Chapter 10: Dorsum

"Captain Turner! The Pearl's abaft the starboard beam!" The Empress' first mate after Tai Hung's disappearance, the young Hideyoshi reported. "They are flying three flags, a burgee, a white one and a yellow one."

Elizabeth jumped. First of all, the Pearl had no business this side of Africa and following them, unless Jack decided to turn around his normal Singaporean misfortunes by finally doing what she'd expected him to do in the first place, cash in the rewards for helping her and Will. But a yellow flag, that was more likely indicating the presence of illness of board, she wasn't aware of either Jack or Barbossa using such measures as trickery. "Heave-to. Prepare the longboat for me," she led the way to deck herself.

"Captain! I advise against it," her warrior first mate ran after her.

Were they trying to question her decisions again? Was the man with samurai ancestry not accepting her as captain, even if it was known she was the king? She looked at him doubtfully, but as far as he cold tell Hideyoshi's expression showed not much else than concern. Not to mention he was a Japanese on a Chinese ship, not exactly in the position for a rebellion. It had to be the way she ordered it anyway. She could not let anybody from a poxied ship come over, nor send someone else. She had to be the one who took the risk alone, not to mention her feelings towards those on board the Pearl she came to share so much with over the last few years. "And I advise you against crossing me again or trying my patience." She let him row her over however, but didn't let him on the Pearl, "disperse."

Climbing up the ropes agilely and apprehensively, she took Barbossa's offered hand to help her leap aboard. "My apologies Mrs. Turner, fe bargin in on ye like this, but we urgently need yer help."

"The fever?" Elizabeth tried to guess, given that was a very likely reason to hoist the yellow flag.

"Do ye know me as someone who would've risked yer life when ye can be of no use to us with the yellow fever?"

"Not if I'm no use, no."

"I was flying the flag simply to get yer attention. Jackie be needin ye. The haste be so he can survive till ye get here."

"Jack?" Elizabeth started, wide eyed, bottom lip starting to shiver a little. The man who showed her the legends about pirates were true, the man who made her one, and their king too, the man who'd survived the gallows, the cannibals, and defeated Davy Jones on more than one occasion, the one who was clever enough to take them all out from the locker, no, there was one thing Jack couldn't do, and that was dying. It was impossible.

"And he's near death by yer doing too," Barbossa continued, quietly enjoying the disarray he caused in her heart by the mention of that.

Elizabeth shook her head slowly, uncomprehending. All right, she was majorly responsible for the locker, that was one, she was also indirectly responsible for Jack not being able to stab Davy Jones' heart and make himself immortal like he wanted to, she's even extradited him to Beckett, but now? How? She looked up at Gibbs, who with a lopsided smile let her know there was some truth in what the once cursed pirate captain was telling.

"The locker doesn't easily give back what it took and there's never a guarantee," Barbossa explained further, "but sure be ye can believe Tia Dalma in what she claims. Yer the one who sent him to the locker, it's ye who has to bring him back."

"But...but...I did! We all did!"

Barbossa raised an index finger and held it to the side of his head, "his locker be in there."

Gibbs looked down discomfited, yet took the initiative to approach and touch Elizabeth's back to guide her in the right direction. "I believe he has never got rid of the ghosts in there, but ye know Jack, the master of deceit," the ex navy boatswain frowned.

Barbossa looked on without moving. He had no business with her mushy, emotional attempts figuring out how to reverse her actions. Although if she was unsuccessful, he had his own ideas on the subject.

Tbc