Chapter 11:
My Fate
I was once a proud captain in the Royal Navy. I had this feeling of power and respect from everyone around me. As a captain in the Royal Navy, it was my duty just like everyone else to uphold law and order in the Caribbean. And yet, here I am – in a jail cell.
My brother, Cutler Beckett was killed because of Sparrow – Jack Sparrow. And so, after finally finding him to get my vengeance, I put my ship and crew at risk. It was a gamble I was willing to take – and I lost that gamble. The ship now lies on the seabed and some of its crew is now dead. Do I have any regrets?
No.
True, the crewmen could’ve had families, but they knew what they signed up for! These waters are filled with pirates and every day could be their last. Some are lucky to survive, others aren’t. Forgive me if I seem heartless as I carelessly sent men to their deaths, but they knew what they were getting themselves into.
Maybe it was because I was so blinded by revenge, that I couldn’t even command properly. But no matter, A few weeks from now, I’ll be on a ship to England to see the king. That’s right; my fate will be in the court’s hands. Do I care if I’m innocent or not? No, I will still get my vengeance. And I will do so by any means necessary. They put me in jail? I’ll break out. They try to hang me? I’ll escape before they do. I’m no longer apart of the Royal Navy. I am now on my own. Whether if I’ll have help or not trying to break out, it doesn’t matter to me.
I don’t care how long it takes. I will sail to the ends of the world to get Sparrow. I will not stop chasing him until my sword goes through his heart. After that, I don’t care if I live or die – I have no family, my brother was the last of my family. I’m not interested in finding a wife or having kids, so I’ll have no one cry over my dead body. I’m not a believer, so I have no God to fear. There’s no Heaven or Hell for me. Once I’m dead, that’s it. It’ll be just like going to sleep.
I’ll say again, I will sail to the ends of the world to get Jack Sparrow. I will stop at nothing,
nothing, to kill that man.
The world is a cold and cruel place. Sometimes, you have to be worse than that to survive.
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How the hell did I get into this mess? When you wake up, you don’t expect the first words to hear is, “We’ve lost a ship in battle.” Especially when that battle was not authorized by me!
I am the commander of all the Navy ships in Port Royal. No naval ship gets in or out of this port without me knowing it. So imagine my surprise when I got word that a naval ship left port to follow the Pearl. As if I didn’t have problems already! Later that day, I was told Tortuga was on fire! And now, thanks to that ship’s Captain, Terrance Becket, we both have to go to speak to the bloody king! If it was up to me, I would kill that fool myself!
He claims that he did it because his brother, Cutler Beckett, was killed by a pirate named Jack Sparrow. I don’t care if it was the king himself who killed his brother. When you’re a Captain you must not be compromised. You crew and your ship comes first! There’s no time for personal vendettas! He had the nerve to say that there was a bounty on his head. Since that bounty was not set by the Royal Navy, we have no right putting our sodding noses where it doesn’t belong! That bounty was set by the EITC, and darn it, it will be them who will catch this Jack Sparrow!
I’ve lost a brother too. Not in a battle, but in a storm. However, if he was in a battle, I wouldn’t risk a crew and a ship looking for the individuals who did it. In this life, you need to get used to losing things. A few months ago, I lost two frigates near Cape Cod – it was the colonists doing on that one. I lost five friends – five. But you don’t see me swearing to get revenge, now do you?
Right now, that Terrance fellow his sitting in a jail cell, waiting to be moved to England for his hearing. What will be the outcome? Who knows? The only thing is I’m going to be in that hearing too, and not on the side that I want to be either. I am responsible for the naval ships in Port Royal; therefor I am also responsible for the ship’s Captains. They come to me when I need them to be dispatched somewhere. They answer to me, and I answer to the king. If I get into trouble for this, I could be permanently relieved of my duties. Being thrown in jail is less likely since I had no knowledge, but it’s still a possibility.
So, making sure that we won’t get attacked while on the way to England, we’ll be on escort. It remains unclear whether or not I would let Terrance roam about on the ship during this time, but if I do, it will be restricted.
I’ve just received word that instead of waiting for two weeks to go to England; we’ll leave in two days. This should make a pleasant surprise to Terrance.
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Two days later, Terrance and Edward were aboard the HMS ‘Amore,’ a 15 gun frigate.
Treated like a criminal, Terrance is kept inside the Ship’s jail for most of the journey. All respect is lost for him. Even if he’s not guilty, no one would see him as the same again. This man’s life has changed, all because of his judgment. A judgment clouded by revenge.
Edward watches Terrance from across the room. He leans against a wall, his arms and legs crossed. Terrance tries to ignore him.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than to stare at me?” Terrance asked.
Edward says nothing. The ship creaks as the waves hit it's bow.
“Sod off,” Terrance mumbled.
“I’m sorry, afraid I didn’t hear that.”
“I said sod off!” Terrance snapped. “Are you deaf?”
Edward quickly rushes up to the cell. “You dare insult – “
“I’m no longer a Captain,
Commander,” Terrance steps closer to the bars, “Nor am I in the Royal Navy. So why should I gave a darn what I say to you?”
Edward shakes his head, “Poor bastard. You’re a bloody fool for doing what you did.”
“You still on that? Come off it.”
“Yes! I am still on that! And no, I will not ‘come off it!’ Do you know how many people lost their love ones?!”
“They knew what they signed up for!”
“That’s not an excuse, Beckett!”
“You’re just trying to save your own skin, Winston! You don’t care about how many people were killed! You just don’t want your head on the chopping block!”
Edward angry rattles the jail bars.
“If it weren’t for these bars, I would’ve killed you by now!”
“Don’t bet on it. You’re not the only one who knows how to kill someone with their bare hands…”
“We’ll see…” Edward spits at the ground, “Your days could be numbered.”
“The same goes for you, Edward,” Terrance said. He starts to pace, “there’s a possibility that you will get in trouble too.”
“Since I had no knowledge, I am sure that I’ll get off fine.”
“Sure about that? Fate has a funny way of ruining people chances. Perhaps it is
your days that are numbered.
“Is that a threat, Beckett?”
“Take it as you like, Commander. Fate has a funny way of ruining people chances….
And lives”
There is a long silence between them. Terrance stares at him. The man who once was his superior was now an equal to him. He didn't care what would happen to him, but he did know one thing - The 'Commander,' was now on his revenge list. Terrance laughs in his mind. The Commander's days were numbered.
To Edward, the man opposite him was broken, unfit for duty. He was a disgrace to the Royal Navy and should be dealt with quickly. Any chance for remorse was now gone. Edward would make sure that this man would be put to death. Both held their icy stare toward each other, brown eyes into blue, daring not to blink, each trying to read the other's thoughts.
There is so much hatred, so much tension between the two of them, that if the bars weren't between them, both would be locked in a bloody fight to the death. Finally, Edward says, “Enjoy your little piece of hell,” he refers to the cell, “There’s going to be more where that came from…” He walks up the stairs to the deck.
Terrance watches him as he goes up the stairs. “We’ll see who’s going to have more hell…” and with that Terrance goes back to his cot, the wood creaking quietly under him as he lay back down.
I'm speechless for the content ... I can't say anything critical about it. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
