Author's Note:
Yes, it's been an age since I got back to this one. Other stories, and a slight lack of ideas plagued me for a while.
So enjoy this newest addition - I might even have some more soon if I can write it.
"He's an absolute terror," Rouge told him. "He can't even keep his hands to himself."
"He's useful though. This compass of his is fascinating. I can't figure out what makes it work."
"That excuses him enough to stay aboard?"
"Rouge, didn't you come to me asking to handle security?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I'm sure you can handle one man."
"I've got a bad feeling about him, Tails."
"Leave the worrying to me."
"Why you?"
"That's the nice thing about being at sea," he grinned at her. "You get to leave things like this with your captain and let him do the worrying for you."
"You're a natural captain, do you know that?"
"Thanks. Go on back, I'll worry about it for you."
"Aye, captain," she replied, smirking to herself.
He returned to his charts and the compass. He'd marked Eggman's last known location, and was now marking their heading. The compass, since leaving port, had pointed steadily north east. Almost the same direction as Eggman was in.
While he secretly agreed it would indeed be amusing to steal Eggman's finds, and watch the childish fit he'd inevitably throw for it, he also hoped they wouldn't get to that. Both Shadow and Espio had come to him pointing out it was piracy, to which their unexpected extra captain had said, "What's wrong with that?"
As if on cue from his thinking about it, Jack meandered in, a faint but slightly irritated smirk on his face.
"Captain Prower," he said, leaning on a table nearby. "I've discovered a dreadful problem with your cook's pantry."
"Let me guess, you're disappointed there's no rum aboard."
"Now how would you know a thing like that?"
"Sonic already told me. You're not drinking aboard my ship."
"Rum is an essential ingredient in any successful voyage, I'll have you know." He frowned. "Well, not exactly essential, I've managed to do without it once in a while, but it comes in handy when you're trying to do crazy things."
"And by 'successful voyage' you mean 'being a pirate'."
"I can't deny what I am," he shrugged. "But you do know of a ship which has loot aboard, and you do have several crewmen who want to... acquire it. Not steal, of course."
"Because of course, pirates don't steal, they just redistribute their finds," Tails sighed. "Personally, I have no objection to the idea, or to doing it. There's enough reasons. But, you'll agree I'm sure, the captain is responsible for everyone aboard – and not everyone wants to go into piracy, or to get in trouble because of it."
"You'll have a mutiny on your hands with that attitude, you know."
"Oh? From my friends? I doubt that. From you? Only if you'd like to go overboard."
"Neither. Your crew. When one part of the crew disagrees with another, a mutiny is inevitable. I myself... once lost my own ship, the Black Pearl, to my mutinous first mate, after I rather stupidly gave him the chart to the treasure he was after. Not to mention Barbossa later stole my ship again not too long ago, while I was busy in Tortuga."
"Tortuga?"
"It's a pirate port, and one of the only free ones left. Never a better place to stop when you want rum, a decent fight with other pirates, and women."
"You know, I'm starting to agree with Rouge. You're terrible."
"I know," he grinned. "It's part of me charm, mate."
Espio dozed in the crow's nest. He wasn't expecting to see anything, and even if he did, no doubt one of the various machines Tails had installed would pick it up before him.
The crow's nest, like the mast it was on, wasn't necessary – sail power wasn't what made the ship work, though the means where there in case they did need it.
Charmy had long since gotten bored and left him to watch, leaving him alone.
Well, almost alone.
"No," he said, before Jack's head had even popped into view.
"You must have some good mind reading skills to know what I'm going to say before even I do."
"You're trying to convince me to take up piracy. I can hear you down there, you know. Sonic might agree with you, maybe one or two of the others, but not me."
"That's rather closed minded of you."
"The problem with being open minded is that people keep trying to put things in there you don't want."
"Fair point. But can you honestly say that this... what was his name again?"
"Robotnik. Or just Eggman."
"This Robotnik fellow isn't going to use his ill-gotten gains and use whatever he gets from it to annoy you all later on, leaving you thinking, oh, if only we'd listened to that Captain Sparrow none of this would have happened?"
"Robotnik's plans never work anyway. Doesn't make any difference to me." Jack made no response. "You call what he's doing ill-gotten gains. The same could be used to describe what we'd get from him."
"Not at all. It's redistribution of the wealth."
"It's theft, which at sea-"
"Is piracy, yes, so you keep saying. What's so wrong with being a pirate?"
"Come back when we return to shore, and I'll have an answer for you."
"Oh, what an idea. You don't have an answer, do you?"
"No, but I will if you go away so I can think on it."
"How about just listening and accepting that there isn't really anything wrong with a pirate. I've even saved people's lives. True, one of them tried to kill me... and one actually did, sort of, but I've still saved them."
"Sort of?"
"A technicality. I was stuck in the locker."
"The locker?"
"You lot are hopeless when if comes to seafaring lore, aren't you? Davy Jones Locker?"
