The captain broke off but stayed close, too close for Hawkeye to use his gun. The sharpshooter fired again, then cursed and threw the weapon aside – left hand drawing his knife in a perfect arc from boot to chest-level, buying time.

They circled once, fast and low, and attacked at the same time. Hawkeye went high, the captain low – both missed. Hawkeye flipped his knife and threw it, drawing his sword in his right hand in the same moment. The captain lunged forward to dodge the knife and Hawkeye was forced to parry with his sword still half-drawn, taking an aggressive step that knocked the captain off-balance and back two paces -

Elletra danced in with Hawkeye’s knife, sliding it across the captain’s throat. Hawkeye sighed in relief, accepting his knife with a nod of thanks and picking up his revolver again. He drew another pistol from a deeper pocket and fired it through a porthole, a bright red flare erupting upwards and exploding in a shower of sparks.