As you might have guessed with the last chapter, this story is pretty much based on Pirates of the Carribean-Curse of the Black Pearl, told in Storm Hawks fashion. I just felt it was right. Anyway, thank you all for the reviews, and here is chapter three!

I do not own Storm Hawks says I. I do not own them, oh why?

Chapter 3

Captain Squall

Piper did not understand at first why her necklace reacted the way it did, just like in her dream. Her thoughts however were cut short when she saw her rescuer eying her necklace with peaked interest. His eyes furrowed and his mouth frowned. "Where did you get this?" he asked.

Before she could reply however, and energy blade was pointed at the man's throat, followed by a familiar voice. "One your feet, pirate!" It was Harrier of the Rex Guardians. He must have heard the commotion and came to investigate. But he stated that her rescuer was a pirate? What would a pirate be doing all the way here in Atmosia, clearly the last place any pirate should be with the Sky Council located here. More importantly, why would a pirate recognize the crystal around her neck?

The blue haired pirate eyed the blonde haired sky knight, a rather odd stoic expression on his face. He did comply, however, seeing as he was outnumbered four to one, the four being the good sky knight here and his squadron.

Harrier leered. "You have some nerve showing up in the center of all Atmos, scum. Now, why are you here?"

Piper got up and stood between Harrier and her rescuer. Pirate or not, he just saved her life. "Harrier, stop this," she commanded. "This man happened to save me from a fall into the Wastelands." The two guards nodded in agreement.

"Be that as it may, Lady Piper," Harrier replied. "Even if this scoundrel rescued a Storm Hawk squad member, that does not repent for all the crimes he has committed."

"Though it does seem to condemned him," Squall muttered.

Harrier glowered at the pirate, holding the tip of his energy blade closer to his neck. "I'd watch what I say if I were you, naïve. You will show respect to my squadron and I. Now, who are you?"

"He says his name is Captain Squall, sir," one of the guards answer.

Squall? Piper heard of that name somewhere before, she recalled.

"Captain?" Harrier questioned, obviously amused this pirate had such a title. "You? Then where is your ship, 'Captain'? Where is your crew?"

"I'm in the market," Squall replied, glancing over at the Angelo. "Also recruiting, mate. Care to join? I could use a cabin boy."

Ignoring the insult, Harrier continued on, removing any weaponry from Squall's person. "What have we here? No charts, no maps, not even a compass, just a small useless crystal. I take a guess that this is the reason why you ended up here, pirate." He pulled his weapon from the hoister. "An energy scimitar with no crystal on the hilt, and…" his eyes fell upon Squall's left hand, which was covered with a unique bronze gauntlet. "…Found that on one of your raids, 'captain'?

Squall glanced down at his left hand, flexing the fingers. "You could say that. An artifact I've picked up on one of my treks you could say." He leaned in close to Harrier, far too close for the knight's comfort. "Nearly lost the entire arm getting it, too."

Harrier flinched back at the smell of the man's breath. "Dear lord! What on Atmos have you been drinking?! Get the irons," he commanded to one of the guards. "He'll stand trial for his crimes against all of Atmos, and receive his deserve punishment."

This was just wrong, Piper thought. She knew she should say something, but what? She didn't have the power or the authorization to intervene in this. All she could hope for, is that this man, Squall, has a way out.

Suddenly, as if to answer her request, Squall lashed out and took back his weapon. A golden crystal that was not there before appeared in his left hand, set into the weapon and activated. He did not, however, pull the weapon on Harrier, but grabbed Piper by the arm, wrenching it behind her. She gasped in both shock and pain, as the now activated scimitar was held dangerously close to her throat, her body pulled toward him. She now realized her naivety of the whole situation. This man was more dangerous than she realized.

"Drop your weapons!" Squall shouted. "Or the lass gets it." Harrier leered at the pirate, his face red with anger. But he did as he was told, not wanting to put Piper in harms way. The other squadron members did the same. "And now, my crystal if you please, dear Hairy. Give it to the good lass." The Rex Guardian did as told, handing over the stone to Piper. "There's a good dog. If you'd be so kind, Piper was it?"

Piper glared at the man, as she tugged the stone back into his pocket. Squall, however, simply smirked, seeming to enjoy the hatred that was purveyed into her eyes. "You are truly vile," she hissed, jerking her hand away from his pocket.

"Desperate men do desperate things, luv," Squall replied. "If old Blondie weren't here, we would have loads to discuss, Storm Hawk. Especially that little jewelry you're wearing." He leaned in close to her ear and whispered. "Gift from your father, no doubt."

