Ch. 12
Disclaimer the twelveth: Uh, yeah, you know.
Despite the fact that she was still a little tired and a whole lot sore and bruised, Amelia awoke at her normal morning hour, the same time of day that first greeted her since her days in the academy. Despite the fact that she could have easily dozed away a good two or three more hours, the military woman inside of her kept nagging away at her, telling her to get her "sorry maggot butt" out of bed. She sat up and threw the covers off of her, hissing slightly as her warm, bare skin came in contact with the cooler air of the room. She fought the urge to burrow back under the blankets and dragged herself into her private bathroom, careful to be as quiet as possible, so as not to wake her sleeping companion. She turned on a shower, letting the water heat up to a comfortable temperature, and jumped in. She just stood there for a moment, reveling in the warm temperature of the water, and reflecting upon the meeting she would undoubtedly have to call with the two other captains later that day. She had learned quite a bit about her captors and the plans they had in store for the galaxy, and she felt it was going to take a REALLY hot shower and a REALLY strong coffee to get her through all the information. She bathed quickly, and emerged from the bathroom, a trail of steam following her. On her way back into the room, she nearly tripped over Doppler's clothing, which lay discarded quite haphazardly on the floor.
*Dammit, Delbert, you slob.*
She picked up the garments, and folded each one quickly, laying them on a rich blue velour chair in the corner of the room. She headed to her dark wood wardrobe and pulled out a clean uniform. She had just about finished dressing when she heard movement coming from the bed. She cast a glance back to her rumpled, unmade bed (a sight which made her cringe, but she couldn't very well make it right now, could she?) to see Delbert toss once, twice, and a third time for good measure until finally getting comfortable once more. In the process, he had managed to flail his arm over the bedside table, knocking over a small wooden box, her uniform hat, and his glasses.
*God, he's a mess even in his sleep,* she chuckled to herself.
She picked up her hat and the box and set them back onto their rightful place on her table. She then stooped to get his glasses, taking a moment to observe the lenses and be sure that they weren't damaged. She brushed a bit of dust off of them and set them back on the table, well away from where he might have a chance to knock them over again. She regarded him a second time, now quietly slumbering in the position he had so painstakingly chosen, lying on his stomach, right arm tucked under his pillow, left arm stretched straight out toward the other side of the bed, as if somehow reserving the spot for her for when she chose to return. His legs were in a vicious tangle with the blankets now, and she suspected a good deal of her crisp white sheets were now in that tangled knot. She smiled inwardly as she moved to detangle him. She moved slowly and deliberately, pulling the bedcovers from the gigantic heap he had somehow formed, and placing them back over him, sheltering his unclothed back from the chilled air. She knelt over the bedside to kiss his brow gently, and whispered in his ear, "Make my bed when you wake up." He shifted slightly, exhaled deeply, then returned to his still slumber. She ran her hand down his arm, all the way down past his "abnormally thin wrist" to his hand. She brought his palm to her lips and kissed it once, wishing she were still asleep next to him, and wishing even more that she could take him up on his suggestion for another round of lovemaking. Still, duty called. She squeezed his hand and headed for the door. *Ten drubloons says he won't make that bed.*
***********************
Delbert woke to an empty bed, which he was expecting anyway. Everytime he had gone with her on a particularly long trip, she was always up and on the deck long before he even half awoke. But given the line of recent events, his eyes flew around the room, searching for something, anything, that would reveal to him that she was really in fact still here and the whole previous night wasn't just some wonderful-- TERRIFICALLY wonderful dream. He scanned the room from ceiling to floor, past her dark, hand carved wardrobe, over her small, matching dresser with the opulent mirror, all the way to the blue chair in the corner. He smiled broadly when he saw his clothes folded neatly on the seat--he had discarded them in his haste last night and left them lying on the floor neglected; no doubt Amelia saw them and couldn't bear to leave her room without seeing it spotless. He settled back down into the pillows, his heart rate slowing now that he knew that his love was here, and here to stay. He threw a glance out of the large window in her room-- the bluish etherium was floating outside his window, looking still and calm as they lay stagnant in space. Amelia was probably cooped up inside a stateroom right now instead of enjoying the peaceful "weather"; after they had finished with their most pressing "needs" last night, she had laid sleepily in his arms, mumbling about having to speak with the other captains and hoping Raymond would see fit to show up at a reasonable hour. She had then fallen asleep for the first time, and Delbert had lay there, watching her dream. He remembered how gorgeous she had looked last night, with the etherium's light casting an almost angelic glow over her face; since she was asleep, he could take time to let his mind reel over everything, all the emotions involved in the "loss" of Amelia. He had then remembered the day she set out for this whole infernal journey, a thought which in turn reminded him of his failed proposal to her. He had remembered that he still had her ring on him, in the pocket of his vest, and was contemplating waking her and asking her then, but it was late, and she looked so splendid, lying there asleep.
