Kora pointed the boat down, towards the void between the ships, could see Scarlet's limp and falling body. Falling into the crossing cannonballs. Bursts of flames emanated from the starboard side of Miner's Danger. Kora pushed the throttle home.
There was also the possibility that Scarlet was already dead.
She'd taken a hard hit.
Kora steeled her mind.
A pang on sadness hit her heart. What if Scarlet were dead? She'd thought Scarlet had taken the hit to the body, but it could have been to the head. Kora knew someone who'd been hit in the head by a mule. The guy had gone crazy afterwards, was never the same.
Kora was struck with sadness but wasn't sure why. She barely knew Scarlet. In fact, she didn't even care about Scarlet. Or this mission for that matter. But that didn't explain why her heart was beating faster and why she felt a cold fear in the back of her mind, which manifested further with chills, running down her spine.
Why did Scarlet matter to her?
She didn't want any of this to matter to her. Neither this mission nor these people were supposed to matter in the least bit to her. She didn't need nor could she sustain attachments.
Was it beginning to matter?
Kora didn't know. She shut the thoughts from her mind as she kept the course. Focused on catching Scarlet.
Scarlet's body fell between the ships, Kora flew down after her, shutting her eyes for only a moment, hoping not to get blasted out of the sky by a cannonball. Even as she thought it, she heard the nearby explosion, to her left, of a cannon firing. The hefty ball flew past her, a few feet from her head.
Then she was under the ships, swooping below Scarlet, turning the boat right-side up. She let the boat fall on its own accord, matching Scarlet's rate-of-fall, so as to smoothly catch her. It was difficult doing, but Kora was a practiced pilot.
Kora put the engine in neutral to simply let it fall.
Scarlet's lifeless body was falling ten feet higher.
Kora let each of them fall for a few moments, lining up the catch, before putting the engine into gear and bringing up the rowboat-turned-aircraft slowly-but-surely until Scarlet's body came to rest right where she'd originally been seated.
With Scarlet in the boat, Kora brought the boat to rest.
Turned around, facing Scarlet's body, which was contorted awkwardly over the bench. Kora's heart was beating faster now, couldn't tell if Scarlet was okay.
She blinked her misty eyes to cancel her emotion, angry at herself for having emotion. Losing crewmates was part of the job.
Scarlet's head dangled from the bench, her hair a mess against the floorboards. And, looking at Scarlet, Kora realized this was a different feeling than losing a mate. Scarlet wasn't just a fellow crewmate. Scarlet represented something MORE. She was the crux of this mission. Scarlet was the mission—to smuggle her into the Royal District—and apparently Kora cared, to some extent, about what that meant. If only for selfish reasons—if only to prove herself to herself and to Felicity that she had what it took to accomplish this mission.
Just then, before Kora made a move towards her, Scarlet came to, sucking in a deep breath, lifting her head. Kora moved near, grabbing Scarlet's hand, helping her onto the bench. Scarlet seated herself upright, placing a hand to her forehead.
"What happened?" she asked.
But then Scarlet's eyes changed. She remembered what had happened.
"You okay?" asked Kora.
"I'm okay," said Scarlet, looking up. A few beats. "Thank you."
Scarlet picked up her gun from the floorboards.
"You sure?" said Kora.
Scarlet nodded, hair whipping.
Kora turned back in her seat, throttled them back upwards, toward the ships. Kora aimed for the safe side of The Ginger Star.
Last she'd seen, the girl on the flying board had landed on The Ginger Star. Kora wondered what the hell the girl was doing. Had she found TJ? It made her angry to even consider a pirate was on her ship, dismantling it and killing her people.
Throttling faster now, they flew past the side of The Ginger Star, over the top of the deck now. Without slowing, Kora jumped from the boat, figuring Scarlet could handle herself. A grapple gun in one hand, Kora hit the trigger. The cord shot out and connected to the mast. Kora hit the trigger to reel. Once her body was over the deck, she let go of the gun, fell to her feet. Her boots landing down lightly on the deck—lightly because the wind kept her light, always threatening to lift her off her feet.
The girl was right there, about twenty feet down the deck, about to enter the double doors to the kitchen. Kora raised her pistol and took a shot. Then another. Missed both—twenty feet was too far for these pistols, usually—especially in this wind. The girl entered the doorway, out of sight.
Scarlet landed beside her, aiming her rifle at the empty doorway. Kora's pistol was out of ammo. She unsheathed her sword and ran for the entrance.
When she reached it, the girl emerged, sword drawn, thrusting it at Kora. Kora barely dodged.
The cannons weren't firing any longer.
Kora realized it was because of this girl.
They wouldn't fire while one of their own was on the ship.
The girl was good with a sword, slashing at Kora, causing her to step back. On the defense and slightly disoriented from the exchange and energy of the girl, Kora was walked back about fifteen feet.
*****
Scarlet aimed her rifle to kill the girl. It would be an easy enough shot but it was likely the girl was wearing deflective armor. In which case the bullet would curve or ricochet away from her. Kora was too close to the girl for Scarlet to take that chance.
