A/N: WEEE! I'm back! July was such a bitch, but here I am, again,
updating, for your enjoyment. Seriously though, right now I'm
babysitting---I just put the little girl to bed and so I brought
with me my notebook to update, since it's the only time I can
probably get to do this for a while. But I'll try really hard to
update better, I swear! Ok, with that said, thanks SOOO MUCH to
the following people:
Mia LeighArc Robby2 JenJen-Chan AAAANNNNDDDD. (*drumroll*) Tim
You guys (and gals, respectively) rock my socks!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, without further ado, Chapter Four: 'The Necklace Is the Clue.' Enjoy!
****************
Delbert was awoken by the noise of the crew coming up from breakfast. The cook, a one Mr. Nikarkova, prided himself on excellent meals, even with the most limited of resources.
Still longing for some quiet moments, Delbert rolled over and promptly fell off the bench he had lied down on. He finally opened his eyes, with a half pained, half exhausted groan, when he heard chuckling from behind him.
"Leave me alone, you," he said angrily to whomever it was that was standing behind him. It was Seymour Danish, Jim's first mate.
"Don't you laugh at me, Mr. Danish, I know the Captain."
"As I'm well aware. Actually, Doctor, I came to ask you a question," Danish replied.
"Ask away."
"How did you begin to date your wife?"
"WHAT?!" Delbert exploded. Danish blanched, looking surprised and quite rattled at Delbert's sudden outburst. "Sorry, nothing personal, it's just a... touchy subject at the moment. Why do you ask?"
"Because, well... you know that redhead, Roxanne? Yes, her, just there," he said softly, pointing out a woman about five and a half feet tall with wavy red hair that fell just a bit past her shoulders. She was, at the moment, pulling ropes to secure the sails., and if by some telepathic radar, looked up at him suddenly and smiled.
"Ooh," said Delbert slyly, now fully understanding the situation. "Someone's rather smitten, aren't they?"
Danish blushed a bit. "Yes, well...."
"Listen," Delbert smiled, beginning to stand. "I promise I'll give you love advice soon, but right now, I need to speak with J-uh, the Captain. So, if you'll please excuse me, Mr. Danish."
"Of course, Doctor. I'll speak to you at dinner." Danish said, and excused himself as he turned to make his morning rounds, making sure everything was still running smoothly. Delbert nodded to signal that he agreed, and watched as Danish immediately put on his professional exterior, and once again was the strict but kind man Jim had hired as soon as he was promoted. Jim was lucky to find such an honest and hardworking man, as they seemed to be coming up short these days and tended to be snatched quickly by the older, more experienced Captains of the Etherium.
A few minutes later, Delbert was to be found knocking on Jim's stateroom door.
"Come in," a tired voice said to him from the other side of the thick mahogany.
"Everything OK, Jim?" Delbert asked.
"Oh, it's just you, Doc. Boy am I relieved. I'm fine, just worried, I suppose. As if something else could be expected."
"Yes, I know, I'm worried too. It's only natural, of course. Do you have any new ideas as to what this 'Thousand Secrets' business is all about?"
"None at all." Jim said, idly twirling a pen in his fingers.
"Quite the mystery," Delbert said. "But the question is, if we have something they want, but we don't that we have it, or even what it is, what happens if we get there and they hurt Sarah and Amelia anyway?"
"Alright," Jim said, standing up. "Well honestly, I didn't even think of that. So, we obviously didn't acquire this... whatever it is before this last trip. What did we pick up? There was that stop to get the Ritwarian produce, then that rich family whose junk needed to be moved, you remember, right?"
"How could I forget?" Delbert said, raising his voice slightly. "That was when I was almost killed, remember?!"
"Ok, ok. Easy Doc, I remember." Delbert only glared angrily.
"Moving on," Jim said quickly. "Then we got to the Navy base out in the Holascus Galaxy. We dropped off whatever messages they sent us with, the General gave us that package they needed at the base near the Academy, and then we came home."
"Jim," Delbert said suddenly. "You don't think it could have anything to do with that package, do you?"
"Maybe," he replied. "But we don't have it anymore, it's at the Star Base near the Academy."
A few minutes passed and both men sat in silence, trying to discover in their own minds what this mysterious object was. Delbert sighed. 'I should just now be awakening,' he thought to himself, 'In my big house, in my fluffy bed, with my beautiful wife safely by my side, not lying somewhere, hurt, cold, and hungry.'
