Chapter 4

Those three days came and went most quickly, and soon everyone was ready for the much anticipated voyage. Delbert and the Doppler children where sitting in the living room, waiting for Amelia to arrive.

"All right, you lot. Ready then?" came a most familiar, very authoritative voice from the doorway.

The four children spotted their mother, and just stood there, looking upon her in awe. Amelia proudly wore her spotless Captain's uniform, which still fit her svelte frame like a glove.

"Amelia, you look lovely, as always," Delbert proclaimed, going to his wife' side, and kissed her on the cheek. "You haven't changed a bit, dear… you look just as you did on our first voyage."

"I'm glad to hear it, Doctor," Amelia replied, emphasizing the word Doctor. "In many ways, it shall be precisely like it was on our first voyage, if you get my drift."

Delbert's face fell, and he frowned. "Ah. No hugging or kissing you in front of the crew, hmm? Addressing one another as Captain and Doctor again, eh?" Delbert guessed, rather glumly.

"Quite so, dear," Amelia responded, though she too was feeling a bit disappointed. "Though, you needn't feel entirely down in the dumps, Delbert…"

"Hmm?" he replied, confused slightly. One of his bushy brows rose curiously.

"That may be the way of things during the day, my love… but there is always the nights, you know…" Amelia told him, and her husband's expression brightened nearly immediately.

Amelia then turned to address her children, who were smartly dressed in junior versions of cadet uniforms. "Now, my children, this is important: when we head to the spaceport, you must stay close to your father and I at all times. Is that quite clear?"

"Yes, Mom! Er, I mean Captain," Benjamin said seriously, and Amelia ruffled his hair so that he giggled.

"Girls?" Amelia added then, looking imperiously over her shoulder.

"Yes, Mother," they chorused, falling in step behind their impressive mother.

The trip to the Crescentia Spaceport was uneventful, thankfully, and it wasn't long before they made their way to the berth that held the RLS Legacy.

Amelia smiled at the sight of her beloved ship, the very sight of her quickening her pulse. She looked up on deck and blinked in surprise as she saw Jim Hawkins, hard at work, belting out orders to the crew, working to get the Legacy ship-shape.

"Ah, good day, Mr. Hawkins," Amelia called out in her best quarterdeck voice.

"Morning, Captain!" Jim called back, before he dashed forward to help a crew of spacers hauling a line.

"Most impressive, Mr. Hawkins," Amelia said as she made her way up the gangplank, her family in tow.

"Thanks, Captain," Jim replied with a youthful energetic grin.

"Very well, then. Do carry on. Report when we are ready to depart," Amelia nodded. She turned to her husband, adding, "Come along, Doctor. Children."

She led her family past him, and made her way to her stateroom. The four Doppler children looked all about the ship, their eyes wide with excitement. Everyone aboard the ship seemed friendly and polite. Spacers, now and then, paused at what they were doing to look up and smile at them or wave.

"Come on, you three, let's go see what Mom's up to," Benjamin announced. His sisters nodded their assent and followed on his heels. They had just began to run quickly, when suddenly they ran into someone, coming to an abrupt halt. An adult male felinid in naval dress, looked down upon them.

"Ah now, what 'ave we 'ere, eh?" the spacer asked, with an amused Cockney accent.

"We're really sorry, mister," Benjamin apologized quickly, afraid to give offense.

"Wull now, don´t yeh go an' worry yer 'eads about that now," the felinid spacer said. "Me name's Jake, an' I'm goin' to be your cook. Now, inn't that luverly, eh? Ah, stars, but you must be the Cap'n's young un's, am I right?"

The four of them nodded in the affirmative.

"Thought so, so I did. Aye, now, what say we go an' see 'er then, eh?" Jake said. "Ah now, me bonny bird, yeh're far too fine a lass to be scrapin' wit' us space dogs on deck. Up yeh go!" Jake bent down and scooped up Amanda into the air and put her on his shoulders. The delighted girl laughed, and the rest of the children followed after the amiable spacer as if he were some sort of Pied Piper.

Once they were on the bridge, Jake tugged respectfully at his forelock, and piped up, "Cap'n, ma'am… I believe these fine young cadets would be in yer charge?" Jake asked as he put Amanda down on the deck.

"Why, yes, they are. Thank you, Mr. MacGee," Amelia said. "So, may I ask where you run into them?"

Jake grinned in humor. "Actually, ma'am, they was the ones what ran into me," Jake informed her.

Amelia looked down on her children, just a bit sternly.

"Sorry, Momma," Alice said at once.

"That quite all right, chidlren. Now, find your places on the bridge, we are soon going to launch," Amelia ordered.

The children moved to take posts by the rails on the bridge. "Ah, now, ma'am… if you'd be excusin' me, Cap'n, I got work to do, or we'll not be havin' lunch, any time soon," Jake said.

Amelia nodded her head and excused the felinid cook to go about his business.