He smiled to himself as he recalled her waking just a minute or so later, ordering him to sleep or else. *I guess it's a good thing that I didn't go for the ring then. She would have woken up to see me sifting through my clothes for it, and that would have totally ruined the element of surprise. And what--*
He stopped.
*Oh DAMN...!*
Pulling the sheets around him subconsciously, he leapt out of bed (quite literally) and bounded over to his folded clothes. *If she folded the vest...then...*
He threw the neatly folded pants and shirt back onto the floor, and his jacket soon joined it, as he rummaged through his small pile of things, searching frantically for the beige vest. It was nowhere to be found.
*Oh my god!* he began pacing back and forth, *How could this happen? All this time, all my preparations, worrying...and here it's ruined because I couldn't take TWO SECONDS of consideration! Now Amelia probably knows all about it, and all thanks to my over-zealousness for some s--*
In all his frenetic circle-turning, Delbert failed to realize that the rather large sheets he was holding were becoming more and more progressively tangled around his moving legs until--WHAM! he hit the ground face first.
*Well this is good,* he thought wryly, *Let's add insult to injury.* He began to pick himself up off the floor when he spotted it.
Under the bed, in a small heap, was his elusive vest.
How it got under there, he would never know, but Delbert Doppler was silently thanking his lucky stars that the article of clothing had found its way under the bed, where Amelia hadn't bothered to look for it, and thus hadn't folded it.
His secret was safe.
*****************
"So there you have it gents," Amelia spoke, leaning back in her chair, "That's all I know about our attackers."
Eigram peered at her from over the tea cup he was drinking from. He put down the fragile white china cup that had been handcrafted on his homeworld and let out a low whistle. "I must say, you did get quite a bit of information."
"Quite a wonderful job, Amelia," Raymond nodded at her, "Not that I would expect anything less from you."
"So basically," Eigram tried to review, "This group wants to take over the empire. They have some allies in this system, and if Carysa makes it back to Nexus VII faster than we do, Carysa will be crowned queen, then she'll see that all of that planet's allies will join their cause, if unwillingly. In the process, the pirates have placed an "inside man" in the royal palace to pose a threat to the Queen of the empire herself. So therefore we have to return Ahai to Nexus VII, warn the Queen and apprehend the fugitive amongst her staff, AND get together a fleet at Cresentia to counter the attacks that apparently will take place on quite a few systems from here to god knows where. Am I understanding you correctly, captain?"
"Yes," Amelia said, "I realize it's a daunting task. It's likely we'll have to split up once we have the Legacy up and running. It's the only way we'll be able to do all that before the rogues decide to attack."
"Split up?" Raymond asked, "I don't think that's wise, dear."
Amelia shot him a look that clearly said, 'If you ever call me "dear" again, I swear I'll pop your eyeballs right out of your head with my bare hands.' "We don't have much of a choice I'm afraid. I found out the majority of this information when I stumbled upon their frequency while trying to get in contact with you for a rescue. That was a week ago. They may already be proceeding with the plan."
Eigram squeezed his eyes shut in thought, and his stateroom went silent for a few moments. The male feline let out a great sigh, then turned toward the other two captains. "Alright. We should have the Legacy moving independently in two days or less. I'll have the engineering crews work double shifts. When the ship is repaired, I think Raymond's ship should be the one to return to Cresentia. It's not in great shape, but it'll probably make the trip a lot easier than the Legacy can manage right now. I'll take the prince back to Nexus VII on my ship, being that I'm the only one with a fully operational defense system. Amelia, you should take the Legacy to Her Majesty's homeworld; it's a little bit of a shorter distance there than to either of our destinations and I'm sure the Legacy could handle the shortest trip."
Amelia nodded slowly in agreeance. "Yes; that's a good plan, Eigram. We'll leave as soon as repairs to my ship are finished."
Raymond shifted in his sheet uncomfortably, mumbling to himself.
"Is there a problem, Raymond?" Eigram asked, reaching for his tea again, "Uncomfortable?"
"Yes," he spat, "While you were up here sitting on your ass, I was down on that raging inferno of hell getting shot in the leg. So forgive me if I'm in a tiny bit of blinding, searing pain. Not to mention, this whole voyage has been one disaster after another. I think splitting up is going to get us all killed."
"Maybe so," Amelia said, "But I don't see any other way. Surely you aren't AFRAID?"
Raymond scoffed as he sat up tall in his chair, "Honestly. Me?"
"Very well then, stop complaining," Amelia smirked, standing up from her chair, "I'm going to notify my engineering crew of the pressing need to get us up and running again."
Eigram also stood. "I shall do the same with mine. We can meet up again tomorrow morning."
Raymond stood awkwardly and followed the two felines as they left the stateroom. Eigram proceeded to his lower deck, and Amelia began to head for her own ship. She was just about to climb onto the extension ramp leading to it when a large, firm hand gripped her shoulder. She turned to see Raymond standing there, showing off a large smile, white teeth flashing. "Join me for lunch, Amelia."
