Black Sails (2014–2017): Season 2, Episode 4 - XII. - full transcript

Seeing Flint's steady rise up the ranks leaves Vane feeling like he may be a real threat to his position, and while Eleanor determines which side to choose, elsewhere, Silver and a friend from the past are finally reunited.

Land ho!

I'd like to go back
and retrieve the gold.

Refit, hire a consort,
finish the job.

- Is that possible?
- Well, it might have been possible.

Before the bay fell
into the hands of a madman.

Either we act now to remove
him or no one will.

Congratulations, Jack.

Now you know what it's like
to rise from the grave.

We're gonna sail again.

Your judgment
with her is clouded at best.

And there's nothing
I can do to counter it



when I'm on the wrong
side of that door.

Found the prize
they was hiding.

Her father is Lord Peter Ashe,
governor of the Carolina colony.

Lord Ashe won't be trifled with.

I have no intentions
of trifling with him.

Charles Vane
and the animals he commands

have until sunrise tomorrow
to vacate that fort

or, so help me God,

I will rain holy hell
down upon him.

Go on.

"If you fail
to meet these demands,

if you remain
when the deadline arrives,

I will respond swiftly
and definitively.

And as I currently sit
fully outside



your means of retaliation,

this response will continue
unabated until you,

your men,
and that structure

are rendered
fully incapacitated.

Until dawn,
Captain James Flint."

Get him out of here.

Put him behind
a door somewhere.

I want him whole
when he delivers my answer.

Make ready the guns
in the northwest.

Move everything we have
to the southwest bastion.

He's telling the truth.
The southwest bastion

is too weak to support
any batteries at all.

We have no guns
that can reach his position.

Somehow Flint knew
exactly where to sit

to take advantage.

Then find out
how close I can get.

Now.

Tell me right now you had nothing
to do with this.

Charles, look at me.

Tell me this isn't part
of your plan

- to push me into the sea.
- Look at me.

I had no idea
this was coming.

I had no idea that Flint
would be so fucking reckless

as to threaten the fort itself.

I had no idea Hornigold
would be so fucking petty

as to divulge secrets
about its weaknesses,

risk its destruction
for his own personal gain.

I told you what I would
do if challenged like this.

- I know.
- I may not be able to hit his ship,

but I can hit the rest of them.

I can turn that whole goddamn bay
into a graveyard.

- But you won't.
- You doubt me?

No, I have faith in your ability

to formulate a plan
more effective than this.

The initial barrage
will be targeted

at the southeast bastion.

Once the turrets are destroyed,
we'll turn our aim

to the weaker
of the defensive walls.

Hammer them until
the interior is exposed

and the fort is vulnerable
to an assault from the ground.

At this point, there's no limit
to the damage we can inflict.

- How long to rebuild?
- Rebuild?

After we secure possession
of what's left of the fort,

how long will it take
you and your men

to rebuild
what we've destroyed?

10 weeks before
the batteries are restored.

Twice that to resecure
the interior.

It is a risk,

but a relatively short window
in the grand scheme.

A short window that coincides
with a British warship

sitting in anchor
40 miles from here

and my having stolen
a Spanish warship

in full view of a company
of Spanish soldiers.

We'll just have to keep
our fingers crossed

for a while, then, won't we?

Are you suggesting
the threat we posed

to Captain Vane
is an empty one

and we have no intent
of following through?

I am fully committed,
as are we all,

to the removal of Captain Vane
from that fort.

But we'd be fools to ignore

the catastrophic risks
that lie down this road.

I have committed men
and resources to aid you

in retrieving the Urca gold.

In exchange for which
you've assured me

of your assistance
of expelling Captain Vane

from that fort
by any means necessary.

Now, as I hear you waver,

I feel forced to ask,
if the sun rises tomorrow

and Vane has not
ceded to our demands,

then what will you do?

I was told it was urgent.

He said he wanted
to see you right away.

What about?

It's all right.

It has nothing to do
with you and I.

He'll be arriving
in less than two hours.

I'm sorry, who?

