Show Me the Horizon
Chapter 16
**Author's Note** I'd like to apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge about naval combat. The battle is important to the plot and needed to be written, so I just plowed through it as best I could. If anyone who actually knows about combat at sea has any suggestions to make it more realistic, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
----
The distance between the Dauntless and the Dona Catalina closed swiftly. "Turn slightly to the starboard!" called Norrington. "Be ready to fire!" Several of the Dauntless's cannons spoke at once. One hit the Spanish ship jus above the water line, causing her to shudder. The Spanish cannons fired. A ball whistled through the rigging of the English ship, breaking off the top of one of her masts.
"Commodore, look out!" screamed Gwen as the length of stout wood plummeted to the deck. Norrington looked up quickly, but wasn't able to move quite fast enough. A branch of the rigging caught him across the side of the head, knocking him to the deck. Gwen and Jack rushed to him, Jack shoving the rigging aside and Gwen checking the fallen man. "He's alive," gasped Gwen.
Jack took a quick look at Norrington - he'd be out cold for a while. Another cannonball screamed overhead, ripping a hole in a sail. "Markson!" Jack barked, striding to the man's side as he stood gaping in horror at the downed Commodore. "How much combat experience do you have?"
Markson turned a shaken face to Jack. "Very little, sir."
Jack bit back an oath. "Do exactly as I tell you," he hissed. "I'm assuming command of this ship until the battle is over." He abandoned the Lieutenant and strode down the deck. "Turn to port! Ready the starboard guns!"
----
Annamaria shook off the ropes she'd cut off her hands and slipped her knife back into her boot. Looking around the cabin, she saw a set of pistols mounted on the wall. Swiftly she got them down and checked to make sure they were loaded.
---
LeSerre watched through his telescope as the Dauntless and the Catalina traded cannon fire. It was apparent that masters of naval combat commanded both ships. Though outgunned, the Catalina was holding her own, and the Dauntless was maneuvering much more easily than her size would have led one to believe. "I think we need to get into the fight, Cap'n," advised LeSerre's first mate. "If the Catalina wins without your help, there'll be hell to pay from DaSilva. And if she doesn't, the Dauntless will want to know why you sat and did nothing while an English ship was in trouble. Not to mention that any survivors from the Catalina will tell Norrington about you."
"You're right. Ready the guns and steer for the starboard side of the Dauntless. We'll trap her between us and the Catalina," LeSerre ordered.
Suddenly there was the sound of cannon fire in a different direction, and the Banshee shuddered as several cannonballs thudded into her side. Whirling around, LeSerre and his mate looked for the source of the sound. "The Black Pearl!" gasped the mate. "Where did she come from?"
"I'm going to have that watchman drawn and quartered!" snarled LeSerre. "Turn to starboard! All sails up!"
---
At the sound of the Pearl's guns, Jack's head whipped around. "The Pearl!" he breathed.
Markson swung around too, and gasped. "Now what do we do, sir?"
Jack turned back to the task at hand. "We let the Pearl deal with the Banshee," he answered.
---
"Reload! Fire again!" shouted Gibbs as the Banshee began to turn toward them.
Elizabeth stood by his side, her hair whipping in the wind. "We'll pass them as she completes her turn," she said. "We should fire again, then turn to port. We should then be able to get off a full broadside of the port guns."
Gibbs acknowledged her, "Aye, that may do it. As long as we judge the range correctly."
--
"Turn to port and head straight for her!" shouted Jack.
"What are you doing, sir!" asked Markson, his face pale. "You're going to hit her!"
"That's right," answered Jack tensely. "If we do it right it may break her keel." He looked out at the sailors along the rail. "Prepare to board!"
The Dauntless bore down on the Catalina. As DaSilva realized what was about to happen, he tried to turn the ship, but there wasn't enough time. The Dauntless plowed into the Catalina near the bow on the port side with a sickening crash. The Catalina was shoved abruptly to the starboard, her stern swinging port. The cannons on the Dauntless spoke again, and fired into the side of the Catalina at point blank range. Grappling hooks swung out from the Dauntless, and hooked to the rail of the Catalina. Within moments the two ships had been pulled together and the red-coated soldiers swarmed over the rail.
"Hold her steady," Jack ordered Markson. "Remember that she's attached to the Spaniard and will be heavily weighted to the starboard. If the Spaniard starts to sink rapidly, cut loose and sound the bell so the soldiers will know to come back. I'm going over there." He checked his pistol quickly, and handed it to Gwen. "Watch over Norrington until I return." He looked briefly at Markson. "If anything happens to her, your life won't be worth living. Remember that, mate." He locked gazes with Gwen briefly, and then climbed rapidly over the two rails onto the deck of the Catalina.
--
The broadside of the Pearl's port guns hit the Banshee hard, and she started to list over. A quick glance over toward the Catalina shows that DaSilva was in no shape to come to his aid. LeSerre barked out the order to abandon ship and rushed to his cabin. He flung open the door and hurried over to his sea chest, rummaging quickly through it for his valuables. Suddenly a sword point appeared at his throat. Raising his startled eyes, he saw the implacable face of Will Turner. "Going somewhere?" Will asked quietly.
