The ship had been a bustle of activity since the early morning. The crew knew that if they did not appear busy when the captain awoke, there would be hell to pay. One never knew when Captain Hook would awaken and come out onto the deck, so it was best to be prepared early.
Phillipe, the first mate, leaned against the rail of the ship sipping, a cup of strong black coffee. He watched the men with a keen eye as they coiled rope, scrubbed the deck, and sewed patches on sails.
"So, how did last night go?" a gruff voice boomed as Silas, the steersman wandered over from the bow of the ship.
"Better than I thought, no thanks to you," Phillipe sneered.
Silas merely shrugged and laughed, "Better you than me, you've got a way with words that the Captain seems to like."
"More like she wasn't has annoyed with the news of Pan having a new girl, she seemed almost–excited."
Silas shivered, "Poor girl...she has no idea what is in store for her."
Suddenly a stillness fell over the ship, all the men stopped working and turned simultaneously to the stairs leading from below to the deck. A shadow stretched out over the ship and Jocasta Hook stepped out into the sunlight.
She was not a tall woman, but her mere presence sent a freezing coldness through the men. Her outfit was a mix of red and black: black pants, black tunic, blood-red leather corset. Her silken black hair hung loosely around her in curls in waves, the ocean breeze moving through it made it look like a mass of snakes roiling and coiling, ready to strike. This morning, instead of a single hook on her left hand, she had a wicked double hook with jagged edges, meant for ripping and shredding.
"Phillipe!" Jocasta called after scanning the men before her.
Phillipe put his cup down and strode over to her, "Yes, Captain."
"Did you prepare what I asked you too?" she asked loudly. He knew the question was only to strike fear into the men's hearts, her commands were to be followed immediately and to the letter–always.
He nodded. "Aye, Captain. It is ready."
"Very well, bring it here." A wide smile stretched her lips and she opened her arms wide, "Good Morning! Come forward all of you." Men filed out from the galley, from below and various other places on the ship and formed a crowd around Jocasta. They stood quiet and at attention. "It has come to my attention that certain attitudes have become prevalent on this ship, attitudes that must be changed."
Tension thickened the air.
"Mr. Corey, please come forward," Jocasta called out. The men stirred uneasily as one man split from the crowd, a slender man with two wicked blades strapped to his back and a short grizzled goatee.
He came to stand before her, "Yes, Cap'n."
"I sent you and four other men to trail Petyr, to follow him and report back to me his whereabouts, am I correct?"
Corey jerked his head up and down, "Yes, Cap'n."
"And you relayed this to the men with you?"
Corey swallowed visibly, "Yes...Cap'n."
"That I wanted this, and only this?"
"Cap'n, the men..."
"DID YOU NOT TELL THEM THIS?" Jocasta shouted, Corey, paled and stepped back.
"Aye...I did Cap'n..."
Jocasta tapped her hook against her chin and looked up at him quizzically, "Do the men...respect you, Mr. Corey?"
"Aye, Cap'n"
"Do the men respect me?"
"Of course, Cap'n!" With each question, Corey's eyes widened, the whites of his eyes shining pale like a crazed and wounded animal.
Jocasta became all teeth, "Then why did Jeffers and Wots choose to disobey orders and get themselves killed?"
Corey froze, here it was–the end of the questions. Jocasta had backed him into a corner. "Cuz...because..."
Captain Hook stepped closer, her hook reaching out to hover above Corey's throat, "Is it because they do not respect me or you?"
Corey shuddered and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, "M...me...Cap'n..."
"I see. Well, I cannot rank men above the others when they are not respected." She curled her fingers toward Phillipe who had been waiting patiently nearby. He carefully rolled out a large wooden wheel with lines drawn through it like wedges in a pie. On each wedge was neat writing. Jocasta grasped the edge of the wheel and spun it. It clicked loudly, the only sound that broke the deafening silence. As the clicking sound slowed, so did Corey's breathing, his chest shivered and hands clenched.
Then the clicking stopped, the men's eyes were drawn to a metal triangle at the top. It was stopped in the middle of a wedge. Jocasta leaned in and read the writing slowly and loudly. "Davy Jones."
At that Corey began to wail, "Noooo...Cap'n, please! I'll do better, I swears it!"
"Let this be motivation to everyone here. If I command it, get it done. Or do not return alive." Jocasta then turned on her heel and began walking towards the aft of the ship. "See that it is done, Silas. This doesn't pique my interest, I was so hoping for the boo box." She called over her shoulder.
Silas gestured to two men who grabbed Corey by the shoulders, two others brought over a mass of chains and weights. Corey struggled but was no match for the four. His wailing cries prompted one of the men to gag him with a dirty rag. The chains made horrid grating sounds as they were dragged over the boards of the deck. At the sound of the splash, all the pirates removed their hats for a moment of silence before returning to their work.
Phillipe chose to follow Jocasta rather than watch the proceedings. "What will you do now, Captain Hook? Should we send out another scouting party?"
The Captain shook her head, "No. Now, I would truly love to meet Pan's new plaything." Then she chuckled.
"And how do you propose we get close enough to them to do that?" Silas and the master gunner, Fernan, joined the two by the ship's wheel. Silas's question was met with a glare.
"You are all too incompetent to get close to Pan as Mr. Corey so aptly showed me. No, we will draw them to us."
Silas growled under his breath but bit back any words at a sharp glance from Phillipe.
Fernan, almost as tall as Phillipe but more lithe and limber, adjusted his throwing knives and stepped forward, "What is your plan, Capitan?"
"Phillipe, you and Fernan will lure Pan and the Lost Boys to us...more than likely the girl will come too..." Jocasta looked out towards the island, eyes becoming glazed and faraway.
"Captian?" Phillipe probed quietly, "What is the bait?"
The Captain shook her head and turned back to the men, a malicious glint in her eye, "Bring me Tigerlily."
ns 18.68.41.179da2
