Chapter 7: Gods Among Men, Nicholas POV (Patreon)

Chapter 7

Gods Among Men

Nicholas POV

My brief interaction with Ripper and what would have been an attempted stabbing soured my disposition towards the crew. Pan seemed to sense the change in mood because he followed me to the throne room and closed the doors behind us.

“You looked into Ripper’s eyes, didn’t you?”

I slowed my steps, feeling my shoulders tighten. “Can you explain what happened out there?”

“You experienced a higher form of sight.”

“What does that mean?”

“As a human, you can look at a person and tell the colour of their hair, the shape of their face, their relative wealth, along with a thousand other details. As a Transcendent, when you look at someone, you see every atom, electron, neutron, proton, and subatomic particle which forms them. With that knowledge, you can access everything someone is and know them more intimately than they know themselves.”

I slumped onto my throne. What he said sounded absurd, but that was my new normal. I needed to get used to it. I forced myself to look up as Pan finished his bow and placed his tricorn back on his head.

“Is this what you consider being candid, Pan?”

Pan put his hand behind his back, relaxed his posture, and explained what was happening in more detail. “The human brain cannot comprehend the amount of information you’re Transcendent body is absorbing right now, so the data is filtered in a way your brain can accept. Because these perception filters stop you from experiencing the full range of your abilities, taking certain actions like looking into someone's eyes can remove or weaken these perception filters.”

I met his gaze.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t work on other Transcendent beings.”

That was good to know.

When I didn’t restart the conversation, Pan changed the subject. “May I suggest you use your newfound ability to get acquainted with the crew? You can use your Domain if you prefer not to deal with them face to face.”

“Why?”

“Earlier, I noticed your tone when you saw me dealing with the crew. I think this will help you understand my disposition towards these degenerates.” His disgust was so palpable that he spat the final word at me. Despite his anger, his expression never changed.

I saw no reason to object to his request. Discovering which crew members were safe and which were not was now at the top of my to-do list.

I opened my Domain.

My awareness exploded outwards, stretching beyond its former border, passing asteroids, tens of thousands of small spaceships, several planets, and dozens of moons until it engulfed what had to have been a quarter of the solar system.

The jump in size from an F-1 Domain to an E-1 Domain was awe-inspiring, and having a larger Domain caused no more discomfort than putting on a pair of reading glasses. The awe quickly faded as I noticed that using so much of my Power to fuel my Domain caused The Pantheon to slow.

I withdrew the excess Power and shrank my Domain.

Pan politely cleared his throat as he raised a concerned eyebrow. “My, Liege. Have you recently increased the strength of your Domain?”

“Yes.”

“How? I don’t mean to pry, but you don’t have any followers?”

“I received an achievement reward.”

He pressed his lips together and then took a deep breath. “Is there any reason you waited to use this reward?”

“I forgot that I had it.”

He sighed. “You forgot that you had it.”

“Yes, I forgot I had it. Then I opened a portal that was large enough for The Pantheon to enter and accidentally made myself immobile. Ripper noticed and was about to use that opportunity to stab me, so I panicked and spent my Transcendent points to increase my Domain buff. Was that a mistake?”

“Yes. Spending two milestones worth of Transcendent points to have an E-1 Domain was wasteful.”

“I meant was saving my life a mistake and it's only one milestone of points.”

Pan frowned. “I don’t follow?”

Pan’s obvious confusion made me realise I’d been treating him like a class guide, even though he wasn’t. “You can’t see my achievements, can you?”

“No.”

I quickly sent them to him.

He blinked several times as he read them through before he turned to stare at me. “You have no idea what any of this means, do you?”

I didn’t feel like repeating how clueless I was, so I just shook my head.

He paused. “Let me test something out.” Without further explanation, he drew his cutlass, stepped forward, and swung for my head.

I instinctively raised my arm to block, but he stopped just before he hit me.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted at him, suddenly furious.

Pan stepped back and lowered his weapon. “Swing your cutlass at me.”

I launched myself to my feet, drew my cutlass, and swung at him. I was going to take the opening while I had the chance. I couldn’t afford to lose this class. My entire body locked before I could hit him.

Pan smirked. “We’re pantheon Gods.”

I tried to hit him a few more times before I sheathed my cutlass. “What are pantheon Gods?”

