Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or Assassin's Creed.

The Master does have an impact on the Canon of Assassin's Creed which culminates in the next time he interacts with them.

I brought one character in from Black Sails, the TV series as I had a need for a specific service not touched on in the game. Eleanor Guthrie is in the story to serve as a fence for the pirates. Although I have made some changes to the character as to tie her into the lore of Doctor Who and Assassin's Creed a little more. She will be quite different.

The Master Chronicles 6 - A Pirate's Life

Starliner - Pride of the Starlanes, Approaching the Planet Goth…

The alarms on the bridge were blaring as the ship rumbled and rocked with the rapid acceleration and occasional blast of weapon's fire but it merely bounced off the ship's shields which had been enhanced by the rather incredible genius on the bridge.

The Master and Jaime both were fiddling with wires on the ruined bridge as they struggled to control the ship.

"This one?" Jaime asked with some desperation but the Master shook his head as he worked on some kind of botched together interface. It was a rather rushed job and with some reluctant respect towards his arch enemy he did wonder how the Doctor managed to conjure these things together so quickly?

"No, burned out. Come on we need to find an active line to the warp engines or this plan will never work." He told her shortly and she continued looking through the mess that covered the bridge. Most of the crew on the bridge had either fled for the escape pods or were dead around them. Eventually Jaime found the right lead and handed it to the Master who took it without speaking and plugged it into the interface. It hummed and sparked before the pair looked out the window and saw the surface of the highly industrialised planet coming into view rather quickly.

Neither needed to say another word as they rushed into his Tardis and closed the door. Standing against it just as the ship impacted the ground, they were both thrown across the console room by the rocking of the ship as it hit the ground hard. The Master with some difficulty managed to get to the console and flick the switches that took the ship out of danger. The column moving at its steady pace as Jaime got to her feet and walked over the console where the Master adjusted the switches and dials.

"Did it work?" She asked with interest and the Master told her absentmindedly.

"One moment my dear." As he worked the console and looked for what he was looking for. Smirking he opened the door and let them see the impact from space. Both moving to the door way where the forcefield protected them from the vacuum of space.

They watched as the ship impacted the surface of the planet and a massive white bloom that they could see for where they were floating erupted and spread out across the whole planet in seemingly the blink of an eye. Leaving nothing but a burning surface in its wake.

"Planet Goth." The Master said with some admiration. "Home of the Deathsmiths. Arguably the greatest weapon designers in the history of the universe. Even more feared the Daleks in some periods of history. They allied with them at the start of the Time War."

"And we just wiped them out." Jaime said with a look of awe as she looked at the devastation of an entire planet and its population. They had intentionally just crashed a Starliner into the planet just to wipe them out. It was heady feeling as she watched such an infamous people like the Deathsmiths die out. To watch their planet…burn.

"Yes, regrettable I suppose. They had such a genius for finding the best methods of death." The Master said with some sadness in his voice. "But they have been helping the Daleks and that I cannot allow. I have samples of all their creations so something of them will survive but more importantly, at least for me the warp field not only burned away all trace of industrialisation on this planet but its energy will in time allow plants to grow here for the first time. In a few thousand years this planet will become a beautiful world full of life and the beautiful roses in the universe. It is good to create something out of such destruction." He told her before closing the doors and returning to the console.

"But that while entertaining must give way to another mission my dear." The Master said with a smile as they embarked on another hunt. Jaime's face brightened as she remembered just what he had wanted to do.

"I believe you promised pirates sir." She said with an eager smile and the Master nodded with an amused look in his eye.

"Indeed, my dear. You see what most of your people don't know is that two rather ridiculous factions have been fighting a war to control the fate of your species for thousands of years now. The Brotherhood and the Templars. Now they dress it up in supposed good deeds but really, they just want the power to control the destiny of your race." The Master said with a dismissive tone finding both orders idiotic but this would bring him into contact with them on this mission.

"Now, in the West Indies somewhere is a device known as the Observatory that was left by an ancient people that once ruled your world. The Isu and they created this device so that with one drop of blood or a good DNA sample at the very least it can spy on you wherever you are in the world in real time." The Master explained and Jaime blinked in surprise.

"With just one drop of blood?" Jaime said astonished and the Master nodded actually impressed himself for once.

"Indeed. It is a remarkable device, now normally I would just scan for it but the Isu were rather good at hiding their sites and the Tardis cannot detect it so the only way we are going to find it is to locate a being known as a sage. A remnant of the Isu that is reborn into the human race every generation or so. One in particular who will lead us to this location is a rather infamous pirate named Bartholomew Roberts. Records are vague but if we go to the West Indies and I infiltrate the Templars, you use the pirates and eventually we will combine resources to find him." The Master told her.

"So, I get my own ship?" Jaime asked with a childish look of excitement in her eyes at doing some pirating. The Master managed to hide his amusement at her enthusiasm and told her.

"I will put you down in Plymouth in 1715. You will need to find passage to the West Indies and acquire a ship on route. Meet me in Nassau. So, I suggest you go to the wardrobe and find suitable attire for a lady of this time." He suggested looking at her jeans and leather jacket with a slightly mocking look in his eyes.

Jaime looked almost pained at the idea but she hid her dislike for having to wear a period dress and went off to the wardrobe room to find something suitable. The Master set the controls from the correct period in time and wondered if she might manage this but then again, he thought with reassurance she had passed every test he had come up with for her so far. Even when he had dangled her over an acid pool tied up when teaching her some escapology, she had managed it without losing a single limb.

A while later she returned wearing an early 18th century woman's dress with her hair in simple knot behind her head. The dress she had chosen was more on the practical side the Master noticed, simple blue cotton frock that fell to her feet with some elegant lace on the sleeves and bodice which dipped a little low and showed some cleavage. She had a bag that was period and dress compatible which probably contained some kind of weapon and some money.

"A little low class but it will do." The Master said with a slight nod before opening the door and revealed the thriving 18th century port of Plymouth beyond. Jaime looked out with awe as regardless of everything she had seen with the Master so far this was history…the sort she read about in books or saw in movies. She stepped out of the Tardis and looked around, in complete awe of all the rough and dirty sights around her that movies never really prepared you for. She turned to the door close behind her and frowned as it took off, the Master making her take the long and difficult way while he took a shortcut.

Jaime had to swallow her anger though as she needed to get to Nassau and along with the way find a ship and crew for herself. She wondered if she had bit off more than she could chew with this but regardless she wandered the dock looking for a ship that would take her to the West Indies. She spoke to a few people but most had no idea just where each ship was going and she got more and more frustrated as she got nowhere in her search.

This only brought things to a head when she saw a dirty and rather ugly looking beast of a man step out and show her his rotting teeth. The smell was enough on its own to repel her but what he said…that just made things even worse.

"Five shillings for you against the wall." The man said with a look of lustful expectation in his eyes which instantly made her feel disgusted before she told him.

"No chance." And tried to push past him but he grabbed her elbow and even tried to grab her breast but Jaime easily pulled his hand off and smashed him against the wall. He was so caught off guard by her immense strength she easily knocked him out with one blow.

Looking down at him with disgust Jaime decided as punishment to take his rather heavy coin purse and wondered just what he did for a living that could see him so well rewarded yet think he could just approach a woman and expect for five shillings she would let him use her up against a wall. She shivered in disgust and continued on her exploration.

