"The captain wanted me to let you all know that we are preparing for launch. Be ready for things to get a little bumpy. We are heading into space, after all." A tall blond man in plain silver armor told Merlin and his group.

Merlin, an older man with an owl sitting upon his shoulder, smiled at the man. "Thank you, Officer...um..."

"Smith. John Smith." He replied with a light smile. He held out a hand and Merlin shook it. "I'm hoping to enjoy a successful voyage with you, Professor Merlin."

Merlin grinned up at the young man. "I return that sentiment, Mr. Smith. Whole-heartedly!"

John chuckled and walked away. He noticed a young blond girl in a blue dress standing at the edge of the ship and peeking curiously over the railing, probably trying to catch a glimpse of the submarine. John smirked and rolled his eyes as he approached her.

"Alice, I thought I told you to wait below deck." He playfully admonished his younger sister.

Alice turned to him and crossed her arms, pouting childishly. "You're not really going to make me miss out on the launch, are you?"

"Well..." John looked around as if to be sure no one was listening in. He sighed, as though defeated. "No, I suppose not. But don't tell mom, okay? She's all paranoid that the artificial gravity won't kick in and you'll get sucked into a black hole or something."

Alice giggled and used her thumb to make an "x" over her heart. "Cross my heart, I won't tell mother."

"And also, don't get sucked into any black holes. I'll never hear the end of it when I get home."

Alice laughed and threw her arms around her older brother. He smiled as he hugged her back.

"Thanks for convincing mom to let you bring me along." Alice told him sincerely.

"It was no problem." He assured her. "I knew you needed some adventure. And I always promised I'd bring you along someday. This just seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"Honestly, John, this is more than I ever could have dreamed of." Alice said, looking up at him meaningfully. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't embarrass me."

She laughed. "Alright."

He grinned and patted the top of her blond head. "And get ready for the adventure of your life."

He stood with her at the edge of the ship to watch the launch, not noticing a young gypsy girl who checked him out with her emerald eyes as she passed him by.

Her friend giggled at her side. "Jeez, Esme, drool much?"

Esmeralda laughed. "Sorry, Chel. I just can't help noticing all the eye candy on board."

"I wish I could relate, but I've got Tulio for that now." Chel grinned at the group of three men walking ahead of them. Then she turned to Esmeralda with a more serious expression. "Besides, you know your brother won't let any of these guys near you. You've had enough dirtbag boyfriends breathing down your neck the last few years."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Clopin can't control my life. I'll make him lighten up."

Chel popped up an eyebrow. "How?"

"By showing him that I can find a decent guy."

Chel laughed. "Please, you just wanna get laid."

Esme giggled and playfully pushed her friend. "Shut up, you."

They were forced to stop walking when their male companions met up with a strange-looking group of people. They were eagerly greeted by a kindly old man in a blue coat who had a large owl sitting on his shoulder. The old man adjusted his spectacles as he grinned at the approaching group.

"Tulio and Miguel, I presume?" The old man asked cheerily as he shook both of their hands.

Tulio, a skinny man with a dark ponytail, grinned in response. "The very same."

"In the flesh!" Miguel, Tulio's blond best friend, chimed in with his naturally cheerful demeanor.

Tulio gestured toward another skinny, dark-haired man with darker skin. "And this is our business associate, Clopin, and his sister, Esmeralda." Clopin did a little bow and Esmeralda waved. Then Tulio pulled Chel close and added, "And this is my, uh, significant other, Chel."

Chel happily shook the old man's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Professor Merlin. Thank you for calling us about this trip."

"It was no trouble, my dear." Merlin chuckled. "I knew it would be a crime to not bring your group along."

"Wait a minute... Are you truthfully the men who found El Dorado, the Planet of Gold?" A canine-looking alien asked Tulio and Miguel, his ears twitching excitedly.

Tulio nodded with a laugh. "Yes... That's actually where we found Chel." He shared a loving look with her.

"Wait, you're from there?" A young girl in a pair of baggy overalls asked in amazement.

"Oh, tell us all about it!" A young woman who appeared to be part cat eagerly cried, her feline eyes shining with excitement. "Is it as beautiful as all the legends say?"

