Replies: Garden-Crafter, I believe Sparrow may be a good influence on the lad and Elizabeth does deserve to have more action. SidheprincessAislinn, thank you. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.
Chapter 25: Direction
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Malcolm Reynolds had woken up that day to hear some good news for a change from Kaylee. She had informed him that Zoe and Jayne and their 18th century crew had come in contact with Jack Sparrow and while she was on guard duty she had come across a member of Jack Sparrow’s crew and that crewmember met with Norrington. Kaylee made mention of an interesting technique in the dingy that was used. Mal had told her to refrain from babbling too much. Hard for her to maintain her low voice and accent when she was gushing.
“You seem to be a bit cheerful this morning,” Lieutenant Hall had greeted Mal.
“I have a feeling that today will be a very good day,” Mal said before he erased his smile and tried to appear a bit sterner, more like a soldier.
“It is a very good day,” Hall agreed and stared up at the sky. “Nary a cloud to be seen.”
“Always good,” Mal also looked up at the sky, his sea. How long had it been since they were in the sky last? He tried not to look up at the sky at night. The sight of the stars would make him more homesick, increase the longing he felt to be returned to space. He might stare at the stars that night, knowing where his ship was located. It won’t be long till they return home.
“Morning Lieutenant Hall,” Norrington greeted the two of them. “Morning Mr. Core.”
“Morning Commodore,” Both men straightened their backs.
“I would like a word with Mr. Core,” Norrington said. There was no emotion in his face, nor did he emphasize any of his words. The guy would have been a hell of a poker player.
“Soon to be lieutenant Core,” Hall gave Mal a light tap on the shoulder before Mal and Norrington walked off.
“I hate to disappoint them,” Mal said once they were out of earshot. “I don’t plan on stickin around for my ceremony.”
Norrington smiled briefly. “This is what I wanted to speak with you about.” He removed something from his pocket and handed it to Mal.
“What is this?” Mal asked when the felt the dark wooden box in his hands. He opened the lid, revealing a compass with a golden arrow “A compass?” He looked up at Norrington before he examined it again. The needle was pointing in a south by southwest direction. “A compass that doesn’t point north. How is this going to help?”
“That is Jack Sparrow’s compass. It is believed it points to the direction of what you desire most.”
“So this little gadget is going to be pointing to Serenity?” Mal stared at the face of the compass again. It was no longer pointing south by southwest. It was pointing in a direction that was almost north. “Serenity is moving?”
“Let me see?” Norrington glanced at the compass. The arrow kept switching directions. “Are you certain your ship is the one thing you desire most in this world?”
“Of course I do,” Mal snapped. What else could he want? He knew Zoe and Jayne were safe. Everyone he cared about was safe. There was nothing else he wanted. He wanted to return to the sky, but in order to do that he needed to return to his ship. Well there may have been someone he wanted, but knew he could never have her. “Maybe I need to clear my thoughts.”
“That would be best,” Norrington took the compass from him. “I’ll keep this safe in my cabin until then.” He pocketed the compass when he heard someone approach them.
Mal regained his composure when he saw commander Barclay was about to speak with them. “Morning Commander.”
“Morning Mr. Core,” Barclay smiled briefly at him before he turned to Norrington. “I have heard we have orders not to release the sails until the other ships of the fleet have caught up with us.”
Norrington nodded. “Mr. Core, you may return to your post.”
Mal nodded. “Yes Commodore.” He needed to focus on his ship until he would have a chance to meet up with Norrington and that compass again that is if it did work.
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William Turner held on to the rigging of the foremast of the Haven. He was supposed to help secure it after the sails were unfolded completely and they billowed out from the wind. His mind was nowhere near the ship. It was a hornet’s nest, buzzing with several thoughts, mostly of Elizabeth. He also thought of his father and the sad soul frozen into the Flying Dutchman. He also thought of Jack’s decision to have the four ships: the Black Pearl, The Empress, The Luna Ghost, and The Haven be the forerunners of their fleet and to have some of the different members of the different crews mix up a bit, and that was why Will, along with Yan Hui were on The Haven.
“Ye got cloud’s in yer eyes.” The female gunner said to him with her hands on her hips. “Won’t be much of a use if yer mind isn’t in yer ‘ead.”
“I have a lot of things on my mind,” Will continue his work.
“One wouldn’t be on a certain gell?” Gusty asked as she tossed her head back, causing the mass of tangles she kept in a braid to whip around.
“Her name is Elizabeth.”
“The one that went t’ spy on the navy for us then.”
Will was about to nod, but the part about spying made him stop. “No. I meant to say yes. She did go to the navy, but not to spy on them. She went to help your captain.”
Her hazel eyes widened in realization. “Help the crew that hired the rest of us return to their time.”
He stared at her. He wondered how they she knew. “They told you?”
