Commandeering Commodore

Chapter 37

The Governor stood at the window watching as the storm weakened and rolled off towards the horizon. He looked down to the street and saw Captain Laurent approaching and headed out of his office to meet him.

"Governor." Captain Laurent greeted him with a salute, "I feel it is safe for us to sail now."

"Good Captain, I fear we may have lost too much time already and will not find them." The Governor replied.

"We may not find them anyway Governor, I have my doubts that the sloop they appropriated made it through the storm." Captain Laurent said.

"Then we shall look for wreckage Captain. One way or the other we need to be sure they have not made good on their escape. I will expect you to be ready to sail as soon as possible."

"Very good Governor, I shall send a runner for you when we are prepared to leave port." Captain Laurent said as he again saluted and then headed back toward the dock.

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Although the sloop had been savagely hurled about in the storm it came through without major damage. Elizabeth stood on deck and assessed the condition of the sloop now that the storm had passed and was glad to see they were in no eminent danger of sinking. The rudder was broken and beyond her skills to repair, and one of the sails had apparently taken its leave with the storm but other than that they seemed to be in better shape than she would have ever believed possible with the severity of the storm. Now the biggest problem they would have was trying to figure out where they were and how to get to where they needed to be. She knew it would be up to her to solve those problems as both Alon and Josette were below suffering from major cases of seasickness from the wild writhing of the sloop during the storm. She summoned all she had left to begin the tasks at hand, her eyes perusing the deck for anything that might be useful and hadn't been blown away by the gale. "This is not going to be easy." She said to herself.

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"You can not be serious about continuing this." James said as he walked up to Jack and Teague.

Jack turned around and looked as if the Commodore was speaking to someone behind him and then looked back at James. "If you're addressin me James I fail to see how you could miss this most serious expression I'm tryin me best to be puttin here on me face." And then almost as an after thought, "I am lookin serious here am I not?" he said questioningly looking from Teague to William to Mr. Gibbs and then at several of the crew who were standing about.

Teague answered in a semi-serious tone, "Aye Jackie, can't say I presently recall ever seein ya look more serious."

The crew who were standing around nodded in agreement.

"Well Commodore, seems everyone present, or at least most of them that's present and are able to be havin an opinion in the matter at hand are havin no problem at all discernin me serious expression here. I'm not sure why you're havin the least little bit of trouble interpretin it as well." Jack said as he waved his hands around a bit foppishly as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

"You look no different to me than you always look Captain, and I assure you that is far from being of a serious demeanor in action or attitude. Quite the opposite in fact." James said snappishly.

"Sticks and stones Commodore." Jack said and then drawing his sword, "Commodore draw your sword if you please."

"And I was sure you would be ready for rum rather than rattling blades after an experience like that." James said snarkily.

Jack stood there for a moment as if pondering the Commodore's words and then sheathing his sword with a grand gesture, leaned over and poked James in the chest a few times with his fingers and waved said fingers about in James' face as he said cheerily, "I'm glad you asked James, shows you've got something in that ambiguous head of yours other than bein stuffed full to burstin with navy trifles and the like, although I'm not sure of the social properness of offerin rum to others that don't belong to ya Commodore, you bein of the cloddish social standin and fatuously fine and high rank that you so vacuously cling to. But seein as said rum does belong to me or at least it does now although it may have and in truth of fact did at one time probably belong to someone else I'm feelin it is socially proper for me to be offerin it to meself which I think I'll do if I haven't already, which I think I may have as it were if ya get my meanin." He turned quickly and then stopped and looked about like he had forgotten what he was going to do, then with a surprised 'Ah' and a pointed finger in the direction he was facing sashayed off toward the galley, arms waving about as he went. He was a few yards away when he called back over his shoulder, "Come come Commodore, I'm sure I've not got an inkling why you'd be so insistent on sword play when there's rum to be had, time enough for crossin blades at a later time I'm sure."

James stood there nonplused as he watched Jack's retreat his mouth moving but no sound coming out.

"Ya can't be denyin the fact he does have a way with a turn of a phrase Commodore." Teague said with a smile as he slapped James on the back and headed off after Jack.

As Will walked up next to him James said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Turner, I have a request to make of you."

"Commodore?" William said with concern as he looked at James' strained expression and the clenched jaw.

"Until this mission is over I would hope you will do your utmost to restrain me from throttling that…that…..Pirate."

"As always Commodore, my place will be between you and Jack." Will replied.

"Only in so far as the duration of this mission Mr. Turner. Once it is completed I shall have an opposite opinion on the matter and will expect you to do just the reverse."

To Be Continued

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