Piper's eyes widen in shock. This pirate knew her father! She was sure of it! She didn't have time to react though, as Squall spun her around so she was facing away from him, the blade once again as her throat. At this point, she could have easily disarmed him, and yet…she felt it would be best for him to escape, if only so she could find him again and ask about her father.

"I saved your life," Squall comment. "You saved mine. We're squared for the moment, lass." Then aloud, he spoke as he edge closer to his Skimmer. "Gentlemen, ladies, and…guards, let it be known, that this is the day that you've nearly caught Captain Squall. Till we meet again, Hairy!" He released Piper, shoving her away from him and leapt onto the Skimmer, revved it and took off into the streets. Harrier and his men immediate took to their own bikes and went after him. Piper got to her feet, dusting herself off. She hopes Squall would be able to get away. However, she thought, rubbing her should and glaring off at the escaping pirate. I hope it's not so easy for him.

"Okay, this isn't quite the escaped I hoped for," Squall commented as he weaved through the town streets, trying to shake off the Rex Guardians. He failed to realize his skimmer was low on fuel, and there was not enough for a take off. Cursing his bad luck, the captain took a sharp turn down a narrow alley way, barely fitting through with his vehicle. He yelped and ducked under an oncoming clothesline. He glanced back, remarking his luck, only to be caught in another line, sending his skimmer flying of and crashing to the side.

He fell upon his back, exhaling as the breath was knocked out of him. "Bugger!" he gasped, coughing to try and get his breath back. He took a moment to stand and check for any wounds. A few scraps and bruises, but nothing serious. He glanced over at his skimmer, dented in many places because of his stunt. Squall sighed in frustration. He had to find fuel crystals for the ride, play hide and seek with the gaggle of geese, and now…he had to find a way to get the dents out of his beauty! Okay so it wasn't the glamorous bikes like most riders had, but this one has seen him through many rough times. Looking back, he notices the Rex's haven't followed him down the alley. Either that's good they lost his trail, or bad and they're setting an ambush up ahead. Considering the stingy attitude from Hairy, an ambush is not his strong suit.

Right, he thought. New plan of action, snag some fuel crystals for his ride and high tale it to the nearest terra. However, finding the crystals without being seen…that's the tricky part.

"That's the last one," Junko announced tossing in the last crate of crystals into the supply depot. Sighing with relief, Finn planted himself on one of the crates clearly exhausted from all the hauling he had to do.

"Man, what sort of crystal's did they come by anyway?" he complained, stretching his back and feeling one of his spines pop audibly. "These jokers were heavy." Radarr chirped and nodded in agreement.

"These fueling crystals will help a lot in the efforts against Cyclonia, Finn," Aerrow replied. "Many ships are in need of these supplies. And with Talons, raiders, and other dangers out there, they need all the help they can get."

"Well, why couldn't Piper give us a hand with this stuff?" Finn continued. "She's always complained to me about not doing my work."

Aerrow's mind wondered back to their conversation back on the Angelo, and Piper's concern about her father. "She's…got a lot on her mind right now, Finn. With seeing her mother again, she needs some time by herself. Once we get back on the Condor, we'll be sure to help her in any way."

Finn grumbled under his breath, "Wish my mother was a high ranking official. But no, she had to own a bakery."

"But your mom does make the best bread I've tasted," Junko commented, patting his friend on the back.

The sharpshooter winced from the Wallop's strength, but smiled none-the-less. "Thanks."

Aerrow was no longer listening, however. He was concern about his first officer and specialist. He never liked seeing his teammates depressed, but it was different with Piper. While he became friends with the other guys later in his life, Piper was the first true friend he ever had. That made her pretty special to him, and they pretty much share everything with each other. He just wished there was someway he could make her feel better. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Stork's voice came over the radio on Aerrow's skimmer.

"Um, Aerrow…" the merb started, his voice shakier than usual. "We've got a slight problem over by the docks."

The Storm Hawks stood attention, listening with concern. "Go ahead, Stork," Aerrow replied.

"Seems that Piper ran into a rather…um, roguish character at the docks. A pirate by the looks of him. Had the Rex Guardians on his back. He…threatened Piper with a energy weapon."

Aerrow's eyes widen in fright, and Radarr looked up at him with concern. Finn and Junko too, froze stiff. "Stork!" Aerrow yelled. "Is Piper okay?!"

"Oh, she's fine. Turn her loose as he got to his skimmer, and took off down the streets. The Guardians took off after them. Giving you a heads up, he might be heading for the crystal cache."

