Jadezauber: I love this snipped. It does not fit into the final story, but it is worth keeping.
“You have no reason to help me,” the Commodore began, his voice thin, whistling through teeth gritted against the pain. “I know this. I have chased you into the corners of the world. I have prepared the rope for your neck.”
“Twice,” the Captain interrupted, his voice a low, jagged rasp. “And you didn’t just prepare it, did you? You looked forward to the snap of the wood.”
“I did,” the Commodore admitted, the honesty raw and bleeding. “But listen to the logic of a dying command. If the Dauntless sinks with all hands, she becomes a monument. The Crown will not mourn; they will react. They will send two ships to replace her. Then four. They will hunt you to the ends of the Earth to avenge a fleet of martyrs. You will never know a moment’s peace again.”
The Captain tilted his head, his eyes narrowing.
“But,” the Commodore continued, leaning forward, the effort making his vision swim in sickening arcs. “If my men return… they return with a story. Not of martyrs, but of a failure. A story of a Commodore who surrendered. A Commodore who was broken by the very pirate he sought to hang. The Navy does not avenge a disgrace. They bury it. You will be safe, Sparrow. You will be a ghost, and I will be the living proof of your victory.”
The Captain circled him, his boots clicking like the ticking of a clock. “Safety,” he mused. “And the sight of the great ‘Pirate Hunter’ in a cage. It’s a tempting dish, I’ll grant you that. But why should I trust you? The moment those boots hit the sand, you’ll be barking orders for my head again.”
“I will not,” the Commodore gasped, his knees buckling for a split second before he forced them straight. “I am offering… a permanent trade. My life for theirs. My freedom for their breath. You can keep me as your prize. You can take your revenge out on my skin, day after day, until there is nothing left of the man you hate.”
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a desperate, ragged whisper. “Please. They have families. They have done nothing but follow the orders of a man who led them into a trap. Don’t let the sea take them because of my pride.”