A/N: This is my first pirates fan fic, it really doesn't include many of the characters from Pirates until the very end. But it is a fan fiction because it takes place in the Pirate' universe.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN OR ITS CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY.

Hoist the Colors – Part 1:

Cheng Chin and Shang Hai

The King and his Men

Stole the Queen from her Bed

And Bound her in her Bones

The Seas be ours

And Bide the Powers

Where we will, we'll roam

Yo ho

All Together

Hoist the Colors High

Heave ho

Thieves and Beggars

Never shall we die

The haunting song rolled through the mist and out over the dark waters of the bay. The night was as darker than usual what with no moon to guide the ship into port, so the crew had to be extra careful. But not as careful as they would have to be when they made land-fall.

The singer was one Colleen Killigrew, the third youngest and fieriest of the Killigrew clan's ship the Pendennis. She had dark-brown hair, and sharp grey eyes. She would have been considered quite pretty if it wasn't for the fact that she looked so malnourished. She was skinny as a rake, but was as strong a sailor as any. And even though she was skinny she had still stolen the heart and had her heart stolen by one boy. A Scottish man by birth, he had moved to her village in Wales when both were at the age of twelve. They had met when Colleen still wore skirts, and Auntie Maud still captained the Pendennis. She was of medium height for her age, about four months between seventeen and eighteen. Her birthday had been sometime in November, but her mother swore it was on the nineteenth of that month that she gave birth to her youngest child. So every year on the nineteenth, her family would give her a new pair of shoes, or more recently an extra ration of gin, rum, bread, or loot, should they take a ship that day. The Killigrews were pirates, a ship manned by a female crew. Their fathers, brothers, and husbands stayed at home posed as business men or merchants, a different kind of pirates, more accepted in society. This played as a ruse to fool the English soldiers, which occupied their town in southern Wales. The Killigrew crew were also, all related, cousins, sisters, daughters; they all took part in the family business, piracy. Sailing on the Pendennis for one voyage then signing on if they should wish.

This was Colleen's third voyage, just signed on as quartermaster. With that position came great responsibility and a heavy counter balance; the drunken mad-woman, and the mother to the captain, her aunt, Maud.

Maud hadn't always been a drunken souse. She had once been captain of the Pendennis. The position handed over to her daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzie), due to her shot nerves that had caused her drinking problem. Her nerves caused by the fact that she didn't want to let her family get into trouble, but being pirates that was hard to avoid. This eventually led her into a circle that only her favorite liquor, gin, could cure. She is a very stout lady, not very tall, and her shrill voice and think Welsh accent 

make her almost impossible to understand, even more so when she's drunk. She has dark auburn graying hair that she hides under her enormous bonnet. Her reddened brown eyes are covered my spectacles that she often cleans on her skirts as she speaks. Now, she wanders along with Colleen in tow, always searching for a way into the store rooms. Usually to find the gin barrels to fill her giant tankard that can easily fit over a man's head. It was a very helpful fact in a fight.

Maud's daughter, Elizabeth, or Cousin Lizzie, was the hot-tempered, strict, and smart captain of the Pendennis. She often reprimands the girls for calling her "Cousin Lizzie" instead of "Captain." Her flaming red hair, and striking beauty was almost as famous as her reputation, as the leader of the "Valkyries of the Sea", some of the most fierce and vicious of women of their profession, topped only by Anne Bonney, Mary Reade, and Cheng I Sao. Colleen looked up to her as a role model, and hopes that one day she might be able to become Captain Colleen Killigrew. She is taller than her mother but still not exceedingly tall, Colleen stood to about her shoulders, and she had blue eyes that could capture a man's heart with a single glance.

Colleen's first cousin, Gertrude, or Gert as she preferred, or Gertie as she was called, was the first mate on the ship. She was savage, blood-thirsty at times, and tough. Although she did have several boyfriends in various ports in the Caribbean and around Britain. She was very tall, and probably the strongest woman on the ship, perfect for barking out orders, and whipping lazy crew members into shape. She also had the most interesting eyes, which were bright blue, but around the pupil were brown. She loved nothing more than a good bar-fight and was just as good at breaking them up as well. She looks out for her younger cousins and family members like a hawk, always looking for the slightest sign of trouble from them or threatening them.

