Hello again! The story continues... and for those who actually read the author's comments, I'll try to update every Monday.

Now on with the show!

-xxXxx-

The next morning, Jim walked onto his ship first thing when he arrived. He couldn't believe it! Today he was going to launch the RLS Glory. He was so exited! The butterflies were flying rampant in his stomach now, but nothing to make him queasy thankfully. He climbed the stairs to the Quarter deck

Standing with his arms behind his back, much like Amelia, he mused, he looked up into the Etherium. He was going to be sailing that as a Captain soon. Jim smiled. Soon could not be soon enough. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the crow's nest. Gazing at the nest, Jim blinked when he saw something dangling over the side. It looked like a rope, swaying slightly in the breeze. Then it disappeared and replaced by some hands, then a face. A face he'd spent most of yesterday questioning.

"Rune?" he called up to her. She looked around sleepily before smiling at him and waving sluggishly. She called down to him; mouth moving but the words never reached him. Crawling over the edge of the crows nest she began swaying back and forth on the beam of wood she was standing on. From what Jim could see, her eyes were barely open.

"Rune!" she turned her head towards him and smiled again, eyes still hooded with sleep. She moved her mouth again and this time he heard it and paled considerably.

"Be right down!"

This girl, Rune, was going to descend from the very top of this ship, HALF-ASLEEP?! His heart stopped when Rune took a step forward, off the edge of the beam. She flew down to the next beam down, landing somewhat gracefully on all fours softening the blow slightly. Jim let out the breath he'd been holding and called for Amelia. She'd know what to do with this.

Jim watched as Rune took another deliberate step off the beam she'd been standing on and plummeting to the next one. This one was a little farther down so when she landed she let out a small 'oof' on impact. She yawned and lay down on the beam, limbs hanging off the sides and proceeded to fall asleep again.

"Rune! Get down here this instant!" Amelia ordered from right behind Jim. He cringed at the volume the woman was using but it did the trick and Rune was up and awake and crashed in a pile in front of him.

"Good…" she yawned, "Morning! What are you guys doing up so early?" she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Amelia nodded in Rune's direction and left Jim to order his new crew member. Jim couldn't really think about anything but…

"What were you doing in the crows nest?" Rune repositioned herself so she sat cross-legged instead of in a pile.

"Well I was sleeping. It's surprisingly comfortable you know! You should try it one of these days, Captain!" she grinned good-heartedly. He couldn't help it. He cracked a smile. He was a Captain! He shook his head, focusing on staying on topic.

"Well I figured but why were you sleeping in the crows nest? I saw you go home last night!" he asked and her head shot up.

"You followed me home?!" Rune's eyes were big as saucers. Jim's cheeks reddened slightly at the thought of following a girl home. Like some sort of stalker. His embarrassment slowly turned to annoyance, one of his safe cards.

"No! Why in Etherium would you think that?" his apparent unease sent a chill through the air but Rune didn't seem to notice. Or care. Honestly with her it could have been either or.

"No I don't think of you like that. Besides, you're way too soft to be the stalker type," she added bluntly and lay down on the deck looking up at the sky, "Nah it's just that mam didn't take to well to me leaving. I left before things got too hairy and came here. Speaking of which, I gotta go get my stuff. Be right back!" and with that she was gone, scaling up the main mast like a squirrel up a tree. She came down more the normal way this time, using the ropes and landing on her feet in front of him.

"Alrighty Captain! Where do I bunk?" He looked to her pale green canvas bag, worn with age and patched in several places. He raised an eyebrow.

"That's all your stuff?" Rune looked at her bag questionably.

"Yup!" she chirped, tilted her head and asked, "Why?"

"Nothing, never mind. Here let me show you were you'll be staying." They walked through the galley to where the hammocks hung swinging as a gust of wind blew past them. But to her surprise, Jim led her to a separate room a little farther down the hall.

"Amelia would have my head if I made you bunk with the other men," he explained, "And since you're the only girl on the ship, you won't have to share with anyone."

Rune moved past him and explored her room. A hammock hung to her left and there was a full walled shelf there for all of her things. On the opposite side were a bunk and more shelves; a small bathroom was separated by a door. Rune immediately scrambled into the hammock leg dangling over the edge, making Jim laugh. She giggled with him before flopping out of the hammock and saluting him.

"Alrighty Captain Tightpants! What should I do now that I'm all settled?" she kept smiling at him as he stared at her, shocked at the nick-name.

"What? Tightpants?" Jim asked in disbelief. Rune giggled as if someone had told a joke.

"Well everyone I know wear kinda loose things like this," she pulled at her baggy pants showing him what she meant, "But you and Amelia have the tighter more formal wear I guess? So, Tightpants!" he gave her a look and she slumped. "And here I thought it was a good nick-name…" she muttered quietly to herself.