LeSerre straightened slowly and turned to face Will fully. "Well, well, Mr. Turner. Fancy seeing you here. What are you doing out of your cell?"
"Looking for you, you filthy worm," Will answered.
"Now it looks like you're the one tossing out insults to those at your mercy," smirked LeSerre.
"Not at all," answered Will. He lowered his sword and stepped back a few paces before coming to guard again. "Defend yourself."
"You're going to regret this, boy," snarled LeSerre, yanking his sword out of its sheath and stepping forward to slash at Will.
Will parried the blow easily and attacked.
--
The force of the collision between the ships knocked Annamaria off her feet. She scrambled up and looked cautiously about. Red-coated soldiers were pouring over the rail onto the deck of the Catalina. Unfortunately, they would have no way of knowing she wasn't one of the Spanish crew. Looking further she saw a familiar face. Jack! What on earth was he doing here? She started to make her way toward him.
Jack worked his way toward the helm, his sword flashing in the sunlight. DaSilva was shrieking orders to his men, but he stopped as he caught sight of Jack. "Sparrow!" he snapped. "What were you doing on the Dauntless?"
"I'm always turning up where I'm not expected, Captain DaSilva," said Jack with a slight bow. "How pleasant to see you again." He raised his sword. "En garde."
DaSilva leaped forward, bringing his sword around in a vicious arch. Jack caught the edge on his own blade and shoved DaSilva away, causing him to stagger. Jack followed swiftly, and aimed multiple blows at the other man. DaSilva regained his balance and managed to block them, then swung his fist and caught Jack in the stomach, doubling him over. As DaSilva raised his sword to thrust it into Jack's heart, Jack dropped the rest of the way to the deck and swept his leg around, knocking DaSilva to the ground. Both men rolled and regained their feet as the duel started anew.
--
Will and LeSerre were fighting furiously, bursting through the door of the cabin and onto the deck. All around them sailors were lowering the longboats and abandoning ship, and they paid little attention to the ferocious duel between their Captain and the young blacksmith.
"Well, Turner, you're better at this than I thought you'd be," complimented LeSerre. "I wouldn't have thought a whelp like you would know one end of a sword from another."
"You'd be surprised what I know," replied Will coldly. "I know that you're finished, LeSerre. Your ship is sinking, and from the looks of it," he glanced briefly at the Spanish ship, "your Spanish friends are doing no better. The Royal Navy would like nothing better than to ship you back to England to stand trial for treason."
"They'll not take me," spat LeSerre. "I'll not give them the satisfaction." Furiously, he launched another attack at Will.
Chapter 16
**Author's Note** I'd like to apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge about naval combat. The battle is important to the plot and needed to be written, so I just plowed through it as best I could. If anyone who actually knows about combat at sea has any suggestions to make it more realistic, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
----
The distance between the Dauntless and the Dona Catalina closed swiftly. "Turn slightly to the starboard!" called Norrington. "Be ready to fire!" Several of the Dauntless's cannons spoke at once. One hit the Spanish ship jus above the water line, causing her to shudder. The Spanish cannons fired. A ball whistled through the rigging of the English ship, breaking off the top of one of her masts.
"Commodore, look out!" screamed Gwen as the length of stout wood plummeted to the deck. Norrington looked up quickly, but wasn't able to move quite fast enough. A branch of the rigging caught him across the side of the head, knocking him to the deck. Gwen and Jack rushed to him, Jack shoving the rigging aside and Gwen checking the fallen man. "He's alive," gasped Gwen.
Jack took a quick look at Norrington - he'd be out cold for a while. Another cannonball screamed overhead, ripping a hole in a sail. "Markson!" Jack barked, striding to the man's side as he stood gaping in horror at the downed Commodore. "How much combat experience do you have?"
Markson turned a shaken face to Jack. "Very little, sir."
Jack bit back an oath. "Do exactly as I tell you," he hissed. "I'm assuming command of this ship until the battle is over." He abandoned the Lieutenant and strode down the deck. "Turn to port! Ready the starboard guns!"
----
Annamaria shook off the ropes she'd cut off her hands and slipped her knife back into her boot. Looking around the cabin, she saw a set of pistols mounted on the wall. Swiftly she got them down and checked to make sure they were loaded.
---
LeSerre watched through his telescope as the Dauntless and the Catalina traded cannon fire. It was apparent that masters of naval combat commanded both ships. Though outgunned, the Catalina was holding her own, and the Dauntless was maneuvering much more easily than her size would have led one to believe. "I think we need to get into the fight, Cap'n," advised LeSerre's first mate. "If the Catalina wins without your help, there'll be hell to pay from DaSilva. And if she doesn't, the Dauntless will want to know why you sat and did nothing while an English ship was in trouble. Not to mention that any survivors from the Catalina will tell Norrington about you."
"You're right. Ready the guns and steer for the starboard side of the Dauntless. We'll trap her between us and the Catalina," LeSerre ordered.
Suddenly there was the sound of cannon fire in a different direction, and the Banshee shuddered as several cannonballs thudded into her side. Whirling around, LeSerre and his mate looked for the source of the sound. "The Black Pearl!" gasped the mate. "Where did she come from?"
