Pearl led them back to Nassau where Jackdaw was busy finishing with the new harbor defense: aka Maestro. The massive warship grumbled uncomfortably in her spot. She'd been run around on the beach of an island just outside the harbor, with all of her guns shifted to the seaward side. "Not the best position. Would you prefer a beach with some rum?" Pearl teased. She turned to her son. "Jackdaw, there's someone I'd like you to meet." She gestured to Passionate. "Passi, this is your older brother Jackdaw." The pair looked at each other, each displaying an expression of disgust. "Another pirate!" "She's a slaver!" Pearl took step back to allow the siblings to argue as siblings did.

It was ended when they heard Queen Anne's Revenge and Benjamin arguing themselves. "I'm telling you, it's a ruse, the King is just trying to get us to drop our guard so he can retake Nassau, you'll see!" Benjamin hissed. Anne snarled. "It's no ruse, Ben! I heard it straight from the lips of a greasy Bermudan trader! There's a pardon, an offer for any pirate who wants it!" "It's a trap." Pearl whispered, having heard of such things before. Anne looked at her and growled. "Sail with us, Pearl. You too Interceptor, Jackdaw. There's trouble brewing." Pearl sighed. "Anne you can't trust Alex." "I don't. That's why this is concerning news." Anne sighed. Benjamin pitched in again. "Ruse or not, the British are likely to return, with arms no doubt. We'll need a plan. In the absence of any clear ideas I say it's best we lay low. No pirating. Do nothing to ruffle the King's feathers." "Preserving the King's plumage is no concern of mine, Ben!" "It will be when he sends his Fleet to cleanse this island of our residue! Look around you. Is this cesspit worth dying for?" "Aye! It's our Republic. Our idea! A free land for free men, remember? So it's filthy to look at. But it ain't it an idea worth fighting for?" "I can't be sure anymore. When I look back on the fruits of our years of labor, all I can see is sickness...idleness...idiocy." "Not a sunbeam of difference between here and London then, eh?" "Anne is right, Ben." Jackdaw finally cut in, "Taking a wide view, we're not doing so bad out here. There's sun, rum, and leisure as far as the eye can see!" "Aye. Nassau may look fine from a distance, but at it's core, there's a disease I can't stomach." "Sickness can be cured, if you have the right medicines." "But a corpse cannot be reanimated!" Anne hissed dangerously at Benjamin, "I can't believe the shite I'm hearing drop from your lips! Why not take that pardon now, and be done with it?"

"Peace, both of you!" Interceptor finally chirped up, "there's a way to satisfy both ends, if we work together. Find medicines to ease our burdens here, but in a way that doesn't attract the British." "I wager the nearest doctor is sitting pretty in Havanah, not a place I'm eager to go." "What about the Spanish fleet I escaped from?" Jackdaw asked, "They all sank. Surely those wrecks would have some medicines, all sealed up in glass bottles." "You'd need some wreck lines to reach those depths!" "Aye and with some coin, wreck lines won't be hard to come by." "This is a plan I can stand behind. Find medicines without stirring up any trouble." Benjamin nodded as he began to move away, "Just remember, Anne, keep your cannons corked!" "Piss off, Ben!" the frigate snorted, "You three secure some wreck lines. Meet me where that Fleet was hit by the hurricane."