“Pantheon Gods are allied Gods who can’t harm one another. They provide security for each other and make it possible to build an empire.  This is wonderful news.”

“If you say so.”

“You don’t understand.” He pressed his lips together again and then took a slow, deep breath. “Of course, you don’t understand. I need to stop saying that. My apologies, my Liege. I’m a little flustered. And for a good reason. That Transcendent Minion you received allows you to create another Transcendent Being. One which is automatically a part of our Pantheon. This literally changes everything.”

I stepped back and sat down again. “Does that mean investing in my Domain wasn’t a mistake?”

He shook his head. “It’s not as unfortunate as before, but it’s still a mistake. And I can’t understand why you made it to begin with. It's simple maths to understand that it was a bad investment.”

“When I used my Domain, the technology and people on the planet improved. I assumed a stronger buff would make it easier for everyone to evacuate and then grow stronger.”

Pan sighed. “It will, but you need to think long-term.”

"Not until I’ve done what I promised.”

Pan paused, giving the impression that he was deep in thought. “Let’s discuss this after you get to know the crew a little better. You need a better understanding of what you’re caught up in before we discuss this further.”

***

When The Pantheon reached the next transit ring, I didn’t feel like leaving the safety of the throne room to open a portal. Instead, I took Pan’s original advice, sat on my throne, used my Domain instead of my eyes, and opened the portal without moving.

After looking into a dozen crewmen’s eyes, I fully understood Pan's disciplinary methods. I’d thought his actions harsh, but now I knew that he was treating the crew how they deserved to be treated. Most of them were animals. Violent, vicious animals.

They might have been capable of speech and even conversation, but they were far from civilised. Each one possessed a superiority complex that would make a Nazi blush. Any species weaker than a bionoid was an insect. Anything stronger was either hated, envied, or worshipped. There were no shades of grey for any of them. They all believed they were at the peak of perfection.

This belief was why so many of them hated me. My existence gave them doubts about their own greatness. It raised questions they didn’t want answered and caused them to fixate on me in the unhealthiest way. Nine out of ten were plotting to kill me. They wanted to quash their gnawing doubts by ending me and proving their own superiority.

Knowing them only gave me one clear insight into what was happening to me.

I was on a pirate ship.

And not the Disney kind of pirate ship. There were no loveable scoundrels. No reluctant villains. Most of the crew needed to be shot. There wasn’t a crime they hadn’t committed between them. Many of them made my skin crawl.

Savage was so evil that I’d unconsciously tried to smite him. However, the small amount of power I exhibited while smiting unconsciously didn’t ruffle the bionoid's hair.

After discovering how tough they were, I stayed out of their way and worked on my new to-do list.

-Destroy the Horde fleet. Try not to get stabbed before this happens.

-Use the doubloons from destroying the Horde fleet to win over the least degenerate crew members. (Increase a crewmember’s loyalty to 100% and then turn them into a Transcendent.) Try not to get stabbed before this happens.

-Check if the crews’ disposition has changed. If it has rescue Sector 3. If it hasn’t, find more fleets to destroy. Try not to get stabbed before this happens.

I drummed my fingers on my armrest, switching my attention between my old prompts and my new to-do list. I was a God. I saw everything around me. I could change everything around me. I could understand everything around me. However, none of those powers were what I’d signed up for when I decided to try to rescue everyone in Sector 3.

It was overwhelming and distracting.

The three items on my list weren’t a lot for five hours of work, but if you included stopping myself from being stabbed, then it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in, Rob,” I said.

Rob popped his head through the door at the far end of the throne room. He had curly light brown hair that hung near his shoulders, eyes the colour of ripe oranges, and unlike the degenerates, he believed in bathing.

“Captain, we’re approaching the next transit ring. The quartermaster suggests you prepare to engage as the next system is where our prey was last sighted.”

“I’ll be out momentarily.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The door closed, and I let out a sigh.

“This is a strange day.”

I pushed off my throne, hearing my feet scuff the carpet. The sound and sensation were so familiar that I could almost forget the absurdity of my situation.

Almost.

I picked up my wave cutlass and boom pistol from where they sat behind my throne, sliding the blade into the sheath on my left hip and pistol into its holster on the right side. The boom pistol looked old, but it didn’t need black powder or a shot, just a lot of time to reload between uses. Of the two, my wave cutlass was more practical.

