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“We’ll leave the ingrate with you, Marie,” Jared said easily over his shoulder, getting back into the swing of things. “Green! Holler up to the captain and let’s make sure we are still clear on our portside…”
“Don’t forget the earplugs this time, Jared,” Marie interrupted pointedly, and marched back up the steps to the deck above while Green followed her. They could hear her yelling for the captain – and Will’s response.
“Clear on the port side, captain?”
“All clear!”
“It’s all clear, Jared…” Green said, rolling her eyes in obvious boredom at her part in the events today.
This wasn’t her thing and it slightly amused Calista to think that this had to be a frustrating part of the job, knowing you were not going to please everyone. She couldn’t read her own book reviews, because they just robbed her self-confidence, taking each criticism to heart.
“Purple – this is the priming wire,” Jared explained, pointing at the small piece of filament. “Don’t light it yet! Red – Green and Orange – we’ll need your help with moving the cannon, since Blue is going to miss this. Grab the breech ropes and let’s pull the cannon forward towards the opening.”
The ropes were threaded through the ringbolts that were protruding from either side of the now open portal on the side of the ship where she had been stunned at seeing the waves so closely. Picking up the massive ropes, she pulled at it and the cannon barely moved. Red was pulling and straining; the two women were doing the same. Shepherd joined them, tugging at the massive ropes that were as thick as a cucumber.
“Purple, get over here,” Jared said quickly, and motioned for her to step to the side. The ship was still moving, rolling up and down slightly in the waves, and each time the cannon would give a little movement.
This was dangerous!
“Green – up the steps and verify we are clear again…”
“But I just…”
“UP THE STEPS!” Jared snapped, and she finally moved.
“Captain, are we clear on the port side?”Green said in a monotone voice, and Calista almost laughed as the bossy man before her rolled his eyes. “We’restillclear…”
A pair of earplugs was shoved in her hand unexpectedly by Shepherd, causing her to look up and see that he was handing them to everyone quickly. It was time to fire the cannon! She yanked open the packaging and quickly inserted them, watching as Jared yelled and motioned with his hands.
“Purple! Light it!”
The goth girl stepped forward with almost a maniacal grin on her face, immediately using a lighter to ignite the fuse. Calista half-expected it to be like the cartoons had shown her over the years. A big crackling spark that would quickly burn down visibly before igniting, but that wasn’t the case. The filament, or thin looking cord, smoked, and Jared waved them back, urging them to the sides… as a massive, jarring boom rattled every bone in her body, and everything happened in slow motion before her.
The cannon seemed to come to life of its own.
It was as if it expelled the cannonball with a force that was staggering – sending a plume of smoke out of the barrel that masked the exit of the projectile, flinging the heavy weapon backwards on those carriage wheels it rolled on. The thick, heavy ropes that were in the ring bolts literally fluttered like they were ribbons as the cannon jerked them with force.
Her eyes were drawn to the porthole to see if she could glimpse where the splash would be – but everything happened so fast. The only thing she saw were the waves… and the movement around them.
“Sponge the muzzle, Orange!” Jared shouted, putting his thumb directly over the vent where the ‘fuse’ had been.
“I’m not getting in front of that thing!” Calista balked immediately.
“It’s already fired – and we are going to stop it from igniting again…”
“What happens if it…”
“Sponge the muzzle, would you?!” he snapped pointedly and there was a look on his face that caught her attention.
Everything had been done with their care and safety in mind – and this would be no different. Swallowing back her fear, she picked up the massive staff that she’d used to ram the gunpowder into place and put the softer, pillowed end into the still-smoking muzzle of the cannon.
“I’ve got you,” Jared continued, nodding. “Just send it up and down the cannon a few times – and then we are good.”
She did so, her shoulders and arms aching, and backed away… seeing Jared remove his thumb from the port as he pulled out his earplugs.
“You block it off to prevent air from accidently igniting it again,” Jared explained for her benefit, and turned to look at everyone. “Good job, crew. Now, can you imagine having to do that in the heat of battle? The other ship would be moving and doing the same, all while bobbing along the waves, fighting off those that were trying to scuttle aboard… battles at sea were intense, so you can imagine why they would try to develop something that was a little easier to use.”
Calista listened, fascinated.
