Chapter 2

The trip starts

The day of our departure started rather badly, I fear. And, that was when I got my first look at my so-called "crew".

"Arrow. The Doctor cannot seriously think that I would sail with that lot," I stated scathingly, Mr. Arrow on my left side, as I looked this scruffy, nefarious bunch of spacers over.

"Why, those spaces are the dregs of the spaceport. A ludicrous parcel of drivelling galoots," I commented rather scathingly. "And, that's at their best, no doubt."

"They are what we have to work with, ma'am," Arrow told me, much to my dismay. I'm afraid I was going to have some words with our good Doctor once he came aboard.

"Never fear, Captain. I'll make sure everything is ship-shape before we leave port," Arrow promised.

I was not happy, but was prepared to make do with what I had. "Yes, old man, you do that," I said. "I will be aloft, if I'm needed." I scrambled up the rigging, and began my inspection of the ship. While Arrow got our "crew" into some sort of order, I began my inspection of my ship---from the tip of the bowsprit to the rail of the poop deck.

By this time, Doctor Doppler and his human protégé had come aboard, and I decided to provide them with a most dramatic introduction. I am, after all, quite acrobatic, and so I descended to the deck with a quite impressive somersault that ended up with my standing before the most surprised Doctor with a rather proud and superior expression on my face. Not giving the Doctor an opportunity to speak, I began my after-inspection report with Mr. Arrow…

"Mr. Arrow," I announced somewhat loudly. "I've inspected this miserable ship from stem to stern, and as usual," I ranted for the Doctor's benefit, of course. "It's spot on! Can you get nothing wrong?" The expression on Doctor Doppler's face was worth all my play-acting.

"You flatter me, Captain," Arrow responded with a smile.

I then turned about and stood face to face with the good Doctor, a gangly looking canid fellow in an ancient looking spacesuit.

"Ah," I began, drawing out that word. "Doctor Doppler, I presume?" I gave him a quick once over.

"Yes, I…" he began to answer, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a bit of fun with him. "Hello, can you hear me?" I asked sweetly, while knocking sharply on the top of his helmet several times.

I'm afraid I couldn't suppress a smile as he became annoyed, and replied, "Yes! Yes, I can", while he tried to vainly to open his helmet's faceplate. "Stop all that banging!"

What fun, I thought to myself, and continued on having my lark. I recognized this model of suit, and decided to be a bit "helpful", shall we say? "Do allow me, Doctor," I began, reaching for the suit's rheostat. "This works so much better when it's right way up, and plugged in. Lovely, there you go!" I set my actions to my words, much to the good Doctor's dismay.

By this time, he had finally managed to take off his silly helmet, and told me, just a bit angrily, "If you don't mind, I can handle my own plugging, thank you!" He shook the plug at me, if you can believe that.

I had to quickly suppress a smile. I hid this by shaking his hand vigorously, and continuing my introduction. "I am Captain Amelia, late of a few run–ins with the Procyon Armada---nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars."

I turned to Mr. Arrow, who stood just beside me. "You have met my First Officer, Mr. Arrow. Sterling, tough, dependable, honest, brave and true," I said in rapid fashion.

"But, Captain…" Mr. Arrow began to protest in humility.

"Oh, do shut up, Arrow, you know that I don't mean a word of it," I told him playfully.

It was then that the Doctor cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "I don't mean to interrupt all your… lovely banter… but may I introduce to you young Jim Hawkins." He used a hand to indicate the human lad beside him. "Jim, you see, is the boy who found the Treasur…"

Before he could create a disaster of epic proportions, I stopped him by clapping my hand over his mouth!

"Doctor, please!" I hissed, quietly admonishing the canid man. "I´d like a word with you in my stateroom." I led them to my stateroom, and closed and locked the door in our wake.

This fellow needed a lesson on what and what not to say aboard a light ship, and I was just the one to provide him that lesson!

With anger, and an overtone of sarcasm, in my voice, I began, "Doctor, to mewl and blabber about a Treasure map, in front of this particular crew, shows a level of ineptitude that borders on the imbecilic… and I mean that in a wery caring way." Must be polite to one's guest, you know…

The Doctor was shaking with indignation. "Imbecilic, did you say?"
the Doctor began. "Foolishness, perhaps, but…"

I quickly cut him off. "May I see the map, please?" I demanded, politely as I could.