It could project energy waves, making a slash capable of hitting ships hundreds of thousands of kilometres away. It could also cut through anything I got close to, like the crew.

Both weapons were now much stronger because of my Domain.

I took a deep breath and turned. This was the second system we’d passed through. The next one was heavily contested, holding the remainder of humanity and the Horde’s fleets.

I crossed the throne room, opened the doors with my power, and exited onto the balcony.

“Sailor, where the hell is your hat?” Pan shouted from the main deck.

“Ahhh!” yelled a panic-stricken Colin.

Colin was among the few respectable people on our crew, mainly because he had no idea how he became a pirate. He’d got blackout drunk one night with Rob and a few others, and they all woke up on The Pantheon. Pan had told me to befriend them because we would need help if the crew mutinied.

“Don’t give me excuses. Go get it,” Pan shouted. “We’re about to fight. You should be dressed appropriately.”

I ignored the chaos as I walked downstairs and crossed the main deck. Crewmen jumped out of my way as I climbed the opposite staircase to the bow.

Pirates didn’t tolerate weak captains, so hiding in my throne room while the crew fought the Horde wasn’t an option. I needed to be seen among the degenerates. I needed to give commands and provide them with plunder. I needed to be the first to strike. I needed to remind them why they shouldn’t mess with me.

I placed my hand on the pommel of my wave cutlass.

The Pantheon dropped out of FTL near the transit ring, sliding the ship into the black, starry sea. The ring quickly approached before the ship slowed to a complete stop. The crew ran about, trying to get ready or pretend they were getting ready so they weren’t given orders.

I looked through the transit ring in the distance and opened an exploratory portal. Getting a feel for the other side of the transit rings was now as easy as looking in the right direction. Through the portal and my Domain, I saw something new on the other side. Enemies.

A fleet was waiting, hiding behind the portal where we couldn’t see, and a normal ship's sensors couldn’t detect. Pan had already shrouded The Pantheon with his power so their sensors wouldn’t pick us up, and a brief look onboard with my Domain showed how effective it had been. They were entirely unaware we were here.

“Prepare to engage as we pass through the portal,” I shouted. “I’ve located their fleet.”

Pan launched himself across the deck, landing beside me. “How many are we looking at, my Liege?”

“Eight battleships, two carriers, one long-range communication carrier, twenty-nine cruisers, eighty-three destroyers, and several hundred frigates.”

Pan frowned. “They have a long-range communications carrier?”

“Yes, why do you sound concerned?”

“The Horde don’t normally have long-range communication vessels. They connect to their sectors and hold their territory aggressively. Investing in long-range communication vessels runs counter to their natural tendencies.”

“Why’s that important?”

“It’s important because it’s out of place. It might be a quest reward. Which means?”

“Which means we just found the first upgrade for our crew,” I finish.

Pan nodded. “The moment we’re through, I suggest you open a portal over to that vessel and jam your cutlass through their bridge. We need to take it whole. Once it’s non-operational, I want you to portal for the other carriers and do the same. Then take out the cruisers.”

My gut instinct warned me that Pan was getting out of line. His suggestions sounded less like suggestions and more like an order.

I didn’t take my hand off my pommel as I turned and glared at him. “Who’s the Captain here, Pan?”

Pan swallowed. “You are, my Liege.”

“Who gives the orders?”

“You do, my Liege. What are your orders?”

“Take out the battleships, destroyers, and frigates. I’ll deal with the carriers and cruisers.”

Pan paused and then raised an eyebrow. “Yes, my Liege.”

I clapped him on the shoulder, and he turned and launched himself across the deck, landing beside the helmsman. He turned to glare down at the crew.

“Cannon teams target the battleships,” Pan yelled. “Destroy them before they jump to FTL. Boom pistols are for the destroyers. And make sure you give those frigates hell with your wave cutlasses, gentleman.”

I ignored his orders as I pushed my Domain back through the portal, trying to find the optimal location to travel to. The fleet was spread out, but the heavy hitters were in the centre of the formation, making a nice target. If I opened right in the middle of their formation, we’d be in range of everything.

I projected my focus through The Pantheon, sensing the crew and their current state of readiness. I found Colin still searching for his hat. He was two decks below.

