The sea curled away from the steel hull of the Luminous as the three flagships roared ahead. Beyond the barge, Caledonia spotted Decker’s fleet now maneuvering to intercept her, their decks ringed in spikes, each studded with decaying bodies that shuddered in the stiff wind. Once, the sight of five Bullet ships would have sent a shock of panic down her spine. Now it felt like an invitation.

From the main deck, Amina barked orders. “Gunner teams Quick and Gale, I want you starboard; Knots, I want you port! Target inbound ships and fire at will!”

Soon, they were in range and gunfire cracked through the air. In another minute, they would be near enough to launch Amina’s new weapon—bombs filled with modified skintech. Each sphere contained hundreds of little balls like stones that would soften when the bomb exploded, scattering like shrapnel and adhering to whatever surface they struck to deliver a nasty shock on impact.

After seeing the cruel reality of the star blossom bomb at the Battle of Cloudbreak, Caledonia had asked Amina for an alternative. A way to take out Bullets without mass casualties and without destroying ships. The silencer was her solution.

Pisces’s team took position at each of the five catapults bolted against the forward deck. “Activate!” she called, and in response they flipped each switch. “Fire!” The arms snapped forward and five blinking bombs flew from Luminous Wake.

Matching volleys launched from the bows of the Blade and the Piston. Fifteen spheres arced high, moving so much slower than a bullet or missile. For a moment it seemed even the Bullets stopped to watch, curiosity temporarily winning out over caution.

As Caledonia tracked their progress across the sky, she recalled the weight of a star blossom bomb in her hands. The look of dreadful understanding she’d shared with Oran before heaving it onto the deck of the Titan. The cries of agony as those star-shaped blades slashed a hundred Bullets to their deaths in an instant. It had been the single most devastating weapon she’d ever used, and for just a second, she feared these would be no different.

The silencer bombs found their targets, landing on the decks of the two closest Bullet ships. A cry of warning cut off sharply as skintech shrapnel struck chests and arms and heads. There was no spark of electricity, just a sudden hushing of battle as dozens of Bullets jerked on their feet and fell unconscious. Exactly as planned.

Immediately Caledonia’s crew began to reload their catapults to prepare for a second wave. The two ships they’d struck in the first round drifted idly by, while the remaining three rushed ahead. Behind those, the barge spread massive wings in either direction; on its surface figures hurried to carry whatever they could belowdecks.

“Harwell, tell the Blade to stay on that barge and set those baleflowers on fire. I want Piston on the incoming ships.”