"They're taking off," Tom reported from the window where he was keeping a look out.
"Right then," said Bonny Anne. "If possible, we`ll run away from them. This ship o' yer has a good turn o' speed. But if 't comes to 't, we`ll be havin' t' fight' it out. Thar`s nay goin' back now, nay surrender. Th' Queen`ll kill us if she can lay hands on us."
"But the Amazon has better weapons than we do," Will said.
"You managed t' put up a fight against us when we first took ye, an' that`s more than many dare do," Bonny Anne said.
Anne and Zoe went round the ship, checking the weapons and stationing people to work them. Most were automated and controlled from what had been the technical box when the ship had been masquerading as a hall. Others were posted on lookout duty all round the hall with the duel purpose of reporting on the Amazon's movements and keeping an eye out for any damage that might be done to their own ship. Those left were stationed in the bridge, to help work the ship, and to stand by to repel boarders if the pirates tried a direct attack through the airlock.
Ruth stood by the airlock door, watching with a worrying sense of deja vu as the pirate ship began to catch up with them. Did they really have any chance of escaping? Or would they just end up as the latest victims of the Pirate Queen, another addition to the terror-inducing stories about her?
They had taken a chance, gambling their lives for freedom. But was it really freedom? Even if the best happened, they would still be prisoners in a way, prisoners of Will and Zoe. Granted, that was much better than being prisoners of the pirates. But there was still no guarantee that they would ever get back to Earth, that they would ever be really free.
"They're opening fire," Tom reported from nearby. She looked across and saw that it was true.
"Jimdy, open fire as they bear," Bonny Anne said into the communicator. She had taken charge of the ship, and as Queen Argent's weapons fired on them she and Will made the ship weave and dodge and avoided the worst of the hits. Meanwhile Jimdrick and Zoe, in command of the weapons deck upstairs, hit back at the pirates as hard as they could.
"Yes!" shouted Zoe through the communications system. "Direct hit on the sonic cannon!"
"That ought' ta put 't ou' o' use," Anne said. "Well done! That evens th' battle ou'."
The two ships went on firing at each other for some time. Under Bonny Anne's direction, the former prisoners fought their ship so well that neither side appeared to be gaining the upper hand.
"Stalemate," Bonny Anne said, as the two ships continued to weave and dodge and shoot through space.
"The Queen will nere admit defeat," Jimdrick said. "We canna keep this up for ever."
"You know th' boy's right," came another voice, the voice of Queen Argent herself. She had hacked her communications unit through to the Hilarity's. "Surrender, Anne, ye treacherous swine o' a lass, an' maybe I`ll show ye some mercy an' nay make yer death too long drawn ou'!"
"Surrender t' ye? Never!" Bonny Anne shouted in response. She turned a switch and the ship shot off into space. But the pirates were close behind, firing as fast as ever. There was no way of escaping or leaving them behind.
Bonny Anne turned off the communications unit, so her mother could not hear, then turned to Nick who was standing nearby. "Go an' tell Jimdy t' be seein' if he can get a shot into the'r engines," she said. "We've got t' slow them down."
Nick was quickly back with the reply. "He says it's too long a distance, that we'd need to go closer," he said.
Bonny Anne was silent, thinking. "Well then," she said. "We`ve got nothin' t' loose. Time fer some darin'. Go an' warn them, we`re goin' in close."
It was a daring manoeuvre, swerving round and diving in close to the pirate ship. They were rising everything, they knew. But it was their only chance of escape.
A burst of cannon fire, and sparks flew from the pirate ship.
"We got them!" Will exclaimed.
The pirate ship was slowing down. It slewed wildly to one side, seemingly out of control. Bonny Anne turned the communications unit on again. The pirate queen's shouting and cursing could be clearly heard.
"Goodbye, Queen Argent," she said. "That's tarnished yer reputation somewhat, I imagine!"
The pirate ship continued to fall behind as the Hilarity and her motley crew sped off into space.
The story continues...
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