TF: Running Before the Storm

[pirate_jack]

They've sailed from Tripoli to Singapore, the Horn to the Hope, Bombay to Tortuga and more. Weeks, even months of travel in the normal course of things, all compressed through the use of the astrolabe's magic to cheat both time and space.

(tempus frangit)

They'd spent the previous night celebrating in port, in Tortuga. The crew had scattered quickly to spend a goodly portion of their coin in drunken carousing. Jack had led his "guests" into his favorite tavern-- where Svava's blonde beauty had attracted a great deal of interest.

Not for long, however, as Archie's first and only question to the barkeep had been,

"Are the beds clean?"

Upon receiving both a hearty affirmative and a room key, he'd turned and taken his wife in his arms, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. The two of them had vanished upstairs while Wellard looked on in shock at this much of a breach in propriety, blushing furiously.

Jack had just grinned and snagged a bottle of rum for himself, then slung an arm around the lad's shoulders and led him off to another table.

"Allow me to explain, son."

---

A day later, the Black Pearl is back under normal sail once more, en route to the Isla de Muerta. There, the rest of the treasure will be safely stored away, and the three visitors from Milliways will cross the portal to return to the bar.

In contrast to how the weather has been for the last few days, the sky at the moment has turned surprisingly clear, with a strong following wind and gently swelling seas.

Of course, the easy sailing means that Jack's got plenty of time to continue his explanation.

Comments

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

With a smile to Jack, and a kiss to Mr Kennedy, Mrs Kennedy heads below with some others of the crew, to keep an eye on the ballast and pumps.

Wellard and the crew aloft have almost finished with the sails- and a good thing too, as the wind speed has picked up rather a lot. With any luck, they will not have to go back up into the rigging to fix or change anything-

Usually a fool's luck. Odds are, they will be. But now, they start making their way down to the deck to fasten life-lines to themselves.

[prone-to-panic.livejournal.com]

Just a few more knots... Archie watches anxiously from below. Finally, he can't stand it any longer.

"Come on you lot! You've done all you can, get down here and make secure."

He watches them edge along the yards towards the rigging.

"Mr Wellard! Keep an eye on your men there, I don't want to have to scrape anyone off the quaterdeck this time, thank you!"

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

("Its no use, he's dead, sir!")

Yeah. That would quite be a bad thing.

-There is just no time to wince at the memories of that. Frowning, Wellard studies the sails and lines that they had been all working on-

As good as they can do.

"All hands- to the deck and-

("Last man on deck gets a flogging!")

-be careful!"

[skjaldmeyjar.livejournal.com]

Below decks, the crew there quickly starts working to lash any loose, heavy items that could go flying as the ship gets tossed. The cannons were already lashed down, thankfully, but there was still other things-

As well as the ballast to move around as the storm turned them about, to try to keep the ship steady.

And pumps to man as well, should the Pearl, God forbid, take on water.

[pirate_jack]

This time as the monkey goes scampering by, headed belowdecks to relative safety, Jack turns his head to snarl at it-- and then ignores its presence utterly as he stares off to starboard.

"Oh Mr. Gibbs, we're in for rough seas--" he says, as the other man hurries over to report, cutting over whatever Gibbs was about to say.

Jack's eyes are wide and black, the look in them wild as he spins the wheel further to port, turning the Pearl at an angle into the seas as they begin to boil around them under the onslaught of wind. "Make fast, all hands make fast, she's on us!"

Indeed, the approach of the storm looks like a solid wall of water whirling down upon them with incalculable force.

This is no ordinary hurricane.

[scourgeofpiracy.livejournal.com]

The Interceptor II and her sister ships are still in pursuit, though Norrington has to pace constantly up and down the deck to keep the men doing their jobs - none of them want to go any further, orders or no.

[bringmethatnpc]

"He's gone mad! The captain's gone mad!"

It's one of the younger men, a midshipman -- the older hands know better than to complain where they'll be heard in the Royal Navy, but this lad is desperate enough to try.

"Commodore Norrington, the storm -- the ship, sir, she won't take it! We've got to turn back!"

[scourgeofpiracy.livejournal.com]

Norrington spares the boy a glance - and if there was any other course he could take and still keep his honour, he would.

But there's no turning back now.

"We press on", he says expressionlessly, and turns to shout at the men at the rudder.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Madness on board both the ships, but that was little compared to the madness of the world around them.

The sea and sky started to rage, powerful, mercurial elements pushed and pulled too far

Tempus Frangit

out of their proper place

Nature abhors-

and now they were fighting back with a vengeance. With waves reaching for the sky and crashing back down upon the ocean, and the wind howling with all the voices of the damned, blowing salt spray like tears- the border between water and air was blurred-

And the ships were caught right in the center of chaos. Naught but mere toys when compared to the vastness of the world around them, mere flecks in the eye of the storm.

[prone-to-panic.livejournal.com]

Nothing to do but ride the storm, and try to keep the ship together and all the crew on board and the elements try their best to tear them apart. Orders are shouted but not heard, prayers are gasped to half a dozen dieties. It is all they can do to keep themselves upright.

At more than one point, Archie has to grab a sailor that's missed his footing and slipped. Once it is him that needs to be hauled upright. Wellard ought to be proud of the job he did mending the sails, they're holding. Holding.

[skjaldmeyjar.livejournal.com]

Below decks-
Hello? Can anyone hear me?
It could be worse. Much worse. There are dancing shadows, things still rattling and flailing in their lashings, water splashing underfoot, and the whole world keeps tilting crazily-
Is anyone there?
It could be worse. It could be dark as well. The crew down there realizes this, so the cold, dancing lights on the air are rather ignored in the rest of the chaos, except for the knowing it could be dark here, as well.
Please?
And it could be worse.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

The sails are holding- barely. The wind and waves kept tossing the ship, and soon hands were called aloft- had to be- to pull in more sails before the wind could pull one of the masts off the ship.

Dangerous, yes- But what needs to be done, must be done, or else-

So hands aloft into the rigging, life lines tied securely. And through the water and wind, as they work to get the sail pulled and tied while keeping their grips on the ropes, Wellard risks a glance to the storm-swept horizon. He can see two of Norrington's ships still there, before the waves rise and obscure even that.

And even if they are trying to flee him and the navy, he includes them in his prayers for safety.

The sea does not take sides.

[pirate_jack]

The Black Pearl groans around him under the crushing weight as wave after wave crashes over the deck. The Interceptor II is beyond their sight now-- there's nothing to see but the haphazard flashes of lightning above them, sending ghost-fire dancing along canvas and rope, nothing to hear but the howling of wind and water and the roar of thunder.

Lashed fast to the wheel, Jack Sparrow struggles to guide his ship through the onslaught of both sky and sea. Ahead of them, just barely visible through the sheeting rain, there's nothing but a black wall of cloud whirling straight toward them-- the heart of the storm.

He has only a split-second to judge the spiral, to see how the cloud moves and what it shows him -- and even less to act.

This time, Jack spins the wheel hard to starboard, catching the new wind at the center of the hurricane.

Lightning crashes once more, and then the Black Pearl is lost from view as the clouds descend upon her.