Chapter Eight

The couple started looking for Jack Sparrow at the pearl, when he was not there they began by searching in the numerous bars and taverns that covered the pirate port of Tortuga. Finally they found him in one of them, The Faithful Bride, where he was surrounded by his crew attempting to recruit new members. Jack's first mate, an older man with bushy muttonchop sideburns named Joshamee Gibbs, was sitting at a table trying to entice new potential crew mates, while Jack himself was at a table behind him drinking.

Two people were sharing the table with Jack, one was a tall man with scruffy blond hair, wearing black breeches, brown boots, and a faded green shirt. On Jack's other side was a woman with dark black hair and ocean blue eyes that Will recognized as Keilani, a woman who had bought a sword from him some time ago.

"Because I want it more than you do," the woman was saying.

"What? And I don't want to find this thing?" Jack put on an affronted air.

"Not saying that," Keilani ignored his antics. "Just that it's not what you want most. But right now it's what I want. It's not like I'd keep the thing, you'd get it back."

"That's not my…" Jack started, before spotting Will and Elizabeth. "William! Lizzie!"

"As distractible as a child," the blond man said across Jack to Keilani.

Jack ignored the comment and gestured at the couple to sit down, asking "What brings you two to this lovely little city?"

"We need your compass," Elizabeth stated, not bothering with niceties.

"Why does everyone want me stuff lately," complained Jack.

"I've called dibs," Keilani claimed. "I need it first."

"Does nobody care about poor old Jack?" asked the pirate of the table. He was ignored.

"Why does everyone want your compass?" Will wondered.

"It's a very special compass, you see. It doesn't point north, no, it points to…" began Jack before he was cut off by the blond man.

"This may not be the best place to discuss this," interjected Keilani's first mate, a German born man named Diethelm. "The walls have many ears, after all."

"You're right, perhaps we should this conversation would be better discussed aboard the Pearl," Keilani agreed.

"As long as we have it," Elizabeth said drily.

"Oh, we will. Jack will get no peace until we do," promised Keilani.

Will and Elizabeth were the first to get up and leave, followed shortly by Diethelm. Not long after there was a commotion at the table were Gibbs was recruiting potential seamen.

"My story? It's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind," drawled the man. He wore what had once been a fine navy officers uniform but was now a dirty mess, his once pristine wig of office still sat on his head below his tricorn hat but the curls had come loose and it was now streaked with dirt, the mans brown hair was visible as well.

As the man spoke, Jack looked up nervously and stopped playing with his highly sought after compass. He quickly plucked a branch off the potted plant randomly sitting nearby and tried to sneak away.

"I chased a man across the seven seas. The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life," the man stole Gibbs's rum and took a swig.

"Commodore?" questioned the first mate, only now identifying the disheveled officer.

"No! Not anymore! Weren't you listening?" snapped the once proud officer. "I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would have, if not for that hurricane."

"Lord, you got caught in that," Gibbs remarked, aghast.

"So, do I make your crew, or not?" asked James Norrington, with thinly veiled anger.

"You haven't said where going. Somewhere nice?" he snapped, tipping the table and the first mate over, before turning, gesturing, and asking sarcastically, "So am I worthy to serve under captain Jack Sparrow?"

"Or should I just kill you now?" the former officer asked, as he pulled his pistol on the captain.

Jack ducked behind a support beam and the pistol followed him to either side several times.

"You're hired," the captain stated, mostly to save his own skin.

"Sorry," drawled James, "Old habits and all that."

Before he could get the shot off, another man grabbed his arm and forced it upwards, and another new recruit jumped on him to defend their new captain. The bullet ricocheted of one of the metal light fixtures and smashed into a bottle of alcohol as the man tried to take a swig. Like a powder keg ready to blow, the whole place immediately erupted into chaos. There was fighting and screaming, bottles were smashed, along with furniture, one man was thrown from the balcony into the crowd below. The band, however, continued to play uninterrupted.

Jack and Gibbs were quick to make their escape in the chaos. Keilani, the last remaining member of the group, choose to join the fight. She drew her sword, and although she did not aim to truly injury anyone, proved it was more than a decoration as she knocked out anyone who tried to fight her. Despite being clearly drunk, James proved he was still dangerous as he too defended himself against the people who tried to fight him. Simply through the pushing of the crowd, the two soon ended up with their backs on either side of the same support pole.

"Come on than! Who wants some?" snapped out the drunk officer. "Form an orderly line, I'll have you all one by one. Come on!"

