later there was not one live pirate left as I held a sobbing, weeping Darlanis in my arms, her salty hot wet tears wetting my chain mail as my own blurred the sight before me. The Dularnian captain himself weeping as he took the still form of his Princess and carried her back to the Janis. Sarnian Lady then throwing her grapples onto the Ronda, her men leaping aboard. The ill-fated pirate's deck running red with blood from her scuppers as the bodies of the pirates were thrown over the side to "feed the fishes". Our losses had been heavy. Heavier by far than just the loss of life, for with Janis dead the hope of peace between Dularn and California was further away than ever! For only Janis could have healed the "rift" between mother and daughter that had been a cause of this stupid warfare!
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