"Um..." Chel faltered, obviously flustered.

"Chel doesn't really like to talk about it." Esmeralda stepped in to save her friend. After shooting Tulio a look as if to say, 'Way to go, genius', she smiled politely at the others. "Let's just say that we left her planet better off than how we found it."

"Oh, of course. So sorry to trouble you." Another old man clad in expedition clothes with a bushy white mustache said regretfully.

Chel shook her head. "No, it's fine. I understand your curiosity."

"Oh, where are my manners!" Merlin cried. "We know all of your names, but I've yet to introduce you to everyone here! Now, let's see..."

As he began going around the group for introductions, Esmeralda's attention was caught by a tall, dark-haired young man with cinnamon-colored skin and beautiful hazel eyes. She couldn't help staring at him as he was having a conversation with John and Alice by the edge of the ship. John said something that made him laugh and when he smiled, he exposed a perfect set of white teeth and a pair of dimples to die for. Esmeralda bit her lip, feeling herself blush. The guy finally noticed her staring and she quickly ducked her head in embarrassment. Since when did she get so hung up on a guy at first glance?

Naveen grinned as he watched the startled girl with the black hair and emerald eyes look away from him. He couldn't help staring at her; She was gorgeous.

John followed his gaze and smirked when he saw what Naveen was looking at.

"You've been on the ship all of five minutes and you're already looking at your options?" John joked, getting Naveen's attention again.

Naveen chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's not like that, John... I'm looking for something real now."

John's eyebrows shot up and Alice giggled.

Naveen rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious. That's actually part of why father helped finance this trip. He wants me to have one last adventure, get it out of my system. And then hopefully find a girl to settle down with so I can buckle down and help him run the company."

John laughed and shook his head. "What universe does your delusional father live in?"

Naveen laughed now, too. "I honestly have no idea."

"Well, I'd avoid ship romances if I were you. There are enough opportunities for awkward situations without sexual tension." John said.

When he heard Alice giggle, he looked down at her seriously and added, "Do not repeat that to mom."

Alice bit her lip on another laugh and defensively held up her hands. Naveen laughed, and couldn't help sharing another look with the beautiful girl with the emerald eyes.

Captain Amelia was in the middle of looking things over when a familiar furry face caught her eye. She grinned and leapt down to the deck to greet her old friend. He wasn't even surprised, he just grinned at the sight of her.

"Robin Hood, as I live and breathe! I thought I saw your name on our roster!" Amelia happily shook his paw.

The Fox chuckled and patted her shoulder with his free hand. "Oh, you know I wouldn't miss this for the world! And I must say, I felt a bit put out when you didn't invite me along and I had to hear about it from some scum in the pub." Robin pouted at her.

Amelia frowned. "Scum in the pub?"

He smirked and gestured over the side of the ship. "Don't tell me you didn't notice who else is in this port."

Amelia rolled her eyes at the sight of a smaller, proudly gleaming pirate ship painted red a gold. She scoffed when she saw a few dastardly familiar faces watching the Legacy mischievously. "Of course I noticed the Jolly Roger. Why do you think I'm in such a hurry to launch? I want to get out of here before they're even ready to. Speaking of which..." She turned to narrow her eyes at a young Hispanic girl. "Audrey!"

The girl, as well as all of her friends, jumped to attention.

Amelia sighed. "What part of 'get ready to launch' did you not understand? Hmm?"

"Oh!" Audrey exclaimed, booking it below deck to the engine room.

Robin laughed while Amelia rolled her eyes back over to him. In spite of herself, she was smirking.

"You did check the ship for any tampering, correct?" Robin asked her.

Amelia cast one more nasty look toward the Jolly Roger before answering him. "Yes. Mr. Arrow, Smith, Phoebus and myself have each checked this ship from head-to-toe, every nook and cranny. We're in tip-top shape. Nothing to worry about!" Amelia proudly turned her nose up into the air, then shrank a little in annoyance. "As long as we can get out of here ahead of those bloody pirates..." She sighed impatiently and muttered, "Why did I take on such a young crew?"

Robin chuckled as he looked around at the others on board. With the exception of a few, this crew consisted of some pretty young folk- practically kids.

