"It's Pirates!"
Thomas just barely managed to shout his warning before everything was deafened by the roar of cannon fire. Everyone scattered for cover as the entire building shook and debris rained down from the ceiling. Aubrey rushed up the stairs of the platform and grabbed Chloe, who was still in shock, by the wrist. She led the redhead back down the stairs and together they huddled in front of the pew. Just as they hid they could hear another volley of cannon fire. Only this time the entire building shook from the force. Chloe poked her head above the pew and saw that the front of the church had been hit and now there was a decent size hole in the wall.
"Chloe what are you doing?" Aubrey grabbed her friend and pulled her head back down. "Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
Before Chloe could respond the door to the church made a horrible splintering noise. This time Aubrey was the one to poke her head up and what she saw made her face pale. About a dozen weathered pirates came bursting through the shattered door. Aubrey watched as Thomas and the few remaining sailors attempted to hold back the ruffians but they were heavily outnumbered. It only took a few minutes for the pirates to overwhelm the men, knocking them out and pulling their unconscious forms to a corner of the room.
"That's strange," Aubrey whispered to herself.
"What's strange?" Chloe lifted her head again to see what Aubrey was talking about.
"They're not killing anyone," Aubrey looked through the group of attackers but didn't see anything that would suggest that they weren't pirates. "Since when do pirates show mercy?"
"Maybe they're friendly," Even Chloe couldn't quite manage to believe that. Everyone had heard stories of entire fleets of ships being sunk by the roaming bands of pirates that plague the West Indies.
Aubrey narrowed her eyes at Chloe and shook her head. She was about to retort when she was interrupted by one of the pirates. "Search em all!"
The pirates started making their way down the aisle, tearing jewelry from the necks of the ladies and any other item of value from the assembled guests. "My, my such a lovely haul," A man, who must have been the leader, said as he strode down the aisle. "So nice of ye to wear all your finest fixins."
The pirate crew slowly made their way towards the girls, collecting as they went. Chloe glanced across the pews and made eye contact with her parents. Her mother looked terrified, hunched over and clutching at her husband. Mr. Beale looked more resigned, eyeing the ruffians with barely disguised disdain. Before she knew it a pirate was standing in front of her and reaching towards her neck. On instinct she slapped his hand away. He pulled back and grinned, showing off his missing teeth. "Got a bit of fight in ya, eh?"
Quick as lighting his hand reached out and snatched the pearl necklace from around Chloe's neck. Pearls went flying all over the place and the pirate let out a curse. He scrambled to pick up the scattered jewels and managed to bump into the man in charge. "You idiot, next think before you go grabbin."
"Sorry sir, won't happen again."
The lead pirate just scoffed before turning to look at the huddled girls. He gave them a thorough once over before his eyes widened. He reached out and grabbed Aubrey by the wrist, dragging her to her feet as he studied the ring on her index finger. "I've seen this before."
Both Chloe and Aubrey felt a chill run down their spines. The ring the pirate was staring at was a Posen signet ring and as such had the family crest engraved into the metal. The same crest that Aubrey's father flew on any ship he commanded. What was worse was that Admiral Posen was notorious for hunting pirates.
They could tell when he recognized the insignia, a hawk clutching a snake in its talons, when his eyes widened and he looked at Aubrey's face. "It can't be-"
"Gibbs, what's taking so long you squab!" A new voice carried through the church and all the pirates stopped what they were doing, casting uneasy glances at the woman that came striding into the building.
To say she made an impression would be an understatement. She had long brown hair with hard eyes that whipped from one pirate to another. There was a commanding air about her, her stride was sure with her head held high. She managed to hold the attention of everyone in the room, although that could also have been because of her wide open shirt leaving her rather generous breasts out for the world to see. What they really should have been paying attention to was the two pistols hanging from her belt. Right next to a rapier.
The pirate, Gibbs, dragged Aubrey before the woman and held up Aubrey's hand. "Sorry Doc, found this one hiding over there." He showed the women the ring and she allowed a small smirk.
"So we somehow managed to find Posen's little darling in this back water?" The woman tossed her hair over a shoulder as she leaned over to look Aubrey in the eye. "This must be our lucky day." The woman gave Aubrey a once over and her smirk turned into an actual smile. She reached out and ran a finger across Aubrey's cheekbone, causing the blond to jerk her head away and glare at her captor. The woman just chuckled as she stood back up. "Have to admit, wouldn't have expected that crusty old bastard to have such a lovely daughter." The woman turned to Gibbs and cocked her head towards the door. "Take her to the ship."
Gibbs just nodded his head as he grabbed Aubrey around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, much to Aubrey's annoyance. "Unhand me this instance." She yelled while being lifted into the air. "If you know who I am then you know what my father will do to you when he hears about this."