Amelia shrugged out from under his grip. "I have plans."
"Cancel them."
"I can't."
"Sure you can."
"Alright then. I won't."
Raymond frowned. "After I go to all the trouble of rescuing you, this is the thanks I get?"
"As I do recall, *I* saved YOU."
"Still..."
"Look," she interrupted him, "I have to notify my crew about speeding up repairs. After that I have meal plans with the doctor, whom I haven't shared a meal with in well over a month."
She climbed onto the ramp and crossed over to her deck, with Raymond tagging along behind her closely. "You haven't ever shared a meal with me."
"I just had breakfast with you in Eigram's stateroom," Amelia said, exasperated, "Were you not there for that whole conference?"
"That doesn't count!" Raymond insisted with a wave of the hand, "I meant an informal meal."
Amelia stood silent a moment, just staring at him. "Hmm, you know, you're right."
Raymond grinned.
"Too bad really. I'll tell you what--I'll schedule a lunch with you on your iguana's 30th birthday. We'll all dine together-- you, me, and that nasty reptilian-- it'll be splendid."
Raymond regarded her, confused. "Don't you mean thirteenth? They don't live to be thirty."
"Oh really?" Amelia said, knowing full well that the pet would be pushing up daisies before his 30th year, "Well that's a shame; I was REALLY looking forward to our day out, but if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. You know---'That's how the cookie crumbles' and all that jazz. Anyway I have a rather lovely menu of food waiting for me along with an equally lovely Canian date. Now if you'll excuse me." She pushed past Raymond and headed for the desks below. Raymond stood there a minute, still not fathoming why Amelia, or any woman for that fact would reject him...and so many times.
**************
Delbert Doppler emerged on the deck just twenty minutes after dressing, with a sinking feeling that he was forgetting something. The thought nagged at the back of his head as he headed toward the main deck, where he hoped to get word on how much longer Amelia's meeting would last--after all, he was hoping to maybe share a quiet lunch with her. He was about to descend the stairs down to the deck when he saw Amelia and Raymond, apparently in the middle of a banter. He couldn't make out what she was saying over the loud noises of the repair crews nearby, but from the look on her face, she was satisfied by the way the conversation was turning out. He watched as Raymond's face went sour at something she told him, then as the male captain regarded her as she shoved past him and walked toward the bowels of the ship, not turning back once. The look on his face then faded to confused and frustrated, as if he were struggling with some sort of eternal problem. Doppler watched him as he mumbled to himself, and laughed at the larger man's stubbornness. Raymond took that moment, however, to look up and see the doctor on the bridge above him, chuckling at his plight.
"Something funny, Doppler?" Raymond barked, interrupting the doctor's laugh.
"Nothing, nothing," Delbert said, waving a hand in the air nonchalantly, "The meeting's over then?"
Raymond grunted in reply with a short nod.
"Splendid. Now where is Amelia off to?"
"Engineering."
"Over something that was said this morning?"
"That's none of your concern," Raymond said loftily, "You don't look like a ranking officer to me. Keep your nose on your face, civilian."
Raymond had been making comments like such the whole trip, and though they had all seemed to rub Delbert the wrong way, the Canian was just in such a good mood this morning that he smiled broadly. "Well, didn't we have a bad evening last night."
"I was shot in the leg you ignoramus," Raymond growled, "You try sleeping with a gaping laser wound in your thigh and you tell me how nice your evening is. Here, I'll blow a hole in your quadriceps right now." He reached for his pistol, then sighed in frustration when he noticed he didn't have it on him.
"I believe you, sir, and I truly feel for you now. I would have shown you more sympathy last night, but you know how it is; I was FAR too busy having the most wonderful, blissful midnight romp I've ever had in my life. Believe me, you'd put off giving some arrogant captain your fondest sympathies if you had coming what I did. So now that the lovely sex is over, let me give you my most sincere condolences." With that said, Doppler turned on his heel and re-entered Amelia's stateroom, determined to wait for her there.
Meanwhile, Raymond limped angrily back to his own vessel, trying to control his rising blood pressure. "I HATE that man."
*******************
Eigram was true to his word, and the Legacy was capable of flight in only two days. The three captains all met on board the Nefarious on that second morning, conversing quietly on the massive bridge, the cold wind of the etherium whipping around them. Delbert was standing next to B.E.N. on the main deck of the same ship, going over star charts and navigational information with the Nefarious' chief navigator. There was a good possibility that the Nefarious could run into the same turbulence and storms that the Nautilus had faced coming in, so Doppler wanted to see that the ship was aware of the latest etherium "weather." *Not that I care what happens to Raymond, but still.* He had just finished going over what he believed to be the fastest way back to Cresentia (if a tad risky) with the lieutenant when the captains' discussion broke up. Delbert offered his lover a smile as she approached him.
