Ch. 10
Disclaimer: 10 chapters later and I still own nothing.
The Legacy was in horrible shape, what with it being scorched and broken, with two half-torn sails. Still, to Delbert, it was a sight for sore eyes. As the Nautilus began to approach the side of the injured galleon in order to board, he felt his heart racing...only twenty feet separated him from being reunited with Amelia. After long last, and horrible weeks of despair, he would finally get to be with her again. He was so happy, he almost considered apologizing to Raymond later for the argument they had had.
Almost.
As the boarding plank was extended, Delbert could see Mr. Turgevny standing near the ledge, looking worn and overly joyed that help had finally come. He clammbered on board behind Eigram.
"Capton," Turgevny said, addressing Eigram, "You hav absolutely no idea how overjoyed I am too see you."
"We're glad to see you're still alive, Commander. Where's the captain? I have something that belongs to her," Captain Eigram glanced back at Doppler.
Turgevny frowned. "I am avraid she it not vith us. She vos captured in ze attock."
Eigram's eyes widened, and he let his gaze flicker over to the doctor. He almost thought he could physcially hear the other man's heart drop to the deck.
"Well," Eigram spoke up, "Do we have any idea where she may have been taken?"
Turgevny shook his head sadly. "I am afraid not. I hav no idea vere ze pirates vere intending on taking her. Or vy."
The Captain shut his eyes tightly, blocking out everything and allowing himself a moment to think. He sighed audibly and opened his eyes again. "Well, first things first. Do you have any propulsion?"
"No, sir."
"Well, we'll work on that first. We'll have to make do with whatever spares I have left over from Raymond's restructuring. We may have to tow you if worse comes to worst."
Turgevny nodded.
"In the meantime," Eigram continued, "We can try to piece together this whole charade, and see if we can't find Captain Amelia."
"Aye sir. I'll tell you all zat I know. Ve can talk in the Capton's stateroom."
"Very good. Delbert, would you please accompany me? Thi, please get with a team of Mr. Turgevny's and corrdinate some help for his crew."
"Yes, sir," Thi said.
Delbert followed the Captain and acting Captain to Amelia's stateroom. Things had been knocked over and broken, but the room was more or less in one piece. Delbert sat on her desk chair, leaning back on the padded seat. The red cloth smelled lightly of her perfume. Eigram began to slowly pace the length of the room, while Turgevny stood at attention.
"So did you actually see her get taken?" Eigram asked the alien first mate.
"Only brievly. I vos a bit occupied myselv. I assumed zat she vould escape."
"How many pirates overtook the Legacy?"
"Thirty, maybe, on board ze Legacy. There vere more on ze others."
"Were they any---"
The stateroom door burst open, cutting short Eigram's inquiry.
"Nice, Eigram. Real nice," Raymond flew into the room, "You have an important meeting amongst captains and CONVENIENTLY forget to notify me. I suppose HE put you up to it," he said, pointing at Doppler.
"No. It was all my idea."
"Very funny," Raymond sneered, "Where's my lovely Amelia?"
Eigram winced at the pained look on the doctor's face at the mention of his lost lover's name. "Raymond, please. We're in the process of discussing that."
"Discussing? Well, is she here or not?"
"Not."
"She not dead?" Raymond asked quietly.
"Ve don't know, sir," Turgevny spoke up, "She vos taken hostage."
"Where was she taken?"
"Ve don't know."
Raymond rubbed his eyes with the pads of his fingers, "Terrific."
"We're going to try to find her," Eigram said, giving a reassuring look at Delbert, "I'm sure she's fine. If I know her, she's probably alive and terrorizing her captors." He paused and then turned his attention to the Legacy's first mate, who was currently leaning against the weapon's cabinet, rubbing his temples. "Anything you know that may be of some importance to us?"
Turgevny nodded, "Let me tell you all I vos able to gather on zis area of space..."
*************************
When the cadet's had heard that help had finally come, they couldn't have been more ecstatic. The blonde cadet bounded up the stairs to the main deck, leading the others who wanted to catch a glimpse of one of the angels come to save them. Needless to say, she was shocked when the first face she caught was that of Jim Hawkins.
"Holy hell! C.B.! You're alive?" she rushed over to him.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," he said, "The Legacy looks to be in a lot worse shape than the Nefarious was."
"How'd you find us?" the Galaxian cadet spoke in a rushed voice.