'What if they really aren't at Bosczan? What if we're too late? What if they decide to hurt her before the seven days are up, for their own sick amusement? What if we arrive and those fiends murder us all anyway? What if those men took advantage of Sarah and Amelia?' These thoughts and others like them chased themselves around Delbert and Jim's brains for countless hours on end.
'Puh,' Delbert thought to himself. 'So much for my great plan; A visit with Sarah and Jim, then retire home early for one of the best and most passionate nights of our relationship, then wake up late the next morning--- or early the next afternoon---and give her the necklace, since I missed her birthday.'
His hand slipped absent-mindedly to his pocket and pulled out the grey velvet box that held within it a large ruby pendant dangling from a fine gold chain. Jim, knowing Delbert was not going to be home in time for Amelia's birthday, saw this necklace in the window of a small shop at a port they had stopped at. Thinking to himself that a more perfect and lovely present for the Captain didn't exist, he immediately signed for it to be held and rushed back to the ship to retrieve the Doctor so he could get it for her.
"My God," Jim said suddenly when he saw Delbert pull out the box and dawn a strange new expression on his face, "you don't think that it could be the necklace, do you? I'd forgotten all about that thing."
Delbert whipped open the box and held the necklace up by its chain for the two men to examine, and then he put it down between them, on Jim's desk. They stared at it for almost ten minutes before Jim sighed, placed it back inside its safe haven, and snapped the lid shut.
"If it is," he said sullenly, "it's not showing us any secrets today. It is a good possibility, though, and right now the only lead we have, so I'm going to go with it right now."
"Same here," Delbert replied. "It's a shame, really. Amelia would have loved it. Now I'm out one extravagant birthday present."
Jim laughed at the Doctor's outlook on the whole situation as he stood; his first real laugh since this whole thing started.
"Well Doc, I'm starved. How about some breakfast?"
"Sounds delightful," Delbert said crisply.
Hopes higher than they had been since they left the spaceport, the two men headed out of Jim's quarters and down to the galley.
****************
Wow, I didn't realize this was so short. Honestly, I had it written a while ago (like, beginning of July) but I just had no time to update! I sorry!!! *Grovels at feet for forgiveness* With that, go on, review! I need your reviews like I need ummm. water! Yeah, water. Everyone needs water, right? Well then hey, I need reviews, too! Thank you doves, love ya! Ta!
Mia LeighArc Robby2 JenJen-Chan AAAANNNNDDDD. (*drumroll*) Tim
You guys (and gals, respectively) rock my socks!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, without further ado, Chapter Four: 'The Necklace Is the Clue.' Enjoy!
****************
Delbert was awoken by the noise of the crew coming up from breakfast. The cook, a one Mr. Nikarkova, prided himself on excellent meals, even with the most limited of resources.
Still longing for some quiet moments, Delbert rolled over and promptly fell off the bench he had lied down on. He finally opened his eyes, with a half pained, half exhausted groan, when he heard chuckling from behind him.
"Leave me alone, you," he said angrily to whomever it was that was standing behind him. It was Seymour Danish, Jim's first mate.
"Don't you laugh at me, Mr. Danish, I know the Captain."
"As I'm well aware. Actually, Doctor, I came to ask you a question," Danish replied.
"Ask away."
"How did you begin to date your wife?"
"WHAT?!" Delbert exploded. Danish blanched, looking surprised and quite rattled at Delbert's sudden outburst. "Sorry, nothing personal, it's just a... touchy subject at the moment. Why do you ask?"
"Because, well... you know that redhead, Roxanne? Yes, her, just there," he said softly, pointing out a woman about five and a half feet tall with wavy red hair that fell just a bit past her shoulders. She was, at the moment, pulling ropes to secure the sails., and if by some telepathic radar, looked up at him suddenly and smiled.
"Ooh," said Delbert slyly, now fully understanding the situation. "Someone's rather smitten, aren't they?"
Danish blushed a bit. "Yes, well...."
"Listen," Delbert smiled, beginning to stand. "I promise I'll give you love advice soon, but right now, I need to speak with J-uh, the Captain. So, if you'll please excuse me, Mr. Danish."
