Hey everyone! So here is my story, but before I begin, I just want to start off with a quick introduction (for some reason, I feel like I need to explain myself). Look, I know that this retold story of Treasure Planet with a love interest for Jim is basically a "did that, done that", but I still really think you'll enjoy this! I love Treasure Planet and I love the fact that there is a focus on a father-son relationship rather than a romance because it makes the film that much more unique to most other Disney movies. So why am I writing a romance if I like the movie the way it is? To be honest, I just have a cool idea and I would like to write it for others hopefully to enjoy. I want to keep in the building relationship between Jim and Silver as much as I can as well as keep my OCs surrounded by the original characters and have them all respond true to their character (except maybe slightly more on an adult content level because this story is obviously not directed to a younger audience). Also, I'm not so sure how old Jim is supposed to be in the movie, but in this story, he's 18, okay? Other than that, I'm going to keep as true to the original storyline as possible because I love it so much, and add my own characters and some extra twists. I'm so excited to write this and I hope you guys are just as excited to read it!

Just to let you know, I'm going to start with Jim and Delbert boarding the RLS Legacy because basically everything before that is the same in this story and, no offense, but I'm not going to rewrite what is already there in the film word for word (I hope you understand). Without any more painful introductions, here we go!

A new day claimed its place in Jim Hawkins's life as the planet's single star filtered through his window, sparking an instantaneous adrenaline rush in him that contrasted with its gentle rays. He scratched the side of his head where his messy brown hair met his skin in knots, then began rubbing his wide blue eyes and released a deep yawn that was replaced with a relieved smile that rarely made an appearance on his shadowed face. He let the blissful smile transform into a fearless grin as he donned his clothing and grabbed his bag. Today meant an opportunity to redeem himself- to finally make everything okay and to finally make something of himself. Today he begins his quest to find the legendary world that haunted his dreams as a child- Treasure Planet.

His mother Sarah was downstairs, sitting at her old friend's wooden table with her head in her hand. After her house was burnt down by intruding pirates, her best friend, Dr. Delbert Doppler, welcomed her and her son Jim to stay in his home. Her anxiety heightened as she heard her only son's thudding footsteps speeding down the steps. She prepared herself over and over again for this day, but nothing could prevent the bags beneath her blue hooded eyes, swollen from worry and lack of sleep.

"Good morning Mom," Jim said softly and tentative.

Sarah lifted her head up, turned around, and brushed her long brown hair out of her face to reveal a weak smile.

"Good morning Jim," she finally replied as she stood up from the table and walked towards him.

"I'm, uh, all packed," Jim said looking back and forth between the floor and his mother's face.

Sarah crossed her arms. "Did you remember a tooth brush?"

"Yes," he responded looking up at her.

"Extra clothes?" she went on.

"Yes," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"The map?"

"Yeah mom, got that too," he said in a vexed tone.

"Do you have-"

"Mom! Calm down," he chuckled. "I have everything covered. You don't have to worry," he smiled.

Sarah's bottom lip quivered and she grabbed her son into her thin arms.

"Mom, I'm going to be fine," he quietly assured her.

"Just please be safe," she sighed worriedly into his ear as she squeezed her eyes and allowed a single tear to fall down her cheek.

"I'm going to make everything right," he comforted her.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Sarah asked, breaking their embrace, but keeping both hands on his shoulders. "It's not too late to change your mind," secretly knowing that he wouldn't.

"I've never been surer of anything," he smiled as enthusiasm flooded his eyes.

Sarah saw the sparks in his eyes and smiled to herself. She was worried for his safety, but had to admit that she enjoyed the excitement in his features. It has been years since she's seen anything close on Jim's face. His teenage years came as a shock to her. As a young boy, he was vivacious and imaginative; now as a young adult, he was withdrawn and unmotivated. This trip was her last hope to win her beloved son back.

"I love you so much James," she pulled him back into a hug.

Jim smiled and wrapped his arms around his mother, "I love you too Mom and when I come back, I'll make up for everything I've done."

Sarah's only response was a tighter squeeze.

"Hello? Jim? Sarah?" called an overly enthusiastic voice.

"Mom, you've got to let go," Jim laughed. "Delbert is ready to leave."

Sarah sighed and let go "We're in here Delbert. We were just saying goodbye," her voice cracking slightly.

"Yes, well, Jim are you all packed?" asked Dr. Delbert Doppler, stepping inside of his kitchen.

"Sure am," Jim replied, slightly lifting his bag that was slung over his shoulder.

"Wonderful! I have the carriage right outside that will promptly take us to a ship that will take us to the spaceport!" he shouted which made his circular glasses slide down his large nose.

Jim smiled and looked at his mother before loading his bag onto the cart.

