Chapter 5 – A Good Captain Knows Her Crew … Roster

Ambassador Drake Wellington knew a good thing when he saw one, and from what his eyes were showing him, this was a good thing, indeed. The RLS Legacy hung in space dock, her sails rippling in the wind, and brass work glinting in the afternoon sun. She was a fine ship, the finest in the fleet, and it was a true mark of his stature that he had been chosen to lead the peace delegation on such a magnificent ship of prestige. Even more intriguing than the ship was its captain. He had heard many tales of the famous Captain Amelia. A woman who didn't know the meaning of fear. Who had spearheaded the search for Treasure Planet. Rumor had it that she had been successful, but alas, it was only rumor. Even with his top clearance, he couldn't get past the Royal Navy's classified records of that particular mission.

She was also, by far, one of the most beautiful women in the fleet, and that wasn't mere rumor. He had seen the daring feline for himself once at a naval banquet. She had been stunning. The canid on her arm wasn't as stellar. He couldn't fathom why in the Etherium she would have chosen to show up with him. In fairness, the man wasn't a bad dancer, rather good in fact. But other than that ... Drake eventually decided the man must be a naval higher up and she was merely with him in the line of duty.

A sharp whistle from the ship brought him back to the present and he exhaled sharply. He had much to accomplish in the next six weeks. He could make a lucrative name for himself in interplanetary democracy if he played his cards right and, he thought, glancing up to see the command crew on the bridge, he might also walk away with another highly sought-after prize … namely one feline captain.

Yes, he smiled to himself; he was definitely looking forward to this journey. He cracked the joints of his fingers and donned his best negotiating smile. Time to meet this beautiful feline and set his carefully crafted plan into motion.

Donning his best dashing grin, he made his way to the command well where Amelia and her First Mate stood. He cleared his throat and flashed a wide smile as they turned to look at him.

"May we help you?" Amelia asked, her eyes taking in the handsome feline who stood before them. He stood almost a foot taller than she, and his coloring, a dark caramel with two small stripes just above his eyes, shone in the sunlight. He was obviously of good pedigree.

"Hello Captain. I'm Ambassador Drake Wellington," he extended a hand and gracefully clasped it against her smaller hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he told her with his most debonair smile.

He could instantly see she was taken aback by his charming personality. The eyebrow came gracefully down, and she smiled, returning the handshake.

"Ah, Ambassador. Yes, a pleasure to meet you." She turned to the man standing by her side. "This is my First Mate, Frederick Lightoller."

"Sir," Lightoller dipped in his head in greeting.

Wellington looked around, still maintaining his hold on Amelia's hand. "You have a lovely ship here, Captain." He gazed directly at her. "Absolutely breathtaking."

Amelia was startled to realize her cheeks had reddened. "Ah yes. Well thank you, Mr. Ambassador," she quickly replied and extracted her hand from his warm grasp. "I take great pride in the Legacy."

"I can tell. I'm an avid spacer. Been at it since I was lad on Felinia."

Amelia's eyes widened. "You're from Felinia?"

"Born and raised," he grinned.

"What a wonderful surprise. I, too, am from Felinia!"

"It's rare these days to find someone from the actual planet and not one of the outlying colonies."

"Yes," she agreed. "You must come to my stateroom once we're underway and tell me everything that has been going on. I'm eager to learn of the new Prime Minister and his policies."

Drake smiled and ran a hand through the light auburn strands of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. "It'd be a pleasure, Captain. Now, if you'll excuse me," he looked around and squinted off in the distance, "there's a gentleman I need to see about my luggage. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Captain. Mr. Lightoller."

"A pleasure for me as well, Ambassador," Amelia assured him. "I look forward to seeing you later."

Wellington gave her one last smile before heading back to the gangplank to retrieve his belongings.

Amelia turned to Lightoller. "That was a pleasant meeting."

"Yes, m'am," he replied noncommittally.

"Something wrong, Lightoller?"

He shrugged. "Nothing that I can place a finger on, Captain."

"Would you care to clarify that?"

"Is that an order?"

Amelia looked startled. "No, not at all."

Lightoller offered a small smile. "Then I'd rather not at this time. But perhaps at a later date?"

"I can respect that."

"Thank you, Captain. Now if you will also excuse me, I need to check in on our resident astrophysicist."

"Yes, has he checked in yet? We're ready to get underway. It's just like an academic to keep you waiting. The nerve of those scientists."

Lightoller looked surprised. "But Captain, Doctor –"

A sharp whistle interrupted his sentence, and they both looked up. From across the deck, a crewman waved to the Captain. Amelia sighed.

"It looks as if Callahan needs me. Get us underway, Mr. Lightoller," she instructed as she began heading to the bow.

"Aye, Captain."

"And Lightoller?"

"Yes, m'am?"

"Have that scientist fellow report to me as soon as we're clear of port."

She could have sworn Lightoller choked back a laugh before assuring her he'd do exactly that.

