Lady Lithoniel: Okay I'm finally back!
Meara: about bloody time, we've been waiting forever!
Norrington: I have to agree with the Captain here
Lady Lithoniel: oh shut up both of you at least I'm back! Now on with the show!
Note: Just so you know there's not any scenes aboard the Black Pearl or with Elizabeth and Aileen in this chapter, but don't worry there'll be plenty of them in the next chapter.
Meara massaged her temples to ward off her growing headache. It was now after high noon and the day had grown hot and long. The humid temperatrue was doing nothing for Meara's fiery temper and she was fast losing patience with the men standing before her.
"You're just going to have to trust me, I don't have the exact bearings, I was only a young deckhand at the time, but I still remember the general area. Look its like this, you have two choices, you can ignore me and scour the entire Caribbean forever and never find the Black Pearl, or you can follow me and actually have a chance at finding Miss Swann alive!" she said angrily, "Make up your minds because I'm not going to wait around here all day, I'm going to go after them whether you approve or not, you are welcome to follow, personally I don't give a damn if you do or not just hurry up and decide!"
The Governor looked both aghast and infuriated by Meara's angry rant and he looked to the Commodore who could only offer a nod.
"Fine, when will you be ready to make sail?"
"If the repairs goes as planned we'll be ready to make way by this afternoon." Meara said, "So I take it you're going to come with us?"
"Yes." The Commodore said with a sigh. Meara grinned and stuck out her hand. Norrington hesitated before grasping it.
"Well then Commodore if its all right with you I'd like to see what vessel you plan to follow me in."
Norrington was surprised by the request but he couldn't say no, after all this woman was pretty much the only chance he had of seeing Elizabeth again.
"Not at all follow me." He said leading her towards the harbour
POTCPOTCPOTC
Peter, Will and Jack snuck quietly out of the prison and made their way to the shore. They hid in the shadows under a bridge.
"So we're going to steal a ship?" Will asked.
"Commandeer, we're going to Commandeer that ship. Nautical term" Jack said, pointing to a ship just off shore.
"That ship?"
"That ship."
"…That ship?"
"How many other ships am I pointing at!?" Jack snapped, "anyway before we go on, one question about your business boys, or there's no use going. These girls, how far are you willing to go for them?"
"I'd die for Elizabeth!" Will said immediately. Peter nodded in agreement.
"Ah good, no worries then." Jack said. Peter looked at Will with a raised eyebrow.
"So how exactly are we going to get out there?" Peter asked. Jack looked at him with a grin.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this plan?" Peter asked. A few moments later they were at the bottom of the bay with a row boat over their heads, breathing the small pocket of air it formed.
"This is either brilliance or madness!" Will said.
"Its both mate." Peter said, spitting out water. He was slightly shorter then Will and Jack so he kept slipping underneath the water.
"Its amazing how often those two traits coincide." Jack said. Suddenly there was a loud crunch and a chuckle from Peter as Will stepped in a lobster pot.
"Nice one Turner!"
"Oh shut up."
"All right this is it both of ya." Jack said, "Let the boat go up and swim up with her."
They allowed the row boat to drift upwards, using its momentum to carry them upwards. The used the lobster trap Will had stepped in to scale the side of the immense ship. They snuck up towards the crew before bursting out.
"Everyone stay calm we are taking over the ship!" Jack said. Will leapt forward brandishing his sword.
"Aye avast!"
The men laughed while Peter and Jack gave Will a look that clearly said "don't ever do that again you idiot."
"This ship cannot be crewed by three men!" their leader said, "you'll never make it out of the bay!"
Jack smirked and pointed his pistol at the man's face before cocking it.
"Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?"
POTCPOTCPOTC
Meara eyed the H.M.S Interceptor with interest. Her design was very similar to the Seahawk's, save she was a bit bigger.
"I bet this ship can really fly when she's at full sail." Meara said noting the sleek hull, "good craftsmanship, nice design,"
Norrington masked his surprise, clearly the woman knew her ships. He stepped back and pondered the woman that was Meara Hunter. Just a few days ago if someone had told him he'd be speaking to a female privateer Captain, let alone taking orders from one, he'd have called that person insane and recommend them to an asylum. The woman in question walked up to the rail and gazed out on the calm harbour. Suddenly she straightened up and called him over.