"Any way. I have a job to get back to." She clapped Robin on the shoulder as she began to walk away. "We'll be launching very shortly. Try to mingle!"

Robin smirked and shook his head, holding his duffle close as he walked toward the bow of the ship.

As he passed a couple of young men, one of them- who looked to be of Arabian descent- whispered to the other, "Dude, that's Robin Hood!"

Robin grinned as he heard the other man scoff and say, "Dude, no way.", and continued walking away from them.

Aladdin shot his life-long best friend and partner in crime, Flynn Rider, and incredulous look. "I'm telling you, it's him."

Flynn smirked. "Al, you say that about every Fox we see."

"Okay, but this time I'm serious! Look, he's got the bow and arrows!"

Flynn shook his head and chuckled at his excitable friend. "Plenty of people use those, Al. I saw a girl with a similar model earlier below deck."

Aladdin stared at his friend. "Why don't you want to admit that it's him? I mean, Robin Hood is our childhood idol!"

"Not so loud." Flynn hissed, looking around. Once he was sure that no one had heard, he glared at Aladdin and began to whisper intensely. "Robin Hood stole for good reason. We did not. Now, don't ever mention our past life of crime, because, despite our infamy, I've somehow managed to assure the Captain that we've moved on from petty thievery, and that we aren't a couple of bungling pirates set on finding treasure, so it's really important that you don't blow it and get us kicked off the ship!"

Aladdin sighed and nodded. "Alright, I get it."

"Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Now, we both have our marks. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Al."

Aladdin shot him an annoyed look, but didn't reply. He turned away from Flynn, and his attention was immediately caught by a strange old man with a giant owl perched on his shoulder.

"Oh, boys!" Merlin was saying to the three teenagers in his care. "Perhaps you'd like to go put your bags down in your room before the launch?"

The first boy, a scrawny sixteen-year-old with shaggy blond hair, smiled and shook his head. "It'll take us forever to find the room, Merlin. We don't want to be late to seeing it."

Merlin chuckled. "Alright then, Arthur." He looked over at the other two. "Taran? Mowgli?"

Taran, who was the same age as Arthur but a few inches taller with a mop of brown hair atop his head, grinned and replied, "We'd rather stay up here with you, Merlin. We'll find our room afterward."

Mowgli, a younger Indian boy who looked uncomfortable in his clothes, nodded in agreement.

Merlin smiled at the boys and nodded. "Of course, alright." He turned his smile on the others now. "Can't blame them for their excitement. I wouldn't want to miss the launch, either. What about you, Archimedes?"

Mr. Porter looked over to see Merlin fondly stroking the feathery chest of his pet owl. He frowned and asked, "Excuse me?"

Merlin looked confused for a moment, then laughed at himself. "Oh! My apologies. I didn't mean you, Archimedes. I meant my owl, Archimedes. Oh, I didn't even think about that. I hope there won't be too much confusion about it in the room..."

Dr. Doppler's eyebrows shot up. "That bird is staying on our cabin with us?"

"Why, yes, of course he is!" Merlin chuckled. "Where else would he go?"

"That won't be a problem for you, will it, Delbert?" Jim asked with a devious grin while both his brothers tried not to laugh at Doppler's expression.

Dr. Doppler took a deep breath and forced a smile. "No. No, of course not."

"Well, I would assume so!" The owl suddenly cried indignantly, startling everyone. His feathers ruffled up in his offended state. "I have as much a right to a cabin as you do, Mutt!"

Doppler's eyes bugged out of his head. "Good heavens!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Archimedes, I told you to keep quiet!"

"I haven't said anything..." Mr. Porter replied quietly.

Wendy and Jane both giggled at their father while Merlin's three charges tried not to laugh aloud at the argument ensuing between Merlin and the alien owl.

Adam looked down at the pretty brunette girl with the hazel eyes who stood by Jane's side.

"Some crew, huh?" He mumbled in her direction, not really expecting her to answer.

She smiled. "Yes, I think I'll get along with them beautifully. Everyone back home believed me to be rather odd, as well."

Adam was surprised by the light French accent in her pleasant voice. He turned to actually face her. "What's your name?"

She grinned up at him and put out her dainty hand for him to shake. "Belle."

