The morning sun rose serenely over the village of Great Inagua. The inhabitants of the tiny town slept soundly, in their homes, on their ships, and on the beach. Spouses, lovers, and empty bottles lay at their sides. Cleaning up after the previous night was part of the morning routine down in Great Inagua, as young Thomas was about to find out.
The pirate awoke with a throbbing headache.
Where am I? Thomas thought to himself. Ah, in the captain's cabin aboard the Vanity. What about my clothing and weapons? Lord, they're strewn all over the cabin. Hey, who's jacket is that if it isn't mine? And those shoes? I must not be alone in here. Does that red hair belong to someone? Just who the hell is in this bed with me...?
Thomas pulled back the bedsheets. Asleep next to him was the shining, white, nude figure of Anne Bonny.
"What in name of the King happened last night?" Thomas asked under his breath.
Seemingly hearing this, Anne opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on the bewildered, embarrassed young man. She smiled at his confusion. It was clear to her that Thomas had been a virgin prior to last night.
"How did you - we - end up in here together?" Thomas asked of her, climbing out of bed.
"You invited me in," she replied. "In the midst of your drunken stupor, you offered to give me a 'tour' of your schooner. I knew right well what you wanted, so I went along with it."
Thomas admitted that yes, he wished to sleep with Anne, but never expected actually doing so. Unfortunately, he did not recall a single minute of the encounter. Oh, well. Perhaps it was for the better.
Just then a knock sounded at the cabin's door. After hastily pulling on his trousers, Thomas opened the door. Captain Kenway stood outside, fully dressed and not looking at all hungover.
"Good morning, Thomas," the Welshman greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"
Thomas returned the greeting. He then described to Kenway how his head ached, and that he'd woken up next to Kenway's own Quartermaster.
Kenway peered over Thomas' right shoulder, and spotted Anne lying naked on the bed. He laughed. "I trust she was good Company?"
"Erm... yes." Thomas replied. "Anyway, what brings you down here, Captain?"
"I need you to assemble your crew. We sail for Cat Island no later than noontime today."
"Aye aye, sir."
"Good lad. See to it."
As Kenway departed, Thomas continued dressing. He slid into his boots, pulled on his shirt and jacket, and strapped the leather sword belt about his waist. Leaving Anne on her own, he climbed up from the lower deck and out into the morning sun. Thomas found several men asleep on the main deck, snoozing amongst the rigging and guns like dogs after a long day's work. He gently roused them, instructing the men to locate their shipmates, then return aboard. Thomas then walked down to the sandy beach beside the pier. Like the schooner, he found numerous men asleep in the sand, on the grass, and even in a nearby haystack. The charred, smoldering remains of a bonfire lay piled on the beach, leaving a stench of ash in the air nearby. Amongst the dozing pirates on the beach was Thomas' own Quartermaster, John Cromwell.
Thomas woke John with a slight nudge from his boot to the sleeping man's left shoulder. John's brown eyes opened wide with surprise and alarm. He jumped hurriedly to his feet as if expecting an attack, even reaching for his cutlass.
"Easy, John!" Thomas exclaimed, grabbing John's sword arm. "It's just me."
John's facial expression relaxed as he recognized his Captain, and Thomas released his arm. "Oh, good morning Thomas," he said unsteadily, brushing the beach sand from his red marine's jacket. Thomas smelled alcohol on the young man's breath.
"Seems like you had a memorable evening, John."
"Actually Thomas, I remember very little of the night previous."
"Then consider yourself fortunate that your effects are still with you. Now, please get yourself back to the Vanity. We're preparing for sea this morning."
While John made his way back to the harbor, Thomas continued searching the beach for Mr. Aldo Gaiani. By now, most of those who'd fallen asleep on the beach had awoken, and were proceeding to go about their daily business. If Aldo was awake, Thomas reasoned, then surely he would report back to the ship once he was able.
