I want to make it absolutely clear that I do do other things than write
this story.
Cast of thousands: Yeah, sometimes you write other stories.
Me: I do other stuff too!
Cast of thousands: Like what, pray?
Me: Well, I have been studying a bit. And I watched Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday .. Hey I have exams. Exams and a life are mutually exclusive.
Cast of thousands: Indeed.
Me: Stop imitating Norrington! It's not helpful.
Cast of thousands: Actually, we were imitating Jack, imitating Norrington.
Me: That's a little strange. Hey, I got over 160 reviews now. I'm really gratified. Do I mean gratified?
Cast of thousands: You mean hysterical.
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"What would the Black Pearl be doing coming this way?" Elizabeth asked.
"That is hardly the issue at the moment, Miss Swan." Norrington said. "We have to get away from her." The murmuring that spread through the soldiers showed that they agreed wholeheartedly.
"I thought you were looking for her?" Jack was infuriatingly casual.
"At a time and place of my choosing, Mr Sparrow, and this is certainly not it."
Jack nodded. "Can't fight her, not for long anyway. And we certainly can't outrun her in this. I reckon our best plan is to change course and hope that the scallywags have other plans."
"Very well," Norrington said.
Jack pushed the helmsman aside. "I'll be taking over now, if you don't mind." He looked at Norrington. "Signal the Gallant to go the other way. It's difficult to be pretending to be innocent while playing follow the leader. An' the two of us separate gives each of us a better chance."
The Commodore stared for a moment, then nodded shortly and did as he was told.
Jack turned to Will. "If we should come to be captured, you need to forget your name alright?"
Will looked puzzled, "My name?"
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. "Your Da wasn't exactly Master's favourite person. And he's crazy enough to take it out on you. So keep quiet, savvy?"
Will nodded, slowly, wishing that, just once, Jack would choose to tell him what was going on before it happened.
Jack steered the ship and shouted orders, to Will and Elizabeth as much as to Norrington's men, or indeed to the Commodore himself. He kept an eye on the Pearl. He watched as she changed course.
"She's going after the Gallant." He said softly. Norrington looked over; his face pale. Jack felt for him. "I'm sorry, mate"
The other nodded brusquely. "There's nothing we can do. I know that."
He stood watching, looking over Jack's shoulder. Jack heard the cannon fire, and saw Norrington's face tighten. He risked a quick glance over his shoulder; the Gallant was burning. Distantly he heard gunshots.
"They shot the men in the water!" Norrington's face was livid with rage. "Bloody, treacherous pirates!" He glared directly at Jack. "That's the filthy sort of trick you play."
Jack returned the Commodores gaze evenly, no trace of levity or insincerity apparent in his eyes. "Not me. Not ever. Believe me James."
After a moment, Norrington nodded, slowly. "I know. I'm sorry."
"There was nothing you could have done. We could throw everything we had at the Pearl and not damage her paintwork." He didn't mention that he really didn't want to fire on his ship.
"We may have to." Norrington said grimly, still looking over Jack's shoulder. The pirate turned his head to see the Pearl had changed course yet again and was heading straight for them.
Jack swore loudly. He had to think of something. He couldn't let himself be killed by his own ship; it was too bloody embarrassing. "Take the helm." He snapped at Norrington. Startled, the man complied. Jack ran down the stairs and, grabbing Elizabeth in passing, made his way below to the stores.
"What are we doing, Jack?" she asked breathlessly.
"Whatever we can, luv." He said, gold teeth glinting as he grinned. He was searching for something - he pulled out two small barrels and threw them for her to catch. They were clearly marked gunpowder.
Meanwhile, Will was helping the soldiers load the cannons. The ship only had two, and they were small, but the general feeling was that any small act of defiance would help. Will frowned as he noticed that Norrington was at the helm; where was Jack? And for that matter, where was Elizabeth. He looked desperately round, but he could see no sign of them. He supposed that he would simply have to trust that between them, they had a plan. Because he certainly could not see any way out of this.
Jack, very carefully, made a small hole in each of the barrels. He felt eyes watching him and he glanced up to see Elizabeth looking at him, frowning. She should be making herself useful.
"Find me some string, and some oil." He said tersely.
