The Captain's Treasure

Good Business

On board the HMS Dauntless

Jack is escorted to Beckett's office by armed guards. As they leave him at the door Lord Beckett turns to pour them both drinks from the liquor cabinet.

"It's curious." Beckett remarks. "Your friends appear to be quite desperate, Jack. Perhaps they no longer believe that a gathering of squabbling pirates is enough to take down the Flying Dutchman."

While Becketts back is turned Jack begins to frantically riffle through the room looking for something.

"And so, despair leads to betrayal. But you and I are no strangers to betrayal, are we, Jack?"

Beckett turns back around.

"It isn't here, Jack."

"What? What isn't?" Jack replies innocently.

Beckett smirks, "The heart of Davy Jones. It's safely aboard the Dutchman, and so unavailable for use as leverage to satisfy your debt to the good Captain."

"By my reckoning, that account has been settled." Jack points out.

"By your death? And yet, here you are." Beckett points out.

Jack shoots him a saucy smile, "Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by."

"And if Davy Jones were to learn of your survival?" Beckett inquires. "Perhaps you would consider an alternate arrangement, one that requires absolutely nothing from you but information." He asks as he hands Jack a small glass of sherry.

Jack contemplates this suggestion, and downs the first rediclously small glass of sherry. "Regarding the Brethren Court, no doubt?" He reaches for and tosses back Becketts glass as well. "In exchange for fair compensation, square my debt with Jones, guarantee my freedom?"

"Of course. It's just good business." Beckett agrees.

"Were I in a divulgatory mood, what then might I divulge?" Jack asks.

Beckett's expression is eager and perhaps a bit manic, "Everything. Where are they meeting? Who are the pirate lords? What is the purpose of the nine pieces of eight?"

On the deck of the Pearl,

Mercer and Sao Feng and Will are disagreeing.

"My men are crew enough." Sao Feng insists.

"Company ship, company crew." Mercer tells him.

"You agreed, the Black Pearl was to be mine." Will reminds Sao Feng

Sao Feng nods, "And so it was." He gestures and a crewman punches Will in the stomach and drags him off.

Sao Feng then turns back to Mercer, "Beckett agreed the Black Pearl was to be mine."

Mercer smirks, "Lord Beckett's not going to give up the only ship that can outrun the Dutchman, now is he?"

Behind him Barbossa is standing, the crew and the girls gathered a few steps further away. "It's a shame they're not bound to honor the Code of the Brethren, ain't it? Because honor's a hard thing to come by nowadays."

"There's no honor in remaining with the losing side. Leaving it for the winning side, that's just good business." Sao Feng replies, sounding more like Beckett than a pirate lord.

"The losing side, you say?" Barbossa asks.

Sao Feng reminds him. "They have the Dutchman, now the Pearl. And what do the Brethren have?"

Barbossa smirks, "We have, Calypso!"

Sao Feng's gaze swings to the Swan sisters, his eyes lingering far too long on Elizabeth.