Aerrow sighed in relief. Piper was okay, that was good. His face grew stern, and he turned to his squadron. "Guys, spread out. Junko, I want you set by the doorway to back me up. Finn, Radarr, I want you two up on the platforms as my lookout and cover fire. There's no telling how dangerous this rogue could be."

"But Aerrow," Junko asked with concern. "How do we know he'll be coming here?"

"Simple," Aerrow replied, looking over at the freight of crystals. "He'll need supplies before he can leave. We'll set an ambush here and capture him. Storm Hawks, move out!"

Squall scanned the area to make sure no guards were around before rushing to the other side of the streets. Ducking behind boxes and post as he made his way to the warehouse. There should be plenty of fuel crystals inside for him to charge his bike back up with. Not to mention a few other trinkets that he might need. He hid the skimmer near the alleyway, checking the place for an opening for him to skim through.

He spotted one, one the second floor, an open window. Perfect.

It took him a few moments to reach the window and slip inside the warehouse. "Too easy," he commented, but then paused. This actually was too easy. Something's not right. He glanced around the warehouse. There were no guards, no sentry. What time of cache is this if it wasn't well protected? He gazed around…and found what he expected. A young blonde man, no more than fourteen by the look of him, with a crossbow in hand. At his side was a little gray sky monkey. That bugger could be trouble, he thought. And by the doorway, a wallop sat by the door. What was a wallop doing on guard duty? Other than that, he saw no one else. A kid, a weasel and a dim witted wallop. Handled far worse opponents, he smirked.

The kid and sky monkey were first. Quietly sneaking up on the two, Squall lunged and gagged the little rat before he made a move on the blonde. The kid had good ears, though, and swung around in time to stare Squall straight in the face. Both men gasped in surprise. Before the kid could react, however, Squall did the only thing he could think of to keep the kid from shouting. He breathed heavily onto the blonde, causing him to gag, his eyes rolled up as he passed out. Sighing with relief, Squall gave thanks to the skyrum he had this morning. He noticed on the back of the boy's shirt, the emblem of the Storm Hawks was shown. "A little young to place sky knight, eh?"

Two down, one to go, he thought, slipping down to the ground and creeping up behind the wallop. This was going to be much tougher than the kid, he realized. Not sure what to do, he picked up a loose pipe, ready to clock the wallop over the head. He raised the pipe up high; ready to swing down, when he heard a ghastly noise bellowing from the guard. A snore to be exact. The wallop was asleep! Squall leaned in for a closer inspection. Indeed the wallop was fast asleep. He poked his shoulders, no reaction. Squall readied to turn, and then shouted right in the wallop's ear, "Whoa!!" Nothing. This guy was a heavy sleeper! He notices also that this wallop shares the Storm Hawk's symbol like the blond kid. "This is it? This is the new generation of Storm Hawks? Can't say I'm very impressed."

"Then how about facing the leader," came a voice from behind. Followed by the sound of an energy weapon activated. Squall slowly turned, and faced yet another boy, probably no more than 15 years, two blue blades glowing and ready for combat. His green eyes leered at him. Squall couldn't help but feel a little surprise.

"The Council must have set lower standards if they allow teenagers to become Sky Knights," Squall commented, drawing his own blade to fight.

"You shouldn't underestimate us teenagers," the red headed boy replied. "We might just surprise you, pirate."

Again with the pirate, Squall thought. Must be a curse word around these parts. He studied the young man, and felt a sense of déjà vu. "You remind me of someone, have I threatened you before, lad?"

"I tend not to familiarize myself with scoundrels." He replied.

"Ah," Squall smiled, lowering his blade. "Then it wouldn't do for me to put a mark on you record, good lad. I'll just be on my way." He made to leave, only for the fiery haired sky knight to block his way, the blade pointed at him. Clearly this lad was going to make it difficult for him. "You thing this wise, boy? Taking on a pirate by your lonesome?"

Aerrow glared at the man, his teeth set. "You threatened Piper."

Squall smiled, knowingly. He activated his scimitar, the blue and gold hissing as they touched for a moment. "Only a little," he mocked. And the fight was on.

Squall swung in with a flick of his wrist, slashing high to try and disarm the boy. Aerrow however, anticipated the move and twisted his wrist, parrying the blade away. Following up, Squall flew in with a series of strikes, all of which Aerrow easily deflected. The boy was skilled. "You know what you're doing, I'll give you that, lad." He began to step sideways, leading Aerrow to do the same. "But how is your footwork?" He pivoted on one foot. "If I step like this you…" he swung forward with an arch, as Aerrow pivoted right, bringing his left blade around to repel the scimitar, just as Squall thought he would. "Very good," he commended. He continued testing Aerrow with maneuvers, feints, slashes and movement until his back was to the doorway. He then halted in his attack, smiled and deactivated his weapon. "Ta." He turned and made for the door.