Colleen's other first cousin, Beatrice, or Bea, was the former first-mate, and current boson's mate. She had been knocked down a peg when Gert had returned to the ship after staying a few months with one of her boyfriends. Bea had long hair almost the same length as Colleen's, only it was a straw-blonde color. She had green eyes, and stood the same height as Colleen. She was known for her cunning but was a horrible cheat, in all literal sense of the term, because she always used the same tricks, they worked well on new-timers but to the Killigrew's they all knew about her secret hiding spots for cards, loot, and other trinkets. She too had a certain blood-lust to her, and since Gert had taken her higher ranking, Bea was resentful and the two often cat-fought. This usually ended up with one of them stuck watching Maud and a very innocent Colleen getting their jobs for the day, and thier resentment later. Bea looked out for the other girls and being the weapon's specialist on the ship had a habit of tying a dagger into the braid of her hair and using it as a very effective weapon. Colleen wished Bea would show her exactly how to do this someday.

Colleen's first-cousin-once-removed, was called Enid, she was the "ballast" on the ship. Although she was perhaps Colleen's closest friend and family member, both in age, and everything else. The girls were inseparable and were hardly ever seen without the other. Enid however happened to be very ditsy and stupid. Which often subjected her to games of "Eydie and naceydie" (yes and no), "The Table Game" (in which Enid acted as a card table for the other crew members to gamble upon, and was "won" if Enid didn't fidget too much), and Colleen's personal favorite, "Blackbeard's got your nose!" Enid was seventeen and had short auburn hair, which she often tied into pigtails. Enid was also very flashy and wore large disk-like gold earrings and a gaudy diamond ring from given to her by Blackbeard himself. This was her second voyage just having signed on as well. Colleen and Enid often fought with one another mostly when Enid was trying to be smart and tell off the quartermaster to show off in front of the captain, which annoyed Colleen to no end. These two usually ended up fighting, and making up in the end but with several bruises.

There was also Meg, Colleen's second cousin, and also a deckhand on the ship. She was a very tall skinny girl who thought of herself very highly, but almost always ended up making a fool of herself. She was one of the people who most often forgot to call Cousin Lizzie, "Captain". She had the same 

straw blonde hair as Bea, but had blue eyes, and the hair was much shorter. Meg wasn't the brightest nail in the ship but there weren't many bright ones on this ship anyway. The only reason the Captain put up with her was because she was family.

The final member of the crew was Hannah, the cabin boy of sorts. She was only twelve years old but had signed on for her fourth voyage. She was very adventurous and that frequently got her in trouble with the other girls. She had brown hair, and tanned skin almost the same shade as her hair, due to the fact she spent so much time at sea. She was short and inquisitive, which made her very cute, but she tended to push the limits, and often ended up being chased across the deck for some little thing she'd done.

The ship itself was a majestic one, crewed by only seven women, it was the pride of Wales, or would be were it not a pirate ship crewed by women. The Killigrew's and their Pendennis had been sent to the Far East to escort the final member of the Brethren Court to the meeting taking place as soon as Captain Barbossa, William Turner, his fiancé Elizabeth Swann, and the infamous Calypso aliased Tia Dalma had returned from retrieving the Black Pearl and her Captain Jack Sparrow, from Davvy Jones' Locker. They had been sent to find Captain Cheng Chin of the Black Dragon, to bring him to the meeting, for he was the last holder of the nine pieces of eight, and his ship made port in Shang Hai, China. That is where he ran his monopoly over Eastern trade, where he made the threats "either you pay me, or I'll raid your ships kill everyone on board and sink it." He was an economic pirate of sorts.

This ultimatum he made is what forced Captain Teague, keeper of the Pirate Code, to force three other pirate ships and five other captains to sail along with the Pendennis, to make sure they didn't get blown out of the water. These were Captain William Kidd, of the ship the Adventure Galleon. Captain Calico Jack Rackham, Captain Anne Bonney, and Captain Mary Reade, of the good ship the Fortune, and lastly Captain Edward Teach aliased Blackbeard of the good ship the Queen Anne's Revenge. None of which were all to happy to go with them, they all would have preferred to stay at Shipwreck Cove and gamble, drink, and brawl until the meeting started, but Captain Teague had insisted and the Keeper of the Code had to be honored. And besides the song had been sung, the pirate captains were being summoned, and Chin was the last one not to reply.