"Everything set, captain?"
"Almost, doctor. There's a small matter which I'd like to discuss with you."
Shrugging, Delbert pulled himself away from the charts and followed her back to the Nefarious' galley, where they could talk privately. Amelia leaned up against one of the long, black tables and looked straight into his eyes. Delbert glanced back.
"Well my dear, what's wrong? Surely it must be pressing; I'd have thought we'd be boarding the Legacy by now, waiting to depart."
She smiled. "Nothing's wrong, really."
"Oh? Well, why don't we head over to your ship and we'll discuss whatever it is you'd like to say--this galley gives me the creeps," Delbert said with a shiver. He was concerned with good reason--the galley was dark, with crimson walls and ominous-looking cutlery hanging on the wall. A butchered meat cut hung from the ceiling, preserved in salt.
"I would, but...You won't be coming on board the Legacy."
Delbert blinked in confusion. "What?"
"You've been asked to join the Nefarious."
"What--why?"
"They're heading through some ugly space---you know that."
"I was just giving their navigator all the pointers he'll need."
"Still, it's much better to have an experienced astrophysicist on your hands."
"What about you?"
She smiled again. "Oh come now. You know perfectly well that once you hit Persona Prime it's smooth sailing. All well-used merchant routes--tried and true."
"Raymond won't take my advise anyway," he tried a different tack.
"He may hate you, love, but he's an officer of the Royal Navy. He could get court-martialed for not taking an expert opinion and causing the deaths of some crewmembers. I don't think he's willing to give up a long career to hold his grudge."
Delbert tried to protest again, but instead sighed in frustration, and began pacing to calm himself, knowing that the brilliant woman in front of him probably had a counter to any excuse he could come up with.
"Really now, why does this bother you so much? Not Raymond?"
"Oh screw him," Delbert said, then added, "Sorry."
Amelia shook her head as if to say "Think nothing of it."
"What then?"
He stopped his pacing and faced her, his eyes intense. "I spend weeks, months, longing for you, looking for you, and now, after three and a half days, they want to just take you away from me? They want to send you to some planet, into some palace with a hostile intelligence agent that you don't even know the identity of? And all the while they want me to just sit on my hands and navigate some cocky jackass through some cosmic storms? You could DIE, Amelia. They expect me to just say, 'Hell, it's all right with me'?"
She kissed him softly, ending his tirade. "Delbert, listen. I've been in much worse situations than this. I've been trained on how to handle these sorts of dealings. I assure you that no harm will come to me. And believe me, I'm not thrilled by us being separated either-- these last few days with you have been just wonderful--but our respective talents are needed in different places. The galaxy's in danger, love. Everything we enjoy living for is threatened. That's why I need you to use your education, your aptitude to help the Nefarious get back and get help before we have a much bigger problem on our hands--a problem which might separate us permanently. No matter how much we both might hate the idea, we have to do it."
He gazed into her big green eyes that were begging, pleading him to understand. His shoulders drooped and he looked down at the dark galley floor. "You're right."
"I know. I'm always right," she smirked as it elicited a grin from him as well, "I know you'll do a fantastic job in helping this cause, dear. Eigram recommended you himself."
"Did he?" he asked, looking up.
She nodded. "Says you're a very capable man. But then again, I already knew that." She kissed him a second time, wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing him to pull her close. They held the kiss for about a minute or so, then stood for a brief moment, holding each other. Delbert let go first.
"Promise me you'll be safe."
"I promise."
Amelia started out of the galley, heading for the deck. She was about halfway out the door when she turned back to Doppler.
"I love you."
"And I, you."
She beamed for a brief moment, then let her facial expression slip back to that of "The Captain" as she stepped out onto the deck.
Delbert stood there a moment in the dark, watching the meat cut as it hung from it's small chain, it's reflection blurry in the shiny steel blades hanging off the red walls. His mind was awash with a thousand thoughts.
He looked at the floor, at the doorway out of which Amelia had departed, and at the floor again. She would likely skin him alive, but...
He darted out the door and headed for the deck, where Amelia had just stepped off the boarding plank onto the Legacy. He ran to the edge of the Nefarious' hull, and peered off the edge.
"Amelia!"
Raymond and a few others stopped, startled by the fact that the Canian had referred to her by her first name. Amelia herself turned around, and regarded the doctor with two raised eyebrows.
Delbert inhaled one large breath, gathering up enough air so she would most assuredly hear him.
"Will you marry me?"
To be continued...
Mwahaha! Whoo hoo! I wrote this instead of studying so--go me. LOL. Anyway...I would have updated sooner, but I've been nice and sick lately, so I've been sleeping away as much time as I could get. But I hoped you enjoyed this chapter anyway...More to come. More love to all my loyal reviewers! You are the best!
BTW--Katie, "farking" is the damn coolest word I've ever heard.
Aloha,
J.
