Full Summary:
Britain is still an empire with prosperous colonies, ruling Governors, and commanding Commodores.
EITC Director for West Africa Cutlena Beckett arrived in the Caribbean with two directives: 1. End the piracy threat against the company and Crown holdings. 2. Assess the fitness for command of Commodore James L. Norrington who has lost two ships in two years.
Cue old flames, media management, naval warfare, dissolute pirates, and nagging attraction where failure is met with life ending consequences. A modern POTC AU.
Ahoy, mateys - time for some fun on the high seas, 1720s meets Modern Age style! I hope you enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
This whole fic was born of hannanemo's great modern James Norrington tumblr post. And then, she was even more awesome to create a modern Theodore Groves post!
Story Notes:
1. Liberties taken with fem!Cutler (Cutlena) Beckett's backstory.
2. Events take place post-CotBP, and then more liberties taken with events in the last two films.
3. I can hear Norrington scold me: "You are not a military man, you are not a sailor...", and he's absolutely right. All inaccuracies are my own.
PIRACY THREAT IN THE CARIBBEAN ENDED AFTER FOUR YEAR STRUGGLE
With the capture of the last members of the Pirate Court off the coast of San Dominique, the Royal Navy has declared victory in the war against piracy in the Caribbean. The victory comes hard-won and unsurprising to empire subjects who tirelessly supported the Crown's pursuit of justice. For just as the world started to hedge its bets on the UK Empire Caribbean trading markets, the Crown has undisputedly shown that we are still the dominant force to be reckoned with.
Lord Jonathan Beckett, Sr. sipped his too-hot coffee, continuing to reread the newspaper article from the warm confines of his Whitehall office. Ever since he'd been informed of the victory, his office had worked diligently to keep his daughter's name out of the papers. Sadly, this reporter had not received the message. Nor had this particular reporter taken the hint when her meeting invitation was outright rejected, instead pestering Mrs. Prince on a near-daily basis. But Lord Beckett wished to offer no comment or sit for any meetings as part of this circus. He had thoroughly done his disgraceful stint two years ago.
But of course, today's meeting was one that he couldn't outmaneuver. It had come at the special request of the men of the hour, after all, and as a representative of the Crown, he could hardly refuse. He took another delicate drink as he found the passage of interest.
Governor Weatherby Swann bestows full credit to Commodore Theodore Groves for his absolute commitment and dedication to the cause. Groves, who has served as Commodore of the Caribbean Fleet since the demise of his predecessor, demurred politely when asked to respond to the Governor's comments, and instead thanked the countless men and women who sacrificed together to bring about this day. Swann and Groves are set to travel to London and receive the highest honors of the Crown.
Beckett's lip curled in disgust. The countless men and women. Surely, Groves didn't mean to include Beckett's daughter. The foolish woman had gone down there and done nothing but die with nothing to show for it. She hadn't even managed to remove the former Commodore from his position. In fact, that incompetent twat of a man had managed to kill them both. Beckett skimmed over the paragraph, his jaw tensing.
The war against piracy raged heavily for the last four years, triggered after the Persephone, flagship of the EITC was sunk off the coast of Jamaica. While losses on both sides have been prevalent, none have been as prominent as former-Commodore James Lawrence Norrington and EITC Director for West Africa Cutlena Thomasine Beckett. As previously reported from eye-witnesses, the former-Commodore and Ms. Beckett were lost in the explosion and subsequent sinking of the vessel Icarus during a skirmish with the notorious pirate Davy Jones two years past. Requests for comments have been ignored by the offices of both EITC CEO Stanhope Walters and Lord Jonathan Beckett, Sr., Minister of Finance.
Ignored, indeed. The vultures. The piranhas.
Had they not assaulted him in full when the news of his daughter's death first broke? Were they completely incapable of ending the needless reminders that his daughter's death came at the hands of the man whose poor tenure as Commodore allowed the rise of piracy?
He exhaled sharply, taking a gulp of coffee and barely registering the burning sting on his tongue. In all her thirty-one years, Cutlena had never failed him before. But that was all he had left now.
Life in the memory and shadow of his only child's failure.