Alyssia followed Jack as he wandered over to where the Interceptor was docked. The two British marines guarding the ship immediately stopped Jack and informed him in officious tones of voice that the dock was off limits to civilians.

Jack tried to step around them, saying, "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't know. If I see one, I shall inform you immediately."

The marines were somewhat less than impressed with him, and barred his way once more. Jack continued, in tones of casual interest mixed with a bit of condescension, "Apparently there's some kind of high-toned and fancy to-do up at the fort, aye? How could it be that two upstanding gentlemen such as yourselves did not merit an invitation?"

Clearly this thought had occurred to them, but, stubbornly loyal, the dimmer-looking of the two replied, "Someone has to make sure this dock stays off limits to civilians."

Ever agreeable, Jack nodded, and said, "It's a fine goal, to be sure, but it seems to me that a"- he shifted to point across the water at a massive, heavily armed warship out in the harbor -"A ship like that makes this one here a bit superfluous, really."

One of the marines replied, "Ah, the Dauntless is the power in these waters, true enough, but there's no ship that can match the Interceptor for speed."

Jack set them to arguing about a ship called the Black Pearl, apparently, in their words, "Crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out." Alyssia smirked, and thought to herself, 'But that's ridiculous, my math teacher never brought his trig class here, I'm sure of it.'

Jack slipped past them and boarded the Interceptor. Alyssia, curious, followed him. Unfortunately, so did the two marines. One of them yelled, "Hey! You! Get away from there!"

The other added, "You don't have permission to be aboard there, mate!"

Jack grinned apologetically at them. "I'm sorry, it's just it's such a pretty boat-" Alyssia stood on his foot "-ship."

The two marines still had their rifles pointed more or less in Jack's direction, though Alyssia had serious doubts about their ability to actually hit what they shot at, should the need arise for them to do so. Fortunately, it didn't look as though Jack planned to do anything too stupid. He stepped around the ship's wheel, his hands up.

"What's your name?" sneered the shorter of the two marines.

"Smith," Jack replied, adding, "Or... Smithy, if you like."

The other marine demanded, "What's your purpose in Port Royal, Mr. Smith?"

The other chimed in, "Yeah, and no lies!"

'That'll happen,' Alyssia thought cynically. 'Maybe when the Caribbean freezes over.'

Jack sighed with an air of deepest defeat about him, and said wearily, "Well, then, I confess. It is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out!"

Looking distinctly shaken, the marine snapped, "I said no lies!"

Alyssia and his companion said, "I think he's telling the truth," at exactly the same moment. Jack winked at her.

The other marine said, with the impression of one pointing out the painfully obvious, "If he were telling the truth, 'e wouldn't a told us!"

Jack held up a finger and argued, "Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you."

The dumbfounded looks on both the marines' faces were so identical it made Alyssia wonder if they were standard British military-issue.