Chapter 9: Precious Stone
"Captain! The Witch! Heading straight at us, full speed!" Gibbs shouted.
Barbossa grunted and looked over at where the reinstated first mate was pointing. He had taken pity on him when he found him a few months back in Trou-Borded doing building work, the new town pirates established cause they pretty much ran out of room on the island of Tortuga. When he asked him why he didn't go on another ship, Gibbs said he'd only go on the Pearl. And here he was, back on it, even without his precious Captain Jack. However, Gibbs addressing him Captain did sound a bit weird. "Hmmmm," he frowned. The Witch was possible to sail without no help, but at that swiftness, Captain Teague had to have at least one other person on board. Then he saw her, Elizabeth Turner waving at him courteously by the bildgeboard. What do they want from him? Captain Teague, not to mention the whole Brethren Court had quizzed him about the whereabouts of Jack, well, he'd be damned if he knew, or cared. He was finished with that crazy wench Calypso, not to mention that other madwoman declared king of the pirates. By Jack! If he'd just turned, they would never catch up with the Pearl. But he had no business that away! Hey, these are coming right at him, with no intentions to stop! "Come about!" He finally gave his orders to bring the bow of the ship through the wind so that the wind then comes across the opposite side and that she sails away on the opposite tack. "What's your urgency?" He shouted over to the old pirate, cringing as the Witch just missed the Pearl by a few inches.
"Missed me?" A familiar voice said behind him and Barbossa growled, turning. Jack must've used a rope to jump aboard while they were busy with the sails and now was standing next to him with his cutlass drawn. That dodger Teague knew where his son was when asking him!
"Welcome aboard Captain," Gibbs was quick with the hospitality before Barbossa could even turn intelligible from feral.
"Could you call anybody a captain if they are escaping their responsibilities as such for so long! Again!" Barbossa gave his best to keep the crew on his side, although he knew that once Jack showed up he didn't have much of a chance. He was never as interesting, never as unhinged.
"Let's put it on vote," Elizabeth suggested, knowing that the first and foremost article in the pirate codex was that every pirate had a vote in affairs of moment and raised her hand immediately.
"You volunteer as a member of the crew?" Barbossa mock lifted his eyebrows at her, then rolled his eyes at Gibbs nodding at people to raise their hands. When Ragetti nudged Pintel in the side to do the same his fate was sealed.
"Let's vote what to do now with Captain Barbossa," Ragetti laughed, but got silenced by this time Pintel staring at him in a disturbing manner.
"Yes, why is it Jack you never really get rid of him when you have the chance?" Elizabeth asked.
"Huh? What do you say there, luv?" Jack realized he was being talked to. He busy stroking the helm amorously, "ah Barbossa? I'm not in favor of sideslitting, savage death and someways the opportunity ne'er arises...but if you insist, right here, right now, en garde..."
"No, no, no, no en garde! Foolish, laughable, childish, preposterous, immature..." Elizabeth gestured wildly.
"Get the picture, luv," Jack sheeted his cutlass.
"May I remind you we have an assignment?" Barbossa edged closer, thinking of it as his best chance to escape Jack's anger, now that he had everybody behind him. They were easy to convince otherwise if shown promise of the proximate treasure, but all in due time.
"I was fearing that," Pintel intercepted. He had no wishes to see Calypso again once he has seen her in her true form.
"Captain, orders!" Gibbs could hardly keep himself from hugging the boy he'd always honored as his captain and pushed his chest out proudly when he stepped closer to him. "Where do we find Calypso, Jack?"
"Calypso is in the sea, anywhere. Her's as good as any place. And if she can summon me, so can I, summon her fe the bond we have..."
"Isn't that, hm, how to say, a bit risky?" Gibbs whispered squinting.
"Not with the charm of a woman on board," Jack declared, "a woman in love." The only thing he wasn't sure about who Elizabeth was really in love with.
Tbc