“Crewmen, your hat is behind the crate to your right?” I said, projecting my voice to him.

Colin turned his head, searching for me. “Ah, Captain. Where are you?”

“On the bow. Now pick up your hat and get up here.”

“Ah, yes, Captain. Sorry, Captain.”

I turned my attention to the rest of the ship, seeing everyone else was ready. “Prepare to engage.” Then, I opened a portal for The Pantheon.

“Take us in, helmsman,” Pan shouted.

The ship rushed forward.

I passed through the portal first and raised my boom pistol, firing at the closest destroyer a thousand miles away with godlike accuracy. The pistol kicked as energy burst from the end of the barrel, travelling through the void before slamming into the destroyer’s hull. The beam passed through the bulky grey armour and engine before blasting out the other side, disabling it completely.

I looked at the pistol and chuckled. “That was fun.” I shook my head and holstered the weapon, letting it recharge. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted.

I closed the portal as The Pantheon passed through and opened a second smaller portal beside me, which came out over the long-range communications carrier. The carrier had already fired thrusters and would soon be out of range of the portal. I jumped through, crossing the distance in a blink, and slammed feet first onto the ship’s hull, denting the armour.

Through my Domain, I could see the fleet had no idea what was attacking them. We were invisible. Their sensors couldn't even pick up me standing on the carrier. Their most accurate information came from calculating the directions of attacks and tracing them back to their source.

The Horde fleet's automated systems began to return fire.

The overall length of the carrier I stood upon was seven hundred meters, making it similar to a long rowboat compared to my size. One look at the thrusters told me they were too sturdy to crush with my Power. I could dismantle them, given enough time, but I needed to work fast.

The crew burst into flames as I sensed the ship's FTL system powering up. Pan had advised against smiting their crews because I needed to be seen fighting, but the carrier was too important to waste time over.

I walked towards the carrier’s bridge, keeping one foot anchored to the hull the entire time. I drew and thrust my cutlass through the hull, destroying the bridge controls. The ship continued to power up its FTL system.

I frowned and moved to another critical system, stabbing it through the hull. The FTL system continued to power up. I went to another critical system and stabbed it, too. Everything I saw said this should have worked, but it wasn’t. This vessel has some property that went beyond my comprehension.

My number of options quickly dwindled as I didn’t want to destroy the carrier. Automated fighters and bombers exited the hanger bay, pivoting to target me.

I ignored them.

I glared down at the carrier and muttered to myself, “How do I stop you without blowing you up?”

Would you like to attempt to hack the carrier’s computer system and power it down?

Yes/No?

I sighed. “Yes.”

There are eight layers. You have 30 seconds to solve each layer.

A portal opened before me, and my Rubik’s cube floated through. I snatched it from the air and got to work. Destroyers and cruisers exploded around me while fighters and bombers blindly tried to blow through my shield. After the first few failed to leave a scratch, I ignored them completely, focusing on the Rubik’s cube.

Layer after layer disappeared, but the carrier’s systems worked faster than I did, jumping to FTL. With my feet planted on the hull, I was so anchored to the vessel that I went along for the ride. I finished the final layer half a minute later and watched as the bright world once again became a dark sea as we dropped out of FTL.

I could see the battle happening in the distance. None of the other ships in the Horde fleet had withdrawn. They were still fully engaged in fighting The Pantheon, circling the much larger vessel to engage. I opened another portal to one of the other carriers and stepped through. This time, I stabbed the powered-down FTL drive first and then smote the crew.

My pistol had recharged by this point, so I drew it and shot another destroyer before opening a portal to the last carrier. I had just finished destroying the bridge when I heard Pan’s voice.

“My liege, can you hear me?”

“I can,” I replied, seeing him standing near the helm.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking out the carriers?”

Pan turned and shot a destroyer. “Why are you taking so long?”

“It’s not easy.”

He sighed. “Stop thinking like a human and start thinking like a Transcendent.”

“I’ve barely been a Transcendent for six hours. It’s still quite difficult.”

“You’re a giant robot in space designed to fight spaceships, my Liege.”

“So what? You want me to fly around cutting my way through spaceships like I’m some overpowered anime mech?”

“Yes, my Liege!”

