Usual disclaimers... humph!
Last chapter for today...
The following morning Catherine was unsurprised to find Jack missing from their bunk when she awoke. She dressed and stumbled to the galley, eating a cold breakfast herself and making one for Jack before climbing up to the quarterdeck - where she knew he would be.
"Eat!" she ordered, thrusting the food at him and forcing him from the wheel. She peered forwards, surprised to see that the other ship was much nearer than the night before. "You haven't had the men at the sweeps already?" she sighed.
Jack grinned as he munched on his bread, nodding to James Norrington and Theodore as they climbed the stairs to stand on the quarterdeck with them. Theodore smiled at his sister - he still could not get used to the idea of such a tiny person being in charge of such a lethal ship.
"Have you both eaten?" she asked.
"We ate with the crew," he replied, turning to look forwards, wishing they were closer. "How soon Jack?"
"By t'night if we don't get any interruptions," Jack shrugged. "Another two spells on th' sweeps an' we'll be right up his arse!"
But Jack's hope of no interruptions were to be disappointed. "Captain! Two sails dead ahead - from Port Royal!" Tobias shouted from aloft. "Looks like the frigates!"
"Bloody hell!" Jack cursed. "Kitty - m' glass!" Catherine ran down the stairs, jumping the last few in her haste and dashing into the cabin, returning a few moments later with his precious spy glass. "It's th' Wyndham an' Phoebe!" He looked to James Norrington in hope. "Can we rely on them t' keep out of this?"
The Commodore shrugged. "They are the Governor's men," he admitted. "You can be assured that they will serve his interests..."
"As far as helping th' other ship?" Jack queried.
"I doubt it," James replied. "They'll probably try to take both of you..."
"Well let's give 'em fair warnin'!" Jack grinned. "Kitty - run up th' four reds!"
"Four reds?" James Norrington queried.
"It should have been five, but we couldn't get th' flag in Singapore," Jack admitted. "But at least it'll warn them what t' expect if they decide t' interfere!" He smiled, seeing Catherine fixing the flags to the line, hauling them aloft. "An' it'll scare th' hell out of Louis!" He laughed on seeing the other ship veer sharply southwards, away from the approaching naval ships. "That's if he hasn't fouled his pants already!"
The Black Pearl turned, mimicking the false ship, but always closing. Jack made the crew man the sweeps as often as he dared, pulling them away from the HMS Wyndham and HMS Phoebe and closer to their target. If they continued gaining at the rate they were then they would be in range in under an hour.
"Will we have time?" Catherine worried, looking behind her at their pursuers.
"We'll make time!" Jack smiled. "We hit 'em, kill 'em, sink 'em and leave!" He looked across to Jean Claude who was standing nearby, studying the other ship with the spy glass. "Ready th' men an' th' cannons Jean Claude," he said. "We won't have long!"
"Oui Captain," he acknowledged, turning and jumping eagerly down the stairs. He had been looking forward to meeting his brother again, a day of reckoning that had been delayed much too long in his eyes.
"Kitty..." Jack leaned across from the wheel, pulling her towards him and hugging her with his free arm. "I want yer in th' crows nest with yer pistol. If Louis sees yer he's likely t' target yer... an' yer are deadly with that damned thing!"
Catherine started to argue, but realised that what Jack was saying made sense. She nodded, accepting his order. She would be his guardian angel if that is what he wanted. Standing on tiptoe she kissed him, smiling warmly. "I'd best make ready then," she grinned, slipping from his grasp and starting to carry bags of shot and powder up to her lofty perch.
Theodore sighed. "That still takes some getting used to," he smiled, watching her as she climbed.
"She should be safer up there too," Jack laughed, "although it's nice when she doesn't question m' orders."
"What do you want me to do?" James Norrington asked, glancing worriedly at the naval ships.
"Simple - if they aren't crew then kill them. No prisoners, no mercy. The only one I'll take alive is Louis, an' that is purely t' give him t' yer."
"How will I..." James began.
"M' crew will wear black cloth on their arms... if yer are uncertain, just kill anyone that attacks yer!" he advised.
