Okay, time to get some humor in this story!
Reviewer Thanks
OMGitsEMILY: Oh, yes, Kenta will be surprised indeed… but how will it affect her? ;) And yes, that song rocks! …And may foreshadow something, too *wink wink*
Nims: Yeah, I feel sorry for Jim too… and it may not get any easier for him. As for Kenta, you'll see what they have in plan for her.
Disclaimer: Need I say it?
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"This is absolutely terrible!" Christina sighed, aggravated. "No more than one day on this voyage and there's some maniacal woman aboard!"
"I can't believe you let her on board in the first place," Natalie snapped at Jim.
"I can't believe you stole my clothes," Ninn said to Sapphire, who was still in her disguise. The princess ignored her, focusing on the matter at-hand.
It hadn't even been five minutes after Sapphire told them all what she heard last night, and already her parents were overcome with distress, along with Tesoro, Jonesy, and Tyson, who- by the request of Ninn- were also called to the meeting, where all four of them had information to share about the strange woman.
"Hey, I didn't know she was a pirate, alright?" Jim snapped in defense.
"Well, you'd think you'd have declined her service if you knew about those knife-wielding robotic hands of hers," William said with a sneer. "Honestly, when someone has a disability that requires replacing an object of their body with an artificial substitute, you would be expected to reconsider giving them a position on your vessel- especially during an important voyage!"
Jim, Tesoro, Jonesy and Tyson all glowered at the emperor. Tyson had artificial eyes they knew, and Silver had cyborg parts of his own- and William's remark set them off. "I'd watch yer tongue if I were ya, yer majesty," Tyson said first, his eyes red.
"My, gracious, why are his eyes red?" Christina gasped, referring to Tyson.
"He has artificial eyes," Tesoro said, matter-of-factly. Tyson gave her a glare, and she knew it was too-personal a remark to have said, and she cringed giving Tyson a 'sorry' glance.
"It doesn't matter what kind of body-parts she has," Natalie spoke, changing the subject. "Right now, we've got to catch that Kenta woman before she puts her plan into action… what was it again, Sapphire?"
"I don't know much about it, ma'am," Sapphire said. "All I heard was talk about 'revenge', and that the three aliens she was with were going to be on the docks of Gemini, waiting to sneak on the boat the first chance they had."
"We've got to contact the Gemini coastguard, then," Jim said.
"I can send a telepathic message to my Head Guard," William suggested.
Jim had learned about the Gemini and Christalist planets, and how most of the inhabitants of that planet had the power to communicate telepathically. "Alright, tell him to inform the coastguard about the aliens…" he turned to Sapphire. "What did they look like?"
Sapphire explained each of the three aliens she saw last night, and Jim's eyes widened in shock- even after twenty years, their ugly faces were still horrifying. "Captain, is everything all right?" Christina asked, noticing Jim's expression with concern.
"I know those aliens… they used to be part of Silver's crew on my voyage to Treasure Plan- what's that growling sound?"
Everyone paused, hearing a growling noise… and they all looked over at Ninn, whose eyes seemed to glow yellow with hatred. Noticing their glances, she cleared her throat, blushing and pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "S-sorry, 'had to clear my throat." she said innocently.
Tesoro knew better, but didn't say a word. She stayed focus on the situation. "So… what are we going to do?" she asked, getting everyone back on the subject.
Tyson rubbed his chin, a plan forming in his mind. "I've got a pretty good idea," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Here's what we'll do: Kenta will probably t'ink it was Ninn or Tessy spying on her last night, an' will be after one o' them. So, we dress them all up as princesses, an' confuse Kenta- t'at way she won't know we've called deh coastguard tah catch her lackies, an' when we get tah our first stop, we'll hand her over tah deh authorities, all deh while actin' as if we're clueless on her entire plot."
"That sounds like a good plan," Natalie said with a shrug.
"Yeah, but there's one problem…" Ninn said.
"What would that be?" Jonesy asked.
"I'm not dressing up like a princess." Ninn and Tesoro said at the same time, then looked at each other, surprised with their thinking-alike.