"Goodbye Mom. I'll be back home before you can even miss me," he chuckled to lighten the mood.

"You know Sarah, we will be back before you know it! Improving space traveling technology, newer jets, and navigation equipment have cut voyage time by nearly 20%!" Delbert rambled.

Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head, but kept a smile. To be honest, she was going to miss her dear friend's habit of giving excessive information on almost irrelevant subject matter. Jim hugged his mother one last time and ran outside to put his stuff in the carriage.

"You Dr. Doppler better keep an eye on my son," Sarah crossed her arms and leaned into one leg with a smirk on her face.

Delbert chuckled, "No need to worry Sarah! By the end of this trip Jim and I will be best duds- I- I mean buds! The best of buds- I mean the best of ends- friends! … We'll bond wonderfully," he finally gave up.

"Just get back in one piece," she giggled, shaking her head.

"There's nothing to fear Sarah. I will bring your son back- the son that you remember," he smiled sweetly at her and pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you Delbert," she sighed when they parted.

"Thank you for watching over my house while we're gone!" Delbert added gratefully.

"Do I have much of a choice," Sarah laughed, shaking her head.

"We'll be back soon," he smiled reassuringly and sincerely before walking out of his home.

Sarah slowly followed behind him and leaned on the door frame as she watched Delbert and Jim ride away, keeping her eyes glued to her son as if capturing a last image of his face before she couldn't see him anymore. As the features of the carriage became smaller and Jim's face became fuzzier, she sighed deeply and went back inside. She closed the door behind her and began to silently cry, thinking of her son and hoping that he would return home safely. She peered into Delbert's empty house and began her first day of many alone.

Jim and Delbert sat in the carriage with the excitement of running horses in their stomachs. Jim sat at the edge of the bench in anticipation, never taking his eyes off of the glowing spaceport in the sky. Dr. Doppler on the other hand, was talking rapidly and over enthusiastically, even stuttering every now and again. Jim's adrenaline helped him drown out his prattle as he imagined what this adventure was going to be like.

"Jim? Jim, can you hear me?" Delbert asked, looking at Jim concerned.

"Huh? Uh, what did you say?" Jim asked almost a little embarrassed.

"I asked how you are feeling. I was wondering if you were excited," he explained.

"Oh yeah, I'm so excited," Jim smiled weakly.

"You know Jim, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for you to turn things around for yourself. This will really give you the chance to work with others- oh just wait for when you meet the crew- and learn responsibility as you work on the ship- I can't wait to see the ship- and don't forget that you can really accomplish some-"

"Yes, can't wait," Jim cut him off and crossing his arms with a hint of a pout on his face.

"Uhm, yes, very well then. Say, Jim! What do you know about the mechanisms and workings of ships?" asked Delbert trying to make what he thought was casual conversation.

"Why did you pack so much stuff?" asked Jim, clearly annoyed and ignoring his question all together.
"Well, you see, I needed all of my navigation equipment, my bedding, my space suite, my books on mapping through the universe- these are all very essential things for this voyage Jim," he replied very seriously.

"I guess I under packed," he gave in, sitting back and looking above him in exasperation.

"That's quit all right Jim! You are more than welcome to borrow my stuff at any point… Except, of course, my tooth brush or extra pair of glasses," Delbert continued to ramble as Jim drifted away again into his own fantasy world.

The rest of the carriage ride wasn't long, but Jim kept to himself and in his own head while Delbert spoke allowed of his internal fire of excitement. They boarded the connecting ship that took them from Montressor to the space port, making their blood race just a little faster as they got closer and closer to the adventure of a lifetime.

When the space port's details began to sharpen as they got closer, Jim's eyes widened and a smile pulled at nearly every muscle in his eager face. From the intensity of the port's glow, he could see large buildings towering over smaller ones and mammoth ships zooming in and out of the separate ports. There were hundreds of pieces of machinery that loaded and unloaded items of export and import. From Jim's limited view, he could see countless dots of creatures running from port to port carrying equipment and luggage. The roaring of jets and the commotion of hurried conversations flooded his ears. This was just as exhilarating as Jim imagined as a child.

"Hold on one moment Jim, I have to quickly change," Dr. Doppler called as they unloaded their bags, marring Jim's thoughts.

Jim nodded silently and sat down at a bench just outside of their arrival point. His thoughts swam with the idea of becoming the ship's first mate and charting unexplored pieces of space. All of that was cut short when his old family friend stepped in front of him.