She blinked, nodded and began searching. Jack checked the weight of each of the barrels. Not bad. It was possible that this might even work. When Elizabeth handed him the length of string, he cut off two long pieces and gave one of them back to her.
"Soak it in the oil, like this." He told her, demonstrating.
She did so, comprehension dawning on her face. "Will this work, Jack?"
"Course it will, luv." Always best to be reassuring, at least to your friends and allies.
They threaded the string into the holes in the barrels and raced back upstairs. Jack grabbed a tinderbox on the way. The Pearl was very close now. It was obvious to her true Captain that she would be firing her guns any time now. They ran to the stern, ignoring Norrington's demands for some form of explanation. Jack studied the current, looking for the best position. He also vaguely noted the proximity of an island, a fairly large one at that. "Here," he determined, marking the ideal point for his plan. He lit the fuse and threw the barrel as far from the ship as he could. Then he quickly took the one that Elizabeth handed him and did the same with that one.
They watched, holding their breath, as the barrels appeared to head away from them, towards the Pearl. The first one exploded some distance away. Jack winced.
"Should have made the string longer." He muttered.
He continued to stare fixedly at the other barrel, but the Pearl was turning to starboard now, obviously preparing to fire.
"Elizabeth!" Will's voice came from beside the cannons. "We need your help." She ran off without a second's hesitation.
"Turn to port, mate." Jack shouted, back to Norrington. He was already doing so.
Jack turned back, just in time to see the barrel explode very close to the Pearl's Hull. She rocked, fiercely but it was immediately obvious to him that it wasn't going to be enough to stop her. At the moment of the explosion, the cannons fired.
Their cannons had as much effect on the Black Pearl as a pea shooter would have. But the cannonballs from the dark-sailed ship tore through the Interceptor II as if it were made of paper. Jack saw Norrington's men fall, one by one as pirates aboard the Pearl - who he most certainly did not recognise - targeted the uniforms. He saw one of them raising a gun again, and, without thinking, knocked Norrington out of the way.
A searing hot pain raced across his shoulder and he distantly heard Norrington calling his name. Everything went black, but only for a split second. When his vision cleared, he found he was lying on top of the Commodore.
"Yer hat's fallen off mate." He observed, then rolled off and stood up. He glanced round and saw Will and Elizabeth, still alive and apparently uninjured, firing rifles at the pirates. He looked back at Norrington and was shaken to see that the man was covered in blood.
"Where are you hit?" he demanded, urgently.
James Norrington stood up slowly. "It's not my blood, Jack."
"What? Oh." Jack looked down at himself, and saw the red stain slowly soaking through his shirt. "That's interesting . Here they come." He added, as the pirates from the Pearl prepared to board. He frowned. There didn't seem to be that many of them. Perhaps they had a chance after all. Drawing the sword he had borrowed from Will, he prepared to fight.
It was an odd sort of fight, he thought as he did his best to fend off three pirates. None of them seemed inclined to kill him, although in his injured state it probably wouldn't be that hard. He could see that the others - Norrington, Will and Elizabeth being the only ones left - were finding something similar. Will and Elizabeth were fighting back to back. He wondered when she had learned to be so good with a blade. He ducked a wild slash and responded to it by shoving the man overboard. Still, he was being forced backwards. And he didn't think there was that much ship left.
"So," he said conversationally, "Is this your idea of a good time, or what?"
"What?" the taller pirate responded.
"Thought so." Jack nodded. "I can always tell, when people I don't know start attacking me, that they're going to be a what."
Brows creased, both pirates attacked harder, leaving Jack no time for conversation. He was beginning to lose his grip on his sword, the pain in his other arm was getting worse, and his view of his enemies was getting blurry. It was only will power and natural stubbornness that were keeping him on his feet, but they were traits that he had more than his fair share of.
Suddenly, he heard a peculiar whistling noise followed by a loud bang and the world exploded around him. He fell.
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I would like to apologise for the cliff hanger.
Cast of thousands: No you wouldn't
Me: You're right, I have an exam tomorrow so I don't see why anyone else should have a good time. Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Cast of thousands: Um, she probably doesn't mean it, so review her anyway please? She gets upset if you don't
Me: By the way, it's all Brokeassproduc's fault. She admitted it. And she's looming over me as I write this. Bloody scary, mates.