"Well, you're goin' tah have tah, for deh sake o' yer lives." Tyson said firmly.
"Wait, what if Kenta strikes before we arrive?" William asked.
"Trust me, yer highness, we'll know when she'll strike or not,"
"How?"
Tyson grinned, then whistled. The triangular hat he was wearing floated above his head, turning into Morph. " 'Cuz we've got a spy o' our own. Alright, Morphy, keep an eye on Kenta-"
"Kenta, Morph. Not Shifter." Ninn joked. The pink shape-shifter stuck his tongue out at her.
"Alright, I will inform my General immediately." William said.
"Good. And everyone, go with the plan, and act natural." Jim said, then turned to Tesoro. "And you, young lady, need to get in your disguise."
Christina turned to Ninn. "That goes for you, too, Ninnifer." she said.
"Ninnifer?" Jonesy and Tyson both repeated, then snickered at the girl's name.
Ninn and Tesoro both looked at each other and groaned, thinking the same thing: this was NOT going to be fun.
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Wulfgang had been standing watch outside the door, making sure no one would be eavesdropping (again). When he saw Shifter floating nearby, he let out a low growl, and the orange blob glared at him and flew away. He kept an eye on Kenta, who was sitting on a barrel, listening as that robot- BEN- shot the breeze with her, and by the look on her face, she wasn't enjoying it very much.
She deserves it, Wulfgang thought, remembering what Sapphire had told him that night, while they hid in the pantry.
He sighed, thinking of how frightened she was, and how shaky her voice sounded as she told him- mentally- about everything she heard. He had wrapped his arms around her to keep her from shaking, and eventually she had fallen asleep in his lap. He thought about opening a portal and putting her back in her bed, but he decided not to. Not yet, anyway… and he fell asleep as well, watching the princess sleep in his arms-
"PLEASE, don't make me do it!" he heard his cousin's voice plead. "What if she tells it's me, or what if she grows suspicious when she sees that Tess and I aren't around?"
Wulfgang, now intrigued, perked up his ear, listening in on what was going on. "Y'know, she's got a point," he heard Jonesy say.
"Alright, new plan: we dress Sapphire and Tess up as Ninn, t'at way they'll both be safe, and deh two tomboys will quit whining!" Tyson's voice came.
"Now THAT'S a better plan." Tesoro said.
"Alright, but in order to do that, we'll need to make a special stop to find a friend…" Natalie was saying, but her voice became distant as she walked further across the room.
What are they talking about? What's the plan, and why do Sapphire and Tesoro have to dress up? Wulfgang wondered.
"Hey, wait! I'm not done, yet!" he heard BEN's voice call, and he looked over to see Kenta stomping away from the robot.
He wanted desperately to follow Kenta so that he could finish her off himself, but he knew otherwise. He had to protect Sapphire, first. …But he promised to kill the pirate if she tried to mess with the princess- and her twins.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Two hours later, they arrived at a port. Natalie, BEN, Gene and Louigi stayed on the boat to keep an eye on things (namely Kenta) with Morph as their top watchdog… er, watch-morph, that is. Kenta had stayed on the boat to get some sleep, though she kept her ears open, just in case…
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew walked around the port, acting casual. Jim, Jonesy, and Tyson walked around one part of the port, looking around the shops, while Sapphire, Ninn, and Tesoro- escorted by Wulfgang- walked up to a particular shop… where Tesoro saw a familiar face.
"April!" Tesoro called, running up to the blonde-haired felinid and hugging her.
"Tess! Oh, it's so great to see you!" April exclaimed, leading the foursome into her shop. Once inside, her smile faded into a more serious look. "One of your financiers contacted me and told me what happened- I was shocked at a mental-message, first one I've ever gotten- but anyway, what's going on?"
They told her about Kenta and her plan, and her eyes widened in shock. …Then got even more wider with delight when they told her about her part in their plan. "…And it needs to look natural." Ninn explained. "If Kenta- or even BEN- notices one trace of fakeness, the plan is shot and we're all dead."