"Right..." James Norrington looked in alarm at Theodore, but he was grinning as manically as Jack. He sighed, deciding that his ex-Captain was totally corrupted by the company he had been keeping.
Boom!
The first of the Black Pearl's cannons fired, closely followed by the nine others on the starboard side. Several of the shots smashed through the rigging, one taking their rudder. A few cannons fired in response, holing the Black Pearl in a number of places, but they were all above the waterline and Jack was not worried. "Boarders away!" he ordered, swinging with the second wave of attackers. A number of his opponents dropped dead before he even had the chance to close with them. He came close to Theodore briefly, fighting back-to-back with James Norrington, but was swept away again.
Jean Claude ploughed eagerly into the thick of the battle, Isaac by his side. Theirs was the job to find Louis and get him back to the Black Pearl. Isaac jumped, his blade just deflecting a blow aimed at Jean Claude. "Wake up Frenchman!" he teased, turning to fight the other man. Jean Claude shrugged, scanning the deck for his brother. A glimpse of hair... yes - there he was! Assured of his target, Jean Claude bashed his way through the other fighters.
"Louis!" he shouted. "You are mine!"
Jean Claude grinning with delight on seeing the panicked expression on his brother's face as he realised his brother was not only alive but was out for his blood. He glanced about frantically, looking for somewhere to hide, but there was none.
Jack continued fighting, killing any that stood in his path. He caught sight of Jean Claude fighting with his brother and carefully worked his way behind Louis, bashing him over the head. "Take him across!" he ordered, ploughing into the thick of battle again, ignoring several cuts in his determination to see the assault over as quickly as possible. Gradually, though, things fell quiet as his crew gained the upper hand, until all of their opponents were dead or dying. He glanced around the ship, relieved to see Theodore, James, Jean Claude and the majority of his crew still standing. He frowned, realising that Catherine's pistol had been silent for some time. He looked worriedly across to the crows nest but could see nothing. "Blow this wreck!" he ordered, swinging back across to the Black Pearl and climbing as quickly as he could. He realised belatedly that he had taken a number of cuts, a stinging cut on his arm hampering his climb. "Kitty?" he called. "Kitty!"
He peered over the edge of the crows nest, fearing what he would see. "Kitty!" Catherine was slumped unconscious, blood welling sluggishly from a hole in her side. Below he could hear Jean Claude shouting for the sweeps to be manned, determined to get them clear of the other ship before she exploded. Jack shouted down to the deck. "Cotton! Bandages t' m' cabin!"
Awkwardly, tenderly, he managed to get her upright. "Theo!" he shouted. "A hand!" His brother-in-law climbed quickly up, gasping in shock. "She'll be alright," Jack assured him. "Help me get her down..."
Between the two of them they managed to man-handle her down to the deck, Jack picking her up and carrying her to his cabin. James Norrington looked in horror at the blood, although most of the crew carried some form of injury. "Loose th' sails!" Jack ordered, "an' man th' sweeps!" Already the two frigates were closer than he liked and the Black Pearl lurched into motion as the sweeps bit into the water, propelling her rapidly clear of the other black ship.
Boom!
The false ship exploded as the flame reached the powder store, timbers flying as she split asunder, causing the two naval frigates to veer sharply as debris littered their decks. "Lower the reds!" Jean Claude ordered, "an' run up our flag!" It would not hurt their cause for the Captains of the two frigates to realise that the declaration of red was not intended against them. Once he was sure that they were in no immediate danger from the naval ships he dashed to the main cabin.
"Kitty?" he asked, relieved to see her sitting up and groaning, surrounded by Jack, Theodore, James Norrington, Isaac and Ned Cotton .
"I'm alright," she muttered, batting their hands away. "I banged my head, that's all!" She groaned, clutching her side. "For God's sake, give me some air!"
"Just your head? What about your side?" Jack reminded her, glad to see her conscious.
"Well get the bloody shot out and bandage me up!" she ordered. "The crew will need attention too!"
