Pirates of the Caribbean: The Voyage for the Blue Star

By JessieHeart

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Chapter Four: Battle at Sea

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"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates' life for me!"

Bill watched as Jack Sparrow's crew danced around tables in the Black Pearl's dining room. Eli and Jack stood on chairs, ales in each hand. They provided a chorus of their favorite song. Bill, naturally, had heard this tune many times before, but never quite like this.

Jack took a large swig from his mug and continued, "We extort and pilfer, we filch and sack, drink up me 'earties, yo ho! Maraud and embezzle and even highjack!"

"Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!" Eli chorused. Then he struck a daring pose and made up his own verse. "The battle be long and many may die-!"

"Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!" the crew encouraged.

"But, ne'er the less, we'll be damned not to try! Drink UP me 'earties-"

"YO HO!"

Bill joined in as the crew laughed. From what he'd seen of Jack's crew, they seemed like a lively and happy bunch. And the way they sang that song… It was so different than the way his mother would hum it softly under her breath.

Someone sat down beside Bill. He turned and saw it was the red-haired girl who spoke to him the day he boarded Sparrow's Ghost. She smiled at him.

"We 'aven't been properly introduced." She said with as much formality as she could muster. "I be Ginny, and very pleased to meet you Mr. Turner."

The boy chuckled softly. "Bill. Call me Bill."

Her clear blue eyes twinkled with a kindness Bill had never known in a pirate. He found himself unable to pull away from them. Ginny spoke again.

"You're a lucky one, not too many people can win the good graces of Eli Sparrow. Whatever you said to 'im in 'is stateroom must have been real fancy-like, or else he wouldn't go get Jack's help an' all."

"Well, anyone would want to find their mothe-" Bill stopped suddenly, remembering that she did not know about Eli's connection to him. He quickly covered up, "I mean, Eli never had a mum, right? He's just trying to help me find mine…" Bill tore himself away from the crystal depths, as if eye contact would allow her to read his mind. Ginny didn't seem to notice.

"Would you fancy another rum, mate?" she offered cheerily.

"Yeah, sure…"

"I'll go get it. You just sit there lookin' cute."

Ginny walked off, and Bill flushed, wondering what she meant. He looked away again and noticed that his older brother was standing behind him, and had heard every word the girl just commented.

Eli offered the most embarrassing torture a brother could allow… He threw his head back and laughed.

*

The next morning Eli and Jack were as hung-over as could be. Fortunately, the Sparrow family had a sure-fire recipe to cure their headaches, namely; More rum.

"You're both going to die horrible deaths if you don't lay off the liquor." Bill warned.

Jack shrugged. "The way I see it mate, why would I WANT to live forever if I had to give up rum?"

"Here, here!" cried his son, drinking from a large bottle.

Suddenly, a fellow pirate burst through the door.

"Captain Sparrow!" he cried.

"Aye?" both Eli and Jack asked in unison.

The pirate's forehead creased in confusion. "Uh, Sparrow Senior… Uh, sir? We're coming up fast on anther ship. It could be the Cursed Wreck, sir."

The three men jumped up and hurried on deck. Jack pulled out his spyglass and observed the ship in front of them. The ship looked like the only think holding it together was the dirt. He knew only one pirate who would sail such a rig.

"That's Emerson's all right." He said, closing his telescope. He shouted to his crew, "Cannon's ready! All hands must be armed! Pull up alongside the enemy, prepare to BATTLE!" Over the sounds of the excited men, Jack turned to his son and Bill. "Emerson won't give up Elizabeth without a fight. However, with a ship like that and a cursed crew, we should be able to overtake her easily."

The boys nodded, and Jack ran off to help the crew. Bill took a deep breath. His hands slid up to his shirt, where the medallion hung underneath. Maybe he wouldn't have to find a blue star after all…

*

The Black Pearl did not go unnoticed aboard the Cursed Wreck.

"Captain Emerson," the lookout said, "Comin' up fast, it's the Black Pearl."

Amelia Emerson was not stupid. Though she could not guess what the famous Black Pearl had to do with any of this, she knew that they were after her captive.

"It seems our baggage is of some value to others as well," Amelia said to her men. "The Swann child must be aboard that ship. We must guard Elizabeth with everything we have. We can do this, men!"

