"Might I inquire as to precisely what sort of an adventure this might be, Captain?" Arrow grumbled inquiringly.
"Smooth your feathers down, Arrow," Amelia said in an attempt to placate her First Officer. "This Doctor Doppler informed me that he had, in his possession no less, a treasure map of some sort," Amelia assured him, and took the note from her trouser pocket. As she spread it upon the pristine wood of her desk, Kitty leaned over to look upon it. There it was, the whole fabled story, lying on Amelia's desk...describing in excruiciating detail as to just how the map had come into Doppler and his young colleague's hands. As well as providing---in specific detail, just which planet their eventual destination would be.
"Um, Captain...have you read everything the good Doctor gave you?" Kitty asked, in a bit leading tone of voice.
Amelia frowned minutely. "No, not as of yet, why? Should I?" Amelia asked.
"Well, you could you know. But, if you'd prefer...I could show you the part of that movie of mine I've so often told you about?"
Amelia's clear green eyes went wide, and her mouth opened. "Great Cassius Drift! You mean to tell me that this is that adventure?" Amelia asked incredulously.
"Yep! Oh yeah," Kitty said and snapped her fingers. Before Arrow's and Amelia's wondering eyes, a small box-like device with a dark screen taking up the majority of its front, appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Kitty grinned. "And...now the movie, folks," she added, giggling. The device's screen flickered into life then, and Kitty's move began playing. (Do remember that it's been over twelve years now since Kitty receive her powers, so she's bound to not need her ring any longer...)
Kitty impatiently fast-forwarded the movie ahead, to where the aging ex-pirate, Billy Bones, made his appearance. Amelia rested her chin upon the back of her hands, and watched in rapt attention.
When Doctor Doppler first appeared, Arrow was forced to smother a smile. He remembered the picture Kitty had once shown him, and he looked identical to that picture...to a tee, in fact.
The movie continued, and Amelia, as well as Arrow, both widened their eyes in awe and surprise when Jim opened the ancient map.
Amelia smiled in interest, thinking this all fanciful entertainment...that is until she cast her eyes upon...
"Treasure Planet!" she exclaimed, slapping her hand down on her desk. "Bloody hell..." Amelia could only look over to Arrow dumbfounded.
"Ah, I see you're acquainted with where we´re going then?" Kitty asked, grinning.
"But...it can´t be," Amelia said in an extremely quiet voice. "It's only a fable. A myth, a legend..."
"Oh, yes it can. And, it's real...trust me," Kitty replied.
The movie continued, and Amelia then observed professionally. "That man's a menace. What does he know about hiring a crew?" Amelia said. "Most likely he'll be thinking with his pocketbook instead of his brain, I'll warrant." Ameli then turned to Kitty. "So, Ms. Smarty-Pants, what sort of crew does this fellow manage to hire for me?"
"Well," began Kitty a bit hesitantly. "Let's put it this way...in the movie, you refered to them---and I quote---as a 'ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots.'"
Arrow chortled softly at that, but Amelia simply scowled.
"Blast it! That's not good. Not good at all," Amelia said. "On a voyage such as this, a stalwart and loyal crew is of paramount importance. You should know that by now, Kitty."
"I know, but trust me, you´ll get used to them soon enough," Kitty said, just before she turned off the picture viewer, snapped her fingers, and the device was magically whisked away.
Amelia continued to grumble. "Trust me, she says," Amelia softly growled, getting up to her feet to begin to pace. "You are entirely far too comfortable with that particular turn of phrase, Kitty dear."
Kitty waved away her observation like a pesky insect. "So, can I come along then?" she asked, imploring her friend with her big blue eyes. "I mean, even if Doctor Doppler's already hired a crew, I could fill in as your Second Officer, correct?"
Amelia and Arrow exchanged mysterious looks with one another before coming to some sort of mental consensus.
"Agreed," Amelia said after a while.
"Oh great! Thanks, Amelia!" Kitty said, then saluted her, and dashed off to her room and began packing.
