Writer notes: *hops happily* Thanks for the reviews! They have been most appreciated :0) This is where the plot sort of starts coming together, at least for what happens to Jim. Just a warning, it's not what you think and it is what you think. Judge for yourself when you get there! From now on, all the chapter titles will be Monkees' songs…just because I feel like it :D
***
Chapter 3: Tapioca Tundra
A week had passed, and everything was prepared for the exploration. Of course, they'd be taking the Legacy. It was owned by Captain Amelia herself. She preferred this time to hire a small crew, only needing the necessary amount of spacers for the journey. Her and Delbert's three girls had been sent to stay with Amelia's brother on the planet, Retrigong. They loved it there, and would most likely want to stay at her brother's home where they could perfect they're skill of riding Delidolls ((hehe, kind of like a horse but not)) than spending weeks on a ship.
Jim was very much excited about the voyage. It was going to be more of an adventure than an assignment. He liked his job on the Montressor Space Force, but it could be tiring keeping the Starstrand Galaxy safe. He wouldn't have to put up with any badens, pirates, or fowl mouth spacers ((in which he worked with)) for weeks. Jim stepped off the ferry from Montressor, his duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. An elated smile crossed his face as he caught sight of the Legacy waiting in elegance amid the causal chaos on Crescentia. The ballyhoo of B.E.N. knocked him out of the surreal feeling.
"Hey Jimmy, I forgot my barrel of monkeys! Do you think we have time to go back and get 'em?"
Jim rolled his eyes, and turned to the robot. "We leave out in thirty minutes. Montressor is twenty minutes from here both ways. If you didn't do the math, you'd be left behind."
"Oh well" B.E.N. said sadly. "Guess the little guys are gonna be bored for a long time!"
"I think they'll find something to do" Jim played along. He'd gotten use to it after living with the robot for six years.
"Hey, there's my little buddy!" B.E.N. took off toward the Legacy. He spotted Benjamin waving at him from the gangplank.
"I'm sure glad he has a friend on this voyage" Jim said aloud to no one. Then he noticed something was missing. Something very obvious. He whistled over his shoulder. "Morph, come on!"
One of the schedule parchmenst hanging on the wall near the ferry wiggled. The travelers standing around the parchment veered back. In an instant, it changed into a pink blob, and the blob proceeded to fly off. Morph chirped happily at Jim. "One day, you'll get lost from pulling those kind of tricks."
"Kind of tricks! Kind of tricks!" Morph parroted, not heeding the warning.
Jim pressed his way through the waging crowd. He made it to the Legacy and up the gangplank in a matter of minutes. The crew was basically done with all the preparations, and were waiting patiently to set out. Benjamin was excitedly rambling on to B.E.N. about all that happened that morning on the ship.
"Good day, Mr. Hawkins" a steely voice came from behind him. Jim turned to find Amelia - hands behind her back, of course - standing there. "I see you are right on time for the launch, yet late for helping the rest of the crew prepare." She raised an eyebrow at the fact.
Jim straightened his to full height, replying in the same rigid tone as Amelia, "When you're bringing along a crazy robot, ma'am, you're bound to be late for anything."
Amelia held his view for a moment, a hint of a smile forming, then spun on her heel. Apparently, she excepted the answer since she knew how B.E.N. was. "Follow me, Mr. Hawkins. There's someone I want you to meet before setting off." He followed her to the helm, catching sight of a slender figure near the steer of the ship. As they walked around to the steer, he saw the figure was very much a girl.
"Mr. Hawkins, I'd like you to meet my first mate, Ms. Jane Morgan."
Somehow Jim held back his surprised comment of "What???". Captain Amelia's first mate was a girl seemingly his own age. She was slightly shorter of him with shoulder-length light brown and blue eyes. She wore a white blouse under a deep blue coat, matching color pants with a yellow and black strip running down each side, short black boots, and a blue hat.
She wasn't ugly or beautiful, though her pudgy red cheeks and sloped nose were her most notable features. If you were to imitate her expression in the mirror though, you'd be giving yourself a death wish. A permanent scowl was plastered on her lips along with her narrow, boorish eyes that stared right through you. In a sarcastic sense, Jane Morgan was a sight to behold.
"Ms. Morgan, this is Mr. James Hawkins. I have known him for many years. He trained at the Interstellar Academy as well, also joining the Montressor Space Force."
