We were at the end of our shore leave, posted up at this inn for a few days before sailing out. We were to be running soldiers to the new world, simple ferrying business. The ship was rather aptly named the Carcass.
I didn't kill the man for kicks. I killed him because the walls were thin, and every night we were there, we could hear him beating on his young - very young - wife. Breaking things, forcing her. Nobody else was going to do a damn thing about it, so when I heard it continue for a third straight night, I slit his throat. We hid the body, and when it was through, she had no place to go, so she came with me. A stow away. Couldn't keep that charade up long-term, so we had to escape to the Caribbean straight away, rather than bide our time.
That's what the navy is, piglet. They don't care about injustice for me or for you or for anyone else but those who already have power and influence. There was nothing we could do for her, it was so very important that we transport these soldiers to subjugate the natives, right away.
As a pirate, insults are answered, and problems are seen to. It's harsh, but so is the rest of the world. We're just refusing to play make-believe. I'd rather live like that than smile politely under someone's heel.
[Koby's knee-jerk reaction is to say that Jack should've involved the authorities, should've let justice take it's course. But -- he knows better. He knows most police, most Marines wouldn't care about what a man did to his wife. She belonged to him. It was his right, as her husband. She probably did something to aggravate him, to set him off, to make him hurt her. He can remember the older girls from the orphanage, the ones who were fortunate enough to get married, the tight-lipped, dull-eyed hollowness they carried when he'd see them in town, the heaviness in their voices, their eyes.
That had been why he'd left, after all, among many, many other reasons.
So, instead:] What happened to her? After you killed him.
You sound like Luffy. [It's both the highest of praise and, judging by their interaction on the network, a deep insult.] The pirates I sailed with would've gotten along better with your innkeeper than you.
Stowed her away on the Carcass, and when we got to Savannah, we deserted. We cut her hair, I passed her off as my kid brother for a while and taught her how to defend herself. It sounds laughable, since she’s surpassed me in strength several times over by now. In my estimation, Anne is the fiercest pirate in Nassau, better than any five men put together. We've been partners ever since.
Until the last place sent her back, at least.
I won't pretend that the profession doesn't attract its share of brutes. But at least they're disgusting because that's what they are, and not because they've got a boss breathing down their neck to keep them from making waves. It's more honest.
[It sounds -- well, It sounds like the beginning of a begrudging respect for Jack, which is incredibly annoying.]
She was in the last place you were? But not here?
It being honest brutality isn't much comfort for the people they've hurt or murdered. If there are honest, noble pirates, then there have to be honest, noble people in the navy too. It goes both ways.
It'd be simpler if it didn't, though.
cannibalism, the plot of AMC's the terror??? sorry.
That’s right. We arrived together, but she departed before I did.
There are honest, noble men in the Navy. They become warped by their circumstances. Or they maintain that goodness and pay the price for it.
I knew a man [ loved a man, settled down for a man, killed for a man, died for a man ] in that place who had been a lieutenant in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. He was a good man. More loyal and true than anyone you’ve ever met, and a damn good navigator, too. But soft spoken, and from modest means. Passed up for promotion endlessly. Sent on a suicide mission to the Arctic to find a new trade route that might make a few rich men more money and faster. They got trapped in the ice for years, as supplies dwindled. Ravaged by scurvy and lead poisoning from cheaply soldered tins, waiting for help that never came because the Navy deemed it less expensive to simply cut their losses. When things got desperate, the bad men ate the good ones, but it didn’t buy them much time. Two entire ships full of men, dead on the ice because the ones in charge, thousands of miles away, deemed it so.
If the building has been rotted out, it doesn’t matter if there are a few good planks left in it. It’s still got to be torn down. And there's the difference. "Pirates" are not an organization, there is no power structure enforcing everyone's misery. We elect our captains, we are free to leave without the threat of prison, and we stay in the sun, for God's sake.
[That's -- so much to take in. A horrible story, all told, the kind that gets whispered as horror stories in taverns, scurvy and starvation and ghosts on the sea.]
You knew him. You were friends? [Nosy, nosy.] That's terrible, though. That's I want to say the Marines in my home would never, but [But he can't. Not when there's people like Morgan, people who don't share Garp's view of the world, of people.]
Maybe I'm a little biased, yes. I saw a lot of the worst of what piracy could be when I was younger, and I couldn't leave. And it was Bad. It was really bad. That doesn't just go away because the system is inherently flawed. I can survive and make the Marines better. [With more confidence than he feels; the metaphor of a rotten house is too close, too accurate.] I couldn't do that among pirates.
[ He's not ashamed of that one bit, despite the best efforts from pirates and navy men alike. And if koby hasn't gathered, he loves to talk about himself. Ask away. ]
You weren't crew, then. A slave?
You can't. Many many men have tried, who were stronger, wiser, better connected, and luckier than you. You can't, my partner couldn't, nobody can. It's the nature of these things. Centralized power doesn't stay well-intentioned for long.
How long has it been since I was brought here from Duplicity, a couple weeks? I'd say we're still in the present tense.
