Chapter 4:The Coup
The Legacy was a wreck. Captain Amelia read over the report from Mr. Arrow, her ears twitching anxiously. Major Hull Damage. Damage to sails, to engines….the needed repairs were going to take upwards of a week...just to get the ship functioning again. The Captain shook her head, setting down the report and covering her eyes with her hands. Of all the blasted things to happen on this journey, they just HAD to happen upon a supernova…
A knock on her door alerted her, causing her to stand up, slick back her hair, and straighten her coat.
"Yes, come in." She calls as the door opens and the Doctor steps in. She sighs as he looks at her with tired eyes. Even the Doctor has had to get his hands dirty to help with repairs. While it was not his area of expertise, she had to admit, he was a fast learner.
"Any updates on how long it'll take us to get to Jim?" He asked, stepping forward respectfully. The Captain shook her and looked down at the notes on her desk.
"We are in bad shape Doctor. We won't even be moving again for a week…"
"A week!" The mans hound-like face looked horror stricken. "Silver looked like he was in bad shape…"
"I know." She sighs. "And we can't expect to be able to care for an injured man, and himself, for that long."
The doctor nodded his head, trying to think of some way to help with the situation. The look of frustration in his eyes was so obvious, Amelia couldn't help but give a small, sympathetic smile.
"Mr. Hawkins is a smart lad." She said softly. "I'm sure he'll be okay…"
Dr. Doppler looked at her and gave her a small nod with a smile.
"I'm sure you're right Captain." He sighed, running his paw through his dark hair.
"Still...we should hurry." Amelia said, clearing her throat and stepping outside, carefully walking towards the helm. Her eyes scanned the ship, watching Mr. Arrow delegate the crew. Her ears twitched, and her hair prickled as she looked over the crew. They had been acting even stranger than usual since Silver and Hawkins went missing. Mr. Scroop in particular, had been scuttering about with a suspicious look in those yellow eyes. She had a bad feeling.
Still, she took her spot at the helm behind Mr. Turnbuckle, clearing her throat to get her crew's attention.
"Listen here gents!" She called out, her voice loud and clear. "We have to get those repairs done as soon as possible! I'm going to be pushing you hard, but it is not without cause! Perform well and you will be heavily compensated at the end of this venture!"
The men gave small cheers, clearly not excited about being worked even harder, but still willing to do so at the promise of coin. Amelia gave them all a nod of thanks before turning to go below deck, not seeing the deadly glare Scroop aimed in her direction.
It was warm. Jim knew he should be freezing in this tundra, but as he slowly returned to consciousness he couldn't help but press in more to the warmth. As he pressed in further, a strong arm pulled him in, creating a soft pressure around him. Slightly confused, Jim opened his eyes and looked up, catching the emerald eye looking down at him.
"Are ye cold Jim?" The cyborgs voice was soft, but strong, his organic eye searching his face, the mechanical one was still closed. Jim blinked, still confused from sleep as he realised he was pulled flush against Silver's chest and belly, the large man's arm wrapped tightly around him. Coming to this realization Jim flushed and jumped to pull away, but he didn't get far.
Silver tightened his hold on Jim, trapping him in a bear hug.
"Now where exactly are ye going, Jimbo?" Silver asked, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Ye and I need to have a bit of a chat."
"Let me go…" Jim grunted out, trying to wriggle loose. Silver chuckled and held on tighter.
"Yer the one that snuggled up to me Jim." He said, causing Jim's face to heat up even more. "And after our little chat yesterday to. Ye sure are brave lad, aren't ye?"
"Damn it…" Jim pushes against the large belly, trying to find some purchase to pull away, but even in his injured state, the ursid was just too strong. "I see your feeling better."
"Aye, I am." Silver nodded, shifting uncomfortably as Jim pushed and kicked at him. "Me fever broke last night. I was afraid I'd wake ye up."
"Damn.." Jim sighed, stopping his struggle as he glared up at Silver, finally accepting that he just didn't have the strength to break loose.
"Good lad." Silver chuckled again before looking back down at Jim, his expression a bit more serious. "Now...I was half dazed with fever, but if I recall you said you had more questions."
