Chapter 2: Acts of Piracy I
Commodore Jack Sparrow sat in his cabin, enjoying the newfound power at his disposal; the Elizabeth- an Interceptor size ship; the Britannia- a ship in between the Interceptor and Dauntless; and the Black Pearl, his pride and joy, and the largest ship in the Caribbean.
Commodore Jack Sparrow. It has a nice ring to it, but it seems a bit odd, he thought to himself.
He and his fleet were at port in Tortuga. His friends Will, Elizabeth, and John Depp were in the town, visiting the senior William.
John was probably enjoying the warm weather. It was actually rather cold for a Caribbean night, but he thought it was absolutely balmy. Jack supposed that being in the Arctic area for about 10 years would do that to a person.
He would have gone ashore and found some pleasurable company as most of the men had, but he'd stayed behind with Gibbs, Cotton and AnaMaria. Their reasons were that; first, Gibbs was too old for that garbage; Cotton was unable to speak save for the damned parrot, which found it funny to suggest that poor Cotton had some wildly absurd cases of venereal disease; and lastly, Ana was more interested in remaining on her ship, the Britannia.
Jack's reason, though, was something else. Every time he fell asleep lately, there was a hauntingly familiar voice in his dreams saying something he could not understand. He could not place the voice either, though the sounds of it always made his blood boil. He'd wake up in cold sweats, which tended to offset the company a little.
So he sat in his cabin, feet up on his table, hoping he wouldn't fall asleep, when Gibbs rushed into the room. "Cap'n," he managed to say, panting for breath.
"Easy there, mate, try breathing."
"What's that?" He apparently hadn't heard him, so Jack explained.
"Breathing. It's this thing humans do. They inhale, pulling rich air into their lungs, which helps keep them alive and energized. It really is quite an experience, mate. You should try it sometime."
"Aye, I'll keep that in mind," his old friend said sourly.
"Now, what's all this commotion about?"
"There's a ship at dock here," Gibbs began.
"A rare occurrence, indeed; an excellent reason to rush in and interrupt your new commodore's rest," Jack said sarcastically.
"Their captain wants to talk to you."
"Well, knowing who I am, that's not a surprise."
"You know, it's a wonder this ship stays afloat with the sheer size of your ego."
"Good will of God, probably," Jack said, unfazed by the dig. "Why should I talk to him?"
"Because, Commodore Sparrow." A man stepped into his cabin from behind Gibbs, keeping his face out of the light until he stepped into it. Jack attempted to not allow his face to betray emotion, though his eyes went wide as saucers and his traitorous feet fell to the floor in surprise.
The figure was in a blue coat, with several gold bands on it, a fine tricorn hat, and had a box under his left arm. His right hand held a pistol, aimed squarely at Gibbs. He wore no wig. His face was darkly tanned and had a scar down it that suggested a sword battle, though the eyes were starkly familiar. "Because, Commodore Sparrow, I have a business proposition for you," James Norrington said.
"Really? What's the Royal Navy's James Norrington, the Admiralty, want with a humble pirate like me? Congratulations, incidentally. Would you mind putting that pistol away? Gibbs is somewhat valuable."
"Alright." Norrington placed his pistol in his holster, and pulled out a chair across from Jack, sitting down and setting his box on the table.
"So, what's this proposition of yours?"
Norrington took off his hat, revealing his brown hair, and threw it perfectly, getting it on top of the rack where Jack's own coat and hat hung. He placed his own feet up on the table, and slid the box across the table to Sparrow. "Open the box."
Intrigued, Jack studied it. It was black, not quite the right dimensions to hold a sword, and had intricate designs on it. He opened it to reveal a dark blue flag.
"My crew and I have an interest in signing on. The Dauntless is berthed just down the way. My crew is manned with people that have decided with me that the benefits of piracy sound far better than those of the Navy. Plus the fact that we've already collected a fair bit of loot, and our ship flies a pirate flag." He paused to observe Jack's features, which were priceless. "Well? Interested?"
Jack was quiet. This flag represented a rear admiralty on board the ship that flew it. And Norrington was offering it to him-plus the Dauntless. A smile spread across his tanned face. "The Admiral Jack Sparrow has such a lovely ring to it. Certainly better than Commodore Sparrow."
"So I can take that as a yes to my crew?"
"You may. On your way, James." That was that-James Norrington and company now flew under the colors of Admiral Jack Sparrow.
"Well, would he hear our proposal, sir?"
"He did. We are officially pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Parker."
"Well, would he hear our proposal?"
"Afraid not, Jack. Seems Bootstrap's had enough of the sea," Depp informed him.
"Well, after walking back to land from the bottom of the sea, I daresay he's every right to it."
"So who was the man in the coat that just walked off the ship? And what's that box?" Will spoke, stepping forward.
"That was one James Norrington, and this," he opened it, "is the flag of Rear Admiral. Has a nice ring to it, does it not? The Admiral Jack Sparrow?"
All Will could do was stare.