To Jim's horror and embarrassment, Delbert stood in front of him with a bulky, metal suit covering him from a helmet on his head, to oversized boots on his feet. The creaking and clocking from the contraption didn't cease even when standing still. The suit made the naturally scrawny doctor look four times his size except for his tiny legs that had skin tight fabric over them. The entire outfit was unnecessary and ridiculous to say the least. What made it worse was the amount of baggage that was thrown over his back; as if the suit needed any help making more obnoxious noises.

Jim couldn't help but gawk at the sight in front of him. He attempted to utter some sort of plea for mercy, but nothing found its way out. Jim quickly looked to the left and to the right of him and already saw a couple of creatures staring. Without any verbal communication to his companion, Jim began walking away and tried to keep a long distance between the two of them.

Delbert followed Jim to the best of his ability, but even that was hindered due to the weight of his suit and luggage. He wondered why Jim was traveling so far ahead of him, but figured it was just because he was too excited to wait for him to catch up.

"Jim! Oh Jim! Wait for me!" Delbert called to him after a while of him trailing significantly behind.

Jim let out an exasperated sigh, but waited for him to catch up. Hearing the strange sounds coming from his suit made Jim breathily chuckle and shake his head.

Delbert looked around for a moment before opening the glass part of his helmet to speak to Jim. "Well Jim this could be a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know one another! You know what they say: 'familiarity breeds… well… contempt,'" he said disappointed at the awkwardness he tried desperately to avoid. "But in our case-"

"Look, let's just… find the ship, okay?" Jim suggested, trying to pull his way out of this discomfort as quickly as possible.

Delbert stood silently for a moment and wore a face of heartbreak as Jim walked ahead, asking for directions. He wanted to get to know the boy better, but knew that breaking down Jim's walls was going to be exhausting and full of rejection. He had to admit that his own incapability to really communicate to anyone at all probably wasn't helping either.

"Second berth on your right," Delbert heard a robot on the top of a ladder speaking to Jim who was looking up at him.

"Can't miss it," said an orange, furry, short creature on the bottom of the ladder in a deep, raspy voice.

"Thanks guys," Jim thanked them and began descending the stairs without even looking back at Delbert.

Dr. Doppler tried again for conversation "It's the suit isn't it?" he confessed.

Jim rolled his eyes and continued walking down the stairs.

"I should have never listened to that pushy, two-headed sales woman. This one said it fit! That one said it was my color! I didn't know what to do! I get so flustered-" his ramble was cut off when he bumped into Jim who glared back at him, clearly not listening.

Delbert was about to make a desperate apology, but he suddenly saw their ship.

"Oh!" he shouted in a spark of adrenaline. "This is our ship! The RLS Legacy!" he held out his arm to present the wonderful ship that was making its way to the port.

Jim looked up in awe. The ship was beautiful and so much larger than he imagined. His eyes searched widely as they zipped back and forth from the bow to the stern and through everything in between. The smile returned to his face and caused his pressed eyebrows to have a moment to relax.

"Whoa," he said in awe as he examined the extravagance in front of him, floating in the sky.

"Oh Jim! Right up here," called Delbert, already at the bottom of the stairs to the ship.

Jim's smile was almost radiant enough to wipe away the shadows in his face. He ran toward the stairs where Delbert waited for him and began to climb upward. As he neared the top deck, he saw various species rushing throughout the ship, shouting orders and complaints while preparing the RLS Legacy for takeoff.

After finally making it to the top, Jim took a better look around him and then spun around to look at how high up they were. He leaned over the side of the ship and watched in delight all of the creatures scrambling below him, looking like tiny, oddly shaped dots with some larger features. Then, to his surprise, one creature seemed much larger than the other dots and it stopped in front of the stairs and began climbing, Dr. Doppler nearly at the top, his suit slowing him down a bit. It had two bulky arms and three tentacles that hung above two large legs. From the top view of the creature making its way up, Jim was able to see two eyes that stood via two skinny muscles on the top of its head.

Jim was about to look away, afraid that one eye of the creature might catch on to his gazing, but then he noticed another creature trailing behind it. It was a young human girl. She was scrawny and had tight wavy, dark hair. She was wearing baggy clothing and had a small backpack on. He stared for another moment at the odd pair when he suddenly bumped into something soft.

Jim quickly turned around and began an apology: "Sorry about that! I didn't mean-"

He was interrupted by the creature through a combination of strange spitting sounds coming from various holes in the soft beige skin of its back. The slug-like thing looked angry as it balled its tentacles into fists and waved them in Jim's face. Jim stood there silently with his face in tight confusion and his light brown hair blown in different directions.

"Allow me to handle this," Delbert said firmly, finally making it to Jim's side.

Without warning, Dr. Doppler responded in the same fashion. Using his tongue and lips, he pushed his face together and made similar noises with this flying spit to add. Jim smiled at him, pretty impressed. He finally finished with his hand tucked under his armpit, making a muted, but high pitched, fart sound. The slug in front of them relaxed and responded with more sounds and what looked like to be a laugh.