"I'm going to have that watchman drawn and quartered!" snarled LeSerre. "Turn to starboard! All sails up!"
---
At the sound of the Pearl's guns, Jack's head whipped around. "The Pearl!" he breathed.
Markson swung around too, and gasped. "Now what do we do, sir?"
Jack turned back to the task at hand. "We let the Pearl deal with the Banshee," he answered.
---
"Reload! Fire again!" shouted Gibbs as the Banshee began to turn toward them.
Elizabeth stood by his side, her hair whipping in the wind. "We'll pass them as she completes her turn," she said. "We should fire again, then turn to port. We should then be able to get off a full broadside of the port guns."
Gibbs acknowledged her, "Aye, that may do it. As long as we judge the range correctly."
--
"Turn to port and head straight for her!" shouted Jack.
"What are you doing, sir!" asked Markson, his face pale. "You're going to hit her!"
"That's right," answered Jack tensely. "If we do it right it may break her keel." He looked out at the sailors along the rail. "Prepare to board!"
The Dauntless bore down on the Catalina. As DaSilva realized what was about to happen, he tried to turn the ship, but there wasn't enough time. The Dauntless plowed into the Catalina near the bow on the port side with a sickening crash. The Catalina was shoved abruptly to the starboard, her stern swinging port. The cannons on the Dauntless spoke again, and fired into the side of the Catalina at point blank range. Grappling hooks swung out from the Dauntless, and hooked to the rail of the Catalina. Within moments the two ships had been pulled together and the red-coated soldiers swarmed over the rail.
"Hold her steady," Jack ordered Markson. "Remember that she's attached to the Spaniard and will be heavily weighted to the starboard. If the Spaniard starts to sink rapidly, cut loose and sound the bell so the soldiers will know to come back. I'm going over there." He checked his pistol quickly, and handed it to Gwen. "Watch over Norrington until I return." He looked briefly at Markson. "If anything happens to her, your life won't be worth living. Remember that, mate." He locked gazes with Gwen briefly, and then climbed rapidly over the two rails onto the deck of the Catalina.
--
The broadside of the Pearl's port guns hit the Banshee hard, and she started to list over. A quick glance over toward the Catalina shows that DaSilva was in no shape to come to his aid. LeSerre barked out the order to abandon ship and rushed to his cabin. He flung open the door and hurried over to his sea chest, rummaging quickly through it for his valuables. Suddenly a sword point appeared at his throat. Raising his startled eyes, he saw the implacable face of Will Turner. "Going somewhere?" Will asked quietly.
LeSerre straightened slowly and turned to face Will fully. "Well, well, Mr. Turner. Fancy seeing you here. What are you doing out of your cell?"
"Looking for you, you filthy worm," Will answered.
"Now it looks like you're the one tossing out insults to those at your mercy," smirked LeSerre.
"Not at all," answered Will. He lowered his sword and stepped back a few paces before coming to guard again. "Defend yourself."
"You're going to regret this, boy," snarled LeSerre, yanking his sword out of its sheath and stepping forward to slash at Will.
Will parried the blow easily and attacked.
--
The force of the collision between the ships knocked Annamaria off her feet. She scrambled up and looked cautiously about. Red-coated soldiers were pouring over the rail onto the deck of the Catalina. Unfortunately, they would have no way of knowing she wasn't one of the Spanish crew. Looking further she saw a familiar face. Jack! What on earth was he doing here? She started to make her way toward him.
Jack worked his way toward the helm, his sword flashing in the sunlight. DaSilva was shrieking orders to his men, but he stopped as he caught sight of Jack. "Sparrow!" he snapped. "What were you doing on the Dauntless?"
"I'm always turning up where I'm not expected, Captain DaSilva," said Jack with a slight bow. "How pleasant to see you again." He raised his sword. "En garde."
DaSilva leaped forward, bringing his sword around in a vicious arch. Jack caught the edge on his own blade and shoved DaSilva away, causing him to stagger. Jack followed swiftly, and aimed multiple blows at the other man. DaSilva regained his balance and managed to block them, then swung his fist and caught Jack in the stomach, doubling him over. As DaSilva raised his sword to thrust it into Jack's heart, Jack dropped the rest of the way to the deck and swept his leg around, knocking DaSilva to the ground. Both men rolled and regained their feet as the duel started anew.
--
Will and LeSerre were fighting furiously, bursting through the door of the cabin and onto the deck. All around them sailors were lowering the longboats and abandoning ship, and they paid little attention to the ferocious duel between their Captain and the young blacksmith.
"Well, Turner, you're better at this than I thought you'd be," complimented LeSerre. "I wouldn't have thought a whelp like you would know one end of a sword from another."
"You'd be surprised what I know," replied Will coldly. "I know that you're finished, LeSerre. Your ship is sinking, and from the looks of it," he glanced briefly at the Spanish ship, "your Spanish friends are doing no better. The Royal Navy would like nothing better than to ship you back to England to stand trial for treason."
"They'll not take me," spat LeSerre. "I'll not give them the satisfaction." Furiously, he launched another attack at Will.