"Actually, I'm thinking having the daughter of the Grand Admiral on board might just be the best bargaining tool we've ever had." The woman laughed and was about to turn back to her crew when she felt a tugging sensation on her belt. Normally she would have been fine with that but it's not something one wants to happen in the middle of a raid.
"Let her go." Chloe leveled the flintlock she had grabbed from the women's belt. She tried to keep her hands steady in an attempt to actually aim the gun, only her hands didn't seem to want to get with the program. She had never so much as held a weapon before so her hands were shaking considerably.
The woman held up her hands but the smirk on her face showed that she wasn't scared. Her eyes took in the dress that Chloe was wearing and pieces started to fall together. "My apologies miss. We didn't know there was a wedding today or we would have brought a gift." She took a step forward which Chloe matched with a step back.
Chloe steeled her nerves and held the gun steady. "Let Aubrey go now." The woman tilted her head to the side as she considered the redhead before her. The girl had spunk, the pirate had to give her that. It wasn't often that someone had the guts to steal a pirate's weapon from their own belt.
"Afraid I can't do that Red." The pirate took another step closer. "See, Miss Posen's papa has been causing us quite a bit of trouble." Another step. "And if we have his daughter then we might just be able to get the admiral off our ass and onto someone else's." The pirate was now within reaching distance of the gun. Chloe tried to take another step back but her leg hit the side of the raised platform causing her to trip. As she fumbled to keep herself upright the woman reached out and snatched the gun from Chloe's hand.
Chloe landed with an 'umph' and when she looked up she was staring down the barrel of the gun she had just been holding. She went a little crossed eyed staring down the length of the firearm but she could see that the pirate was smiling down at her. "You've got spirit Red and under different circumstances I'd offer a spot on our crew but," She shrugged her shoulders. "That's not really my call."
The woman took a step back and holstered the pistol. She turned to leave but stopped when she noticed two people hiding behind the front row of pews. The woman looked terrified but the man seemed to be glaring at the pirate with barely restrained hatred. As the pirate studied the two it felt like the final puzzle piece fell into place. She marched over to the pair, drawing her rapier as she walked. She placed the point of her blade under the man's chin and applied pressure. Just enough that a small drop of blood appeared and ran down his neck.
The pirate scrutinized Mr. Beale's face for a second before her eyes widened in recognition. "You're Johnathan Beale, aren't you?" When he didn't respond she applied more pressure to the blade. "Aren't you?" This time he gave the smallest hint of a nod, careful not to harm himself on the sword.
The pirate looked back to Chloe taking in the same red hair as her father. She turned to two waiting crew members and gestured with her head towards Chloe. "We're taking her too." The crewman sprung into action and grabbed Chloe's arms much to her protest. One of the pirates threw her over his shoulder just as Gibbs had done to Aubrey. "And make sure you gag em. Wouldn't want them giving us away during our escape."
"Unhand my daughter this instant you whore." Mr. Beale tried to rise to his feet but the pirate kicked him in the chest. He fell back against the pew and managed to hit his head against the seat.
The woman placed her foot on his chest to keep him from getting back up. "Now is that any way to talk to a lady?"
"You're no lady," Mrs. Beale sneered from the side.
"Aye, you're probably right about that." The woman turned back to the man under her boot. "But he certainly isn't a man. I think it's time you got a taste of your own medicine Mr. Beale." She lifted her foot and made her way over to her two captives. "And you should trust me," she called over her shoulder. "I'm a doctor."
With Chloe and Aubrey safely bound and gagged, the woman survived the room. Deciding there was nothing left for them to take she made a circular motion with her finger. "All right boys, we've got places to be and people to rob so let's move out." She led the way to the shattered door and exited the church.
Once they were outside the two captives could see just how crazy the city had become. There were people running and screaming in every direction and several of the buildings had massive chunks missing, presumably from the cannon fire. The pirates didn't stick around to admire their handiwork though. The woman turned to her group and shouted over the chaos, "On the double back to the ship! If I see any dawdling you'll be left behind so let's move!"
The group set off towards the harbor at a brisk jog. Chloe and Aubrey bounced up and down with each step, likely to leave large bruises on their abdomens by the time everything was said and done. The two ladies tried to look at each other but the jostling of their head made eye contact rather difficult. Aubrey looked absolutely furious, and if it wasn't for the gag in her mouth she would probably be saying some rather unladylike things to say.
Chloe on the other hand was more scared than angry. The scenes that flashed by as they ran towards the harbor were horrible. People who had been regular citizens just a few hours ago were now fighting each other in the streets. The group stayed next to buildings and ducked down alleyways to avoid the larger mobs. Every so often she could make out scattered groups of soldiers trying to restore order but there was little they could do.