"I'm fluent in Flatulent Jim! Took two years of it in high school," Delbert said proudly, knowing that impressing Jim was not an easy task. He walked off and saluted his new friend in flatulent.

"Flatulent? Cool," Jim spoke aloud and brushed back his hair.

Behind him, he heard the heavy footsteps of the creature he saw coming up the stairs, but decided not to stick around just in case he had been caught looking.

"Good morning captain! Everything ship-shape?" Delbert shouted hesitantly at a massive man made of angular grey rocks. His build was massive, and his booming voice certainly fit.

Jim appeared next to Delbert and watched him speak with the rock man covered in a bright red coat and a black hat.

"Ship-shape it is sir, but I am not the captain," he chuckled. "The captain's aloft," he smiled and pointed to the mast.

The three watched as a cat-like woman ran throughout the ship as if it was her own set of a childish jungle gym. She jumped from mast to mast and swung on dangling ropes while doing a series of complicated flips until she reached the deck and landed steadily on both feet without a single wrinkle in her long blue coat, or a scuff in her black boots that reached nearly the tops of her thighs, or even a knot in her short, straight, redish-light brown hair.

Both Jim and Delbert stayed silent for a moment, just taking in the startling act they saw. Delbert's jaw hung ajar and his eyes were glued to the feline until his opened helmet slammed shut in his face, making an abrupt noise and snapping him out of his trance. He quickly turned to Jim who looked to him at nearly the same time. Jim looked exasperated and unimpressed which made Delbert feel the need to imitate.

"Mr. Arrow," she began scolding the rock man without even looking at either Delbert or Jim. "I've checked this miserable ship from stem to stern and as usual… It's spot on. Can you get nothing wrong?" her angry voice transforming to a softer, more grateful tone.

"You flatter me captain," Mr. Arrow thanked with a smile and a tip of his hat while the captain winked in a playful manner.

She then walked over to Delbert with her shoulders back and arms formally placed behind her. She stopped nearly inches from his glass covered face and widened her curious eyes.

"Ah," she started, looking him up and down. "Dr. Doppler I presume."

Delbert looked away uncomfortably and began to stutter a greeting, but was cut off.

"Hello! Can you hear me?" she called in an arrogant tone and proceeded to knock on his helmet.

"Yes I can! Stop that banging!" he shouted while trying to yank the helmet off.

"If I may doctor, this works so much better when it's right way up and plugged in!" she stated while rudely grabbing Delbert's suit, spinning him around, and shoving the suit's plug into an outlet located on his back. Delbert yelped in surprise as she twisted him. "Lovely, there ya go!" she finished.

Delbert quickly removed the plug from his suit "If you don't mind, I can manage my own plugging!" he replied while angrily waving his plug in his hand.

The captain widely smiled and, ignoring his comment, took his shaking hand in hers "I'm Captain Amelia! Late of a few run-ins with the Protean armada. Nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars," she introduced herself in length. "You've met my first officer Mr. Arrow," she moved on. "Sterling, tough, dependable, honest, brave, and true," she got out nearly all in one breath.

"Please captain," Mr. Arrow smiled bashfully.

"Oh, shut up Arrow, you know I don't mean a word of it," she quickly joked.

"I hate to interrupt this… lovely banter," Delbert jumped in, growing rather impatient. "But may I introduce to you Jim Hawkins?" Dr. Doppler pushed Jim slightly forward while Amelia raised her eyebrows and suddenly wore a more serious face. "Jim, you see, is the boy who found the treasure-"

"Doctor, please!" interrupted Amelia as she grabbed from underneath his jaw and gripped around it to prevent him from speaking any further and pulled his face closer to hers. Delbert, shocked by her forceful actions, let out a muffled yelp that resulted in a squished face, flying saliva, and spinning eyes.

The captain quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed. One giant with four arms and a red face carrying barrels turned around and deeply growled. His tiny eyes looked wild and his size was beyond terrifying. Amelia glared and he and his other friends walked away without looking back.

"I'd like a word with you in my stateroom," she said quietly as she released Delbert's jaw.

Jim and Dr. Doppler followed Captain Amelia in rushed footsteps as she darted to her quarters. Mr. Arrow walked casually by her side as she led them into the room. It was a spacious area with slanted windows on one wall and a large desk right in front of it; it's top covered with maps and navigating tools. Amelia quickly shut and locked the door behind her as she started speaking.

"Doctor," her voice becoming serious. "To muse and blabber about a treasure map in front of this particular crew demonstrates a level of ineptitude that borders on the imbecilic… and I mean that in a very caring way," she spoke in a snobby tone while walking over to Delbert.