Finally, though she managed to find a ship that was heading for the West Indies, or at least stopped there along its way to the American colonies. Now there was just the matter of getting aboard, which meant dealing with the captain.

"This ain't no pleasure cruise girlie." The captain, a rather ugly and crass looking man named Thomas Styles said to her in a scowling voice grated on Jaime's nerves although what he said next only made this worse. "No lass can handle the sea."

Oh, boy I am I going to enjoy feeding you to sharks Jaime thought viciously, already planning his demise while keeping her face calm and saying.

"I can captain and I can pay for my passage. I'll even work in the galley till we get to Nassau." She said putting on a sweet and innocent voice which would make him think she was just a simpering little girl desperate to seek her fortune elsewhere. The captain seemed to think about it and he then smirked as she offered him the coin purse that she had taken from that drunken fool earlier.

"Fine, you do a woman's job while on my ship and if I want to rut, you do." He said looking down at her breasts with a lustful glare.

Inside Jaime was disgusted but she managed to hide it and handed the coin purse over to the captain, plotting to destroy him as soon as possible. Instead, she just smiled and walked up to the ship where she managed to let the captain slap her ass without disembowelling him before looking at the ship as she climbed the gangplank.

It was a good-sized ship, a frigate as she believed they were called having done a little research on this era and ships too before coming here. English built and looked solid enough but had the three masts that should give it decent speed. She saw on the bow its name, HMS Darkholm.

Good number of cannons on the sides she noticed and thought privately to herself, yes Jaime decided this ship will do nicely. Now there was only the matter of getting the crew to follow her and remove the captain as soon as possible. However, as she climbed onto the deck, she heard the captain shouting and hitting his men with a leather stick for being slow and lazy while they were going about their duties and telling them they were on half rations before they had even left port.

This wasn't going to be as difficult as she first thought Jaime thought before realising that she hadn't chosen a new name for herself as Jaime Sommers hardly sounded like something from the 18th century. She racked her brain trying to come up with something and decided just to let herself be known as Christina Cunningham for now it being the first name that sounded right which she could think of, it would do for now.

Looking at the old wooden sailing ship it honestly gave her chills, she was excited by the idea of this, sailing the ocean, being a pirate…she honestly struggled to keep a grin off her face.

She went down to the galley where an old crusty looking man was chopping up vegetables in a rather unappetising stew. The smell was bad enough that she wanted to vomit rather than even think of eating this and they hadn't even left port yet!

So, she put on her biggest smile and turned to the cook, glad she had brought some things in her bag that might make the food taste better.

"Hello, I'm Christina and I think I will be your extra pair of hands on this voyage." She told him excitedly. The old man looked at her with confusion then suspicion.

"Women on ships bring bad luck." He said roughly which was an old sailor's superstition. Jaime wanted to roll her eyes but just kept smiling.

"Not on this one but I can cook and give you some time to rest." Jaime said, taking a quick peak into the soup and saw that the man had no real idea of just what ingredients went together and which ones didn't. She could do a better job easily she thought to herself and win herself some popularity among the crew while she was at it.

- x -

HMS Darkholm, Atlantic Ocean…Six Weeks Later…

Jaime had quickly started to realise the longer she spent on this ship going from point a to point b that she had become far too used to the Tardis and its ability to get them anywhere they wanted to go in an instant.

Weeks on this ship with the men leering at her and little to do was starting to get on her nerves as they carried on. The only real satisfaction she had gotten during this whole thing was throwing the incompetent ship's cook overboard and taking over his duties. Being actually able to cook and knowing a few tricks to keep the food as fresh as possible did her wonders with the crew and now they were wrapped around her little finger.

The captain's behaviour hadn't improved, if anything it had gotten worse the longer that they were sea. The crew were often beaten for doing nothing at all, only because the captain felt like it and he cut their rations more than once. Something that she had secretly breaking for them which only made her more popular with the crew.

It had really surprised her how easy it had been to convince many of them to go along with her plan, ridiculously easy in fact. Most of the ship's officers were either incompetent or far too lazy to do much but they would stay loyal to the captain.

At least that let her know just who was on her side and who wasn't.

So, she stood on deck with the crew, a sword in hand facing the captain personally while the crew ambushed the rest of the officers. He snarled at her and she just smiled back before taunting him.

"Nice ship here, I'll take good care of it." Whatever he might have said was thwarted by her moving to grab his hand which broke and make him drop his sword while yelling in pain. Then she knocked him out with a fist to the face.

Then as he fell, she pulled the still loaded pistols from his holsters and pointed them at the first and second mates before firing. At close range she hit them dead on and both men fell back as they were hit. The flintlocks were much louder and smokier than the guns she had used in the past but they worked she thought, dropping them since they were now useless unless she reloaded them. She saw another officer, the last still standing was refusing to give up and picking her sword back up and leapt over the helm with a single effortless leap to impale him with it.

Seeing the last of the officers fall a cheer went up among the crew as they overthrew the old regime but Jaime knew she would have to strike fast to be the leader of the new one.

"Right." She said with a cruel smirk on her face. "Now, it seems that we have need for a new captain. Now I have a plan and know where we can go without the Royal Navy after us every moment. Anyone object?" She asked, knowing this should allow her to find out just who would be against her and give her a chance to get the rest in line.

"A woman?! Captain?!" One of the helmsmen said with a loud and obnoxious laugh, some of the men joined in with him. Jaime kept her smirk on her face as she walked down and came face to face him. This seemed to shut him up now he was face to face with her, especially as she was taller that he was. She kept on smirking before taking a firm hold of him by the scruff of his neck and without wasting another moment, she threw him straight over the side, hitting the water with a loud splash.

"Anyone else?" She asked and unsurprisingly the rest of the crew just shook their heads and looked at her with fear. Good she thought, making them afraid of you is far easier than making them love you…just as the Master had taught her. "Good, now there is an island not far from here where we can get some provisions but first let us deal with our soon to be late and departed captain." She said with a demonic grin the Master would have been proud of which only scared the crew all the more.

Sometime later the now overthrown captain woke up, hanging upside down by a rope over the sea while a man stood on the deck below with a bucket full of bloody meat. The captain saw to his fury the whore that had hoodwinked him and his crew was standing below, smirking at him in a way that sent a chill running up or rather down his spine. He would have started shouting abuses but he was gagged and as he was lowered down the bloody woman took out a knife and held it at his throat. He honestly was more terrified of her at that moment than anything else in the world at that point.

However instead she took the knife away from his throat and cut lightly into his arms which like his feet were bound. He winced at the pain before the man next to her started throwing the bucket's bloody meat in the ocean.

They waited for a while, not sure exactly what was going on but then they saw…them appearing below.

Big, dark shapes in the water and the fin that humans knew to fear or would one day. The captain would have begged for his life if he had the chance but he didn't as he was still gagged and Jaime or Christina as he knew her cut the rope. He fell headfirst into the ocean and still bound struggled to get free and back onto the ship but his still bleeding wounds made the sharks take note of him immediately and soon he was screaming as they tore into him.

The crew watched with awe struck terror and the fear of meeting the same fate would ensure none of them crossed their new captain. Which was exactly what Jaime had wanted, not only did she have her revenge on the bastard that had been making her life hell since she arrived on this ship and she had been forced to avoid his advances but also sowed the crew with fear of her so they wouldn't date cross her.

