Jupiter knew the small outrigger could do little in the battle against such huge skyships. Instead, The Jupiter hung back and out of view of the two Imperial skyforts that attacked the rebel skyships.

Gan’s Kitaraham rose higher now, intent on entering the battle recharged and buoyant with new ‘fully lit’ zharaqsa catalyst supplied by Jupiter. Kitaraham — Sacred Harbour, might be undermanned, but the skyship did not make any fancy maneuvers. With all the sail set they could, Gan’s skyship sailed straight at the enemy. Fresh zharaqsa gave them the wings to fly, but it energized the crew as well. The skyfort sailed higher. The crew swung through the rigging, and raised sail, until Kitaraham flew full and angry like a storm cloud across the blue-black sky.

Gan aimed for Kitaraham to rise above and behind the trailing pair of attacking skyships. Unsuspected, the rebels would sail close then attack at close quarters.

With it’s huge spread of canvas set the skyship shaded the wind from the enemy navy, this slowed them. Jupiter had thought there would be no wind shadows when the skyships were flying one with, and part, of the wind. But he realized now his instinctive racing strategy worked for skyships too. In time the fleet drew together. Jupiter saw frantic signaling between the Imperial Navy and Gan’s skyfort as they requested explanations and received lies in reply.

But the ruse had been blown. Time to attack.

The Jupiter powered past Kitaraham in an angle from the rear then along the starboard side. Until now it had remained out of sight of the navy. Pariqhamtu stood up braced on The Jupiter’s outrigger. She took aim, then whipped the end of a long stick holding a balled rope straight at Gan’s skyfort. One of the crew caught the balled rope and secured it to a cleat while The Jupiter flew straight and true at the enemy. The coiled rope between the two craft streamed in a line behind the outrigger, hissing from under Pariqhamtu’s feet. Jupiter aimed for the closest enemy skyship, to overfly the rear topmast and its spread of square-rigged sails. When he bore away, they left the rope still trailing over the cross tree boom. The other end lead back to Kitaraham. The trap had been set.

As the rope coil continued to run out behind the outrigger, Pariqhamtu held the other balled end in her whip thrower. As Jupiter made another pass, the twining rope swung around the mast, and Pariqhamtu whipped the balled rope end out. It shot towards the side spar and looped over the upper end of its topmast. Now the rope hissed free of the Jupiter. Gan’s skyfort now had the enemy in a tight lasso through its rigging.

Even with the rope entangled in its masts, the enemy crew just looked on in astonishment at the antics of The Jupiter. They had no idea of the danger the speedy craft had created.

Jupiter leaned forward away from the tiller. This pressed The Jupiter down in an angle well away from the skyship. This signaled The Jupiter had completed its snare, and Gan would have the telescope trained on their actions for the timing of his next move.

Jupiter watched, and hoped. The Kitaraham dropped lower as Gan reduced the lifting power of the zharaqsa. Now the rebel skyfort became a pendulum bob that hinged upon the fragile masts of the enemy.

A loud cracking report erupted from the rigging as two of the rear masts broke apart. The tops of the masts splintered and shredded sails. The canvas that billowed forward fouled the rigging of the mid-masts. But the enemy chose just then to launch another missile at Karakatun. The massive spike swung away from the underside hatches under its partner skyfort towards Karakatun. The navy weapons crew remained oblivious of the damage to their skyship.

‘Another pass.’ Jupiter pulled the sail in, adjusted the rudder vanes, and returned to the attack. Pariqhamtu readied another rope in a coil, placed her foot on it, and took up her whip thrower.

Again they zoomed towards the enemy skyfort. Pariqhamtu readied the throw. But the navy sailors knew them now, and shot arrows that zipped past close enough for Jupiter to want to duck. The enemy were intent now on the danger the flying outrigger posed. Jupiter powered on the speed and aimed for the skyship. Pariqhamtu whipped her thrower forward, and again aimed well. The balled rope flew over a boom, and the trailing rope looped the spar several times. The coil streamed out like a hissing serpent as The Jupiter turned, close-hauled, into the wind to gain the side of Kitaraham.

‘It’s been cut,’ cried Pariqhamtu.

Jupiter saw their rope fall free towards the sea. He knew their mistake — they had to get the rope secure to Kitaraham first or risk giving the enemy too much time to cut it away. Pariqhamtu pulled in the rope, but its length meant by the time they reached Gan’s skyfort the rope formed an untidy mess across the outrigger platform.

But their first attack had been more effective than they had hoped. The damaged skyship had slewed and now remained out of position. It could no longer swing pendulum missiles at Karakatun. All the while the gap between the enemy skyship and Kitaraham had closed. Gan had risen high again until they were poised above an unsuspecting victim.

The Jupiter brought the outrigger to a bump alongside Kitaraham. Breeze spun the kheel just enough to keep them steady. Jupiter set the sail to press them close, and immobile. He did not tie off. Now nimble crewmen jumped to and fro between the huge skyfort snd its little gnat to ready for the new mission. The jumbled rope disappeared replaced with new coils with balled ends. One tied off to the Kitaraham, the other hissed as it ran free like a snake about to attack.