"Imbecilic did you say?" Delbert replied insulted while Amelia looked down her nose at him. "Foolishness I've-" he began wagging his finger when the captain cut him off.

"May I see the map please?" choosing to ignore the doctor with her hand outstretched.

Delbert held down his furry and quickly looked at Jim. Jim's eyes were already on Delbert, irritated and confused. Both of them exchanged a series of shrugs and head shaking before Delbert finally gave in and waved his hand toward Amelia, signaling his suggestion to surrender the map.

Jim let out a deep breath and rolled his eyes before tossing her the map. He glared as he watched the ball travel between the two of them through the air. He didn't want to give up the map for fear that Amelia would trap it in her feline claws and never return it.

"Here," he mumbled as the captain caught it effortlessly.

She took her narrowed eyes off of the young boy and examined the map for a moment. Her green eyes widened nearly triple their normal size as she rolled the golden ball in her hand. Her curiosity made a grin grow across her face.

"Fascinating," she purred quietly.

Before continuing to speak, she unglued her eyes from the map and narrowed them back at Jim and then began to turn away and walk towards a large cabinet.

"Mr. Hawkins," she began as she opened the doors and placed the map inside of a locked box. "In the future, you will address me as captain or ma'am. Is that clear?" her voice icy.

Jim listened with his eyes wide in humiliation and irritation. At the end of her threatening sentence, Jim rolled his eyes and scoffed bitterly. Her stuck-up attitude was starting to penetrate a majority of his excitement.

"Mr. Hawkins?" Amelia challenged, looking back at him in his defensive stance.

"Yes ma'am," he reluctantly gave in angrily.

"That'll do," she accepted as she finally shut the doors and locked them. "Gentlemen, this must be kept under lock and key when not in use," Amelia further explained very business-like as she tucked the key underneath her large blue coat.

Settling that, she waltzed back up to Delbert with a smile dripping in sarcasm. "And doctor, again, with the greatest possible respect," her face changing into something irate and barely three inches from his. "Zip your howling screamer," she finished rudely.

"Captain, I can assure you, I-" Delbert tried to explain, but was, yet again, cut off.

"Let me make this as monosyllabic as possible," she sat down at her desk almost in a fashion of distress while Delbert threw his frustrated arms in the air.

"I don't much care for this crew you hired," the captain reported at an offensively slow speed. Delbert rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips, knowing that trying to speak wasn't going to get him very far.

"They're… how did I describe them, Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee," she turned to her first mate for help.

"'A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots' ma'am," Mr. Arrow recited, his facial expression disgusted.

"There you go! Poetry!" she turned back to the doctor smugly.

"Now, you see here," Delbert began as he furiously slammed his hands on her desk, but never got to finish his thought.

"Doctor, I'd love to chat- tea, cake, the whole shebang," she stood up calmly "but I have a ship to launch and you've got your outfit to buff up," she smiled arrogantly at the two of them.

Suddenly, she snapped back to attention, "Mr. Arrow, please escort these two neophytes down to the galley straight away. Young Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."

Jim, who was keeping busy with some of the captain's tools, had been ignoring most of the conversation once his map was taken away. Because withdrawing was his only known defense mechanism, he remained mostly silent. His interest in this entire voyage was dropping steeply and he wanted nothing more than to grab his solar surfer and ride through the scattered ruins of Montressor's junk yards for the rest of the day. Upon hearing his name, his attention was drawn back to Amelia.

"What? The cook?" he asked mortified.

Without another word, the two of them were lead to the galley by the large Mr. Arrow. Jim trudged behind with his eyes heavily shadowed and his arms crossed over his chest. Not sure which emotion was more prominent, Jim felt his face burning with embarrassment, fury, and disappointment. He came to the ship with the expectations of adventure and the opportunity to lead, but with each passing minute, he felt another wire snap inside of him. How was this going to help him prove anything to his mother? He thought back to his mother alone in the house and let out a sigh. He had to do this for her.

Suddenly, Jim's thoughts were marred when Delbert spoke as they walked down the stairs. "That woman! That… feline!" he struggled for the right word. "Who does she think is working for whom?" he firmly put his hands on his hips.

"It's my map and she's got me bussin' tables?" Jim met Delbert at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'll not tolerate a cross word about our captain!" shouted Mr. Arrow behind them, grasping their shoulders with his gigantic hands. Delbert looked even angrier while Jim rubbed his face in embarrassment. He didn't mean to get into trouble, but somehow he always found a way.

"There's no finer officer in this or any galaxy," he finished and removed his cold hands.