The fourth Earl of Ashbourne.

Lord Proprietor
to the Carolina colony,

including the Bahama Islands,
and peer of the realm.

Lord Alfred Hamilton.

My father.

I'm told he expects
a full report of our efforts

to devise a plan
for the management of Nassau.

And you're concerned
how he'll receive it?

I'm concerned about
how he'll receive

one particular part of it.

The part you and I
have yet to discuss.

I didn't think we had
one of those.

These past few months

I have come to trust you.

Very much.

Which is why I feel
I can ask for your help.

When my father arrives,

I intend to propose
something to him

which could be very
dangerous politically.

What is it you want
me to help you with?

I want you to try
to talk me out of it.

Yes?

Ma'am, you're needed.

All right.

It's a Spanish warship!

- Excuse me. Excuse me.
- There's a Spanish galleon

anchored in the harbor!

Is today some sort of holiday
that I've forgotten about?

Spanish warship
anchored in the bay.

Word is it's Flint's crew
sailing her.

And it's scaring the shit
out of everyone on the beach.

Flint's sailing
a Spanish warship?

Think we should try and lure
some of them inside?

Wait.
Does he have it?

Does who have what?

Did Flint get to the Urca gold?

I don't know.

Hold there.

The fuck are you doing?

The situation is as we feared.

That warship is fully
outside our field of fire.

And given our severe
disadvantage,

might she provide us
valuable leverage?

Make sure Flint knows
the moment he fires those guns,

her body gets dumped
over the wall.

Your reply to Flint
will be significantly

more effective if it
comes from me personally.

You might want to keep
quiet now, miss.

You have questions
about my loyalties

as it relates to Miss Guthrie?

Then accuse me.
Challenge me. Fight me.

Or shut the fuck up about it.

Open the gate!

What are you doing here?

Putting an end to this.

Miss Guthrie.

Captain Vane has issued
a reply to your ultimatum.

It's being read aloud
on the beach as we speak.

I think you should see it.

Give us the room.

- I have as much right...
- Now, please!

"You must ask yourselves
who represents

the greater threat
to your interests...

my men in this fort

or the madman on the water."

It's effective.

Mm, I can see that.

What I cannot see
is how Charles Vane alone

was clever enough to turn this all
into political theater

in which he is the defender
of the island's welfare.

Are you suggesting he had
help in crafting his reply?

Did he?

Were I to have aided
Captain Vane against your efforts,

helped him move into a more favorable
position last night,

what would such a move say

about the trust you and I
are supposed to share?

I believe I was clear yesterday
about the danger he represents

and my desire to see
him removed from that fort.

Though you conveniently
omitted the part

about how you were prepared
to use a Spanish warship

to annihilate the fort
to achieve that end.

Your refusal
to acknowledge the urgency

of the situation
gave me no choice but...

But to do what?
Disregard our partnership?

Ignore the resources
and influence and trust

I have invested in you?

This isn't personal.

It's too important for that.

All right, then.

What is it you wish
to accomplish here?

To see him removed
from the fort.

Then this is a stupid fucking way
of going about it.

He'll never voluntarily leave

if he thinks it will
show weakness to do so.

You want him out,
here's how you do it.

You move this ship.

You allow him to save face
on this score.

And then you and he and I

sit down at a table
and we sort it out.

Eleanor, I don't care
if he leaves voluntarily.

If I give up this position,
I will never regain it.

And without this position,
the decision is his and his alone.

No, I simply cannot risk that.

Not with what's at stake.

You are talking about
rendering this bay,

rendering Nassau
completely unprotected.

I know!

And I am perfectly aware
of the danger that presents.

But when it comes
to Charles Vane,

you and I simply do not
see him in the same way.

Now,
if you can see a way,

an effective,
credible way out of this

that doesn't involve
disabling the fort,

I would love to hear it.

If you think that
he will hear reason.

Not with you holding
a gun to his head.

Then I suggest you talk to him.

Because one way or another,
he is leaving that fort.

