Trials on Saint Martin

*"Then I bestow upon you the honor of saving me. For a small donation."*

The **Trials on Saint Martin** were a pair of executions occurring simultaneously on the small island of Saint Martin. One execution was for Carina Smyth who had been caught and suspected to be a witch. The other was for the infamous pirate Jack Sparrow, who was being tried for his life as a pirate, and a recent bank robbery he had attempted on the island.

## Prelude

##### Previous: Attack in the Devil's Triangle

For years, the name Jack Sparrow had faded into legend after he became increasingly inactive. He came to live on Saint Martin, and island that was thought to house Sparrow's unmarked grave be some rumor mongers. Jack in reality had lived a quiet pirate life on the island, with his small crew on the small sloop ship called the *Dying Gull.*

##### Carina Smyth escape attempt

Carina Smyth had also come to the island Saint Martin in her quest to find the Map No Man Can Read, using her Diary of Galileo Galilei. She was quickly arrested upon her arrival, accused of witchcraft. She was kept in a cell awaiting a trial and execution. Before her appointment with the gallows came, she was approached by a religious minister who spoke to her about her situation, asking if she had anything to confess. She confessed that she spent the duration of their conversation picking the lock. She quickly escaped the cell, taking the minster by surprise. She fled into town, making an escape attempt. She fled at the same time that the new Royal Bank of Saint Martin was to be opened, regarded as the most secure banking system of the entire Caribbean. She was spotted near the town square, chased away through the buildings of the town. Lieutenant John Scarfield called a manhunt to begin for Carina across the town. Carina used a key moment to slip onto the underside of a horse pulled cart, allowing it to carry her across town. She dropped out from the under the cart as she passed by the Swift and Sons Chart House, entering inside. Once inside she found a chronometer, a device she needed for her quest. The man inside was terrified by Carina, calling her a witch and calling for help.

##### Bank Robbery

With his entire crew tired and starving, having lived in unsuccessful plunder for a year, Jack and his crew made a plan to rob the newly opening bank in the town Saint Martin on it's opening day. Mayor Dix oversaw the opened event, claiming the power of their new vault, unaware that Jack had already infiltrated the vault, having seduced Frances, the wife of Mayor Dix, allowing him entrance into the vault. Both Jack and Frances had passed out inside the vault, still asleep as the unveiling event began. Mayor Dix announced that no man nor army could ever rob the gold from the bank as the door was opened, revealing Jack inside. The town cried out in surprise, waking Jack, who stumbled out of the vault and stood before the entire town. Behind the building meanwhile, Jack's crew had successfully tied their thick ropes to the safe, and were waiting for word from Jack to use their horses and donkeys to pull the safe through the back wall and escape with the gold. Jack took a deep chug of his drink as royal guards prepared to fire on him. Joshamee Gibbs and the rest of Jack's crew heard the royal guards call to prepare to fire on Jack, alerting them that it was time to pull the safe out the wall. The firing squad halted as Frances sat up behind Jack. She ran out of the vault and into the town, much to the embarrassment and dismay of Mayor Dix. With the innocent woman out of the way, the firing squad prepared to fire on Jack. They fired, but Jack was able to doge the bullets, dropping to the floor as they flew over his head. The safe was dragged by the pirate crew behind the building. It slammed against the back wall, refusing to pass through it. Instead, the building's foundations began to crack, and the building itself began to be dragged away by the pirate crew, along with the bank. As the firing squad rushed to reload, Jack watched in wonder as the entire building began moving away. The rope attached to the crew was pulled tight around Jack's ankle, pulling him onto the floor and away.

