Chapter One
The nice breeze blew though the open window and rustled the papers on the table and blew Arianna's hair around. She pushed it out of her eyes before going back to her drawing. It was somewhat hot out so occasionally she would take her metal left arm and touch it to her forehead to cool down. She was deep at work on her drawing of her latest ship when the door opened and she saw her neighbour, who was also the captain, Mr. Arrow, and two people she had never seen before enter. One was in a metal suit and looked like a dog, while the other was human and around fifteen years old; her age.
"Who is this?" asked the older, metal dog man.
"Oh, yes, this is my, well she is my neighbour, Arianna. She is here because she wanted to see how well the ship sailed. You see, she designed this ship for me," said Captain Amelia as she walked over to Arianna and watched her draw a line then furiously erase it.
"She…she designed this ship?" asked the boy shocked.
"Is that so hard to believe? Here are my blue prints you can compare them with the one I am working on now and see for yourself, that yes I designed them," she said without looking up and shoving a blue print towards them. They took a moment to compare and nodded. That's when Jim noticed her arm was made of metal, she was a cyborg. Now he knew there was more to what Billy Bones had said, but all he remembered was 'beware the cyborg'. He was going to do just that, even if she was some fifteen year old girl.
"Well it is a great ship," said the metal dog man, "what are you working on now?"
"A way to keep ice cream from melting," she said while measuring out something with a ruler and drawing a line. "What do you think it is?"
"You'll have to pardon her manners, she's been alone pretty much all her life," said the Captain.
"And will this ship that you are working on now be built as well?" asked the metal dog man as he looked at her work and did see that is was a ship and not a way to keep ice cream from melting.
"Yes, the Captain will get this ship while I get the Legacy," said Arianna looking up at them, "and who are you?"
"Oh, this is Doctor Delbert Doppler and Jim Hawkins. The Doctor is funding this voyage," explained Amelia.
"He's a walking alliteration in a can," she said looking him up a down then turning towards Jim. "Jim…short for James, correct?" asked Arianna staring at him.
"Yes," he said staring right on back just waiting for something to happen.
"Well Doctor, James, don't do anything to harm my ship," she said before turning her attention back to her drawing. Amelia rolled her eyes and got to business.
"Now, Doctor," said the Captain locking the door and turning to face them, "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." Arianna snorted and they all looked at her before looking back at the Doctor.
"Imbecilic, did you say? Foolishness, I've-" he started to defend himself but the Captain would not have it, so she interrupted.
"May I see that map, please?" she asked holding her hand out. The Doctor and Jim shared a look before Jim pulled the golden sphere out of his pocket and tossed it to the Captain.
"Here," he said nonchalantly. Amelia caught it and was entranced by it.
"Hmmm, fascinating," she then turned and walked over to her cupboard, "Mr. Hawkins, in the future you will address me as 'Captain' or 'Ma'am' is that clear?" she asked as she put the map safely away and then closed her cupboard.
"Uh," was the intelligent reply of Jim.
"Mr. Hawkins?" asked Amelia with a firmer voice.
"Yes, ma'am," he said reluctantly. Clearly this was someone who did not like to follow orders. Arianna shook her head, he wasn't going to last long on this ship with that attitude.
"That'll do," said the Captain who then locked her cupboard and made her way back to the group, "gentlemen, and Arianna, this must be kept under lock and key when not in use. And, Doctor, again, with the greatest possible respect, zip your howling screamer."
"Captain, I assure you I-" he started but once more the Captain decided to intervene.
"Let me make this as monosyllabic as possible. I don't much care for this crew you hired. They're…how did I describe them, Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee," she said while messing with her charters.
" 'A ludicrous parcel of drivelling galoots,' ma'am," he said. Arianna smiled to herself as she continued to draw. She remember when the captain said that. They had been having a contest to see who could come up with the best way to describe the crew. Clearly, the Captain won.
"There you go, poetry," she said smiling.
"Now see here-" started the Doctor but was once again wonderfully interrupted by the Captain.
"Doctor, I'd love to chat, tea, cake, the whole shebang, but I have a ship to launch, and you've got your outfit to buff up. Mr. Arrow, please escort there two neophytes down to the galley straightaway. Young Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."
"What? The cook?" asked Jim who had been looking at something on the other side of the room, trying to figure out what it was.
The Captain just sort of ignored him and sent them on their way. She then walked over to Arianna and looked at her work.
"You missed a line," she sad pointing and Arianna glared up at her.
"Does it look like I am done with this? No, that's because I'm not, so no comments from the peanut gallery until I am," she said crossing her arms and looking up at Amelia.
"Fair enough. Now we are going to go on deck and launch this ship. Then you can return to your cave," said Amelia lugging Arianna up out of her chair and dragging her to the deck. She didn't really like outside all that much because that's where the crew was and all they did was stare at her. Not like she was a piece of meat, but like she was a freak.
Arianna was indeed a cyborg. She had a metal arm and leg and both showed right now in her simple shirt and shorts combo. She was wearing boots but it didn't hide her entire leg. She followed Amelia up to the helm and just rested on the railing while waiting for the ship to set sail.
"So what do you think of our new cabin boy and financier?" asked Amelia.
"Well the cabin boy seems to not like me he kept, well, glaring at me, and the alliteration in a can is unique. But he needs to learn that people who fund a voyage are much rather not heard. He seems to like to talk," she said rubbing her metal arm, trying to buff it up.
"Very good," said Amelia as she then rang the bell to signal the launch, "let's see what this new creation of yours can do, shall we?"
"We are all clear captain!" shouted one of the crew members from atop the crow's nest
"Well, my friend, are we ready to raise this creaking tub?" the Captain asked looking at Mr. Arrow who had joined them up on deck.
