Chapter 3

Possible glowers at his daughter. Dear, I do hope you demonstrate a bit more decorum in front of Commodore Du. After all, it is only through his efforts that Port Royal

has become at all civilized. The skeletal remains of four pirates, still clad in buccaneer rages, hang from gallows erected on a rocky promontory. There is a fifth,

unoccupied gallows, bearing a sign: PIRATES YE BE WARNED. The top of a gill owing sail passes regally in front of them. On the landward face of the sail, apparently high

in the rigging is a man for whom the term 'swashbuckling rogue' was coined: Captain Ron Stoppable. He gazes keen-eyed at the display as they pass. Raises a tankard in

salute. Suddenly, something below catches his attention. He jumps from the rigging and that's his ship is not an imposing three-master, but a single sail, plowing through

the water the Jolly Mon. And it leaks. Which is why he has the tankard: to bail. Ron steps back the tiller, and using a single sheet to control the sail, and the Jolly Mon

comes around promontory, the whole of Port Royal laid out before him. The huge British dreadnaught, H.M.S. Dauntless dominates the bay. But Ron's attention is on a

diffident ship: the H.M.S. Interceptor, a small sleek vessel with rail guns and a motor in the middle of the main deck. It is tied up at the Navy landing, at base of the cliffs

below Fort Charles. Smoothly and with no wasted movement, Ron hauls down the sail, stows it, and guides the dory along the dock. The Harbor master, a long ledger

tucked under his arm, is there to catch the line and help Ron tie up. If you're rolling scuppers in this tub, you're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. It's remarkable

how often those two traits coincide. He starts up the dock, strapping his sword belt; besides the scabbard, it also carries a compass, pistol and small powder horn. The

Harbormaster cuts him off. It's a shilling for the dock space, and you're going to have to give your name. What do you say three shillings and we forget the name? He

tosses three shillings onto the ledger. The Harbormaster considers, and then shuts the ledger on the coins, steps aside. Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith. Ron gives him

a half-salute as he goes past. Looks across the water toward the Interceptor and smiles. Above the Interceptor, among the parapets of Fort Charles, a ceremony is

underway. Possible removes the sword and scabbard from the presentation case held by a uniformed Navy man. He slides the sword into the scabbard holds it out

vertically to Du, in full dress uniform. Du grasps the scabbard above Possible's hand, and Possible lets go. Du draws the sword, flourishes the sword, and snaps the blade

up front of his face. Possible steps forward, pins a medal to Du's jacket, steps back. Du nods, turns smartly and nods to the audience dignitaries, merchants, plantation

owners, their families. Another flourish and he returns the sword to its scabbard. The silence is broken loud applause. Back slapping from the Navy men. In the audience,

Kim doesn't look so good, out beneath the hot sun. She applauds briefly, and then winces. Discretely tires to adjust the corset through the material of the dress, then

resumes clapping, trying to hide discomfort. Two sailors on sentry duty, Larry and Ned, advantage of white little shade there is on the dock. But when Ron saunters up,

they are immediately on alert. This dock is off-limits to civilians. Sorry, I didn't know. Music drifts down from Fort Charles. Ron looks up, shields his eyes. Some sort of to-

do up at the fort, eh? You two weren't invited? No … someone hast to make sure this dock stays off-limits to civilians. This must be some important boat. Ship. Ship.

Captain Du's made it his flagship. He'll use it to hunt down the last dregs of piracy on the Spanish Lake. Commodore. Right. Commodore Du. That's a fine goal, I'm sure …

But it seems to me a ship like that makes this one here a wee spurious. Oh, the Dauntless, is the power in these waters, true enough but there's no ship that can match

the Interceptor for speed. That so? I've heard of one, supposed to be fast, neigh uncatchable … the Black Pearl? Ned scoffs at the name. There's no real ship can match

the Interceptor. The Black Pearl is a real ship. No, it's not. Yes it is. I've seen it. You've seen the Black Peal? Yes, I have. You've seen a ship with black sails that's crewed

by the damned and captained by a man so evil that hell itself spat him back out? … No. No. But I've seen a ship with black sails.