April cracked her fingers in a bridge and sighed vainly. "Girl, I know ways to make it look like you were all born from the same mother." she looked up at Wulfgang. "You may want to take a seat over there, this could take a while."
Wulfgang shrugged and walked over to a row of chairs against the wall, watching as April took the girls to the back of her shop. He drummed his legs with his fingers, thinking of what to do to pass the time. Seeing a pile of magazines on a little table next to him, he picked one up and began reading it.
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"Tyson Silver, is that you?" A voice called to Tyson, making him freeze in mid-step. He turned around, only to see a familiar face- one he was always glad to see.
"Ah, Valerie. It be mighty bold o' ya tah call me by me last name," he said, making his voice sound scolding, but a grin was kept on his face.
Valerie shrugged. "Ah, c'mon, Ty. It's the planet Bewticia- no manly spacer would be caught dead around here! …Come to think of it, what are you guys doing here?"
"I was about tah ask ya deh same t'ing."
"We're here to see your sister," Jim said, keeping his voice low and making sure no one was listening in- more important, he hoped no one he knew saw him around here. "We've, ah, encountered a 'situation'."
"Ah, some big, ugly brute after you, I take it?" Valerie guessed.
"Define, 'big'. …And 'ugly'." Jonesy said. "You see, the 'brute' we're after is… a woman."
Valerie rubbed her chin. "Ah, I see… and you're planning to maroon her on this feminine beauty-shop of a planet to torture her, correct?"
"Um… no. It's different than that." Jim said.
"Way different." Jonesy added.
"Different… how?" Valerie asked.
"Well, let's say it includes Tess… an' a couple o' girls who look like her, almost." Tyson said. "It's hard tah explain. Ya'd have tah be on deh voyage tah understand."
Valerie grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Great! I'll get my stuff."
"Wait… what?" Jim sputtered.
"Well, in order for me to understand what's going on, I need to be on the voyage, like Tyson said. …I need to get off this prissy planet, anyway."
"I didn't say ya could jus' join us!" Tyson said, firmly.
"Yeah, can't you leave on your own ship, anyway?" Jonesy scoffed.
"I would, but my parents left me here to stay with April until I learned to be more… oh, how did they put it? Ah, yes, 'lady-like', whatever that means." Valerie explained, then put both her hands on Tyson's shoulders, staring into his eyes, her nose pressed against his. "In other words: Take. Me. With you. I can't stay here a second longer!"
"Alright, alright, you can join us," Jim sighed, knowing Valerie wouldn't give up- or resist stowing away, as desperate as she seemed right now. "But, you've got to be careful. This woman, Kenta Jade, has it out for us."
Valerie let go of Tyson and turned to Jim. "Why?"
Why? …Jim didn't know, but he knew it must have something to do with him and Silver, if Kenta had found some of the cyborg's old crew. "I don't know what she wants, but she's working with people who want revenge on me from what happened on Treasure Planet."
Valerie let out a descending whistle in surprise. "That was almost two decades ago. They must really know how to hold a grudge."
"But pretend ya didn't hear a word from us," Tyson said. "If Kenta finds out we know her plan- well, half o' it- she'll slit our throats while we sleep."
"Alright, alright, I'll keep it low-profile. …Now, what about Tess? How does she fit in with all of this, including arriving on this cream-puffed rock?"
Jonesy let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, you'll see…"
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Wulfgang had gone through the whole pile of magazines almost twice by the time April had finished her work on Sapphire, Ninn, and Tesoro. When they walked out from the back room, his jaw almost hit the floor. Their hair was exactly the same color: blonde with orange and brown streaks, cut just above the shoulder- and to make them even more twinned, they were even wearing the same outfit: a black T-shirt, a tattered pair of jeans, and black boots. He rubbed his eyes, and blinked twice to make sure his vision wasn't playing tricks on him.
Standing in front of him were three Ninns. "Wow, April, you really outdid yourself!" Tesoro said in awe, looking at her reflection in a mirror.
"Yeah, I don't even recognize myself!" Sapphire said, giggling.