"You're right, I don't have a clue what you're talking about."
"I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you about it, and you open that stubborn mind of yours a little. Savvy?"
"Oh, alright then," he gave in, leaning back again to get comfortable. If nothing else, he could just sleep through it. Or pretend to.
Knuckles, apparently bored for something to do, went below decks, and found Sonic in the galley, kneading dough. It wasn't the sort of thing you expected to see him do, let alone do it humming faintly to himself as he did so.
He glanced up as Knuckles joined him, saying, "Bread," as an explanation.
"Didn't we bring some along?"
"Yeah, but fresh baked is always better. Besides, I know what's in this for certain, I don't know what might be in the other bread."
"You're worried over bread?"
"Nope, just decided to bake some." He offered some dough to Knuckles, who stared to a few moments, then helped knead it himself.
"That Sparrow come talking to you yet?"
"Yeah, only for a few and to nick something to eat. You?"
"He keeps trying to persuade me we should become pirates."
"What's wrong with that?"
"You're as bad as he is."
"It's only Eggman. It's not like we're going after a bank or anything."
"You two are going to get us into trouble again. First you talk me into coming along with a promise of treasure, now you're talking me into being a pirate."
"Better us than Eggman."
"I think I've figured out why you decided to take a place down here."
"Oh?"
"Everyone seems to come down here and talk to you about things."
"Yep. I can tell you more than Tails can about what's going on, and we haven't been a day at sea yet."
"So what's going on?"
"Jack's trying to persuade everyone to be pirates, and if Tails won't he'll try and lead a mutiny against him, which won't work, Tails is trying to figure out Jack's compass, you're leaning toward being a pirate, Rouge is undecided so far, and trying to steer clear of Jack because she doesn't trust him, Vector's trying to teach Charmy how to fish, which is a fair feat since he doesn't know all that much about fishing either, and Espio's currently listening to Jack talk about seafaring lore."
Knuckles handed his dough back, shaking his head. "I don't know how you do it."
"Oh, easily. People just stop by and talk. Like you are. I don't even have to do anything, but baking keeps me busy."
"I didn't know you could bake."
"Always good to know how to make your own food. 'sides, who else knows how to without just slapping one of those frozen ready-meals in a microwave."
"Yeah, but you do that often."
"Only when I'm too lazy."
"Which is often," Knuckles persisted.
Sonic's reply was drowned out by a loud clanging sound. They shared a look, then Sonic shrugged. Knuckles handed back the dough he'd been given and went up on deck. Tails was already there, but heading below with Rouge, Vector and Charmy in tow.
An old-style wooden sailing ship with black sails was now not far away, sailing alongside them, though some distance away, and with cannons at the ready. The crew of this ship seemed to be more interested in the side of their ship.
He went to one side, and glanced down. There was a small dent on the side.
Knuckles looked up, grinning. He knew what had happened. They'd shot at their ship, and the cannonball had left the dent. His grin seemed to bother the other crew – or maybe he did. They were all human, and there seemed to be a lot of muttering among them.
Jack landed nearby, having come down from the Crow's Nest to join him.
"Oh, bugger," he murmured.
"What?"
"That's my ship – the Black Pearl. No doubt Barbossa's on it. I doubt he knows I'm here though."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"No, mate. His finding out I am here would be a bad thing. I... might have taken something of his."
"You're a pirate alright," he replied, rolling his eyes skyward.
"Was there ever any doubt? Where's your captain?"
"He went below with a few of the others. I imagine we'll find out why-" there was a clanking sound from the side of their ship "- about now."
It looked like a cannon, but knowing Tails, it probably wasn't.
Tails came back up on deck, took one look at the Black Pearl, then shouted down, "Fire!"
The ship rocked slightly with the boom of whatever they just fired. The Pearl rocked, a part of the front suddenly sprouting a circle of small holes. The wood in between the circles held for a few moments, then ponderously fell inwards.
"Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Sparrow shouted at Tails. "It's got enough of them in it already!"
"That was a warning shot, to show an idea of what I can do. And it was a successful test, as well. It still needs a little tweaking though."
"You fired an experimental weapon?" Knuckles asked flatly.
"The theory was sound, I just hadn't got around to the practical test yet."
"They're drawing near," Espio called down. "Cannons still ready."
"Captain Tails," Sparrow said, turning to him. "I'd take it kindly if you'd forget I'm on your ship."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"He stole something from Barbossa," Knuckles told him. "And he thinks Barbossa's on the Black Pearl."
"That's because he is, and I did. I'm not quite sure it's a good idea for him to know I'm here."
Tails grinned broadly. "I'm sure you won't mind being confined to the brig then – for your own safety, of course. Knuckles, would you show him the way? We wouldn't want him to get lost and find his way to Barbossa, would we?"
Knuckles didn't answer, instead leading Jack below. He didn't look like it had gone the way he wanted.