- x -

Unknown Island, West Indies…Some Days Later…

The island was small but it had some fresh water and they could fish there for some fresh food. Jaime was working to get the ship ready for the last run to Nassau as she had been told to meet the Master there when he arrived not to mention she was hoping to find someone they could sell the ship's cargo too.

They had been busy though, removing the ship's old name and replacing it with a new one. Chosen from the red cloth that the ship had been carrying in its cargo hold.

Red Wind.

She had been getting some of the red cloth turned into sails and removed the English ensign. It was her ship now she thought with pride. She had the crew well in hand, even more so since she still cooked for them and they liked her food. It was a better way to do things since they wouldn't all get food poisoning.

Seeing a Spanish galleon approach on the horizon though, that was not part of her plan.

"What do we do…captain?" Gill, her new quartermaster said with nervousness on his face. Jaime however smiled and told him.

"Mr Gill. Have two pots filled with animal fat and grease brought up on deck and set alight. Then we all go down below deck and wait." Jaime said with a smirk, Gill looked like he was going to question her but a stern look from her had him dashing to follow her orders.

She kept an eye on the galleon until the pots were set up and then went below deck with her crew, they all looked nervous but she wasn't. She knew full well what was going to happen when the Spanish came.

She checked her gear while she waited and had made a rather daring slit in her skirt to help her move easier during a fight but she was hating this dress the longer she wore it and was going to change it the first moment she could. She had strapped four pistol holsters to her and along with them two British Cutlasses that she had taken from the late captain. They were fairly decent swords she supposed if a little boring.

The flintlocks weren't great either she thought with a frown but they worked if you called having just one shot before a timely reload working.

She however put those concerns aside as she heard the Spanish ship coming along side just as she planned. The crew around her all looked worried but she just put her finger to her lips to stop them making any noise till the time was right. She carefully unsheathed her swords and waited. Listening intently for the noise of the Spanish on deck and sure enough there was the thump of men's feet on the deck planks.

Without wasting any more time Jaime burst out from below deck with her crew screaming behind her. The Spanish boarding party had no idea just what was going on but they soon guessed not that it did them any good.

Jaime, with her bionic strength and speed moved faster than any human they had ever seen. Crossing the deck in the blink of an eye and with quick vicious slashes cut the throats of the six men that stood on deck. The crew behind her were astonished but more so when she then took a running jump at the man o war, easily leaping the ten or more feet it was higher than their own deck.

Once up there Jaime gave the Spanish on deck no quarter. Her swords in hand she ran around the deck, cutting or stabbing most before they had a chance to defend themselves and their muskets were far too slow to catch her. The crew followed her by ropes and planks as quickly as they could and saw the devastation she was causing and laughed as they were just glad that she was on their side and ran after the few Jaime hadn't killed yet.

Jaime meanwhile was now face to face with the ship's captain who was now shaking with fear, muttering prayers in Spanish which she could understand thanks to the Tardis' translation circuits. She just smirked at him before impaling him on her swords.

Jaime turned around and saw to her annoyance two snipers in the rigging above were taking aim at her and Jaime without wasting anymore time ran forward and grabbed hold of the hook winch and kicked the lever, sending her flying up into the rigging, landing gracefully on the mast she stabbed one with her sword before discarding it so she could draw a pistol and shoot the other one. Her aim was true and despite the awkwardness of the old weapon she made the shot count and he fell screaming the deck below. Jaime smirked before she climbed up the rest of the mast, a little awkwardly but managed to reach the top and cut down the Spanish flag.

Her crew cheered below as it fell onto the deck, their first prize as pirates!

Jaime slowly made her way down the rigging and as her men were wandering, she called out to Gill who had joined them on the deck.

"Mr Gill." She shouted to get his attention which came swiftly. "Check the ship's hold and see what she was carrying not to mention see if her cannons are any good. They always sell." She said knowing the number of guns on a ship like this would sell for a high price.

"Yes captain." Gill answered and hurried off to do her bidding while Jaime looked at the late Spanish captain's body, looking at the rather fine swords he had. Rapiers made of good quality steel and had a rather fetching gold finish on the hilt which had some elaborate coiling around it and patterns engraved in the metal. Taking hold of the two swords she felt them and the weight and balance was perfect, French she presumed judging by the design. Discarding her old ones, she slid her new swords into their sheaths and went to check the Captain's Cabin.

Kicking open the door she found a rather well-appointed room and nodded in approval. Looking at the desk she saw navigation equipment and charts that she took a moment to study before taking the blanket off the dead captain's bed to carry them all with. She did however see a rather nice-looking gold crucifix hanging on the wall and while larger she could still carry it in the bundle. Putting it with all the rest and seeing nothing else she wanted she just wrapped up the things she'd chosen and carried the bundle back to her ship while the crew happily descended on the room, intent on finding some treasures for themselves.

Returning the Red Wind, she let herself into the Captain's Cabin which was her room now she thought with relief at having her own space but decided to invest in a lock for the door just in case someone got ideas of killing her in the middle of the night. Not that she needed much sleep, the Master had made her body so with the antrocytes that she could match his own patterns so she would be available when he needed her.

She saw it was rather bare as the captain apparently for being a major skinflint had little to show for it. Jaime changed the bed sheets not wanting to sleep on ones that had been contaminated by that bastard and hid her cross underneath for now so no one would steal it.

Placing the rest on the table she knew selling these would net a good sum as well. Good quality charts and navigation equipment was hard to come by and since they had a complete set already it made sense to make some profit off it.

She was still there when Gill came in and gave his report.

"Captain, I looked at the Spanish ship. She has a lot of guns but only about a third of them are worth taking. The rest are rusted or broken. She had a good stash of sugar aboard and some building materials."

Jaime smiled, that was good, the ship had enough space for it all and would fetch them a good price when they got to Nassau and found someone to buy them. They also had a good stash of flintlocks and swords now. Not to mention a good few barrels of gunpowder and cannon balls. That meant not only were they fully provisioned but very well armed.

It took a few hours to move all the things worth taking onto the Red Wind and then sinking the Spanish ship with a well-placed barrel of gunpowder and a shot. With that done and the ship provisioned they set their sights on their next destination…Nassau.

- x -

Nassau, New Providence, the West Indies…A Week Later…

The port of Nassau was a welcome sight to the sailors and to Jaime as at last they had found themselves a safe place base themselves for the time being. Jaime was on the wheel as she guided the ship into dock. It was trickier than she had thought but soon they had the lines tied up and the ship sat in its berth. Looking around Jaime could see the lawlessness even from here. Frowning she realised this was going to be harder than she had thought and she was also considering how to look for Bartholomew Roberts and the Master who should be here by now.

Frowning she turned to Gill, trusting his fear of her wouldn't make him run off with their new ship while she went into town.

"Mr Gill, you keep some of the men and guard the ship and cargo while I go ashore and find us a buyer. In this place we need to watch our backs." She said knowing there was no honour among thieves and if given the chance the people here would rob them blind.

"You, you and you three come with me." She told the five biggest troublemakers in the crew. She wanted them with her where she could keep an eye on them rather than here to plan a mutiny. They looked surprised but the chance to spend their pesos on rum or women had them running to join her although all were armed.