"Well, I do my best," April said modestly as she walked them to the door. "Now, go bust that blasted woman, and be careful!"
"Oh, but it will be she who will have to be careful of us," Ninn said, grinning slyly. "Thanks again, April- now I can tell my mom she's had triplets!"
Wulfgang followed them back to the ship. The only way he could tell them apart was by the difference in their voices and their eye color- Ninn had brown eyes, Tesoro had blue, and Sappire had violet-purple. If I wasn't so masculine, I would probably faint right now… he thought.
They got back on the SJP ARROW just as Jim, Jonesy, and Tyson arrived… with a black-haired felinid. "Valerie?" Tesoro gasped, rushing up to her friend.
"Tess! Good to see you- have twins?" Valerie said, surprised at her friend's doubles. "Wow… Okay, guys, time to fill me in on what's going on."
The triplets chuckled and led their friend to Sapphire's room to tell her- in private- about their adventure so far.
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Morph floated around the deck, sniffing the air. He went to the galley, looking around to make sure no one was hiding out. Just then, he heard a shuffling sound from the pantry, and zipped over there-
-pausing when he saw Shifter by the handle, looking through the key-hole. She looked up, sensing his presence. Rather than squealing and flying off, she stared at him coldly and went, "Shh. Stowaway." pointing to the door as she did so.
Morph slowly floated toward her, cautious not to fall for any of her tricks. He pushed her out of the way and looked through the key hole, but she pushed him to the side to get a look, too. They both looked in…
Seeing an enormous, yellow eye looking straight back at them! They both shrieked and flew away as fast as they could, stopping for a breath once they got back up to the main deck. "What was that thing?" Shifter asked, gasping for breath.
Morph chirped, shrugging. He then saw Kenta walking across the deck, and he remembered his job. He chattered at Shifter, then floated away, over and around different sailors so the female blob wouldn't know he was stalking her master.
Shifter was about to follow him, but saw that girl- no, three of that girl!- walking across the deck, along with a black-haired felinid. "First things first," she reminded herself, then went to spy on the triplets and the new passenger.
Both of the morphs had forgotten about what they had seen in the galley… for now.
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The rest of the day went by quickly. Kenta had slept longer than she wanted, and by the time she had gotten out of her hammock, it was dusk. She found Shifter floating around. "Anything happen after I dozed?" she asked her pet.
Shifter turned into three mini-Ninns. "Triplets!" she replied, then turned back to her original form, concern on her face. "They know…"
"So, they actually believe little kids after all, eh? …Hmm, that's a problem, isn't it?" She didn't show worry on her face, though. "No matter, I have a back-up plan."
"Which is…?"
"Easy, I won't kill that Hawkins or his family, or even harm those 'Revlis' boys. …But I will do something to hurt them deeply. Something that will make them lose their focus for a while…"
0o0o0o0o0o0
Tyson and Jonesy cleaned the galley, wiping the tables (Tyson) and washing the dishes (Jonesy). The cabin-boy walked over to the cupboard to put away some mugs-
-only to end up having the cupboard's door pull a string that poured a bowl of sticky, green ooze on his head! "What the…?" he sputtered, slipping on some of the slime and landing on his rear.
Tyson began to rush over to help his brother, but ended up tripping a string, snapping it and having it set off a trigger that released a pot to swing down off a shelf toward his head. He ducked it- but broke off the string, landed on a pan's handle, catapulting some leftover Lord-knows-what-he-cooked into his face. "What deh devil?" he yelled, wiping the food off his face.
"Gotcha!" Ninn's voice could be heard from up the stairs- obviously she was sitting there, waiting for her trap to be set off.
Jonesy and Tyson both looked at each other, knowing what had happened to them: They had been pranked. "This is WAR!" Jonesy declared, loud enough for Ninn- and the entire ship- to hear.
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A/N: Wow, this was a long one to write… but so worth it! XD Reviews are welcome, but if you send flames, you are welcome to… a) hit yourself with a brick b) run head-first into a moving semi or c) dunk yourself in a barrel of steak-sauce and run past a hungry pack of wolves in the forest. Your choice ;)