Part 58 completely destroyed me. Malevolent really is my ultimate favourite piece of media fr😭🙏
The minute I heard that song I had to go back to a drawing I did and do some adjustments to get this bittersweet but also precious moment to „paper“ somehow✨⭐️
SULA’S SONG : Part 58 : A MOONSLESS NIGHT FALLING : A World of Sea tale (Work In Progress)
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SULA’S SONG : A MOONSLESS NIGHT FALLING
Part 58
by
De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)
143741 words presently written, WORK IN PROGRESS
Copyright 2022
All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.
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NEW TO SULA’S SONG? READ FROM THE BEGENNING.
PART 1 is HERE
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Captain Egil sat at a table on the afterdeck of the Sunrise, Captain Bendin's ship. He had the nine men of the strike boat crews gathered about. He was actually using a parchment chart to show them the plan.
He pointed, “These markers show where the Corlis fleet is. Our careful scouting has verified that they are staying there where Mikot's attack hit them. They are busy salvaging all that they can.
“There are lots of Strong Skin and glue panels on those boats of his, poorly made as they were. There is rope and cordage, even cloth for sails or other uses. They might be able to get a good many usable catapults. For them, it is all valuable.
“For us, it makes them perfect targets.”
He went into the details of how the strike should be carried out.
Reaching the end of his presentation, he beamed at them. “Gentlemen, I have told you what we need to strike and why. I will not tell you how to sail your strike craft, you have had special training and know that better than I.”
He had a smallish case brought over. Opening it, he produced nine striking shoulder sashes with expensive edge trims. He handed one red with black shadows moving across the satin, sash to each man.
“Karl deeply appreciates what you are doing for his cause.” Holding up an ornate patch embroidered with a ship afire, he went on, “Your first mission patch to go on that sash. You will receive it when the Sunrise picks you up tonight. Follow the plan and you should be back to her inside of two hours after she launches you.”
While he was rolling up the chart and preparing to return to his ship, the Coral Reef, Captain Bendin approached him and looked about to be sure that they were in confidence before asking in a low voice, “You really mean for me to pick them up after they have done the attack? I know that many of them are, um, unsound.”
Captain Egil nearly snarled, “If you fail to pick them up, you will face my wrath first and then Karl's! Yes, they are not sound but they are the best strike craft pilots to be found. AFTER the strike, they will be Karl's men. They will no longer have a choice, you see?”
Looking about at the shifting small clouds riding the wind and thinking it through, Captain Bendin nodded sagely. “I do see it, now. Karl is more clever than I would have been. They will be bound to him by hawsers of loyalty after they have no other choice. Very good, Captain Egil, they will be recovered with care and be Karl's true men thereafter.”
Captain Egil shook his hand before leaving the deck of the Sunrise and Captain Bendin, who had no idea that the same ties of loyalty would bind him too.
In the Council of Captains of the Corlis fleet, Captain Anderso was pointing out what they all knew but were not really comfortable with acknowledging. “Wohan has already set. Tonight, shortly after sunset, Carsis will set. Only an hour and a half later, Dorac will also set. After it is gone, we will have SIX HOURS with no light but the stars and the Long Nebula.”
Captain Drinkwater, the Council Head, interrupted, “We all know that! What is your point?”
Anderso, irritated by the rudeness, retorted, “I mean that if the Borens are going to hit us, those six hours of darkness are their best time!”
Captain Drinkwater snorted, “That's obvious! With the dark, they will likely try hitting us with fire-sloops again. Maybe try some catapult runs at us. Everybody have your lookouts watching for those red masthead and running lights that they use!”
Captain Maks raised his hands for attention. “If you think that a fire or catapult attack is likely, then defending our upwind side of the fleet makes the most sense. All of the outer tier on the east should be ships with a full compliment of catapults. Those two facing sternward should be loaded and under tension. Might have mains'ls at reef three so that we can deploy sails and swing out to attack anything coming down the wind at us.”
Some, remembering how Mikot's attack had been blunted by ships of the old Northern Group acting in concert to come about and return the attack, were signaling agreement.
The Dark Dragon's hailing drum called to the four ships of the Corlis fleet attack force. Its oddly hollow sounding beats telling them, “Scouting complete. Raft east west lays. School of smaller craft both sides. Cloud Raker, north side attack lead. Moonsrise, follow Cloud Raker. Target main, hullbreacher at waterline or lower. Sink is need. Is large vessel, meters 100 or so, must not sink. Limit to rigging and mast if possible. Ship slave or prisoner may have must save. That Dark Dragon do. Trained for task.
“Dorac's Dream, south side attack you lead. Carlyle follow. Orders same as for north.
“Dark Dragon take raft too. Have weapons for work.”
Captain Allison drummed back, “After the first attack pass, we will swing back. Take out any boat still afloat. We will rescue any survivors in the water.”
Down far south, the little attack ship sat quietly, their one lookout, high on his well designed bosun's chair at the highest point of the whipstaff was calmly eating his ration cake and sipping water, kept an eye out for any sign of another ship. Down below, the rest of the crew were carefully greasing their big catapult and making sure that the weapons for it to throw were easily accessed. One was checking the stout worm geared cocking system. Using it, two men could easily and surprisingly swiftly bring the huge torsion bow to full cock. It took two men to safely handle the deadly ship killers but only one for the heavy hull breachers.
They practiced smoothly in anticipation of tonight's raid.
The moon Wohan was long set. The sun set, in a glory of clouds, lit with gold and purple. Dorac, the smallest and swiftest of the three moons was close to the horizon, heralding full darkness.
