Elise Runs and Dorothy Falls

Chapter 23

It was on. The three zeppelins, once allies, pursued the Whim on attack vector. Each had slightly different armament, but George could tell immediately by their formation that their forward batteries were strongest. Full of trepidation but with Dorothy at her side, Elise watched the scene unfold beyond the great windows. It looked near a storm, but the anticipation of combat weighed far more heavily on the child's mind. She did her best to stay out of the way.

The goblin, George, as steady as anything: "Tactical weight report, full weapons readout."

"Our tactical weight is 104 metric tons," replied his weaponsmaster. "One, uh, 'laser', tactical control, port bow; one mounted heavy machine, personnel, stern; three autocannon 60s, tactical control, belly grid; tow rockets, captain control, forward."

"Starboard full about, hard. Air down fifty meters."

Albbenaro, cool and focused, executed his commands. Elise thought he looked as prepared as anyone not a legend could be.

"We can't fight them three on one!" shouted Tyrio, who stood toward the front of the bridge but behind his father. His eccentric outfit stood in even greater relief against him. "Our only chance is to outrun them!"

"Those are pursuit vessels. They have a tactical weight three-quarters ours." George stepped around his son and sat down in his chair. He quickly extrapolated the captain's controls. "Pilot, I've plugged in an acceleration override. I need you to follow a starboard dip then bring us hard up to port when I give the orders. Can you handle that?"

"Aye." The vessel began to dip, and the clouds shifted rapidly outside the windows.

As George predicted, the pursuing vessels turned toward them and downward. It appeared to the enemy as if George tried to outmaneuver them and escape the way they came. However, as their forward batteries neared alignment—

"Hard up to port! Activate belly grid!"

Elise felt a jet burn as strong as take off, and she had to hold onto Dorothy for support. As the pursuit vessels saw, the Whim did ignite its takeoff thrusters to achieve such a steep trajectory. They also saw an incredibly unconventional array of three weapon turrets burst from its underside. They attempted to face the ship as it approached, but it only served to line them up as the Whim cruised overhead.

"Fire!"

Elise could feel the deck plates rattling, and she jumped as the autocannons beneath her went to work. In a flash visible even from above, the Whim blew out two of the enemy's helium skeletons and sent them spiraling for a water landing.

"Drop us low, fast," George went on without pause. "Use the smoke screen. They're going to turn about faster than us."

"Aye!"

"Begin a port turn."

Trying to be helpful this time, Tyrio added, "But my heater is on the port side. They're probably going to come at us starboard."

"Kill acceleration, use backwards thrust if you have to. Fire aft thrusters, starboard side."

It felt eerie to Elise, to suddenly feel the Whim glide to a halt. The clouds flashing past stopped in an instant. Now they descended upon them like a slow mist. Elise could still see, and smell, the black smoke whipping upwards. They began to turn.

Bang!

A volley of cannon fire cracked the air. The ship rocked from the closeness of the shot, but even Elise could tell their adversary had missed. The opposing captain had again misjudged George's turn. When the smoke cleared and the last enemy ship glided through empty space, it found the Whim turning toward it at a dead stop, in dead silence, off its starboard side.

"Fire laser."

With a broad red beam that heated the atmosphere, the Whim burned the ship across its entire framework. Elise saw it right in front of her like a movie: the protective leather superheating orange and, seconds later, burst into flames. The gases belched out, although if they had been hydrogen instead of helium she would have been treated to a fireworks show like no other. Like its comrades, the vessel descended toward the ocean in flames.

Dorothy and Elise exchanged looks. Had they won?

"Pivot to the sea, full speed ahead." George looked out the viewing glass above them toward the Empress Ogre. Its shadow loomed large now. "Dropping altitude!"

BOOM! BOOM!

Huge flak shots shook their vessel—Dorothy caught Elise before she fell. Had George not overridden the altitude commands at that very instant, the Empress Ogre's guns would have almost certainly destroyed them.

"Ey, up there."

Father Sergius pointed. Above them, they could see more hangars opening. Like bees from the nest, six more zeppelins fired into the ever-darkening sky. Tyrio couldn't believe it; he stared with an open mouth. Dorothy stepped forward to see better for herself.

"Dorothy, I'm going to need you on the machine gun," George said to her. "It's on the back deck. Give it a few shots to see how it works then fire at anything that moves."

The witch headed for the bridge exit without so much as a nod. However, as she walked past Elise, the girl reached out her hand instinctively and grabbed her sleeve. Her right sleeve. As it tugged back, the black tattoo—shiny and ominous like a perfect snake—showed beneath. Dorothy looked at her but didn't notice it showed. Elise did.

"Be—be careful."

After Elise let her go and she strode off the bridge, confidence like none other fired in the young witch's eyes. Not only would she get the chance for revenge against the men who destroyed her people, but it would show Elise that nothing could really stop her. She savored the chance to steer destiny.