Walking down the plank Jaime led her party into the town and headed straight for a tavern, figuring it would be the best place to find information. Looking through town she soon found the largest and best looking one in town and walked in with her men and went to the bar, the silence was enough to tell them she'd found the right place and ordered five tankards of rum. Her guys looked happy and downed the rum quickly while others gave them evil eyes. Jaime wasn't remotely worried, she noticed that a woman was watching them closely from the upstairs and another one was watching from the other side of the bar.

Right place, Jaime thought and made some discreet mentions of having some cargo to sell. She got no results at first but she noticed someone go up the stairs and whisper to the woman upstairs.

Then it happened.

A group of rough looking men started coming up to her and it was only after they spoke to a man sitting close to one of the women who had been watching them that without waiting, they drew their swords and aimed flintlocks at them!

Jaime's men were slightly drunk by this time and slow to react, but Jaime wasn't and with all the experience she had gained from her travels with the Master she immediately leapt into action.

Delivering a hard kick that sent one of them flying back before punching another so hard in the gut he was knocked off his feet. Then dodged the clumsy slash of a sword before elbowing the offender in the face so hard that his nose was completely broken but while he howled in pain, she grabbed him and moved him quickly to block a shot from another. With this done she threw the injured man aside and grabbed the last man of the group who had fired the shot and while he fumbled for his sword, she then threw him against the bar hard and smacked his head hard into the wood.

The bar looked at her with surprise having never seen a woman fight like that before and then a voice sounded from the other side of the bard.

"Alright lads, seems the lady has some teeth after all." The older man said with a gruff and amused voice. His thick black beard had a number of what looked like fuses in it and a large number of pistols at his waist. "Had to see if you could handle yourself love, rare to find pirates worthy of the flag. Consider this part of your audition." He told her with a smirk which made her want to punch his face in and she asked with blazing eyes.

"Just who the fuck are you?" She asked him with almost a snarl. He didn't seem put off by it, in fact he seemed amused and told her.

"Edward Thatch. Captain Edward Thatch and don't you forget it." The man said and Jaime blinked before remembering just who that was. Blackbeard! She thought with shock at running into the legendary pirate! "Now when Eleanor decides to join us, she will take your cargo off your hands for a good price." Thatch told her and a beautiful woman with blonde hair came down the stairs, dressed far more masculine than regular women with trousers and a shirt.

"What have you got?" Eleanor asked, her English accent giving her away not to mention her smooth and well-educated voice. This woman did not come from poverty, no she was professionally taught and came from money.

Jaime with a smile told her and the woman blinked with surprise, as did Thatch. Quite a good amount of sugar, cloth, swords, pistols and cannons. It would fetch a good price and Eleanor smiled.

"I'll offer you eight thousand pesos for the lot. If you keep it coming though you might get bonuses." She told her, weapons sold well around these parts and the sugar would earn her a small fortune.

Jaime nodded, surprised as it was actually fair. Something she honestly hadn't expected around these parts and was about to go and see to the transfer of the cargo when Thatch spoke to her with an annoying grin.

"If you plan to be a pirate in these parts dearie then you need to pass an audition." Thatch said and Jaime was almost steaming with rage at the mention of an 'audition' thinking obviously the bastard was trying to extort sex from her.

"If you think…" She said with anger but he just burst out laughing and told her when he finally stopped.

"No love…no-no." Thatch said with a wide smirk on his face, acting a lot more friendly than she would have thought given his reputation. "You just need to show that you've got what it takes, raid a few ships while I or one of the other captains watch and make sure you've got the right to hoist the flag. So, what is your name lass?" He said with a smirk as if he was going to enjoy this.

Jaime sighed with irritation as she was made to dance through these hoops but if she was going to infiltrate the pirates and do her job so she could get out of here then she would do it.

"Christina Cunningham and if you call me lass or love one more time, I'll take those fuses and strangle you with them. As soon as the ship is reprovisioned, we can go." She told him with frustration but rather than be insulted he seemed to take it as a challenge then the other woman wearing rough pirate outfit with a bandana on her head spoke up.

"I'll be coming too. I may have a business proposition for you…if you pass." The other woman said with a Scottish accent. Thatch and Eleanor both looked surprised at this but only Eleanor spoke.

"Not your thing usually Rhona." Eleanor said with a curious look in her eye. Rhona merely shrugged.

"Need some excitement every now and again." She said being vague but while her act might have fooled Eleanor and Thatch, Jaime was used to being around the Master whose personas were airtight in how well-crafted they were. She had another reason, Jaime thought with curiosity. Wondering just what it might be.


The Sea, A Day Later…

Jaime was at the helm of her ship, now wearing black pants and a white shirt under a coat she had found in the late captain's wardrobe. She wasn't really satisfied with her 'Captain' look yet but she would get there eventually.

She used the telescope although she didn't really need it to examine her prey, a brig belonging to the Spanish Navy.

It was faster than her but it wasn't going full sail and so she called out.

"Let out the sails." Jaime called out to her crew as they needed more speed to catch up and thankfully the brig hadn't reacted to them yet. Thatch and Rhona both stood at her side watching as she commanded and helmed the ship herself. Now they were cruising she thought and closing into range.

"Guess you're like Edward then? He steers his own ship." Thatch said and Jaime blinked for a moment before asking.

"Who's Edward?"

Thatch laughed and told her with a smile.

"Edward Kenway, sails the Jackdaw. Stupid name for a ship but it works for him."

Jaime hadn't heard of this pirate captain but then thought there were probably many that hadn't been recorded or just forgotten as they were overshadowed by those such as Thatch.

Seeing the brig was in range she turned her attention back to the present and commanded.

"Load the cannons, port side." She shouted and the men did as she told them, loading the cannons quickly. Thatch and Rhona both looked happy about that and when finally, they were ready she positioned the ship so the target was finally within their reach.

"PORT SIDE CANNONS! FIRE!" She shouted so she could be clearly heard and the gun crews obeyed her command without question.

The side of the ship lit up as twenty-three cannons blasted balls of lead straight out of the side and ripped into brig which had only now realised the danger it was in. Some missed, but a few managed to topple the main mast and a few others ripped into the side.

The brig immediately lost speed as its sails collapsed and that allowed the Red Wind to pull up alongside.

"Grappling hooks!" Jaime commanded and her crew, eager for prizes did as she ordered without question, swinging the large hooks onto the other ship and pulling them closer.

"Board and take them!" Jaime called out and abandoned the wheel to join in the fight while Thatch and Rhona watched. Grabbing a rope, she swung the small gap between them as men used planks or ropes to do the same. Landing on the deck she saw the crew struggle to deal with the boarders but she took out her swords and started cutting down men on deck with ease.

Her crew too didn't have to be told and joined in the fight with glee. It was over fairly quickly though and now the ship was in their hands. Checking the cargo hold the ship was carrying a collection of rather fine silver. It was a really good haul Jaime thought with pride.

Thatch and Rhona too looked very impressed as the silver was moved aboard her ship, Thatch told her.

"Well lass I don't know how you learned to do all that but you have the knack for it." He said, toasting the success with a bottle of rum. Jaime was annoyed at being called lass again but put it aside as it meant they had use of Nassau to base themselves.

Rhona though, she was more considering. She said nothing but watched as the cargo was unloaded and stowed away, not to mention some of the crew absorbed into their own.

