I named Mercer 'Snoopy' to make it obvious that it wasn't his real name. Thank you for those who've helped. I've edited the first chapter and replaced his true name.

Calypso's Children

Chapter Two: Aboard the HMS Legacy

"Welcome back" was more than just a greeting to the once again Commodore James Norrington. They were the two words that he longed to hear, if he couldn't hear the three words that any person needed to hear from that one person for whom they longed.

"Welcome back" to your dignity, they said. Welcome back to a valued opinion. Welcome back to life as it should be. As much as it could be in solitude, at any rate.

He had begun to fear that he would never be clean again. That the scum of Tortuga had somehow burrowed itself permanently deep within his veins like a lethal virus, just as piracy is a one way street, but even as he walked up the plank that connected the ship to the dock he could feel that life that he had almost led wither away, like ashes fed to the wind. The memories were scattered now, and would so remain. This was where he belonged, in the rich threads of the military, and under the white wig of authority.

"Welcome back, Commodore." Gillette, an officer who had worked under Norrington before he had resigned, greeted. Gillette had fought with him against the cursed pirates of the black pearl. The pirates, unable to die, had taken many a good man's life that night at Isla de Muerta. After that night Gillette had decided to take a break from the military. He had told Norrington that he wanted to be by his wife's side during the pregnancy of their first child, Isabel, though she wasn't due for months. Norrington had let him go. He knew that night had shook Gillette's nerves. It had scared him, seeing so many of his kinsmen die, and he so powerless to save them, or himself. So much blood reminds one of their mortality. Norrington knew, because he felt the same thing, and saw the same emotions shaking in Gillette's eyes as he had in the mirror. "You've no idea how glad we all are to hear that you are safely returned," Gillette continued, indicating the rest of the officers overseeing the sailors as they made the ship ready to sail.

"I think it's safe to say that I feel the same," Norrington replied as he stepped onto the ship, walking with Gillette up the stairs to the helm, avoiding the bustle of the sailors. Many of them were familiar, and some grunted a greeting in passing as they carried kegs and barrels of gunpowder and provisions between them, but most of them ignored him. The captain approached them, saluting in respect.

"We've been delivered the heading, Commodore, and we're nearly ready to make way. As soon as I get word from my first mate that the provisions are stocked we'll set sail."

"Thank you, captain." Norrington replied. He walked over to the starboard railing and looked across the busy dock to Port Royal. He didn't know if was a jilted feeling, or the increase of commotion and traffic that came with Lord Beckett and his commerce, but the port didn't feel quite the same. It didn't feel like home. Then again, after the events that had ensued, things really shouldn't feel the same, but now that he had his life back it was only a matter of time before he felt at home again.

Lord Beckett rested his chin on his clasped hands pensively, his elbows resting on the arms of the ornately carved chair that hindered his petite form, rather than complimenting it. He was staring at bag that held the heart of the scourge of the seas, his mind churning like a tempest. How best to manipulate the power of Davy Jones? He could stab the heart that very moment, and rid the world of the ethereal beast, which would leave his leviathan free to roam the oceans. No pirate with half a brain would dare embark out into such danger. But then the waters would be as equally untreadable for his own merchants, the East India Trading Company. He would need more than just a threat; how did he express his own control over the beast– there must be some way to make him do his bidding. One answer laid in the mists of Calypso in Salo, but there was no promise that plans would not go awry.

If all else failed, he held powerful persuasion over Davy Jones.

"Weigh anchor! Set the sails!"

Commodore Norrington made his way into the hold as Smith, the first mate, yelled out orders to the sailors. They were setting out, and it would be a week's journey to get to the island that Lord Beckett had specified. His footsteps thunked loudly on the wooden steps as he descended. The walls were varnished in a dark cherrywood, and the borders that ran along the junction of wall and ceiling were ornately carved with flora and fauna. It would be such a waste if the ship were ever to befall a damaging storm; all of that meticulous carving and designing for naught. The entire ship looked as if it had been built for a king (evidence of Beckett's influence), and implored one to wonder how much effort had been left to spend on the durability, but he was sure that Lord Beckett would accept nothing less than the best in all aspects of a ship. He may be full of himself, but he was by far no fool.

The room reserved to serve as Norrington's quarters was evident, though he had left before a proper tour could be given. There was a frame around the door that traced around all sides except where the door contacted the floor. The door itself was larger and had a darker paint glossed over it. Norrington turn the brass knob and walked inside, his footsteps immediately silenced by a thin burgundy carpet. The room was no more grand than his had been on the Dauntless, which in a way relieved him. Too much of a good thing could be stifling.

Norrington sat down at the desk, getting a feel for his surroundings. There was a map spread out before him, and several tools to chart across were organized neatly on top. Maps seemed to be a theme for Beckett, and his desire to fill in and make sense of the world seemed like more of an obsession than a hobby. He got up out of the chair, suddenly feeling restless, and made his way back onto the noisy deck.

I'm sorry it's slow going. I've got a busy schedule, but my life would be completely empty if I couldn't do this. But the next chapter will be up very shortly, and I'm super excited. We officially move out of the introduction and into the story next chapter.