Cursed disclaimers!

With thanks to MarzBar, Rowenablue, Ducky, Chelsey, Hils, Mrs Depp, Mab (welcome! And thanks Hilly!), Lip Butter (faints!), A Depp Girl, RosePearl and Miss Sophia.

Chapter Twenty-one: 'Quietly does it, Captain Malster… or should I say Captain Farrier?'

The following evening

'Be careful,' Jenny worried as she kissed Jack on the cheek. 'Don't take any risks.'

'I won't,' he assured her, kissing her forehead then nuzzling the top of Joshua's as he lay in his mother's arms. 'Keep them safe,' he instructed the men on guard duty. 'Anyone suspect, kill them, no questions, savvy?'

'Don't worry,' Shay nodded. 'No-one will get past my house, let alone this far up.'

'You ready?' Jack enquired of Luke, Pauly and Davy.

'As we'll ever be,' Davy grinned. 'I can't wait fer this spyin' lark.'

'It isn't a lark, Phillips,' Jack growled. 'If I think that, you're not takin' this seriously enough…'

'I do, I do,' the crewman hurriedly assured his captain. 'Sorry…'

'Come on,' Luke urged, excited in spite himself. He had been surprised when Jack had named him for the mission, but had to admit to looking forward to it. It had been a while since he had seen any action of any kind.

'Good luck,' Patience called as the four men left the house.

'I just hope fer once, Jen's wrong,' Jack muttered more to himself.

'But you have a feeling that she isn't,' Luke replied, falling into step beside him as dusk drew in.

'Aye,' the pirate captain sighed. 'A soddin' dreadful feeling.'

Billy Wheeler eagerly accepted yet another mug of ale as it was pressed into his hands, nodding his thanks for the congratulations for his forthcoming 'nuptuals.' He glanced around the crowded bar, glad to see a number of unfamiliar faces amongst them, including Henry Malster. Jack had been worried that he would just have sent his men to the party without attending himself.

'You're Black Pearl crew, aren't you?' Malster asked as Daniel Woods passed by with an empty pitcher.

'Aye, Cap'n Malster,' he nodded. 'Can I get yer a drink?'

'No, I'm fine thanks,' the older man smiled. 'Where's yer captain an' the rest of yer crew?'

'Some of th'crew were caught slackin' this afternoon an' th'captain is on board dishin' out their punishment,' he lied. 'Although I reckon missin' a piss up is punishment enough,' he grinned, slapping the pitcher on the bar. 'Fill it up, Rosie, there's a good girl.'

'Aye,' Malster chuckled. 'So Captain Sparrow won't be attendin' then?'

'Oh, aye,' Dan nodded. 'Once he feels th'men have been duly dealt with.'

'I look forward ter seein' him later then,' Malster smiled, clapping Dan on the back as he moved past him.

'Times like this, I wish I was still cursed an' could walk under water,' Jack sighed as he and the others waited none too patiently in the ships boat which was moored to the Pearl, ready to row the short distance across the harbour to Malster's ship, Voyager.

'You are joking?' Luke spluttered. 'There's no such thing as curses… is there?'

'Pity you can't go an' ask Governor Norrington if there's such things as curses,' Jack chuckled.

'Y-you were cursed?' Pauly gasped, his eyes wide in horror.

'Fer a time,' Jack nodded, jumping as a loud boom reverberated across the water. 'Guess we go,' he grinned, grateful that the waiting was over.

Pauly and Davy took up the oars and stroked them carefully through the water, so as not to draw any attention to themselves, although with the barrage of shots being fired from the two 'warring' pirate ships, it was highly unlikely that anyone would hear their approach.

'Good job they're firing blanks,' Luke observed as yet another boom sounded.

'I hope they're firin' blanks,' Jack laughed. 'Easy does it, lads,' he urged as the neared their destination.

George Farrier looked around the brawling bar room anxiously, dodging as someone swung a punch at him. 'Something's not right,' he thought to himself. 'It's almost as if…as if the guns were a signal.' A small part of his mind had thought it strange that the brawling started almost as soon as the sound of a ship's gun reached the tavern but he had not had time to ponder it fully thanks to having to defend himself from fighting men. But now he found himself backed into an empty booth, save the tavern's whores who were taking refuge from the fighting. He took a chair and hurled it through a window, scrambling out. 'Get to the ship,' he told himself, running hard down the street towards the docks, praying that he would not lose any men. He could not afford the loss, with some of his crew taking the captured pirate ship back to Port Royal, leaving him with the bare bones to sail HMS Adventurer.