And right now my way
is the only way

that I can be certain of that.

My name is Charles Vane
and you are now my guest.

As such,
no harm will come to you

as long as you do
exactly as I say.

You understand?

The other one,
he said no talking.

Captain Low?

You don't need to worry
about him anymore.

How can you be sure?

I cut his head off.

Good.

Now, your father
is Lord Peter Ashe,

governor of the Carolina colony.
Is that right?

What is the total value
of his estate?

I don't know.

How many rooms in his house?
How many slaves?

Honestly, I don't know.
Haven't seen him in years.

I've been at school
in London.

Are you close with him?

What?

I'm asking if there's
any reason I should expect

he may not be willing to pay
to ensure no harm comes to you?

You're asking if he loves me?

He'll pay you what you ask.

Can you write?

Of course.

Then write the following.

You're a prisoner
of the pirate Captain Charles Vane.

Your ransom,

should your father ever wish
to see you alive again,

is ?250,000.

The next contact I'll make
will be to arrive

in Charlestown harbor
with you in my possession.

If I sense a trap
or my demands are unmet,

I'll kill you and throw your body
into the bay.

Do you understand?

She's writing the letter now.

I want it on its way
to Charlestown

before whatever's going to happen
here tomorrow happens.

Right.

Who are they?

Friends from the beach.

They have pledged
their services to Captain Vane

to defend the fort and to discourage
any move against it.

It seems his pronouncement
has had the intended effect.

And 40 men become 60

and the fight ahead
only gets bloodier.

Then get out there.
Sit with the captains.

Talk some sense into them.

Tell them that
it's their ships and cargo

that will be subject
to his extortion

the moment it suits him.

I'll get to the beach.
Appeal directly to the crews.

If we can stop anyone else
from going up there,

we can keep this from
getting out of hand.

Can I assume when you say
you'll go to the beach

to make this appeal,
you mean me?

All right, then.

Why do you think
they went up that hill?

Beg your pardon?

If we're to stop any more
men from joining his side,

isn't it a prerequisite
that we try and understand

the thinking of the men
who have already joined him?

Sorry, are you
asking my opinion?

Oh.

Well, uh...

I suppose one could argue
that it's simple fear.

Their fear of losing the fort

being greater than their fear
of Vane remaining in it.

But then again,

it's possible this has
nothing to do with the fort.

Nor with Vane.

Perhaps it's just them
expressing their opinions about you.

So you think that they see me
as the villain in this particular story?

I think that would
explain their decision, yes.

And you?

What do you think?

You see me
as the villain here?

I see you as the agent
most likely

of securing my share
of the gold on that beach.

As long as that
remains true,

I am not bothered in the least
by whatever labels

anyone else decides
to affix to you.

Why?

What do you think about it?

I'm sorry?

It bothers you, doesn't it?

What they think?

With the things you've done...

My God.

It must be awful being you.

Time is short.

You'd better be off.

We have reasonable proposals
to recruit men for the expedition.

To procure supplies
and to ferry them.

But it will be the approach
to dealing with the Nassau pirates

by which the entire
plan will be judged.

I feel that's where
we're strongest.

Targeted raid on the beach
under cover from two men-of-war.

Public trials and hangings
of roughly a dozen of the ringleaders.

And the replacement of the governor
with an officer of our choosing.

It's precise,
it's affordable,

and it'll play well
with the Sea Lords.

I understand that's
the expected proposal.

The safest one, but it's not
the one I would like to make.

When my father arrives,
I would like to propose to him

that we don't hang the pirates.

- That we pardon them.
- I'm sorry, what was that?

I want to pardon them.

- You want to pardon them?
- Yes.

- How many?
- All of them.

- All right.
- The island needs commerce to survive.

It needs labor.

It needs men and women
vested in its interest.

Don't these men
fit that description?

Couldn't they become
part of the solution?

You don't need me
to answer that.

- They're men.
- They're traitors to the Crown.

What difference
does that make?

Makes some difference
to the Crown.

Just answer me this,
would it work?