Jack sat and let himself be pulled through the streets in the wake of his pirate crew and the building they carried, all the time pursued by the royal marines. He noticed that the safe slowly emptied, the gold coins and other valuable contents of the safe slowly emptied out, falling onto the street. He caught as much of it as he could as he slid behind them. Jack pulled himself closer to the building, grabbing onto the end. He climbed up the front and onto the roof. He quickly fell however, as a sharp turn right knocked him off the building, into another, and down some stairs onto the ground outside. He stumbled back out into the street as the royal guards ran past him, unaware that their target was the man they had just ran past. Jack strode across the street and into Swift and Sons Chart House, where he found Carina Smyth being held at gunpoint by an anxious shop owner who accused her of being a witch. His anxiety doubled when Jack entered, now calling for help from a witch and a pirate in his shop. The bank that was being pulled through town suddenly broke through the front of the shop, tearing away the front half of the building. Jack went chasing after it. Carina took her moment to escape the shop owner, following after Jack. They fled onto the scaffolding of a new building, where Jack deliberately threw Carina onto a hay cart. Carina screamed as she fell, catching the attention of the pursuing guards. They fired on Carina as the cart she fell on whisked away. Jack ran across the rooftops of the town in pursuit of his runaway bank. He leapt onto the roof of the bank as it slid through the town. Joshamee Gibbs called out in warning to Jack of an approaching bridge. The bank building hit the bridge, falling apart. Jack leapt off the bank, ran across the bridge, leapt and landed painfully onto the top of the safe, that had just now broken free out of the bank building. The bank building lay destroyed over the bridge, stopping the guards from chasing after them.

##### Releasing Salazar

Jack and his crew returned to where the *Dying Gull* sat on the beach. They placed their stolen bank vault on deck and prepared to open up the impressive haul and count their plunder, however as Jack opened the heavy door, he revealed that all of the gold had emptied from the safe during their escape, leaving them with nothing. Jack spotted only a single gold coin at the bottom of the safe, which he quickly snatched for himself before a member of his crew could claim it. The crew began complaining to Jack, comparing him to the success of Captain Barbossa. They told Jack they would no longer follow a captain without a ship. They told Jack they he had lost his crew, leaving the ship. Joshamee Gibbs said his goodbyes to Jack, and left him alone on the *Dying Gull.*

Jack went to the local bar to drink away his sorrows. He entered the tavern covered in mud head to toe, having falling flat into the rainy floor while hiding from patrols. He saw a wanted poster of himself where the price had been decreased over time. He went to the bar, asking for a drink. Without money, Jack traded his compass for a drink, feeling in desperate need of a drink with which to rid himself of his upset to being abandoned by his crew. Being been betrayed by it's owner, the compass would use it's magic to release the owner's greatest fear upon them. In this case, the compass' magic destroyed the caves known as the Devil's Triangle, allowing Salazar and his crew to escape the Triangle. As they escaped, they immediately set out to find and kill Jack Sparrow. Jack, unaware of this, took his drink and begin drowning his sorrow. As Jack left he was caught by Mayor Dix who patrolled the streets with a guard escort. They shot the drink out of Jack's hand, arresting him and placing him up for execution in the morning, alongside Carina Smyth. Henry Turner had watched the arrest from the shadows.

##### Henry's Arrest

Henry Turner arrived on the island of Saint Martin, washing up on shore aboard a debris wreck of the destroyed *Monarch.* He told the royal navy present on the island that he was the only survivor of the ship, before passing out. Henry was taken to the local hospital where he was given a bed and nursed back to health. Word spread quickly of the man who had become the last survivor of the *Monarch,* rumor that Carina heard. She donned the clothes of a nun and infiltrated the hospital, hoping to get a chance to speak to the boy who had apparently washed up on shore speaking of the Trident*.* He awoke to a conversation with Lieutenant John Scarfield, who recognized that Henry had had his sleeves ripped, marking him as treasonous. For running away from battle, John Scarfield sentenced Henry Turner to hang for treason. As soon as Scarfield was gone, Carina approached. She revealed to Henry that she too searched for the Trident, planning on using the approaching blue moon to read the stars and find the Trident of Poseidon. She had been spotted by a guard, who lead Scarfield back into the room with a large group of guards intent on arresting Carina. She used her final moment with Henry to give him a lock pick, telling him to find them a ship. As Carina was captured and arrested by Scarfield's men, Henry used the lock pick to escape his bed and into the town of Saint Martin.