It was night as they were entering the harbor, and everyone was very tense. Colleen was about to start the second verse of the song when a voice cut through the mist and made her jump.

"Quiet Colleen, you want to bring them down on us?" Colleen jumped ant turned, her hand going directly for her empty leather frog searching for her sword.

"You alright girl? You're awfully jumpy. But that's good you immediately went for your sword, I taught you well." Captain Elizabeth looked pleased, and then her face turned grave. "But now I got to get you to keep your sword on your belt! How many times do I have to tell yer? You don't go anywhere near port without it!"

"Sorry Captain." Colleen mumbled. Two criticisms in one thought, I'll be scrubbing dishes for a week! She thought.

"It's alright Colleen, just don't do it again, and don't sing anymore until we know it's safe, alright? Oh and would you put some distraction in Maud's way so she doesn't follow us into port? We might run into some trouble I don't want her getting in the way…"

"Yes Captain." Colleen replied with a slight smile. Cousin Lizzie turned and left disappearing into the mist.

A half an hour later the crew of the Pendennis, minus Maud and Hannah, went ashore to try and find Cheng before his men found them. The other pirate captains were assembling as well. The crew of the Fortune had stayed behind too scared to leave the ship. Blackbeard's crew had been ordered to stay behind and make sure nothing happened to the ship. Captain Kidd and his crew had elected to stay behind to watch out for British naval ships.



"Did anyone else notice something strange here?" asked Anne Boney upon their arrival.

"Yeah," said Mary Reade looking around, "There is somethin' strange isn't there?"

Everyone else looked around until they figured out what was going on, or rather what wasn't. The dock, of one of the busiest and most important ports in China, was deserted. This dock should have been guarded by at least thirty-men, or thirty pirate-men, but there was no one.

"What? Annie? I don't get it. What's wrong?" Jack Rackham's voice cut the silence. He wasn't the sharpest nail on deck but, and Colleen had no idea why, he had been named co-captain of the Fortune. But he was ruthless, cut-throat, and dashing, probably why Anne Boney had married him in the first place, so men followed him.

"There's no one here, Jack." Anne replied in an annoyed tone.

"We're here Anne." He said slyly.

"Shut up you bastard. You know what I mean!" she hissed, shoving him aside as she stalked off.

"Looks like your crew's abandoned you Rackham… Are you losin' your touch?" said Captain Killigrew slyly.

"Naw, but those piss-soaked bastards wouldn't dare shove off without their Captains." He said with the air of confidence. "They's too superstitions to do something like that!" He gave his throaty laugh and looked for his flask of liquor and made a sour face at not finding it.

"What's superstition got to do with mutiny, Captain?" asked Gert.

"Well them devils think that that ship o'er there is blessed, or cursed as it may be… that the ship only follows Anne and Mary's orders and whoever else they name captain of course. But if anyone else dares to try and sail her by herself, she'll turn on 'em! And they'll suffer a most horrible fate! Them fools too stupid to sail that pile of sticks out too far any way, there ain't no drop of leadin' blood in 'em either. They won't sail without us…"

He gave another laugh and started to head off the dock. Blackbeard and the crew of the Pendennis followed. He stopped them short.

"Keep your swords out gents'" Blackbeard said, "I don't likes the looks of this."

With that they all set out and walked through the deserted docks. There were ships in port but no one was out, any good sailor always spent the night on shore drinking and brawling till the establishment's owners forced them out. There should have been someone, even a "greeting party" from Cheng. There was no way he didn't notice their arrival.

"A little spooky, eh Anne?" Rackham said, running his hand up her back, and giving an evil-laugh.

Anne elbowed him in the gut; he grunted and doubled over cursing.

"Knock it off bastard!" she spat.

"Why'd you do that Anne!" he yelled.

"Cause I wanted you to shut up! You were annoying me!" she wheeled.

"Yeah? Well I find your attitude annoying, perhaps I should give it an adjustment?"

"Don't forget who you're talking to you son-of-a-bitch!"

They drew their swords and circled each other.

"Both of yas' belay that!" shouted Blackbeard, "At least 'till we reach a safer part o' the port!"

"Blackbeard's right." Said Captain Killigrew, "We don't know if they're lying in wait for us."

"What're you mean Captain Lizzie?" perked up Rackham, "You mean like a-"

"Trap, Miss Killigrew?" Jack was cut off by another man suddenly and surrounding the Captains with about two dozen other men.