"We were simply traveling back to Nexus VII the way we came. I just happened to spot you guys as friendly."
Calden flew out of nowhere to hug Jim firmly. "Hawkins, I can't thank you enough for showing up. I thought we were soooo dead. This makes up for you being a show-offy jerk in class. Thankyouthankyouthankyou...I don't think I could have taken one more meal of purp and Narf intestine salad."
Jim pryed the taller cadet off of him. "Err...sure, anytime."
"So why were you heading back to Nexus VII anyway?" the Canian cadet spoke up.
"We have to return Prince Ahai back to his homeworld as soon as possible."
"Whoa....wait, wait," the dog-like female said, "I saw the royal caravan blow up. I know I did."
"The prince and princess weren't onboard it. What did you think I was doing on the Nefarious anyway?"
"Mopping," Calden's answer came.
"So they're alive and safe on the Nefarious," the Galaxian got the conversation back on track.
"Ahai is anyway," Jim winced.
"What happened to Carysa?"
"Uh...well, this isn't pretty to hear, but...hell..."
****************
"All is going as we planned, sir," said the tall orange alien with only one eye. He finished his salute to his commander, pulling his hand down from his forehead, just over the brown patch that covered his right eye.
"Good," the leader said, "After letting the feline escape, I would be very...cross, should anything else fail."
"We still have a few scouts out looking for her, sir."
"Give them two more days then call them back. I doubt she'll last that long out there. She's probably already dead."
"Yes, sir."
The leader picked up his marble goblet, which was encrusted with a few fine rubies and emeralds, and took a long drink. After swallowing, he put the cup down and spoke again, "I trust we are almost prepared to move."
"Yes, sir. The Gandorian navy has already signed an allegiance with us, granted they can still hold their territory after the takeover."
"Of course."
"The Trandoshans have also offered their help in financially assisting us. They do want the mining colonies of Saprum One and Two as retribution, though."
"Granted. As soon as we have the system in our control, they can take them for their own."
"Carysa says she will return to Nexus VII within the fortnight," one-eye continued, "As the only surviving heir, she will be able to take control over the Nexus system, and use it to our advantage."
"Splendid."
"She says she had already contacted some of Nexus' allies prior to the voyage. She has managed to...persuade Gynus and Sereblem to join our cause."
"Persuade?"
"She threatened to blow them into oblivion, just as you asked her to."
"Good."
"By the time we join our available forces, we should be able to take over all systems from here to Arcadia in less than three weeks."
"And the Royal Navy...?"
"...Will be too busy expending her fleet to protect the Queen, whose homeworld will 'circumstantially' fall under attack. However, their efforts will be for nothing, thanks to your planning."
"Then our inside man is inside the palace, undetected, as we speak?"
"No one's the wiser."
"Most excellent, my friend," the leader said, standing, "By this time two months from now, the galaxy will be the place of a new order...mine."
******************
With next to nothing to work with, Amelia was amazed she was able to get as many of the improvements on the communicator working as she did. The progress, however, was not without it's price, and her fingers showed every implication of that. They were cut and raw beyond belief, and there was a possibility that she had a small piece of shrapnel lodged in her left ring finger, but still, if the blasted thing worked, it would be worth it. She turned it on and said the bandwidth to a far-reaching frequency. She sucked in a breath and spoke into the small microphone.
"This is Captain Amelia of the RLS Legacy. I'm marooned on an unidentified planet, and I'm being pursued. I require assistance immediately."
She shut the communicator's recording device off and continued walking. All she could do now was wait, and pray that something friendly got her message.