’Have at them again.’ Gan waved Jupiter off into the attack. ‘I will join the battle directly. But distract them. Foul them up, Lemesh Vam’lama — young captain. Snap at their wings.’

Jupiter aimed the outrigger in a sharp drop to gain windspeed. In a broad reach, they shot away towards the enemy skyship once more. The coil of rope spun out behind them ready to loop around another mast or boom.

With his attention on the task, Jupiter did not realize at first when the outrigger first became unbalanced. Pariqhamtu still huddled next to the mast. From the corner of his vision he saw a rebel manisaur crouched low on the outrigger platform. Jupiter ducked to look under the boom, another clung, head down close to the platform on the other side.

‘I can’t fly and steer with you both there.’ Jupiter fumed.

On Kitaraham, Gan stood on the railing giving him a farewell salute. He sighed and leaned far out behind the stern to pull out of the dive. Breeze jumped to crowd next to him lending extra weight to Jupiter’s actions. They pulled close even as they pressed outwards and Jupiter smelled the sweet musk of the imp rise through his feather-fur. The outrigger flew level and true again and they broke apart. Breeze spun up the kheel hard.

‘Move back… slow, very slow.’ Jupiter shouted to the rebels until they found a balanced position. He adjusted the rudder vanes, until The Jupiter flew straight at the enemy, if not nimble, at least under control.

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‘I’ve got to work out a way to control things better. Climb up and dive down.’ But Jupiter had no time to think on that. ‘Pari-pari,’ he shouted now. ‘What does Gan want us to do with these rebels?’

‘I’m asking him.’ The female manisaur worked the controls of the signaling device. ‘You’ll have to turn back closer, to read the response.’

Jupiter groaned. He might have known the signaling device had a range problem. He understood then, the signals could only work when both ends of the conversation had a telescope to read the panels. He carried no telescope on The Jupiter.

They powered ahead towards their target. Without warning the enemy skyship dropped from the sky, then steadied some fifty meters lower.

‘They cut their flight-engine.’ Pariqhamtu leaned over to sight the enemy.

‘That must have been a nasty jolt to the crew,’ Jupiter said.

Now only air stretched before them where once they had been aimed at enemy rigging.

‘Tie that rope off. The middle of it. There, to the base of the mast.’ Jupiter shouted this to Pariqhamtu. But he kept eyes on their diving flight, and the shape of the sail.

He pulled on the tiller, stretched the rudder-vanes taut, air streamed past as they turned tight, even as they fell lower.

‘Secure the rope, before it gets tangled.’ Jupiter’s eye followed the line of the cord. If it ever got fouled up The Jupiter would this time become the bob of a pendulum. They would tumble to the sea with too much ease. He glanced below surprised to see a low flat expanse of land. Where had the ocean gone? How far had they been pushed by the storm and their flight from the enemy?

‘This is not good.’ To fall into the sea would be bad, but much worse to crash into the land.

He ran The Jupiter towards Kitaraham until even he could see the flashing signal and then veered away mindful of the tethering tie-rope trailing between them.

‘What message? Pariqhamtu! Tell me, what’s the idea with these tow rebels?’ It frustrated Jupiter to have some last minute change thrust upon him that upset the balance of The Jupiter. ‘They going to jump off or something?’

He said this as the two raised themselves to a squat, their legs bent backwards. Jupiter suppressed a laugh — it appeared like they were about to each lay an egg.

‘Aim for the top mid mast,’ Pariqhamtu said. ‘The tarkha, these warriors, are going to swing down.’

‘And jump?’

‘No. They will swing on ropes…’ Pariqhamtu paused as she struggled to describe the sailor’s intent. Her aura flashed in chaos as if her thoughts tumbled over one another. ‘They will try to cut the sails as we pass. But we have to get lower.’

‘And I thought I was the crazy one.’ Jupiter shook his head. ‘You sure that’s the plan?’

Pariqhamtu’s aura flashed confirmation. ‘Aim for the mid mast. At about the same height as your mast is high.’

‘Okay. Within touching distance.’ Jupiter eyed the two rebels readying ropes. ‘They’ve done this before?’

‘Something like, close-quarters combat. But no. Not at such speed from such a craft as this.’ Pariqhamtu hunkered down once her signaling had finished. She locked gaze with Jupiter and he saw in her aura the fright that possessed her.

‘Okay.’ Jupiter nodded. ‘We can do this. You want me to slow down? Then fine. We’ll be an even better target. But you two… move back… towards the kheel. Pari-pari… make sure that rope is well tied off on the mast step. Breeze… Spin up. Fast.’

Jupiter angled the outrigger down towards the enemy, but low — aiming almost under the huge skyship. Every second he flicked his gaze from the tie rope’s sag. To the enemy’s position. The sail shape. Back to the rope. He saw how the arc of it changed. It got straighter. Straighter. Until he began to feel the tug of it on his steering. It grew taut, then it sang tight as it stretched .

