Disclaimer: I once owned a very expensive highly collectible Glass Decanter. I loved it and named it George. Then one fateful day I accidentally broke my beloved bottle. laments So I guess it is a good thing I don't own the P.O.T.C. or any of it's characters because I would love them all to ... DEATH.

Chapter 9

Where is Satya?

Jack contemplated what to do about Satya. He figured that if some kind of foul play had happened to her he would have surely heard a scuffle. Satya wasn't one who would have been taken without a fight.

"Guess you lost your leverage." Jack said as he cocked his head and gave Barbossa a fake look of pity. "Lucky for you that I am a man of my word and would be coming back regardless of your threat anyway."

Jack was a little concerned about her even though he didn't let on but he was sure she was ok. She seemed very capable of taking care of herself. With that Jack turned and began to stroll off the Pearl. Just before he reached the exit plank Blackhorn cut him off.

"I will be sending two of my men with you." Blackhorn said in a low voice.

"Havin' your men with me might put a wee damper on part of me personal business I was planning on performing if you get me drift." Jack said giving a wink to Blackhorn.

"I am not concerned with your personal business." Blackhorn said sternly. "Be back in eight hours or I will start killing off the crew and send the rest of my men after you."

Jack couldn't help hide his disappointment not as much at Blackhorn's ultimatum but because his new 'friends' were going to put a definite damper on this afternoons visit to Tortuga.

Tortuga Central

Jack knew he had a limited amount of time to retrieve the Guia a la Recompensa but he knew exactly where he had left it and it wasn't far. He made his way to the 'Blue Dragon', the roughest pub and brothel in all of Tortuga. As he entered the middle of town he took in a deep breath and enjoyed the atmosphere.

"Nothing like it." he said to Gravel, one of Blackhorns men who had accompanied him.

"Nothin' like what?" Gravel asked in his gravely voice, hence the name.

"The unmistakable aroma that is Tortuga." Jack said with a satisfied smile and then entered the pub.

Once in side Jack ordered himself a drink and got one for each of the men as well. Normally he wouldn't have been so liberal spending his money on them but he wanted to keep them occupied when he made his way up to Giselle's room.

"Be just a bit men. Got some personal business to attend to." He said stepping away from the bar and heading up the stairs.

Gravel and his accomplice Skinner started to follow Jack.

Sensing the two men directly behind him Jack turned and whispered. "What I am planning on doing only takes one man if you get my drift."

Gravel and Skinner stared at each other for a moment. "Go on then. We will be waiting for you." Skinner said figuring Jack couldn't escape anywhere out of the windowless upper floor of the brothel. They also had a clear view of any room he entered because all the doors to the rooms were clearly visible from the balcony.

Jack tipped his hat and headed straight up the stairs and to the second door on the left. When he entered he had hoped to see Giselle. This had always been her room and it just so happened was the hiding place of the Guia a la Recompensa. Jack surveyed the small room and seeing that Giselle must be out at the moment he went about counting the boards of the floor. He started from the left wall.

"One, two, three, four, ... ten, eleven, twelve. Ah, this should be it." Jack knelt down to the floor and took out his cutlass and placed the blade between two boards on the floor and began to pry steadily. The board gave way with a little effort. Sure enough, there it still was, the Guia a la Recompensa wrapped in a burlap cloth. He unfolded the cloth and crouched for a moment looking at the compass. It's wooden case really was a fine bit of craftmanship. Two swords crossed over a gold medallion were etched on the lid and inlayed with gold. He stuffed the compass into his coat pocket and replaced the floorboard. He was about to leave when a woman with fiery red hair entered the room.

"Giselle?" Jack said squinting his eyes in the poorly lit room.

"Names Tabitha luv." The woman said sauntering over to him. "Giselle and I share this room. She is busy lending her services to another sailor at the moment."

Tabitha moved closer to Jack backing him deeper into the room in the direction of the bed. "Wouldn't happen to know when she'd be returning?" Jack said nearly tripping over the throw carpet.

"Don' expect 'er back for some time luv." She said giving him her most sultry eyes. She quickly stepped behind him and turned to lift her leg onto the bed to block his retreat.

"Now, don't get me wrong luv. I would love to bed ye but I kinda been working myself up to have me cannon aimed to fire in another port. Savvy?"