To pardon a traitor
is the act of a coward.

And given our current war footing,
precisely no one in Whitehall

wants to wear
that label right now.

If you propose this
to your father,

he will almost certainly
distance himself from it

and most likely from you.

Now, I only know what
I've heard of your father,

but if half of what
I've heard is true,

he's not a man
one wants as an enemy.

If you're asking me as your liaison
to the Admiralty,

my advice to you

is that this is a maneuver
only to be approached

with utmost caution.

But as your friend,

I suggest you forget
you ever thought of it.

They came through
the gate like locusts,

Vane and his men.

Brothers of mine
being hacked to pieces.

I swear to Christ Almighty,

it wasn't the screams
that haunt me most.

It was their laughter.

I thought they said
no one survived

the raid from Captain
Hornigold's crew.

Well, I guess one of them
must have gotten away.

So what do you
make of this business

between Captains
Flint and Vane?

Thank you.
Lovely performance.

Hello, friend.

Man around the bend
has something to say

about this business at the fort.

The fuck's going on in there?

Pulled a man out of the water.

Up by the north point.

That's lucky.

We were just about
to send for one of you.

Excuse me?

You're a Walrus man,
aren't you?

Sorry, what are you
talking about?

He's one of yours.

I assume Captain Flint
wasn't amenable to your suggestion.

He's not listening to me

and this place
is slipping into ruin.

It's my commitment
to see this fort protected

from all enemies,
all threats.

So as you consider
where to lay your support,

consider which of us
represents the greatest threat...

my man in this fort
or the madman on the water?

- How many criers did you pay?
- Four total, as you asked.

Sent to the ends of the camps.

But what I don't understand

is why we're supporting
Captain Vane's position.

We're not supporting it,
we're relaying it.

With all due respect,
I can't see the difference.

I think I can live with that.

So what do we do now?

The only one who can
stop this is Flint.

I'll just have to find
someone to convince him.

He's moving in a direction
that promises unimaginable chaos.

He won't listen to me,

but perhaps he would listen
to an appeal from you.

I appreciate your frustration.

Were there something
I could do to help,

I assure you I would.

You can make him see
how destructive his actions would be.

- You can make him...
- If you believe...

if you believe anyone
can make him see anything,

you must not know him
very well at all.

I'm sorry.
I can't help you.

You weren't here
the last time they came.

200 Spanish soldiers
walked onto the beach.

They burned the huts on the beach
and then the structures in town.

When the whole of Nassau
was a smoking wreck,

they turned their eye inland.

They raped, they murdered,
they laid waste.

And all because there was no fort
to protect the bay.

The men in charge
had allowed it to fall into disrepair.

Please, help me
to dissuade him

from putting us
on that path again.

If you're concerned
for your safety,

perhaps you should
request sanctuary

along with your father
at the Underhill estate.

I'd be happy
to carry the message.

You think this is about me?

You asked me for my help yesterday
with Mr. Underhill.

I gave it my best efforts.

You asked me today again
for my help,

but I'm sorry,

what you ask
is simply impossible.

You don't give a shit
about the rest of us, fine.

But Flint.
Don't you care enough about him

to at least try to stop
him from doing this?

Don't I care about him?

He's the one in the most
immediate danger.

- And you would do nothing...
- You who have enabled him,

encouraged his violence,

you ask if I care about him?

How dare you?

Get out of my house.

Yes? What?

- New recruits?
- Mm-hmm.

It would appear
your reconciliation

with Captain Vane
has borne fruit.

Though, perhaps,
of the low-hanging variety.

Thank you for your concern.

Did you know?

Before she opened the door?

No, I didn't know.

You must care for her
a great deal.

Not once all night
did you so much as look

in my direction.

I've seen enough to know
to keep my distance from you,

thank you very much.

The situation
was not of my making.

If it was anyone's,
it was yours.

I'm sorry, what?

The conflict within her.
I had it under control.

Right until the moment
you walked in on her and me.

For that was the moment
you began the competition

between you and me.

What is happening here,
the three of us,

it is only temporary.