"Yes… a trap…" said Killigrew flatly.

"Well then, welcome to Shang Hai." He said, bowing mockingly. "What business do you have in the Black Dragon's port?"

"We're here to find Cheng Chin, and summon him to the Brethren Court. Under orders of Captain Teague." Killigrew replied.



"Really? Well I regret to inform you Miss Killigrew that Lord Chin is not in Shang Hai at this time. So you'd best be on your way."

"Oh bull!" shouted Rackham lowering his pistol to wave it menacingly. "Cheng is always in port!"

"Not at this time, Mr. Rackham!" insisted the man.

"Oh really? Well how's 'bout you call us by our real titles you pig-nosed son-of-a—"

"Jack!" Anne, Mary, Elizabeth, and Blackbeard, shouted.

"Calm down." Cooed Anne.

"Colleen?" called Captain Killigrew.

"Yes, Captain?" Colleen said stepping forward.

"Now's a good time for that song…" she hinted.

"What?" she questioned.

"Just!—sing…"

Colleen started to sing, softly but loud enough for everyone to hear the words clearly.

"The King and his men stole the queen from her bed…and bound her in her bones…"

"Quick! Someone shut her up!" cried the man, and several of the men started to close in on Colleen, the other Captains quickly drew their weapons to protect her.

"The seas be ours, and bide the powers… Where we will we'll roam. Captain?" Colleen asked quizzically.

"Keep singing Colleen! We'll keep them at bay!" she cried.

"Yo ho, all hands… Hoist the Colors high."

Anne and Jack ganged up on a trio of men, and quickly sent them over the dock into the harbor with a splash.

"Heave ho, thieves and beggars… never shall we die."

With the last verse three men lay wounded and four in the harbor, and those that remained stared at the Captain's quizzically.

"There," Captain Killigrew said. "Now the song has been sung in your port too, Cheng can't deny the Brethren Court's call. In the Pirate code, laid down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you must-"

"Do not quote the code to me Captain Killigrew!" Said one of the men who'd surrounded them, he stepped forward throwing off his hood, "I was there when it was written!"

The man was a tall Asian with graying beard and hair, he looked very impressive, but in the disguise they had thought him only a common pirate.

"I'm sorry for the… façade, Captain Killigrew but you realize there is much danger in these parts, what with the East India Company breathing down our necks. We must take certain… precautions, I'm sure you understand."

"Perfectly Cheng. But that is no reason to not come to the Brethren Court when summoned!" snapped Anne.

"Unfortunately Captain Boney, I had no prior knowledge that the Court had been summoned." He said matter-of-factly, "But you see it would not I who would have to go anyways."

"What do you mean!?" Anne yelled back, "You helped bind Calypso! You are one of the bearers of the nine pieces of eight! You have to go!"

"No I do not. That is where you have your facts all confused; I am not one of the nine captains that would be my… wife, Cheng I Sao."

"You're… wife?" repeated Rackham.

"Yes, my lovely wife whom I've been married to for twenty years. Now if you please, let us go inform her of your arrival…" He turned to leave, then paused and said to the man who had talked to them first. "Oh and Yao? Please take the guards off their ships they are our guests."

"Yes sir." Said Yao bowing.



Just as this was said a piercing shriek cut through the air.

"Where do you think you're taking my Lizzie!?" it was Maud, she stumbled up drunkenly, with Hannah in tow, to Cheng, and peered at him waving her finger in his face.

"How did you?" said Cheng his mouth gaping. "How did you get past all my men?!"

"Oh those were your men? Oh, sorry, but they got in my way so I hit 'em o'er the head with my tankard nice and lightly but they keeled right over. SPLASH!" she motioned with her hands as she spoke, then shrieked as she lost her balance. Cheng looked at her incredulously, and then a look of recognition spread over his face.

"You are Maud Killigrew?" he asked.

"I am?" Maud said squinting at him. "Oh, right I am!" She reached her hand out shake his.

"Do you remember my wife? Cheng I Sao?" he asked.

"Cheng I Sao… I Sao. Oh! I Sao! How is that old pig?" she said smiling.

"Oh fine, fine." Cheng led her off holding her arm as they chatted.

The rest of the crews began to follow them until Captain Killigrew noticed Hannah following them.

"Hannah, go back to the ship." She ordered.

