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by Bill Bailey
 

Zas Tannhauser

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by Robert Baucom

 

Jeff Clarke

First Boy
by Denise Brown
Third Place Winner, Fiction

 
Face
by Rachel Busnardo
  The Zastrozan airship, Tannhauser, flew slowly above thin clouds and rolling landscape far below. Black smoke poured from two smoke stacks as four large engines propelled the craft forward. Inside and on deck, the crew went about daily rounds and activities: mopping the decks or maintaining the many cannons and Gatling guns that were Tannhauser’s defense and offense.

In the bridge, the captain and first mate, denoted by golden epaulettes, stood looking over the map of Zastroza and her neighboring countries

“I disagree,” the woman, the first mate, began. “Captain, with your choice to go through the Targeeran Straits, the winds are rough and you know as well as I, pirates truly rule those skies. Where there are unmoving clouds as thick as those, pirates can come and go as they please.” The woman was frowning as she spoke, tapping on the map before standing up and brushing the hair from her left eye to reveal a polished metal and red cloth eye-patch. Her mind suddenly dove back into her past, to a final battle between her and her brother, and it was there, where her brother stole her eye and forced the eye patch upon her.

“I think the ship can handle herself, and pirates wouldn’t dare attack a Zastrozan cruiser! Besides, we both know what she can do.” The captain smirked self-assuredly and rubbed his black and grey beard. She looked down at him, more than a head taller. “Besides, my route is four days faster. Relax, commander Baumonté.”

“But Captain Mahley-”

“Quiet. We’ll be fine. Trust me.” The captain grinned, turned, and walked to the helmsman. “45 Degrees port, and head for the straits.”


Commander Baumonté sat upright in a chair on the darkened bridge, a vanilla-scented cigarillo burning slowly between her lips. She scanned the cloud banks ahead of the ship she was under the command of, frowning some. The thought of pirates, who hid in clouds, still lingered in her mind. She knew that, whether it was needed or not, there was no help around.

“Commander, the straits are just ahead. We have about 5 minutes before we enter, and another fifteen to twenty, at full steam, to travel through completely,” the helmsman said, sitting in front of her. The red lights shown brightly on the first mate as she nodded. She drew a long drag from the cigarillo and blew it up into the air. Her free hand dropped to hold the ruby handle of her service revolver and her lips pulled downward into a frown. She closed her eye and her mind drifted to the ceremony where the pistol was bequeathed to her by the Admiral of the Sky Navy, upon her graduation to rank of Commander. The woman almost felt the handshake of the Admiral, and the firm pat on her back.

“Maybe the captain was right,” the first mate thought, frowning as she puffed on the vanilla-scented cigarillo as the red light cast onto her face. “Maybe, though safe, my route was a waste.” The woman tipped her head back as she inhaled before blowing a smoke ring into the air. She watched it as it slowly dissipated and frowned.

“Commander, we are entering the Strait,” the helmsman said, breaking into her reverie.

In the shadows of the thick, impenetrable clouds, something moved slowly, matching speed with the oncoming Cruiser. The Tannhauser shined in the night, spotlights scanning over the cloudwall. Guards slowly trolled the deck, watching for pirates that seemed to always lurk just out of sight.

A soft pop sounded in the distance, then a whistle, barely audible on the wind, and then nothing. The moon watched as the Tannhauser steamed forward unmolested. On the bridge, the first mate frowned and dabbed out the cigarillo only to light another from her black cigarillo case. She brushed her thumb over it and sighed, remembering her father’s face as he gave her the gun before she left. She recalled his green eyes looking into hers before they parted.

There would be more time to remember such things later, though.. The woman raised a matching lighter and lit the cigarillo before blowing a puff into the air. Her stony, grey eye scanned to her left, and to her right. She strained to hear a pop, off in the distance, before her eye widened.

And an explosion rocked the ship, sending the woman out of her chair and stumbling forward.

“Red alert! Quickly, sound the alarm!” She ordered. In seconds, bells and claxons were ringing, and the crews sprung into action. Two large pirate ships emerged from the clouds, large ironclad galleons, each baring a light blue flag. Their cannons were raised, ready for action. The captain burst into the bridge of the Tannhauser.

“Giada, what’s going on…” his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the two pirate ships: the Lady Margeaux to port and the Savant, starboard.