"I'm Adam." He smirked a little as he took her hand in his and shook it.

Jim and Tarzan shared a look of disbelief. Adam hardly spoke to anyone, let alone girls. Girls made him feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. What made this girl any different?

Really, they were both more worried about Belle's safety than they were about anyone's feelings getting hurt.

Everyone's attention was caught when Captain Amelia called up to Eric, who was steering the ship, "I've just heard from engineering! We're good to go! Commence launch sequence!"

Eric nodded and began to press some buttons. "Aye-aye, Captain!"

Captain Amelia grinned at the rest of the crew. "Be sure to hold onto any loose items, ladies and gentlemen! We're leaving the atmosphere, after all!"

Jane giggled. "I just love how excited she gets about the launching."

"Yes, it is quite sweet, isn't it?" Mr. Porter chuckled.

The ship began to lift away from the dock and hover into the air. Everyone held onto something, or someone, and watched in amazement as they slowly climbed out of the atmosphere. A few people called out in alarm when their feet began to lift off of the ground. Seeing how some people were floating around the deck, (including Dr. Doppler, who was screaming and doing somersaults in the air), Captain Amelia grinned at Eric, who was clinging to the steering mechanism.

"Could we, perhaps, engage the artificial gravity, Eric?" She asked him.

Eric looked amused as he began to press another sequence of buttons. After everyone had safely landed on their feet on the deck, (aside from Doppler, who landed on his head, making his bizarre space suit clatter noisily against the wood), Eric told her, "Sorry, Captain. Just thought I'd make it interesting for them."

Amelia chuckled and gestured toward the sparkling stars that lay outside their invisible protective shield. "But what could be more interesting than that view, helmsman?"

Eric grinned in agreement with her as Mr. Arrow and Phoebus joined them.

John was standing with Alice at the side of the ship, keeping an arm around her as they both gazed into space. Alice gasped in delight as she took in the sight of all the stars twinkling around them.

"It's beautiful..." She whispered.

John smiled down at her.

Jim was busy watching Montressor shrink behind them. Tarzan clapped a hand on his shoulder and asked him, "You gonna miss it?"

Jim shrugged and shook his head. "Not particularly."

Tarzan grinned. "Good. You're not going to regret this trip, Jimmy. We're going to be seeing some beautiful places."

Jim wasn't really one for sight-seeing; He wondered more about what cool aliens they might meet. But he didn't doubt that they would be visiting some amazing planets.

"Let's jump to warp, Eric!" Amelia commanded with a feral grin, eager to plunge them all into deep space.

Eric smirked as he nodded and began to hit more buttons. "Aye, Captain."

"Hold onto something!" Mr. Arrow called down to the rest of their crew.

Everyone gathered at the sides of the ship and firmly gripped the railing, or took a secure seat on a set of stairs nearby. The ship began to hum as everyone anticipated the jump.

"Oh, this is gonna make me sick for sure..." Milo muttered. Tiana laughed while Sweet smiled at him.

"Brace yourselves!" Amelia cheered as the thrum of the ship reached a crescendo.

"In 3...2...1." Eric counted down, then punched the last button with him thumb. He grinned as he heard the ship's thrusters whine to life. "Lift-off."

The ship suddenly shot forward at an unimaginable speed, making the crew lurch a little. The force of the jump pushed them all toward the back of the ship while space rushed by all around them, a blur of blinding white stars. Amelia cackled happily as they flew further and further into the void.

All at once, the ship stopped, hovering in the empty space. The crew cheered victoriously and stared around in amazement.

Amelia turned proudly to Eric and said, "One of your best take-offs yet, I think."

Eric nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

Wendy giggled. "I completely forgot about our little oxygen bubble. I was holding my breath that whole time!"

Belle laughed giddily with her. "Me, too!"

"I say, that was quite a rush, wasn't it?" Mr. Porter's eyes were lit up with excitement. He jokingly called toward where the Captain stood, "Can we do it again?"

"No, please, no..." Milo begged quietly as he leaned over the side of the ship and retched.

"I agree with the nerd." Meg grumbled from nearby while Sinbad laughed at the state of her hair.