A state of denial
until she finally makes a choice.

A choice between you and I?

Anne and I have been
by each other's sides

since she was 13 years old.

We have sailed together.
We've killed together.

We have shared things you
couldn't begin to imagine.

You've shared a bed
with her for a week.

You'd be amazed what can
change in a week in my bed.

I understand you're feeling
quite indispensable of late.

But rest assured,
it only seems that way.

I wouldn't get too comfortable
were I you.

And what if I can get
you back on the water

with a crew?

Would I still only seem
indispensable then, too?

One of the girls has a lead?

Mm, but which one?

They're so mistrustful
of male authority figures.

It'll take some time

before they report these
things to you and not me.

Come.

Mr. Featherstone.
Been a regular for months now.

The navigator
on the Colonial Dawn.

Finest on the island,
so he says.

He's all right.
Go on.

Put my tongue in his bum,
he'd tell me anything.

So I did and he did.

He's looking to move.

Said the men were split badly
over the mess on the beach.

Some backing Flint,
some saying he'd gone mad.

Said the crew been fraying
for some time, anyway.

Said in all likelihood,
a lot of those men

would follow him
wherever he went

on account of his skills.

And we have a plan

to sway him and his men
to our camp?

I'm going to fuck
the living shit out of him.

Mon Dieu, Idelle.

If he chooses to join
Captain Rackham's crew,

that decision
must be heartfelt.

It cannot be cast into doubt
the moment the pleasure fades.

And for that,
you cannot just fuck him.

You must seduce him.

Yes, there is a difference.

The breath in his ear.

The arch in your back

when he thinks he is
making you finish.

The look in your eyes
when you finally breathe again

that tells him you would do anything
he asked in that moment.

Anything at all
without hesitation.

The story you tell him that night
about when you were a little girl,

about the place you hid
from your mother

where the world was quiet.

A story you've never
told another soul.

The look of confusion
you show him

when you wake up
the next morning

that tells him despite
the thousand other men

you've awoken beside,
that he is unique.

That he has seen
you vulnerable.

And that you cannot live
without him.

I completely understand.

Just so we're clear,

I still fuck the shit
out of him, yes?

Yes.

Is there anything else
you would like to add?

Uh, no.
No, I don't think so.

Tell me again,

who are those men camped out
in your family's storehouse?

What men?

Perfect.

We're doing wrong.

He can't be on
the ship right now.

Captain is holding things together
with both hands

and Billy will,
understandably,

have some feelings about
the events of this past week.

If those feelings
were expressed right now,

it could spoil
whatever chances we have

to retrieve the Urca gold.

Where is this?

It's all right.
You made it home.

What was that?

Get... Gates.

Featherstone and Idelle?

- Max told me.
- Ah.

Been in there
going on three hours.

Do you think she can do it?

Swing him our way?

I think I have underestimated
my last whore for a while,

given the week
I've been having.

I've put a lot of bodies in
the ground for you, haven't I?

Excuse me?

Watched your back.

Cleaned up your messes.

Carried out your plans.

I didn't always understand.

Didn't always agree.

But I did it.

Some fucked-up, awful shit
'cause I knew you needed it done.

I don't think the night
you had last night

comes even close
to something to bitch about.

I know you know

this is significantly
more complicated

than the quantity of tits
I have access to

at any given moment.

I know she's dangerous.

Especially to me.

I ain't in my right
head about her.

She knows it.

And it ain't hard
to imagine her intent

is to play us off
one against the other.

But I'm asking you
to do this for me.

I'm asking you
to watch my back

on the other side
of that door.

'Cause I know as long
as you are,

there ain't shit she can do
to get between us.

Mr. Featherstone will announce
to his shipmates tomorrow

that he has joined a new crew.

Your crew.

What?

He believes a number
of his men will join him

upon hearing this news.

At least 28 men.

That's more than half his crew.

In addition to these
new recruits,

you will be granted command
of their ship as well.

Congratulations, Captain.

