Chapter 25 – One nasty surprise never comes alone

Delbert and Amelia had reached the Legacy and momentarily Amelia noticed something.

"I can't believe this! Such a bloody cluster of unreliable, goddamned, accurs-!"

"Amelia!", Delbert interrupted hastily, "you promised not to curse anymore."

Amelia looked at him in an annoyed way. Then she walked up the gangplank and sighed.

"Yes, I know. But look at this", she said, pointing over the deck after arriving, "You know what I really don't tolerate on my ship!?"

Delbert thought for a moment. Then he tapped his finger on his chin and looked up into the sky.

"Yeah, sure. First there is unpunctuality. Then unreliability, incompetence, fighting, disobedience and… oh yeah overtures."

Because the doctor was equipped with a very good memory he surely would have occurred to many other things but he preferred to keep it with this, afraid he could sound far too reproachful.

Suddenly he saw a light flashing in Amelia's eyes after saying the word overtures. Even before he could react in any way, Amelia had already pulled him closer, looking directly into his eyes. Delbert gulped.

"Um, Captain…What exactly are you doing?", the canid stuttered and stepped back, uncertain.

But Amelia just smiled in a very sexy way and brought his face to hers, their noses almost touching. Then she whispered with a sexy tone: "Well my dear Doctor, I think you're right. I don't tolerate any of those things you mentioned."

She smiled. Delbert thought she seemed even more sexy than before.

"Though… I would not be averse to a proximity test…"

The canid gulped again, now somehow harder.

"But C-C-Captain", he said hastily, "after a-all we are already onboard… I-I-I don't think, that-"

"Doctor", the beautiful feline interrupted him, "kiss me."

Immediately Delbert's head turned bright red like a tomato and involuntarily he felt very hot.

"B-But Captain, that-I-I-You-"

"Doctor. This was an order."

By saying this, her word left no doubt.

Does the crew really mean nothing to her? What if they see us, Delbert thought worried.

The feline could see the worry in his eyes like when reading a book and so her sexy smile changed into a loving, warm one. Her hands, that had held his collar before, stroked his cheeks gently.

"No need to worry, Delbert. When the crew arrives, I rely entirely on our senses."

Now he looked questioningly and so Amelia explained.

"Well, either I will hear them or you will smell them."

Delbert blushed. Then one could clearly see how his ears dropped down.

"You think it's too big, don't you? My nose…?"

Amelia paused for a moment before she understood what Delbert was talking about. She chuckled slightly.

"Oh Delbert, you are way too cute."

But when she saw that he was still dejected, she suddenly stood on her ten points and gently kissed the tip of his nose. The canid blushed heavily and took a deep breath. He looked around hastily, that none did come up to the deck meanwhile. This oh so sweet way of showing uncertainty was one of her reasons for that she loved this bumbling astrophysicist.

"Delbert", she then asked again.

Questioningly he looked at her.

"What's with my kiss?"

By asking this she tried to look and sound as sad as possible. Her ears put to her head; they now looked like hanging down. Her eyebrows were both raised up and her eyes were widely opened. At this her pupillary were as big as the ones of a small feline girl and her pout made the sight perfect.

Delbert blinked. He really did know a few facets of the beguiling and breathtaking feline captain now, but this sight was somehow new to him.

Without noticing Delbert had to smile. Then he reached out his hand for her cheek and stroke back a strand of her red-brown hair.

"Oh Amelia, if only you knew…", he then sighed slightly.

He didn't speak out the rest because when he looked into her eyes he knew, that she knew, what he would have said. That she could have everything from him. And so he put his hands on her waist to pull her close. Just a few moments later their lips met in a kiss like they never felt before. It was deep and described the strongest longings. Nevertheless it was, apart from all eroticism, filled with love so that they both felt like flying on the highest cloud of the etherium.

When they broke apart, they first felt silent. They were both way too busy to absorb this unequivocal declaration of love. Finally Amelia breathed in.

"That… That was…", she whispered.

"Yes, this was… really…", Delbert replied.

"Oh yeah, that was so touching!"

Immediately the two lovebirds jumped apart and looked right into the third voices direction. When they saw the person, they suddenly froze. In front of them was none other than Lord Michael Crounwel. He had a smug grin on his face when he stepped onto the main deck.

"Crounwel?! How the hell did you-?!"

"Get out of prison?", he interrupted the feline woman, whose gaze had changed within a few milliseconds. It now showed nothing than sheer hatred.

"Well, all you need are very capable lawyers and enough money to reward them for their services."

"Wait a moment!", Delbert then said, "But you had to sit because of twice attempted murder and aggravated assault in prison!"

Crounwel chuckled somehow evil.

"Well, how should I say… Oh yes. I'm afraid this decision has to be revised!"

While Crounwel said this Amelia could hear a clicking and just a few moments later the elegantly dressed man pulled out a laser pistol pointing directly at them. They both stopped immediately. Crounwel on the other hand began to walk towards them slowly. By doing so he held the gun right into Amelia's direction. He reached out for her so he could nearly touch her cheek, still pointing the pistol at her.

"Oh my dear sweet Amelia, if you'd yet decided for me…", he said, grinning when he tried to touch her. But the feline captain recoiled in disgust and hissed barely audible. Because of this Crounwel screwed up his face angrily. But fast he got his evil grin back and continued.

