Writer notes: I'm SO sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I decided to totally change the storyline after JenJen-chan's last review ((thanks goes to her for her help!!!)) and it took a while to get something together. I had to really think about what was going to happen with Benny, and how the Legacy crew was going to get their ship back. I'll hopefully have more real soon! I posted a sketch of Benny that I did. If you want to see it ((PLEASE)), here's the link:
http://www.geocities.com/coneygoil/benny_doppler.jpg
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Chapter 8: Zor and Zam
"Alert the crew, Mr. Hawkins!"
Jim was off in a flash at the Captain's orders. Amelia rushed to the helm, the bottom fringe of her nightgown flapping wiidly behind her. She nabbed her spyglass, and focused on the ship in the distance. The Jolly Roger caught her eye. Pirates. Amelia hissed, her claws clutching the spyglass tightly. The Legacy hadn't had an encounter with pirates in years.
*Now they're going to attack when my family is on board?* Amelia thought, furiously. Frantic footfalls met her ears.
"What is it?" Delbert asked, clumsily stopping beside her wearing his old red robe.
Amelia handed him the spyglass abruptly, which Delbert almost dropped. "Pirates." She hissed sharply. Delbert straightened at the word.
"They're coming to attack us? But, we have no cargo they'd want!"
"They don't know that."
Amelia, even in her long nightgown, leapt down from the helm and landed in front of her nimble crew crowding out from the bunkroom. Most were half dressed and half asleep still. Before Amelia could open the weapons closet, the ship was smashed with another blast from the cannons of the on-coming pirate ship. The crew stumbled, some falling to the deck. Amelia was thrown against the closet door.
"Captain!" Ms. Morgan cried, scrabbling to her.
Amelia grabbed the closet knob and hoisted herself up. "No fuss, Ms. Morgan." They hurried into the closet and distributed the plasma muskets and cutlasses to the crew.
All the while, the pirate ship was drawing closer. "Ship thirty yards away, Captain!" a crewmember called out. They could see the pirates clearly now without a spyglass. The crew prepared best they could to defend the Legacy. Amelia rushed to the helm again, grasping Delbert's arm as she stepped beside him.
"Amelia, what do I…???" Delbert started, franticly.
She leaned inches from his face, her green eyes fixed directly on his. "Go protect our son." She placed a musket in his shaky hand. "Don't let anything happen to Benjamin."
Delbert nodded dumbly, as if the command was hard to understand. She pushed him down the stairs. His senses returned to him, and Delbert scrambled off to the their stateroom. Many harsh cries followed, but Delbert paid no mind as made a beeline for his son's room. He yanked open the heavy wooden door, and flung back the bed covers to stare in shock. Benjamin was gone! He franticly searched the bedroom and stateroom calling Benjamin's name, but to no luck, he could not find him.
Delbert rush back to the deck to find an anthill of an attack. Pirates and crew clashed swords and shot at one another. He froze there at the stateroom door, the plasma musket hanging loosely from his thumb. Delbert had fought in the last pirate attack on the Legacy three years early. Half the fear had left him but half still remained, and it wasn't a fair sight to find over two dozens pirates attacking the Legacy with only a little over one dozen of Amelia's crew fighting back. Last time it was equal, this time it was not.
"Doc, watch out!" Jim yelled, pushing Delbert out of the way of an on-coming cutlass. Jim's sword clanged against the pirate's sword. "Doc, use your musket!" Delbert hesitated for several seconds before remembering that he -did- have a weapon on hand! He aimed for the pirate's back and shot him down.
"Thanks, Doc" Jim huffed, right before another pirate attacked.
Delbert fled to the helm where Amelia was protecting the control panels. He shot down the pirate she was fighting, and ran to her side. "I can't find Benjamin!"
"What?" Amelia sputtered, catching her breath. "He could be scared; did you check in places where he could hide?"
"YES! He's no where to be found!"
Amelia hissed under her breath then turned only to find two pirates advancing toward them carrying large muskets.
****
The deck was crawling with pirates. They came with full force and no hesitation. Jim was holding his own quite well. He'd been trained specifically for this type of combat, and had had many battles with pirates, being on the Montressor Space Force. He kicked a tentacled pirate he had been fighting off the side of the Legacy then turned only to find another pirate ready for action. He barely had time to give a glance around. Ms. Morgan was using her plasma pistol more than her sword. Shooting the enemy down was a good way to get rid of them, but when two were coming at you at one time with swords ablaze, it wasn't easy.
"We captured the captain!" a voice shouted from the helm. Jim snapped his neck to the helm. There, hands bound and muskets aimed at their heads, was the Captain and the Doctor. Jim blinked in horror, forgetting the attack, only to be smashed in the back of the head with the butt of a musket. He fell to his knees, dazed for several minutes.
The chaos seemed to slow down. It was obvious who'd won. The Legacy crew was bent over in surrender or lying on the deck wounded. Pirates towered over them. A plank was dropped from the pirate ship, and two lofty figures climbed aboard. Jim raised his head, his hazed vision clearing. The first figure was a tall, scaly reptilian wearing a well-kept royal blue coat and a patch over his right eye. The second figure was a foot shorter, but made up for size in his weight. He walked with a limped and on his right side was a mechanical arm.