Disclaimer the twelveth: Uh, yeah, you know.
Despite the fact that she was still a little tired and a whole lot sore and bruised, Amelia awoke at her normal morning hour, the same time of day that first greeted her since her days in the academy. Despite the fact that she could have easily dozed away a good two or three more hours, the military woman inside of her kept nagging away at her, telling her to get her "sorry maggot butt" out of bed. She sat up and threw the covers off of her, hissing slightly as her warm, bare skin came in contact with the cooler air of the room. She fought the urge to burrow back under the blankets and dragged herself into her private bathroom, careful to be as quiet as possible, so as not to wake her sleeping companion. She turned on a shower, letting the water heat up to a comfortable temperature, and jumped in. She just stood there for a moment, reveling in the warm temperature of the water, and reflecting upon the meeting she would undoubtedly have to call with the two other captains later that day. She had learned quite a bit about her captors and the plans they had in store for the galaxy, and she felt it was going to take a REALLY hot shower and a REALLY strong coffee to get her through all the information. She bathed quickly, and emerged from the bathroom, a trail of steam following her. On her way back into the room, she nearly tripped over Doppler's clothing, which lay discarded quite haphazardly on the floor.
*Dammit, Delbert, you slob.*
She picked up the garments, and folded each one quickly, laying them on a rich blue velour chair in the corner of the room. She headed to her dark wood wardrobe and pulled out a clean uniform. She had just about finished dressing when she heard movement coming from the bed. She cast a glance back to her rumpled, unmade bed (a sight which made her cringe, but she couldn't very well make it right now, could she?) to see Delbert toss once, twice, and a third time for good measure until finally getting comfortable once more. In the process, he had managed to flail his arm over the bedside table, knocking over a small wooden box, her uniform hat, and his glasses.
*God, he's a mess even in his sleep,* she chuckled to herself.
She picked up her hat and the box and set them back onto their rightful place on her table. She then stooped to get his glasses, taking a moment to observe the lenses and be sure that they weren't damaged. She brushed a bit of dust off of them and set them back on the table, well away from where he might have a chance to knock them over again. She regarded him a second time, now quietly slumbering in the position he had so painstakingly chosen, lying on his stomach, right arm tucked under his pillow, left arm stretched straight out toward the other side of the bed, as if somehow reserving the spot for her for when she chose to return. His legs were in a vicious tangle with the blankets now, and she suspected a good deal of her crisp white sheets were now in that tangled knot. She smiled inwardly as she moved to detangle him. She moved slowly and deliberately, pulling the bedcovers from the gigantic heap he had somehow formed, and placing them back over him, sheltering his unclothed back from the chilled air. She knelt over the bedside to kiss his brow gently, and whispered in his ear, "Make my bed when you wake up." He shifted slightly, exhaled deeply, then returned to his still slumber. She ran her hand down his arm, all the way down past his "abnormally thin wrist" to his hand. She brought his palm to her lips and kissed it once, wishing she were still asleep next to him, and wishing even more that she could take him up on his suggestion for another round of lovemaking. Still, duty called. She squeezed his hand and headed for the door. *Ten drubloons says he won't make that bed.*
***********************
Delbert woke to an empty bed, which he was expecting anyway. Everytime he had gone with her on a particularly long trip, she was always up and on the deck long before he even half awoke. But given the line of recent events, his eyes flew around the room, searching for something, anything, that would reveal to him that she was really in fact still here and the whole previous night wasn't just some wonderful-- TERRIFICALLY wonderful dream. He scanned the room from ceiling to floor, past her dark, hand carved wardrobe, over her small, matching dresser with the opulent mirror, all the way to the blue chair in the corner. He smiled broadly when he saw his clothes folded neatly on the seat--he had discarded them in his haste last night and left them lying on the floor neglected; no doubt Amelia saw them and couldn't bear to leave her room without seeing it spotless. He settled back down into the pillows, his heart rate slowing now that he knew that his love was here, and here to stay. He threw a glance out of the large window in her room-- the bluish etherium was floating outside his window, looking still and calm as they lay stagnant in space. Amelia was probably cooped up inside a stateroom right now instead of enjoying the peaceful "weather"; after they had finished with their most pressing "needs" last night, she had laid sleepily in his arms, mumbling about having to speak with the other captains and hoping Raymond would see fit to show up at a reasonable hour. She had then fallen asleep for the first time, and Delbert had lay there, watching her dream. He remembered how gorgeous she had looked last night, with the etherium's light casting an almost angelic glow over her face; since she was asleep, he could take time to let his mind reel over everything, all the emotions involved in the "loss" of Amelia. He had then remembered the day she set out for this whole infernal journey, a thought which in turn reminded him of his failed proposal to her. He had remembered that he still had her ring on him, in the pocket of his vest, and was contemplating waking her and asking her then, but it was late, and she looked so splendid, lying there asleep.
