859. Chapter 859

After Recoil

Episode 5.13

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Would you stand and watch if I were to own Castle? Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: This is a sequel to chapters 785, 788, 808, 830 and 842.

Captain Kate Beckett stood on the deck of the pirate ship Revenge and watched the packet ship sail out of the Caribbean Sea and into the broad Atlantic, headed for London.

"Jordan Shaw will make it to England, at least." Her husband, Dr. Richard Castle, said with a grin. "There's no warship or pirate that can run down the Swiftsure."

Kate nodded, and frowned as she thought. "The trouble will start when she reaches London. Governor Bracken is wealthy and powerful. He has, well, if not friends, in London, accomplices. They've grown rich on his thievery while he's been governor of Jamaica. They will do anything to stop Shaw from making her report to the King."

Castle looked uncomfortable. "She's a very resourceful woman, Kate. I still can't believe that she disguised herself so well as a man that when we were in the head together…."Castle stopped, too embarrassed to go further.

"She's a professional, Castle. She's seen it all before."

"Not all of me, before." Castle muttered.

Kate just laughed. She then turned to her navigator. "Miss Castle, set a course back to the Greater Antilles. I'm sure that some of Bracken's pirate friends will be operating close to Jamaica. Perhaps we can do something to ruin Bracken's day."

Two days later, south west of Jamaica, the lookout called down from mainmast head. "Sail, dead ahead. She's the Viper, I'd know her anywhere."

"The Viper?" Castle asked.

"A schooner, captained by "Butt Ugly" de Vaughn, a disgraced French naval officer turned pirate. He usually works for Captain Cedric Marx, a disgraced Prussian. They have no love for Bracken as he's taken prizes from them, but de Vaughn is a bloody, murdering pirate, so I'll go after him."

As the Revenge approached the Viper, they could see that the ship had sustained some damage to her sails, but otherwise appeared in fighting trim.

"What ship?" Hailed someone from the Viper.

"Revenge, Captain Kate Beckett. Surrender now and I'll let you get in your ship's boats and escape with your miserable lives."

The reply was almost immediate. The Viper yawed around and unleashed a broadside at the Revenge. Most were aimed high and cut up the rigging a bit, but did no damage that couldn't be easily repaired. Kate nodded to the drummer boys beside her. "Beat to quarters!"

As the drums were beaten, she turned to Esposito at the helm. "We'll go past her, than go about and cross her stern. Then we'll fire down her length with our portside battery, come about again and do the same thing with the starboard battery. With our weight of metal, we should smash her up."

A second broadside from the Viper did more damage, but not enough to stop Captain Kate. As they approached the Viper, Kate yelled to her gunners. "Fire as your guns bear. And fire on the down roll so we hit their hull." No sooner had she said that than the first gun fired, tearing into stern cabin of the Viper. All but one of the shots hit home in the hull of the enemy ship.

"Problems, Mr. Ryan?" Kate called she called to the Irish gunner.

"The bloody gun is English. It doesn't like us Irish." That caused everyone, including Kate to laugh.

As the Revenge came about the starboard side gunners encouraged their gun crews to do better than the port side gunners. As the Revenge was able to get closer, the broadside was truly devastating. Kate could see wooden splinters flying and hear the screams of the wounded aboard Viper.

"Captain, their crew is starting to head for the boats." Someone cried.

"Esposito, lay us alongside of the Viper. We'll board her."

As the two hulls slammed together, Kate led her crew aboard the Viper. The fight was brief, since most of the pirates were either already dead or had fled.

"Captain?" Ryan called. "I found de Vaughn."

Kate walked over and looked down at what was left of de Vaughn. He had been disemboweled by a round shot.

"My god!" Castle cried. "What happed to his face?"

"Nothing, amigo." Esposito said. "In fact, I think getting hit by a cannon ball may have improved his looks."

"Being dead has improved his looks as far as I'm concerned." Kate said.

As Kate's crew spread out to see what cargo the Viper was carrying, a sailor ran up to Kate, tugging at his forelock. "Beggin' your pardon, Captain, but there's a young lady tied up in the captain's cabin. Naked she is, and she looks to be of the quality."

Kate took Alexis and went to the captain's cabin. Indeed, there was a naked blonde girl tied with her hands over her head to an overhead beam. Her body was covered with bruises and whelps from being beaten, apparently with a whip that lay nearby.

Alexis, who knew a bit about medicine from helping with her father's studies examined the girl. "Her soft skin and hands indicate to me that she's a gentlewoman, Kate. While her injuries are painful, she should recover with no ill effects other than some scars that only a maid or perhaps her husband would ever see."

"More likely a maid." Kate said. "It appears to me that she is no longer a virgin. Gentlemen, as they call themselves, may be unwilling to marry a woman who is impure, as they call it." She said somewhat bitterly, then remembered her own beloved husband and smiled.

"But she was forced." Alexis responded.

"Too many men won't care. She's "ruined."

"Be that as it may, we need to get her back on the Revenge and have my father see to her injuries."

The girl responded well to Dr. Castle's treatment and was able to speak after a good night's sleep.

"Can you tell me your name, young lady?" Richard asked.

"I am Priscilla Bracken. My father is Sir Willian Bracken, the Royal governor of Jamaica. I'm sure he'll be happy to know…" The girl stopped and began to cry. "Or perhaps he won't welcome me back after…"She continued to cry.

"You should rest." Castle said. "I have some laudanum for you. It's made from the opium poppy. It will help you sleep."

The next day, Priscilla Bracken was much better.

"Dr. Castle, I should like to meet the captain to whom I owe my life. Could you ask him to come to my cabin, please?"

Castle did not see any way that this could end well. "You are still weak, perhaps later."

"I feel much better. Please?"

"I'll see if the captain can spare some time to see you." Castle said as he left.

Kate wasn't surprised that Priscilla Bracken wanted to see her. "Do you suppose I could lie to her as to who I am?"

"A beautiful, chestnut haired ship's captain? It's not like you're totally unknown in the Caribbean. She'll know who you are as soon as she sees you."

Kate thought for a minute and then sighed. "All right. It can't hurt to talk to her, I suppose."

Kate walled into the cabin where Priscilla was recovering. "You asked to see me. I'm Captain Kate Beckett and this is my ship, the Revenge."

Priscilla looked surprised, then shocked and then curious. "You saved my life?"

Kate nodded briskly. "You were injured, and I have a doctor."

Priscilla looked at Kate for a long time. "My father says you are an evil woman."

Kat decided not to get into an argument with the girl by telling her what she thought of Governor Bracken. "Your father is wrong." She said shortly.

"What will happen to me?" Priscilla asked after a few seconds.

"We're some seventy nautical miles sou' south west of Jamaica. There's a small trading sloop that we're running down now. I'll put you aboard her and pay the captain to take you to Kingston."

Priscilla thought about that. "It would seem more profitable to hold me for ransom."

"That's not what I do." Kate said sharply, turned on her heel and left the cabin.

Later, as Priscilla stood on the deck of the sloop, watching the Revenge sail away, she wondered about Captain Kate Beckett. She really is a remarkable woman. I must learn more about her." She thought.

Author's note: Sorry this is a bit late, but I went to see Rendezvous again over in Mill Valley. SK and the rest weren't there this time, but it's still a good movie.