‘Move to the back… Now!’ Jupiter urged the rebel back to him. The Jupiter nosed up and shot at an angle towards the skyship’s bow. He ran his eye over all of the possible variables, the shape of the sail, the apparent wind direction, the angle of tilt and the location of the rebels. But most important — he watched the rope.

It pinged a higher note and thrummed to its limit.

‘Hold on!’ Jupiter yelled. ‘Breeze. Spin fast. Fast. We have to keep her stable… we have to stay flat.’

The rope sang in a hum as if strummed by a the hand of a god. The Jupiter swung in a tight turn, a horizontal pendulum aimed at the mid topmast. He and his rebels held on, a weight pressed to fling them off as the sweeping turn veered them. All of a sudden The Jupiter had become a catapult.

The starboard rebels let himself fall then. He shot like a missile from the side of The Jupiter, and somehow payed a safety rope out until he arced close to the sails. Then with a long knife he cut a diagonal rip in a slice through the large topsail until it burst in an explosion of fabric. The other rebel fell then. As he dropped Jupiter saw he acted like a counterweight to draw the first rebel back towards the twisting outrigger. Together now, they swung under The Jupiter, both clear of the rigging. They climbed hand over hand towards the outrigger’s hull.

The Jupiter arced high away from the enemy. Jupiter yelled for Pariqhamtu to cut the tie-rope that tethered them to Kitaraham. Jupiter had no intention of being a predictable target. It took two slashes, but Pariqhamtu severed the pendulum and The Jupiter shot off an angle away from enemy fire. Arrows lanced through the air near them. Jupiter pulled the sail in and pitched forward, almost to the kheel. The outrigger hummed to a new tune as sails and rudder vanes strained in the speeding rush of flight. Behind him Jupiter watched as the navy skyship fast receded. Its arrows shot, but fell short, and wide.

But distraction they made, and the dropping, feinting maneuvers had given Kitaraham time to rise high and over the navy skyship. Now the rebel skyfort rained havoc upon their deck.

By getting above the enemy Gan could drop missiles down onto their deck, and the Imperial Navy in turn, would have a hard time shooting anything back. The enemy dropped once more in an attempt to get away. Except the ground loomed close now.

Jupiter eased up their speed, and spilled wind from the sails, even as Breeze kept spinning the kheel. The two rebels pulled upon their ropes and regained the deck.

‘I guess that is not quite what anyone expected. Eh Pari-pari?’ Jupiter grinned.

‘No.’ Pariqhamtu laughed — relief they still lived. ‘But spectacular all the same. What do you call that move?’

‘I guess it would be a crab-turn.’ Jupiter laughed. He had read enough adventure books on sailing to guess at a name for their mad turning flight. ‘Though that is the first that has ever been tried when flying. Usually… well always… it’s done with an anchor drop, with a sailing ship on water. Anyway. That’s what I’m going to call it.’

The Jupiter gybed, the sail whipped over when the wind caught its trailing edge, the rapid change in direction took them clear. Jupiter motioned the rebels to lie low again next to the kheel. He pitched the nose down and slipped himself closer to Breeze. He rested his hand on the imps heaving back. ‘You can take it a little easier now Breeze. Just enough to keep us flying.’

‘Look,’ Pariqhamtu cried in concern.

Jupiter whipped his gaze towards the fighting skyships. The Kitaraham now fell towards the enemy with reckless regard. The bow of the skyfort hit the navy craft’s rear masts, smashed them, and took out the stern as it fell through the wreckage. The pair twisted, then Kitaraham swung free, dropped, and with aching slowness climbed away.

The enemy’s stern toppled to the mashy land below, and by inches the stricken skyship rotated nose down.

‘It’s over-balanced.’ Pariqhamtu shouted. The other rebel yelled out a screech of what Jupiter guessed as elation, though it sounded like a strangled cat. ‘They’ve lost too much weight at the stern for the skyfort to remain stable. It’s pivoted around the flight-engine.’

The enemy’s masts wobbled then. One fell dragging broken rigging down over the deck. Sails, cut free by the crew, ballooned out. The whole skyship nosed down, and rocked back and forth like an abandoned swing in a playground.

The outrigger twisted under Jupiter then. The rebel had forgotten the delicate balance of their own craft. But before Jupiter had time to say anything the rebel steadied their position. The aura flash sent at Jupiter read as both rueful but full of humor.

Jupiter could not help himself and laughed as well.

The enemy skyfort toppled out of action even as Kitaraham rose unscathed. Jupiter guessed the design of skyfort bows allowed such ramming tactics. ‘And dropping upon the enemy. Nice move Gan.’

‘Oh no.’ Pariqhamtu pointed. ‘Karakatun. The other skyfort has got the height on her. They’ll do the same to her.’

Jupiter tugged the rudder vane towards himself, leaned forward, and pumped the sail. ‘On our way.’

The Jupiter zoomed forward, the mast curved with the press of the sail as the outrigger heeled in the blast of wind. Jupiter rocked himself far out on the hiking straps to bring her level while Breeze spun the kheel up again. They were not going to let Maggie and Qhawana, and the rest, go down.

‘No way.’