"Pleasure meeting you, Ms. Morgan" Jim greeted, shifting his duffel to offer his hand.
Jane firmly excepted it, her unamused eyes set on Jim. "The same." Then broke the handshake.
"Mr. Hawkins, I have an important job for you" Amelia started, severing the awkward meeting. "You will be taking the night shift in the crow's nest."
Jim had been glad to hear he was -not- ordered to be the cabin boy, but to the be the watch-out…for the night? Amelia could of given him a better job than that! He was not going to argue. She was the captain, and a good friend. He knew he wouldn't be able to be around the crew much, but that was fine by him. He wasn't a social person anyway. So, he excepted it without complain.
"Thank you, Captain. Is there anything else? Like for the launch?"
"Anyone who needs help, please go to their assistance, but other than that, you are free until your post." Amelia waved a hand as if shooing away a fly. "You are dismissed."
Jim nodded, and walked away to find his bunk before the launch. He needed to find Morph as well before the little blob got himself into trouble. His mind briftly reflected on the dreary first mate who he'd probably rarely come in contact with. His mind was more on the launch and how to keep himself busy during his night watch.
The launch came twenty minutes later. "Prepare for the launch! All crew to their stations!" Ms. Morgan shouted over the deck. The crew poured to their stations. Jim found he was needed by the rigging to help pull down the sails.
Delbert joined his wife on the bridge near the steer. He spotted their son, who was watching the launch at the bow of the ship with B.E.N. Benjamin's smile was threatening to split his face. Delbert lightly touched the mid of Amelia's back, catching her attention from giving orders momentarily. He jabbed a finger at the bow, and cracked a warm smile. "I hadn't seen him that happy since he was a toddler."
Amelia peered down at Benjamin with hooded eyes. "Yes, he is quite amused even if he has been on this ship before."
"But, he wasn't going on an adventure like this" Delbert put in.
Amelia nodded, wishing she could say more, say what was crying out in her heart to be said, to see the joy on her son's face - which was a rare event. Instead, she pushed aside the trifled thought she keep deep in her being. "I know."
***
Amelia doesn't hate her son but there's a reason why she's always giving him a cold shoulder! Jane Morgan is half my character, half not. Just imagine her as an older Jane from "Return to Neverland" who never got to Neverland. So, what will happen on the voyage to the uncharted planet? Is there even a planet out there? Hmm……
Four more days until the movie is OUT!
***
Chapter 3: Tapioca Tundra
A week had passed, and everything was prepared for the exploration. Of course, they'd be taking the Legacy. It was owned by Captain Amelia herself. She preferred this time to hire a small crew, only needing the necessary amount of spacers for the journey. Her and Delbert's three girls had been sent to stay with Amelia's brother on the planet, Retrigong. They loved it there, and would most likely want to stay at her brother's home where they could perfect they're skill of riding Delidolls ((hehe, kind of like a horse but not)) than spending weeks on a ship.
Jim was very much excited about the voyage. It was going to be more of an adventure than an assignment. He liked his job on the Montressor Space Force, but it could be tiring keeping the Starstrand Galaxy safe. He wouldn't have to put up with any badens, pirates, or fowl mouth spacers ((in which he worked with)) for weeks. Jim stepped off the ferry from Montressor, his duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. An elated smile crossed his face as he caught sight of the Legacy waiting in elegance amid the causal chaos on Crescentia. The ballyhoo of B.E.N. knocked him out of the surreal feeling.
"Hey Jimmy, I forgot my barrel of monkeys! Do you think we have time to go back and get 'em?"
Jim rolled his eyes, and turned to the robot. "We leave out in thirty minutes. Montressor is twenty minutes from here both ways. If you didn't do the math, you'd be left behind."
"Oh well" B.E.N. said sadly. "Guess the little guys are gonna be bored for a long time!"
"I think they'll find something to do" Jim played along. He'd gotten use to it after living with the robot for six years.
"Hey, there's my little buddy!" B.E.N. took off toward the Legacy. He spotted Benjamin waving at him from the gangplank.
"I'm sure glad he has a friend on this voyage" Jim said aloud to no one. Then he noticed something was missing. Something very obvious. He whistled over his shoulder. "Morph, come on!"
One of the schedule parchmenst hanging on the wall near the ferry wiggled. The travelers standing around the parchment veered back. In an instant, it changed into a pink blob, and the blob proceeded to fly off. Morph chirped happily at Jim. "One day, you'll get lost from pulling those kind of tricks."