He smiled to himself as he recalled her waking just a minute or so later, ordering him to sleep or else. *I guess it's a good thing that I didn't go for the ring then. She would have woken up to see me sifting through my clothes for it, and that would have totally ruined the element of surprise. And what--*
He stopped.
*Oh DAMN...!*
Pulling the sheets around him subconsciously, he leapt out of bed (quite literally) and bounded over to his folded clothes. *If she folded the vest...then...*
He threw the neatly folded pants and shirt back onto the floor, and his jacket soon joined it, as he rummaged through his small pile of things, searching frantically for the beige vest. It was nowhere to be found.
*Oh my god!* he began pacing back and forth, *How could this happen? All this time, all my preparations, worrying...and here it's ruined because I couldn't take TWO SECONDS of consideration! Now Amelia probably knows all about it, and all thanks to my over-zealousness for some s--*
In all his frenetic circle-turning, Delbert failed to realize that the rather large sheets he was holding were becoming more and more progressively tangled around his moving legs until--WHAM! he hit the ground face first.
*Well this is good,* he thought wryly, *Let's add insult to injury.* He began to pick himself up off the floor when he spotted it.
Under the bed, in a small heap, was his elusive vest.
How it got under there, he would never know, but Delbert Doppler was silently thanking his lucky stars that the article of clothing had found its way under the bed, where Amelia hadn't bothered to look for it, and thus hadn't folded it.
His secret was safe.
*****************
"So there you have it gents," Amelia spoke, leaning back in her chair, "That's all I know about our attackers."
Eigram peered at her from over the tea cup he was drinking from. He put down the fragile white china cup that had been handcrafted on his homeworld and let out a low whistle. "I must say, you did get quite a bit of information."
"Quite a wonderful job, Amelia," Raymond nodded at her, "Not that I would expect anything less from you."
"So basically," Eigram tried to review, "This group wants to take over the empire. They have some allies in this system, and if Carysa makes it back to Nexus VII faster than we do, Carysa will be crowned queen, then she'll see that all of that planet's allies will join their cause, if unwillingly. In the process, the pirates have placed an "inside man" in the royal palace to pose a threat to the Queen of the empire herself. So therefore we have to return Ahai to Nexus VII, warn the Queen and apprehend the fugitive amongst her staff, AND get together a fleet at Cresentia to counter the attacks that apparently will take place on quite a few systems from here to god knows where. Am I understanding you correctly, captain?"
"Yes," Amelia said, "I realize it's a daunting task. It's likely we'll have to split up once we have the Legacy up and running. It's the only way we'll be able to do all that before the rogues decide to attack."
"Split up?" Raymond asked, "I don't think that's wise, dear."
Amelia shot him a look that clearly said, 'If you ever call me "dear" again, I swear I'll pop your eyeballs right out of your head with my bare hands.' "We don't have much of a choice I'm afraid. I found out the majority of this information when I stumbled upon their frequency while trying to get in contact with you for a rescue. That was a week ago. They may already be proceeding with the plan."
Eigram squeezed his eyes shut in thought, and his stateroom went silent for a few moments. The male feline let out a great sigh, then turned toward the other two captains. "Alright. We should have the Legacy moving independently in two days or less. I'll have the engineering crews work double shifts. When the ship is repaired, I think Raymond's ship should be the one to return to Cresentia. It's not in great shape, but it'll probably make the trip a lot easier than the Legacy can manage right now. I'll take the prince back to Nexus VII on my ship, being that I'm the only one with a fully operational defense system. Amelia, you should take the Legacy to Her Majesty's homeworld; it's a little bit of a shorter distance there than to either of our destinations and I'm sure the Legacy could handle the shortest trip."
Amelia nodded slowly in agreeance. "Yes; that's a good plan, Eigram. We'll leave as soon as repairs to my ship are finished."
Raymond shifted in his sheet uncomfortably, mumbling to himself.
"Is there a problem, Raymond?" Eigram asked, reaching for his tea again, "Uncomfortable?"
"Yes," he spat, "While you were up here sitting on your ass, I was down on that raging inferno of hell getting shot in the leg. So forgive me if I'm in a tiny bit of blinding, searing pain. Not to mention, this whole voyage has been one disaster after another. I think splitting up is going to get us all killed."
"Maybe so," Amelia said, "But I don't see any other way. Surely you aren't AFRAID?"
Raymond scoffed as he sat up tall in his chair, "Honestly. Me?"
"Very well then, stop complaining," Amelia smirked, standing up from her chair, "I'm going to notify my engineering crew of the pressing need to get us up and running again."
Eigram also stood. "I shall do the same with mine. We can meet up again tomorrow morning."
Raymond stood awkwardly and followed the two felines as they left the stateroom. Eigram proceeded to his lower deck, and Amelia began to head for her own ship. She was just about to climb onto the extension ramp leading to it when a large, firm hand gripped her shoulder. She turned to see Raymond standing there, showing off a large smile, white teeth flashing. "Join me for lunch, Amelia."