A few more men in the fort
now than two hours ago,

though I believe
we stemmed the tide there.

The captains I've spoken with
are on firm agreement with our position.

Several of them have
committed men and resources

to the final assault up the hill.

Though we have yet to hear
from your man Mr. Silver,

word has come in
from the beach.

Support is in our favor,

though division amongst
the remaining crews is rampant.

Reports of skirmishes
amongst and within the camps

has been arriving...

Numbers, please.

Pardon?

We're well aware
of the discord caused

by Captain Vane's entreaty.

I want to know
what we'll be facing

if we go down this road.

Roughly 65 men in the fort,
plus or minus 10.

We bring to bear
90 men on our own

plus 50 pledged
by sister crews.

On rough terrain and fighting
an entrenched enemy,

I think it's safe
to assume that casualties

will number threescore
on our side.

As I've said,
we ought harbor no illusions

about the blood that will
be spilled on that hill.

Father, how was your
travel from the country?

Wet.

Well, I think
you're most optimistic

about the Admiralty's
willingness to outfit

these ships you assume
you can procure.

But as for the rest of it,
seems like a reasonable proposal.

Do you agree, Lieutenant?

Yes.
Yes, I would, sir.

I see.

Well, then, perhaps
we can discuss

the one element you so conveniently
elected to ignore.

What about the pirate raiders
of Nassau?

I want to put them to work.

To work?
At what?

Tilling, harvesting,
coopering,

building, smithing,
fishing.

What are you talking about,
Thomas?

I intend to secure
them pardons.

A blanket amnesty
for any man who will accept it.

In exchange
for his allegiance,

his renunciation of violence
and his labor.

What a piece of work you are.

You asked me
to formulate a plan.

That's what I've done.

I asked you
to formulate a plan

that would secure the support
of the navy in our efforts.

Support without which
there is little chance

of reversing the catastrophic
downward trend in revenue

from the Bahama territories.

Support that is almost certain
to disappear entirely and for good

the moment they hear
they are to be associated

with a plan to reward men

who are in open revolt
against the Crown.

This is the solution most likely
to lead to our desired result.

It also has the virtue
of being the right thing to do.

Oh, for God's sake.

Lieutenant, am I right to assume
that a proposal such as this...

Don't look at him.
Talk to me.

My son is impertinent,
Lieutenant.

My son is indulged.

My son is self-righteous,

but he's not stupid.

Perhaps you could
explain to me

how you intend
to distract the queen

from her war
to issue these pardons.

I wouldn't need
her to do anything.

A simple act would accomplish
the same thing.

Of Parliament?
There aren't four votes

among the lords for something
as absurd as this.

Sutton, Dunster, Lewis, Form, Philpott.
There's five. They're easy.

I haven't even opened my
mouth to make an argument.

An argument to abet
sedition in times of war?

A war, sir, to ensure

that a Protestant
sits on the throne of Spain.

Thomas, if I were
a rival of this family,

I would be shouting from
the rooftops that any man

who proposes to pardon a traitor
in times such as these

is himself a traitor.

We are fighting a war
in the service of the son of God.

And it is treason to offer forgiveness
to any man who would seek it?

What in the hell is it
you think we're doing here?

This isn't your
goddamn salon, Thomas.

And I don't care
to be lectured to!

If you do not forgive
men their sins,

your father will not
forgive your sins.

- I don't want to hear it!
- I know you don't.

Lieutenant.

I'll ask you once again,

am I to assume by your silence

that you are in agreement
with this proposal?

The lieutenant has dutifully
expressed his reservations...

Madam...

you have done enough
to damage the good name

of this family.

I would ask that
you keep both your mouth

and your legs firmly
shut going forward...

I support it.

I found his argument
persuasive.

I find his intent
to be good and true.

And I find yours wanting, sir.

I will be relaying my findings
to Admiral Hennessey in short order.

And now I think it's time
you left, sir.

Gentlemen.

Did you just ask my father...

to leave his own house?

Right now he will
be dispatching messages

to the Sea Lords,
the Southern Secretary,

his friends in the Privy Council.

