Author: immortaljedi aka jedipati
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting. I do own some of the plot.
Pairing and Characters: Ensemble cast, Mentions of W/E
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Pirate activity, some violence. Basically at the level of the movies.
Summary: Captain Jones begins to find out what Beckett is up to. Unfortunately, his methods mean that Beckett can continue to act.
Ch 4
Maccus watched closely as the crew readied for a battle. They were going to be outnumbered and outgunned, but they had the advantage. The ship would repair any damage in time and the crewmen were all but immortal.
And yet everyone was tense as they prepared. Several crewmen kept looking toward the Captain's cabin. It wasn't because the Captain had barricaded himself in there after giving his orders, though he had. No, it was because of the Chest that had been placed there.
The Captain was in a right foul mood with his heart on board. However, everyone knew why it had been dug up and brought back to the ship. With that Beckett searching for it, they couldn't afford to risk leaving it on an island somewhere.
Bootstrap approached. "All's secure, sir," he reported. Maccus nodded. He didn't want to report to the Captain, but he had to. Unless…
He looked at Bootstrap, who immediately picked up what he had in mind and started to back away, shaking his head.
Maccus reached out and grabbed Bootstrap. "Go tell the Captain," he ordered.
The other man looked down as he approached Palifico. The guard let him through after a quick exchange. Bootstrap disappeared into the cabin, acting like he was going to his executioner.
Depending on the Captain's mood, Maccus thought, that might be accurate. After a moment, the Captain appeared on deck. Bootstrap left the cabin and headed for his station, looking relieved.
"Take us up," Captain Jones ordered Koleniko.
With a rush, the ship rose out of the ocean in between the four East India Trading Company ships.
The cannons were ready.
Captain Mark White of the Company ship Harris was bored. The four ship convey had been dispatched with the orders to destroy any pirates they came across. In the three weeks they had been patrolling the Lesser Antilles, they'd found no pirates.
The only excitement had come in the first week when they'd met with a merchant ship. However, once all five ships realized that they were all on the same side, things calmed down.
White was looking forward to the end of this patrol. He allowed his mind to wander to Miss Mary Baynes. She was quite the beautiful young woman, and he was considering asking for her hand in marriage.
He nodded. Yes, as soon as they got back, he would call on Lord Baynes and ask for permission to court his daughter.
Captain White frowned as he noticed a disturbance in the water off to the port side.
A second later, he was scrambling back and calling for his lieutenant. The lieutenant took one look and called for all hands. The ghastly ship that had appeared from the depths settled between the Harris and the Pride of Jamaica.
The ghost ship already had her cannons out and was firing on the Pride. The Lady Fortuna was the first of their four ships to be ready and she returned fire. The ghost ship retaliated by blowing her to bits.
Captain White stared in horror at the legendary Flying Dutchman. He was sure that ship was going to be the last thing he ever saw, as a lucky shot from the Dutchman hit the rail next to him. He fell as the broken wood speared his side. And in one corner of his mind, he realized that he would not get to ask for Mary Baynes' hand in marriage.
Will stepped onto the deck of the ruined ship, the Harris. Other members of the Dutchman's crew were swarming over the other three ships.
After they searched the ship, Will grabbed one of the survivors and pulled the man through the wall to the Dutchman. He pushed the man down next to the survivors from the other ships.
Will had no sympathy for the employees of the East India Trading Company, so he didn't say anything as the man retched. He well remembered how nauseating that form of travel could be for a mortal, and he considered it a good way to keep the Company man from fighting. Besides, the man worked for Beckett, and from his manner and dress, he was highly placed in the Company.
Will watched as the Captain approached. "There are twenty survivors, Captain," Maccus said.
Captain Jones smiled coldly as he looked at the line of survivors. "Are there?" he asked.
Will frowned. What did the Captain ask that? Captain Jones approached one of the survivors. "What were your orders?" he asked.
The man- an ordinary sailor from his dress- stammered. "I don't know, sir."
The Captain snorted. "Do you fear death?"
"W-what?"
"Do you fear death?"
"I… d-don't."
The Captain looked at Will. "To the depths."
Will nodded and approached the man. He hated this duty, and it was rare that he had to perform it. The man looked up at him in horror as Will drew his sword.
Will nodded to the man and stabbed. The man died instantly. Will moved around him and tossed him overboard to be claimed by the sea.
The most of rest of the survivors gasped. One tried to get up, but Palifico pushed him back down.
Will glanced at that man and smirked. He hated this, but they didn't need to know that.
The Captain was already questioning another sailor.
Will straightened. He had to do this when the Captain ordered it. But he was going to get drunk tonight, in the hopes of forgetting it.
After the Captain went through several survivors, and didn't really give any of them a chance to join the crew, he came to the well dressed man that Will had brought over
The man was nearly weeping as Captain Jones leaned over him. "What were your orders?" the Captain asked.
"We were… t-to find pirates," the man said. "Lord B-Beckett wants to wipe them out."
"Does he now?" the Captain asked. "And how does he plan to do that?"
The Captain continued to interrogate the man until he admitted that he didn't know anything more. By that time, the man was slightly calmer.
The Captain nodded finally. He looked down the line at the rest of the survivors, and then turned to Maccus. "There are no survivors," he said.
Maccus smiled. Will was glad that other crewmen were dealing with the last of the sailors.
"Captain! Two more ships heading our way!"
Captain Jones looked up at the lookout. He grabbed his spyglass to take a look. Once he'd assured himself that they were heading toward them; he glanced at the crew, most of whom were taking the salvage down below deck.
Will was more closely watching Captain Jones, however. The Captain snorted. "Take us down. I've no wish for another fight right now."
Will braced himself and made sure he had a good grip on the box he was carrying
They dove before the other ships got a good look at them. Will sighed and carried the box down to storage. He was off duty now, and he wanted to forget what he'd had to do.
Beckett narrowed his eyes as the Endeavour approached the group of ships they were supposed to meet.
Around him, the crew was working to bring the Endeavour up next to the closest of the wrecks. "There's nothing left!"
Beckett turned to face Captain Groves. "Yes, whoever did this is undoubtedly powerful."
"A loose cannon," Mercer said sourly.
"Indeed. One we will need to eliminate," Beckett said. "Or perhaps bring to our side."
Captain Groves sighed. "Excuse me sirs, I'm going to oversee the search for survivors. I'll leave the planning to you." He bowed out of the conversation and turned to his work.
Beckett nodded. Groves, at least, knew his place, and what he could and couldn't help with.
Beckett frowned as he turned back to the wrecks. Who could have done this? Which pirate in the area had the will, desire, and manpower to do this?
Beckett frowned. It was a pain to lose these four ships, and he wanted to find the culprit. They couldn't have been gone long; one of the ships was still burning as it slowly slipped below the waves. Yet, there was no sign of the pirate ships that would have been needed to destroy all four Company ships.
Beckett sighed. At least he now had cause to destroy the pirates as he wanted to.