******************
It had been a long night for everyone. All of the crews were sufficiently worn out, so most of the members had turned in early for the night. Despite his exhaustion, Delbert Doppler couldn't sleep. He had opted to stay the night in Amelia's quarters, for they were still in good shape and the atmosphere was somehow comforting. He paced the bedroom aimlessly, his emotions mixed and turbulent. On the one hand, he was desperately hoping that Amelia was still alive and would come back to him. The more pessimistic part of his brain jeered at him, calling him foolish for not letting the whole thing go. And in between all of that was the part that concentrated on getting the Legacy going again, the part that needed to see Jim safely back home, the part the still wanted to deck Raymond, and the part that told him to stop pacing before he wore a hole in the floor. He sighed to himself and sat on the bed. It was a fairly large one, more than big enough for two, with a lavish gold headboard and navy blue blankets. The pillows that sat upon it were also gold and blue, made of luxurious fabrics and adorned with silky tassels. He leaned back on the pillows, which not surprisingly still smelled like her. He knew that no one had really seen her bedroom, minus himself, of course, so the room remained wholly untouched from the last time she used it. He reached out for a piece of parchment that sat on the bedside table. He opened it and grinned to himself as he recognized his last letter to her, the one with his (second) failed proposal. She was funny like that. Though she wasn't overly sentimental or gushy about anything, she still kept that stupid letter. She was so complex; such an enigma. He supposed that was maybe why he had loved her so much --to break into her, to really understand her, was a challenge, like a puzzle. And what good man of science turns down a puzzle? He placed the letter back on the table and crawled under the dark blue blankets, and lay still, staring at the paper. The very last thing he could have possibly said to her, and he wasted it, asking her to update him on Jim's behavior. Stupid, stupid. He sighed and turned away from the letter. *No sense in worrying about it now.* Maybe it was the fact that this whole mess had worn him down, but he soon found that he had come to the realization that he would never be with her again, and wasting time wondering what he should have done or said was pointless. He would miss her, mourn for her, lament never being wed to her, or having children with her. *Oh, but couldn't you just see me as a father? Now THAT would be a sight to behold. Quite the wild idea.* Still, for all the mistakes he would have surely made, it might have been nice. When he thought of kids he always envisioned having little girls, two, no more than three, all as beautiful as their mother, with clever little minds and stubborn personalities. They would surely make his hair turn gray far before it's time, but they would be so remarkable, so wonderful, that it wouldn't matter. He thought of the picture he had once seen of Amelia on her seventh birthday...yes, two or three little princesses all decked out in darling white dresses and surrounded by flowers. All with gorgeous little smiles and all the apple of their father's eye. And of course, Amelia would be there to keep them all in line. It would have been perfect. *You promised yourself you'd stop thinking like that,* he chided himself, *It's over, whether you like it or not. No more Amelia, no more dream wedding, no more little girls clambering up on your lap for a story. All those prospects are gone. Accept that. She'd have wanted you to. Don't live with unlikely hopes.* He sighed as he closed his eyes to sleep. He could accept it, would accept it, but would be miserable doing so. Nothing could be done about that. "Wherever you are, love, I hope you're resting well."
********************
Raymond stood tall in front of his long mirror, peering at his chiseled form. He flexed a few times in front of the glass for good measure, then threw a white nightshirt on. This voyage was really starting to wear away at him. With his lovely Amelia missing, his rival Eigram at the helm of the mission, and the damned doctor hovering over all the bad things, it was a wonder he hadn't lost his cool yet. His mind turned to his first stress. *Ahhh, Amelia. That gorgeous, succulent lady.* He really didn't know what he was going to do if she was never found. He had pined over her for so many years, and it just didn't seem natural to go a day without thinking of her body curled up against his as he woke on a spring morning. *Aren't fantasies, great?* And in his fantasies, EVERYTHING went his way, and everything, especially the sex, was top notch. If she didn't return, he had no possibility of making those fantasies reality. *If she could see them too, she'd be all for the idea of her and me.* He grinned to his reflection. Yup, he was quite the specimen of man, and if she was found, he would persue her much more eagerly His thoughts then strayed to Eigram, whom he hated, and hated more still when he had to put his tail between his legs and be rescued by the feline. *They could have sent anyone in the goddamn fleet and they sent the jerkoff from the tenth level of hell.* Eigram thought he was so smart, so talented...well, good for him. Raymond had had his ship attacked by three assailants and survived...*Eigram just shows up with a few spare parts and suddenly he's "Mister Hero".* And then there was Doppler. God in the heavens how he hated, despised, loathed, cursed, and detested that man. *How dare he think he can just usurp the object of my affections? And what the hell makes him think that she LOVES him? Arrogant bastard. I'll show him. When Amelia comes back, we'll see who winds up with her in the end.* He left his room for the bridge, deciding to check in with his helmsman and first officer before turning in. He wanted to see to it that his ship was kept running at top capacity at all times. No way Eigram was going to show him up.
"Everything under control, Lor?"
"Aye, sir."
"Good, good. I'll be retiring for the evening. Let me know if anything unusual comes up." He turned and descended the steps from the bridge, heading for his chambers.
"Uh, captain?"