“This is your fault captain. Pirates, as you can see, are attacking.” The first mate, Giada Baumonté, said calmly, speaking around the cigarillo as a ghost of grey smoke fluttered in the air from the glowing tip.

“Impossible!” The man said, sinking into the chair.

“I suppose you’re free to think whatever you want,” she pulled the cigarillo from her mouth and spat into a copper spittoon, scowling some. Another rumble, from the ship to the left and an explosion rocked the ship. It groaned as the armor held together but buckled in places. “All cannons, fire at will!” The woman yelled, and a different alarm went off to signal firing. A rumble from both sides of the ship resounded from a broadside volley, 20 guns in all, and then explosions as they came into contact with pirate vessels. The captain, in the bridge, groaned and rubbed his face as he sat.

“I told you this would happen, Capt-” An explosion rocked the ship from both the Galleons’ broadsides. The Tannhauser began to list to the side and forward. The other officers braced themselves as the first mate leaned some, and then put her foot up on the back of the helmsman’s chair to brace herself as the ship listed forward enough she couldn’t stand up straight without assistance. “Drop bow main ballast, seventeen-hundred pounds, and drop port main ballast by eight-hundred. All ahead full!” The two crew members near the helmsman pulled levers and water from the ballast tanks emptied out. Another volley of pops echoed on the bridge as the Zastrozan airship returned fire.

“Commander, we’re almost half way through the Strait.” The helmsman said.

“And the damage report,” the commander asked as she watched a white-suited enginner walk in with a piece of notation paper and then quickly run out, only making eye contact with her for a scant second.

“Commander, we’ve sustained minimum damage to the hull. Engine output it down by ten percent. No breaches into secondary hulls. There is a small deck fire, but crew is taking care of that.” The engineer said. No one made mention that the captain had disappeared. As the Tannhauser regained stability, the first mate heard a hail of pops from the enemy ships fired. She cringed, her face losing its color as thousands of little pings resounded through the armored bridge. The pirate ships fired grapeshot, wiping out the crewmen on the deck that were putting out the fire. Giada was glad she couldn’t see down onto the deck from where she stood.

“Load heavy-yield shells in the main cannons and fire broadsides on the port ship,” the woman ordered as she leaned back against the map table. The order was given with a series of bells and chimes from the engineer. She took a long drag from the cigarillo as 13 large cannons fired. After a secondary boom, a large explosion rocked even the Tannhauser as the heavy-yield shells exploded inside the armor-clad galleon to the cruiser’s left. Chunks of metal began to fall from the ship to the dark, unknown landscape below. A second volley from the cruiser was the killing blow, and the ship exploded as the high pressure boilers exploded in the ship.


Meanwhile, above the Tannhauser, a smaller airship hovered above the rear deck. A small group of pirates rappelled onto the deck and immediately slipped inside. Quickly, they forced down any crewmembers in their way as they pushed for the Captain’s room. There, the captain sat, a pistol pointed toward the door of this cabin. The pirates looked surprised when they stood there at gunpoint.

“Well, well, well…Mahley, what a gorgeous ship you brought me,” the lead pirate said, grinning.

“Only if you live up to your side of the deal, Ignatio. Gold, and a free home,” the Captain responded, not lowering the gun. Above him, outside the cruiser, the 13 guns fired their first volley. “I’m assuming you have some airship waiting?”

“Of course,” Ignatio smiled disarmingly. “It’s on the starboard side, as your subordinates are quite in the dark as to your plan. I’m sure they have no real idea, but they do make quite a racket.” The pirate wore a plain blue coat and brown leather britches. His hair was platinum white and flowing toward his shoulders and his eyes a shimmering, almost lavender blue.

“I’ll follow you guys. Lemme grab the stuff from the safe.” As the captain spoke, the rest of the group left the pirate leader and two others, killing people as they come.


The ashtray beside Giada Baumonté, first mate of the Tannhauser, had two dying chunks of cigarillo in them, and one still burning slowly. A fourth was beginning to yearn to join them, perched between the woman’s lips.

“Where is the captain?” Someone asked. Giada didn’t know who. It didn’t matter, the captain was gone.

