I own nothing. Least of all this.

"Fifteen men on a Dead Man's Chest,

Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum.

Drink and the Devil had done for the rest,

Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum.

We wrapped 'em all in a mainsail tight,

With twice ten turns of the hawser's bite,

And we heaved 'em over and outta sight

With a yo, heave, ho!

And a fare thee well!

And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell!

Ten fathoms deep on the road to Hell!

Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum!"

- The Derelict

CHAPTER ONE

Captain Hook twirled his mustache around his hook. "Gentlemen, miladies, the time has come for me to reveal certain things that have long since been forgotten. And with good reason. For as long as there have been pirates, there have been men like this Beckett. And thus it will always be. But this is not always; this is now. And now, I shall explain to you exactly the same things that I did to my…learned colleague."

Long John gave a salute. Hook grinned at that. "Yes, well, to continue. I shall relay to you the events as they occurred to me, and when I am done, I hope you shall understand perfectly why we must now take the course of action that has been recommended. I say we, but of course I mean I, although your assistance is much appreciated."

Sri Sumbaji's aide rose violently to his feet. "Sri Sumbaji proclaims that he will never follow you! You are a King in name only, and he will not…"

BANG!

The aide collapsed backwards, smoking hole in his chest. Hook blew the smoke from his pistol. "If there are any more objections?"

A decidedly pointed chorus of 'no's echoed around the table.

"Very well. I shall begin. As my learned colleague has told to you, I was approached by the former Pirate Lord, the late Captain Flint. It was he who revealed to me that he had obtained a method of binding the sea goddess Calypso in human form, leaving the seas free for the taming. I am, by nature, a cautious man, and so, after much conversation, I was able to pry from the man the truth behind his reasoning for binding the witch: namely, the map he had acquired from one Davy Jones. My mind instantly began to turn to how I myself might make use of a similar item, or as it may be, enchantment, to grant me passage to the one place I desired most in the world: the Undying Lands. But I would not acquire it from Jones, oh no. I knew that that old fool was played out, and would be making no more deals of the kind he had with Flint. At the very least, he was regretting even the decision to go as far as he had. I resolved to capitalize on his brashness, and set out to negotiate with the only other concerned party: namely, Calypso herself."

The room erupted in chaos.

"Shoot him!"

"Cut out his tongue!"

"Shoot him and cut out his tongue, and then shoot his tongue! And trim that ridiculous mustache!"

BANG!

This time, it was Barbossa's gun that was left smoking. "Gentlemen! Ladies! Ye are Pirate Lords, and as such have a certain image to uphold! This be a Court, not a chophouse!"

"I thank you for your reminder, Captain Barbossa. Good form. To resume. I set out to negotiate with Calypso. Now, I am not such a fool as to attempt such a thing alone. But I was also wise enough to not involve any such persons as might have been willing to pass along words of my dealings in a manner that would have been…disruptful. To that end, I took only my trusted mate. SMEE!"

A rather shabby figure moved to stand behind Hook. "Yes, cap'n?"

"Relay to these fine assorted people that you bore witness to my interactions with one Calypso, and that all I am about to say is truthful."

The shabby man saluted. "Aye, aye sir. If it please the Court, I was there with the Cap'n on the night in question. And if he says anything that ain't, strictly speaking, the truth, then I shall inform you immediately."

"Thank you, Smee. Now, back to your spot."

The man backed away, leaving Hook the only figure in the light once again.

"Now, as it so happens, I was also aware of a specific spot that the sea goddess tended to frequent. I believe you know it, Captain Sparrow. It was the spot where Jones first gave his heart to the sea, and where he buried it once she spurned him."

"Isla Cruces."

"The same. Once I had found the spot, it was a mere matter of waiting before Calypso showed herself. I am thankful that the time both I and Smee spent there was short indeed. I did not wish to run the risk of drawing Jones' attention. Calypso herself was easier to deal with than I had imagined. She was furious that someone had dared to even suggest binding her, as was understandable, but she calmed down considerably once she learned that the conditions of such a binding were…negotiable."

Elizabeth made her presence known once more. "And I'm sure a gentleman such as yourself made no small profit on said conditions."