"Please don't vomit on my submarine, Mr. Thatch!" Captain Amelia called to the sick Milo.

After all the excitement, everyone went below deck to search for their assigned rooms. Jim and his brothers had to separate from Doppler, who was rooming Merlin, Mr. Porter and, of course, Archimedes the owl. As the three brothers headed toward their cabin, they had to pass by the Engineering corridor, which Audrey was coming out of with another young woman. The two girls were chattering and didn't notice the three guys approaching. While Tarzan and Jim made sure not to bump into the girls as they passed, Adam didn't even bother. After Audrey jumped out of his way, Adam practically mowed over the other girl.

A young, outraged voice with a wily Scottish accent hollered after him, "Would ya' look where yer goin', you blunderin' idiot?!"

Adam slowly turned to look down at a girl with wild curls of red hair, big blue eyes, pale skin, and freckles dotted over her nose and cheeks. She wore a flannel shirt, baggy jeans, and a large pair of work boots. And her pale hands were clenched into fists, resting on her hips as she glared up at him without fear.

Adam frowned and growled down at her, "What did you just say to me?"

"I said..." She slowly repeated herself, as if she were speaking to a struggling child, dragging her vowels out comically, "Watch... Where yer... Going."

Audrey and Adam's two brothers all watched uneasily as the situation blew up.

"You don't tell me what to do." Adam scoffed. "You should have gotten out of my way."

"Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't leap out of yer path, yer highness." She mock-curtsied as she taunted him. Then, she reared back up to her full height and said more angrily, "But really, princess, with spatial awareness skills that poor, ya' probably shouldn't be on this ship!" She poked him in his chest.

"How dare you!" Adam yelled. "I can promise you I've been at this gig longer than you have, little girl! "

She squinted up at him. "Did you just call me..." She took a step closer and he leaned down so that their faces were inches apart."...'little girl'?"

"Okay, enough of that!" Audrey cried nervously, gripping the girl's arm and leading her away. "Come on, Merida, let's go find our room."

"You watch yer back ya' beastly knob!" Merida shouted at Adam as Audrey dragged her away.

"Stay away from me, you little psycho!" Adam bellowed in return. Then he turned on his heel and shoved past his brothers to go find their room. Tarzan and Jim shared a look before following their fuming brother at a distance.

Merida scoffed in disbelief and ranted at Audrey, "Can ya' believe the nerve of that dumb brute?! I mean, does he think he owns the place?! Well, he's wrong! Who actually runs this ship? We do! He oughtta show us some respect!" She seethed and turned to see Audrey smirking at her. She gave Audrey a weird look. "What?"

Audrey shrugged and looked away. "Oh. Nothing..."

Merida stared at her for a moment, then sighed in irritation and shook her head. "Whatever. Now where the hell is our room?"

Meanwhile, Meg was searching aimlessly for her own cabin. She paused in front of the directory on the second floor and examined the ship's map to no avail. This vessel was unlike any other she'd ever been on, so the layout made absolutely no sense to her.

"Can I help you with something?" A friendly- but slightly smug- voice asked from behind her. Meg turned to see Officer Phoebus standing there in his gleaming gold armor, smirking at her.

She cocked a hip and crossed her arms, making her indifference obvious in her expression and her naturally sarcastic tone. "Not with whatever it is you're thinking of. Hit the road, Officer." She turned away to face the directory again, thoroughly annoyed.

Phoebus feigned offense and came to stand beside her. "I can't say anyone has ever treated me so disrespectfully."

"I don't hold any special affinity to cops." Meg droned, not taking her eyes off the lighted map in front of her.

"Because you're a pirate?" He asked in a remarkably casual tone.

She shot him a look with her intense purple eyes. "Ex-pirate." She looked back at the map and drawled, "My brother and our crew gave up that life. But we can't live without being on a ship, so... Here we are." She gave Phoebus another pointed look. "You won't be needing to keep a special eye on us, Officer. This is our clean slate."

"I wasn't planning to keep an eye on you." Phoebus shrugged.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah... Well, not for that reason..." He smirked at her.

Meg scoffed and turned away, ignoring the feeling of intrigue this man ignited in her. "Forget it, Officer. I don't date." She rolled her eyes at him. "And I definitely don't date cops."