“Didn’t have to. We sort of learned that ourselves when we found some of their things. Knew they were from someplace far advanced than ‘ere.” Her smile faded. “Best ye be gettin’ back t’ work.”
He knew he had to return his mind to the tasks at hand. He had to try not to think about Elizabeth. He couldn’t keep from worrying about her. What if something had had happened to the dinghy? What if it was natural like a storm, or if Davy Jones or the Kraken had gotten to her? What if a different navy ship had found her first? What if Norrington threw her in the brig and kept the compass for himself to give to Beckett?
“Gusty is right,” Zoe Washburne came up to him. “Hard to focus when you have to much on your mind.”
“I shouldn’t have let her gone off,” Will said.
Zoe raised her eyebrows. “Your girlfriend?”
“My fiancé. It was our wedding day when Beckett rode in with our warrants.”
“He’s an ambitious son of a bitch,” Zoe placed a hand on his shoulder. “Reminds me of some folk we have come across in our time, mostly Alliance soldiers.”
“I keep wondering how he even heard of Davy Jones’s chest.” He finished the knot and moved on to the next.
“Best not to think about it,” Zoe kneeled down next to him. “Need to think about what is a head of us.”
“A battle,” Will nodded. He heard she was a soldier. “You have seen them before.”
“Many battles, mostly on the ground. Never on the sea.” She finished tying her knot first. “There are mostly two types of armed forces in the future, those who mostly fight planet side and those who fight in space. Groundlings like us were similar to the army and marines in the way we fight and rank. The Space Force is like the Air Force and the Navy in fighting and rank.
“Air Force?” Will asked. He had nearly forgotten whom he was talking to. “Of course there will be an Air Force. You have to get into the air before you can get into space. ‘What is that like? Being in space, I mean. I can’t even imagine. I mean I have often stared up at the stars.”
Zoe laughed. “They sky to me is like the sea to you. You get used to it after a while. I was born in a vessel. I was taught how to wear and use a suit for a while.” Her tone became serious. “It’s more dangerous. You fall into the sea and if you can swim then you can survive. You just have to swim up and keep your head above water. There is nothing like that in the stars. There is no air and when you are between planets it’s cold, incredibly cold. You leave your ship without a suit then it’s an instant death.”
“I still would have loved to see it.”
“I would have loved to spend some time on a beach. Back in our time of course. Inara and I would be stretched out, taking in the sun and sipping some fruit flavored drink. The captain and Jayne would be playing a game, probably tossing a ball back and forth and try to convince Simon and myself to join. River would be building a sand castle and Simon and Kaylee would take a walk together, possibly collect some seashells.” She stood back up. “And look we have finished.”
Will stared at last knots they had tied. She was right. “This went faster when we were talking.”
“Got your mind to focus on one thing.” Zoe gave his shoulder a light tap before she walked off.
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James Norrington faced the incoming ship as it pulled up to the starboard side of the Intrepid. It was a vessel had hadn’t seen in a few months. The Gallant’s sails were at half-mast. It flew the English flag proudly along with another flag underneath it, the flag of the East India Trading Company.
“I didn’t expect to see that flag so soon,” Commander Barclay said.
“Clearly none of us did,” Norrington tried to hide his disdain. “We better prepare for the representative for when he boards.”
“It appears it’s not just a representative.” Barclay pointed to the men who were climbing aboard one of the long boats.
“Mercer,” Norrington recognized the dark clothing the majordomo preferred. That wasn’t the only man he recognized. He honed in on the shorter man who boarded after Mercer. “Beckett.” He didn’t even try to hide his dislike of the man. “Gorram it.”
“Sir?” Barclay raised his eyebrows at the curse that escaped Norrington’s lips.
“Nothing.” He turned to face the commander “Best prepare for Beckett then?” He had no idea why he said that word. Captain Reynolds was starting to rub off on him. The sooner he sends Reynolds and his crew back home the better. At least it was a word favored by Reynolds and not Sparrow.
“I will speak with the lieutenants,” Barclay said before he turned away.
Norrington turned back to Beckett’s longboat and braced for the man and his servants for when they board.
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The small man was coming.
The warning rang out through River’s mind, rousing her from her nap on James’s sofa. She bolted up right and stared at the cabin door. The small man was not yet near but he was on the ship. He was on the same ship as she, her brother and her friends. She couldn’t tell if he was precisely looking for them. There were too many voices for her to focus on him.
“Can’t be found here.” She ran over to the door and placed her ear against it. She could hear the friendly men speak to each other. Simon saved one from choking and they like him. She liked them to. They had fun stories and their jokes brought a smile to her face.
The smile faded when she could hear them coming. She heard James both speaking to the small man and the murderer and she could hear James trying to warn her in his mind.
River, hide in the bedchamber. Hide under the bed. I am returning with people who should not see you.
