Author's Note:
Thanks for hanging in there…
"What do you think has gotten into her?" Jim asked as Rebecca and Juanita climbed back onto the main deck from the bow's netting.
"Hard to say…" Martin leaned against the railing of the helm while Henry took the wheel of the ship. "Perhaps she's overwhelmed from what's happened."
"For a moment, there," Jarred stood beside Martin and Jim, "I was afraid that she was going to jump ship."
"No… she wouldn't…" Jim stated. Martin and Jarred gave him serious looks. "Would she?" The amber-eyed male asked, glancing at the black-haired woman.
Before either male could answer Jim, a young man exited the lower decks, walking out onto the main deck. It was John.
"Well, well…" Jim watched his older brother make his way to the bow of the ship. "I guess I'm not too bad at reasoning then…"
Juanita, spotting John approaching the bow of the ship, quickly told Rebecca that she had some reports to write up in order to allow the two young adults some privacy.
Rebecca watched Juanita leave and then noticed John up on deck as well. She looked away, turning to the railing of the ship and looking out at the Etherium.
John stopped in his steps, thinking about how he was going to word his apology. He had –after all- been quite rude to Rebecca the last time that they had spoken, refusing to hear her opinion or to acknowledge her actual feelings. He stuffed a hand into the right pocket of his jacket and felt the cover of Rebecca's pocketbook. He withdrew the journal and took a step forwards.
"I know that yeh probably don't wanna talk, Rebecca…" John started.
Rebecca glanced at John, waiting to at least hear what it was that he had to say.
"Umm…" John thought where to begin. "Here's yer book back." John held out the journal to Rebecca.
The young woman took back her journal and looked it over. She then looked back at John and waited to hear him out.
John huffed, rubbing the back of his head. "Rebecca…" The young man seemed at a loss for words. "I-" He looked up and locked eyes with Rebecca, who was beginning to tear up. "I'm sorry…"
Tears ran down Rebecca's cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself. She sniffled, trying to control herself and looked up at John. "I thought that you hated me John…"
John looked tenderly at Rebecca. "No, lass, no way in the Etherium could I ever hate yeh." he stated.
Rebecca wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well, you certainly acted like you did."
John sighed. "I know." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I was… angry. I thought that yeh only thought of me as just another sailor, after all that we've been through."
Rebecca looked sincerely up at John. "I haven't thought of you as 'just another sailor'… ever." John raised an eyebrow at this and Rebecca blushed softly. "I- I always had a feeling that you were different, John… something more."
John's face brightened at Rebecca's words, but before he could say anything there was a call upon the air.
"Planet, ho!"
The two young adults looked off the bow of the HMS Aurora and saw the densely populated planet of Emery. They had arrived.
Rebecca silently packed her things. Within the hour the HMS Aurora would be docked in Emery's main spaceport and her newest voyage would begin. Her eyes watered at the thought of leaving John, but she shook the tears away. 'After all, this is how it must be.'
She finally tucked her pocketbook into the outer pocket of her bag and stood up. There was a tapping at her cabin's door and she looked up. "Come in." She called.
Jarred opened the door and cleared his throat. "We're nearly at the dock, Miss Rebecca."
"Oh…" Rebecca looked back at the room she had called her own for the last four weeks.
Jarred nodded, understanding. He shouldered his duffel bag and walked towards the main deck, allowing Rebecca to be alone.
Rebecca looked back upon the room once more before picking up her bag and leaving, shutting the door behind her.
'Now where do I go?' Scroop stood on the platform below the mainsail of the mainmast and looked out at the crowded port city. 'Rebecca's finally going off on her own, so I could either join her and her escort… or stay on this ship…' He pondered inwardly, weighting each of the choices.
"It's not fair." Scroop growled under his breath. He looked at the young man at the helm of the ship and the young woman standing at the bow. 'Why do I have to choose between friends?'
The young arachnid looked emptily out at the port city, wishing that someone would just make the decision for him.
The gangplank of the HMS Aurora was laid down upon the dock to the densely populated spaceport. Rebecca stared at the plank of wood as some of the crewmembers from Romano filed off of the ship to take their time in port. She looked up from the gangplank and spotted John.
