Chapter 9 - Take the Shot!

The excitement of the Guards was palpable as they cleared the harbour and started their pursuit, sailing up the west coast of the Island. It was a perfect summer day with a light wind. The men were all barefoot and shirtless, enjoying the freedom.

"What an awesome boat Commander," said Wolf admiringly, looking up at the sails. The spinnaker was blowing, and they were rocketing along downwind. "It must belong to the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, it's Prince Zimo's. I think he has more than one… She's solid as a rock. Nice and secure with such a high hull," said Alton admiringly.

"I love the cabins," said Magnus, emerging from the hold. "That will be the best bed I've slept in since I joined the Guards."

"Only you would get excited about a bed, Magnus," said Cormac.

"I need my beauty sleep you know," Magnus fluttered his long eyelashes at him. "You don't get this pretty with less than eight hours a night."

"Come up here and I'll rearrange that pretty face of yours, so you look more like a man, Magda," called Niko from the stern where he was on the wheel.

"You wish you were this pretty Niko, then you could be a chick magnet like me."

"I'm pretty sure you have more men panting over you than women, Magda."

Magnus flew down to the stern and jumped on Niko's back, mock wrestling with him.

"See, now you're all over me," laughed Niko. "Get off me man, I like girls."

"Keep in mind why we're being given this nice boat and a soft bed," said the commander. "If we don't secure those women before something happens to them, we'll be lucky to keep our heads."

The men all looked chastened, except for Niko, who was happy as a clam, just as Alton had suspected he would be.

"Ten wives," Niko muttered to himself in delight, stroking his short blonde beard and shaking his head in happy disbelief.

"You'll be meeting those ten wives in heaven if we don't save those damsels in distress soon," said Bo.

"They're hardly damsels in distress," replied Niko dismissively, "they're fuckin' runaways. But you're right, they've got Buckley's and none of surviving out here, so we'd better catch up with them soon."

"We're at least a day behind them," Bo sighed.

"But there's no way their sailing as fast as this baby," Niko stood proudly at the wheel.

"There's a pod of tubiàn killer whales on the horizon," called Han, who stood watch at the bow with a pair of binoculars. He wore a white sailor cap with his shorts, looking like he'd been born on a ship.

"Grab your weapons men," called Alton. "Han, you're on lookout. Baer and Wolf on the Harpoon. Niko, keep us steady man. Cormac, Magnus, Bo, spears. The boat's high. They shouldn't be able to do too much damage but stay sharp."

The pod kept coming towards them. Whether they would pass by uneventfully remained to be seen.

"Incoming," called Han. "One hundred metres out, port side."

Baer and Wolf dragged the harpoon across to the port side. They could see the pod without binoculars now.

"Coming in fast. Fifty metres. Thirty. Twenty. They're going to hit the boat! Hold tight!" Han shouted. "They've ducked under!"

The largest whale in the pod suddenly surfaced at the prow and flicked it's enormous tail against the hull. The boat spun like a top, turning a full 360 degrees at least three times. The men hung on grimly as they spun. Han was immediately flung off the bow pulpit into the water.

"Man overboard!" shouted the Commander. "Niko, turn the boat back. Tack towards him. Oars men!"

The boat had been spun at least thirty metres from where Han landed. He picked up his hat where it floated a few metres from him, then he started to swim towards the boat at full tilt.

Alton watched as the boat slowly turned to face upwind. Even with the oars, there was no way they would reach Han before the killer whale did. It had spotted him and was speeding through the water towards the swimming man.

The commander ran across to the harpoon. "Take the shot boys!"

Baer and Wolf steadied themselves and let the harpoon fly from the spring-loaded gun. The shaft flew across the water and hit the whale scarily close to where Han now swam ten metres out from the boat. The barbs expanded, hooking into its side.

It stopped briefly and let out a loud squeak. Then it turned and started to speed off in the opposite direction. The vessel flew along behind it on a wide arc, like a water skier pulled behind a speeding boat.

"Catch Han as we pass him!" shouted the commander to Baer and Wolf. "Hold onto me!"

Alton grabbed a life buoy, and each man took one of his legs, dangling him over the side of the hull. Han looked up to see the boat speeding towards him at an unnatural pace. His commander was hanging upside down off the hull holding a life buoy with one hand and gesturing for him to swim to his right with the other.

He swam a few quick strokes to avoid the bow coming barrelling back towards him.

As the boat flew past him, he grabbed the yellow life buoy and wrapped one big arm around it, the other holding onto his hat.

Alton had the buoy in a monkey grip, but even so the weight of the large man being dragged along strained him, and the men holding onto him.

Han couldn't see anything through the spray that was hitting him in the face like little bullets.

Bo and Cormac joined Baer and Wolf, and the four men hauled their commander back onboard, the life buoy with Han clinging to it, came up behind him, and they all collapsed onto the deck.