The commander slapped Han on the back. "That was a close one man, don't test me like that again."
"Thanks Commander," Han panted. "That's not the way I want to die."
"Not on my watch you don't. But Han, next time, forget about your hat, okay?"
"I like this hat," Han took it off his head and inspected it. "And it's really my lucky hat now."
"Baer, cut us loose!" shouted Niko. "He's dragging us towards the rocks."
Baer pulled out his broadsword and chopped the tarred harpoon rope with a heavy slice. The boat, which had been zipping northwards at a blistering pace, suddenly stopped it's meteoric ride and drifted to a gentle clip. The whale disappeared from view, along with the rest of the pod.
The men sat back down on the deck.
"I thought you said the boat was too high for them Commander," said Magnus.
"Hmm. It was. It's looks like they're getting smarter. God knows how those girls got past them."
"Maybe they didn't run into them," said Niko disparagingly.
"I'm going to need a beer or three to recover from that one," said Han.
"Three beers? You're going to need to down a few bottles of whiskey to put that behind you man," Baer clapped his friend on the back. "And I'll need a bottle to try and forget that daisy chain the Commander built out of people, leaving me with one stinking ankle to hold the whole thing up!"
------------------
The girls had rounded the northern tip of the Island, passing through the relatively narrow, Banks Strait. This was a passage Delphi had been concerned about, knowing they had probably been spotted from the forts by now and the Strait might be a good place to try and capture them.
They could see the Great Wall on the horizon as they entered Bass Strait. Even when you couldn't see land, you could still see the Great Wall. It was both impressive and ominous at the same time.
"We're in Bass Strait girls!" Delphi called.
They let out a cheer.
"I never thought I'd see the Great Wall in my lifetime," said Loveday, staring up at it.
"Well, we've passed it now," said Feifei. "God knows what kinds of tubiàn we'll run into up here. This is unchartered territory for the last fifty years…"
"Good reminder Feif," said Delphi. "Anything could happen from here on out. Don't let your guard down."
The past few days of sailing had been peaceful and uneventful. They enjoyed the salt air and the light summer sun and did a lot of fishing, supplementing their catch with the dried fruit the GG consorts had packed for them.
They were all tanned and barefoot, the petite training outfits the Emperor had made them wear had finally come into their own; they were perfect for life on a sailboat. The girls wore little brimmed navy sailor caps to protect their faces from the sun, looking more like a bunch of sexy deckhands than warriors.
Arrie and Ruby often went topless, being the only two girls who could do this without too much discomfort. Delphi had warned them to put their tops on when they passed anywhere near the coastal forts where they were likely being watched with powerful telescopes, but that just seemed to encourage them to flaunt themselves further.
Within a few hours of hitting Bass Strait, the winds had picked up and the day turned from blue skies and a gentle breeze to grey and overcast.
"The waves are getting bigger," called Delphi. "All hands on deck if you're on shift."
Delphi had them working three hours on, three hours off in two shifts of four girls until they had crossed the notorious stretch of water.
Loveday came to stand beside Delphi, who had the wheel.
"Thankfully the wind's behind us," she shouted, her long auburn hair streaming out after her like an elven queen.
"The only upside is we're making great time," Delphi called back. "We're averaging 6 knots!"
The boat was surfing the three metre waves, and the wind was now at 35 knots, slamming the boat up and down like a top. The girls who were supposed to be asleep came out of their bunks to see what was happening.
Rain had started to pelt down, and Ruby went back into the hold to fetch wet weather gear for them all as the temperature started to plummet.
A wave crashed over the back of the boat, drenching Delphi and Loveday, who held on tightly as the deck was washed with salt water.
The punishing conditions lasted long past the first three-hour shift. Delphi had planned to stay at the wheel to supervise the team in such rough conditions, but after six hours straight of battling the elements, she finally handed over the deck to Feifei.
"Blow the horn if you need us. Don't hesitate," she told the girl.
"Yes Ma'am," said Feifei with a salute, her long black ponytail whipping around her face.
Lili stood at the bow with binoculars, on lookout duty; she was having a very wild ride in the bow pulpit, plunging up and down like she was riding a crazed hobby horse. The thrill-seeking girl wore a wide grin stretched across her face, licking the salt from her lips and gripping the rails tightly through gloved hands.
"Tie that crazy girl to the bow pulpit will you Feif," said Delphi as she headed into the hold. "She'll get herself thrown into the ocean."
Winter had abruptly become seasick after being fine for days at sea. It could have been the huge waves, or it might have been being out in the open ocean with no land in sight. Whatever the reason, she was crouched in a tiny ball behind Feifei, vomiting over the gunwale, then curling back into a ball where she lay, groaning. Arrie was hovering around her trying to help, but there was nothing she could do.
"Go down and get your three hours Arrie," Winter mumbled. "I just have to ride this out. You can't do anything to help."
"But I need to make sure you don't fall off in the storm," said Arrie, beside herself with worry.
"Just tie me on then," Winter moaned. "You need your sleep."
Arrie fetched a short, tarred rope and tied Winter securely to a cleat, checking and rechecking her knots before she finally gave the little girl a gentle pat and left her to her misery.
The conditions had eased slightly by the time Delphi, Loveday, and Arrie emerged, blinking, from the hold, for their next shift.
Winter, with nothing left in her stomach, had finished vomiting. She now lay, pale and dozing, in the light rain.
"Carry her down Loveday," said Delphi looking at the broken girl. "There's no way she'll be able to take her shift."
"I'll do it!" said Arrie, leaning down to scoop Winter up in her arms.
"Good luck with that," said Loveday, watching the tiny Arrie stagger away with Winter.
Winter might be small, but Arrie was even smaller. The girl was strong for her height and weight though, she'd give her that.
"We've gained some good ground with that storm," Delphi said to Loveday. "We're about a third of the way across."
The rest of their shift was choppy, but manageable. A steady drizzle made life unpleasant, forcing them to constantly clear their eyes of the sideways rain and salty spray.
The boat was joined by an albatross, that perched like a rock behind Delphi, seemingly completely unphased by the humans.
It was late in the day when Arrie rang the bell from the bow pulpit.
"Tubiàn, tubiàn!" she shouted.