Second on the Right (37 page)

"Aye, sir. I specialize in map readin',
helmsman duties, and general runnings of the ship," Leslie
replied.

"Sounds like you, Jas!" Benedict laughed,
"Lot o' fancy words, mate. 'specially fer a—"

"—pirate?" James finished, eyebrow raised.
"You're a pirate?"

"Nay, sir. A subject matter expert. Though I
suppose you could call me Smee," he said in all seriousness.

James sat back.
Unbelievable. Has the
world gone mad?
"And you'd like to be part of the
Jolly
Roger
?"

"Aye, quartermaster, if it please ye, sir,"
Smee said with only a little more confidence.

"Well now, can't think of a better man than
he as first mate, eh Jas?" Benedict did his best to suppress a
snicker, though failing miserably, cracking up into a chuckle.

James gave an annoyed look to Benedict.
He's not taking this seriously, any of it.
Hoping to snap
him out of his mirth, he simply said, "Revenge for Eileen's
death…Yes, I suppose this crew will do nicely, good enough in your
eyes, eh? Though, what would you care about Eileen?"

Benedict stopped laughing and glared at
James. Finishing his ale, he slammed the mug down on the table.

"We're done here." He stood.

Smee waited to hear if he had been hired.
"Sir?" he called out timidly.

"We're done here?" James snapped at Benedict,
standing to meet his gaze and stature. "You might be done here.
Then again you have nothing to do with this. Nothing invested."

Benedict growled at James, "Nothing invested?
I have nothin' ta do with this? Who's ship have ye stayed aboard?
Who purchased tha hook? Who taught ye ways o' tha pirate? And who,
is it exactly, that commandeered a ship and crew for ye?"

James glanced at Smee. "Well, what are you
waiting for? Report to the
Jolly Roger
!" he snapped, more
angry at Benedict. Smee scrambled out of the room. The door shut
behind him Benedict glared back, his hand tensing on the hilt of
his sword.

James stepped forward, "You bloody, pompous
arse! Yes, I'm grateful for your help, but does that mean I'm
indebted to you? No. I've earned my keep. I’ll pay you back
everything owed to you. You think because of the years of
experience you have, and the lack of experience I have, this is all
a joke and can be taken lightly? That I'm a joke? It's Eileen.
Eileen! I thought you of all people would understand. I thought you
loved her, but obviously I was wrong." He continued, "If you had
truly loved her, you would have taken this seriously. You helped me
find a decent crew? Seriously?"

"I did love her," Benedict's replied, simply
and quietly.

James pushed past him, hearing him take in a
deep breath. Benedict slammed his fist hard on the table. The mug
fell to the floor, shattering in pieces.

Benedict ordered the crew to gather around
the deck. "Gents, meet yer new captain, Captain Ben— Uh," he
hesitated. Calling him Captain James Benedict wouldn’t do. He
didn’t want any connection with James at this point. As the crew
looked on expectantly, Benedict cleared his throat and continued,
"Meet yer new captain!"

James stepped forward more into the
lamplight. His face shown like a spectral, his eyes darkened by the
shadows of his brows. His hair had grown long with time. It was
black as night and naturally curled. He had it pulled back neatly
behind the base of his neck. There was a threatening expression to
his handsome countenance, though his blue eyes were reflective
pools showing hints of an unspoken sadness. He wore a knee-length
coat, similar to Benedict's but red instead of blue. The iron hook
peeked out, surrounded by a white sleeve, but didn’t look any less
menacing. His left hand was gloved in black leather. His sword was
sheathed on his right side. A pistol was tucked into his waist
belt, the handle facing to his left. His vest and pants were of the
same brown color. The black boots he wore had a folded brim, but
not as large as Benedict's. The only other color on James was that
of a blue sash, similar in color to the blue scarf Eileen used to
favor. On the top of his head was a large brimmed black hat with a
few red feathers.

As the crew took in the sight, Benedict
finished, "Captain," he struggled for a proper name until his eyes
fell on his right hand. "Hook. Captain James Hook!" he
announced.

James sneered at Benedict.
Hook?

The crew of the
Jolly Roger
looked at
Captain Hook in fear-tinged awe. Benedict realized James didn’t
appear to be the same man the crew had met in the bar. James had a
presence about him nearly rivaling his own. James looked at
Benedict with some trepidation, but the expressions on the crew's
faces, the look of awe, yet terror, seemed to convince him.

Benedict, himself, couldn’t help but gloat.
After all, James was his creation. He looked over at James and
realized he was still angry. Turning to the crew, he shouted, "What
are ye looking at ye bilge rats, get back to work!"

At the start of the voyage, the
Jolly
Roger
and the
Mistral Thief
encountered a merchant ship.
Minimally armed and crewed, the ship had no chance against both
pirate ship and their captains. With a smile of satisfaction,
Captain Hook ordered the crew to transfer his share of supplies
from the merchant ship to the
Jolly Roger
, the crew of the
Mistral Thief
having taken their share.