Jack nodded to Ned, offering her a bottle of rum. She looked at him, paling slightly and shaking her head. "I can't stitch and sew if you get me drunk," she sighed regretfully.
He nodded, understanding. Most of the crew were carrying an injury and Ned Cotton would not be able to cope on his own. "Everybody out bar Cotton," he ordered as Ned crouched down to look at her wound. He smiled apologetically at her as he started to probe for the shot.
"Jesus!" Catherine cried, going white and clutching Jack's arm tightly.
"Yer alright?" Jack asked worriedly.
"Stupid bloody question," she winced, relieved to see Ned hold up the shot. She hissed as he stitched the wound closed, wrapping bandages tightly around her. Smiling he nodded towards the door. "Okay," she gasped as she stood, wobbling as she leaned against Jack. "You're going to have to help me a bit here love," she smiled. "My bag is in the side cabin..."
Jack helped her towards the cabin doors, leaving her propped against the bulkhead whilst he fetched her medical bag. He found her a place on deck where she could sit and work - none of the injuries were life-threatening and the men could come to her.
Only when he was sure that she was coping did he climb up to the quarterdeck, relieved to see that they were pulling away from the frigates. Oran grinned, handing the helm to him. "Get that seen to," Jack ordered, nodding to a cut across his chest. Luckily it was not deep but it would need to be bandaged.
"Aye Captain," he nodded, climbing down the stairs and waiting in line for Catherine's attentions. He smiled as his turn came.
"The things you men do for attention," she teased, resting her hand briefly on his arm.
"We've been through worse Kitty," he reminded her.
"True," she admitted, bandaging his chest. "Alright, you can put your shirt back on... and send Jack down to me - now! He thinks I didn't see that cut on his arm!"
Oran smiled, returning to the quarterdeck. "Kitty wants to see your arm and she said now!"
Jack laughed and climbed down to her so that she could look at his cut. Despite the injuries to the crew they had done well and as soon as they lost the frigates they could circle back to Tortuga and home. "One down," he muttered to himself, thinking of Louis Lact currently languishing in the brig. "One down, one to go!"
You know the routine girls... ta!
Last chapter for today...
The following morning Catherine was unsurprised to find Jack missing from their bunk when she awoke. She dressed and stumbled to the galley, eating a cold breakfast herself and making one for Jack before climbing up to the quarterdeck - where she knew he would be.
"Eat!" she ordered, thrusting the food at him and forcing him from the wheel. She peered forwards, surprised to see that the other ship was much nearer than the night before. "You haven't had the men at the sweeps already?" she sighed.
Jack grinned as he munched on his bread, nodding to James Norrington and Theodore as they climbed the stairs to stand on the quarterdeck with them. Theodore smiled at his sister - he still could not get used to the idea of such a tiny person being in charge of such a lethal ship.
"Have you both eaten?" she asked.
"We ate with the crew," he replied, turning to look forwards, wishing they were closer. "How soon Jack?"
"By t'night if we don't get any interruptions," Jack shrugged. "Another two spells on th' sweeps an' we'll be right up his arse!"
But Jack's hope of no interruptions were to be disappointed. "Captain! Two sails dead ahead - from Port Royal!" Tobias shouted from aloft. "Looks like the frigates!"
"Bloody hell!" Jack cursed. "Kitty - m' glass!" Catherine ran down the stairs, jumping the last few in her haste and dashing into the cabin, returning a few moments later with his precious spy glass. "It's th' Wyndham an' Phoebe!" He looked to James Norrington in hope. "Can we rely on them t' keep out of this?"
The Commodore shrugged. "They are the Governor's men," he admitted. "You can be assured that they will serve his interests..."
"As far as helping th' other ship?" Jack queried.
"I doubt it," James replied. "They'll probably try to take both of you..."
"Well let's give 'em fair warnin'!" Jack grinned. "Kitty - run up th' four reds!"
"Four reds?" James Norrington queried.
"It should have been five, but we couldn't get th' flag in Singapore," Jack admitted. "But at least it'll warn them what t' expect if they decide t' interfere!" He smiled, seeing Catherine fixing the flags to the line, hauling them aloft. "An' it'll scare th' hell out of Louis!" He laughed on seeing the other ship veer sharply southwards, away from the approaching naval ships. "That's if he hasn't fouled his pants already!"