She continued to say nothing as they took another couple of ships and returned to Nassau, collecting a good-sized piece of loot which would fetch a good price and as Jaime traded some of it for a pair of forward chase cannons for the Red Wind, she was seeing to their installation when she saw Rhona Dinsmore approach.

Jaime was wary of everyone; the Master had taught her to never trust anyone as they would betray you the moment their own interests came into conflict with yours. She was ready to draw her swords at a moment's notice but Dinsmore stopped and spoke.

"I was impressed at what you did, so much so I think I have a proposition for you." Rhona said with a small smile.

That really did sound ominous Jaime thought but decided to see just what it was in case Rhona was out to kill her.

"Go on." Jaime asked, keeping her face passive.

"I have a number of ships coming to the West Indies and the rest of the area that must not reach their destination. I need a ship and a captain that will make sure they don't. They'll be good prizes if you take them." Rhona offered.

So, she wants me as her own personal privateer, does she? Jaime thought with some interest at just what was so special about these ships?

"Sounds good for me, but what's in it for you? I doubt you would do this without wanting something in return." Jaime said and Rhona nodded.

"The documents that the ships carry. That's what I want but everything else is yours." Rhona said with a smirk, thinking she could manipulate her with greed. Jaime was a little annoyed at this but remembering she had to look for the Sage as he was known it might be helpful in finding him.

"Alright, you have a deal." Jaime said with a smirk on her face. Rhona nodded and smiled in satisfaction at getting a pirate on her payroll.

- x -

The Bahamas, 1716…

The ocean of the Bahamas was clear and calm today, there was a strong wind and it was warm perfect weather for sailing.

A Man O' War belonging to the British Navy was sailing through without any cares in the world, sure it was going to reach its destination. However, it failed to notice that nearby a frigate with red sails was waiting, or that another ship a brig in fact with more traditional white sails was stalking it from another direction and it was now between both ships as they closed in.

The captain of the large ship was standing at the wheel noticed this and frowned as the frigate behind them nor the brig in front were flying British colours or Spanish either. The realisation that pirates were now boxing him in hit him with harsh force and he ordered for his men to ready the guns…fully aware he had no chance of outrunning either of them. So, his only option was to stand and fight and hope his ship's greater firepower would be enough to scare the pirates off.

However, he had no forward-facing cannons or stern mounted cannons either so while they remained in front and behind him, he had only his mortars to attack with so he ordered his men to ready them but before they could the brig came into range and fired forward mounted chase cannons.

The incoming fire hit the front of the ship where the mortars were mounted and scattered or killed the crew manning the mortars which put that weapon out of action for a while, worse for the ship the frigate behind and the brig in front now turned to bring all of their starboard and port cannons respectively to bare.

The two ships fired all those cannons at one, ripping into the wooden hull of the Man O' War with ruthless precision. Men screamed as they were thrown off their feet or torn apart but enemy fire but the captain couldn't bring a single gun to bare, he tried to turn the helm but as he did, the pirates fired again.

The ship was hit just as hard as they had shifted possible and now circled the stricken vessel like predators stalking their prey, firing salvo after salvo into it and tearing the ship apart before they drew alongside once it was disabled.

Jaime, at the helm of the Red Wind was ready for action immediately. As the smaller swivel guns fired on the British crew, she abandoned the helm to join the boarding party. Now with a new outfit to make her stand out a bit more among the rest of her crew.

Black leather boots, black cotton slacks and a red silk shirt teamed with a black cotton jacket. A belt at her waist had pouches for ammunition and other supplies not to mention her twin swords and four pistols. She had her hair in a ponytail to keep in controlled and without waiting a moment she leapt from her ship with her crew to the other ship.

Edward Kenway was doing the same from the other side, while he planned to give the Jackdaw the kind of weapons that would make it able to take down ships like this on its own, he hadn't managed it yet so he had enlisted the help of another pirate ship to help take this prize through Rhona. Rhona spoke that this captain could be trusted but he had never met the Red Wind's captain before and he had his doubts. But the amount of coin this ship was carrying made the risk worth it to him.

When he landed on the deck, he pulled out his first set of pistols and fired, hitting a pair of British sailors clean in the chest but then he noticed a woman, a surprise even among pirates was coming from the Red Wind, rarer still she was leading them.

She like him had guns and used them quickly before pulling out a pair of fine swords and with a vicious kind of grace cut a bloody swath across the deck. He was astonished as she moved faster than anyone he had ever seen and even he, the best skilled man on the Jackdaw couldn't keep up with her.

So, as he fought other men on deck, he was forced to admire her from afar, she was like a force of nature, nothing could stop her and she looked beautiful doing it. Her dark hair tied back and her body bending and flexing better than any he had seen to make corpses of her enemies. Edward honestly wondered just where she had learned to do that but had to admit she was quite a woman.

With both his crew and hers working it took very little time for them to take the ship and soon their men were helping themselves to the gold that the ship was carrying. He found the woman captain in the captain's cabin; she was looking over documents and putting them in a bundle along with some little pieces of her own from the cabin. He noticed she had left many things that had some worth aside and she gestured with her hand before telling him.

"Help yourself." She told him in a well-spoken English accent, clearly showing him that she was highly educated. "I have what I wanted."

"Papers, not known for being worth that much." Edward said with some interest as he did know they might be worth more than the gold on this ship depending on the information they contained.

"They're not for me. Rhona wants them. I have the life, my ship, that's all I want." The woman said with a small contented smile, he saw however that they were marked with the cross symbol used by the Templars but he put that out of his mind.

"Edward Kenway." He said introducing himself and extending his hand, the woman seemed to regard him for a moment before taking it and they shook.

"Christina Cunningham." She replied, now he knew her name.

"You want to do this for the rest of your life? Seems a waste." Edward said wondering just what a beautiful and clearly educated woman like her would be doing here?

"My chance of a normal life went away a long time ago." Christina told him without much a care. "Now I live on my own terms."

Edward wasn't sure just what she meant by that but at that moment Adéwalé appeared at the door. Christina didn't seem to care about the colour of his skin and with her bundle in hand walked up to him and offered her hand. "Christina Cunningham, captain of the Red Wind."

"Captain! Of a ship like that! Impressive." Adéwalé said with good humour and took her hand which was again something surprising as she seemed to treat him with respect despite his skin's colour. "Adéwalé, quartermaster for the Jackdaw."

"A pleasure." She said with a smile and gave them a nod before she went to supervise the stripping of the ship, leaving both Edward and Adéwalé looking after her.

- x -

Havana, Cuba…1716…

Rhona, now having returned to her base in Cuba was glad to receive the papers as they revealed plenty about the Templars plans for the area. She was now sure she had made the right choice by employing Christina and now made another offer.

"Thank you, these will be useful. I should have more targets for you in the future. In the meantime, I might have some training for you, might prove useful." Rhona said.

Jaime/Christina was intrigued at the offer, mainly because it might open new sources of information to her that could be helpful in finding her target and also for looking out for the Master. She frowned inside as she had heard nothing from him in months and only hoped he would make contact soon.

So, she would need to be as self-sufficient as possible till he appeared. She smiled and asked.

"Training? From who?" Appearing coy as if testing her. Rhona took the bait and admitted some of it.

"From the Brotherhood that trained me, one who defends free will and is ready to aid you in your raids."

"Then you have a deal." Jaime said, smirking as she hopefully came closer to her goal.