Amelia shrugged out from under his grip. "I have plans."
"Cancel them."
"I can't."
"Sure you can."
"Alright then. I won't."
Raymond frowned. "After I go to all the trouble of rescuing you, this is the thanks I get?"
"As I do recall, *I* saved YOU."
"Still..."
"Look," she interrupted him, "I have to notify my crew about speeding up repairs. After that I have meal plans with the doctor, whom I haven't shared a meal with in well over a month."
She climbed onto the ramp and crossed over to her deck, with Raymond tagging along behind her closely. "You haven't ever shared a meal with me."
"I just had breakfast with you in Eigram's stateroom," Amelia said, exasperated, "Were you not there for that whole conference?"
"That doesn't count!" Raymond insisted with a wave of the hand, "I meant an informal meal."
Amelia stood silent a moment, just staring at him. "Hmm, you know, you're right."
Raymond grinned.
"Too bad really. I'll tell you what--I'll schedule a lunch with you on your iguana's 30th birthday. We'll all dine together-- you, me, and that nasty reptilian-- it'll be splendid."
Raymond regarded her, confused. "Don't you mean thirteenth? They don't live to be thirty."
"Oh really?" Amelia said, knowing full well that the pet would be pushing up daisies before his 30th year, "Well that's a shame; I was REALLY looking forward to our day out, but if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. You know---'That's how the cookie crumbles' and all that jazz. Anyway I have a rather lovely menu of food waiting for me along with an equally lovely Canian date. Now if you'll excuse me." She pushed past Raymond and headed for the desks below. Raymond stood there a minute, still not fathoming why Amelia, or any woman for that fact would reject him...and so many times.
**************
Delbert Doppler emerged on the deck just twenty minutes after dressing, with a sinking feeling that he was forgetting something. The thought nagged at the back of his head as he headed toward the main deck, where he hoped to get word on how much longer Amelia's meeting would last--after all, he was hoping to maybe share a quiet lunch with her. He was about to descend the stairs down to the deck when he saw Amelia and Raymond, apparently in the middle of a banter. He couldn't make out what she was saying over the loud noises of the repair crews nearby, but from the look on her face, she was satisfied by the way the conversation was turning out. He watched as Raymond's face went sour at something she told him, then as the male captain regarded her as she shoved past him and walked toward the bowels of the ship, not turning back once. The look on his face then faded to confused and frustrated, as if he were struggling with some sort of eternal problem. Doppler watched him as he mumbled to himself, and laughed at the larger man's stubbornness. Raymond took that moment, however, to look up and see the doctor on the bridge above him, chuckling at his plight.
"Something funny, Doppler?" Raymond barked, interrupting the doctor's laugh.
"Nothing, nothing," Delbert said, waving a hand in the air nonchalantly, "The meeting's over then?"
Raymond grunted in reply with a short nod.
"Splendid. Now where is Amelia off to?"
"Engineering."
"Over something that was said this morning?"
"That's none of your concern," Raymond said loftily, "You don't look like a ranking officer to me. Keep your nose on your face, civilian."
Raymond had been making comments like such the whole trip, and though they had all seemed to rub Delbert the wrong way, the Canian was just in such a good mood this morning that he smiled broadly. "Well, didn't we have a bad evening last night."
"I was shot in the leg you ignoramus," Raymond growled, "You try sleeping with a gaping laser wound in your thigh and you tell me how nice your evening is. Here, I'll blow a hole in your quadriceps right now." He reached for his pistol, then sighed in frustration when he noticed he didn't have it on him.
"I believe you, sir, and I truly feel for you now. I would have shown you more sympathy last night, but you know how it is; I was FAR too busy having the most wonderful, blissful midnight romp I've ever had in my life. Believe me, you'd put off giving some arrogant captain your fondest sympathies if you had coming what I did. So now that the lovely sex is over, let me give you my most sincere condolences." With that said, Doppler turned on his heel and re-entered Amelia's stateroom, determined to wait for her there.
Meanwhile, Raymond limped angrily back to his own vessel, trying to control his rising blood pressure. "I HATE that man."
*******************
Eigram was true to his word, and the Legacy was capable of flight in only two days. The three captains all met on board the Nefarious on that second morning, conversing quietly on the massive bridge, the cold wind of the etherium whipping around them. Delbert was standing next to B.E.N. on the main deck of the same ship, going over star charts and navigational information with the Nefarious' chief navigator. There was a good possibility that the Nefarious could run into the same turbulence and storms that the Nautilus had faced coming in, so Doppler wanted to see that the ship was aware of the latest etherium "weather." *Not that I care what happens to Raymond, but still.* He had just finished going over what he believed to be the fastest way back to Cresentia (if a tad risky) with the lieutenant when the captains' discussion broke up. Delbert offered his lover a smile as she approached him.