Aerrow, however, had no intentions on letting him leave, and flung a shot from his blade toward the chain that held the door open. The chain free, the door slid down, closing before Squall could escape. He glanced wide-eyed at the door, then back at Aerrow. His hand reached for the handle, and tried the pull the door back up. It wouldn't budge. He tried again, and still it wouldn't budge. He yanked at the lever in frustration, tugging like he was working a hand pump. He gave up, knowing his easy escape was cut off. "I suppose you think you're very clever, don't you, mate? Well, now you're standing in the way of my freedom," reactivating his weapon, he smiled, "and you're still alone in this fight, mate." A brick crushing sound came from behind, along with a green glow. Squall slowly looked behind him, seeing the wallop fully awake, his fist glowing green from the knuckle busters he brandished. The young redhead smiled. "Oh, bugger." This was getting far too complicated.

Junko lunged at him with his right fist, missing the blue haired captain my mere inches as the wallop's fist shredded through a crate of crystals. He parried just in time as Aerrow came back into the assault, exchange blow after blow with the captain. Then a bolt came whizzing by his head. He glanced up, and saw the blond fella was awake, setting another bolt ready. "Are you kids serious? How did you all learn to fight like this?"

"Practice," Aerrow replied, continuing his assault, "and teamwork. There's nothing we can't accomplish if we work together."

Squall leapt onto a stack of wooden box, gathering high ground. "You all must really care about this Piper lass, if you're going to such efforts." He blocked a blow from Aerrow, their blades lock and the eyes met. "Or I should say, this girl means more to you than you let on. And the fact that another man touched her had you seeing green all over, eh?" He smiled, seeing the anger in the boy's eyes. He must have hit a nerve.

"I made a promise to her as I did to all my squadron," he retorted. "I won't let anyone one of them down!" He pushed back on the blades, sending the pirate backwards, nearly falling off the stacks of boxes. With his free hand, he grabbed onto the railing, pulling himself up to the second floor. The only thing standing between him and freedom is the blonde sharpshooter. He ducked under a shot, and hurled a wave of energy under the boy's feet. The floor gave way beneath him, causing Finn to fall. Luckily Junko was there to catch him.

"Promise?" Squall questioned. "Promises are only good for one thing, lad. And that's for them to be broken."

"And just who are you to lecture me on life, pirate." Aerrow countered, following him onto the railing.

"A man who's seen many things, dear boy. And none has anything to do with a promise."

The two continued to exchange blows as they neared the window, Aerrow shifted to block his path. It looked like Aerrow was getting the upper hand in this bout, until Squall came in with a right blow with his gauntlet hand to Aerrow's face. Momentarily stunned, Aerrow staggered back, but readied himself to attack again. He froze in his tracks, however, because Squall held in his hand one of the most dangerous crystals in all of Atmos, an Oblivion Stone, pointed straight at him.

"You…cheated," Aerrow hissed.

"Pirate," Squall replied, casually, as if that were reason enough.

Bangs on the door were heard, along with Harrier's voice. "By order of the council, open up!"

It was time for him to leave, Squall realized. "Move," he commanded. He had to get away.

"No," Aerrow replied, leering at him.

Dammit kid, this was no time for heroics! "Please move," he tried.

Aerrow did no such thing. "I won't let you get away from this."

Squall clutched the crystal tight, his arm trembling in frustration. "This stone is not meant for you, lad!"

Aerrow's features soften. What did he just say?

Bam! Squall flinched and stood still for a moment before falling face first onto the railing. Behind him, Radarr held a loose pipe in his hand, his gag torn off, growling down at the pirate. He dropped the pipe and scampered over to his comrade, Aerrow. He chirped, concern that he was hurt. Aerrow just smiled. "I'm fine Radarr. Good job."

Junko went over to the door and lifted the gate open, letting the Rex Guardians in. Harrier smiled when he caught sight of Squall's limped form on the railing. "Excellent job, Storm Hawks. You'll be pleased to know that this ruffian will be facing extra charges along with piracy. Threatening, resisting arrest, and attempted burglary. Let it be know that this is the day that Captain Squall nearly got away."

Captain Squall, Aerrow repeated in his mind. Where have I heard that name before?