Nassau…1st February 1720…Nearly Four Years Later…

"A dozen twelve-pound cannons, high quality navigation equipment, maps, medicines, a good haul of sugar and fine china, not to mention seven chests of silver. Very nice." Eleanor Guthrie said with a smile as she sat at her desk. "Nets a good profit."

"Good." Jaime said with enthusiasm that was somewhat forced.

Five years, she fumed inwardly. Five years of being stuck in this shithole and no sign of the Master. Not much sign of Roberts either she thought with fury. Every time she had a lead on him the bastard would slip away and it was getting on her nerves.

The only good thing was since she didn't age, she looked as good as she did when he left her here, Jaime thought half-heartedly.

"Well, I am sorry to say that its coming to the end." Eleanor said with sadness. Jaime looked up in surprise.

"End?" She asked confused and Eleanor said with a sad smile.

"My contacts in England sent warning the British are sending a force to take the island and one I doubt we will be able to resist. I'm getting out while I can and I advise you to do the same." Eleanor said with a sad smile. "I am returning to England and my useless husband. Plus, I need to make sure my children have been learning while I've been gone."

"Husband…and Children?" Jaime asked with surprise as in all the years she's known her, Eleanor had given no indication of having a family. Eleanor smiled before admitting the truth to her.

"I was always bored back home, never enough to do and no place for a woman in business. So, I watched as my husband, a lord but a fool squandered his family's money and then mine before I finally had enough. I came here and set up on my own, using some contacts I made in my days as a lady." Eleanor said with a smile. "Used some friends in the Bank of England to make sure the money I made was safe and secure, when I go back, I can make sure the fortunes are restored and this time keep Lord Henry da Souza in his place. Make sure our sons and my daughter if I have one know better than to follow their fool of a father. Might call her Christina, maybe it might be a family name before too long." Eleanor told her with a smile having taken a liking to Christina over the years.

Jaime nodded, impressed at how well Eleanor had planned all this. She wondered if the rumours of her relationship with Charles Vane might be true but waved that aside. That was their business and Jaime took the hint that Eleanor was giving her, not to come here anymore after they were ready to set sail.

Not having her to sell their loot was going to make a dent in their profits she thought with worry as she returned to the Red Wind, there were other fences around on other islands but none as good as Eleanor.

Arriving at her ship she looked proudly at it, the Red Wind had received a good number of upgrades since she had acquired her. She now had fifty of the best cannons you'd find in this these waters, two forward mounted mortars and four chase cannons again forward mounted. Fire barrels could be left in her wake to deter pursuers and she had heavy shot and six swivel guns mounted to the deck and a vicious naval ram.

Not only was the Red Wind one of the most powerful ships in these waters but also one of the fastest Jaime thought with some pride. Her crew earnt more in a month than most did in five but a part of that was the fact that she had her little alliance with the Assassins.

She was using them as they were using her, she got rich off raiding Templar ships for them while she removed their enemies and messed with their trade in return.

Jaime even had their weapons now she thought, looking at the two hidden blades hidden by her coat's sleeves. She had been trained to use them by Rhona and the dart pipe on her back not to mention the rope dart and smoke bombs. She had four good flintlocks and her twin swords too. She was easily one of the best armed pirates in these waters she thought smugly.

While not officially a member of the Brotherhood, something that made her scoff in derision, their training had been useful in her various pirating voyages. She had even journeyed to the coasts of Africa, the Azores, Mexico and South America and made quite a name for herself.

Jaime was proud of that but really wished the Master would make contact so they could get on with their mission and get out of here! She thought, having been forced to learn patience on these long ocean voyages or she would have gone mad! She sighed with frustration and went to see it Rhona had any new targets for her, hoping she did because this was doing her head in, she thought with frustration.

- x -

Laureano de Torres y Ayala's Manor, Havana, Mid 1721…

The Master unlike Jaime was taking a more leisurely journey towards his goal, he sat in a shaded position in the Outer Courtyard sipping on his rather lovely and expensive tea which was refilled by a servant with a single gesture from him while enjoying the view and the lovely weather of Cuba at this time of year.

He heard the sound of footsteps on the stone and turned to see his 'employer' the Master thought with arrogant mockery. Laureano de Torres y Ayala was a respectful enough man if very short sighted the Master thought. Many times, he had thought of replacing him as head of the 'West Indies Rite' as it was known but he simply didn't care enough to do it. No, the Master thought let him obsess over the Sage and Observatory. Let him do most of the work for him while he waited and amused himself. He had infiltrated the Templars by taking the place of a Templar due to visit them from the Parisian Rite, the real one of course having met a rather unfortunate end on the way here.

He admittedly had used his considerable talents to expand the Templars trading network and earnt them a great fortune which was somewhat hampered by raids on their trading ships by a particular pirate ship that had almost every Templar scared. The Master smirked as he recognised the style and viciousness of Jaime anywhere and she had done well for herself he thought with pride at his companion, she was becoming a living legend and terrified people with the mere mention of her name or rather Christina Cunningham which was the alias she was currently using.

They grow up so fast he thought with pride at how much she had learnt from him.

She had been here all the time but he had been able to use his Tardis to take breaks from the hunt to do a few small schemes here and there not to mention look for the Observatory but so far, the blasted Sage eluded them, he thought with frustration. How he did this the Master didn't fully understand and had been taking trips to the future to try and get a definite location on Roberts but the records were scarce at best.

So, he had taken up some nice hobbies to help past the time, having purchased a small plot of land he had tried his hand at wine making and sipping a glass of his latest vintage it was getting much better he thought with satisfaction.

He had also planted a rather lovely little garden for himself to enjoy and have tried his hand at painting and sculpting, taking tea on the veranda in the afternoons.

This was proving a rather nice little holiday he thought with a smirk as Laureano came up to him.

"My friend." He said in his native Spanish accent. "I think we have finally tracked down the Sage! He is operating off the coast of Africa, near the Portuguese colony at Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe." Laureano said with excitement and the Master honestly was relieved to hear it and nodded with somewhat exaggerated eagerness.

"Then we must catch him before he slips through our fingers again, and luckily I have just the captain and ship for the job." The Master said with a vicious smirk, knowing it was time to bring Jaime in.

- x -

Crooked Island, the Bahamas…1721…

"There we are, take it easy on the rum. We may have to move fast." Jaime told her crew as they went off to spend their earnings in the pirate outpost. They were eager as it was a safe place for pirates which was growing increasingly hard to find now Jaime thought with worry as the British and Spanish both retightened their grip on the area and made it harder and harder for them to find places to sell their loot and rest.

She was worried how long this outpost was going to be here Jaime thought as she returned to her cabin. Opening the door there was a man sitting at her desk and gently sipping tea of all things. However, she immediately recognised him and frowned, nearly scowling at the sight of him.

"Six years!" She said crossly, folding her arms as she leant against the door. "You left me stuck in this…" She started saying but before she could vent her frustration at being left in the 18th century on her own, he held up a hand and told her.

"Now my dear. I know it must have been a trying experience to be without me all this time but from what I have heard you've been having enough fun on your own. Captain Christina Cunningham, commanding the Red Wind. The Terror of the Americas." The Master said with a knowing smirk and Jaime couldn't help but smirk a little too as she had taken some pleasure from her voyages and adventures so to speak.