The Black Pearl turned, mimicking the false ship, but always closing. Jack made the crew man the sweeps as often as he dared, pulling them away from the HMS Wyndham and HMS Phoebe and closer to their target. If they continued gaining at the rate they were then they would be in range in under an hour.
"Will we have time?" Catherine worried, looking behind her at their pursuers.
"We'll make time!" Jack smiled. "We hit 'em, kill 'em, sink 'em and leave!" He looked across to Jean Claude who was standing nearby, studying the other ship with the spy glass. "Ready th' men an' th' cannons Jean Claude," he said. "We won't have long!"
"Oui Captain," he acknowledged, turning and jumping eagerly down the stairs. He had been looking forward to meeting his brother again, a day of reckoning that had been delayed much too long in his eyes.
"Kitty..." Jack leaned across from the wheel, pulling her towards him and hugging her with his free arm. "I want yer in th' crows nest with yer pistol. If Louis sees yer he's likely t' target yer... an' yer are deadly with that damned thing!"
Catherine started to argue, but realised that what Jack was saying made sense. She nodded, accepting his order. She would be his guardian angel if that is what he wanted. Standing on tiptoe she kissed him, smiling warmly. "I'd best make ready then," she grinned, slipping from his grasp and starting to carry bags of shot and powder up to her lofty perch.
Theodore sighed. "That still takes some getting used to," he smiled, watching her as she climbed.
"She should be safer up there too," Jack laughed, "although it's nice when she doesn't question m' orders."
"What do you want me to do?" James Norrington asked, glancing worriedly at the naval ships.
"Simple - if they aren't crew then kill them. No prisoners, no mercy. The only one I'll take alive is Louis, an' that is purely t' give him t' yer."
"How will I..." James began.
"M' crew will wear black cloth on their arms... if yer are uncertain, just kill anyone that attacks yer!" he advised.
"Right..." James Norrington looked in alarm at Theodore, but he was grinning as manically as Jack. He sighed, deciding that his ex-Captain was totally corrupted by the company he had been keeping.
Boom!
The first of the Black Pearl's cannons fired, closely followed by the nine others on the starboard side. Several of the shots smashed through the rigging, one taking their rudder. A few cannons fired in response, holing the Black Pearl in a number of places, but they were all above the waterline and Jack was not worried. "Boarders away!" he ordered, swinging with the second wave of attackers. A number of his opponents dropped dead before he even had the chance to close with them. He came close to Theodore briefly, fighting back-to-back with James Norrington, but was swept away again.
Jean Claude ploughed eagerly into the thick of the battle, Isaac by his side. Theirs was the job to find Louis and get him back to the Black Pearl. Isaac jumped, his blade just deflecting a blow aimed at Jean Claude. "Wake up Frenchman!" he teased, turning to fight the other man. Jean Claude shrugged, scanning the deck for his brother. A glimpse of hair... yes - there he was! Assured of his target, Jean Claude bashed his way through the other fighters.
"Louis!" he shouted. "You are mine!"
Jean Claude grinning with delight on seeing the panicked expression on his brother's face as he realised his brother was not only alive but was out for his blood. He glanced about frantically, looking for somewhere to hide, but there was none.
Jack continued fighting, killing any that stood in his path. He caught sight of Jean Claude fighting with his brother and carefully worked his way behind Louis, bashing him over the head. "Take him across!" he ordered, ploughing into the thick of battle again, ignoring several cuts in his determination to see the assault over as quickly as possible. Gradually, though, things fell quiet as his crew gained the upper hand, until all of their opponents were dead or dying. He glanced around the ship, relieved to see Theodore, James, Jean Claude and the majority of his crew still standing. He frowned, realising that Catherine's pistol had been silent for some time. He looked worriedly across to the crows nest but could see nothing. "Blow this wreck!" he ordered, swinging back across to the Black Pearl and climbing as quickly as he could. He realised belatedly that he had taken a number of cuts, a stinging cut on his arm hampering his climb. "Kitty?" he called. "Kitty!"