"She's not a creaking tub. I worked hard on her," mumbled Arianna from next to the Captain. She glanced at her young friend before turning her heard towards Mr. Arrow.
"It would be my pleasure, Captain. All hands to stations!" he shouted the orders. "Smartly now!"
There was bunch of scurry as all of the crew started running to their stations and preparing for the launch themselves.
"Loose all solar sails!" he yelled. The ship started to float up. "Brace up!"
Slowly their gravity went and Arianna hated being in no gravity because whenever she landed back down her arm and leg weighed her down causing her to fall over on impact.
"Mr. Zoft, engage artificial gravity," ordered the Captain. Mr. Zoft replied in his native tongue of Flatula and did as he was told.
Everyone fell back down to the ship from whatever height they had reached and just like predicted, Arainna had fallen down, but so did the Doctor, and with his outfit he made quite the clang.
"Don't worry about me. I got it," she said as everyone by the helm turned to look at her. She brushed herself off and gave a thumbs up to the Captain.
"South by southwest, Mr. Turnbuckle, heading 2-1-0-0," ordered the Captain to Mr. Turnbuckle at the helm.
"Aye, Captain. 2-1-0-0," he repeated the turned the helm for the right direction.
"Full speed, Mr. Arrow, if you please," she said.
"Take her away!" ordered Mr. Arrow down a pipe that lead to the engine room. Everyone began to brace themselves for the sudden burst of speed and that was about the time the Doctor finally managed to stand up in his suit.
"Brace yourself, Doctor," muttered the Captain to him. He just made a face then went flying back and crashed into the side, and pretty much destroying his suit.
"And he's a doctor? Not very smart," said Arianna and the Captain smiled at her.
"Oh, hush, be nice," she responded, "just enjoy the scenery."
"Clearly I am not enjoying it as much as the Doctor and James are," she said indicating the two.
"Oh Doctor, I'd stand clear-" started the Captain as she spotted the Doctor trying to take a picture of the whales going by but was blasted upon by their blow hole. The Captain merely chuckled and Arianna managed to catch it and was about to comment when she heard the other cyborg on the ship start to talk.
"Aye, it's a fine day to be sailing, Captain, and might I say you're as trim and as bonny as a sloop with new sails and a fresh coat of paint," he said bowing and Arianna looked amused knowing full well the Captain did not have time for it.
"You can keep that kind of flim-flammery for your spaceport floozies, Silver," she said not letting anything slip by. Arianna just smiled in victory as Silver looked a bit shocked.
"You cut me to the quick, Captain. I speaks nothing but me heart at all times," he said still trying to flatter the Captain.
"And, uh, by the way, is that your cabin boy aimlessly footling about in those shrouds?" she asked and Arianna looked at indeed saw Jim hanging off of the shrouds.
"Uh, oh…a momentary aberration, Cap'n, soon to be addressed. Jimbo!" he pathetically said before turning to the boy who was now standing on the railing. He turned to face Silver, still smiling from the scenery. "I got two new friends I'd like you to meet," Arianna laughed as Jim looked around the deck trying to find those two friends, "say hello to Mr Mop and Mrs Bucket." Arianna put a hand over her mouth to silence her laughter as Jim's face fell. Hey, he didn't like her, she therefore wasn't going to get along with him so she will laugh when he is made a fool of.
Jim climbed down and started swabbing the deck while Silver returned to the galley. Arianna turned towards Amelia, while the Doctor and Mr. Arrow walked off somewhere, and smiled at her.
"So…how's my ship doing?" she asked knowing it was better than perfect.
"Pretty good considering it's holding up to Mr Hawkin's cleaning," replied Amelia as she watched the boy.
"Hmm, right. But I must agree with you on this crew, did you hear the way Silver spoke, his grammar is atrocious," she said watching Jim as well and slightly glaring at him.
"I concur," said Amelia turning to her friend, "why are you glaring at Mr Hawkins?"
"He doesn't like me."
"Arianna, hardly anyone likes you. It's just part of your charm."
"I know my charm, but he just really seems to be wary of me and I have no clue why. Maybe he doesn't like ship builders or something, it can't be a cyborg thing because look at the way he is with Silver."
"Why do you care so much? If I had to guess I'd say you liked the boy." Arianna scoffed and turned to Amelia.
"I don't like anyone, least of all someone who doesn't like me. Plus what was that smile you gave the Doctor earlier after he was blasted, that wasn't a 'oh that was funny smile' that was a 'oh he is cute smile'. Want to explain that, Captain?"
"Don't you have a ship to finish designing?" asked Amelia as she turned to watched where the ship was headed.
"Aye, aye Captain," she said saluting Amelia and preparing to walk down the stairs but turned and said, "but don't think you are off the hook about this conversation."
"Right-o," replied Amelia before Arianna descended the stairs and headed to the Captain's stateroom. As she passed Jim she shared a look with him, much similar to a stare down, before entering the stateroom and closing the door.
A/n: So this is my new Treasure Planet story. I decided to upload the chapters as I write them, unlike what I did for Sugar, Sugar, Wish, and Fresh Air where I wrote the entire story than posted it. I decided to do it chapter by chapter mainly because I am hoping to score more hits and reviews (yes it is all just a ploy for more publicity). Horrible? Yes. But it does mean you get the story sooner, and I can really load up on the suspense.
Anyway, thank you for reading and I have half of the next chapter written already. My spring break is this coming week so I will be posting more of this story and other stories (but my focus this week is this one) so stayed tuned for that.
Okay, that's it.
-Charlotte