So she dropped her rifle and joined the fight with her sword.
*****
Kora thought for sure, with Scarlet's help, they'd kill this girl.
Kora went in for a stab. The girl moved out of the way, deft. Then blocked Scarlet's slash. The girl landed a front kick to Kora's stomach. Kora lost her footing, landed on her stomach on the deck and slipped a few feet across the deck-made-slippery-from-the-high-intensity-winds. Then she was on her feet, going back in for the girl.
*****
The cannon fire had ended, apparently.
But Alex still had her direction.
She thought.
Could be wrong.
Could be right.
She smiled—because at last she saw the ships. They were difficult to make out through the packed sands, but she could see their outlines. She increased her speed and the ships came into view. The pirates' ship was about twice the size of The Ginger Star. Alex wondered which one she should land on. She decided to go back to Kora, back to The Ginger Star.
She increased the speed of the board all the way.
It started sputtering again.
"Should we take it slow?" yelled Felix into her ear.
"I don't think so."
*****
Kora thought it might have been an illusion, but the winds seemed to be dying. The sand was clearing. She could see the lines of Miner's Danger more sharply. Not that she had much time to consider it. She jumped back, away from one of the girl's swings. Then the girl blocked Scarlet, parried. Scarlet jumped back. The girl was such a good sword fighter she was putting two fighters on the defense at the same time.
Kora was seeing the girl's face more clearly now. She could only see the bridge of her nose, her eyes, and forehead because the girl was wearing a scarf. No glasses. She looked a lot like Kora. Not only her frame but her face. Kora felt kind of like she was looking in a mirror. Who was this girl?
What kind of young, pretty girl devoted her life to being a pirate?
The girl was obviously devoted. She was unafraid to jump onto their ship. No other crewmates were here with her. But here she was, nonetheless. A great sword fighter. Kora wondered about this girl's life—how had the girl gotten to this point, working on board a legendary pirate ship?
Blocking another hard swing, Kora knew she needed to change the game. Needed to go on the offense. Problem was, this girl was a better sword fighter. Kora went for the girl's neck. The girl blocked. Kora tried to get closer, maybe push the girl. But the girl didn't allow it. She stepped back, sword extended, ready for whatever each of them had.
It wasn't an illusion: The sands were clearing.
"What's the endgame here?" Kora yelled.
Since the storm was calming, she didn't have to yell quite as loud.
She saw the girl's eyes—considered answering. She answered, with her sword—went in for Kora. Kora blocked. The girl, in the same fluid motion, slashed towards Scarlet. She made it look easy.
Kora backed up again, trying to start a conversation. She was beginning to feel like she knew this girl. Not literally. She'd never met her before. But they were definitely similar. It was a strange feeling, but it was real, and Kora wondered if the girl was feeling the same about her.
"We're on a mission for the Resistance," said Kora.
"You're just a smuggler," the girl said, continuing the fight.
"You're just a pirate," Kora said after deflecting the girl's sword.
"I know," she said, going for Scarlet now.
Scarlet parried, and got the girl's shoulder, slightly cutting it.
The girl appeared to smile in response, but it was hard to tell since she was wearing a scarf. Kora couldn't help but smile. This girl had her same personality.
Kora said: "Surely we can solve this another way."
"Fighting works for me," said the girl.
Kora realized there was nothing she could say. This girl was a fighter, just like her. Had an objective, just like her. Was a pirate, just like her. Kora had felt, in these last minutes, morally above the girl. After all, Kora was on a more important mission.
And although it was technically true, Kora's heart wasn't in the mission. She didn't care, which brought Kora down to the same moral playing field as this girl.
Seeing this girl's eyes made her realize that more than ever. This girl's ultimate objective was what exactly? Kora's ultimate objective was what exactly?
Just then, the suns broke through the top of the storm, sending a shaft of hot light down on them, and Kora could see ever more clearly how much this girl resembled her.
Scarlet said, "You guys know each other?"
They each shook their head.
Kora could see the girl's sweat on her forehead in the light of the suns.
The girl smiled once more, under the scarf. Could see it in her eyes.
And Kora realized that this sword fight was nothing more than a distraction. She was suddenly angry it had taken her a few minutes to realize. The cannon fire had stopped. The crew on Miner's Danger was definitely not just sitting around.
The girl had been sent here for a reason.
Before Kora could ask or consider, she heard a loud explosion coming from inside the ship. The ship shook for a few moments. Then went still. The floorboards under her feet changed. They settled. Normally they had an ever-present unnoticeable buzz from the rumble of the engine. The buzz was gone. The floorboards were dead.
At that moment, Kora heard someone landing on the deck behind her. She glanced back. It was Alex and Felix, landing with the flying board. Felix ran towards them.
That's when the bow, the front of the ship, began to dip. That's when Kora watched as The Ginger Star quite rapidly fell lower and lower in relation to Miner's Danger. That's when Kora realized that someone had gone down to their engine room and destroyed their engine.
"Take care of her," Kora said to Scarlet, referencing her twin, as she ran back for the wide doorway that led to the cabins, requisitions, and, ultimately, the engine room.