Delbert, having received word to report to Amelia, quickly made his way to her stateroom as soon as he unpacked his bags. It had been a while since he had last been on the Legacy, and to his surprise, he found himself excited about being back in space. Most definitely not a spacer by birth or even choice, the last few times he'd been out with Amelia – the most recent being a small skiff they'd rented in order for her to teach him the finer points of sailing – he'd actually enjoyed himself.

As he made his way to her stateroom, he made note of what passages led to where, realizing quickly he'd most likely need them in order to see his beloved in the covert manner which would be required for the voyage.

A quick peek inside the stateroom revealed no Amelia, but a passing crewmember informed him that he'd seen her enter her quarters only moments ago. Delbert thanked him for the information and headed towards her cabin.

He stopped in front of the door and gave it a light knock.

No answer.

He knocked a little harder, but heard nothing from within. He bit his lip. Should he go inside? This was her ship. And she valued her privacy, especially when on a mission. Reaching down, he gripped the doorknob and gave it a twist. It was unlocked. Maybe he could wait at her desk. Surely she wouldn't have a problem with that.

Deciding that would be best, he stepped inside and secured the door behind him. Her desk was immaculate, a concept he simply couldn't fathom. She had told him time and time again a neat desk helped her keep track of all her appointments; had tried to convince him to give a try. But Delbert always insisted that his cluttered work area lent itself to a sense of homeliness. Besides, he knew exactly where everything was.

As he got closer, he saw a picture of him propped against the far corner. A goofy grin spread across his face, and he laughed when he realized the material tied around the slender lamp on the desk was actually remnants of a Thorekian silk scarf. She must've come across that recently, because he hadn't seen it the last time he was there.

Hearing a noise in the bathroom, he turned around.

"Amelia?"

He moved closer, but heard no reply. He was about to call out again when a metallic glint caught his attention. He walked to the closet to inspect it closer.

"What the devil …" he muttered, stepping inside the large area and bending down to investigate the bright flash.

Amelia, having heard something in the outer cabin, pulled her bathrobe around her. Surely her crew wouldn't be idiotic enough to simply stroll into her private quarters without permission. She knew Lightoller would never do something like that unless it was an extreme emergency.

Stepping across the threshold, she glanced around but saw no one waiting.

"How very odd," she murmured. She made her way to her desk and picked up her journal. "And where in the devil is that scientist?"

Delbert, hearing Amelia, quickly stood up. "Amelia!"
"Aaaahhh!"

Amelia whirled around to see a shadow standing in her closet. Reacting purely out of instinct, she screamed at the top of her lungs, eyes wide and clutched the journal tightly to her chest.

Delbert, completely startled by Amelia standing there in nothing but a white, terrycloth bathrobe, screaming her head off, could only scream back.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Aaaaamelia! Calm down!" He stepped out of the closet. "Darling! It's me, Delbert!"

"Delbert?!" Her screaming stopped, although she was still breathing rather heavily. "Delbert! What the devil are you doing here? Why are you on this ship?"

He moved toward her, slowly, and put his hands out in front on him. "Are you certain you're all right, darling?" he asked in concern.

"I'm perfectly fine, Doctor. I only screamed because I thought some ninny was hiding in my closet. Now answer my question. Why are you on my ship!"
Delbert stopped for a moment, completely at a loss for why he was on the ship. "I, uh. I …"

Her rapid heartbeat slowly subsiding, she let her fear take a backseat to the anger that was slowly beginning to boil deep inside. She didn't tolerate stowaways of any sort and that included Delbert.

"I would say that I'm flattered that you chose to stow away on my ship," she growled.

"Stow away?" Delbert blustered. "I most certainly did not stow –"

"But the truth is," Amelia continued, the growl becoming more pronounced, "it's hard to be flattered when one's actions are no more than that of a randy puppy!"
"Randy puppy?!" he huffed. "I'll have you know that I am NO randy puppy! Why, I, I –"

"Spit it out, Doctor!"

Delbert glared at her. "I don't know! But, I know that I'm not a randy puppy!"

"You've mentioned that!"

"Because you brought it up first!"

"Because you've stowed away on my ship!"
"I did NOT stow away on your ship!"

"Then what are you doing here!"
"I'm your bloody astrophysicist you insane feline!"

"Insane feline! I –" she paused. And then, "You're the astrophysicist the University is sending?"

"I am!"

When she spoke, it was in a chastised tone. "Why didn't you, ah, tell me?"

"I tried to! You seemed to want to accuse me of stowing away before I could get it out."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Before that, Delbert."

He sighed. "I did try to tell you."

"When?"

"On the bridge. Earlier."

Amelia thought back and her eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Yes. I remember now."

"If I recall, someone else was more of a, how did you put it … ah yes, 'randy puppy,'" he informed her with a pointed look.

Amelia had the good grace to blush. "Yes, well, I thought I wasn't going to see you for two months."
"I was, am, flattered," Delbert assured her, finally cracking a smile at the absurdity of it all.

"You should be," Amelia winked, realizing he was no longer angry. "I don't do that for just anybody."
"Dear God, I should hope not!"

She laughed and put her arms around his neck to pull him close and kiss his nose. "What a pair we make."

"Indeed," he agreed, kissing her back and this time, not on the nose.