Hook's face made a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "But of course, Miss Swann. Or Captain Swann, as I suppose it now is. That is the nature of deals, is it not? Both sides have something the other wants, and they agree to an exchange for mutual benefit."

"And what did you have to exchange?"

"Why, the name of her betrayer of course. Not immediately, no. For then what guarantee would I have that she would keep her word? No; what I did first, was to assure her that she could, in fact, be released from her bindings by the same people it would take to capture her in the first place, or their successors. Then, I allowed her to name the time at which she should be released, and gave my word that I would be there to see it. Then, and only then, would I name her betrayer to her, and she would be free to wreak her vengeance upon them."

"And in return?"

Barbossa answered. "In return, young missy, he got exactly what he had been after. You yourself have seen the Farthest Gate, and sailed through it to the Locker below. What Captain Hook here has done, is to reach the Nearest Gate, and to sail to the land above. The Never-land."

"Quite. And I should have been unable to do it without the help of Calypso. Things proceeded from there as you have been told. Calypso was bound, and a remarkable performance she gave, I must say. Flint would live ever after in fear of his own life, which was an unexpected benefit, I must admit. Now that you have all the facts, milords, surely you can see how wise it would be to release the sea goddess. We have a leashed tiger, gentlemen, just waiting for us to release it. And its claws shall sink deep into the enemy of us all. Into Davy Jones himself."

With that, Hook leaned back in his chair, and drew his cigar holder from his coat. "And with that, I would think it best if we heard what the rest of the Court has to say."

The debate raged far into the evening, with the main issue seeming to be that of Calypso's trustworthiness, as well as her willingness to turn on the man she had once loved. After all, she may have spurned him once, for she like the sea was ever-changing, but she had never betrayed him.

To which Long John replied that they all knew the wrath of the sea, and how it would suffer none to tame it. Would Calypso be any different once she learned the one who had attempted to bind her?

In the end, it was decided: Calypso would be released. But in order to throw both Beckett and Jones off the scent of their plans, first they would attempt a parlay. And then, when the parlay was concluded, they would make ready to fight. The last point in particular was met with a great deal of resistance.

Mistress Ching sneered. "I have said it before! Shipwreck Cove is a fortress! A well-supplied fortress! There is no need to fight if they cannot get to us!"

"Cuttlefish."

Everyone turned to where Sparrow stood twiddling his hands. "But in that, dear friends, we are forgetting our dear friends, the cuttlefish. Flipper canorous little sausages. Put them together and they will devour each other without a second thought. Human nature isn't it. Or fish nature. So, yes, we could hole up here, well-provisioned and well-armed and half of us would be dead within the month, which seems quite grim to me any way you slice it. So, ipso locus parentis facto, we are left with only the one option. I agree with, and I cannot believe the words are coming out of me mouth, Captain Swann. We must fight."

"You've always run away from a fight!"

"Have not!"

"You have so!"

"Have not!"

"You have so!"

"Have not!"

"You have so, and you know it!"

"Have not, slander and calami! I have only ever embraced that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions; I submit that here, now, that is what we all must do. We must fight…to run away!"

Silence.

"AYE!"

And a hundred more "AYE!"'s beside.

Hook extinguished his cigars. "Very well, milords. Your arguments and persuasions have confirmed my course. Prepare every vessel that floats. As of this moment…we are at war."

For the first time, Sri Sumbaji stood. "And so, we shall go to war!"

The room descended once more into 'politics', leaving none to notice the nods exchanged between Barbossa, Hook, and Silver. Nor none to notice as Ragetti, at a glance from Barbossa, stuffed all the Pieces of Eight under his coat.

A sandbar stretched between the two fleets, perfectly situated for a parlay.

At one end, there came striding four pirate lords. Sparrow had been persuaded to leave behind his Piece of Eight to Ragetti's stash when Hook, Silver, and Barbossa had revealed their plan for how to best retrieve the heart and the key. Furthermore, Hook, in his caution, had elected to remain on board the Jolly Roger, to further muddy their intentions towards Calypso. After all, if neither Jones nor Beckett realized that the Pirate King had returned, they couldn't very well conclude that all nine Pieces of Eight were in the same place, now could they?

In his place, he had sent the only other pirate lord who resembled him in any respect, bosun to Flint as he had been to Blackbeard: Silver. With him strode Barbossa, Swann, and Sparrow making up the last.