The young man stood with a grave aura around him, his eyes glued to the planks of the main deck. Rebecca walked over to the young man, setting down her bag and looked up at his face.
John locked eyes with Rebecca and then looked away. "Well…" He rubbed the back of his head and then cleared his throat. "I suppose that this is good bye…"
Rebecca's pale green eyes watered, as she looked away and mutely nodded. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat to form appropriate words of adieu.
"Surely…" Rebecca choked back tears. "You could stay for a while, in port…"
John's eyes widened as he looked down at the young woman. 'She wants me teh stay…?'
"Couldn't you?" Rebecca asked, forcing back her tears.
"Well…" John rubbed the back of his neck and a warm smile appeared on his face, "I suppose I do owe the crew a little longer stay in port, due teh our short stay on Shikari."
Rebecca felt tears of happiness flood from her eyes and she was rendered speechless. She simply leapt forwards, wrapping her arms around John's neck, and hugged him as her way of thanks.
John chuckled warmly, gently hugging Rebecca back. "Don't yeh fret, lass, I'm not about teh leave yeh." He whispered quietly.
The two young adults separated. Rebecca wiped away her tears and smiled up at John, too overjoyed for words at his decision to stay. John smiled back.
There was a creaking of wood as something approached them from the gangplank.
"Permission to come aboard this vessel?" A robotic voice enquired.
The two young adults turned to see a well-maintained robot of similar design as the Robocops that patrolled the populated areas of the galaxy.
"Granted." John stated, looking at the robot curiously.
The robot wheeled on board the HMS Aurora and turned to face Rebecca. "You are Lady Rebecca Clarke, are you not?"
"Yes." Rebecca answered.
"There is a message for you from the High Duchess Maria Steepleton." The robot extended its arms, offering a gilded envelope to Rebecca.
"The High Duchess?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow, taking the envelope and looking it over. She opened it and read its contents. "An invitation to a banquet?" She gasped in astonishment.
"The High Duchess's connections with the Planet Treaka knew you'd be coming to Emery at the time of the High Duchess's annual banquet." The robot stated.
"I guess my mother does have connections all over the Etherium." Rebecca stuffed the invitation back into its envelope and looked at the robot. "Please inform the High Duchess that I would be honoured to attend."
"The High Duchess will be most pleased to hear this." the robot nodded. "As your vessel had a later arrival than expected, I must inform you that the festivities will begin four hours from now."
"Four hours?" Rebecca's eyes widened with surprise.
"Yes, as inconvenient as it is." The robot stated.
"Just one question, before you leave." Rebecca cleared her throat. "May I bring someone with me to this banquet?"
"Assuming they he or she is deemed fit for a banquet in the presence of the High Duchess." The robot state indifferently as it turned away and left the two young adults.
There was a lengthy pause between the two young adults and then John spoke.
"So who is it that yeh plan teh bring teh this banquet?" He asked.
"Umm…" Rebecca pushed one of her loose bangs behind her ear. "I was kind of hoping that you would join me, John."
"Me?" John looked at Rebecca bewilderedly.
"Well, let's assume that this banquet is one of my mother's plots to set me up with a suitor to wed." Rebecca began. "I'd want someone there as morale support at least, and perhaps as a means of escaping." She said the last part more to her self.
John raised an eyebrow in interest. "Yeh actually think that I will be appropriate for a banquet?"
"Certainly." Rebecca smiled warmly. "You're more of a gentleman than you let on, John… I'm sure that you'll fit in."
John scoffed.
"All right, well maybe you won't fit in with the pompous windbags that assume the world revolves around them." Rebecca looked up at John, "But you have met my brothers, and they're nobility."
"That's true…" John stated.
"So John, will you accompany me?" Rebecca asked.
John paused, meeting Rebecca's pleading eyes and he smiled softly. "All right Rebecca, but didn't that bucket of bolts say that the banquet was tonight?"
Rebecca's eyes widened as she gasped. "You're absolutely right! We'll need to go shopping for appropriate clothing!"
John groaned, wondering if he had indeed made the right choice, as Rebecca dragged him towards the crowded port city.
Author's Note:
Thanks to Whisperwings for her timely updates, as I wish to get this story done before my summer break, which is coming up sooner than I had thought.
MG#6