As Mr. Arrow finished sticking up for Captain Amelia, the three of them heard cheerful whistling coming from the far end of the galley. They saw a dim light revealing an entire kitchen in the back where a silhouette of a wide figure was seen preparing some sort of food.

"Mr. Silver?" Mr. Arrow called into the room.

The figure turned its head in surprise and relaxed when seeing Mr. Arrow with two strangers.

"Why Mr. Arrow, sir?" he called back in a heavy, scratchy voice while cleaning off a blade. "Bringin' in such fine 'n distinguished gents to grace my humble galley," he spoke this time in a higher, more nasally voice as he stepped more closely into the light to reveal himself. "Had I known, I woulda tucked in me shirt!" he hoarsely laughed.

His skin was fleshy and heavily tanned. His hair was a dark brown, but was tucked beneath a red handkerchief. On his round face, he had a wide nose and had multiple chins that hid away his neck. His stomach was large and round and hung beneath a broad chest, covered in a stained, white shirt. This, however, was not what caught Jim's eye. This man was not just a man, but half machine as well. One of his massive arms was a metal contraption that moved almost naturally right down to each mechanical finger. On the same side, he had only one leg beneath the green and red stripped shorts. The other leg was replaced by a metal peg with a black rubber piece at the end. One of his eyes was also replaced with machinery. A golden orb rotated in his skull trying to gain focus on the two new men in front of him.

Jim studied him for a moment before coming to the startling conclusion. "Cyborg," he hissed beneath his breath, remembering everything that happened at home with Billy Bones.

"May I introduce Dr. Doppler? The financier of our voyage," Mr. Arrow stated kindly.

"Love the outfit Doc," Silver's voice returning to its deep, hoarse tone while his eye ejected a red laser onto the confused doctor's suit.

"Well, thank you. Um, love the eye," Delbert followed the laser all over his suit, becoming self conscious and hoping that it didn't have any x-ray powers. "Um, this young lad is Jim Hawkins," Delbert nearly threw Jim in Silver's direction, hoping to get the attention off of himself.

"Jimbo!" Silver exclaimed happily, extending his mechanical hand towards the lad, but quickly switched it when he realized he had the weapon setting held out to him, instead of the hand. Even after he made the adjustment and smiled, Jim glared at Silver and refused to shake his hand. His eyebrows rose with mistrust and suspicion.

Silver shrugged at his coldness, "Ah, now, don't be too put off by this hunk of hardware."

Silver walked off to the counter, clearly not bothered by Jim's disapproval, and started preparing food. He grabbed a handful of pink mollusks and cut them free with the blade attached to his arm. When they landed on the counter, he sliced open their shells and cut out the pink meat on the inside as he rhythmically tossed them into the pan. Then he pulled over a stack of vegetables and quickly chopped them and tossed the pieces into the pan in what seemed like one swift move until he hit his own fleshy hand.

"Whoa!" he yelled out and looked at his limp white sleeve. He smiled as he popped out his unscathed hand and looked at the three men, chuckling to himself.

He smoothly switched his blade to a three clawed tool and tossed three eggs into each claw, cracking them open behind his back and into the filling pan as he spoke. "These gears have been tough gettin' used to, but they do come in mighty handy from time to time."

When finished with that, he lifted the pan, replaced his tools for a flame blower, and placed the raw food-filled pan over the fire. He started humming to himself as he tossed the ingredients into a much larger pot. He then held onto two spice shakers and sprinkled the contents into the pot with his flesh hand and then grabbed a ladle to taste his work. He swirled the soup around in his mouth for a second before smiling at his audience. He put the ladle back into the steaming pot and took out two bowls for Delbert and Jim to try.

"Here, now, have a taste of me famous bonzabeast stew," he handed them the bowls proudly.

Delbert put his face up to the bowl and sniffed wildly. He was eager to try it, but decided to proceed with caution. He lightly stuck out his tongue and tasted the stew with just the tip. Suddenly smiling, "Mmmm! Delightfully tangy, yet robust."

"Old family recipe," Silver responded.

"Ahh!" Delbert shrieked as an eye ball sprung out of the depths of his soup.

"In fact," Silver walked over to Delbert, "That was part of the ol' family!" he burst out with obnoxious laughter while Delbert stared back at the soup and back at Silver with both horror and vexation on his face.

"Oh, I'm just kiddin' Doc," Silver calmed his laughing and plucked the eyeball from his stew and popped it into his mouth. "I'm nothin' if I ain't I kidder," he said merrily as he leaned over to Jim.

Jim never took his skeptical stare from Silver. Billy Bones' hushed speech played over and over again in his head. Beware the cyborg. No matter how bright Silver's smile was, Jim couldn't get himself to let his guard down.