Not seeming to listen Tabitha pushed him back onto the bed and crawled on top of him. Just then the door burst open. It was Giselle. "Damn woman, are ye stealing my tricks now too ya bloody whore?"

"Who you calling a bloody whore you rampant slut." Tabitha yelled sitting back up into a straddling position on Jack.

"Now girls, no need to be fighten'. There is plenty of Captain Jack to go around." He said getting slightly turned on by the woman fighting.

Giselle stepped forward. "Jack!"

"Aye, luv, just who I was waiting for. Funny thing really. I was just explainin' to
Tabitha here that I was hoping you'd be here." He said from his position still pinned below Tabitha.

"Looks that way." Giselle said sarcastically. She furrowed her brow and strode across the room and picked up a bottle off the dresser and hurled it at Tabitha. The bottle missed and broke against the wall. Tabitha jumped off of Jack and grabbed a chair sitting next to the bed and ran after Giselle and tried to hit her with it. Instead the chair careened off the wall . The women continued to throw insults and other items at each other. Jack was doing his best to dodge most of the items from their war. He found himself having to crawl to the door of the room trying to escape the onslaught. When he had almost reached the door he ran into a pair of shoes partially hidden by a brown robe. He followed the brown fabric up to see it was that of a hooded robe of a Cleric of England.

"Now I have seen everything." he said standing to his feet just as a bottle of perfume came flying at his head. In one quick motion the cleric reached out and grabbed the vile before it struck Jack on the head.

Jack's eyes widened in amazement as he examined the outstretched hand still holding the vile. The robed figure pulled back it's hood. It was Satya.

"I have been wondering where you made off to mate." A look of relief poured over Jack's face.

Satya took in the spectacle in the room and looked at Jack with a raised eyebrow.

"A man's got needs luv." Jack said a little embarrassed to be in the same room with two woman without being in bed with either of them. "What are you doin' dressed like that anyway?"

The two women in the mean time had stopped fighting long enough to notice that another woman had entered the room. They converged on Satya to include her in on their ensuing argument.

Both women reached her at the same time hell bent on ripping her to shreds. Satya, in one fluid motion grabbed them both by the hair and knocked their heads together. Giselle and Tabitha oozed down to the floor.

"Luv, what did you go and do that for? Your really starting to come between me and a hard place. Savvy?" He said getting very irritated.

Satya opened the door a crack and looked out into the crowd and spotted Gravel and Skinner still waiting at the bar below. She turned to Jack and pointed first to Skinner and Gravel then to Jack taking her finger and using it as a pretend knife motioning cutting his throat.

Jack put his hand on his throat and stepped away from Satya. "They are figuring to kill me eh?

Satya nodded pleased that she didn't have to go into the whole story. She hated lengthy explanations. Reaching beneath her robe she pulled out a second one and handed it to Jack.

"I won't even ask where ye got these." Jack said putting on the robe and pulling the hood down low over his face.

They nodded to each other and peeked out the door together.

"When the opportune moment presents itself luv, I will signal for us to go. Savvy?" Jack whispered into her ear.

Satya nodded and they both stood there waiting. Satya bent forward so that Jack could see as well. He instead took a minute to take in her posterior that looked good even partially hidden by the robe. He reached out in a gesture as if to grab at her backside with both hands but thought better of it and joined Satya in her watch. When both Gravel and Skinner had turned to talk to an attractive patron that had walked by Jack goosed Satya signaling that they needed to make their move. The pair walked slowly down the stairs trying not to attract any more attention than they were already. Being dressed that way in a pub in Tortuga was a bit odd of course. This wasn't a completely unknown site in these parts though as the English were always sending priests and whatnot to convert the local ravel.

Satya and Jack slipped through the crowd and past the two agents still talking to the woman at the bar. They stepped out onto the street and rushed to the outskirts of town. When they were some distance from the pub and saw they weren't being followed the two stopped for a moment to collect their thoughts.

Since Jack now knew Blackhorn wasn't planning on fulfilling his end of the bargain Jack figured he was unbound by his word as well. Even though the trade was no longer legitimate Jack knew he had to act quickly and formulate a plan to get his new ship and his crew back. Hell, he was a pirate after all and it never did feel right getting the vessel without properly commandeering it anyway.

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