Pauly Wilson took the mooring line and tied it around the rudder chain, well above the water line, then the four men carefully climbed up until they reached the stern windows of the captain's cabin.

'Break th'window on my mark,' Jack ordered Davy, waiting until he saw a flash from the muzzle of one of the fighting ship's cannons. 'Now!'

Davy smashed through the window, the sound of the cannon fire masking the sound of breaking glass, and he felt about for the latch inside, opening the window and scrambling in, looking around in case there was someone in the cabin. 'All clear,' he hissed, moving so that his cohorts could join him.

'Search for anythin' that suggests they're Navy,' Jack whispered, fearful of the crew on the main deck, just beyond the cabin doors. 'Or just anythin' that looks suspicious, savvy?'

The four men tried various chests and trunks in the dim light of the cabin, cursing occassionally to find yet another of them locked.

'What're we goin' ter do?' Pauly asked worriedly. 'We can't get into nothin' at all.'

Jack fished about in his pocket, pulling out a long thin piece of metal. He inserted it into a lock in a large desk in the middle of the cabin, fiddling about until he felt it spring. 'Gotcha,' he murmured, pulling the drawer open and rifling through some papers. He took a bundle of them to the window to get a better look by the moonlight.

'Well?' Luke urged. 'Is there anything amongst them?'

George Farrier panted with exersion as he rowed hard to his ship. He cursed as he looked up at the deck and was unable to see any crewmen on watch. 'Bloody fools are watching the action,' he thought darkly. 'I'll give them plenty of action when I catch hold of them.'

'Captain approaching!' he called as he neared the hull. 'Where are you, you imbeciles?'

'Cap'n?' came a voice from the deck. 'Right here, Sir.'

'Bloody hell,' muttered another, casting an anxious glance at his crewmates. 'We're in for it now…'

'Take this bloody line then,' Farrier shouted, hurling the mooring line to the deck and climbing on board once the boat was secure.

'What the hell is going on?' he demanded, looking from one shamefaced man to another angrily. 'Well?'

'Voices!' Luke hissed.

'Sounds like Malster,' Davy added, making to go back out of the window.

'Hide,' Jack told them coolly. 'I'll deal with Malster…'

'Eh?'

'Do it!' he ordered, hurrying to hide behind the door as he saw a figure approaching the cabin. 'But cover me, just in case.' Jack drew his pistol and cocked it, aiming at the person as they entered the cabin.

'Wha…?'

'Do not make a sound,' Jack warned as the captain of Voyager loomed large in the doorway. 'You're covered from all angles…' He dragged the man into the cabin, nodding at Luke to lock the doors.

'What th'hell are you playin' at, Sparrow?'

'Quietly does it, Captain Malster… or should I say Captain Farrier?' the pirate enquired.

'I have no idea what you are on about,' Farrier hissed, hoping to fib his way out of trouble. 'I'll call my men…'

'Go on,' Jack shrugged. 'There are more of us than there are of you,' he lied. 'You very nearly did it, didn't you?' he chuckled sardonically. 'But this… this changes everything…' Jack held up a letter and waved it in front of Farrier's nose.

'Give that to me!' Farrier blanched as he realised what the letter was. 'It has nothing to do with you.'

'Ah, but it does. You've killed friends of mine, family of my crewmen – it has everything ter do with me.'

'No,' Farrier whispered hoarsly. 'I beg of you…'

'Too late for that,' Jack snapped. 'I have a family to protect and you an' the fuckin' Navy are not goin' to harm them, savvy?'

'I promise not to attack you or your family. I'll offer amnesty.'

'I wouldn't trust your word if you said black was white,' Jack sneered. He grabbed Farrier by the collar and spun him to face the door, his pistol pointing at the naval man's head. 'Luke, open it.'

'Aye, Cap'n,' Luke replied, throwing back the bolts and pushing the door open.

'Nice an' gentle,' Jack growled softly, giving his nemesis a shove with his free hand.

'Captain?' one of the Navy crew gasped as he saw his superior walk slowly out of his cabin with a figure behind him holding a pistol against his head.

