Groaning metal that drowned out all other sounds preceded the violent tilting of the Heart’s Desire as it slowly began rolling onto her side. Firus was banking to give us the best possible targets. That was the reason I’d been ordered down here in the first place.

All four of us instintively grabbed onto something to prevent us from falling. Everything not bolted down slid across the deck into a mish-mash of debris. Loose chains hung at strange angles.

Braced uncomfortably against the wall, I turned to Esmil. “The Captain has us set up for a broadside barrage. We need the Sideline to do as much damage as possible right now.”

“Yessir and I got a little something extra too!” Esmil said, letting go of the hand rail and scrambling past the ladder. I had no choice except to follow him, motioning for the gunnary crew to follow us. I figured we were going to need them to operate the big gun.

“Faster would be better!” I called ahead to him.

“Just a minute!” He yelled back irritably.

“We don’t have a minute!”