As the sun dimmed at the horizon, the crew fell into preparations for the attack. Elizabeth found it hard to believe how easily she fit into the boots of a full time pirate. She had thought she had lost that part of her completely. There once was a fiery, resolute young woman who led an armada as Pirate King against the East India Trading Company and succeeded! Elizabeth was conscious, of course, that she was the woman; but still it felt as though she were an entirely separate person. When she boarded the Pearl that early morning before dawn, she was a mother and a peaceful, simple woman. However, it only took her five days to transform into her former self from near five years prior. As she stood comfortably in her pirate boots on deck of the Black Pearl that day, she felt as if nothing had changed. The only proof that there had even been a time lapse was the little boy who scurried around deck.
"There," she said to Jack as she peered through a telescope. A bulky dark ship came into view sailing around the side of the mountain, leaving Port Cambridge and heading their way. He came up close behind her to take the telescope. "Ello, love" he said to the ship, smiling.
"It's bigger then I expected." Elizabeth noted uneasily.
"Of course she is," said Jack. "That's why she can only dock at certain ports."
He removed the telescope from his eye and handed it back over. "And we have to be everywhere on her."
The Implacable was her name. She was widely known to carry supplies for England- and even the ever growing East India Trading Company from time to time. But what supplies? Jack had gotten some clarification from a man back at Elizabeth's home that the Implacable would be sailing off loaded with armory. She was a prime target; but holding up a ship, raiding all of its cargo, and having coverage on all sections of the vessel while possessing no ammunition to speak of was quite the task.
However, Jack, as always, had a (daft, crazy, improbable) plan.
Unbelievably, it all fell into place the way he explained, though Elizabeth was sure something would go wrong. Thatch had eagerly volunteered himself to kill a guard and take his place aboard the ship and Lysander followed him to do the same. Their responsibility was to gain control of the lowest level of the ship without the rest of the ship knowing. Then, a few sailors, including Fowler, would jump from their hiding spot on the ledge along the hill. As soon as they boarded, they had to gain control of the upper deck. Then at last, the remaining crew members would board and take the ship completely… assuming the other jobs were taken care of, which was a lot to ask for.
As they boarded the ship, they were greeted with a completely slaughtered English crew. Blood soaked the dark wood and bodies almost covered the deck. There was not a single man alive on deck accept the three pirates who did the deed. Elizabeth looked around in awe and disgust. Then her stare shot at Fowler.
"Was this really necessary?!" she reprimanded.
He grinned smugly and winked- this gesture making Elizabeth cringe.
Jack fell into place behind Elizabeth and took in the same sight. At first he had to catch his breath before he uncertainly found the right words.
"…Good work, lads." He said finally.
Fowler nodded proudly.
"Just doin my job, Captain" said Fowler to Jack while keeping his stare on Elizabeth.
Jack crept around the entanglement of bodies, carefully investigating the remains. Elizabeth watched in repulsion as he stopped over a certain body.
"You'll do just fine" Jack said, bending down and gripping the corpse. Even he grimaced as he hoisted the body up and walked it over to Fowler.
"There ya go" he said, shoving it into his big grizzly hands. "Hold your prize with pride."
"What's this?"
"Now," Jack said, stepping back and admiring his work. "Hold him upright. Put your dagger to his neck."
Fowler obeyed hesitantly.
"Yes, yes. Now scowl."
"Scowl, Captain?"
"You heard me, now do it. Show me those pearly whites!"
He was uncertain of course. But slowly Fowler contorted his expression into his best scowl, teeth clenched, brow furrowed madly. Jack's face lit up with joy.
"Parfait!" said Jack with a French accent. "Now," back in English, "let's show it off."
A handkerchief was wrapped around the deceased's head and silently the crew crept down to the lower deck. The pirates were all a bit taken back by the environment. While a cargo ship was expected to have a rough interior, this one was sleek and well kept. Ropes, barrels, and rum bottles were not thrown about, but placed aside in a disgustingly, organized manner.
The crew walked around the silent deck cautiously, as if they had entered a foreign world. Fowler still carried to corpse with no hesitation. No other people could be found.
"Jack?" Elizabeth finally asked.
"Bloody hell, what is this?" asked an equally perturbed sailor.
Jack didn't respond but continued to look quizzically for some sort of explanation. The main focus of the room, it seemed, was a door at the opposite wall facing them. There was also the stairwell to the right. Then to the left, a few finely designed chairs were set up neatly in a manner for good conversation. The last scene made Jack do a double take.
"Ye have a plan, Jackie?" asked Bellamy a bit anxiously.
Jack swallowed hard and sighed.
"That door," he said in a low voice, pointing ahead of them."We're to go through that door. Half of us, anyways. The other have should go down stairs and find Thatch and Lysander."
The group divided as he said, leaving Jack, Elizabeth, Fowler, and a few others to follow Jack to the door.
"Now," he said "Please, save your aggression for a more appropriate moment? I want these men alive."
Fowler sighed.
"Alright," Jack said with a smile. "Let's go."
Dinner. They were eating dinner.
As the crew entered the room, corpse in hand, swords drawn, faces fierce, they were met with a large table of half a dozen plump men in wigs eating their dinner.
With a loud clamor of chairs, swords, yelling, and surprise, the pirates bound each man with rope and held their swords to their throats.
"Silence!" Jack yelled amidst the chaos. "Silence! Or he'll kill the man!" he said directing their attention towards Fowler. Almost forgetting his charade, the oaf had to snap into place.
"What do you want?" cried a man towards the back.
"Your cargo," Jack said simply.
Overall there seemed to be a sigh of relief- save for one man who shouted out "No! I can't stand the other-"
"Shut it, Jonathon! If that's what they want we'll let them have it."
"Good man," Jack said with a smile.
Near the door they first entered, there was a clamor as a man pushed his way through the clump of pirates and wigged men.
"'Scuse me sirs," said Bellamy as he pawed his way to Jack.
"Jackie," he whispered in a panted breath, "there's a problem."
He leaned in and whispered in his ear. The entire room watched silently and intensely.
"Food?" Jack exclaimed.
"Yes, Captain," Bellamy said bashfully, "Food."
"Here," Jack said, thrusting the man he was holding over to Bellamy.
In a swift moment he had his sword up against the throat of the man who asked what they were after.
"Where's the cargo?"
"Down below," the man trembled, "Take it, take all of it! Just let us be!"
"Where is it?" Jack yelled.
"Where's what? I told you it was below, man!" he pleaded defensively.
"You know bloody well what. The ammunition! Where is it?" Jack demanded. The man was suddenly more bewildered then frightened.
"…Ammunition? We carry food."
"Food?" Jack asked again, hoping the answer would change.
"Yes, food."
"Food…" Jack said contemplatively. "Food, yes… that's what I meant."
"Are you out of your bloody mind, man?" the man asked again in disbelief.
"Most likely," Jack responded dismissively. Looking around the room at the petrified gentlemen and confused pirates, Jack couldn't make sense of a way out other then to follow along. He realized he'd been duped, but his pride could never allow such a defeat to be noticed.
"Alright then, Bellamy," he said loudly and dramatically as if he were an actor on a stage. "Load the grub."
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A/N: The next chapter will be posted within 24 hours, a thank you for your patience and understanding for my absence. So be sure and check back in as soon as possible!! Thank you, again, for reading. :)