The explosion—a pirate had snuck down, which wouldn't have been hard to do, and bombed their engine. Kora held out a bit of hope that the engine was fixable, but she knew it wouldn't be. There was no way for them to stop from falling out of the sky. From this distance, the ship would be broken to pieces, irreparable, and they would all die.
Kora was inside now, flying down the stairs, sword in hand. She threw off her scarf and felt like she was truly breathing for the first time in awhile, though she wasn't paying much attention to her breathing. Then she was at the bottom of the stairs, headed down the hallway for the engine room. The door was closed. She saw smoke coming from under the door.
For a moment she paused, watching the smoke.
It wisped out into the hall, like a dream.
Fingers of smoke reached towards her as she took slow steps toward the door, afraid of opening it. Afraid of what she'd see. They were falling faster now, the bow tipping forward further and further. Soon, they'd be plummeting, nose first, toward the ground.
And, yet, Kora moved slowly.
She was afraid to open the door, because she knew what she'd find—a broken engine, beyond repair. This ship was going down whether she wanted it to or not.
The Ginger Star would die in the desert, smashed to a million pieces.
*****
Alex and Felix only had knives, but they joined the fight.
Felix's knife was as long as his forearm, so that was helpful-ish. Alex had a hard time, as she wasn't a great sword fighter to begin with and her knife wasn't as long as Felix's. She jumped in, though. Until the girl landed a snappy side-kick to her ribcage and sent her to the floor, quite possibly cracking a rib. Felix got his arm sliced open pretty bad.
Leaving Scarlet to fight the girl.
The sun was breaking through more, light cascading onto the ship. The sands were clearing in the same way they'd come: fast. Breathing, moving, even thinking became easier. And Alex felt like she was watching visual poetry. Scarlet must have worked out the rust these last few minutes, because now she was moving like an inspired being, dodging, slashing, parrying with ease and deftness.
They were both great swordsmen—Scarlet and the girl.
Alex realized who the girl reminded her of: Kora.
As she watched, she knew Scarlet was almost there.
Scarlet almost had the girl.
But it was too late to finish the fight. The ship was falling too fast and faster by the moment. The residual magnet field that had surrounded the ship and carried it through the skies was all but gone. The engine was dead. And their feet were beginning to come off the floor.
Scarlet ran for the mast.
Alex and Felix joined her.
The girl was there, between the kitchen's double doors and the mast, deciding if she should continue fighting or hold onto something. Then Alex saw the girl's flying board, near the inner-wall of the deck. The girl looked at it.
Alex, without a moment's hesitation, ran for it. The girl reacted by running for it as well. But this was Alex's main skill: jumping into situations with blind boldness. She reached the board first, just as her feet came off the ground. The board came off the deck, right into her arms. And Alex let herself fall away from the ship. This board was much nicer than her previous peradventure.
The girl was in the air now, floating off the ship.
Alex strapped on the board, turned it on.
The girl was about ten feet from her.
They looked at each other.
Finally, the girl threw her sword away from herself, behind, let it fall away.
"Help me," she yelled to Alex.
If Alex didn't help, the girl would die. 'Course, Alex didn't see any reason she should help, except that the girl looked and sounded uncannily like Kora.
Maybe that meant something.
*****
Kora was four steps from the door.
"This is it, then," she said to herself.
She knew it was over at this point.
She knew what she'd see when she opened this door.
The end of The Ginger Star.
The Ginger Star was her life, had been her life. She'd lost it once before. She couldn't lose it again. And she knew that if she lost it now—if her ship went down—it would be over. There would be no recourse and the pirates wouldn't demonstrate anything resembling the definition of mercy.
She took hold of the doorknob, pushed it open a few inches. The wind caught the door and it flung open, all the way around, and slapped back against the wall. Its top hinge busted off and the door sagged—the wind threatening to tear it away.
Kora saw a gaping wide hole in the far wall. Smoke billowing from what was left of the engine—shards. Wind hit her in the face. She grabbed onto the doorjamb, instinctively. Unsettled. Her legs were wobbly. She felt like collapsing, right here and right now. They were falling at full speed now. Kora braced herself against the wall, leaning into it.
Taking a deep and resigned breath, she saw the faint outline of a woman standing in the center of the room, feet obscured within the smoke from the busted engine. The woman seemed to be an apparition. Kora squinted and blinked a few times, then rubbed her arm across her face. The woman remained. Kora was sure she was seeing the woman, though she didn't believe in ghosts and had never heard of anyone sane ever seeing a ghost.
But the apparition was right before her, just standing in the smoke.
The woman wore a look of concern. And she was translucent, only half-visible. Kora could see through her.
Taking a few steps towards Kora, out from the center of the smokestack, the woman came within only a few feet. She wore a white dress, smooth against her slender frame. Her hair was long and dark and her features were stunning. She stood over Kora, a few feet. And with a voice like her silk dress, she said, "Take down the empire, Kora."
Then she disappeared.
"Hey!" Kora yelled instinctively.
That's when a man grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck. In a few seconds, everything went black.