Cast of thousands: Yeah, sometimes you write other stories.
Me: I do other stuff too!
Cast of thousands: Like what, pray?
Me: Well, I have been studying a bit. And I watched Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday .. Hey I have exams. Exams and a life are mutually exclusive.
Cast of thousands: Indeed.
Me: Stop imitating Norrington! It's not helpful.
Cast of thousands: Actually, we were imitating Jack, imitating Norrington.
Me: That's a little strange. Hey, I got over 160 reviews now. I'm really gratified. Do I mean gratified?
Cast of thousands: You mean hysterical.
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"What would the Black Pearl be doing coming this way?" Elizabeth asked.
"That is hardly the issue at the moment, Miss Swan." Norrington said. "We have to get away from her." The murmuring that spread through the soldiers showed that they agreed wholeheartedly.
"I thought you were looking for her?" Jack was infuriatingly casual.
"At a time and place of my choosing, Mr Sparrow, and this is certainly not it."
Jack nodded. "Can't fight her, not for long anyway. And we certainly can't outrun her in this. I reckon our best plan is to change course and hope that the scallywags have other plans."
"Very well," Norrington said.
Jack pushed the helmsman aside. "I'll be taking over now, if you don't mind." He looked at Norrington. "Signal the Gallant to go the other way. It's difficult to be pretending to be innocent while playing follow the leader. An' the two of us separate gives each of us a better chance."
The Commodore stared for a moment, then nodded shortly and did as he was told.
Jack turned to Will. "If we should come to be captured, you need to forget your name alright?"
Will looked puzzled, "My name?"
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. "Your Da wasn't exactly Master's favourite person. And he's crazy enough to take it out on you. So keep quiet, savvy?"
Will nodded, slowly, wishing that, just once, Jack would choose to tell him what was going on before it happened.
Jack steered the ship and shouted orders, to Will and Elizabeth as much as to Norrington's men, or indeed to the Commodore himself. He kept an eye on the Pearl. He watched as she changed course.
"She's going after the Gallant." He said softly. Norrington looked over; his face pale. Jack felt for him. "I'm sorry, mate"
The other nodded brusquely. "There's nothing we can do. I know that."
He stood watching, looking over Jack's shoulder. Jack heard the cannon fire, and saw Norrington's face tighten. He risked a quick glance over his shoulder; the Gallant was burning. Distantly he heard gunshots.
"They shot the men in the water!" Norrington's face was livid with rage. "Bloody, treacherous pirates!" He glared directly at Jack. "That's the filthy sort of trick you play."
Jack returned the Commodores gaze evenly, no trace of levity or insincerity apparent in his eyes. "Not me. Not ever. Believe me James."
After a moment, Norrington nodded, slowly. "I know. I'm sorry."
"There was nothing you could have done. We could throw everything we had at the Pearl and not damage her paintwork." He didn't mention that he really didn't want to fire on his ship.
"We may have to." Norrington said grimly, still looking over Jack's shoulder. The pirate turned his head to see the Pearl had changed course yet again and was heading straight for them.
Jack swore loudly. He had to think of something. He couldn't let himself be killed by his own ship; it was too bloody embarrassing. "Take the helm." He snapped at Norrington. Startled, the man complied. Jack ran down the stairs and, grabbing Elizabeth in passing, made his way below to the stores.
"What are we doing, Jack?" she asked breathlessly.
"Whatever we can, luv." He said, gold teeth glinting as he grinned. He was searching for something - he pulled out two small barrels and threw them for her to catch. They were clearly marked gunpowder.
Meanwhile, Will was helping the soldiers load the cannons. The ship only had two, and they were small, but the general feeling was that any small act of defiance would help. Will frowned as he noticed that Norrington was at the helm; where was Jack? And for that matter, where was Elizabeth. He looked desperately round, but he could see no sign of them. He supposed that he would simply have to trust that between them, they had a plan. Because he certainly could not see any way out of this.
Jack, very carefully, made a small hole in each of the barrels. He felt eyes watching him and he glanced up to see Elizabeth looking at him, frowning. She should be making herself useful.
"Find me some string, and some oil." He said tersely.
