AN: Hello readers. Due to lack of inspiration at the moment, 'Commodore's Curse' will be postponed until further notice. I thank you all for your reviews and your advice and hope that you'll continue to read and review when my inspiration returns from its prolonged holiday. While that is happening I happily bring to you 'Every Man for Himself' I hope you enjoy and please read and review and tell me what you think.
Chapter 1: No News Is Not Necessarily Good News
Commodore James Norrington of his majesty's royal navy, stalked angrily around his office stopping occasionally to glance out his window and then to presume his predatorily prowl. The source of his annoyance and anger was yet again the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.
Norrington had just countless numbers of resources chasing Sparrow across the Caribbean yet had never succeeded at catching the wily Captain yet. He had led the Caribbean division of His Majesty's Royal Navy on a wild goose chase to the far reaches of the Caribbean and back and still managed to remain and elusive speck upon the horizon. Well that's how Norrington saw it.
The current annoyance over Jack Sparrow was that all of the Navy's sources and Norrington's personal ones, had dried up on information on Jack Sparrow and his equally elusive ship, The Black Pearl. The only news they had had was from an extremely unreliable source based in the pirate port of Tortuga. The only things they now knew about Jack Sparrow was that he was still in the Caribbean and that he had extremely secretive motives. He was apparently on some sort of business that he was up to his neck in and was having difficulty getting out of. Norrington had decided with some sort of finality, that what ever was vexing Jack Sparrow couldn't possibly bode well for anyone, the navy included.
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4 Days Later
Norrington stood at the prow of the Dauntless taking in the wonderful feeling of being at sea again. His heart even lifted slightly at the prospect of the chase and of the possibility of a victorious return.
An evening after his solitary prowl in his office Norrington's sources had at last sent news of Jack Sparrow. Well, leastways, of the Black Pearl and if Jack Sparrow wasn't with his beloved ship Norrington would swear to eat Gillette's hat. But Norrington's sources also told of another ship in the Caribbean that was sailing under Spanish colours. That alone was surprising because between the navy and the pirates, a lot of the commonly seen Spanish ships now forsook coming to the Caribbean. But the appearance of the Spanish ship seemed somehow to tie into the disappearance of Jack Sparrow.
Three days into the expedition, Norrington had yet again found himself inside his office, this time his shipboard one, pacing around in continuos circles. Nothing. They had waited near Tortuga for 2 days but no luck. The Black Pearl had disappeared again and no one seemed to have seen the black ship or it's Captain.
Suddenly a knock on the door disturbed the Commodore from his reverie. Norrington stalked across to the door and found himself face to face with the slightly alarmed midshipman. Norrington quickly gestured for him to enter and went and sat back down behind his desk.
The midshipman quickly told his report to Norrington, a ship sailing British colours had been sighted and the ship's crew had run up a flag signalling the want of a meeting with the Commodore. Norrington nodded, digesting the information, and signalling to the man that he was dismissed.
Norrington decided quickly that he better inspect the ship from a far checking if anything suspicious was up. Usually this wouldn't be so, but recent events had Norrington and the rest of the navy on their guard. Norrington reached the bow of the Dauntless and looked through his spyglass noting that although the ship certainly seemed normal, it had recently been through rough times.
Norrington headed to the helm and gave the order for a flag of assent to be run up. While this happened Norrington quickly assigned himself a guard in case he had missed something on his inspection of the ship
As the oncoming ship aligned itself next to the Dauntless, Norrington noted it's name, The Draconis. As the gang planks covered the gap between boats Norrington waited patiently to the representative of the Draconis boarded and spoke.
The man nervously boarded the Dauntless and nodded to Norrington.
"Sir," he began "My Captain requires a favour of you and the royal navy and wishes to discuss it privately in his cabin," this he blurted out putting particular emphasis on the privately.
Norrington nodded his assent and motioned for him and the assigned guard to cross the gap between the Draconis and the Dauntless. The crewman then showed the Norrington the way to his Captains cabin and gestured for him to knock and the took his leave.
Norrington stretched up his arm to knock but before he could do so, a neatly dressed young man opened the door and let him in. He offered the Commodore his hand and smiled.
"Jonathan Lyleston, Captain Jonathan Lyleston."