Raymond rolled his eyes and turned back toward the bridge. "What?"
"Something unusual has come up."
Raymond ascended the stairs again and made his way to the console that Lor was hovering over. "A communication? From who?"
Lor pushed the "receive" button.
" This... Captain Amelia...Legacy, I'm marooned... being pursued. I require... assistance...."
It was full of static and hard to hear, but there was no mistaking it.
*Hold on, my foxy captain. I'll come for you.* Using the signal, he could easily track her location...and bring her back to him. "Lor, notify the Legacy and the Nautilus. Tell them I've found her."
"Aye, sir."
Raymond's spirits were high as he returned to his room. *I'll just rescue her and bring her back to the safety of my ship. I'll be her knight in shinning armor... she won't be able to resist me...*
***************
The rush of light into the dark room gnawed badly at his dialated pupils. In the doorway, he could just make out someone's outline, though he could not discern their identity without putting on his glasses first. When the person spoke, however, it was unmistakably Turgevny.
"Doctor, I hav good news."
"Couldn't it have waited until morning?" Delbert groaned, reaching for his spectacles.
"I figured you vould hav vanted to hear it now. Raymond just got a transmission. We hav located her."
Delbert's heart stopped. "What...what did you...s-say?"
"The Capton. We hav located Amelia. Raymond and Eigram are devising a plan to retrieve her right now."
"Th-thank you."
"Of course," Turgevny said, turning and shutting the door behind himself.
Delbert sat still in the dark for a moment. Alive. She was alive. Maybe there was something to be said for unlikely hopes. He didn't even notice he was crying until he tried to situate his glasses on his face. Later, he imagined it must have been a bizarre facial combination, the smile on his face and tears spilling down his cheeks. There was still time. There was still time for "wild ideas."
*There's still time for us.*
To be continued....
"Thank the lord and pass the gravy..." cool. I laughed when I read that review. I know the updates are spreading out and getting posted at erratic times, and I apologize. It's been crazy at work...Tampa Bay's going to the Super Bowl, and everybody wants a piece of the action, as well as lots of victory booze and pork rinds, so that's where I come in... -_-' Still more to come...you will see the end, I swear. Keep checking back. Love to all my loyal reviewers.
Aloha,
J.
Disclaimer: 10 chapters later and I still own nothing.
The Legacy was in horrible shape, what with it being scorched and broken, with two half-torn sails. Still, to Delbert, it was a sight for sore eyes. As the Nautilus began to approach the side of the injured galleon in order to board, he felt his heart racing...only twenty feet separated him from being reunited with Amelia. After long last, and horrible weeks of despair, he would finally get to be with her again. He was so happy, he almost considered apologizing to Raymond later for the argument they had had.
Almost.
As the boarding plank was extended, Delbert could see Mr. Turgevny standing near the ledge, looking worn and overly joyed that help had finally come. He clammbered on board behind Eigram.
"Capton," Turgevny said, addressing Eigram, "You hav absolutely no idea how overjoyed I am too see you."
"We're glad to see you're still alive, Commander. Where's the captain? I have something that belongs to her," Captain Eigram glanced back at Doppler.
Turgevny frowned. "I am avraid she it not vith us. She vos captured in ze attock."
Eigram's eyes widened, and he let his gaze flicker over to the doctor. He almost thought he could physcially hear the other man's heart drop to the deck.
"Well," Eigram spoke up, "Do we have any idea where she may have been taken?"
Turgevny shook his head sadly. "I am afraid not. I hav no idea vere ze pirates vere intending on taking her. Or vy."
The Captain shut his eyes tightly, blocking out everything and allowing himself a moment to think. He sighed audibly and opened his eyes again. "Well, first things first. Do you have any propulsion?"
"No, sir."
"Well, we'll work on that first. We'll have to make do with whatever spares I have left over from Raymond's restructuring. We may have to tow you if worse comes to worst."
Turgevny nodded.
"In the meantime," Eigram continued, "We can try to piece together this whole charade, and see if we can't find Captain Amelia."
"Aye sir. I'll tell you all zat I know. Ve can talk in the Capton's stateroom."
"Very good. Delbert, would you please accompany me? Thi, please get with a team of Mr. Turgevny's and corrdinate some help for his crew."
"Yes, sir," Thi said.
