Yet again, usual disclaimers apply throughout this tale. If you recognise it, it probably belongs to the Mouse – else it is mine!

Chapter 32 – Battle Joined

The Santa Rosa never stood a chance, sandwiched between the Black Pearl and the Leochek as their cannonballs slammed into her. One found the powder magazine and the ship blew asunder in a spectacular explosion, not even giving the quartermaster a chance to defend the ship against boarders. Captain Marra winced as she saw crew from the Black Pearl rowing through the wreckage, searching for survivors. Shots rang out, just six shots. Few crew had survived the explosion but no survivors remained alive for long. Jack Sparrow had been right. It was a war, which would worsen if more scum like Francis Bailie arrived. It was a war, pirate against pirate, in which Jack feared pirates would have to side with the English Navy if they were to have any hope of survival.

It was a fear he had to face earlier than he had hoped. Late in the following afternoon they saw a ship, a English Navy ship, fleeing for its life from the Blessed Mae. It was the Resolute! Theodore blanched on recognising his own ship. "Jack!" he shouted.

Jack did not stop to think, luckily, for if he had then he would probably have thought about sailing in the other direction. "Ready th' guns!" he ordered. "Prepare t' fire on th' Blessed Mae!"

Some of the crew muttered about firing on the pirate ship and not the Resolute, but Joshamee Gibbs weighed in, voice raised and angry. "Captain said to give the Resolute every assistance, so hop to you scurvy dogs!"

Captain Marra seeing the activity on the Black Pearl, ordered her own guns readied. The Black Pearl cast a warning shot across the bow of the Blessed Mae, the Leochek's shot echoing the first having correctly guessed his intention. The Blessed Mae veered southwards, away from the advancing ships and, being faced with two ships firing upon her, turned tail in retreat and fled.

Jack did not give chase. "Let 'em go," he ordered, running up a truce flag below their black pirate flag and drawing close to the Resolute.

Theodore waved to his crew. "Jamie!" he shouted to his steward. "Jamie! Haul us together!"

Jamie Trustwall, steward to Captain Groves stared in disbelief at him from across the short distance between ships. "Captain Groves?" he gasped.

"We're coming over Jamie – prepare for friendly boarders!" Theodore hollered.

Theodore swung across the short distance first, to smooth any potential problems. He shouted to Captain Marra to join them and the three ships were soon lashed together. The three captains, Catherine and the Turners gathered in the main cabin of the Resolute, which had taken quite some damage. Assuming command of the meeting, Theodore nodded to Jamie to report.

"It was the Blessed Mae, Captain… she attacked Port Royal early yesterday morning. Fort Charles was near destroyed and the town took a terrible battering. Some of us managed to fight our way out to the Resolute and get her out of the harbour, but Bailie sent the Blessed Mae after us. The Dauntless didn't even get out of the harbour – she's destroyed Captain!" Jamie looked near to tears, shocked to the core by the attack. "We couldn't fight them, Sir, we have got barely enough crew on board to man the sails..."

"That's all right, Jamie. You did far better than you could possibly know against scum like Bailie. Do you know if anyone else escaped?" Theodore asked worriedly. The news of the loss of the HMS Dauntless had stunned him and even the two pirate captains looked staggered.

"Some men were trying to get the women and children to safety, but most stayed behind to fight." He paused, gulping. "They were slaughtered, Sir, slaughtered…" His eyes filled with tears as he looked at Theodore in shock and disbelief.

"My father?" Elizabeth asked fearfully. "And the Commodore?"

"I don't know, Mistress Turner. I did not see either. Perhaps they managed to escape, I don't know, sorry." Jamie Trustwall shuddered.

Theodore turned to the others. "Captain Sparrow, Captain Marra – your thoughts please."

Jack leaned back in the chair, feet on the table. His pose was relaxed, but his face wasn't. His hand reached to his shoulder, grasping Catherine's hand firmly as she stood behind him. "Women an' children first mate, women an' children first. If anyone is left alive in Port Royal then Francis Bailie has a use for them, but he will hunt those that fled to stop 'em telling tales. Gimme a map…"

Jamie Trustwall darted to get a map of Jamaica, glad to be taking some kind of action.

"Here?" Captain Marra questioned, leaning across the map of the island and studying it intently. "If they were fleeing then… Morant Bay! We could harbour there and work westwards?"

"Mmmm, Cow Bay would be too close. Yallah's Bay?" Theodore frowned.

Elizabeth interrupted. "If I was fleeing pirates then I'd head inland, not along the coast. The coast means ships and ships mean pirates…" She faltered, not sure of their response as the others looked at her.

Jack, however, smiled. "I forget to think like a landlubber sometimes," he said. He rose, his fingers tracing a straight line inland. "But that would take them across the mountains? Would they risk it?" He looked at Theodore, confused.

Theodore ran his hand through his hair, sighing heavily. "It could be either, or both - we don't know. But I think the townspeople would be more likely to flee along the shore, despite the pirates. The elderly and young would not manage the mountains. We'll anchor in Yallah's Bay and search along the shore."

The decision reached, the captains rose to leave, but Theodore cleared his throat. "Captain Marra, Captain Sparrow, I will obviously be staying with the Resolute…" he paused, "but I was wondering if I could borrow some of your gunners? On a merely temporary measure, you understand?"

Jack could not believe his ears. "I'll ask 'em, long 's yer promise to give 'em back without hanging 'em first," he smiled. Andrea Marra smiled too.

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