As Thomas made his way back along the pier, someone called his name from the Jackdaw's quarterdeck. Looking up, he saw that the voice belonged to Edward Kenway, who motioned him aboard. Acting on years of naval indoctrination, Thomas swiftly boarded the armored brig. Already her crew was making ready for a voyage, with supplies being ferried into the hold, decks getting swabbed, and cannons secured to the decks. One pirate handed Thomas a crate filled with bottles, which he promptly handed off to another man, and ascended the stairs to the quarterdeck.
Edward stood behind the ship's wheel. "Do you remember our plan, Thomas?" The Welsh pirate asked of the Irish lad.
"Aye, sir."
"What is it?"
"Sail to the Bancroft plantation on Cat Island, neutralize any defenses, and pillage the warehouses. Also search the manor for any traces of the artifact. I am to accompany you ashore into the manor."
"Correct. Now, you'd best return the to the Mary. We sail once the Jackdaw is ready."
"The Mary, Edward?"
"Aye. Last night Anne renamed the Vanity after a dear friend of hers, Mary Reade. Now please, return to your vessel."
Thomas hastily departed the Jackdaw and climbed aboard his newly renamed schooner, the Mary. The name change was unexpected, but not at all unwelcome. The word 'vanity' did not compliment the name of a pirate vessel, or at least not this one. Her captain was much too humble.
On deck, John and the crew readied the ship for departure. Aldo, having found his way back aboard, greeted Thomas as he stepped on deck. "Good morning Thomas," The Italian cheerfully greeted Thomas. "I trust you slept well?"
"Aye. Did you?"
"I think so. Woke up in the brothel next to a pair of young ladies. How I got there, heavens knows."
"Drink has that peculiar effect, aye."
The Jackdaw discharged a cannon. The shot, echoing off the cliffs, announced her intention to depart. Thomas immediately started barking orders. Under his direction, the gangway was hauled aboard, the mooring lines cast off, and a cannon fired. Returning the shot signaled the Mary's intention to follow the Jackdaw.
"Loose mainsail!" Thomas commanded, taking the helm.
Both ships made sail, with the schooner following in the brig's wake. The two vessels smartly maneuvered around the anchored ships, out the harbor mouth, and into the open sea. Setting a northwesterly course, they made for Cat Island.
Night had fallen by the time both pirate vessels arrived. Standing near the Mary's helm, Thomas recalled a chart that displayed Cat Island's geography. The island itself was roughly shaped like a boot. The Bancroft plantation stood along the island's southern shore, about where the boot's "heel" should be. There the land came to a peninsula, with the plantation's pier located on the peninsula's western shore. Through his spyglass, Thomas spotted lanterns illuminating a fortification erected at the peninsula's southern point. Anchored within range of the fort's guns was a frigate. Thomas assumed that she must be one of Bancroft's trade vessels, but dismissed that theory when he noticed cannon on her main deck. Royal bloody Navy! What the hell was she doing here?
Ahead, the Jackdaw hove-to and doused her stern lanterns. Thomas ordered the same done aboard the Mary. He then instructed John and Aldo to ready the ship's rowboat. Per the plan of battle, John was to lead a team of men aboard the frigate and neutralize her crew. If they were detected, Aldo and the remaining crew would move in with the Mary to assist. The Jackdaw would then engage both the frigate, and the fortress. John slung a musket over his shoulder, bade Thomas good luck, and joined his shipmates in the boat, which then departed for its target. Shortly after they departed, another boat came alongside, this one carrying Edward Kenway and six of his crew. Thomas climbed down into the boat, and together the two captains made for their enemy's home.
The boat came ashore on a beach twenty yards south of the pier. After disembarking, the crew heaved the boat clear of the surf and anchored it in the sand. Thomas, Kenway, and the crew then took cover in a nearby patch of tall grass, from where Thomas surveyed the plantation.