'Back off,' Farrier ordered.

'An' drop yer weapons,' Davy added as he and the others came onto the deck, their own weapons drawn.

'Do it,' Jack snapped as the naval men complied and their pistols and short swords clattered to the deck and were quickly gathered up by the pirates.

'Now shoot them,' Jack ordered coolly. The three men looked at their captain in shock, knowing such an order was out of character for him, but they obeyed grimly, despatching the helpless men rapidly.

'There was no need for that!' Farrier gasped.

'Better a quick shot to th'head than what those on shore would have done,' Jack growled as he made for the side, where the ship's boat was moored. 'Phillips, light a torch an'wave it towards shore, show Condent that it is th'Navy.'

'What are you going to do with me?' Farrier demanded, wondering if he would be able to escape somehow when he climbed down to the boat, sighing with bitter disappointment when Pauly Wilson and Luke climbed down ahead of him.

'Never you mind,' Jack snarled, giving him another shove towards the rail. 'Go on,' he urged. 'Get in th'boat.'

George Farrier climbed down with a heavy heart. He had a feeling he knew what Jack had in mind and cursed himself for being too arrogant in thinking he could get away with fooling the pirate.

'What are you going to do with the letter?' he asked once Jack had settled himself in the boat and the crew started rowing to shore.

'Guess?' Jack sneered, patting the pocket where the letter was safely tucked away.

'And my crew in the town?'

'Most probably dead by now,' the pirate captain shrugged. 'Th'torch was a signal ter kill your crew.'

'How?' Farrier worried. 'We have used this method for years and never been caught out – how the hell did you find out?'

'Someone with a very sharp eye,' Jack grinned. 'Saw yer ship as Navy and recognised it when they saw it here.'

'They must know their ships then,' Farrier sighed. 'I commend your crewman,' he smiled sadly.

'I'll let them know,' Jack acknowledged.

'Look, Captain Sparrow, I feel I have come to know you over these past few months, as I asked around about you. You are not a vicious man – let me go, for heaven's sake! You know what they'll do to me,' he pleaded, jerking his head towards the shore.

'I've learned a lot about you,' Jack shrugged. 'I know that you are a past master at deceit and therefore I couldn't trust a word you said, even if I had wanted you to live - which I don't, incidentally. Much as it galls me ter say it, you're good at what you do and I can't have that.'

'Then kill me now and have done with it.'

'Ha! And have the pirate fraternity wanting my guts fer garters? I don't think so…' Jack looked around as they neared the shore, unsurprised to see a welcoming party, with Edmund Condent at the head, waiting for them. 'Ya'd best prepare yourself,' he smiled thinly. 'Perhaps now you know how a pirate feels when he's walkin' to th'gallows…'

'Get th'bastard out!' Condent snarled as they drew alongside the wharf, watching as his men hauled Farrier bodily from the boat and dragged him along the street towards the town.

'What are ya goin' to do with him? Kill him yourself or turn him over to th'mob?' Jack enquired.

'I'll see what information I can find out from him then let the men have their sport. I'll send someone over to th'ship and rifle his cabin.'

'I don't think so,' Jack retorted. 'I took th'ship – it's mine. I'm postin' a watch on board tonight then you an' me can go through his papers tomorrow, savvy?'

'Aye,' Condent sighed, thinking that it had been worth a try. 'I'd better go an' make sure that lot don't get a head start on th'bastard,' he chuckled. 'Good work, Jack. I look forward ter goin' through his effects.'

'See ya tomorrow,' Jack nodded, not wanting to bear witness to the likely violent and gruesome death of the naval captain, preferring to kill a man quickly in cold blood than tear him apart limb from limb. From the amount of blood and gore on the quayside, those ashore had already met their fates.

'You an' Pauly go an' see who ya can round up,' Jack instructed Davy Phillips. 'Make sure they're capable of watch duties, then head back to th'Voyager an' guard it – shoot first, ask later if necessary, savvy?'

'Aye, Cap'n,' the crewman nodded, grabbing Pauly Wilson by the arm and sprinting the way Condent and his men had gone.

'Back home?' Luke enquired, sharing Jack's distaste of what was about to happen.

'Aye,' Jack sighed. 'Fast as you like, eh?'