[ Actually let's not examine that any further okay! ]
It already is unchecked. Do you think the English navy will face any consequences for leaving John and 128 other men to die? Do you think the Balfours will be punished for this elaborate kidnapping scheme? If the pirates who mistreated you go down to your marines, it won't be for that, it'll be because someone important lost too much money to their prize hunting.
[One who isn't here. Who hasn't been for a couple weeks. The thought has Koby's stomach clenching, the idea of going somewhere else after this, without anyone he cares about.]
I can't accept that, Captain. You can believe whatever you want, but I have to believe that there's a way things can be better someday. That it can be different. I have to keep trying to make it different.
If you'd like to get technical about it, the last time he sailed was with me, and he did it under the black. We built a ship and tried to escape. Didn't work.
But yes. I am not railing against them out of ignorance or taking it on faith, piglet. We were members of the same institution, over a century between us, and nothing changed.
You're young, smart, and curious. Those traits will serve you well if you don't make yourself the next victim of the powers that be.
Your escape attempt. It was with a Navy man who you are actively in love with. [He keep repeating it to try and make it stick, the concept so incredibly out-there that it barely seems true.]
No, I believe you. I don't expect any pirate to be favorable towards any sort of law enforcement or military. [Hence why the "in love with one of them" thing keeps sticking.
Then, after a pause:] I'm not THAT young. You think I'm smart?
You are. On both counts. I've done my research, combed through the network history. Roughly half these idiots seem to think they're on vacation, but not you.
Sorry, yes, it's just Huh. It's interesting, that's all.
You have? I didn't really take you for a researching type. But no, I don't think I'm on vacation. I think there's something very, very dangerous and wrong behind all of this, frankly.
No, I think it's Nice. We're trapped in a strange, dangerous place for unknown reasons, by people with unknown motives. It's already proven possible for us to be hurt. If we find someone we love, that's a good thing.
Because you're a brash, obnoxious, devil-may-care pirate and why would you care about that?
He might. I'll keep an eye out. What was his name?
That's extremely astute, which is annoying, from you. I've been keeping notes since I arrived. If you're You know Interested in seeing what's happened.
3rd Lieutenant John Irving. Blue-grey eyes, like the sky before a storm. He wears a full beard. If he's taken from his original home instead of the one we shared, he'll be rail-thin.
I would be very interested. People reveal too much on these networks, but not everything. I'm sure you know more than what's been made public.
[Okay, well, if you don't want Koby to wax poetic, stop being so romantic about this guy, Jack, damn.]
I'll let you know if I see him. People tend to arrive fairly regularly -- once a month or so.
I know a good amount. I listen and I pay attention and I read a lot. People talk, especially in Otherworld. [The only reason he goes there is, of course, to eavesdrop. No other reason.]
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no subject
An innkeeper. Not a captain. This was on dry land.
I don't regret a single minute.
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But there was a crew. Your crew? Or one you joined? Did you kill the innkeeper to win them over, or just for fun?
I see. Also very piratey of you. I guess lack of introspection is a required trait.
cw, SA and DV
I didn't kill the man for kicks. I killed him because the walls were thin, and every night we were there, we could hear him beating on his young - very young - wife. Breaking things, forcing her. Nobody else was going to do a damn thing about it, so when I heard it continue for a third straight night, I slit his throat. We hid the body, and when it was through, she had no place to go, so she came with me. A stow away. Couldn't keep that charade up long-term, so we had to escape to the Caribbean straight away, rather than bide our time.
That's what the navy is, piglet. They don't care about injustice for me or for you or for anyone else but those who already have power and influence. There was nothing we could do for her, it was so very important that we transport these soldiers to subjugate the natives, right away.
As a pirate, insults are answered, and problems are seen to. It's harsh, but so is the rest of the world. We're just refusing to play make-believe. I'd rather live like that than smile politely under someone's heel.
Introspective enough for you?
cw: SA/DV continues
That had been why he'd left, after all, among many, many other reasons.
So, instead:] What happened to her? After you killed him.
You sound like Luffy. [It's both the highest of praise and, judging by their interaction on the network, a deep insult.] The pirates I sailed with would've gotten along better with your innkeeper than you.
no subject
Until the last place sent her back, at least.
I won't pretend that the profession doesn't attract its share of brutes. But at least they're disgusting because that's what they are, and not because they've got a boss breathing down their neck to keep them from making waves. It's more honest.
no subject
[It sounds -- well, It sounds like the beginning of a begrudging respect for Jack, which is incredibly annoying.]
She was in the last place you were? But not here?
It being honest brutality isn't much comfort for the people they've hurt or murdered.
If there are honest, noble pirates, then there have to be honest, noble people in the navy too. It goes both ways.
It'd be simpler if it didn't, though.
cannibalism, the plot of AMC's the terror??? sorry.
There are honest, noble men in the Navy. They become warped by their circumstances. Or they maintain that goodness and pay the price for it.