He peered over the edge of the crows nest, fearing what he would see. "Kitty!" Catherine was slumped unconscious, blood welling sluggishly from a hole in her side. Below he could hear Jean Claude shouting for the sweeps to be manned, determined to get them clear of the other ship before she exploded. Jack shouted down to the deck. "Cotton! Bandages t' m' cabin!"
Awkwardly, tenderly, he managed to get her upright. "Theo!" he shouted. "A hand!" His brother-in-law climbed quickly up, gasping in shock. "She'll be alright," Jack assured him. "Help me get her down..."
Between the two of them they managed to man-handle her down to the deck, Jack picking her up and carrying her to his cabin. James Norrington looked in horror at the blood, although most of the crew carried some form of injury. "Loose th' sails!" Jack ordered, "an' man th' sweeps!" Already the two frigates were closer than he liked and the Black Pearl lurched into motion as the sweeps bit into the water, propelling her rapidly clear of the other black ship.
Boom!
The false ship exploded as the flame reached the powder store, timbers flying as she split asunder, causing the two naval frigates to veer sharply as debris littered their decks. "Lower the reds!" Jean Claude ordered, "an' run up our flag!" It would not hurt their cause for the Captains of the two frigates to realise that the declaration of red was not intended against them. Once he was sure that they were in no immediate danger from the naval ships he dashed to the main cabin.
"Kitty?" he asked, relieved to see her sitting up and groaning, surrounded by Jack, Theodore, James Norrington, Isaac and Ned Cotton .
"I'm alright," she muttered, batting their hands away. "I banged my head, that's all!" She groaned, clutching her side. "For God's sake, give me some air!"
"Just your head? What about your side?" Jack reminded her, glad to see her conscious.
"Well get the bloody shot out and bandage me up!" she ordered. "The crew will need attention too!"
Jack nodded to Ned, offering her a bottle of rum. She looked at him, paling slightly and shaking her head. "I can't stitch and sew if you get me drunk," she sighed regretfully.
He nodded, understanding. Most of the crew were carrying an injury and Ned Cotton would not be able to cope on his own. "Everybody out bar Cotton," he ordered as Ned crouched down to look at her wound. He smiled apologetically at her as he started to probe for the shot.
"Jesus!" Catherine cried, going white and clutching Jack's arm tightly.
"Yer alright?" Jack asked worriedly.
"Stupid bloody question," she winced, relieved to see Ned hold up the shot. She hissed as he stitched the wound closed, wrapping bandages tightly around her. Smiling he nodded towards the door. "Okay," she gasped as she stood, wobbling as she leaned against Jack. "You're going to have to help me a bit here love," she smiled. "My bag is in the side cabin..."
Jack helped her towards the cabin doors, leaving her propped against the bulkhead whilst he fetched her medical bag. He found her a place on deck where she could sit and work - none of the injuries were life-threatening and the men could come to her.
Only when he was sure that she was coping did he climb up to the quarterdeck, relieved to see that they were pulling away from the frigates. Oran grinned, handing the helm to him. "Get that seen to," Jack ordered, nodding to a cut across his chest. Luckily it was not deep but it would need to be bandaged.
"Aye Captain," he nodded, climbing down the stairs and waiting in line for Catherine's attentions. He smiled as his turn came.
"The things you men do for attention," she teased, resting her hand briefly on his arm.
"We've been through worse Kitty," he reminded her.
"True," she admitted, bandaging his chest. "Alright, you can put your shirt back on... and send Jack down to me - now! He thinks I didn't see that cut on his arm!"
Oran smiled, returning to the quarterdeck. "Kitty wants to see your arm and she said now!"
Jack laughed and climbed down to her so that she could look at his cut. Despite the injuries to the crew they had done well and as soon as they lost the frigates they could circle back to Tortuga and home. "One down," he muttered to himself, thinking of Louis Lact currently languishing in the brig. "One down, one to go!"
You know the routine girls... ta!