"Ah. Seems like I'm really missing out." Phoebus replied flatly.

Meg continued to scan the map and hummed in agreement. Phoebus couldn't help smiling as he watched her focus on searching the picture in front of her.

"You looking for your room?" He asked.

Meg sighed. She'd expected him to walk away by now. Why was he still bugging her? Although, she did need help, and he knew the ship...

"Yes." She deadpanned.

Phoebus chuckled and stepped closer her, pretending to be focusing on the map as an excuse. "Which room are you in?"

Meg was startled momentarily by his closeness, and couldn't help catching a whiff of his tantalizing cologne. She collected herself and took a step away from him, closing herself off as she muttered, "22A."

"Ah, right. That's the next floor up... Right..." He pointed at a colorful block on the directory. "There. You got it?" He turned to her after a moment of not hearing a reply. She was watching him, and smirking slightly in spite of herself.

Finally she nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Phoebus smiled. "It's my job."

Meg suspected that there was more implied by that sentence than he was letting on.

"Want me to carry your bag?" He asked politely, pointing at the trunk that sat on the floor by her her boot.

Meg chuckled dryly. "Nah, I'm a big girl. Tie my own boots and everything." She smirked as she lifted the heavy trunk with one hand and held it by her side. With her free hand, she waved over her shoulder as she strolled away, purposefully swaying her leather-clad hips to tease him. "See ya' around, Officer..."

Phoebus watched her go, and for the first time in his life, he was stunned. He found himself mesmerized by how her long, curly brown ponytail swayed as she walked away from him. The image of her purple eyes gleaming in amusement was branded into his brain.

Phoebus sighed and smiled to himself. "What a woman..."

Phoebus forced himself back to reality, and started heading up to the Captain's quarters. He had a meeting to get to.

He slipped into Amelia's office and shut the door, nodding at the others in the room before coming to stand beside Amelia, who was looking over her intergalactic map.

"What's our first stop, Captain?" Mr. Arrow asked.

Amelia pointed at a planet with many rings spinning around it. "Grannus."

Phoebus popped up an eyebrow. "The Grecian planet?"

"Do you have a problem with Greeks, Phoebus?" John smirked.

Phoebus thought about the encounter he'd just had with the infamous Greek pirate's little sister and smirked. "No, quite the opposite, actually."

"We have some supplies to pick up there. Tiana's requested some special cooking oils and whatnot, and I quite enjoy their pottery." Amelia explained light-heartedly. "But, aside from that, we have a potential crew member to pick up."

"Really? Who?" John asked with a slight frown.

"A very important asset indeed, Mr. Smith. One of the strongest men in the galaxy... A descendant of the Titans."

"Whoa." Phoebus's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes. Quite. His abilities, if in the wrong hands, could be quite catastrophic. We could use an ally like him." Amelia replied.

Mr. Arrow chuckled. "So you want to swoop in and take him away before the Jolly Roger has a chance to?"

Captain Amelia shook her head. "Not necessarily. Hook won't be wanting to take this man on as a crewmember. He's had too many nasty run-ins with them, and done significant damage to both ship and crew."

"Ooh. I like him already." Phoebus commented.

"If anything, the Jolly Roger will be coming to try to kill him. And we can't have that. It'd be such a waste." Amelia said.

"Right. What's his name, then?" John asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Amelia smirked at him. "Hercules."

:::A/N:::

As you can tell, this story's a decent mix of a lot of elements. It's kind of Treasure Planet, kind of Peter Pan, a little bit of Atlantis, kinda Star Trek, a whole lot of futuristic-steampunk-space-pirate-action. I'm really looking forward to how this turns out. Writing this is gonna be so fun!

Also, you should keep in mind that some pairings, (in fact, a lot of pretty major ones), will not be cannon. Sorry if this bothers you. But hey, if you don't like it, don't read it. And please don't leave scathing reviews because of this, or send me PMs trying to get me to change something or put together two people that you want put together. I appreciate your guys's opinions, but I think I have as much of a right to experimenting with my stories and the characters as any other author does. Thank you. :)

I hope someone's into this and liking it, and willing to go on a little adventure with me! Wheeeeeeeeee!