"Commodore do my eyes deceive me or is that your men in a dingy heading this way?" she asked, only half believing what she was seeing herself. Norrington whipped out his spyglass an saw Gillette and his crew in the small dingy yelling something about Sparrow and Turner.
"Oh dear." He heard Meara say, he turned to her seeing that she'd taken out her own spyglass. He followed her gaze and saw something that made his stomach turn. Jack Sparrow, William Turner, and the young deckhand who'd been following Meara earlier on board the Dauntless trying to make sail.
"Dammit to hell Peter!" he heard her hiss. He watched as she angrily stuffed her spyglass into her pocket and turned to him.
"Well are you going after them or not!?" she snapped, her pale green eyes boring into his.
"Loose the sails and way anchor!" Norrington said tearing his gaze away from the privateers fierce gaze.
POTCPOTCPOTC
"Here they come." Peter said pointing at the Interceptor which was bearing down on them fast. Jack just rested his pistol on his shoulder with a careless grin.
POTCPOTCPOTC
Meara stood with Norrington by the rail as they sailed out to meet the Dauntless. As they approached she whipped out her Longsword, the steely blade glinted dangerously in the sunlight. She grasped a rope and swung across with the crew, fury glittering in her stormy eyes.
"Come on out Jack!" she roared, challenging the hiding pirate. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw the three men they were hunting swing back to the Interceptor.
"Back to the ship!" she cried swinging back over. She landed, sword swinging, waiting for the crew to back her up, but she was horrified to see they were out of reach and watching the stand off that was staking place. She turned to face the three of them, her face twisted with rage. Jack had his pistol pointed at her and Peter and Will had their swords drawn.
"I'm afraid you're outnumbered mate, put up your sword." Jack said. Meara growled, but put away her sword.
"Now then time for you to go."
"You wouldn't dare!" she spat.
"Oh yes I would."
A moment later Meara was tossed over the railing and plunged into the crystel blue water. She surfaced with a scream of rage.
"Sorry Captain!" she heard Peter laugh.
"PETER WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU MUTINEERING LITTLE BAS-"
She was cut off by the large hull of the Dauntless heading her way. She quickly dove and swam out of the way, feeling the rough, barnacle encrusted hull drift by. She surfaced next to a sodden Gillette.
"Don't. Say. A word!" she hissed as a line was tossed down to them and they were hauled aboard. Meara wrung out her wet hair, but then noticed several sailors gazing at her in a manner she did not acre for. She self consciously wrapped her coat around her and turned back to the ocean to gaze at the Interceptor reseeding into the distance. The light danced on the rippling water and for some reason seemed to calm her. She placed her head in her hands to conceal her grin. Peter really did care about Aileen, enough to turn pirate for her. Of course she would punish the boy when they caught up to him, but she would let him slide.
"Are you all right Captain?"
She turned to see Commodore Norrington standing behind her.
"Oh yes I'm fine." She said with a smile, glancing out at the sea, "I didn't think Jack would be that brazen…apparently I was wrong. Look I can tell you where they're going, but it'd be a waste of time, time that cannot be wasted. I can see you have some repairs to make to your rudder, please come see me aboard my ship when you are ready to sail."
POTCPOTCPOTC
On board the successfully commandeered Interceptor Peter sat idly on a low yardarm watching the sunset beyond the horizon. The fiery gold orb painted the sky a beautiful shade of pink streaked with orange as the sun's dieing rays preformed their last dance on the calm seas. Below him Jack stood at the wheel as Will sat nearby sharpening his sword.
"So how did you come to be a privateer with Meara lad?" Jack called up to Peter.
"I met her one day running from some guards, I'd stolen some food, I wasn't exactly the wealthiest lad in the port. She hid me and bailed me out then asked if I wanted ta join 'er crew. I couldn't say no to the chance of some adventure, and that's that." Peter said with a careless shrug. He smiled as he recalled the incident, it was only a few weeks ago, but it seemed as if he'd been part of the Seahawk's crew for ages.
Flashback
"Get back here boy!"
Peter ran through the streets, the guards hard on his heels, wielding their bayonets. He didn't want to think what would happen if they caught up to him.