River glanced at the desk. There were none of her drawings left in the open. There was something else. It was the special compass. She could not let the small man see it. Mal and the others need it to find Serenity.
She grabbed the compass before she ran into the bedchamber. Once she closed the door she leaned against it. The bad men wanted to be in the main part of the cabin, and not where River slept.
“I understand if you want to reclaim your cabin,” James said once he and the bad men had stepped inside. “I can move my personal things down below.”
“There is no need for that,” Beckett said. River could see him standing next to James. The murderer was walking around.
“You are not planning on staying long?”
“Not too long,” Beckett said. “I just came to speak with you and the other captains. I will be sailing the remainder of this trip on the Gallant.”
River listened in to the mind voices of the murderer. He was looking for the weapons. She saw some of his past. It was dark. They’re people screaming before they were silenced, too much blood.
She bit back on the urge to scream and shifted her focus onto the small man. He was all want and greed. She saw him holding onto chain leashes. Mal, her brother and the rest of the crew wore the metal collars of those chains. They were all shooting guns at pirates and other people. Her fear was replaced by rage.
“They will not be used.” Her hands clenched into fists.
“I am still surprised you even left Port Royal,” James said.
“We left once when we had heard of a prison break at Fort Charles,” Beckett explained. “A certain pirate crew escaped with their ship.”
“A pity I had to leave,” James said. “I would have helped you hunt them down.”
“He knows more than he is letting on,” the murderer said.
“I can assure you I know nothing of this.”
“You better be telling the truth, Norrington,” Beckett said.
River saw more. She saw thousands of men dressed in the naval and marine uniforms. All were cheering for Beckett. She saw a great battle. Men under the same flag battling each other. She saw a shackled man writing down a form and hand it to Beckett.
“Where are Captain Reynolds’s weapons?” The murderer asked.
“I have given them to my most skilled weapons experts,” James said. “They are working on figuring them out.”
“I still say he is lying.”
She could visualize the two men as they spoke with James. Both were dressed in fine clothing and they both were wearing gloves, blue gloves. Suddenly their clothes changed to the suits of the 26th century.
She saw the image; the symbol of The EITC and it too changed form, becoming the logo of the Blue Sun Corporation.
“Two by two, hands of blue.” Her hands shook. She knew they were not the same men. Her mind was telling her they were like them.
“We do not have the proof that he his,” Beckett said. “The good Commodore knows what will happen if he was lying.”
River saw James with a noose around his neck. “No,” She covered her mouth and stepped away from the door.
“Of course I do,” James said. “The weapons are on this ship.”
The images of the guns were in Mal’s and Simon’s holsters. The rest, including Vera were hidden within the cabin.
“We will return after we speak with the other captains,” Beckett said.
River waited until they left the cabin before she sat down on the floor. “We are all in danger.” She held up the compass she took of James’s desk. “Octagon.” She spoke of its shape. She ran a finger over the curved bulge. What does she want the most in life? She wanted to protect her brother. She flipped open the lid and watched as the golden arrow point towards south by southwest. She knew where to go. She just needed to wait.
“River?” James tapped on the door exactly twenty-five minutes later. River counted the minutes. “They are gone.”
“We have to go.” She said once she opened the door
“Go?” Norrington blinked.
“We have to get Serenity. We have to go now.” She grabbed onto his hand.
“Miss Tam, we don’t even know where it is.”
“I do,” she held out the compass. “We are going to find her.”
“I’m sorry but I can’t order the ship to sail into that direction,” he frowned. “Not with Beckett here.”
“Not everyone. Just us.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Us?”
“I need you,” she squeezed his hand. “Please.”
He stared at her and River could hear what he was trying to decide. She heard several of his thoughts, debating in his head before she tried to turn down the volume. She shouldn’t be listening to such thoughts.
After a few minutes he closed his eyes before inhaling. “I’ll order a longboat to be prepared. I’ll tell Barclay I am preparing for spy mission. I’ll think up something, but how will I get you out?”
“I learned from your sister.”
“I do not have a sister.”
“Not a sister like me to Simon, a sister like Kaylee to Mal. She broke you but I saw why.”
“Elizabeth?” He bit down on his bottom lip. “I will be at the window.”
River waited until she knew he had left the cabin before she grabbed the bedding. “Tie it tight so when you open the door the tooth comes out.” She mumbled as she secured the ends of the sheets and blanket before she tied one end to the bed and opened the window.
She didn’t toss the other end until she saw James row the long boat close.
“Let us pray Beckett or Mercer does not see us,” James said as River climbed down her makeshift ladder.
“Too blind by greed to take notice,” River said as she reached the bottom. She stretched her legs trying to find the boat.
“He can also be a bit paranoid.” James grabbed onto her waist. “You can let go.”
“Steady as she goes,” she felt James carefully set her down.
“You will point the way?”
She stared at the compass and pointed in the same direction as the needle. “Serenity is in that direction.”
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