"You heard that huh?" Jim sighed, looking away from Silver's face.
"Sure did. Heard the last part too." He raised an eyebrow. "You still gotta….what?"
"None of your business." The teenager huffed. "Doesn't matter anyway...what...were you planning to do?"
"Hm? You mean with the ship?" Silver asked casually. "We was gonna let ye lead us to the treasure, tie the lot of ye up, stick ye in the brig, and take as much loot as we could carry."
"And what would have happened to us?" Jim asked, glaring up at the ursid, who gave a small smile.
"Oh don't look at me like that, lad. We was just gonna hold ye as hostages until we got out of Navy controlled space. Then I would 'ave dropped ye lot on a planet with a port, and let ye be on yer way. Ye would 'ave ended up back home, no harm done."
"Yeah right…" Jim scoffed. "Like Scroop would have been happy just capturing us."
"Scroop aint the Captain." Silver said, his voice deep and dangerous, sending a chill down Jim's spine. "And if he ever disobeyed my orders, I'd 'ave tossed him overboard."
Jim shuddered at the words. He had seen Silver have a temper before, but the cold, blatant violence in his voice was something new, something scary.
"Right…" Jim sighed, not looking up. "Why...why did you tell me? I'd never have thought you would…"
"Be a pirate?" Silver asked, Jim nodded. "Now that aint true, Jimbo. Ye suspected me the moment we met, I remember you asking me about Ol' Billy Bones. The fact is I told ye...because ye deserved to know."
"That doesn't explain anything." Jim huffed. "Since when do lying, murdering pirates care about what someone deserves?"
"Since a thick skulled brat somehow started makin me soft." Silver grumbled. Jim glanced up, shocked to see a tinge of pink on the Ursid's face.
"What do you mean?"
"I never expected you Jim." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Never expected te find meself carin about some...kid. Let alone a kid who seems to have a thing for fat old men."
"What?!" Jim balked at Silver, his face burning. "What...I don't…"
"Ye can't lie to me Jimbo." Silver smirked. "I'd seen ye starin at me when ye thought I wasn't lookin. Ye also talk in yer sleep, it turns out. Ye've been havin some mighty adult dreams last night, weren't ye Jimbo?"
Jim thought he was going to stop breathing. He remembered the dream he had last night, and the thought that Silver had heard him...that he knew…The teenager buried his face in his hands, trying to hide the heat in his cheeks.
"Heavens kill me now…"
"Now don't say that, Lad." Silver chuckled, his large hand rubbing Jim's back. "I'm flattered."
Jim squirmed more, trying to break out of the older man's grasp.
"Damn it, let me go…"
"Aint gonna happen lad." Silver sighed and moved, pinning the cabin boy down to the cold, stone floor. "Ye see...I told ye, and now I gotta figure out what to do about that…"
Jim stared up at the Ursid, his blue eyes wide. Silver's face was dark and serious, the normally golden glint to his mechanical eye a menacing red. Jim swallowed and pressed back against the floor, pointlessly trying to put some distance between himself and the man, his mind really taking in how large and muscular the pirate was, despite his large gut.
"W...what do you mean?" He asked, not daring to move.
"I mean…" Silver started, his voice deep and quiet. "I need to figure out how to keep ye from tellin Amelia…"
Scroop had never been happier. Silver was gone, that nosy cabin boy was no longer snooping around, and the rest of the crew was unsure of how to react.
Most of them had never been without Silver's leadership, but Scroop was different. He had been getting tired of the Ursids way of working for a while now. Always smooth talking, with his clever ideas, and his temper. Oh how he hated that temper, the verbal abuse the fat man always put on him, how he wanted to rip his guts out with his own claws. But now...now no one was in charge, and Scroop knew this was his chance to do things His way.
He knew the crew well, a necessity of spacing, even if he was the better fighter, thinker, and talker of all of them. He knew where to hit them that would hurt the most, and how to prove that he was in charge now.