And if that wasn't terrifying enough there was the fact that she had just been kidnapped. She had heard about the horrible things pirates did to their captives. And it wasn't just Chloe, if the pirates were smart at most she would be held for ransom and returned to her parents. Aubrey, however, was in much more danger. Her father was the man that every pirate feared so Aubrey's safe return wasn't going to be as simple as a few pieces of gold. She was looking at months of being tormented by this pirate crew until they could figure out how to use Aubrey against the admiral. And if Ulysses Posen was anything like Chloe remembered then it was likely she would never see her friend again. Grand Admiral Posen never parleyed with pirates.
Chloe was brought out of her musings when their group made a turn and she realized that they were almost at the docks. She recognized the ship that had seen earlier in the day, only now it was alive with commotion. A volley of cannon fire came roaring from the ship, the sound almost deafening now that they were so close.
"Conrad!" The pirate woman stopped in her tracks and spun on her heel. Approaching them was another group of pirates that Chloe could only assume belonged to the same crew. As they approached she could make them out better. One had dark skin and very short hair overall except for two strands with beads over her forehead. The other crew member was blonde and a bit more rotund.
"You two!" The woman, whose name appeared to be Conrad, pointed a finger at the two as they approached. "Get your asses on the ship now. Do you have any idea how much bullshit we had to go through to break you out."
The dark skin one looked a bit apologetic while the large blond just rolled her eyes. "So we played a few hands and got a little drunk. It's no big deal." Chloe tried to place the accent
"You idiots picked a fight with a navy captain." Conrad's face was growing red before she took a deep breath and let it out. "Do you have any idea how out of the way Kingston is from Barbados?"
"Look in our defense he was cheating-"
Conrad cut her off. "I don't care Rose," She took a step and got as close to Rose as possible. "Get your ass behind the helm and prepare to disembark. We're getting out of here. Now." Rose dropped her head and broke off from the group before sprinting towards the ship. Once she was gone Conrad turned back to the blond. "Where's Lilly? She was supposed to be with you two."
"Yeah, well see-"
"You know what, I don't care. She's more capable than the rest of the crew combined." Conrad turned back to her group of pirates. "Gibbs, get those two on board and toss them in the brig. We're setting sail."
"Yes mam. You heard her boys, let's move it." The pirates started moving towards the ship again with Conrad and the blonde falling in behind the group. The captives watched as their hope for escape dwindled. Once they were on the ship there was nothing to be done, there would be no escape.
Just as they were about to board there was a commotion coming from down the street. The pirate that was holding Chloe spun around meaning she couldn't see what was happening. She heard Conrad curse and the sound of swords being drawn.
"Stop in the name of the king!" The voice sounded authoritative but Chloe could hear a quiver in his voice. If only she could see what was going on. So instead she looked at Aubrey and from her expression her friend clearly recognized the voice.
"Ha," Conrad laughed. "Look at the pretty boy in his fancy suit."
"I am the first mate of the Centurion. If you think you can just sail away from here then you are in for a world of misery." Chloe lifted her head to look over her shoulder. Standing at the end of the gang-plank were three men in sailor uniforms. The one in the middle was the same man she had seen sitting next to Aubrey during the wedding.
Luke took a tentative step on the gang-plank and raised his saber into a ready position. Conrad laughed again and drew her own rapier. "Boy, do you really want to cross blades with a pirate?"
"On my honor, I will not allow you to leave." He took another step forward but Conrad just rolled her eyes. The action allowed her to see a red parrot flying overhead and her expression changed from annoyed to amused.
"Tell me, mister first mate. What would you do if you didn't have your friends backing you up?" Luke looked confused until he looked behind him. The two men that were standing by were now lying on the ground. Between them was a petite woman with long black hair that hid her face. The parrot flew out of the sky and landed on the girl's shoulder.
"What the hell-umph" Luke collapsed as Conrad brought the hilt of her blade on the back of his head.
"Shame," Conrad bent over and dragged Luke back to the dock. "He had such a pretty face." She looked up and eyed the woman with the bird. "You're a bit late. We almost left without you."
Instead of responding herself the parrot made a loud squawking noise before speaking. "Time is relative!"
"Whatever, just get on board." Conrad returned her rapier to its sheath before returning to the ship. Once she was on board two crewmen grabbed the gang-plank and stowed it out of the way. "Jessica! Ashley! One more volley and then we're gone. Rose, get this ship moving, we need to be out to sea before any of those navy bastards get the wrong idea."
There was a chorus of "Ayes" and "Yes mams" as the crew scurried to follow instructions. The one called Rose took the helm and started calling out rigging and sail orders for the crew and soon enough the ship was pulling away from the dock. The two pirates who had been carrying Chloe and Aubrey put the girls down at the back of the ship behind the helm before rushing off to man their stations.