I knew a man [ loved a man, settled down for a man, killed for a man, died for a man ] in that place who had been a lieutenant in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. He was a good man. More loyal and true than anyone you’ve ever met, and a damn good navigator, too. But soft spoken, and from modest means. Passed up for promotion endlessly. Sent on a suicide mission to the Arctic to find a new trade route that might make a few rich men more money and faster. They got trapped in the ice for years, as supplies dwindled. Ravaged by scurvy and lead poisoning from cheaply soldered tins, waiting for help that never came because the Navy deemed it less expensive to simply cut their losses. When things got desperate, the bad men ate the good ones, but it didn’t buy them much time. Two entire ships full of men, dead on the ice because the ones in charge, thousands of miles away, deemed it so.
If the building has been rotted out, it doesn’t matter if there are a few good planks left in it. It’s still got to be torn down. And there's the difference. "Pirates" are not an organization, there is no power structure enforcing everyone's misery. We elect our captains, we are free to leave without the threat of prison, and we stay in the sun, for God's sake.
rip ur bf jack ig
You knew him. You were friends? [Nosy, nosy.] That's terrible, though. That's
I want to say the Marines in my home would never, but [But he can't. Not when there's people like Morgan, people who don't share Garp's view of the world, of people.]
Maybe I'm a little biased, yes. I saw a lot of the worst of what piracy could be when I was younger, and I couldn't leave. And it was
Bad.
It was really bad.
That doesn't just go away because the system is inherently flawed. I can survive and make the Marines better. [With more confidence than he feels; the metaphor of a rotten house is too close, too accurate.] I couldn't do that among pirates.
no subject
[ He's not ashamed of that one bit, despite the best efforts from pirates and navy men alike. And if koby hasn't gathered, he loves to talk about himself. Ask away. ]
You weren't crew, then. A slave?
You can't. Many many men have tried, who were stronger, wiser, better connected, and luckier than you. You can't, my partner couldn't, nobody can. It's the nature of these things. Centralized power doesn't stay well-intentioned for long.
no subject
That
You were in love with a soldier? A navy man, I mean?
Really? YOU?
[One moment while he adjusts everything he'd believed about Jack, welp.]
More of a pet. Or a toy or
Some other object. Like a mop, maybe.
What's the alternative? Piracy world-round, the same pillaging and looting and violence left unchecked forever?
no subject
[ Actually let's not examine that any further okay! ]
It already is unchecked. Do you think the English navy will face any consequences for leaving John and 128 other men to die? Do you think the Balfours will be punished for this elaborate kidnapping scheme? If the pirates who mistreated you go down to your marines, it won't be for that, it'll be because someone important lost too much money to their prize hunting.
no subject
[One who isn't here. Who hasn't been for a couple weeks. The thought has Koby's stomach clenching, the idea of going somewhere else after this, without anyone he cares about.]
I can't accept that, Captain. You can believe whatever you want, but I have to believe that there's a way things can be better someday. That it can be different. I have to keep trying to make it different.
no subject
But yes. I am not railing against them out of ignorance or taking it on faith, piglet. We were members of the same institution, over a century between us, and nothing changed.
You're young, smart, and curious. Those traits will serve you well if you don't make yourself the next victim of the powers that be.
no subject
No, I believe you. I don't expect any pirate to be favorable towards any sort of law enforcement or military. [Hence why the "in love with one of them" thing keeps sticking.
Then, after a pause:] I'm not THAT young. You think I'm smart?
no subject
You are. On both counts. I've done my research, combed through the network history. Roughly half these idiots seem to think they're on vacation, but not you.
no subject
Huh.
It's interesting, that's all.
You have? I didn't really take you for a researching type. But no, I don't think I'm on vacation. I think there's something very, very dangerous and wrong behind all of this, frankly.
no subject
And why didn't you take me for a researching type?
no subject
Nice.
We're trapped in a strange, dangerous place for unknown reasons, by people with unknown motives. It's already proven possible for us to be hurt. If we find someone we love, that's a good thing.
Because you're a brash, obnoxious, devil-may-care pirate and why would you care about that?
no subject
[ Yes, he knows this is exceedingly unlikely. ]
Because, when you haven't the muscle to pull yourself to the top, you find power in other ways. Information is the big one.
no subject
That's extremely astute, which is annoying, from you.
I've been keeping notes since I arrived. If you're
You know
Interested in seeing what's happened.
no subject
I would be very interested. People reveal too much on these networks, but not everything. I'm sure you know more than what's been made public.
no subject
I'll let you know if I see him. People tend to arrive fairly regularly -- once a month or so.
I know a good amount. I listen and I pay attention and I read a lot. People talk, especially in Otherworld. [The only reason he goes there is, of course, to eavesdrop. No other reason.]
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I'd owe you one.
The nightclub? Just awful. The music is too damn loud, I don't see how you could hear a thing.
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You wouldn't, I'm keeping an eye out regardless.
You sort of tune it out after a while. People are usually yelling to be heard, too, which helps.
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The piano bar is nice.
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