"Whatever we choose to do, we should do it quickly." Britannia said as she came up to them. She had been caring for the wounded and sick and it was beginning to show. Her hull had a slight tremor, the first sign of the fever. Pearl nodded. "Jackdaw, you know the area better than any of us. If Anne can secure us some wreck lines, you can be our guide through that mess." "I'll get some lines myself then we'll head out." Pearl pressed her muzzle to Britannia's, wincing. "Go back to your dock. We'll return soon." She promised. Britannia's blue eyes narrowed, her innate stubbornness kicking in. Pearl looked to Jackdaw for backup. The man o'war was notoriously difficult. And without Long Shadow around, she usually had her own way. "If the healer dies, who can care for the sick? Rest, Britannia." the brig sighed, rubbing up against her and frowning as he felt the heat of her hull. "Go on to your dock, please." Britannia growled and looked as though she was going to argue her case but seeing as the odds were stacked against her she submitted. "Fine." She sighed, turning away. Pearl bit her lip, not pleased to see her give in so easily. "Let's hurry and get these medicines." Interceptor murmured, moving over to the harbormaster to purchase a few wreck lines. They were basically rigging extensions that allowed vessels to rummage through shallow wrecks and crevices. "I never liked wearing these things." Pearl muttered, testing them out. "But beggars can't be choosers." As they set out for the northern waters of the Caribbean, Passionate took up what her name was and began looking after the sick in Britannia's absence./p
p class="MsoNormal"Anne was anchored just northeast of Havanah. "Any luck?" Jackdaw called. "Nothing around these parts, sadly, but there's a few wrecks yonder that haven't been scoured by nothing but crabs and coral." she replied. "We'll have a look. This way, mother." Jackdaw led Pearl and Interceptor roughly a mile east, and dropped anchor. "Down below us now. We're looking for little glass bottles and vials." "Those things will blend in better than a warships camouflage." She warned. Look she did but anything that could've been visible was not. Nothing but sand and rock. Jackdaw did the same and with similar results, but Interceptor managed to pull up a crate from the destroyed aft cabin. However, the contents gave a horrid odor, and was a nasty shade of green. Jackdaw sighed. "Let's get back to Anne. We'll have to come up with a new plan." "Perhaps somewhere else?" Pearl suggested. "Like the Colonies." "I'll talk to her about it." he nodded as they returned. Anne was eager. "Any luck?" "We found a crate hidden beneath a school of sharks. Sadly, the elixir inside is...quite spoiled." "Plague and perish!" Anne hissed, "Will we steal medicines now?" "Remember the pardon. We're to be subtle." Interceptor reminded her. "Says Benjamin, a pirate now too proud to call himself one!" "He prefers caution to cannons." "Caution is nothing without charisma! For if a man plays a fool, it's only fools he'll persuade, but appear to be the devil...and all men will submit." "And would you play the devil?" he asked. She smirked, lighting several fuses along her bowspritspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanto give the appearance she was on fire, but did not care. She eyed Jackdaw dangerously, "It's all a big show. Give your quarry something to fear...some...hellish thing...from a fevered dream! And men will drop to their knees...pleading for their Lord! Before all else! Grrr!" she snapped in Jackdaw's face, causing the brig to jump back in fright. Interceptor smirked. "Looks just fine." "Of course it does." she shrugged, getting out of Jackdaw's face and turning around, "Get Nassau some medicines. Otherwise, I'll handle it myself." "Anne if you're even thinking about going where I think you are..." Pearl warned. She did not want Anne anywhere near Charleston. "Find a better solution, then." she growled. "Come on. We'll figure something out, Pearl." Interceptor murmured. Pearl side and turned away, following her mate. Her thoughts were of Britannia and the others who would only get sicker if they couldn't find anything.

Several days would pass. Jackdaw tried to seek the doctor out in Havanah, but Spanish warships chased him off before he got close. Interceptor attempted Kingston but the British had even more warships in the area since Passionate's 'capture'. Things were getting frustrating. As Pearl, Interceptor and Jackdaw were discussing what to do, they saw Benjamin up ahead, slightly beached and fixing some gashes in his hull armor. Pearl raced to him. "Ben what happened?" She asked. "Anne happened!" he retorted, "Opened fire on a British man-o-war, the pillock!" "What in God's name for?" "She's still searching for medicines, but she's gone mad if you ask me!" "We'll bring her home." "Leave her, she's more trouble than she's worth!" "Like hell I will!" Pearl hissed. "Come on." Interceptor set sail, and the three of them sailed in the direction of distant smoke. Pearl feared the worst. Attacking a man o'war was a great way to get the Royal Navy on your stern. Then chop your bow off if given the chance. And that's exactly what Anne was doing. She was going head to head against a third rate, and she looked as though she was putting up a hell of a fight, but she needed help. Pearl set every sail she dared in the strong breeze, not waiting for Interceptor. "Anne!" She cried. "Help me down this bastard!" the frigate called. She needed to say nothing else as Pearl, Interceptor and Jackdaw flung themselves into the fight, guns blazing. Surrounded and outnumbered, the third rate attempted to break off, but Pearl and Interceptor managed to catch him and down his forward mast. He growled and raised the white. Anne came forward. "If only you had accepted my offer to surrender, you'd not be suffering now." "Suck a muzzle, gobshite! You'll be hanged and sun dried just like those that were in Boston." he spat blood in her face. She growled. "The King's called for a Pardon!" "Heh." the third rate grinned. Anne's reply was a single shot to the head. Jackdaw flinched, and used his rigging to dig through the aft cabins before pulling out a crate. "Well, there's not a lot here, but it'll help Britannia get back up so she and Passionate can help the sick. But the bottles bear a Charles-Towne stamp." "Take those to Nassau...and meet me in Charles-Towne. Two weeks from today." Anne growled. Pearl nodded but she was more than a bit apprehensive of attacking the main outpost in the American colonies. Interceptor nuzzled against her. "We'll make it through this. I promise." "I know. We always do somehow despite the odds."

Despite Anne's efforts Britannia was not willing to except the medicine. " I still have strength in me. I can afford to wait. The same cannot be said for the others." "Passionate needs your help caring for the others. For God's sake, the hunt for medicines is nearly over! Just take these so you can help others long enough for the medicines to get here. Passionate is about to collapse from all the running around she has to do. She hasn't slept in a week." Interceptor sighed. "if someone wasn't so insistent that I stay in my berth, I could help her." She growled, rising. "Take the damn medicine and I wouldn't insist you rest." "No!" Britannia shoved past him, defying his orders to stay in her berth. She snatched the medicine and took it with her. Administering it to another vessel who was so weak all she could do was lie on her side. "Her stubbornness will be the end of her one day." Pearl sighed as she came up beside him. "Let's get up to Charles-Towne, then." he sighed, leaning over to lick his mate. "The sooner we get these medicines, the better off we'll all be." "I know that." Pearl sighed. "But Charlestown is a fortress. It is not a place I am keen on storming." "Let's see what Anne is doing at least. See if her plan is smart for once." Pearl rolled her eyes fondly at that but dutifully followed her mate.