She blinked, nodded and began searching. Jack checked the weight of each of the barrels. Not bad. It was possible that this might even work. When Elizabeth handed him the length of string, he cut off two long pieces and gave one of them back to her.
"Soak it in the oil, like this." He told her, demonstrating.
She did so, comprehension dawning on her face. "Will this work, Jack?"
"Course it will, luv." Always best to be reassuring, at least to your friends and allies.
They threaded the string into the holes in the barrels and raced back upstairs. Jack grabbed a tinderbox on the way. The Pearl was very close now. It was obvious to her true Captain that she would be firing her guns any time now. They ran to the stern, ignoring Norrington's demands for some form of explanation. Jack studied the current, looking for the best position. He also vaguely noted the proximity of an island, a fairly large one at that. "Here," he determined, marking the ideal point for his plan. He lit the fuse and threw the barrel as far from the ship as he could. Then he quickly took the one that Elizabeth handed him and did the same with that one.
They watched, holding their breath, as the barrels appeared to head away from them, towards the Pearl. The first one exploded some distance away. Jack winced.
"Should have made the string longer." He muttered.
He continued to stare fixedly at the other barrel, but the Pearl was turning to starboard now, obviously preparing to fire.
"Elizabeth!" Will's voice came from beside the cannons. "We need your help." She ran off without a second's hesitation.
"Turn to port, mate." Jack shouted, back to Norrington. He was already doing so.
Jack turned back, just in time to see the barrel explode very close to the Pearl's Hull. She rocked, fiercely but it was immediately obvious to him that it wasn't going to be enough to stop her. At the moment of the explosion, the cannons fired.
Their cannons had as much effect on the Black Pearl as a pea shooter would have. But the cannonballs from the dark-sailed ship tore through the Interceptor II as if it were made of paper. Jack saw Norrington's men fall, one by one as pirates aboard the Pearl - who he most certainly did not recognise - targeted the uniforms. He saw one of them raising a gun again, and, without thinking, knocked Norrington out of the way.
A searing hot pain raced across his shoulder and he distantly heard Norrington calling his name. Everything went black, but only for a split second. When his vision cleared, he found he was lying on top of the Commodore.
"Yer hat's fallen off mate." He observed, then rolled off and stood up. He glanced round and saw Will and Elizabeth, still alive and apparently uninjured, firing rifles at the pirates. He looked back at Norrington and was shaken to see that the man was covered in blood.
"Where are you hit?" he demanded, urgently.
James Norrington stood up slowly. "It's not my blood, Jack."
"What? Oh." Jack looked down at himself, and saw the red stain slowly soaking through his shirt. "That's interesting . Here they come." He added, as the pirates from the Pearl prepared to board. He frowned. There didn't seem to be that many of them. Perhaps they had a chance after all. Drawing the sword he had borrowed from Will, he prepared to fight.
It was an odd sort of fight, he thought as he did his best to fend off three pirates. None of them seemed inclined to kill him, although in his injured state it probably wouldn't be that hard. He could see that the others - Norrington, Will and Elizabeth being the only ones left - were finding something similar. Will and Elizabeth were fighting back to back. He wondered when she had learned to be so good with a blade. He ducked a wild slash and responded to it by shoving the man overboard. Still, he was being forced backwards. And he didn't think there was that much ship left.
"So," he said conversationally, "Is this your idea of a good time, or what?"
"What?" the taller pirate responded.
"Thought so." Jack nodded. "I can always tell, when people I don't know start attacking me, that they're going to be a what."
Brows creased, both pirates attacked harder, leaving Jack no time for conversation. He was beginning to lose his grip on his sword, the pain in his other arm was getting worse, and his view of his enemies was getting blurry. It was only will power and natural stubbornness that were keeping him on his feet, but they were traits that he had more than his fair share of.
Suddenly, he heard a peculiar whistling noise followed by a loud bang and the world exploded around him. He fell.
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I would like to apologise for the cliff hanger.
Cast of thousands: No you wouldn't
Me: You're right, I have an exam tomorrow so I don't see why anyone else should have a good time. Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Cast of thousands: Um, she probably doesn't mean it, so review her anyway please? She gets upset if you don't
Me: By the way, it's all Brokeassproduc's fault. She admitted it. And she's looming over me as I write this. Bloody scary, mates.