The drunk idiot's going to get himself killed thought Keilani, so she followed the best option available to her and grabbed the bottle from James's hand, whacking him hard over the head with it and knocking him out. That's not gonna help the hangover.

The drunken crowd were quick to gather up the helpless man and thrown him out into the mud of a nearby pigpen. While the crowd was just as hasty about returning to the tavern, Keilani remained outside to help the fallen officer.

About an hour later, Keilani rejoined the rest of the group near the Pearl, with the former commodore following behind her, much to Will and Elizabeth's surprise. Once they stopped walking, James threw up the rum he had been drinking, although everyone ignored this.

"About the compass," Elizabeth turned to Jack with a one track mind.

"Dibs," Keilani quickly reminded the group about her prior claim to the artifact in question.

"We need it to get a Lord Cutler Beckett to rescind our death warrants," Will explained.

"Warrants achieved for saving you," Elizabeth reminded the captain.

"Blech," Jack made a face and a disgusted noise at the mention of Beckett.

"He wants to trade these letters of marque for your compass," Will explained, handing the letters over to Jack.

"So, we need your compass to save our lives, because we helped you," Elizabeth reminded the captain again.

Jack paused than his eyes light up with an idea, "Is that what you really want? Because I'd think you want a way to get Beckett off you for good. And what he really wants is something called the amulet of Kapo. Which, according to legend, is enchanted. Said to control gods themselves."

"And you see, this compass," Jack continued "is unique."

"Unique here having the meaning of broken," James interjected sarcastically.

"True enough, this compass does not point north," agreed Jack.

"Where does it point?" asked Elizabeth, curious.

"It points to thing you want most, in this world," Jack drawled out dramatically.

"It just so happens that my associate here also wants more than anything to find said piece of shiny jewelry as well," Jack gestured at Keilani. "If you allow us we will find this trinket and bring it to you."

"Why do you want it?" Will asked the young woman.

"It's actually a family heirloom that was stolen ages ago from my aunt. But she would understand giving it away in this circumstance," Keilani stated.

"A magic compass, that points to whatever you want most and jewelry that lets you control gods. You can't actually believe that?" scoffed James.

"You look bloody awful. What are you doing here?" questioned Sparrow.

"You hired me. I can't help it if your standards are lax," James said drily.

Keilani snickered openly, while Diethelm turned his laugh into a cough. Jack glared at the two younger individuals.

"No I didn't" Jack refuted, blatantly lying.

"Jack," Keilani said sharply. "He needs a job, you need people. Besides, unlike the dregs you usually find, this one actually knows what the hell he's doing."

"Hey, I know what I'm doing," Gibbs claimed, offended.

"Not you," Keilani waved her hand in shushing motion at Jack's trusted first mate, before turning her attention back to Jack himself. "Besides, you owe him."

"How'd you figure that?" Jack questioned.

"When ya got your ship back, and they took off with it. You was going to be hung, only reason they didn't catch ya is because the good commodore gave you a head-start," Keilani defended her position.

"Blah," Jack made a face.

Keilani just stared at him, and when he said nothing continued to stare. After several long seconds, Jack looked away.

"You're too much like your mother," claimed the pirate.

Keilani continued to stare.

"Alright! Fine, he can come aboard," Jack gave in. He turned to the former commodore, "Don't expect a free ride, ya' gotta work like everyone else."

"Where will be during all this? It's not like we can go home," Will wondered.

"Since I'll apparently be with Jackie on the Pearl, you both can stay on my ship, the Rambler there. You'll have to help out of course, but Diethelm and the crew can take care of you," Keilani offered.

"Like Kei said, you'd have to help out with what you can, but we can keep you safe," Diethelm confirmed.

"And we have your word you'd bring this item back?" Elizabeth questioned Jack.

"Of course," the captain said, tucking the letters of marque into his coat, an action unnoticed by Will and Elizabeth.

"And mine," Keilani added.

"Okay than, we'll follow your plan," Will agreed.

Diethem and Keilani discussed their plans quickly before Diethelm led the couple over to the Rambler to find them space. Jack and Keilani boarded the Black Pearl.

"Welcome aboard, former commodore," said Pintel, a short balding man who was one of Jack's main crew, throwing a goat at the man to carry on board. Ragetti, a tall thin man with one wooden eye, followed them aboard. Pintel and Ragetti were considered a package deal, you would never find one without the other.