"Please tell me you have a lead on the Sage?" Jaime asked him and he nodded.

"Indeed, how quickly can you get to Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe?" The Master asked her and she bit her lip.

"Not quickly. It would take at least seven weeks or more depending on the tides and winds." Jaime told him and he nodded, accepting with surprising good grace.

"Then that's good. He will be there by the time we arrive. Now why don't you collect some of your treasures? You won't be needing this ship for much longer." He told her and she beamed with excitement. She hadn't been gluttonous but she had acquired a nice pile of things for herself over the years and pulled a large concealed chest with various gold and silver pieces not to mention some precious stones out from beneath her bed. The Master blinked as he would have expected more but she had only kept some things that she'd liked and then pulled another chest full of nicely cleaned flintlocks and swords from by the back window.

"For your collection sir." Jaime said, having collected a good number of nice firing pieces and blades over the years and having cleaned and maintained them as a gift. He was actually rather impressed as there were some nice pieces here and he told her with a smile.

"Get them inside." He said, gently nodding in the direction of the Tardis which was parked in the corner of the room. Jaime beamed as she dragged both chests over and inside, the gentle hum of its engines honestly the best sound she had ever heard. She would be able to wear normal clothes again soon she thought with her tension easing and take a proper bath she thought loving the sound of that straight away before taking the chests further inside.

- x -

Off the Coast of Príncipe, Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe…10th February 1722…

The Red Wind made good time as it crossed the Atlantic, slowed somewhat by difficult swells but arriving roughly when they'd hoped. The day had been clear so far but a distant storm was coming in fast so time was getting short to catch up to Roberts before he slipped away again.

Jaime stood at the helm with the Master at her side, if the crew thought it odd, they didn't dare question it as she would feed them to the sharks if they did. Closing on the island they saw what looked like mortar fire in the distance but were distracted from this by the sudden appearance of a British squadron coming between them and the Royal Fortune, Roberts's ship.

"Damn it!" Jaime said as she saw they'd spotted them and were now altering their course to intercept. "They must have been hunting Roberts and decided to try and take us too." She said with frustration.

"Can we outrun them and get to the Royal Fortune?" The Master asked but she shook her head.

"No time to go around, we'll have to fight them off." Jaime said with anger and gave her orders. "Target the brigs, mortars ready!"

"Aye captain." The Crew said, jumping to it. The Master nodded in approval at how well she had drilled her crew as it didn't take long to get the mortars ready.

"FIRE!" She yelled and the crew did as she commanded.

The mortars of this era were not entirely accurate as weapons but with practice they could be. Jaime had drilled her crew again and again till they got it right and the two brigs of the squadron found themselves being blasted with mortar fire. The brigs masts snapped under the hit and the small ships scattered, leaving only a Man O War and a frigate between them and the Royal Fortune.

"Ready starboard side cannons with Heat Shot! Reload mortars!" Jaime shouted and the crew were quick to obey. The ship swinging around as the two large British ships came into range. "STARBOARD CANNONS! FIRE!" Jaime said, the twenty-five cannons on the starboard side of the ship, loaded with their best ammo against larger ships all fired at more or less the same moment. The sides of the ship looked like they were exploding with the massive number of cannons firing at once. The Man O War took the full brunt of it while the frigate turned to try and avoid it. Jaime actually had a little home-made napalm in the heat shot to help make sure they caused the maximum amount of damage. The Man O War catching fire pretty easy while Jaime then had the mortars destroy the other frigate.

The Master to help pulled out his laser screwdriver and with great accuracy shot one of the barrels on the frigate's deck which exploded immediately. He smirked as the screams and yells of men on fire reached his ears and so did, she, having missed him reluctantly during their time apart.

However, while the British squadron was now in pieces and those able now crawling away, Jaime could see through her telescope despite the worsening weather that annoyingly the Jackdaw had managed to get alongside the Royal Fortune.

"Kenway!" She said with frustration. She had once liked him since he was such a greedy man and a vicious pirate like herself but now, he had from what she had heard signed up with the Assassins all the way and become a 'good man'. She scoffed at that but it also meant he was now trying to kill Roberts before they could get the location of the Observatory from him. A fact confirmed moments later when the Royal Fortune blew up!

"Bastard!" Jaime shouted in anger, the Master however said nothing. Instead, he was desperately fiddling with a scanner he had pulled out of his pockets. His fingers moving quickly before growling in relief.

"I managed to get a lock on the Crystal Skull! Kenway took it and through that we can track him back to the Observatory." The Master said with annoyance.

"You are a genius sir." Jaime said with a grateful smile.

"It is good to see you still know your place my girl." The Master said with a sinister smile, testing her to see if she had regained any of her freewill in her time away. But she said exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Of course, at your side sir. You are the Master and I will obey you." Jaime said with a smile that had a slightly vacant look in her eyes. The Master smirked, the Antrocytes were even better than he had dreamed and kept her as his willing puppet despite the years apart. "But if I may be so bold, we should probably use your Tardis to track the skull."

"Agreed my dear. Come." He told her and she nodded before telling her crew. "I bid you all farewell, tell them when you can of me…Christina Cunningham…a girl from humble roots that became one of the greatest pirates of the age before vanishing into history. Goodbye." She told them with a mocking bow which confused them all and the Master was actually amused at her for a moment as they went into her cabin and climbed aboard the Tardis. The Crew signing themselves with the cross as they saw the cabinet the Tardis had become disappear off the deck of the ship.

Maybe she was a demon they would say long after, a demon that had returned to hell with the souls of those she killed over the years at sea. Maybe she had been a magician that had pulled one of the best disappearing acts in history. No one would ever really know what happened to her or where she went but her crew when they eventually dispersed would spread that mystery far and wide.

- x -

The Master's Tardis, The Time Vortex…

"After living in the early eighteenth century for years I will never take a shower or a proper bath for granted ever again." Jaime said with relief having taken the time to properly bathe and wash her clothes, still wearing her pirate outfit for now.

"Proper cleanliness was more of a concept back then." The Master said as he watched the screen to track the movement of the skull. Making a triumphant laugh as he finally pinned down the location of the Observatory. Long Bay, Jamaica he thought and set the co-ordinates eagerly, time he thought to get his hands on the Observatory.

- x -

The Observatory, Long Bay, Jamaica…1st September 1722…

The island's guardians were already dead or defeated when they landed, the bodies of Spanish soldiers lay all around and clearly Laureano had discovered the location somehow and used his remaining influence to mount an expedition the Master thought as he and Jaime ventured into the Isu structure.

"Impressive." Jaime said with some reluctance given how well it had held together all these thousands of years. The Master nodded and admitted.

"They were experts of building things to last."

They kept going, exploring the Temple they arrived in the main chamber and saw four people standing there with the body of Laureano at their feet. Jaime recognised them and drew her pistols in anticipation, the Master held up his hand to stop her acting on it though as the four turned around. Edward, Adéwalé and Anne all looked at them in surprise but more so at her.

"Christina." Edward said in confusion but she remained unemotional at the Master's side.

"I must thank you Mr Kenway, I have spent some time looking for this rather impressive facility and you have finally brought me here." The Master said with his sinister smile as he stepped forward, the four subconsciously taking a step back.

"He is a Templar, although it seems one of our own has betrayed us again." Ah Tabai said, the mentor of the Assassins here. He looked at Jaime with distaste but the Master just laughed.