I started to frown, looking at the nearest cruiser. Could it really be that simple? I raised my cutlass, pointing at the cruiser and then willed myself forward, not to land on top of it, but to go through it.

The distance between myself and the cruiser vanished as I flew through space. I watched my cutlass pierce the hull and then felt my fist collide with the hole's edge before my shoulders and body tore their way through. Debris scattered around me as the force of my collision sent it flying.

I floated in space on the other side of a now-wrecked cruiser. The personal shield that protected my body had only lost %5 of its integrity.

“This is much simpler than I imagined,” I told Pan.

“You are a Transcendent, my Liege. Fighting insects shouldn’t be difficult.”

I watched a dozen crew members suddenly turn their pistols on Pan and fire. The laser burst struck his shield crippling his protection as the three nearest him dropped their pistols and charged him with their cutlasses in hand.

Pan pivoted and drew his cutlass.

I opened a portal behind him and stepped through with my boom pistol raised. My first shot went through Bloodhound’s face, blowing out the back of his head.

My perception sped up as I turned my full attention to the fight in front of me. The crew’s movements slowed enough for me to follow. I struck Badger’s blade with my own, knocking away the thrust heading for Pan’s kidney.

Pan knocked aside Mincer’s slash as he spun, bringing his blade down through Badger’s wrist. He finished his spin by blocking Mincer’s next strike.

I removed Badger’s head as he raised his stump and remaining hand to surrender.

Through my Domain, I watched the crewmen who had taken a shot at Pan go back to fighting the Horde. They weren’t interested in a fair fight. And they knew the crew wouldn’t allow them to be executed since they hadn’t harmed Pan, only weakened his shield. The few lashes they’d received were trivial.

Pan delivered a final flurry of blows, and Mincer was cut into pieces. “Thank you for the assistance, my Liege. I think I have this in hand now. You may return to leading us to victory.”

I turned to the nearest cruiser and raised my cutlass.

Cruiser after cruiser disappeared as I tore through the fleet, cutting the number in half over the next minute. When my shield reached 50%, I switched out, doing flybys, running my cutlass through the side of a ship instead of going through them. It was just as effective, causing most to detonate as their power systems ruptured.

When I ran out of cruisers, I went looking for destroyers. When I ran out of those, I chased down the frigates. Cannon fire bounced off my shield, lowering the integrity, but not enough to be worrying.

Ships started to jump to FTL, trying to get out of the fight. I gave chase, cutting them down one after the other. I lost track of time as I played a violent game of whack a mole, going from ship to ship and taking them out. Faster than I would have thought, I ran out of ships to destroy.

I sighed, floating in space billions of miles from where it all began.

This Transcendent class was stressful, but it wasn’t all bad.

***

I landed on the balcony outside my throne room, feeling gravity reassert itself. The pull that said down was down, and up was up, was now an illusion that only held me so long as I allowed it. The battle had been eye-opening for me, making me realise how much I was limiting myself. Flying was easy, no different than walking. I’d understood that on one level, but on another level, I hadn’t.

I wasn’t worried about dealing with the crew anymore. Their bodies were barely stronger than Horde ships I’d flown through. If Ripper or Savage wanted to start something, I would end them just as easily as I ended Badger and Bloodhound.

Pan stood beside the helmsman, clutching an injured shoulder, bleeding through his coat. He was directing power through his hand to close the wound while he gripped his pistol and glared at the crew.

I projected my Power in Pan’s direction, willing his wound to close faster, using it to heal him the way he was. Pan visibly relaxed and glanced down at me. Alone and injured, the crew were eyeing him with clearly violent intent. Now that I was here, they were weary again.

I raised an eyebrow. “How did they get you?”

I’d seen it all play out and had been shocked when they got the jump on him, even though they weren’t part of the first group. He was never in danger despite them breaking through his shield, so I hadn’t moved to help.

“I was cocky, my Liege.”

We had five dead, three of which were in pieces. Outside of those who had tried to kill us, there were several seriously wounded and a dozen with minor injuries. There was also minor damage to the hull, but that seemed to be regenerating as The Pantheon absorbed the wreckages from the destroyed fleet.

I looked at the ships I’d crippled. They were the fleet that had broken Sector 3. They were the fleet that was supposed to destroy Sector 3. And I’d dealt with them in only a few minutes.