Delbert followed the Captain and acting Captain to Amelia's stateroom. Things had been knocked over and broken, but the room was more or less in one piece. Delbert sat on her desk chair, leaning back on the padded seat. The red cloth smelled lightly of her perfume. Eigram began to slowly pace the length of the room, while Turgevny stood at attention.
"So did you actually see her get taken?" Eigram asked the alien first mate.
"Only brievly. I vos a bit occupied myselv. I assumed zat she vould escape."
"How many pirates overtook the Legacy?"
"Thirty, maybe, on board ze Legacy. There vere more on ze others."
"Were they any---"
The stateroom door burst open, cutting short Eigram's inquiry.
"Nice, Eigram. Real nice," Raymond flew into the room, "You have an important meeting amongst captains and CONVENIENTLY forget to notify me. I suppose HE put you up to it," he said, pointing at Doppler.
"No. It was all my idea."
"Very funny," Raymond sneered, "Where's my lovely Amelia?"
Eigram winced at the pained look on the doctor's face at the mention of his lost lover's name. "Raymond, please. We're in the process of discussing that."
"Discussing? Well, is she here or not?"
"Not."
"She not dead?" Raymond asked quietly.
"Ve don't know, sir," Turgevny spoke up, "She vos taken hostage."
"Where was she taken?"
"Ve don't know."
Raymond rubbed his eyes with the pads of his fingers, "Terrific."
"We're going to try to find her," Eigram said, giving a reassuring look at Delbert, "I'm sure she's fine. If I know her, she's probably alive and terrorizing her captors." He paused and then turned his attention to the Legacy's first mate, who was currently leaning against the weapon's cabinet, rubbing his temples. "Anything you know that may be of some importance to us?"
Turgevny nodded, "Let me tell you all I vos able to gather on zis area of space..."
*************************
When the cadet's had heard that help had finally come, they couldn't have been more ecstatic. The blonde cadet bounded up the stairs to the main deck, leading the others who wanted to catch a glimpse of one of the angels come to save them. Needless to say, she was shocked when the first face she caught was that of Jim Hawkins.
"Holy hell! C.B.! You're alive?" she rushed over to him.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," he said, "The Legacy looks to be in a lot worse shape than the Nefarious was."
"How'd you find us?" the Galaxian cadet spoke in a rushed voice.
"We were simply traveling back to Nexus VII the way we came. I just happened to spot you guys as friendly."
Calden flew out of nowhere to hug Jim firmly. "Hawkins, I can't thank you enough for showing up. I thought we were soooo dead. This makes up for you being a show-offy jerk in class. Thankyouthankyouthankyou...I don't think I could have taken one more meal of purp and Narf intestine salad."
Jim pryed the taller cadet off of him. "Err...sure, anytime."
"So why were you heading back to Nexus VII anyway?" the Canian cadet spoke up.
"We have to return Prince Ahai back to his homeworld as soon as possible."
"Whoa....wait, wait," the dog-like female said, "I saw the royal caravan blow up. I know I did."
"The prince and princess weren't onboard it. What did you think I was doing on the Nefarious anyway?"
"Mopping," Calden's answer came.
"So they're alive and safe on the Nefarious," the Galaxian got the conversation back on track.
"Ahai is anyway," Jim winced.
"What happened to Carysa?"
"Uh...well, this isn't pretty to hear, but...hell..."
****************
"All is going as we planned, sir," said the tall orange alien with only one eye. He finished his salute to his commander, pulling his hand down from his forehead, just over the brown patch that covered his right eye.
"Good," the leader said, "After letting the feline escape, I would be very...cross, should anything else fail."
"We still have a few scouts out looking for her, sir."
"Give them two more days then call them back. I doubt she'll last that long out there. She's probably already dead."
"Yes, sir."
The leader picked up his marble goblet, which was encrusted with a few fine rubies and emeralds, and took a long drink. After swallowing, he put the cup down and spoke again, "I trust we are almost prepared to move."
"Yes, sir. The Gandorian navy has already signed an allegiance with us, granted they can still hold their territory after the takeover."
"Of course."
"The Trandoshans have also offered their help in financially assisting us. They do want the mining colonies of Saprum One and Two as retribution, though."
"Granted. As soon as we have the system in our control, they can take them for their own."
"Carysa says she will return to Nexus VII within the fortnight," one-eye continued, "As the only surviving heir, she will be able to take control over the Nexus system, and use it to our advantage."
"Splendid."