As they walked, the opposite end of the sandbar came into view. There stood Beckett in the center, with Turner on his right, and to his left, Jones, in…was that a bucket?

But it was the man who stood even further to the right that instantly began to worry Silver.

"Jim lad! I thought ye back home safe with your mother!"

Jim Hawkins stood ramrod straight. "And I thought you were safe in Tortuga with your missus, Silver."

"Why, Jimbo! It's always been Long John to me friends! Ain't we friends, Jim?"

"Once upon a time, Silver. And it's Admiral Hawkins now."

Swann's mouth set in a firm line. "So, you're Beckett's new attack dog. I hope for your sake you last longer than the last one."

Jim's expression never changed. "I have been informed of the events that led to my predecessor's death, yes. He was killed attempting to prevent your escape from the Dutchman. He performed his duty admirably."

Barbossa cut in before the conversation could disintegrate. "I'm sure he did, Master Hawkins. To whom his duty was due is another matter entirely. Turner! Be ye the cur that led these wolves to our door?"

Turner made to answer, but Beckett cut him off. "Don't blame Turner; he was merely the tool of your betrayal. If you wish to see its grand architect, look to your left."

First Barbossa, then Swann, and finally Silver turned to face Sparrow, who was already staring off into space. It was only when Sparrow realized there was nobody to his left that he turned back. "My hands are clean in this. Figuratively."

Turner finally got in what he wanted to say. "My actions were my own, and to my own purpose. Jack had nothing to do with it."

A grin lit Sparrow's face. "Well spoke! Listen to the tool."

Swann stepped forward. "Will, I've been aboard the Dutchman. I understand the burden you bear, but I fear that cause is lost."

"No cause is lost, if there is but one fool left to fight for it."

Beckett held up Sparrow's compass. "If Turner wasn't acting on your behalf, then how did he come to give me this? You made a deal with me, Jack, to deliver the pirates, and here they are." Back the compass was tossed. "Don't be bashful; step up, and claim your reward."

For the first time, Jones spoke. "Your debt to me is still to be paid. One hundred years of servitude aboard the Dutchman, as a start."

Sparrow pointed his finger. "That debt was paid, mate. With some…help."

"You escaped."

"Technically, I…"

Silver could see that this line of conversation would lead nowhere. He had been informed of the exact nature of this Turner's cause, and it made him seem like a good man. Much like Jim was…or had been. It was a shame his position on board the Dutchman was to be taken away from him; Silver was half-tempted to let the pup make his own play for the heart. But that had been promised to Sparrow. And it was time to make a play of their own.

"I propose an exchange. I can see that the majority of our esteemed opponents would dearly like to have Captain Sparrow settle the debts he owes, and I know for a fact that there will exist a similar feeling among our own compatriots toward both him and young Turner. The boy shall leave with us…and you can have Jack."

"Done!" Jones thundered.

"Undone!", replied Sparrow, playing his assigned role.

"Done." whispered Beckett.

"Undone!" shouted Will.

"Done!" came Barbossa's echo.

Sparrow turned to Silver. "You have no right!"

"King's appointment, remember Sparrow? I've more than the right."

Sparrow gave a half-hearted grin, and then a theatrical bow. "…As you command, your nibs."

He then replaced his hat, and strode forward, passing Turner on the way. Silver gave a satisfied nod. It was done. Now, all that remained was…

Beckett stepped forward. "Advise your Brethren. You can fight, in which case all of you will die. Or, you can not fight, in which case only most of you will die."

Silver stepped forward once again. Time to play their dead man's hand. "You killed Captain Swann's father. You killed James Norrington. And you have killed Sao Feng."

"They chose their own fate."

"And so have you. And one thing I can assure you, Master Beckett. You will not survive it. Twas a pleasure doing business with you."

"Likewise, Master Silver."

As the lords returned in the direction they had come from, Silver heard the last whispers of a conversation between Jim and Beckett.

"…Is he the same man you remember, Admiral?"

"No sir. He's even more dangerous now."

"And can you point him in the right direction?"

"…I think so, sir."

Silver chuckled to himself. By the end of this, he wagered he would be the one doing the pointing. With swords, as well as…other things.