"Kind of tricks! Kind of tricks!" Morph parroted, not heeding the warning.
Jim pressed his way through the waging crowd. He made it to the Legacy and up the gangplank in a matter of minutes. The crew was basically done with all the preparations, and were waiting patiently to set out. Benjamin was excitedly rambling on to B.E.N. about all that happened that morning on the ship.
"Good day, Mr. Hawkins" a steely voice came from behind him. Jim turned to find Amelia - hands behind her back, of course - standing there. "I see you are right on time for the launch, yet late for helping the rest of the crew prepare." She raised an eyebrow at the fact.
Jim straightened his to full height, replying in the same rigid tone as Amelia, "When you're bringing along a crazy robot, ma'am, you're bound to be late for anything."
Amelia held his view for a moment, a hint of a smile forming, then spun on her heel. Apparently, she excepted the answer since she knew how B.E.N. was. "Follow me, Mr. Hawkins. There's someone I want you to meet before setting off." He followed her to the helm, catching sight of a slender figure near the steer of the ship. As they walked around to the steer, he saw the figure was very much a girl.
"Mr. Hawkins, I'd like you to meet my first mate, Ms. Jane Morgan."
Somehow Jim held back his surprised comment of "What???". Captain Amelia's first mate was a girl seemingly his own age. She was slightly shorter of him with shoulder-length light brown and blue eyes. She wore a white blouse under a deep blue coat, matching color pants with a yellow and black strip running down each side, short black boots, and a blue hat.
She wasn't ugly or beautiful, though her pudgy red cheeks and sloped nose were her most notable features. If you were to imitate her expression in the mirror though, you'd be giving yourself a death wish. A permanent scowl was plastered on her lips along with her narrow, boorish eyes that stared right through you. In a sarcastic sense, Jane Morgan was a sight to behold.
"Ms. Morgan, this is Mr. James Hawkins. I have known him for many years. He trained at the Interstellar Academy as well, also joining the Montressor Space Force."
"Pleasure meeting you, Ms. Morgan" Jim greeted, shifting his duffel to offer his hand.
Jane firmly excepted it, her unamused eyes set on Jim. "The same." Then broke the handshake.
"Mr. Hawkins, I have an important job for you" Amelia started, severing the awkward meeting. "You will be taking the night shift in the crow's nest."
Jim had been glad to hear he was -not- ordered to be the cabin boy, but to the be the watch-out…for the night? Amelia could of given him a better job than that! He was not going to argue. She was the captain, and a good friend. He knew he wouldn't be able to be around the crew much, but that was fine by him. He wasn't a social person anyway. So, he excepted it without complain.
"Thank you, Captain. Is there anything else? Like for the launch?"
"Anyone who needs help, please go to their assistance, but other than that, you are free until your post." Amelia waved a hand as if shooing away a fly. "You are dismissed."
Jim nodded, and walked away to find his bunk before the launch. He needed to find Morph as well before the little blob got himself into trouble. His mind briftly reflected on the dreary first mate who he'd probably rarely come in contact with. His mind was more on the launch and how to keep himself busy during his night watch.
The launch came twenty minutes later. "Prepare for the launch! All crew to their stations!" Ms. Morgan shouted over the deck. The crew poured to their stations. Jim found he was needed by the rigging to help pull down the sails.
Delbert joined his wife on the bridge near the steer. He spotted their son, who was watching the launch at the bow of the ship with B.E.N. Benjamin's smile was threatening to split his face. Delbert lightly touched the mid of Amelia's back, catching her attention from giving orders momentarily. He jabbed a finger at the bow, and cracked a warm smile. "I hadn't seen him that happy since he was a toddler."
Amelia peered down at Benjamin with hooded eyes. "Yes, he is quite amused even if he has been on this ship before."
"But, he wasn't going on an adventure like this" Delbert put in.
Amelia nodded, wishing she could say more, say what was crying out in her heart to be said, to see the joy on her son's face - which was a rare event. Instead, she pushed aside the trifled thought she keep deep in her being. "I know."
***
Amelia doesn't hate her son but there's a reason why she's always giving him a cold shoulder! Jane Morgan is half my character, half not. Just imagine her as an older Jane from "Return to Neverland" who never got to Neverland. So, what will happen on the voyage to the uncharted planet? Is there even a planet out there? Hmm……
Four more days until the movie is OUT!