"But Cousin!" Hannah whined.

"Now!" she said pointing. Hannah slunk off with a disappointed look on her face, and then Captain Killigrew called. "Take a bit of bread and rum if you want, we'll bring you back something to eat as well."

Hannah perked up at this and ran back to the ship.

The group of Captains and crew, wound their way through the deserted streets, and then made their way to the back of one building and Cheng knocked on the door. The peep-hole opened and a set of eyes peered through at Cheng, and then opened the door. The group descended a flight of stairs into a throne-room of sorts.

"Welcome my friends," said Cheng, "To the Pirate Court of Shang Hai."

Colleen looked around the room; the men who had been part of the ambush were taking their place along the walls, where jade statues stood on podiums. The walls were all painted red, Chinese luck symbols decorated the doors, and the silk curtains that stood in the middle of the room were also red but painted with black dragons. Cheng pulled back a set of these curtains and revealed a set of chairs and adjoining room full of people. Two girls danced with fans, while a musician plucked at a guitar type instrument. A very stately woman sat in an ornate chair, she had her face painted completely white, making her outlined eyes, and red lips stand out even more. Her black hair was done in a very ornate head-dress, and was laden with jade ornaments.

All eyes had turned to the new comers, and Colleen felt uncomfortable under their eyes.

"Who have you brought here?" asked the woman.

"An old friend of yours." Answered Cheng.

"I Sao, how are you, you old pig?" asked Maud delighted.

"Maudy Killigrew? It has been a while! I'm well, and how are you doing you cow? Still captain of the Panda-Dance?" I Sao stood and went to greet her friend.

"No, I'm too old, so I handed that over to my little girl here, Lizzie." She answered pulling her daughter closer to her.

"Mum…" growled Killigrew in an annoyed tone.

"Lizzie? Lizzie darling, do you remember Cheng I Sao? The last time you saw her you were running around the family manor without an y clothes on shouting, 'I'm a Pirate Captain!'"

Everyone's eyebrows rose at this as Elizabeth shrieked, "MUM!!"

"What Lizzie dear? It's true you know!"

I Sao just chuckled and said, "So, Maud Killigrew what brings you to my side of the world?"



"Oh, I Sao there's some bad business goin' on in every part of the world. The East India Trading Company is starting to take over, and recently I heard they had one, Captain Davy Jones, and the Flying Dutchman as his flagship." Maud explained, almost sober for once, she removed her spectacles and rubbed them on the folds of her skirt as she spoke. Captain Rackham jumped at the mention of Davy Jones.

"Wait, hold on a minute!" he interrupted, pointing accusingly at Maud. "I didn't know nothin' 'bout no Davy Jones workin for Becket!"

"With someone like that at their helm." Said Cheng Chin, "What chance do you think we have of getting to the Brethren Court?"

"Why? You got a debt to pay too?" smirked Anne Boney.

"As a matter of fact yes." Answered Cheng.

"My husband, like you Rackham, has had his run ins with the devil captain. And had to bargain with him, as I'm sure you did." Commented I Sao. "So Maud, from what I gather, you're here to pick me up and bring me to the Brethren Court?"

Maud sighed. "Yeah that's the idea."

"Well, then we best be off!" she said with a clap of her hands. I Sao stood and there was immediate bustling in the room, everyone except for the pirate crews and captains were busy.

Cheng pulled his wife aside and whispered. "Are you sure you want to do this I Sao?"

I Sao replied so that everyone could hear. "Yes husband. I plan to go because I am one of the Pirate Lords, and I must do as the Brethren Court and the Code commands!"

Cheng sighed, "I guess you are right, as always my little flower."

Within an hour all preparations were complete and they were ready to sail Cheng would take his flag ship the Black Dragon, and Cheng I Sao would sail on the Pendennis with the Killigrews. It would protect her from any pursuers, and give her and Maud a chance to catch up.

The route that was chosen was to head straight for the Caribbean, across the Pacific, around the tip of South America, and all the way back up to Shipwreck Island. This would take a few months, but then again, it would take Sao Fang, and the crew of the Black Pearl just as long, if not longer to get there.

They would travel with all speed and as few stops as possible, the Brethren Court, and the world they ruled, was running out of time…

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter, they second will be along shortly I've been working on it and I like how it's turning out. Thanks for reading. Cheers!

Boshi