The Mantivor watched as Amelia, Arrow, and Doppler retreated into her cabin for a meeting, letting a slight hiss rise from his throat before skittering over to the congregating crew, standing up tall on his many legs, bringing to tower almost all of them, Hands being the exception.
"We're going to take the ship now…" He said in a deep, soft hiss. The crew turned to him, glancing at each other nervously before Moron spoke, glancing up at his brother Oxy briefly.
"But the Captain said-"
"Silver's gone." Scroop hissed back, glancing up at Hands. "He and that boy are trapped on some other planet now. We are going to take the ship, the map, and the treasure all for ourselves. No more waiting."
A loud snicker drew their attention as Meltdown laughed, his many rolls of fat jiggling with the movement.
"Oh I like that." He said with his thick accent, the gold ring on his horn swinging. "I have been wanting to move for so long…" A few other members nodded in agreement, muttering softly. Scroop chuckled, flexing his claws. They had all been wanting blood for so long now, and it had only been the fear of Silver that had kept them in line. Well, some of them, anyways, the newer members. Members like Onus, the brothers Oxy and Moron, and Bridbrain Mary, as well as some others who had been there much longer were undoubtedly loyal to the Ursid. Mary in particular was not shy about her attraction to the alien. They were the ones who were not so keen on the idea of moving now.
Scroop noticed immediately and was not about to give them time to argue or convince the others of any other course of action. He clicked his claws loudly, drawing all of their eyes. Most of them were cowards, Scroop knew it, they knew it, hell even Silver knew it. The deep, menacing hiss he let out was enough to quell the whispers.
"We're moving now…" He growled. "And if any of you argue, well, things will not end well for you."
The crew chuckled and nodded at each other, a gleam of excitement in their eyes at the thought of taking action. They had been holding back for so long, on Silver's orders, and were all itching for a good fight. Scroop nodded to Hands, who quickly moved to where they had hidden their weapons, as began working to lower the Navy's flag.
They moved swiftly, with a precision learned from years of experience taking over ships. The strongest of them gathered at the door of Amelia's cabin, pistols in hand as they waited for the signal. With a simple nod of his head, Scoop signaled for the crew to burst in the door.
Amelia, Arrow, and Doppler had no time to react. They had been talking in a meeting when suddenly the crew was in the cabin, strong arms grasping on to them and pinning them to the floor. Scroop chuckled as he skittered into the room, watching His men tie up the three prisoners. Amelia snarled up at Scroop, her blue eyes large and angry.
"What is the meaning of this!?" She hissed out as the pirates hauled her back up onto her feet. Scroop chuckled and clamped his claw under Amelia's chin, staring down at the feline alien.
"Where's the map?" He hissed back at her, a feeling of joy running through his pine at the shock that glanced through her eyes. "Yes, we know about it. We've always known about it. Now, where is it?"
"I'll die before I tell you!" She hissed and spat at his face. He snarled and shook his head, pulling away from her and scoffing as he looked around the room. He smirked and pulled out his own pistol before aiming it at the doctor, who visibly swallowed, his floppy ears shifting backwards in a fearful gesture.
"You sure about that, mmmm Captain?" He asked with a chuckle, glancing back at Amelia. Her angry expression had shifted, just for a moment, to one of fear. She locked eyes with Doppler and sighed, before motioning to the cabinet against the wall. quickly rummaged through her coat and pulled out the slender key, moving quickly to open the cabinet.
Inside, along with some weapons, bottles, and maps, was a small box. Scroop lifted the lid and smiled as he saw the small, golden sphere. He lifted it up with his claw, looking it over with a critical eye, examining the thin lines and circles on its surface. He turned back to Amelia and slid up to her face.
"How do I open it?" He asked with a chuckle. Amelia sighed and glanced at Doppler again before shaking her head.
"I don't know." She admitted. Scroop frowned.
"No use lying to me, Captain." He snarled. "I have ways of gettin that information from ye…"
"I honestly don't know, you puss filled boil." She hissed in return. " is the only one who knows how, and he's not here…"
Scroop gritted his teeth, glaring down at her, examining her face. She was telling the truth, and that meant….
"I suppose we have to go pick up the cabin boy then…"