"She says she had already contacted some of Nexus' allies prior to the voyage. She has managed to...persuade Gynus and Sereblem to join our cause."
"Persuade?"
"She threatened to blow them into oblivion, just as you asked her to."
"Good."
"By the time we join our available forces, we should be able to take over all systems from here to Arcadia in less than three weeks."
"And the Royal Navy...?"
"...Will be too busy expending her fleet to protect the Queen, whose homeworld will 'circumstantially' fall under attack. However, their efforts will be for nothing, thanks to your planning."
"Then our inside man is inside the palace, undetected, as we speak?"
"No one's the wiser."
"Most excellent, my friend," the leader said, standing, "By this time two months from now, the galaxy will be the place of a new order...mine."
******************
With next to nothing to work with, Amelia was amazed she was able to get as many of the improvements on the communicator working as she did. The progress, however, was not without it's price, and her fingers showed every implication of that. They were cut and raw beyond belief, and there was a possibility that she had a small piece of shrapnel lodged in her left ring finger, but still, if the blasted thing worked, it would be worth it. She turned it on and said the bandwidth to a far-reaching frequency. She sucked in a breath and spoke into the small microphone.
"This is Captain Amelia of the RLS Legacy. I'm marooned on an unidentified planet, and I'm being pursued. I require assistance immediately."
She shut the communicator's recording device off and continued walking. All she could do now was wait, and pray that something friendly got her message.
******************
It had been a long night for everyone. All of the crews were sufficiently worn out, so most of the members had turned in early for the night. Despite his exhaustion, Delbert Doppler couldn't sleep. He had opted to stay the night in Amelia's quarters, for they were still in good shape and the atmosphere was somehow comforting. He paced the bedroom aimlessly, his emotions mixed and turbulent. On the one hand, he was desperately hoping that Amelia was still alive and would come back to him. The more pessimistic part of his brain jeered at him, calling him foolish for not letting the whole thing go. And in between all of that was the part that concentrated on getting the Legacy going again, the part that needed to see Jim safely back home, the part the still wanted to deck Raymond, and the part that told him to stop pacing before he wore a hole in the floor. He sighed to himself and sat on the bed. It was a fairly large one, more than big enough for two, with a lavish gold headboard and navy blue blankets. The pillows that sat upon it were also gold and blue, made of luxurious fabrics and adorned with silky tassels. He leaned back on the pillows, which not surprisingly still smelled like her. He knew that no one had really seen her bedroom, minus himself, of course, so the room remained wholly untouched from the last time she used it. He reached out for a piece of parchment that sat on the bedside table. He opened it and grinned to himself as he recognized his last letter to her, the one with his (second) failed proposal. She was funny like that. Though she wasn't overly sentimental or gushy about anything, she still kept that stupid letter. She was so complex; such an enigma. He supposed that was maybe why he had loved her so much --to break into her, to really understand her, was a challenge, like a puzzle. And what good man of science turns down a puzzle? He placed the letter back on the table and crawled under the dark blue blankets, and lay still, staring at the paper. The very last thing he could have possibly said to her, and he wasted it, asking her to update him on Jim's behavior. Stupid, stupid. He sighed and turned away from the letter. *No sense in worrying about it now.* Maybe it was the fact that this whole mess had worn him down, but he soon found that he had come to the realization that he would never be with her again, and wasting time wondering what he should have done or said was pointless. He would miss her, mourn for her, lament never being wed to her, or having children with her. *Oh, but couldn't you just see me as a father? Now THAT would be a sight to behold. Quite the wild idea.* Still, for all the mistakes he would have surely made, it might have been nice. When he thought of kids he always envisioned having little girls, two, no more than three, all as beautiful as their mother, with clever little minds and stubborn personalities. They would surely make his hair turn gray far before it's time, but they would be so remarkable, so wonderful, that it wouldn't matter. He thought of the picture he had once seen of Amelia on her seventh birthday...yes, two or three little princesses all decked out in darling white dresses and surrounded by flowers. All with gorgeous little smiles and all the apple of their father's eye. And of course, Amelia would be there to keep them all in line. It would have been perfect. *You promised yourself you'd stop thinking like that,* he chided himself, *It's over, whether you like it or not. No more Amelia, no more dream wedding, no more little girls clambering up on your lap for a story. All those prospects are gone. Accept that. She'd have wanted you to. Don't live with unlikely hopes.* He sighed as he closed his eyes to sleep. He could accept it, would accept it, but would be miserable doing so. Nothing could be done about that. "Wherever you are, love, I hope you're resting well."
