I do not own potc
Thank you again Black Clarity Flint and also to Captainme, i got this idea from a game i was playing, its like a space flight sim and i played it solid for about a week needless to say i dreamed about it aswell and on the night before i wrote the first chapter i drempt Jack was in it aswell! So thats where i got the idea! Moulin i'm so glad you found this one, i dont know how i could cope without your threateneing and beating me.
From where she lay, Elizabeth could have sworn that she could smell Tortuga even in space. Will had told her enough about it to put her off the whole idea for life but as it was her only chance of getting rid of the blasted tag, then she didn't have a choice. She rolled over to watch Will as he slept beside her, the gentle rise and fall of his chest and soft breath brushing over her cheek. She sighed feeling like and absolute witch for doing this to him. He had never deserved to have to put up with her insistent need for Clorize, yet she honestly didn't think she could live without the stuff, the same way Jack couldn't live without his rum. Pulling herself up she quietly crept out of the cabin and along the narrow dingy corridors towards the stairs that led onto the control deck. Jack's ship was bigger than most but you would have never known inside. The extra space was just more room for narrow passages and extra cabins and gun turrets, not to mention the hold which was big enough to fit a small ship in.
Entering the cockpit she caught sight of Jack slumped in his busted up leather seat, feet resting lazily on the control panel. A bottle of rum clutched in one hand, his fingers rubbing the bottle absentmindedly.
"Jack?" she asked quietly and he swung the chair round on its swivel to face her. Another lifetime perhaps, Elizabeth would found Jack attractive, his dark kohl lined eyes and roguish smile. Shirt always half open revealing a smooth chest, when she had first met him, it was the first thing she had noticed. Even when she'd been pining for Will whilst stuck on some uninhabited planet that Barbossa had marooned then on she'd looked twice at the pirate but in all realisation he was nobody's man and Elizabeth guess he never would be.
"Say what love?" he raised an eyebrow at her and took a mouthful of his rum.
"I just wanted to thank you. I know I shouldn't have burdened you with my problems but there was no other way to get off Caribbean." she lowered her eyes as she blushed, "I wouldn't have trusted anyone else but you to get us out of there." Jack lapped up the compliment as he always did, grinning as his ego grew bigger.
Taking the empty co-pilot seat Elizabeth felt the beginning of a headache form behind her temples. She instinctively reached for her pill and swallowed two or three in one go ignoring Jacks frown as he swung round to face the front window again.
"Are they still following us?" she asked trying to take the edge off the sudden thick atmosphere, Jack nodded and took another swig of his rum.
"Aye, out of reach of their guns right enough but they're still there somewhere." he waved his empty hand behind him. Elizabeth slumped down a little in the chair feeling the welcoming fuzziness penetrate her body. The whole front window was dominated by Tortuga now, it was a tiny planet in relation to most but it held its own. Nobody dared try and claim it as their own and even the United Force had left it be.
"Tortuga Patrol requesting identification." Pearl's mono toned voice warned from the intercom jarring Elizabeth out of her haze. Jack grinned and flicked off the autopilot, taking the stick in his hands and reducing the thrusters as they entered the atmosphere. Above them the intercom cracked into life again.
"This is Tortuga Patrol, please identify yourselves."
"Well I never," Jack answered back still grinning, "Not recognise me yet?" there was soft laugh from the intercom.
"Is that you Jack?" another laugh, "Somebody not killed you yet?"
"No mate, still here."
"Ok landing permission granted, see you when you get down."
Tortuga was fairly casual about who landed but they still had there own patrol to make sure that no police or Navy ships strayed too close, by in large you could land anywhere you wanted but Jack wanted to land in the main patrol base, he didn't trust anybody in Tortuga not to thieve his guns from the outside of his ship.
Elizabeth fastened her seatbelt and dug her fingernails into the tough leather of her seat as the ship began to shudder and lurch thought the man made atmosphere. She squeezed her eyes shut as Jack refused to show any sign of slowing down, he cast her a devilish smile as at the last moment he pulled up and slowed the engines causing the people below a blast of hot wind, scattering hats and papers. Breathing out a sigh of relief she turned to Jack and shook her head.
"I don't think you should drink so much of that before landing." she muttered taking the bottle of rum from his hand. Shrugging, the pirate gently lowered the ship down and unlocked the air locks.
"Pearl wake the lads up, sent out an alert or something." he stood and stretched as the intercoms buzzed into life, bleeping and flashing with red lights. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and followed Jack to the air lock.
"Jack!" a man greeted as they finally stepped out of the Pearl, "I didn't know it was you for sure, we've got some Federal Navy readings on the scanner." Jack nodded at the old man and turned to watch as his confused crew began to filter out of the ship side door.
"Aye, followed me right from Port Royal." he shook his head, "Bold bastererds, didn't think they'd come so far over." The man nodded and held up his hand in a farewell,
"Don't worry Jack, I'll keep a keen eye on that ship of yours,"
"As always Peter." he grinned and turned as Mr Gibbs ambled up beside them.
"What in blazes Jack!" he tucked in a lose flap of his shirt, "Ship's going off on one."
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Tortuga was very still very primitive compared to the rest of the Dover System, there just wasn't enough money to build it up and with no government or owner as such, there was nobody even to organise any modern development. The people and pirates that lived here didn't seen to care much, as long as the whore houses were still open and the bars still served drink everybody was happy.
Jack was beginning to feel as thought he might at last get himself a proper drink and a lady for the evening, if he could just get rid of Elizabeth to the nearest doctor, he would have at least a couple of hours to relieve his man instincts of getting laid.
Finding a doctor was another matter. They trawled the bars asking around but not a soul seemed to have any idea. By the time they got into the final bar, Jack could hardly walk, he had said it was only polite to buy a drink from each bar before asking and now he was suffering.
"Doctor you say?" the barman said at last finishing pouring yet another rum for Jack. Elizabeth nodded and intercepted the glass before it could get into Jack's hand. "I know of a doctor." he continued leaning against the worktop of the grotty little tavern. "What's it worth to me if I tell you." Elizabeth opened her mouth but was cut of as Jack lifted his head of the counter next to her and grabbed the barman by the collar of his shirt.
"Just do the honours and tell us," he slurred, "I have other things to be doing besides wandering about looking for bloody doctors." he let go of the man and sat back down on the stool waiting expectantly for an answer.
"Fourth Street, he'll not answer the door, you'll just need to bust in." Jack held his hands up and thanked the lord that at last he could go and find Giselle or at least Scarlet.
Will led the way, Elizabeth clutched to one of his hands, Mr Gibbs a step behind and Jack staggering somewhere behind him. There! Giselle! At bloody last. Jack straightened and turned to walk towards her, what could possible happen in the twenty steps from him to her.
"Jack!" Gibbs grabbed his sleeve and hauled him back, "Not now man! We need to get the lass seen to before you disappear on us." Jack whimpered slightly as his chance of relief faded away behind him. He cursed himself that he'd even gotten involved in the first place, what ever happened to the quiet life? The thought made him laugh out loud. The quiet life indeed, he would surely rather die than lead a quiet life.