"AYE!" came the gallant response. The pirates dashed off to prepare for battle. Amelia hoped her encouragement was enough to overcome the curse. If her men didn't *believe* they could win…

"Heaven help us." She sighed.

*

"Let off a warning round!" Jack commanded.

With the Cursed Wreck just out of range, the Black Pearl shot off three cannon balls. Amelia's ship did not respond. The Black Pearl pulled closer.

"EMERSON!" Jack bellowed. "We know you have Elizabeth Swann aboard! This is your only chance to avoid battle, just hand her over!"

BANG!

A cannon ball flew overhead, knocking down a sail. Jack observed this damage to his beloved ship with furious eyes. Eli shrugged.

"You did really think it would be that easy, did you Dad?" he asked.

Jack ignored him. "FIRE!"

A split-second later, the distance between the two ships became a battlefield. Gun smoke blinded them, cannon fire deafened them.

Elizabeth sat in her dark cell. All she could hear of the battle was exploding cannons. Her hands squeezed together.

"William…" she whispered.

Amelia raised her sword to the air. "Enough of this long-range! Prepare to board! Seek and destroy!"

There was a large battle cry as her small group of men drew their pistols and rapiers. In groups, they swung over to the Black Pearl. Amelia knew they would be outnumbered in hand-to-hand combat, but she had faith in her men.

Swords clashed. Two of Emerson's pirates ganged up on Bill. The boy realized that they were the same men who kidnapped his mother. Anger flared inside of him, he wanted to kill them so badly. However, he was cornered, his gun still attached to his belt.

"ELI!" he called to his brother, who had just run his sword through an enemy. Eli ran up from behind Bill's attackers, and promptly pushed them overboard.

"Thank me later." He said quickly, before reentering the battle.

Amelia was the only one left on her ship. She held onto the rope tightly, deducting the prefect time to swing over. Jack Sparrow was fighting one of her men, the man was pushing him back… Just a little more… a little more…

NOW! Amelia swung with a mighty jump, knocking into Jack with full force. Before the man could recover, she hit him upside the head with her gun. She then pulled his dead weight up and fired her pistol in the air. The sounds stopped. Amelia pointed the barrel at Jack's forehead.

"Would everyone who values Captain Sparrow's life please drop their weapons." She said, slipping back into her drawling voice. Swords fell to the ground. Amelia's crew cheered in triumph.

Bill was standing next to Eli. He watched as his brother's hands clenched longingly into a fist. "Don't do it," Bill warned.

Amelia continued. "Now, if you want to see Captain Jack here alive in the morning, I need the son of Elizabeth Swann to surrender now."

Bill's eyebrow's raised. She wanted to kill him… And yet she didn't even know what he looked like. He wanted to laugh at the morbid situation.

Amelia spoke again, this time louder and demanding. "I want the son and blood of Elizabeth Swann NOW!"

Bill looked at his brother. Eli seemed to be muttering to himself.

"The Blue Star…" he whispered.

"What?" asked Bill, his voice barely audible. Eli turned to him, but he was looking at his left arm. Bill looked at it too. He knew what lie underneath it… A sparrow and a star… In blue ink… a star…

Eli whispered, still eyeing his arm. "No harm shall come to Bill Turner as long as he sticks to the Blue Star… That was it, wasn't it?" He looked up, and the brother's eyes locked.

Bill realized what he meant… what he was about to do… "Eli!" he whispered furiously, "Eli, NO!"

But it was too late. Eli Sparrow drew himself up to his full height and stepped forward.

"I am the child of Elizabeth Swann." He announced boldly.

Everyone gazed at him, surprise engulfing their faces. Men he known his whole life where looking at him in a new light.

"You?" Amelia said, glancing between the unconscious man she held and the boy before her. "I've heard of you. You're the Jack Sparrow's boy… The one everyone says is from Hell."

Eli nodded. "Jack Sparrow is my father."

Amelia's eyes narrowed. "I'm looking for the REAL son of Elizabeth Swann. She married a man named Turner, and if he doesn't step forward I'll blow Jack bloody head off!"

"That's true." Said Eli calmly. "Elizabeth did marry a man by the name of Turner. And while it's also true that no Turner blood flows through my veins, it's pure fact that Swann blood DOES."

Amelia raised a single, thin eyebrow. "Elizabeth and William Turner had no son?"