Pan floated over the railing and landed beside me.

“So, this is what we’re capable of,” I said, awed by my ability to destroy.

“This is nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

That was hard to believe, but the truth spoke for itself. “We don’t have to abandon Sector 3, do we?”

“Not if you don’t want to, my Liege.”

Through my Domain, I watched two crewmen carry Badger's corpse to the edge of The Pantheon and toss the dead crewman over the side. His body floated for several seconds, drifting off into space before dissolving into stardust.

Pan removed his hand from his healed shoulder and flicked his wrist, drawing away the blood and repairing the material with the same gesture. “We should deal with the loot from the fleet before the crew grows restless.”

A notification appeared before me.

Congratulations, you have defeated a Horde fleet and captured some of its vessels.

Battleships: 3

Carriers: 2

Unique Carrier: 1

Cruisers: 3

Destroyers: 6

Frigates: 2

Vessels will become:

Battleships: F-1 grade Gunner

Carriers: F-1 grade Grenadier

Unique Carrier: F-3 grade Special Helmsman

Cruiser, Destroyers: F-1 grade Pirate

Frigates: F-1 grade Deckhand

Pan continued talking while I read the notification. “As higher beings, only some of the materials inside the enemy fleet are valuable to us or the crew. The Pantheon converts the material from the destroyed ships into doubloons after we win a battle and then disposes of anything we don’t need. Half the doubloons are immediately shared between the crew. The other half goes into the ship's coffers to cover expenses or to be distributed later.”

“What about the captured vessels?”

“Captured vessels may be used how you wish. Battleships and carriers hold enough material to be converted into cannons. Destroyers hold enough to make a cutlass, and cruisers hold enough to make a pistol. Alternatively, the higher-grade technology can be used to upgrade the crew. If none of that interests you, the vessels can be turned into doubloons.”

I scratched my chin as I tried to understand the subtleties of what I saw. “Why do we need more pistols and cutlasses?”

“When crewmen die or leave The Pantheon, their equipment goes with them. We need new equipment to outfit new crewmen. Upgraded crewmen will also use higher-grade weapons. But this is something we’ll have to worry about at a later date. I recommend we take the special helmsman and turn the rest of their fleet into doubloons. The crew needs the doubloons more than they need to grow stronger.”

“See it done,” I said before turning and walking into my throne room.

***

Something had gone wrong. My human bionoid helmsman hadn’t been upgraded by the unique carrier. He’d been transformed into an emaciated, pink-skinned minotaur. He’d become a Horde bionoid.

Nargus only wore a loin cloth over his skeletal, thin frame as he stood staring at me across my throne room with eyes as black as space. In between the darkness were spots of light, making it appear like his gaze contained the night sky.

The Horde were larger than humans, which hadn’t changed because he was a bionoid. His shoulders started where my head ended, making him look like was looming over me.

I glanced towards Pan. “He doesn’t remember who he was.”

“No, my Liege. The transformation seems to have fully rewritten his personality. Despite this, Nargus is more than qualified to be our helmsman.”

I could see that when I looked into his eyes. Nargus was nothing but a collection of instincts and innate skills. He was interested in seeing the universe, but there wasn’t much to his personality beyond this urge.

I glanced at Pan. “Will this happen every time?”

“We have no way of knowing without running tests. I converted the rest of the fleet to doubloons.”

“Fortune favours those of action and the song of battle calls,” Nargus said, his voice like a slow rough grindstone.

I frowned, confused by what he said and the fact that I understood it. “You can see a second fleet near the other transit ring.”

Nargus nodded.

Pan sighed. “I suggest we pursue, my Liege. We need to know if Nargus transformed because the vessel was unique or because it originally belonged to the Horde. We have to reassure the crew that this won’t happen every time someone is upgraded and show them Nargus’s value before they stab him for being different. They’ll put up with a lot if it means more doubloons. No offence, Nargus.”

“Water and sand.”

Pan raised a good point. The crew’s mood was inconsistent and hard to control. I could see how angry they all were. If we went back to begin the evacuation now, they would mutiny. However, if we destroyed the second fleet, we would remove the largest threat currently within Sector 3. Even if that wasn’t what I wanted, it would still help.

I turned to Nargus. “Welcome to the crew. Now, go catch that fleet.”