********************
Raymond stood tall in front of his long mirror, peering at his chiseled form. He flexed a few times in front of the glass for good measure, then threw a white nightshirt on. This voyage was really starting to wear away at him. With his lovely Amelia missing, his rival Eigram at the helm of the mission, and the damned doctor hovering over all the bad things, it was a wonder he hadn't lost his cool yet. His mind turned to his first stress. *Ahhh, Amelia. That gorgeous, succulent lady.* He really didn't know what he was going to do if she was never found. He had pined over her for so many years, and it just didn't seem natural to go a day without thinking of her body curled up against his as he woke on a spring morning. *Aren't fantasies, great?* And in his fantasies, EVERYTHING went his way, and everything, especially the sex, was top notch. If she didn't return, he had no possibility of making those fantasies reality. *If she could see them too, she'd be all for the idea of her and me.* He grinned to his reflection. Yup, he was quite the specimen of man, and if she was found, he would persue her much more eagerly His thoughts then strayed to Eigram, whom he hated, and hated more still when he had to put his tail between his legs and be rescued by the feline. *They could have sent anyone in the goddamn fleet and they sent the jerkoff from the tenth level of hell.* Eigram thought he was so smart, so talented...well, good for him. Raymond had had his ship attacked by three assailants and survived...*Eigram just shows up with a few spare parts and suddenly he's "Mister Hero".* And then there was Doppler. God in the heavens how he hated, despised, loathed, cursed, and detested that man. *How dare he think he can just usurp the object of my affections? And what the hell makes him think that she LOVES him? Arrogant bastard. I'll show him. When Amelia comes back, we'll see who winds up with her in the end.* He left his room for the bridge, deciding to check in with his helmsman and first officer before turning in. He wanted to see to it that his ship was kept running at top capacity at all times. No way Eigram was going to show him up.
"Everything under control, Lor?"
"Aye, sir."
"Good, good. I'll be retiring for the evening. Let me know if anything unusual comes up." He turned and descended the steps from the bridge, heading for his chambers.
"Uh, captain?"
Raymond rolled his eyes and turned back toward the bridge. "What?"
"Something unusual has come up."
Raymond ascended the stairs again and made his way to the console that Lor was hovering over. "A communication? From who?"
Lor pushed the "receive" button.
" This... Captain Amelia...Legacy, I'm marooned... being pursued. I require... assistance...."
It was full of static and hard to hear, but there was no mistaking it.
*Hold on, my foxy captain. I'll come for you.* Using the signal, he could easily track her location...and bring her back to him. "Lor, notify the Legacy and the Nautilus. Tell them I've found her."
"Aye, sir."
Raymond's spirits were high as he returned to his room. *I'll just rescue her and bring her back to the safety of my ship. I'll be her knight in shinning armor... she won't be able to resist me...*
***************
The rush of light into the dark room gnawed badly at his dialated pupils. In the doorway, he could just make out someone's outline, though he could not discern their identity without putting on his glasses first. When the person spoke, however, it was unmistakably Turgevny.
"Doctor, I hav good news."
"Couldn't it have waited until morning?" Delbert groaned, reaching for his spectacles.
"I figured you vould hav vanted to hear it now. Raymond just got a transmission. We hav located her."
Delbert's heart stopped. "What...what did you...s-say?"
"The Capton. We hav located Amelia. Raymond and Eigram are devising a plan to retrieve her right now."
"Th-thank you."
"Of course," Turgevny said, turning and shutting the door behind himself.
Delbert sat still in the dark for a moment. Alive. She was alive. Maybe there was something to be said for unlikely hopes. He didn't even notice he was crying until he tried to situate his glasses on his face. Later, he imagined it must have been a bizarre facial combination, the smile on his face and tears spilling down his cheeks. There was still time. There was still time for "wild ideas."
*There's still time for us.*
To be continued....
"Thank the lord and pass the gravy..." cool. I laughed when I read that review. I know the updates are spreading out and getting posted at erratic times, and I apologize. It's been crazy at work...Tampa Bay's going to the Super Bowl, and everybody wants a piece of the action, as well as lots of victory booze and pork rinds, so that's where I come in... -_-' Still more to come...you will see the end, I swear. Keep checking back. Love to all my loyal reviewers.
Aloha,
J.