The Doctor frowned in exasperation, and then looked at Jim, who shrugged. Doctor Doppler waved, indicating the boy should hand over the map.

He pulled a small copper sphere out of his coat pocket, and tossed it to me. "Here," he said ungraciously.

I snapped it out out the air and looked at it. "Hmm, fascinating," I declared, and meant it. The strange copper orb was ancient, yet puzzling. But, that was for later.

I went over to my weapons cabinet, and placed the map within it, while saying, "Mr. Hawkins… in the future, you shall address me as Captain or ma'am. Is that clear?"

The boy didn't answer right away, so I tried again. "Mr. Hawkins?" I demanded, anger tingeing my voice.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, though it was as if he was having teeth pulled.

"That will do," I informed him, and locked the cabinet, placing the key in a pocket of my trousers.

"Gentlemen, this must be kept under lock and key when not in use," I declared commandingly. Then I looked over at the still seething Doctor, and added, "Oh, and Doctor." I then leaned quite close to him, and leveled my most commanding look his way. "With all possible respect, zip your howling screamer."

Doppler's face paled, but for his cheeks that went pink. "Captain, let me assure you---" he stammered.

I cut him off, and continued as if he had said nothing at all. "Let me make this… as monosyllabic as possible… I don't much care for this 'crew' that you hired. They're… What did I call them again, Arrow? I think I said somthing rather good this morning before coffee."

Arrow, resourceful fellow that he was, promptly repeated what I had earlier said. "A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots, Ma'am," he repeated.

The look on the Doctor's face was priceless! "There you go… poetry!" I proclaimed slyly, and looked back at the Doctor.

"Now see here!" he began irately, his teeth showing in a snarl of outrage. But I quite frankly didn"t have the time to continue this "delightful" discussion.

"Doctor," I explained, "I'd love to stay and chat…tea, cake, the whole shebang, but I have a ship to launch." I then ran a nail over the front of his tarnished spacesuit, and added, "and you have your outfit to buff up." Doppler simply rolled his eyes in obvious exasperation.

"Mr. Arrow," I commanded, "please escort these two neophytes down to the galley straightaway. Young Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."

Young Hawkins had been investigating, playing with a bit of the ecuipment, when he suddenly looked up to me and blurted, "What? The cook?"

I had many things to do, so I didn't deign to reply to the boy, but merely gave Arrow a look, and he showed the Doctor and the boy down to the galley.

After they had departed, I went into my sleeping chambers and opened the wardrobe, and retrieved my hat. I stood before the mirror next to my bed, and gave myself a quick look-over. Everything appeared in order, naturally.

I headed out to the bridge and once there, rang the ship's bell to signal that the RLS Legacy was ready to depart spacedock.

The crew scrambled up on deck, followed by Mr. Arrow and Dr. Doppler, who wore the expression of eager excitement.

"Well, my friend," I said to Arrow, "shall we raise this creaking tub?"

"With pleasure, Captain," Arrow replied, and began drew in a deep breath and boomed, "All hands to Stations!"

As the crew hurried to comply with his orders, he bellowed again, "Smartly now!" Once the spacers had settled in, he calld out, "Loose all solar sails!"

The spacers and riggers readily complied, and the Legacy's fan-shaped sails furled and bellied in the solar breezes. After a moment, Arrow thundered to the deckhands who held some lines, "Stand by on the braces! Brace up!" The solar sails rippled with light as their energy feed the engines of the light ship.

As we departed space port, we had moved out of the influence of the space port's gravitational fields. This caused the crew to begin to float into the air.

Time to remedy that! I called out sharply to a spacer nearby, my feet two feet off the deck. "Mr. Snuff… engage artificial gravity!" The Flatulan spacer saluted and threw the appropriate lever. This established the ship's artificial gravity fields, and Captain and crew came down safely back to the deck. Oh, with the exception of the Doctor, who somehow managed to land on his head with a clatter.

I had no time to fuss with him at the moment, so I shouted out my next orders, "South by southwest, Mr. Turnbuckle! Heading 2100!"