“He must’ve fled to his quarters. I’m acting captain. How much longer until we clear the Straits,” she asked, blowing smoke into the air.

“I estimate we have around seven minutes, Commander,” the Helmsman replied. “If we take damage to the engines, you can double that, and we may be able to limp to a Zastrozan Flying Fortress.”

“Thank you,” the first mate said, dabbing out a fourth cigarillo. Her lips were pulled down in a frown. She turned her head and looked down the hall from the bridge. A bloodied officer was limping toward her.

“C-commander…We…were boarded.” He groaned and fell at the steps leading up to the bridge, and Giada hurried to hear him and help him. “Pirates…couldn’t fight t-them off.” The man winced, a trickle of blood falling from the right corner of his mouth and nose. “W-we must…ab-abandon ship.” With those final words, the man gasped and fell over the bottom step. The commander made her way back up the stairs.

“I’ve just received information that we’ve been boarded. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your side-arms. It’s going to get rough.” The woman lit another cigarillo and drew her ruby-handled service revolver. As Giada placed the cigarello between her lips she flicked out the cylinder, made sure it was well loaded, then flicked it close and gave it a spin. Her grey eye scanned the bridge before stopping on the navigator, a young woman whose name the First Mate never bothered learning. “Draw your gun, you’re coming with me. And lock up after we leave, we can’t allow them to take the bridge.” She turned and made her way back down the steps with the navigator in toe, a pistol in her own hand. Above and behind them the heavy metal door clanked shut and locked. The grey eye of the Zastrozan commander scanned the hall way in front of her and she made her way along it, pistol raised.

A pirate, clad in light blue, turned the corner before the first mate did. The two stood, staring at one another, before the Commander shot. The bullet pierced skin and bone, directly into the man’s heart. He crumbled into the corner with a slight, airy groan. The woman stepped over him, puffing on the cigarillo and leaving a slight trail of smoke and vanilla.

“C-commander, where are you going?” The navigator asked.

“I’m going to get the captain.” The woman replied firmly as the two made their way down the corridor. Another blast rocked the ship. Alarm bells rang along the halls. “The captain’s room is just up here.” She took a long drag and blew the smoke out of her nostrils. There was a yell from the captain’s quarters and then a familiar young man walked out. Giada Baumonté immediately recognized the pirate.

“Ignatio Fieronze. So nice to see you again,” the woman said as she aimed at him.

“Ah…Dear sister.” He smiled. “What is it you go by now? Baumonté, is it? You do your heritage such disgrace. I see you have a nice shiny eye patch.” The woman fired to his side, a warning shot. Down the hall, two more pirates slowly walked forward, toward the back of their leader. “I also see…that you’re losing this battle too. Tsk tsk tsk. I wish you would bite the bullet and win one for the family.” The woman growled, shifting her stance and firing down the hall, past his head, into the head of one of the other pirates. The body fell to the ground.

“I’m only going to ask you once. What have you done to the captain?” The woman asked and the pirate only shrugged and leaned against the wall. An explosion rocked the ship and lights dimmed and flashed. The other pirate, down the hall, was almost right behind Ignatio, and standing with his gun ready.

“I just gave him what he asked for…a free home and gold.” The woman raised her eyebrow and her eye widened before she fired again, this time killing the other man behind the pirate leader, who in turn, quickly drew his own revolver and dropped to a crouch. After a sinister sounding blast, the Navigator, after hiding behind the commander, fell with a whimper and a groan. Giada sneered, her aim returning to the pirate leader. He smirked and then rolled into the hallway across from the Captain’s quarters. His sister couldn’t tell, but he stood and quickly ran down the hallway.

“What the-?” Commander Baumonté cursed and gave chase, her pistol at the ready. And there she saw him at the end of the hallway. The woman aimed and fired a single shot at her brother – at the pirate that had once been her brother.

As the bullet met skin and bone and flesh, the galleon that was remaining to the ships starboard side, fired a final volley. Piercing the double-armored-hull of the Tannhauser, the ship rocked with a thunderous explosion that ignited the coal stores. Fire ran through the ship as it exploded, engulfing anything and everything indiscriminately – pirate or officer. A second explosion rocked the ship as the boilers ruptured and exploded. The Zastrozan Airship Tannhauser blew up, breaking into pieces and falling toward the ground far below.

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