'All this for a loaf o' bread!?' he thought wildly. Suddenly he slammed into somebody and fell flat onto his back. He looked and found himself staring into the face of a stern-looking woman. Her stormy grey/green eyes flicked upwards as she heard the guards approaching. She grabbed him by the arm, hauling him upright and shoved him into a narrow ally behind some barrels. After the guards had stormed passed she gently pulled him out from his hiding place.
"What's yer name boy?" she asked. Peter looked the woman up and down, she was dressed in men's clothing and he could see the fearsome looking sword and pistol buckled to her person. He swallowed hard before replying.
"P-Peter Ma'am."
"Well Peter I see you're quite the accomplished thief eh?"
"Erm yes Ma'am."
"You can stop calling me Ma'am ya know, you can call me Captain and if ye'd like you could sail with me. What say you?"
"Who are you?" Peter demanded, "a pirate?"
The woman gave him a hearty laugh and shook her head. Suddenly she stood up straight, whipped off her hat and bowed.
"I be Captain Meara Hunter, privateer and Captain of the good ship Seahawk." She said, "My offer still stands laddie, so what's your choice?"
"Aye, aye Captain!" Peter said without a moments hesitation. Meara smiled and patted him on the back as she steered him towards the dock.
"Welcome to the crew."
End Flashback
Peter smiled at the memory, it was one of his fondest. For the first time in a long time he'd felt at home, he'd felt like he belonged. Suddenly felt the yardarm he was on shift signaling a change in direction. He looked out to see Will dangling over the sea and Jack standing nearby with a smug look on his face.
"Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these? What a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga with just me and the young lad, savvy? So…" Jack said before swinging Will back on board and handing him his sword, "Can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?"
Will accepted the sword and shot Jack a confused look.
"Tortuga?"
"Tortuga."
"Tortuga?" Peter asked with a smirk.
"…Let's not start that again."
POTCPOTCPOTC
Meara sat in her cabin, pouring over some old charts, charts from the old days when this Seahawk was a pirate ship. Suddenly a loud rap on the door shook her out of her thoughts.
"Come in." she called. She glanced up to see the Commodore entering the room. Norrington gazed around the humble quarters. Old charts adorned the dark panneled walls along with a few other trappings, but the thing that stood out to him the most was the small round shield that hung over her bed which looked quite old. It appeared to be made of wood with steel inlaid in it.
"Admiring my family heirloom I see." Meara said softly. He turned to see her standing just to the side of him gazing at the shield.
"This old thing's been in the family for generations, as long as anyone can remember. Supposedly one of my great ancestors used it when he fought alongside the Scot William Wallace against the British. Whether or not that's true I can't say but we've kept it all these years." She said before returning to her desk and returned to studying her charts, then without looking up she spoke "I take it you are ready to make sail?"
"Yes, have your repairs gone accordingly?"
"Aye that they have we'll leave at dawn tomorrow." She said picking up a quill pen before dipping into a small inkpot and began to write.
"If I may ask Captain Hunter, how is it that you came to know the pirate known as Jack Sparrow?"
"That, Commodore is a very long story indeed." She said with a low chuckle.
"Why would you ever associate with him or any other pirate scum?" he asked. There was a sharp slap as Meara slammed down her quill and looked up at the Commodore with blazing eyes before leaning back in her chair and studying him.
"Pirate scum? Tell me Commodore how do you know?"
"I've dealt with them enough times to know they are nothing but thieves and murderers." He said trying to avoid her eyes. For some reason he couldn't stand to look in the Captain's eyes, there was something almost predatory about them that unnerved him. She looked to be fighting back a nasty remark, gripping the arms of her chair before suddenly calming.
"Commodore I have a lot of work to do, I shall see you in the morning."
He knew at once their conversation was over. He bid the privateer a good night before leaving the cabin which had suddenly seemed to become much smaller. Clearly he'd struck a nerve and he intended to find out why. Back in her cabin Meara gazed out the window at the calm Caribbean waters that mirrored the star-spangled skies.
"Who are they to judge!" she whispered harshly before sighing, "Look at the mess you've left me my dear brother."
As if in reply a lone shooting star streaked across the night sky. Meara smiled and began preparing for bed. Outside a full moon hung in the black velvet skies like a burnished silver coin. Gentle moonbeams danced across the rippling sea. The calm night, however, was a mask as to the true events unfolding on the Caribbean sea. This was just the beginning.
Lady Lithoniel: Oh boy that was a long one, hope you all like it!