Chapter 12

Three weeks later, the RLS Legacy hove to at its permanent berth at the Crescentia Spaceport. Once all the lines were made secure, and the ship was put to rights, Amelia summoned the local authorities, who came and trundled the pirates from the brig to the local hoosegow.

After that, she dismissed her crew for shore leave, andafter kissing Delbert and her childrenAmelia made a visit to one Admiral Barrie at the Admiralty. An old spacer friend of hers, Admiral Barrie was able to rescind all charges against John Silver, based on Amelia's assurances of his new-found allegiance to the crown.

Upon returning to the Legacy, Amelia soon found Silver up on the quarterdeck, quietly smoking his pipe. "Well, Mr. Silver… it's quite official now," Amelia told him. "You are a free man… again a citizen of the Empire."

"Thank yeh agin, Cap'n," Silver told her, shaking her hand again. "Tis a fine thing to be able to start over, so it is."

Jim then took Silver down to the Benbow Inn, to introduce him to his friends as well as his mother. In two weeks, Silver began his work at the Inn as the cook.

He worked hard, and with his assistance, Sarah was able to make the Benbow a profitable venture once more.

Time passed, Jim returned to the Interstellar Academy, and after a long while, Silver and Sarah became "very good" friends. Another year later, and he and Sarah married, finally giving Jim a father figure once more. The Hawkinser, the Silverswere one big happy family.

As for the Dopplers… well, they lived a peaceful life once again. However, now and again, the children were allowed to go down to the Benbow Inn to listen to their Uncle Silver relate his many adventures to them.

The very next year, Jim finally graduated from the Academy and was assigned a post aboard his first Royal Light Ship. In a surprisingly short amount of time, Jim was able to distinguish himself so, that he finally got the command of a ship of his very own. It was not a Royal Light Ship, but a fast frigate, called the Golden Hind, and everyoneincluding a very proud Captain Ameliacongratulated Jim on his first command.

Even the normally reserved Amelia forgot all about her pride, and hugged Jim fiercely to show how proud she was of him.

Silver and Sarah then made their way toward Jim. "Jim! Silver and I have the perfect present to commemorate your first command," Sarah declared.

"You do? What?" Jim asked, more than a little curious.

"Oh ho, Jimmo lad!" Silver remarked. "In about five months time, boyo, you're goin' to be a Big Brother, so yeh are!" Silver proclaimed to all and sundry.

It was fortunate indeed, that Amelia's quick reflexes saved the day, allowing her to catch Jim before he fell over in absolute shock and surprise.

The Doppler children laughed at their Uncle Jim. Jim quickly recovered, and hugged his proud Mom fiercely, and repeatedly shook Silver's hand, when he wasn't hugging him too, that is…

Benjamin has an odd expression on his face, and was strangely quiet. He tugged on Delbert's pant leg, and when his father bent down, whispered, "Um, Dad, where do babies come from?"

Delbert blinked repeatedly, his mouth opening and closing many times with not a sound coming out. He finally regained his composure and tried to explain to his only son. "Um, well, you see, Benjamin… it's rather complicated really. Ahem! You see, when a mother and a father really love one another, they… oh, dear…" Delbert stammered to a halt, glaring at Amelia, who was doing all she could not to laugh. Delbert arched an eyebrow then, and said clearly and succinctly to his son, "Ah, Benjamin… go ask your mother."

Amelia blinked, then shot her now smirking husband a look. She then shrugged, smiled, and moved over to Benjamin and tried very hard to explain to her ten year old boy, just where babies came from…