The manor stood and the northern end, farthest from the fort. A short stone wall surrounded the manor. Nearer the shore was a wide wooden structure, definitely a warehouse. Four smaller wooden buildings - presumably barracks for the slaves and their overseers - occupied the center of the plantation. A windmill stood between the barracks and the fort. All around them were fields filled with sugar cane plants aligned in neat rows. Overseers carrying lanterns patrolled the pathways between the fields. Two men guarded the pier, looking outward towards the harbor.
Kenway advised his crewmembers to take the boat, go ashore closer to the warehouse, and begin pillaging it, advising them not to use their pistols unless they were fired upon. The six men departed to carry out the order. Kenway then looked at Thomas.
"Alright Thomas," he said softly, "it's time to move. Follow my lead and we'll get to the manor. Remember that stealth is vital."
Thomas nodded in understanding. The two men moved silently into the nearest field of sugar cane. A passing overseer, hearing the rustle of leaves, turned to investigate. Deciding it was likely just some island critter, he continued his patrol none the wiser.
Kenway and Thomas crawled through the sugar fields, halting when a patrolling overseer came close. Their slow pace turned minutes into hours. Dead plants snapped beneath their feet. To Thomas, each crunch of his boots sounded as loud as a musket shot. Finally they reached the wall surrounding the manor.
Thomas leaned against the wall beside Kenway, looking for entrances. Two overseers guarded the main gate. Taking that route, Thomas reasoned, would certainly lead to detection.
"Edward," Thomas whispered, "The main gate is blocked. We need another way in."
Kenway turned his gaze first at Thomas, then upwards. "Look to your left, then up," he instructed.
Thomas did so. It took him several seconds to spot what Kenway had. A tree, growing next to the wall, had a limb that extended into the yard. Climbing it granted access to the manor without passing through the gate. Another limb on the same tree stretched over the main gate. That was their way in.
"We'll both climb the tree. You enter the yard, while I neutralize the guards at the gate."
Both pirates hoisted themselves in to the tree. Kenway, a veteran climber, expertly maneuvered along the branch toward his targets, while Thomas struggled to keep his balance. Climbing masts was familiar, but a tree wasn't. Shuffling carefully onto the branch, Thomas took a second to survey the manor.
It was a two-story wooden structure, with exterior walkways on both levels. Lights dimly glowed through the first floor windows. A sentry patrolled the upper walkway, musket in hand. Just then, Thomas felt his boot slide free from the branch. With a yelp of surprise, Thomas tumbled out of the tree. He slammed into the soil with a thud, landing on his back. Leaves fluttered to the grass around him.
"Hey!" came a shout from the sentry, who raised his musket. Thomas lay frozen, staring down its barrel. Suddenly, the sentry swatted at his neck as if an insect had bitten him. He then dropped his weapon, and collapsed to the walkway, sound asleep.
Thomas, standing up and trying to ignore his aching back, looked in the direction of the gate. Kenway stood there, lowering a blowpipe from his lips and slinging it to his back. Thomas hadn't noticed the weapon until now.
Kenway assisted Thomas to his feet. "Alright lad, we've reached Bancroft's house. Now, to find that artifact."
"Or at something that'll lead us to it."
"Right. In we go."
The pirates sprinted to the manor's front door. Finding it locked, Kenway delivered a kick to the knob. The door swung inward, revealing an entrance hall. A doorway on the left opened to a library, while one on the right led to the dining room. Thomas led the way into the library. The room was piled with shelves, each stacked with volumes of various size and color. An exquisite sofa occupied the room's center. At the far end stood a mahogany desk and chair.
Thomas immediately began rifling through the desk drawers, searching for personal letters. Edward pushed against bookshelves, knocked aside paintings, tugged at wall-mounted candlesticks, and pried at the floorboards. Clearly he was hunting for hidden compartments or passageways.
"Aha!" Kenway exclaimed at last. He drew one of his cutlasses and shoved it into a gap between two floorboards. One board came loose with ease.
The roar of a cannon sounded in the distance, followed by the crackling of musket fire. The boarding party was discovered! Hadn't Thomas warned them to be careful?!
