Interceptor watched as Pearl rummaged through the harbor, gathering anything of value she could find. Stores upon stores of ammunition for one. She had never carried so much firepower before. She didn't even pause to answer his questions. "Pearl, Kingston is not the place to go. I know he's your son but after Port Royal and the defeat of the Armada, they're stepping up patrols around Kingston. It's more warships than merchants there, and mostly man-o-wars. It's too dangerous!" he pleaded. "I am not leaving him there a moment longer." She replied, tossing him crates of ammo. "Well I'm not leaving you to do this yourself. But this is suicide. He may be the one that kills you!" "I have to try." "They have our faces plastered up all over the city. They'll know it's us." "Then we'll need to don disguises." She said.
48 hours later found them both just outside the entrance to the city. Pearl could hardly disguise her black hull but pristine white sails billowed in the breeze. Interceptor too had altered his appearance, dropping the vibrant red for a more natural shade of oak. "Not sure new sails and paint will do much to disguise our designs and eye color. This is beyond dangerous." Interceptor growled. "Just keep your head down and think of some ridiculous accent to use." Pearl replied. He watched a frigate sail by, trailed by two brigs. Judging by the marines on deck and the finely dressed officers, there was no mistaking these as warships. Maestro's logbook did not lie. There were more warships here than merchants. "Keep your head down and your wits about you." Pearl whispered. "If we're stopped, let me do the talking." "I'll act a mute if we're stopped." he nodded. Fortunately, the British assumed the pair were just merchants slipping into Port Royal to restock on their way to some port in the Colonies. "How's that going to work? He's going to shoot you if he finds out you're a pirate, which he will if you tell him who you are. So how is a diversion going to work?" Interceptor sighed. "You're going to make one and draw a majority of the vessels aside." Pearl replied. "Okay but Pearl, how is that going to stop HIM from killing you?" "It won't but his sister might. Of the two Passionate had just enough time with me to imprint. So we find her first. This is a common stopover for British ships on the slave trade." "Let's hope she's soon due. Otherwise we'll be waiting months for her to return." "She is. Call it mother's intuition."
Pearl was right. A few hours later, Passionate sailed in. "You're a witch, Black Pearl." the brig murmured. Passionate was escorted by two schooners. Pirates had been intercepting and freeing the slaves, something the British Empire was keen to prevent. "They don't call me that black devil for nothing." Pearl grinned, eyes fixated on her daughter. "As soon as night falls we move in." "You might actually pull this off. If we are able you slip in, take two of their largest vessels, and slip out, all undetected? It'll be the bamboozle of the bloody century." "Way better than sacking Nassau without firing a shot." Pearl agreed.
When darkness fell, Pearl used her dark colors to sneak in. She got up close to her resting daughter. "Psst. Passie! Psst!" She whispered as loud as she dared. The double decker frigate woke with a start. "Huh? Birch, is that you?" she yawned. "Over here." Pearl hissed again. "Quietly." "If that's you again, Corona, I'm gonna beat you with my spanker again." she growled, hauling herself up and approaching Pearl. Pearl was close to the rocks but she moved out into a bit more light, facing her daughter. "It's nice to finally meet you, Passionate." She tilted her head. "You know me, and you seem somewhat familiar, have I met you before?" "A long time ago. You were just a shipling. I, cannot apologize enough for not coming to you sooner." "You have me mistaken. My mother was, regrettably, a pirate, and was burned to the keel when I was too young to remember. You must be thinking of Royal Passion, she takes the route up in Boston." "I know who I'm looking for." Pearl replied, moving into the light more. The full moon shown on her black hull directly, revealing the scars that only a deep burning could produce. Passionate backed away slightly, turning pale. "Y-you're a ghost. My mother is...my mother is dead." "I'm very much alive Passionate, feel." Gently she grabbed and guided one of Passionate's rigging lines to her side, allowing her to feel the pulse of life within her. She gave a light, sob choked gasped as her eyes quickly swelled with tears. "Mother...? How...? How can this be...?" she whispered. Pearl cradled her. "So many years I've searched for you. And now to find you. You've grown to be a beautiful lady." "But you knew where I was when you left...where we both were...why didn't you come back? You left us at the hands of that cretin, Alexander!" "When I was burned, I had to use methods to return me to health that weren't exactly, Christian. Essentially I sold my soul and spent 13 years trying to win it back. And then Beckett came along… Every chance I had to come and find you, I got roadblocked. It was as though the entire Royal Navy was keeping me from you." "13 years...was it worth missing us grow up? While you were out robbing and murdering good, honest men, we were being raised in an orphanage run by the Navy, was that worth it? You're a pirate! " "No." Pearl turned away. "I am a pirate, I won't ever try to deny that nor change it. Its my life. That said, there was not a day that went by that I didn't wonder what might have been if I had the chance to raise you. I would stop and think, what are Passionate and Prince doing now? I know Alexander was undoubtably cruel to you but I had hoped your grandmother would've shown him some restraint. At least, that's what I convinced myself when I thought about going after you. The bottom line is leaving you there was wrong. And if you want to hate me for it then you can." "I don't hate you, but I certainly need some healing before I can just open up to you again. But Prince...mother, he'll kill you without second thought. Alex trained him to be a pirate hunter, and he's damn good at it. He hides in the southeast, in the Triangle, staying in that cursed fog bank that never seems to vanish, ambushing anything that is an enemy of Great Britain. He's quite the name for himself. The Spanish call him El Barco Fantasma..." "That's why I came to you. You're the only one who can, talk to him. It's obvious why I'm here now. I want you to come with me. Both of my children to come with me." "I can't just leave, this is my life! Maybe it's free out where you live but this is all I've ever known. The service gave me a second chance, and treats me well, and I don't want to leave it. Prince is even more dug in. He's a legend! All the girls want him, he's bloody rich, and is of high rank. Christ, he's so rich he keeps 20,000 Reales on him at all times! He'll never want to give up the life." "At least it is a free life. Prince is no better off in the service than the people you transport. It may not seem like it but its true. I was the daughter of a flagship. I had everything I thought I could ever want in the Royal Navy, until I saw it for what it truly was. Please Passionate. I can't leave my life behind, they'd kill me if they knew I was here. If you and Prince stay in the Royal Navy there's a good chance Alexander will kill you both. I don't care how popular Prince is."
Pearl prayed her daughter would see reason. And apparently the ancients had a sense of humor because that's when Interceptor triggered his distraction. It woke every ship in the harbor up instantly. The explosion at the powder docks could be heard two miles away, and Interceptor was already racing out of port, the Jolly Roger flapping gallantly from his mast. "That's my honey." Pearl grinned, turning to follow. "You better be coming because I'm not leaving without you and your dear brother and his pals will be on us soon." "I don't have much of a choice now that everyone sees you talking to me, and will see you joining up with him! Damn you, Black Pearl! Let's go!" Passionate hissed, setting full sails. Her black, dark blue, and purple color palette was absolutely breathtaking, especially when she was at full sail. Pearl laughed and followed close behind. The three silhouetted perfectly against the burning port behind them.