Jackdaw once again joined them, and they met with Anne on a warm night. She was anchored just off the town, three merchants forcefully anchored before her. The fortress was deeper in the swamp. "Are you not loved at home? Not wanted by your friends and families? Or are you bunch just criminals? Hostages for medicines!" she roared out at the town, "These were my only terms." she turned back to the merchants, "But I'm lead to believe that you lot are the fools of Charles-Towne, and I would be better off using your guts for chum and your bones for CHAR!" she hissed in the face of the nearest merchant. "By Christ! This is my predicament...to kill ya...or to press you into my service. It's a decision I'll make hardly, but without remorse." she growled, seeing Pearl, Interceptor and Jackdaw, "Ahoy, you three." "Jesus have you gone insane?" Interceptor hissed, "The whole of the town can see this!" "That's the idea! Out of range but well in sight..." she grumbled, "I sent a party ashore to barter with the governor. That was three days ago. No word, since." "That could mean any number of things, none of them good." Pearl muttered. Jackdaw eyed the swamp. He straightened confidently. "I'll handle it. Give me the night." "Be careful." Pearl begged him. "I will be." he nodded, turning to sail into the swamp. The maze of shallow waters was barely big enough to fit him in, and he had to be careful not to run himself aground. He quietly took out alarm bells all the way to the fortress. It wasn't much for its location, mainly made up of logs and planks. But there were plenty of guards. He overheard two cutters talking. "The Navy are sending vessels over to deal with her. She wants medicines for whatever illnesses her kind have festered. What horrid coffins these pirate ships must be..." "Medicines?" "Aye. I've got it all in my holds under order of the governor but I'm not to hand it over unless ordered to." Bingo. Jackdaw had his target, but before he could strike, a lantern was shown on him. Alarm bells rung throughout, loudly, and Jackdaw was forced to chase the cutter through the swamp...

Anne looked up as Jackdaw returned. "What did you find?" she asked, to which he smiled. "Five crates, and the means to make additional doses." he purred, holding up the papers of how to make the medicines. "There's precious little of that these days." she returned the smile, "Thank you, Jackdaw." "So where are we going to find the stuff to take it?" Pearl asked. "Actually, better question. How are we going to emsteel /emit? We try anything the Royal Navy will be up our sterns!" "We trade for it, legitimately. Getting ingredients is easy. It's the finished product that's harder to come by." Interceptor nodded. "So we'll see you back in Nassau?" Jackdaw asked. Anne bit her lip. "You go on ahead, I've got more business in the north." "You're giving up on us. On Nassau." Jackdaw sighed. Anne growled. "Look lad. I'm late into my fourth decade on this Earth. If I don't find a way to make the fifth a quiet, and cozy voyage...then I'd rather sink to the devil's doorstep, than call myself a pirate another year." "Anne of all ships…" Pearl whispered, stunned at what she was hearing. She nuzzled her. "Well I hope you find what you're looking for." "Thank you. And I hope you do as well. Nassau still has hope. And it's better off with you. Farewell." She murmured. She looked to Jackdaw before kissing him deeply. She said her goodbyes, before setting a course north, the three others returning south to the Caribbean. Pearl said nothing but there was a twinkle in her eyes as she looked at her son. Jackdaw didn't notice, or if he did, he said nothing. The voyage home was uneventful. Nassau seemed to be slightly better with Britannia and Passionate both helping out, but with the new medicines, everything would get easier for the sick.

They returned just in time it seemed. A few ships were near death and Britannia was severely weakened. She was still up and helping but her hull trembled and several times she erupted in fierce coughing, leaning heavily against a dock to keep herself upright. "We need to get to work." Pearl said, looking at the ingredients she had. "Start making what you can. Jackdaw and I will administer the medicines we have now." Interceptor told her, giving Jackdaw two of the five crates and telling him to take the West side of the harbor. He took the East. "I don't want to hear it Interceptor." Britannia's normal growl was not much more than a rasp now when he approached her. All the fight had left her. "Take some medicine. We've enough for the whole harbor for now, and Pearl is making whatever extra she can just in case." She sighed, stifling a cough and agreed, allowing Interceptor to give her some. "There, now go on." She coughed, staggering off. Pearl came up. "At least she took it this time." "Let's listen to Benjamin and just lay low until the island is back up on its feet." Interceptor murmured. Pearl nodded. "We could use some quiet weeks." She agreed.

Those couple weeks didn't last. Royal Phoenix, a talented schooner they had picked up a few days ago, came charging in. "Pearl, Interceptor! We've got a huge problem!" "Uh oh what is it?" Pearl asked. The schooner didn't have time to reply as a cannon shot was made to signal the arrival of something. Interceptor's heart sank. "Oh yeah...that's a very big problem." his eyes rested upon the British Armada, led by none other than HMS Alexander.