Jim's eyes widened at the second figure. "Silver?"
http://www.geocities.com/coneygoil/benny_doppler.jpg
****
Chapter 8: Zor and Zam
"Alert the crew, Mr. Hawkins!"
Jim was off in a flash at the Captain's orders. Amelia rushed to the helm, the bottom fringe of her nightgown flapping wiidly behind her. She nabbed her spyglass, and focused on the ship in the distance. The Jolly Roger caught her eye. Pirates. Amelia hissed, her claws clutching the spyglass tightly. The Legacy hadn't had an encounter with pirates in years.
*Now they're going to attack when my family is on board?* Amelia thought, furiously. Frantic footfalls met her ears.
"What is it?" Delbert asked, clumsily stopping beside her wearing his old red robe.
Amelia handed him the spyglass abruptly, which Delbert almost dropped. "Pirates." She hissed sharply. Delbert straightened at the word.
"They're coming to attack us? But, we have no cargo they'd want!"
"They don't know that."
Amelia, even in her long nightgown, leapt down from the helm and landed in front of her nimble crew crowding out from the bunkroom. Most were half dressed and half asleep still. Before Amelia could open the weapons closet, the ship was smashed with another blast from the cannons of the on-coming pirate ship. The crew stumbled, some falling to the deck. Amelia was thrown against the closet door.
"Captain!" Ms. Morgan cried, scrabbling to her.
Amelia grabbed the closet knob and hoisted herself up. "No fuss, Ms. Morgan." They hurried into the closet and distributed the plasma muskets and cutlasses to the crew.
All the while, the pirate ship was drawing closer. "Ship thirty yards away, Captain!" a crewmember called out. They could see the pirates clearly now without a spyglass. The crew prepared best they could to defend the Legacy. Amelia rushed to the helm again, grasping Delbert's arm as she stepped beside him.
"Amelia, what do I…???" Delbert started, franticly.
She leaned inches from his face, her green eyes fixed directly on his. "Go protect our son." She placed a musket in his shaky hand. "Don't let anything happen to Benjamin."
Delbert nodded dumbly, as if the command was hard to understand. She pushed him down the stairs. His senses returned to him, and Delbert scrambled off to the their stateroom. Many harsh cries followed, but Delbert paid no mind as made a beeline for his son's room. He yanked open the heavy wooden door, and flung back the bed covers to stare in shock. Benjamin was gone! He franticly searched the bedroom and stateroom calling Benjamin's name, but to no luck, he could not find him.
Delbert rush back to the deck to find an anthill of an attack. Pirates and crew clashed swords and shot at one another. He froze there at the stateroom door, the plasma musket hanging loosely from his thumb. Delbert had fought in the last pirate attack on the Legacy three years early. Half the fear had left him but half still remained, and it wasn't a fair sight to find over two dozens pirates attacking the Legacy with only a little over one dozen of Amelia's crew fighting back. Last time it was equal, this time it was not.
"Doc, watch out!" Jim yelled, pushing Delbert out of the way of an on-coming cutlass. Jim's sword clanged against the pirate's sword. "Doc, use your musket!" Delbert hesitated for several seconds before remembering that he -did- have a weapon on hand! He aimed for the pirate's back and shot him down.
"Thanks, Doc" Jim huffed, right before another pirate attacked.
Delbert fled to the helm where Amelia was protecting the control panels. He shot down the pirate she was fighting, and ran to her side. "I can't find Benjamin!"
"What?" Amelia sputtered, catching her breath. "He could be scared; did you check in places where he could hide?"
"YES! He's no where to be found!"
Amelia hissed under her breath then turned only to find two pirates advancing toward them carrying large muskets.
****
The deck was crawling with pirates. They came with full force and no hesitation. Jim was holding his own quite well. He'd been trained specifically for this type of combat, and had had many battles with pirates, being on the Montressor Space Force. He kicked a tentacled pirate he had been fighting off the side of the Legacy then turned only to find another pirate ready for action. He barely had time to give a glance around. Ms. Morgan was using her plasma pistol more than her sword. Shooting the enemy down was a good way to get rid of them, but when two were coming at you at one time with swords ablaze, it wasn't easy.
"We captured the captain!" a voice shouted from the helm. Jim snapped his neck to the helm. There, hands bound and muskets aimed at their heads, was the Captain and the Doctor. Jim blinked in horror, forgetting the attack, only to be smashed in the back of the head with the butt of a musket. He fell to his knees, dazed for several minutes.
The chaos seemed to slow down. It was obvious who'd won. The Legacy crew was bent over in surrender or lying on the deck wounded. Pirates towered over them. A plank was dropped from the pirate ship, and two lofty figures climbed aboard. Jim raised his head, his hazed vision clearing. The first figure was a tall, scaly reptilian wearing a well-kept royal blue coat and a patch over his right eye. The second figure was a foot shorter, but made up for size in his weight. He walked with a limped and on his right side was a mechanical arm.
Jim's eyes widened at the second figure. "Silver?"