He will stop at nothing
to ensure

that this plan never
sees the light of day.

And now you're
in the line of fire.

People can say what
they like about you.

But you're a good man.

More people should say that.

And someone should be
willing to defend it.

Pastor.

It's before dawn.

I don't sleep anymore.

I've seen you at my service.

I've kept my distance,
but I've seen you there.

Heard of your efforts
to join our community.

To make a fresh start.

I've wanted to believe
it to be true.

After...

after what happened
between you and I,

I wanted to believe
that as vile as the act was,

perhaps it was born
of a misguided desire

on your part
to change your ways.

To seek a more virtuous path.

I do seek
a more virtuous path.

Then why am I also hearing

that you've been receiving
Mr. Guthrie's daughter?

Making requests
of Mr. Underhill on her behalf?

You don't understand.

I understand
more than you think, ma'am.

I've been to town today.

I hear that one
of the thieves on the beach,

desirous of impressing her,
assaulted another.

Killed him.

And in a display for all to see,
mounted his severed head on a pike.

Were this not
monstrous enough,

talk is it was all in service
of stealing a young girl

intended to be ransomed
to her father.

None other than the governor
of the Carolina colony.

An upstanding,
God-fearing man

hundreds of leagues from here
is unsafe from their brutality.

These are Miss Guthrie's
associates.

These are the men
on whose behalf you would act

by doing her bidding.

Men who seek profit
through the most boundless,

wanton,
unrepentant barbarism.

And I'm to believe that your desire
to repent is genuine?

Lord Ashe?

What?

The governor in Carolina,

it is Lord Peter Ashe,
it is not?

I believe so, but...

Lord Ashe's daughter,
what was her name?

Mrs. Barlow, what difference
does her name make?

Abigail.

Her name is Abigail Ashe.

Absolution.

A clean slate
for all those willing to accept it.

A few hours ago,
I informed my father

that this
was my intended solution

for the pirate issue
on New Providence Island.

We've talked in this room,
you and I,

about reason.

We've talked about justice.

We've talked about virtue
and the right.

We've talked and talked.

And now, perhaps,
it is time to do that

which we've only spoken
about behind closed doors.

I am committed to this end.

But it is a long road

and I will need your help
to see it through.

How can I help?

I don't believe you've
been properly introduced.

Lieutenant McGraw...

my good friend
Lord Peter Ashe.

What the fuck is this?

I heard the news today.

I thought it a sign
it was time to come and see you.

You're kidding me.

Coming to gloat now?

You don't see it, do you?

You're so close to having
everything you've wanted.

Everything I told you
you'll never have.

It's within your reach.

I came to help you get it.

I remember
when I first saw it.

I'd never seen
a structure like it.

It seemed indestructible.

If you would have told me then
the decision you face today,

I don't know if I would
have believed it possible.

Richard Guthrie sat
on the throne of commerce

when I arrived.

Made men rich, they said.

Then his daughter
took his place,

made Nassau strong.

Everyone knows this.

I wonder how many know
that there was one man

standing behind them.

Standing behind
both thrones,

keeping the world spinning.

You're as invested
in the future of this place as any.

What would you do?

I know Eleanor's argument.

And I know why you think it is weak
and I do not disagree with you.

Her judgment about Captain Vane
has never been right.

But because
she is compromised,

it does not necessarily follow
that she is wrong.

I fear that to take that fort

will be to divide this island
in a most dangerous way.

To force men to take sides
against each other

at a time when our very survival
demands the very opposite.

I fear that if we go
down that road,

by the time Spain
or England arrive,

they will find their job
done for them.

They will find Nassau
has destroyed itself.

The world changes.

It is inevitable.

Perhaps the only thing
that is inevitable.

If it were me facing
this decision,

I would make peace with that.

I would teach myself
to see Captain Vane

as an unfortunate
but unavoidable change

in our landscape.

And I would ensure
that we all live

to see the sunrise
again tomorrow.

Were it me.

What say you, Captain?

Fire.