"Aye. William's Turner is a eunuch."

Bill nearly fell over. Amelia was silent for a very long time.

"Very well, Mr. Swann. You will come aboard the Cursed Wreck without complaint." She motioned for two of her men to restrain him. He was taken away, and Bill's hands were shaking.

"Captain, what of the Black Pearl and the crew?" someone asked Emerson. His eyes were full of desire. "Should we take it for ourselves?"

Amelia swallowed, a twist of desire pained her heart. Here was the Black Pearl, most famous of all ships, legend among the heavens, all hers for the taking. But she knew the curse would not allow it. The moment she claimed this miraculous ship as her own something terrible would happen; a lightning storm, a crash, anything. She swallowed and shook her head.

"No. We'll leave these scalawags down below, in their own brig. We'll continue sailing towards the Virgin Islands. Now that we have all remaining in the Swann bloodline, lifting the curse is all that matters."

"Aye, Captain."

Within the hour, all of Jack's crew was locked in the Black Pearl's jail cells. The Cursed Wreck was sailing away, taking Bill's mother and the Blue Star with them.

*

Eli was taken down below, his arms shackled. His jailer opened a wooden door and shoved him in, slamming it promptly. Jack blinked as his eyes adjusted.

There were now bars, only the blank wooden cells. There were no windows, the only light streamed in through the cracks in and below the door. Eli sat down and shivered, it was deathly cold.

"Jack?" came a woman's voice.

Eli watched as a female around his father's age came out of the deeper shadows. He could barely make her out, for the darkness was absolute. The woman had long, light hair, once pulled into an elegant style, it now hung in an array around her face. She came closer and kneeled so they were the same height.

"Jack, it IS you!" she cried before embracing him.

"What? Wh-Who…?" he stuttered.

"Jack, it's me Elizabeth."

Eli tensed.

"Oh, Jack, I'm so frightened… So glad you're here…"

Eli swallowed, barely comprehensive of her words. He realized that he was being held by his mother, and feeling he had wondered about for the last eighteen years. The angry teenager in his head wanted to push her away, scream at her… Questions and anger pounded inside his brain. However, the child in his heart needed this. The child needed to be held, even if only in the disguise of his father.

"It'll be alright," he said, somewhat reassuringly.

Elizabeth let go of him. "Jack, you have to help. Amelia Emerson wants to kill me and my son, Bill. She wants all of Swann blood to die."

Eli licked his lips. "That means she'll be wantin' Eli as well."

"Eli…?" Elizabeth asked. Her son nearly choked. She didn't even know his name!

"That's what I named him. That's what I named our son."

"Oh. That's… That's a good name for a pirate." She amended. "You're right, for the curse to be lifted, Emerson will need both Eli and Bill… But she doesn't know that…"

Eli swallowed. He said what his father would have. "That's interesting…"

*

The real Jack Sparrow awoke to find himself behind bars.

He swore. "Maybe I *should* lay off the rum," he said, "It let's me get captured too easily…" He looked around. His men looked angry and distraught. "What's the matter with all of you?"

"We're trapped, can't you see?" someone said dejectedly. Jack threw his head back and laughed.

"You think I wouldn't know how to get out of me own cell?" he cried. In one fluid movement he jumped up and pulled a bar loose. He stepped out a motioned for the men to do the same. "This, gentlemen, is only one reason why the Pearl belongs to ME and ONLY me."

He looked about the crew, and his smile fell. "Where is Eli?" he asked. No answered or even dared to look him in the face. Jack raised his voice. "Where is my son?"

Bill spoke up. He was still sitting in the cell, his face in his hands. "He's gone, been taken by Emerson." He took a long, shuddering breath. "He was the Blue Star I was looking for. He was right in front of me, and I let him be captured…"

Jack was very, very quiet. Anyone who looked at him would realize a great deal of planning was going on him his head. At last, he stepped back into the cell and pulled Bill up.

"No worries then!" he said with his trademark optimism. "You're supposed to stick to the Blue Star, right mate?"

"Aye."

"Then we'll follow 'er!" Jack said, meaning Amelia. The crew cheered and Jack lead the way up the stairs and into daylight.

*

("But, ne'er the less, we'll be damned not to try!" - Eli Sparrow.)

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