##### The Night Before

Carina spent the night in her cell, making calculations across her cell wall. She used the light of the moon to read the diary and learn that the stars lead a path to an island where she could find the Map That No Man Can Read. Henry Turner attempted to infiltrate the prison of Saint Martin, stealing a uniform and entering the cell blocks to find Jack Sparrow. Jack had set up a trap, setting up his clothes to look like him thus to provide him with an opportunity to attack an unsuspecting guard. The plan worked, allowing him to grab Henry as he came to Jack's cell looking for him. Jack attempted to steal Henry's sword, only to learn that not only did he not have one, but also was not a real guard, looking for Jack. Henry was not shy about expressing his disappointment when faced with Jack, who didn't appear to be anything but a drunk in a cell without pants. Henry explained to Jack his plan to locate the Trident of Poseidon using Jack's skills and Carina's map, intent on saving his father from the *Flying Dutchman.* Henry also gave Jack Salazar's message promising death. With the Trident as his only hope for survival against Salazar, Jack agreed with Henry that they must venture out to find it.

## Recount

##### Execution

Jack was taken from his cell in the morning, carried by a pair of guards through the prison to the square of Saint Martin where he was due to be executed by a guillotine. As he was carried through the prison he had a small reunion with his Uncle Jack, who said hello and asked Jack how he was doing. He also gave Jack a warning about the ocean, saying that it had turned to blood and advised Jack to stay on land where it was safe. Uncle Jack told Jack a joke, and that was their last interaction before Jack was carried away. All the while, Henry had gone out into the island and found Jack's old crew, informing him of Jack's predicament and future prospects. They agreed to return and help save Jack's life.

Jack was taken out of a transport wagon, where he disembarked and was asked how he would like to day, hanging, firing squad or guillotine. Jack opted for the final option. On the other side of the courtyard Carina was brought to the gallows where she would be hung. On the watchtower overlooking the space, Henry Turner looked over the crowd, creating a plan to break both Jack and Carina free. Carina attempted to speak her final words to the crowd, calling all the onlookers dumb-witted fools. Jack began shouting and talking, interrupting Carina. The pair entered into an argument, buying themselves time before Henry leapt from the bell tower, swinging from a rope down to the square to stage his rescue. Just as the crowd had had enough of Jack and Carina's bickering, and the executioners prepared to end the lives of both respectively, Henry swung through the square, distracting the onlookers while Gibbs and the other members of Jack's old crew entered the square and prepped a cannon to fire and free Sparrow. Henry landed in the crowd and dropped a few guards, but was quickly apprehended. It was here that he revealed he was only the diversion.

At this moment, Joshamee Gibbs and the crew fired their cannon at the support beams of the guillotine, breaking them and causing the guillotine to begin to spin on it's axis. The guards were sent flying as Jack span and span, the guillotine blade coming up and down, closer and closer to Jack's neck. The pirates charged into the crowd, fighting against the executioners and guards that tried to fight back amid the chaos. Another cannon ball was fired at the grandstand, sending Mayor Dix and Lieutenant Scarfield falling. Jack eventually swung so violently that the entire wooden frame broke, allowing him to fall free of the guillotine trap. He was descended upon by guards, but was rescued by Gibbs, who fought away the guards. Henry caught Carina as Scrum accidentally triggered the dropping mechanism, saving her life. Lieutenant Scarfield spotted Henry and Carina, thinking that if he killed Henry, both would die. Before he could act, Jack snuck up behind him, knocking him unconscious. The crew freed Carina, and the entire group escaped together to the *Dying Gull.*

## Aftermath

##### Setting out for the Trident

Jack and his crew returned to the *Dying Gull*, preparing the ship to sail on a new quest, a search for the Trident of Poseidon. Both Henry and Carina were tied to the mast pole as prisoners so that they could not try to escape nor sabotage Jack's mission. They dropped the boards holding them to shore and set out to sail on their quest. During their journey, Jack tried to use Carina's diary to find a heading, but was unable to decipher any kind of clues or maps. He pressed Carina for the Map No Man Can Read, telling her to give it to him. He bluffed killing Henry, throwing him over the side of the ship and onto a rowing boat. Carina gave in, telling the pirates that the map was stars in the sky.

##### British Empire

Lieutenant Scarfield found the cell that was used to house Carina covered in markings and calculations. He enlisted the aid of Shansa, taking her from her cell and into Carina's. Wanting to find the Trident and use it to bring the world under the knee of the British Empire, Scarfield ordered Shansa to read Carina's writing and help him find the Trident. Shansa agreed to help Scarfield, setting his course for him.

## Appearances

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales