Renegade
Chapter 1- The Legacy
"Mr. Arrow, please escort these two down the to galley, young Mr. Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver." Captain Amelia ordered. "Wha-- the Cook?" Jim protested. Mr. Arrow ignored him and hurried them out of the room. "That woman, that... feline... Who does she think is working for whom?" Delburt snapped. "It's my map, and she's got me bustin' tables..." Mr. Arrow cut him off in midsentance. "I will not be tolerating any cross word about our captian, there is no better officer in this...or any galaxy." He said gruffly and in a voice that said to end the subject.
The galley that they had just entered was dark and menacing. Dim lights danced on the walls and a gruff humming could be heard from inside the kitchen. "Mr. Silver!" Mr. Arrow called into the gloom. "Why, Mr. Arrow sir. Bringin' such fine and distiguished people here to grace my humble galley... if I'd known I would've tucked in me shirt." He turned to the side, exposing a large array of mechanical equipment that seemed to be part of his body. Jim reconized him at once. "A cyborg!" He whispered. Mr. Arrow ignored him. "This is Dr. Doppler, the finacier of our voyage." He declared. A thin beam of light shot from the cyborg's eye and traveled down the length of Delburt's outfit. "Love the outfit, Doc." He smirked. Delburt blushed. "love the eye. Um, may I introduce young Jim Hawkins." He pointed to Jim. The cyborg held out his hand and offered it to Jim. "Jimbo!" Jim stared down at it in silence. "Oh, don't be too put off by this old hunk o' hardware. These gears do get some gettin' used to... but they do come in mighty handy from time to time." He explained as he went back to making the meal of the day. He tastetested it and hummed in delight as if he made the best tasting meal in the galaxy. He poured two bowls of it and handed it to each Jim and Delburt. "Have a taste of me famous Bonzabeast stew." He pushed the bowls toward them eagarly. Jim stared down at the bowl uncertainly while Dr. Doppler tasted it quickly. "Hm. Delightfully tangy, yet robust." He complemented.
"Go on Jimbo, have a swig." He told the boy, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Jim took a spoonful and was about to eat it when the spoon itself ate the stew. The spoon melted away to reveal a small pink blob.
"Morph, you jingleheaded little blob of mischief, so that's where you were hiding." Silver said. "What is that thing?" Jim asked uncertainly. "He's a Morph. I rescued the little shapeshifter off Proteus and he took a liking to me. Ah, we've been together ever since." Silver explained as he cuddled the little blob that chirped like a tiny bird.
"Dr, would you like to go and watch the launch?" Mr. Arrow asked Delburt. " Would I? Does an active galactic nucleus have superluminal jets?" Arrow looked at him blankly. "I'll follow you." Delburt said apologenically. Arrow led the way from the galley. Jim attempted to follow but Arrow stopped him. "Mr. Hawkins will stay here, in your charge Silver." He said bluntly. Silver protested and was soon joined by Jim. "But you can't..." They said in unison. " Captain's orders! See to it the new cabin boy's kept busy." Arrow said over his shoulder. "No, but sir..." Silver began. They sighed together when they realized they were being ignored. "So, the captain's put you with me, eh?" Silver asked casually. "Whatever." Jim said under his breath. "Oh, who's a true cyborg, to argue with the captain." Silver replied and continued cooking. "You know, some of these crew members look like some of the perps back home... on Montressor. Ever bin' there?" Jim asked. "Can't say I 'ave, Jimbo." Silver replied. "Come to think of it, just before I left, I met this old guy, who was kinda looking for his cyborg buddy." Jim told him. "Is that so?" Silver cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, what was that old sea dog's name... oh, yeah, Bones. Billy Bones?" Silver thought for a moment. "Bones? BONES... ain't ringing any bells... must have been a different cyborg, there's a slew of cyborgs... roamin' this part." He explained. A call issued from the deck up above and Silver shoved the kid gently. "Off with ya, there will be plenty of work for ya afterwards." Jim glanced over his shoulder as he left the galley.