"Thomas! Take out the fort!" Kenway barked. "I'll remain here and keep searching. Here, you'll need these." The Captain handed Thomas two of his pistols. "Now go! That's an order!"
"Aye aye!"
Tucking the pistols into his belt, Thomas ran out of the library and into the night.
He sprinted almost blindly across the dark plantation. Past the barracks, around the windmill, and finally to the fort, where he took cover behind a water well, catching his breath. Ahead of him stood a row of ten twenty four pound cannons, aligned neatly along the battlements. Gun crews, four to a cannon, tended to the weapons. Stacks of powder and ammunition sat nearby. The gunners all wore the standard uniforms of the Royal Marines. A lone officer directed the gun crews. The officer, Thomas decided, would die first. Without him the gun crews would lack direction.
Thomas carefully departed his cover and crept up behind the officer, who stood at the eastern end of the battlements. When the nearest cannon let fly, Thomas stabbed the man in the back with one of his sabers. The officer's body twitched as his spine severed, then fell loose. The pirate gently lowered the dead man to the ground.
"Intruder!" a voice yelled. One of the gunners had spotted Thomas. He and his crew abandoned their gun, drew short blades, and made to fight the pirate. Drawing his second saber, Thomas readied himself for combat. One gunner charged at him, but Thomas slashed the man across the chest. He fell screaming. Two more gunners swung their blades at Thomas together. The pirate dodged one blow, deflected the other, then finished both men with stab wounds. The fourth gunner was running to alert his comrades. It was a wasted effort. Already most had heard the melee and rushed to assist. A mob of twenty men now charged towards the lone pirate like a mob of uniformed, revolting peasants. Thomas raised his sabers, awaiting their steel, when a grenade landed at his feet. Glancing down at the explosive, he saw that the fuse still had several seconds left to burn. That gave him an idea. Acting fast, Thomas dropped his right saber, hefted the grenade, and lobbed it and the mass of men. The grenade landed next to a barrel of gunpowder. Thomas dove behind the gun carriage nearest him.
A pair of explosions tore through the night, sending wood splinters and metal shrapnel rocketing outwards. Men screamed pathetically as they fell to the fort's stone floor. The sound of footsteps dwindled as others stopped to assist their fallen comrades.
Thomas attempted to stand up, when a blow to his upper back forced him down again. He rolled left onto his back. A huge marine hefting a boarding ax stood over him. Thomas drew a pistol and fired at the man. The shot lodged in his assailant's right arm. The marine howled in pain and dropped his ax, which landed on Thomas' thighs. Ignoring the weapon, Thomas stood up, grabbed his saber, and pushed its point against the man's broad chest.
"Please," The man begged. "Mercy."
Thomas looked at the marine's bloodied face. His expression was one of defeat. All the fight was gone from him. "Very well," Thomas said. "Wait here."
Nearby, other surviving marines hoisted their hands in surrender. Around them lay the motionless bodies of fallen friends, their blood seeping onto the fort's floor. Thomas sympathized with the men. Losing friends in battle was never easy. Most men carried memories such as that for life. After recovering his second saber, Thomas instructed the remaining marines to wait where they stood. Per Kenway's order, the fort was now silent.
Thomas strode to the battlements' edge, observing the fight below. The Mary and the hostile frigate were secured to one another, their crews battling for control of both vessels. Smartly, Aldo had chosen to bring the Mary alongside the frigate's starboard side, using her hull as cover from the fort's guns. The sounds and smells of melee combat carried up to the fort. Off to the east, the Jackdaw sailed toward the two vessels, eager to join in the fight. The frigate's stern chaser guns fired at the encroaching brig, but failed to stop her. The Jackdaw came along the frigate's port side, her crew storming aboard the anchored warship. After another minute of fighting, the frigate's overwhelmed crew gave up. A white sheet was hoisted on her stern. A triumphant cheer carried out across the sea. The battle was won!
Thomas shouted "Huzzah!" and raised his fist in victory.