The Zirellian helmsman acknowledged my order crisply, "Aye, Captain! Heading 2100." The Legacy heeled over as we assumed the new course.

My blood was humming in my veins. Launches were such fun! "Full speed ahead, Mr. Arrow, if you please," I commanded.

Arrow leaned over to the speaking tube on the bridge, calling to Engineering, "Take her away!"

The Doctor had finally made it back on his feet once more. I knew what was coming, so I tried to warn the poor fellow, "Brace yourself, Doctor," I suggested, not fully paying attention to him, I'm afraid.

A hellish racket suddenly sounded as the Legacy leapt into open space, and, out to the corner of my eye, I saw the Doctor had zipped back hurriedly to slam into the bridge's aft bulkhead, parts of his antique spacesuit falling off from the impact.

Once out in open space, we sailed by a flock of mantabirds, and the Doctor finally seemed to be in his element.

"Upon my word!" he observed in awe, "An Orcus Galacticus!" The excitable fellow pulled a camera up from his spacesuit, and aimed it at the space-going leviathan.

"Smile!" he called and tried to snap a picture of one of them. I knew he was courting disaster. He had no idea of what being that close to an Orcus Galacticus could portend.

"Uh, Doctor… I´d stand clear, if I were---" I called out, but I was too late.

The Orca that the doctor had tried to take a picture of had sounded, producing a spume of spatial mucus that spattered the good Doctor from head to toe.

It made for a most amusing sight, and I had to struggle not to giggle, I'm afraid. My humor disappeared just as soon as I heard smarmy deep voice. I narrowed my eyes, and looked down to the main deck. It was our cyborg cook, Silver.

"'Tis a grand day for sailing, Captain," he announced. "And look at you," he continued, "you´re as trim and bonny as a sloop with new sails and a fresh coat of paint." He bowed, and I rolled my eyes at his attempts to flatter me.

I was having none of that, and that was for certain. With obvious contempt, I replied, "You can keep that kind of flim–flammery for your spaceport floozies, Silver."

The little floating pink blob that was Silver's pet morphed into a little version of myself, and mimicked my last comment twice.

Silver quickly hid his morph under his hat, and put on an injured expression that I wasn't buying for a minute. "You cut me to the quick, Captain," he stated, to which I simply rolled my eyes. "I speaks nothing but me heart at all times," he professed to me.

I had no desire to continue to bandy words with this rogue any further, and to shut him up, I pointed out something I'd noticed before our "conversation" had even begun. "And, by the way, isn't that your cabin boy aimlessly footling about in those shrouds?" I pointed out, indicating young Hawkins with a swing of my chin.

Silver looked up in dismay, but recovered very quickly. "A momentary aberration, Cap´n. Soon to be addressed. Jimbo!" he yelled and the boy looked over to him.

"I got two new friends I´d like you to meet," Silver said pleasantly. The boy looked about for these two new "friends", but saw nothing.

Silver got a clever look on his face, before he continued, saying, "Say hello to Mr. Mop… and Mrs. Bucket!" At the boy's crestfallen expression, he began to softly laugh.

I went back to my own room and made an entry in my logbook:

Captain's Log. Day 1. The 17th of september.

Today we have began our voyage to Treasure Planet. Mr. Arrow is, as always, my First Officer.

I had just written the last line when Arrow politely knocked on my cabin door, and then made his way inside. He was livid---well, at least for Arrow, he was---and complained irately, "I knew this crew was trouble, Captain. That wretch! Why if I wasn't an officer, I'd---"

It had been quite a while since I'd last seen Arrow this upset. "What is it, old man?" I asked. "What's gotten you so angry, my friend?"

"That Mantavore, Scroop," he began, quickly composing himself. But his deep eyes still flashed with anger. "I caught him trying to kill our new cabin boy, Hawkins. Fortunately, the cook, Mr. Silver, put a stop to it before things became ugly." Arrow looked away a moment, then continued. "I made sure that all spacers know what will happen if I catch sight of any further brawling aboard this ship, Captain."

"You did well, Arrow," I told him. "But keep an eye out for this bunch. I've got a feeling things are only going to get worse, old friend."

"Aye, Captain," Arrow said. "I'll keep my eye on them, never fear…"