While the loads were hoisted onto his ship,
Hook wondered what to do with the merchant ship and crew? After
their argument before setting sail, Benedict had avoided any
contact with James. He left the fate of the crew to James’
decision. James knew it would do his reputation no good to allow
them to go on their way, unharmed. His clever mind came up with a
solution. He ordered his bo'sun to bring the captain and several
able-bodied men aboard the
Jolly Roger
.

The men, having boarded the ship, were
wide-eyed and frightened. In the effort to unnerve the group,
Captain Hook waited until night fell to see them. The men had been
on deck for hours, trembling as they awaited their fate. At last,
the captain emerged from his quarters. Due to the darkness, the men
couldn’t see anything other than a tall shadowy figure. Even in the
darkness, the figure seemed to exude confidence.

Slowly, one sure step at a time, Captain Hook
made his way towards the men, striking more fear into their hearts.
At last, his face appeared out of the darkness, like a phantom
floating in mid-air. He heard gasps all around. His brow furrowed
as his eyes, dark and serious, stared down at the group. The men,
who remained on their knees, would not meet his gaze. As Hook
turned his right arm ever so slightly, the lamplight reflected off
his hook for a hand.

Captain Hook's most trusted crewman, Smee,
was behind the group of men. Smee had proven himself the most loyal
crewman, willing to do whatever the captain asked of him. As the
captain was about to speak, Smee made as if he were going to desert
the ship from fear. He stood up, pushed through the group of men
and ran into the darkness for the railing. In one swift move with
his left hand, Captain Hook slipped his pistol from his belt,
raised it in Smee's direction and shot in the darkness. All could
hear the loud crack of the pistol, followed by a heavy thud. The
captives gasped in horror, when Captain Hook's shot one of his own
men.

Their trembling increased, and some softly
begged for mercy. Captain Hook sneered at them as if they were
dogs. With a sneer, he said, "I have no use for cowards aboard my
ship. Leave at once, or prepare to meet a similar fate," he turned
to the captain. "With this." He raised his hook ever so
slightly.

The men understood perfectly. "Go!" he
shouted, causing them to scramble to their feet and jump ship. They
didn’t want to wait for a small boat, which wouldn’t have been fast
enough.

Captain James Hook laughed, watching the men
scurry about to escape his wrath. The pirates aboard the
Jolly
Roger
laughed as well, following their captain's example. Once
the crew had jumped ship and were out of earshot, James
grinned.

"Well done, Smee," he said, noting Smee
approaching him from the side.

"Aye, thank ye Cap'in," Smee replied,
grinning from ear to ear. He was thrilled with the accolade, as a
dog would be thrilled to please his master.

The
Jolly Roger
and the
Mistral
Thief
met with multiple vessels varying from merchant to war
ships. Benedict assisted as each time Captain James Hook engaged in
battle. The
Jolly Roger
would successfully overtake or
destroy the ship. And every time, Hook would threaten to kill any
coward who deserted him or anyone who dared to stand in his way. In
each event, it was always Smee who, craving the attention and
praise of his captain, would perform the act of the deserter.

As sailors became convinced of Captain Hook's
sinister nature, the word began to spread. Within a week, the
report reached England. A tyrant was attacking trade ships on the
high seas. Warships were dispatched to apprehend the pirate and
bring him to justice. The ships continued to come, to block the
captain’s way to Neverland. However, Captain James Hook was
stubborn. He cleared a path by any means, gained supplies, and made
a name for himself and his ship in the process.

The
Endeavor II
, a warship disguised
as a trade ship, moved along in the water lazily. Her captain,
employed by the Royal Navy, was meeting with his quartermaster.
Every once in a while, their voices would raise as the discussion
grew heated. Crewmen, also members of the Royal Navy, took notice
of the argument, but said nothing. The entire crew knew the
discussion taking place. The captain had orders to seek out Captain
Hook, but the quartermaster and crew knew of the rumors and feared
the outcome. The quartermaster was desperately trying to convince
the captain to rethink his strategy, but the captain was stubborn
and dead set on the task at hand.

His orders were to locate the infamous
Jolly Roger
and demand the surrender of her captain. Captain
James Hook had been accused of a multitude of felonies, including,
but not limited to, the destruction of several Royal Navy ships,
and theft of Royal Navy supplies, weaponry, and ammunition.

Captain James Hook was a terror on the high
seas. He was said to have served under the most notorious of
pirates, Blackbeard. The crew of the
Endeavor II
worried
about their inevitable encounter with Captain James Hook and the
Jolly Roger
.

"I hear he's feared amongst all pirates.
Killed many a man. Took down many a ship. Don't know where he's
comin' 'til it’s too late. Ship like a ghost. Capt'n has a hook for
a hand even," one crewman whispered within a group huddled together
below deck.