"Well for starters, Ms. Baggypants," he emphasized the words sternly but the smile that grew on his face gave it away, "You can begin your work as a cabin girl until I find a more suitable job for abilities like yours." She looked him in the eyes at the words 'cabin girl'.

"Listen Captain, you might be from the Academy and have a piece of paper that I can't read, but I can sail this hunk o' junk circles around you," her tone was low with a hint of a threat before brightening up right as rain, "So you think about what other jobs you can give soon okay?" and she bounced out of the room humming to herself. Jim stared after. Her change in moods was certainly throwing him off his game today. And it was the day he would be sailing out into the Etherium as Captain of his own vessel. He shook his head violently. He didn't have time nor the energy to deal with a pms-ing female on board his ship.

Most of the crewmen were already on deck doing their assigned jobs when Jim came out on deck. A lively duo of lizard brothers were twining their way up and down the main mast, releasing the solar sails bickering playfully at one another. A warm golden glow spread through the sail sending power down to the main engine. Jim climbed up to the quarter deck to watch the hustle and bustle of a ship being prepared for launch. He took a deep breath of the fresh wind that blew through his combed hair, throwing it wildly about. Before he could fix it, Amelia appeared beside him.

"With that hair you almost remind me of Rune," she smirked playfully at him but he only smiled.

"I do not want to talk about her right now," she'd already ruined a pretty good start of the day with her warning, which he still hadn't figured out whether or not to deem it a proper threat or just brush it off. Amelia picked up on the bitterness that had crept up into his voice.

"Bad start huh? I've had quite a few myself, but one in particular stands out," Jim glanced at her, curious, "There was this boy, who did not take too kindly to being cabin boy. Rough sort of fellow he was, starting fights with the other crew members his very first day and making a mess of things almost everywhere he went," Amelia went on, not sparing a glance at Jim whose cheeks were burning, "But in the end, this rough-and-tumble cabin boy showed us what he could really do and pretty much saved the crew and the captain of the ship. And you know what else?" she leaned in, glancing from side to side before adding in a hushed whisper, "I hear he went to the Academy as the youngest member in history, got the highest marks in all of his advanced classes, graduated early and is now captaining his very own vessel these days." Jim's face was burning but he couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks Amelia. I needed that," Amelia merely shook her head.

"You know what it's like to be in her position. Now I don't suggest you sympathize her and allow her to walk all over you but," Amelia gazed at the working crowd below them, "But give her a chance. Who knows? Maybe she'll save you one day." And she adopted the role she'd been given as First Mate and started bellowing out orders, getting everything ready for launch. Jim chuckled to himself. Rune? Save him? She was about as scatterbrained as BEN was when they'd first met. Scratch that, BEN was still as scatterbrained as ever.

Focusing on the task at hand, he watched the crew work, singing or hollering out orders and 'Yes Ma'am's. The two lizard brothers were scurrying up the masts, checking and double checking the ropes. Amelia shouted the ok to Jim who barked the coordinates to the helmsman, who repeated the order in confirmation, and steered the RLS Glory in the direction Jim had given him. Rune was sitting up on the bow, feet wrapped securely around the wood holding her fast. She was singing something in a foreign tongue Jim couldn't understand but it sounded pretty. She was watching the crew begin to float as the gravitation gave out. Jim didn't have time to enjoy the weightless sensation that overcame his body as he ordered a fish-like thing to engage artificial gravity. A blue light surrounded the ship and everyone fell back to the deck and continued with their work as if nothing had happened.

"Captain! All sails secure and the main motor is at full capacity," Amelia reported up to Jim. Jim felt delightful shivers run up his spine.

"Alright then, Mrs. Doppler! Take her away!" the last words had barely breached his tongue when Amelia barked the orders down a tube and the ship lurched forward into the peaceful embrace of the stars. Jim could hear Rune shriek with delight from the bow.

After the RLS Glory slowed to a steady speed that wouldn't burn out the engines, Jim congratulated the crew on a fine launch. They cheered and hollered and someone broke out some instruments and began playing a cheerful tune. The golden glow of the solar sails lit up the dancers on the main deck in a pleasant light, jugs of sweet-scented liquid passed around. Amelia had disappeared into her quarters to retire for the night. Jim took a moment to observe his crew, singing and dancing and drinking. Rune was laughing at something the sailor next to her said and took another swig of the honey-colored liquid in her hand. She appeared to be on her second drink already. Her face glowed red as she hiccupped, sending a wave of laughter through those around her. Jim yawned and headed to his captain's chambers for the night.