The two huddled together and tried to stay out of the way. Aubrey gave Chloe a concerned look before gesturing with her head to the railing. Chloe turned her head to look over the side. The water was pitch black and she knew it would be cold but if they didn't try to escape now then they would be out to sea and any chance would be gone. She looked Aubrey in the eye and nodded. Together they slowly stood up, trying not to attract attention. Once they were on their feet Aubrey positioned herself on the railing and swung her legs over the edge. Chloe followed suit but it hit her that their arms and legs were bound and they were both wearing heavy dresses. If they tried to swim to shore they probably wouldn't make it. Chloe reached out and grabbed Aubrey's arm to stop her from jumping. Once she had the blonde's attention she shook her head violently and held up her bound hands, trying to convey her message. Aubrey just looked at her confused, in her mind they could make it to shore. If not, then drowning was preferable to being captured by pirates. She was a Posen after all and she had a reputation to protect.
There was a brief battle of wills as the two friends stared at each other. But before they could come to a decision they heard a loud screech behind them. They turned and saw the same girl from before, the parrot perched on her shoulder. She was definitely foreign and, if Chloe had to guess, was probably from somewhere in the orient. The parrot squawked again, "Shum in the water." The girl reached out and dragged the two captives back on deck. She then proceeded to tie a rope around both their wrists and tied them to the railing. So much for escaping.
The girls flinched as the cannons fired again, no doubt causing more chaos within the city. But at that point the ship was well underway with the city growing smaller behind them. Their attention was pulled away from the city when Conrad made her way across the deck and climbed the stairs to stand next to Rose at the helm. She placed a hand on Rose's shoulder and used her other hand to point at something in the distance. "See that light in the middle of the bay," Rose nodded "Bring it up to port."
Rose spun the wheel and the ship curved through the water. Aubrey looked around and noticed that the fleet was still in position at the mouth of the harbor. There was still a chance that they could make it out of this. After all, there was no way the pirate ship could make it through that blockade without being noticed.
They sailed for another minute when a soft bumping noise could be heard from the port side of the ship. Conrad called for a rope ladder and after it was thrown over the side two more women climbed aboard. Chloe listened while they settled on the deck and wondered when and how a pirate crew came to be manned mostly by women.
"Shorstack! Glad to see you. Thanks for draggin our buns out of the oven." The loud blonde rushed to the two and gathered them in a hug.
"Idiota. La próxima vez te dejaré con los perros." A very angry voice yelled in protest.
"Yeah, sorry Flo. Still don't understand a thing you said."
"Imbécil."
"Hey! I know that one."
"Amy, it would probably be best if you just sat in the corner and didn't move for a few days." A new voice carried across the deck to the prisoners and before long a rather short woman walked up the steps to stand next to the helm. Rose went to apologize but the woman cut her off, "I'm not happy with you either. That little stunt you two pulled has cost us a lot of time."
"Sorry Cap'n'" Rose returned to her duties. The woman was short, couldn't have been much more that five feet tall. She wore a black bandana over her hair and her left ear was filled with various earrings. It was hard to see in the dark but one could just make out various tattoos running up and down her arms. The woman looked around and noticed the two women huddled in the corner and Chloe saw the deep blue of her eyes in the candlelight.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Uh, captain if I might have a word." Conrad leaned in and whispered something into the woman's ear. Aubrey and Chloe exchanged a confused glance, they had never heard of a woman captain before.
"Really Stacie? Don't you think we have enough problems?" The captain asked.
Conrad shrugged. "I saw an opportunity so I took it."
The captain groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well it's not like we can take them back." She looked at the captives and sighed. "I'll deal with you later."
"Cap'n," Rose spoke up. "What are we doing about the fleet?"
"Just keep true," The captain moved to place her hands on the railing just in front of the helm. "Flo and I took care of it."
The ship kept to course with the fleet growing larger every second. Then the entire crew watched as a massive explosion demolished the Centurion and the surrounding ships. The fireball from the explosion lit up the night sky as the crew cheered.
Chloe huddled next closer to Aubrey and took her had. Together the watched their last hope of escape going up in flames.
AN: So fun fact, Amy should not exist in this story. I'm placing this at around the turn of the eighteenth century and Australia was not colonized by Britain until 1788, Tasmania even later at 1803. So yea for anachronisms but would you really want a story with out Fat Amy?
Also I am desperately trying not to rip off the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but Lilly using a parrot to talk was too good to pass up.
Translations: "Idiota. La próxima vez te dejaré con los perros." - "Idiot. Next time I'll leave you with the dogs."
It's google translated so take it with a grain of salt.