Silver put his arm around Jim, "Go on Jimbo! Have a swig!" he encouraged as Jim examined the muddy stew.

Jim winced at Silver's touch, and watched him as he walked around him. Slowly switching his gaze back to the bowl, he raised one eye brow and anticipated finally swallowing it. He wasn't sure what to expect from this untrustworthy cyborg. He lifted his spoon filled with a lumpy, brown cross between liquid and solid. As he carefully moved his face in closer to smell the substance, he felt his spoon move slightly. Before his eyes, the cold spoon transformed into a pink, jelly face, first with just a mouth that ate his spoon full of stew, and then gained two big eyes.

Jim gasped and jumped back a bit as the spoon he once held was now floating in front of him in the form of a translucent, pink ball with excited eyes, a smiling mouth, and two tiny arms. The creature panted softly and stared at Jim jubilantly.

"Morph!" Silver shouted almost sternly as the creature turned into a red and white striped straw and helped itself to Jim's untouched stew. "You jiggle-headed blob of mischief! So that's where you was hidin'!"

Morph easily finished the contents of the bowl and dived into the empty bottom. When he slowly made his way to the top again, his eyes drooped lazily and his smile was peaceful. Then Morph burped surprisingly loud for such a small thing. His mouth hung slack for a moment as he looked up at Jim's shocked eyes. Jumping back with energy, Morph rose from the bowl and floated eye-level with Jim who stared curiously back.

"What," Jim began as Morph playfully rubbed himself on Jim's cheek. "Ha! What is that thing?" he nearly laughed.

"What is that thing?" Morph mocked just before Jim poked him. Just at his touch, Morph scattered his own jelly-like body and changed into a tiny replica of Jim. The real Jim held out his finger and let the copy of himself stand on his index finger.

"He's a morph. Rescued the little shape-shifter on Proteus," Silver explained as Jim examined Morph and Morph playfully mocked each movement.

Morph cooed and flew over to his companion, Silver. He gently rubbed up against his cheek and cooed even more while Silver closed his normal eye and nuzzled his head back against Morph. "He took a shine to me. We been together ever since," he said softly. "Right? Yeah, good boy," he spoke in soft baby talk as the two continued to cuddle.

Suddenly, Mr. Arrow's booming voice marred everything. "We're about to get underway. Would you like to observe the launch doctor?" he offered.

"Would I?" Delbert jumped in enthusiasm. "Does an active galactic nucleus have superluminal jets?" he tried to joke, but, much to his embarrassment, no one responded. "I'll follow you," he gave up in a quiet voice.

Delbert and Mr. Arrow began to ascend the stairs with Jim following behind. Before Jim could take three full steps, Mr. Arrow held out his hand to stop him. "Mr. Hawkins will stay here in your charge, Mr. Silver."

Silver, who was checking up on his cooking, began to choke in shock and sputtered out "Beggin' your pardon sir, but-"

"Captain's orders!" Mr. Arrow sharply interrupted. See to it, the new cabin boy's kept busy," he added bitterly.

Both Silver and Jim stammered their protests in vain as the first mate walked out of the galley. When they figured their arguments were falling on deaf ears, they both simultaneously let out defeated sighs. They both looked to the ground and rubbed their foreheads in frustration. Silver didn't need to have some young boy following him around and Jim has known this cyborg for all of ten minutes and he already didn't trust him.

"So," Silver broke the silence. "Captain's put you with me, eh?" he concluded, both Jim and Silver circling each other.

"Whatever," Jim sighed, relaxing his icy stare for a second.

"Well, who be a humble cyborg to argue with a captain?" he added, turning his back to Jim so that he could go back to his cooking.

"Yeah," Jim said slowly, rubbing his face, thinking of what to say as he reached for a purple perp. "Ya know, these perps… they're kinda like the one's back home," he stared, tossing the fruit from one hand to the next. "on Montressor," he stressed. "You ever been there?" he inquired suspiciously.

"I can't says I have Jimbo," Silver kept his tone casual.

"Come to think of it," Jim took a bite and sat up on the counter, not buying his ignorance. "Just before I left, I met this old guy who was, uhm…" Jim pretended to really think hard about the memory that in actuality, burned in his head like a scorching animal brand. "He was kinda looking for a cyborg buddy of his," he continued to stare daggers into Silver's back.

"Is that so?" Silver questioned nonchalantly.

"Yeah, what was that old salamander's name…?" Jim pressed his hand to his head, pretending to be in deep thought. "Oh yeah. Bones. Billy Bones?"

"Bones? Booones?" Silver pretended to struggle with the name as he lifted a heavy pot filled with steaming water. "Ain't ringing any bells," he brushed off. "Must 'ave been a different cyborg. There's a slew of cyborgs roamin' this port," he tried to reassure him.