"Of course, Doctor. I'll speak to you at dinner." Danish said, and excused himself as he turned to make his morning rounds, making sure everything was still running smoothly. Delbert nodded to signal that he agreed, and watched as Danish immediately put on his professional exterior, and once again was the strict but kind man Jim had hired as soon as he was promoted. Jim was lucky to find such an honest and hardworking man, as they seemed to be coming up short these days and tended to be snatched quickly by the older, more experienced Captains of the Etherium.
A few minutes later, Delbert was to be found knocking on Jim's stateroom door.
"Come in," a tired voice said to him from the other side of the thick mahogany.
"Everything OK, Jim?" Delbert asked.
"Oh, it's just you, Doc. Boy am I relieved. I'm fine, just worried, I suppose. As if something else could be expected."
"Yes, I know, I'm worried too. It's only natural, of course. Do you have any new ideas as to what this 'Thousand Secrets' business is all about?"
"None at all." Jim said, idly twirling a pen in his fingers.
"Quite the mystery," Delbert said. "But the question is, if we have something they want, but we don't that we have it, or even what it is, what happens if we get there and they hurt Sarah and Amelia anyway?"
"Alright," Jim said, standing up. "Well honestly, I didn't even think of that. So, we obviously didn't acquire this... whatever it is before this last trip. What did we pick up? There was that stop to get the Ritwarian produce, then that rich family whose junk needed to be moved, you remember, right?"
"How could I forget?" Delbert said, raising his voice slightly. "That was when I was almost killed, remember?!"
"Ok, ok. Easy Doc, I remember." Delbert only glared angrily.
"Moving on," Jim said quickly. "Then we got to the Navy base out in the Holascus Galaxy. We dropped off whatever messages they sent us with, the General gave us that package they needed at the base near the Academy, and then we came home."
"Jim," Delbert said suddenly. "You don't think it could have anything to do with that package, do you?"
"Maybe," he replied. "But we don't have it anymore, it's at the Star Base near the Academy."
A few minutes passed and both men sat in silence, trying to discover in their own minds what this mysterious object was. Delbert sighed. 'I should just now be awakening,' he thought to himself, 'In my big house, in my fluffy bed, with my beautiful wife safely by my side, not lying somewhere, hurt, cold, and hungry.'
'What if they really aren't at Bosczan? What if we're too late? What if they decide to hurt her before the seven days are up, for their own sick amusement? What if we arrive and those fiends murder us all anyway? What if those men took advantage of Sarah and Amelia?' These thoughts and others like them chased themselves around Delbert and Jim's brains for countless hours on end.
'Puh,' Delbert thought to himself. 'So much for my great plan; A visit with Sarah and Jim, then retire home early for one of the best and most passionate nights of our relationship, then wake up late the next morning--- or early the next afternoon---and give her the necklace, since I missed her birthday.'
His hand slipped absent-mindedly to his pocket and pulled out the grey velvet box that held within it a large ruby pendant dangling from a fine gold chain. Jim, knowing Delbert was not going to be home in time for Amelia's birthday, saw this necklace in the window of a small shop at a port they had stopped at. Thinking to himself that a more perfect and lovely present for the Captain didn't exist, he immediately signed for it to be held and rushed back to the ship to retrieve the Doctor so he could get it for her.
"My God," Jim said suddenly when he saw Delbert pull out the box and dawn a strange new expression on his face, "you don't think that it could be the necklace, do you? I'd forgotten all about that thing."
Delbert whipped open the box and held the necklace up by its chain for the two men to examine, and then he put it down between them, on Jim's desk. They stared at it for almost ten minutes before Jim sighed, placed it back inside its safe haven, and snapped the lid shut.
"If it is," he said sullenly, "it's not showing us any secrets today. It is a good possibility, though, and right now the only lead we have, so I'm going to go with it right now."
"Same here," Delbert replied. "It's a shame, really. Amelia would have loved it. Now I'm out one extravagant birthday present."
Jim laughed at the Doctor's outlook on the whole situation as he stood; his first real laugh since this whole thing started.
"Well Doc, I'm starved. How about some breakfast?"
"Sounds delightful," Delbert said crisply.
Hopes higher than they had been since they left the spaceport, the two men headed out of Jim's quarters and down to the galley.
****************
Wow, I didn't realize this was so short. Honestly, I had it written a while ago (like, beginning of July) but I just had no time to update! I sorry!!! *Grovels at feet for forgiveness* With that, go on, review! I need your reviews like I need ummm. water! Yeah, water. Everyone needs water, right? Well then hey, I need reviews, too! Thank you doves, love ya! Ta!