Downstairs, Amelia sighed in a mix of happiness and apprehension. She murmured a quiet prayer she that Kitty would act her age this once, and not regress to behaving as she had before...which was childishly...at least in Amelia's book. Needless to say, that was a one prayer, the stalwart Captain would waste.
They all left next day, taking the ferry toward the Cresentia spaceport to make their fateful meeting with Doctor Doppler and Jim Hawkins.
Upon arriving at the star port, Kitty looked about herself, at all the wonders Crescentia had to offer, and found herself wanting look around rather badly. She told this to Amelia, saying that she would be going for a walk.
Amelia replied that she was to be back no later than 1700 hours, or they would raise ship without her. Kitty nodded, and waved good-bye, dashing down the gangway and into Crescentia proper.
Kitty toured the expansive star port and its surrounding attractions for nearly one-half hour, before she saw someone interesting. She veered minutely in their direction, her sense of adventure blooming.
John Silver and his crew of scruffy, unscrupulous spacers were walking about in a group, muttering. Kitty´s acute felinid hearing allowed her to hear most everything they said to one another.
"Blast it! That scow, the Legacy, has got t'be 'round here somewheres," Silver growled, irritated.
The large, very fat and slovenly spacer named Meltdown muttered something about being dead tired. Silver's response to his gripe was to say that he could arrange for him to be just plain dead, and to shut up, as some exercise would be good for the unfit spacer.
Kitty smiled and made her way over toward them. "Ah, excuse me, gentlemen," she said airily, and stopped before the scruffy looking gang.
Silver shot his men a look of warning, and stepped in front of this woman, shielding his big-mouthed crew from her attention. "Ah, faith, but what could I be doin' fer yeh, Ma'am?" Silver piped, the silver tongued devil he could be when he so chose to.
"Yes, I was getting to that. I could not help but hear the first part of your conversation. I believe I could be of assistance to you. You see, I happen to know precisely where the RLS Legacy is currently berthed."
"Well now, our luck seems to be turnin' up, so it does. You say yeh know where the Legacy might be docked, so you do?" Silver asked smarmily.
"As a matter of fact, yes, I do," Kitty replied, and plucked the rumpled map from the seemingly gregarious ursinid's meaty fist. "Ah, yes, there we are. You lot are here, right this minute," she told him, and pointed with her finger to the map. "Now, The RLS Legacy, your goal, is over here. Do you see?" She pointed to another part of the map. "I'm on my way back there myself...so if you'd like, I could show you the way. But, I'll warn you, I'm a very fast walker, so you'll have to keep up."
"Ah now, don´t yeh be worryin' yer pretty head o'er that now, Ma'am," Silver said, looking back meaningfully at the panting Meltdown. "We´ll be fine to be a-findin' it ourselves, thank yeh."
"Of course," Kitty nodded and then watched them disappear, before teleporting herself back to the ship.
"Hello there, Amelia," she said as she apparted beside Amelia, who gasped and somehow suppressed a screech of surprise.
Amelia blinked, controlled her breathing, and turned to her friend. "Kitty, how many times must I tell you," Amelia growled irately at her. "No teleporting...especially right behind me."
"Sorry 'bout that, Captain," Kitty said, then saw broke away from the conversation as she now saw some people coming out of the buildings that lined the berths of the spaceport. "Oh, and I'd not waste your breath beating up the Doc when he comes aboard."
"Oh really? Why?" Amelia asked, looking hard at Kitty.
"The poor guy's in for a shock as it is, and it will only get worse for him...as that is the crew he hired," Kitty informed her, pointing down to the group of piratical scalawags that were making their way toward the Legacy even as she spoke. Kitty then excused herself before Amelia could comment, wanting to be with Arrow when he made his introductions to both Jim and Delbert.
As Silver and his bunch made it on deck, it was no surprise to Kitty when Amelia's face became a veritable storm as Silver's spacers swaggered their way abord her beloved ship.