"Everything set, captain?"
"Almost, doctor. There's a small matter which I'd like to discuss with you."
Shrugging, Delbert pulled himself away from the charts and followed her back to the Nefarious' galley, where they could talk privately. Amelia leaned up against one of the long, black tables and looked straight into his eyes. Delbert glanced back.
"Well my dear, what's wrong? Surely it must be pressing; I'd have thought we'd be boarding the Legacy by now, waiting to depart."
She smiled. "Nothing's wrong, really."
"Oh? Well, why don't we head over to your ship and we'll discuss whatever it is you'd like to say--this galley gives me the creeps," Delbert said with a shiver. He was concerned with good reason--the galley was dark, with crimson walls and ominous-looking cutlery hanging on the wall. A butchered meat cut hung from the ceiling, preserved in salt.
"I would, but...You won't be coming on board the Legacy."
Delbert blinked in confusion. "What?"
"You've been asked to join the Nefarious."
"What--why?"
"They're heading through some ugly space---you know that."
"I was just giving their navigator all the pointers he'll need."
"Still, it's much better to have an experienced astrophysicist on your hands."
"What about you?"
She smiled again. "Oh come now. You know perfectly well that once you hit Persona Prime it's smooth sailing. All well-used merchant routes--tried and true."
"Raymond won't take my advise anyway," he tried a different tack.
"He may hate you, love, but he's an officer of the Royal Navy. He could get court-martialed for not taking an expert opinion and causing the deaths of some crewmembers. I don't think he's willing to give up a long career to hold his grudge."
Delbert tried to protest again, but instead sighed in frustration, and began pacing to calm himself, knowing that the brilliant woman in front of him probably had a counter to any excuse he could come up with.
"Really now, why does this bother you so much? Not Raymond?"
"Oh screw him," Delbert said, then added, "Sorry."
Amelia shook her head as if to say "Think nothing of it."
"What then?"
He stopped his pacing and faced her, his eyes intense. "I spend weeks, months, longing for you, looking for you, and now, after three and a half days, they want to just take you away from me? They want to send you to some planet, into some palace with a hostile intelligence agent that you don't even know the identity of? And all the while they want me to just sit on my hands and navigate some cocky jackass through some cosmic storms? You could DIE, Amelia. They expect me to just say, 'Hell, it's all right with me'?"
She kissed him softly, ending his tirade. "Delbert, listen. I've been in much worse situations than this. I've been trained on how to handle these sorts of dealings. I assure you that no harm will come to me. And believe me, I'm not thrilled by us being separated either-- these last few days with you have been just wonderful--but our respective talents are needed in different places. The galaxy's in danger, love. Everything we enjoy living for is threatened. That's why I need you to use your education, your aptitude to help the Nefarious get back and get help before we have a much bigger problem on our hands--a problem which might separate us permanently. No matter how much we both might hate the idea, we have to do it."
He gazed into her big green eyes that were begging, pleading him to understand. His shoulders drooped and he looked down at the dark galley floor. "You're right."
"I know. I'm always right," she smirked as it elicited a grin from him as well, "I know you'll do a fantastic job in helping this cause, dear. Eigram recommended you himself."
"Did he?" he asked, looking up.
She nodded. "Says you're a very capable man. But then again, I already knew that." She kissed him a second time, wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing him to pull her close. They held the kiss for about a minute or so, then stood for a brief moment, holding each other. Delbert let go first.
"Promise me you'll be safe."
"I promise."
Amelia started out of the galley, heading for the deck. She was about halfway out the door when she turned back to Doppler.
"I love you."
"And I, you."
She beamed for a brief moment, then let her facial expression slip back to that of "The Captain" as she stepped out onto the deck.
Delbert stood there a moment in the dark, watching the meat cut as it hung from it's small chain, it's reflection blurry in the shiny steel blades hanging off the red walls. His mind was awash with a thousand thoughts.
He looked at the floor, at the doorway out of which Amelia had departed, and at the floor again. She would likely skin him alive, but...
He darted out the door and headed for the deck, where Amelia had just stepped off the boarding plank onto the Legacy. He ran to the edge of the Nefarious' hull, and peered off the edge.
"Amelia!"
Raymond and a few others stopped, startled by the fact that the Canian had referred to her by her first name. Amelia herself turned around, and regarded the doctor with two raised eyebrows.
Delbert inhaled one large breath, gathering up enough air so she would most assuredly hear him.
"Will you marry me?"
To be continued...
Mwahaha! Whoo hoo! I wrote this instead of studying so--go me. LOL. Anyway...I would have updated sooner, but I've been nice and sick lately, so I've been sleeping away as much time as I could get. But I hoped you enjoyed this chapter anyway...More to come. More love to all my loyal reviewers! You are the best!
BTW--Katie, "farking" is the damn coolest word I've ever heard.
Aloha,
J.