As if on cue to break the harsh tension developing between the two, a shriek came from the top of the stairs. "Morph!" called a female voice.

Jim heard about three quick steps and then a jump. In the hallway in front of him, a young girl was slightly crouched on the floor. As she walked closer, he realized that it was the scrawny, dark-haired girl he saw earlier. He noticed that her feet were bare and covered in cuts and blisters. Just above her right foot, there was a gold ring that rested loosely around her ankle. Above that, she wore baggy, black pants that reached to the top of her calf and a white, baggy shirt that had sleeves rolled mid way on her arms. Her lips were chapped, her nose small, and her round, slightly downturned eyes a deep blue that heavily contrasted with her messy, tightly waved, black hair that hung just below her chin. Aside from her eyes, everything about her was tiny. She was a little on the short side with narrow shoulders and skinny limbs with baby feet and little hands.

"Where is he?" she spoke with a mischievous smile.

"Hey lass, what do ya want with me Morph?" asked Silver, turning towards her with his hands on his hips.

"Gotchya!" she yelled, ignoring Silver, and darted towards the giggling pink blob.

Morph raced away, but not before the girl's quick hands caught him.

"C'mon Morph, I caught you fair and square," she smirked, her voice a little on the lower side and with a slight rasp.

Morph just rose to her face, nuzzled her, and cooed.

"Now," she leaned back on one hip and extended her hand. "Where is my earring?"

"Where is my earring?" Morph mocked and transformed into her, but with more than necessary emphasis on her hips and chest. "Hey!" she shouted, swatting at him.

"Morph!" reprimanded Silver.

"Very funny Morph," she said sarcastically. "Now can you please show me where you put my earring? You're going to get me into trouble if you stall anymore," she said with a weak smile and her voice a bit softer, but her eyebrows narrowed as if angry.

Morph cooed again and transformed into the drawer just to the right of them.

"You little sneak," she said under her breath and smirked as she calmly walked to the drawer and searched for her earring.

"Jimbo, I'd like ya to meet Skye. Skye! Say hello to Jim. The lad'll be in me care for the trip," Silver introduced brightly.

"Hi Jim," she smiled and turned to Jim for a moment.

"Hi," Jim said back weakly.

She smiled and went back to digging through the drawer until she pulled out a bronze earring and pulled back her hair. Jim looked in shock when he saw three other studs in her ear and was searching for another hole at the bottom of her lobe to attach the hoop earring in her hand. Jim felt for his own single earring and thought about how strange it would be to feel three more. Morph cuddled up to Skye and giggled.

"Oh Morph," she said quietly and let out a throaty chuckle as she leaned into him.

"Skye!" a deep voice boomed from the deck, making both Jim and Skye jump.

"See Morph, getting me into trouble," she joked through clenched teeth, but with a smile.

"Go before ya get ol' Argus angry," Silver pushed.

"Shocking," she stated in deep sarcasm, rolling her eyes.

"Skye, you need to stop testing him," Silver teased.

Without another word, she quickly ran up the steps, Jim watching her the whole way.

Silver looked back at Jim and deeply chuckled. "Hey now lad, don't be messin' 'round with that lass."

"What?" Jim asked confused and almost offended.

"You heard me! Don't be lookin' fer any trouble," he warned.

"Wh- I wasn't- Ugh, whatever," Jim rolled his eyes. If there was one thing he was good at, it was getting into trouble. He certainly wasn't thinking of Skye in that way, in fact, he wasn't thinking about her much at all, but sure enough, if there was blame to be had, he caught it.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Jim's look covered in distain while Silver looked as if he hadn't noticed. Suddenly, their heads snapped up when they heard a loud, high pitched whistle come from outside.

"Prepare to cast off!" called Mr. Arrow to the crew.

"Eh, off with ya lad and watch the launch," Silver physically pushed Jim and hurried him out of the galley. "There'll be plenty work a-waitin' for ya afterwards," he lightly informed him.

Jim walked backwards for a moment and then turned around when he noticed Silver simply go back to cooking. His skepticism never ceased, but in all honesty, he really did want to watch the ship take off, whether he'd externally show it or not.

Silver took a peak over his shoulder to make sure Jim was gone. When he looked, he spotted the last of Jim's large black boots making their way up the steps. Now it was his turn to twist his face in curiosity, annoyance, and suspicion. He knew that boy was on to something; therefore Silver had to quickly come up with plenty of ideas to keep him busy.

Silver handed Morph a cracker and in a low, hoarse voice said, "We best be keepin' a sharp eye on this one, eh Morph? We wouldn't want 'im strayin' into things he shouldn't."