"Oh…Christina as she called herself was never a real member of your order. She was merely here to hunt Roberts, you training her was just a bonus. And for the record, I was and never will be as limited as a Templar or an Assassin." The Master said, the actual assassins in the room looking angered at his comment. Edward then looked over to Jaime and asked.

"Is that true? Christina? Where you always working for him?" Edward asked her but Jaime just smirked and told him.

"I had a lot of fun but yes, I work for him."

"And just who are you?" Adéwalé asked with suspicious eyes. The Master smirked even wider, relishing this moment every time he got to do it.

"I am the Master." He told them with all the drama you would expect. "And I have been looking for this installation for quite some time. So, thank you for finally finding it for me." The Master said with a taunting look in his eyes.

"Oh, but you won't get to keep it." Edward said as he stepped forward. The Master was amused, thinking it rather cute that Edward thought he could stop him. Anne Bonny smirked as she told them what they had been doing.

"Roberts warned Kenway! Told him something dark was coming to claim the place. We thought he meant the Templars. Guess he must have meant you instead. Made Edward promise to never let it fall into your hands." Anne told them, not sure how Roberts could have known about the 'Master' but somehow, he seemed too. Maybe those he had served knew of him somehow, she thought with concern as to how they could.

"So, while I was dealing with Laureano and we've been talking here…my men have been placing barrels of gunpowder all over this place." Edward said and Jaime looked around and saw one in the corner or the room behind them. The Master too looked around with sudden fear as he realised just what the foolish heroes were going to do. Edward then shot the trail of gunpowder on the floor which ignited.

The Master realised just what the fool had done and told Jaime.

"RUN!"

Jaime didn't need to be told twice and started moving the moment he gave the command, as did the Master and the four Assassins.

They just about made it half way out of the Observatory when the explosions started, the powder might be primitive but it did its job and started bringing the temple down around their heads. They barely made it out before the ceiling collapsed on them completely. The last blast threw them all to the ground and the Master was fuming with rage, looking around he saw the Assassins had managed to escape and felt for his laser screwdriver only for him to realise to his great annoyance that it was gone. Probably lost in the Observatory when it exploded, he thought with a dark scowl. He and Jaime as they got to their feet turned to Edward Kenway and told him with a vicious temper.

"You are a fool, Edward Kenway! 3rd of December 1735. That's the day you die! All because you trusted the wrong person and couldn't see people for who they really are." The Master said, eager to make Kenway suffer in some way for his humiliation. "Your daughter! Jennifer Scott who refuses to be called a Kenway because you abandoned her mother and so she won't use your name! She will be kidnapped and sold to Turkish slavers where she will spend the rest of her life miserable and alone as a concubine and then a servant! Your son Haytham! The one you haven't had yet will be taken and raised as a Templar! Raised to think of you as nothing more than a wastrel drunk! You're doomed Kenway. Enjoy the next thirteen years Kenway! They're all you have left." The Master said with a nasty sneer and left him, climbing back into his Tardis with Jaime following him. Shocking them all when with a great wheezing sound, the tree in front of them disappeared from right before their eyes. Leaving Edward with the certainty of his death and fixing the date he would end.

And the knowledge of what would happen to those he loved when he did.

- x -

Kenway Manor, Great Inagua…October 1722…

Edward sat in the drawing room of the manor that had been his sometimes home for years now, he had been in bad spirits ever since the Observatory. The words of the Master ringing in his head and try as he might he was unable to shift them. A nagging sense of doom hung over him as he heard those predictions about not only his own death but more to the point the children, one of whom he had not even met yet and the other hadn't been born.

He knew the man could be lying, was most likely lying as he had proven to be highly skilled at it. The Templars themselves had been infiltrated and used by him but then again Edward thought with dismay, so had the Assassins and Pirates.

He looked up as Anne approached, she saw his mood and sat next to him. Her leg almost touching his and his attraction to her made his body warmer but he suppressed it as best he could, not wanting to appear like a foolish boy to this amazingly strong woman that was his friend…even if the desire for them to be more had crossed his mind many times.

"Still bothering ya? What that prick said?" Anne asked her smooth Irish accent music to his ears, again seeing clearly what was on his mind and he admitted to her.

"I know it is likely another lie…but…I cannot forget it however I try." Edward said and she put a hand on his, it was softer than it should have been given the hard life they both lived but at the same time her touch was gentle.

"Edward, you are the most determined man I have ever known. If there is any way to change your fate. You'll find it." Anne reassured him and he smiled at her which she returned.

"It would be easier, if you would come with me." Edward saying it carefully as he dared to hope she might say yes. Anne looked surprised before she told him.

"Edward, that's the wrong direction for an Irish woman." She said reluctantly but Edward perhaps faced with his own mortality pressed a little.

"Aye, it is for me too but…together…we could find our way in London. I…I need you, Anne." Edward admitted with some fear of her rejection.

Anne looked torn for a moment but as he stared, she sighed and finally gave him her answer.

"Fine, I'll go with you to England. But if so then I cannot be Anne, not with the reputation I have as a pirate." Anne said with resignation but the small smile on her face. "If I'm going to have to live in London and keep you straight…call me…Tessa." Anne told him, liking the name and it might be good to leave her days a pirate behind her.

Edward's heart soared at her agreement and made a vow to himself that she would not regret it.

Adéwalé and Ah Tabai both came in sometime later and seemed to notice a greater closeness between them but said nothing of it. They had something else to discuss.

"I looked through all the records of past strangeness the Assassins have seen throughout the ages that I have and could only find one mention of anything like what we saw." Ah Tabai said as he sat on one of the other seats in the room. "A single occasion when the great Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad during the Third Crusade witnessed a party of four individuals wandering through the Holy Lands, Ian, Barbara, Vicki and a man they called The Doctor. He followed them to determine their purpose and witnessed them enter a blue box of some kind that disappeared with a great wheezing sound just like what we witnessed." Ah Tabai told them with some worry.

"That was hundreds of years ago!" Edward called out surprised and Adéwalé nodded.

"It is unlikely but I have to admit, maybe there is some connection, maybe they come from the same place." Adéwalé suggested and they all went quiet as they thought on that.

Edward himself agreed, there must be something that linked these two events so many years apart even if they knew not what that was. He didn't understand it and suspected he never would but he knew the warning he had received would need to be acted on and he would act on them.

He would train Jennifer when she was ready, prepare her with the skills of an Assassin should she ever need them. If she ever ended up in trouble, it would be a blessing that she could handle herself.

He would be a better man for his wife (as soon as he could convince Anne to marry him), his daughter and for the son that he would apparently have. He would be more careful and vigilant with those around him and teach his children to do the same.

But more so, he would tell them of the Master, warn them in case he ever came back some day as he felt in his bones he would.

And the Kenways would be there ready, Edward thought sternly to himself with determination.


There we are, hope you all enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you thought.

As you can see there is a major change here which might not be readily apparent in this chapter but I will revisit this world again in a few chapters time.

The next crossover will be with an adaptation of 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde', specifically the BBC TV series Jekyll from 2007 which starred Michelle Ryan which is largely why I chose that one.

Next Chapter - The Master gives Jaime a solo mission to find the secret of Jekyll and Hyde and unleashes her on Doctor Tom Jackman.