"Well then, Doctor", he started, still looking at Amelia, "actually I'm just here to correct my mistakes..."

Amelia's and Delbert's eyes widened momentarily.

"But now I also have the opportunity for satisfaction!"

It was just that Crounwel had ended this sentence by yelling when he, completely unexpected, slammed Delbert the handle of the gun against the temple. Delbert immediately went to the ground and soon the blood came from a small laceration on his head.

"Delbert!", Amelia screamed horrified.

She wanted to run towards him to help him but suddenly Crounwel pointed the pistol at her again.

"You keep staying there, young lady!"

"Crounwel, you are totally insane!", she yelled at him.

"That's up in the eye of the beholder!"

He looked down at Delbert and then up again to Amelia.

"Well, now to you. What do you little bitch really think who you are? To expose me like that and on top of that with such a disgusting creature like that… Well… Finally, one can expect nothing less… from the daughter of a whore!"

Amelia's eyes grew big, before they narrowed into small slits.

"You take that back immediately, you bloody bastard", she hissed with a threatening voice that brooked no doubt.

But Crounwel just laughed and looked at the female feline contemptuously.

"Well, the apple really never falls far from the tree. A canid… Tss, probably there's nothing better to find for the daughter of a whore."

"Enough is enough!", Amelia suddenly yelled.

Crounwel, who though the whole time to be in safety, was now completely surprised, when Amelia jerked out like lightning and struck the weapon aside. By doing so she had that much strength that the pistol was thrown over the deck for a few meters. Crounwel just wanted to curse, when she was only right at his side. In no time her knee jerked up and rammed into his lower abdomen. Crounwel groaned. Nevertheless he pushed her back and while Amelia staggered a bit he raises his hand and slammed his fist into her face. Immediately the feline captain went to the ground. Crounwel was holding his aching stomach. He couldn't deny that her knee had caused him big pain; she definitely knew how to defend. Nevertheless he tried to stand straight up and then walked towards her. Amelia tried to stand up, somehow fluctuating. She noticed an iron taste. She knew where it came from and so she put her hand on the corner of her mouth. She felt a warm liquid on her fingers and when she now looked at them she saw the blood.

"Damned! You bloody bastard!", she hissed and then straightened up.

Crounwel grinned amused.

"Oh, oh, oh Amelia. So the well-bred lady wants to fight like a man?"

But Amelia just smiled evil. Then she turned her head to the side and spit out some blood that had ran into her mouth. She looked back at him and then flashed at the man in front of him with scornful glimmering eyes.

"Don't worry! You won't have to justify yourself to anyone that you were beaten by a lady ... because I am not a lady!"

Now everything went unbelievable fast. Amelia jerked forward again, raised her hand and slammed into the direction of his face. But she missed him, because he was able to avoid her slam by turning to the side. He raised his hand too but Amelia could duck right in time. She turned around quickly so she could ram her elbow right into his stomach again. This strike had been sitting but nevertheless it was immediately fatal. Because at that moment when she had turned her back to him he put his right arm around her neck and began to chock her from behind. She grabbed his arm to pull it away but he was far too strong. But after all she was a feline and so she remembered of her claw like nails. With her right hand she grabbed his arm that much, that her nails drilled into through his clothes and into his skin.

"Argh! You damn bitch!", he yelled and let go off her.

Amelia took her chance to turn around fast. She took the momentum out of the turn and pulled the nails of her right hand through his face. It seemed like she would have won when Crounwel had to scream really loud because of the pain she had caused him. But suddenly he began to slam right into her direction and by that he was able to hit her sternum directly. The force of this slam threw her back that heavily, that she slammed back against the main mast. She could hear a loud crack inwardly and then she felt a tearing pain. She grabbed the hurting area and hissed. Then she sunk to the ground. Crounwel laughed scornfully.

"Well my lovely little prickly character… even if you aren't a lady anymore, you still are just a woman."

Amelia gasped.

"You… damn…b-bastard! If-argh!-If-I… wouldn't have…been hurt…then-…then you would be dead right now!"

Although he knew that she was right with that, he just laughed louder. He was still holding his aching stomach, but though he went through the deck and finally picked up the laser pistol again. A click could be heard and he turned around to her again. He pointed the weapon at the feline, laying on the ground.

"Well then, Captain Amelia Smollet! Actually I would like to shoot you now, but…"

He suddenly pointed the gun at Delbert.

"…I would like it much more to see you suffering."

"No…", Amelia brought forth in disbelief, panting heavily.

"Ha ha ha… Oh yes!"

"No! Delbert!", she screamed in horror and fully helplessness and then she began to cry.

At the same moment there was a shot.

Amelia's eyes were wide opened and the sheer panic filled her whole face.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Froze she looked at Delbert and Crounwel. All her emotions, her whole soul seemed to be broken at that one second.

…But then… she wasn't really sure, but somehow…it seemed that Crounwel wasn't the one who shot… Yes… indeed! He wasn't the one!

But who…?!

Amelia took all her strength together and raised her head to look up. And there he was. At the beginning of the gangplank was her little brother, pointing a gun into the direction, where Crounwel was standing just a few moments ago… but not anymore.

"Nathan…?"

When Amelia was just about to realize what had just happened, her strength totally left her and she passed out.