Chapter 7: The Launch
"We're all clear, Captain!" a small slug-alien with six eyes named Onus called from the crow's nest.
At the platform where the ship's wheel was at, Captain Amelia (wearing her blue and gold captain's hat), Mr. Arrow, Rose, and Dr. Doppler were standing at the platform with an alien-octopus named Turnbuckle with his armed tentacles resting on the ship's wheel. Delbert was looking over the platform as if he were a child looking from a high place.
"Well, my friend, are you ready to raise this creaking tub?" Captain Amelia asked, looking at her First Mate with a smile.
"My pleasure, Captain," Mr. Arrow said, calmly. He turned away and bellowed out to the crew, "All hands to station!"
At his command, all of the crewmembers began to run about the decks and climbed up the shrouds to the masts. Jim had left the galley and stopped to watch.
"Loose all solar sails!" Mr. Arrow yelled.
At his command, the crew released the ropes, and the solar sails opened up like paper fans. Jim stood on deck to watch, as he was entirely amazed to see everything that was happening around him. Until a few crewmembers pulling a rope bumped into the boy, and one of them, Aguanoggin (a pink anthromorphic angular fish with a T-Rex complexion) gave the boy a dirty look.
The R.L.S. Legacy began to rise in the air as Mr. Arrow bellowed more orders. The solar sails began to suck up some solar energy to power up the ship. Rose grew amazed to see everything starting up the voyage. The solar energy traveled down the masts to the decks below, and was creating a power source.
As the ship continued to rise, everyone began to float upwards as in space there is less gravity. Jim was surprised to find himself floating, and hope he didn't fly into space. Rose felt amazed to be floating upwards, and placed her hands on her thighs to prevent her skirt from revealing more of her legs. Delbert found floating to be fun and got himself into a relaxed position.
"Mr. Snuff engage artificial gravity," Captain Amelia announced.
Snuff, the slug alien, with the help of his suction feet to prevent him from floating up, obeyed the captain with his flatulent speech. Snuff pulled down the switch and the artificial gravity was turned on. Everybody landed easily on his or her feet on the floor, except for Delbert as he made a clumsy crash landing headfirst. The captain gave the doctor a look, before turning to Turnbuckle with new directions.
"South by southwest Mr. Turnbuckle, heading 2, 1, 0, 0," she said.
"Aye, Captain. 2, 1, 0, 0," Turnbuckle said, turning the ship's wheel to the exact direction. Once the ship was at the right direction, it was time to blast into space.
"Full speed Mr. Arrow, if you please!"
"Take her away!" the First Mate called into a horn. In the lower floors, another alien named Meltdown pulled a switch to prepare for blast off. The ship's rockets prepared themselves as the engines rumbled.
Mr. Arrow stood behind the petite redhead, and placed his large hands on her shoulders. The girl looked up and wondered why her male guardian was close behind her.
"Stay in front of me Rose," he said. "These full speeds can be uncomfortable at first. I wouldn't want you to get injured."
The redhead replied with a nod, and prepared herself to face fast speed.
"Brace yourself, Doctor," Captain Amelia said, giving a sly smile.
Doctor Doppler mocked her under his breath and stood still. He wondered what she meant by 'brace yourself'?
The rockets blasted off at high speed, Rose felt her entire body pressing against the front body of Mr. Arrow. She gave a smile of relief to feel safe and unharmed. While Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow stood still at ease from the force of the rocket blast, Delbert screamed from the force, flew back, and crashed into the back of the wall.
The R.L.S Legacy began to soar away from the Crescentia Spaceport towards the depths of the Etherium. Jim climbed up on one of the shrouds to get a good view of the scenery, as the other crew members began to work around the decks. The space manta rays flew around the ship, as they began to travel to other destinations in space. Jim continued to look out in the distance, until he heard a pod of space whales drifting past the Legacy and he smiled in amazement.
Rose's eyes widened in surprise and wonder at the sight, and for the first time on the Legacy, smiled. She remembered her parents showing her these space whales and how gentle they were. One of the space whales flew above the ship, easily dwarfing the space shop as it cast its shadow. Jim was still on the shrouds, and grinned as another space whale came within feet of him, before it soared away.
The Doctor was standing in one of the crow's nests looking at the whales. The sight of these space creatures amazed him as well.
"Upon my word!" Delbert exclaimed with wonder. "An Orcus Galacticus."
He pressed a button on his spacesuit and a camera popped out. He leaned over the edge of the crow's nest and prepared himself to take a picture.
"Smile!" he called excitedly as one whale flew by.
"Uh Doctor, I'd stand clear…" Captain Amelia attempted to warn him, but she was too late. The Orcus squirted out green slime from its' blowhole right at Delbert, and he was completely covered in it. The slightly frozen Doctor pressed a button on the camera as a picture was printed out, and got dribbled with slime.
Captain Amelia gave a quiet chuckle and smiled, she thought of Delbert to be very amusing. Rose smirked and giggled, making sure to hide her smirk with her pale hands.
"Ahh, 'tis a grand day fer sailin', Cap'n!" Captain Amelia and Rose looked down from the platform to see Silver coming up to them from below deck. He was wearing a large black coat and a dark sailor hat. "And look at ya! You're as trim an' as bonny as a sloop with new sails and a fresh coat of paint." He finished his compliment, by taking off his hat and bowing like a gentleman, and gave a grin, hoping to flatter the Captain.
Rose's thin eyebrows raised up in skepticism. Was Silver trying to flirt with her guardian? She looked up to her adopted mother, and the feline had a sharp glare towards the cook.
"You can keep that kind of flim-flammery for your spaceport floozies, Mr. Silver!" Captain Amelia retorted, with a sharp tone.
Silver's smile turned to a frown of disappointment from the Captain's harsh words. Morph flew in front of the Ursid and transformed himself into a tiny Amelia.
"Spaceport floozies! Spaceport floozies! WAH!" Morph mimicked for a bit, until Silver scooped Morph up with his hat, and placed it firmly on his head.
"Yer cut me to the quick, Cap'n," Silver admitted, speaking with honesty. Captain Amelia rolled her eyes with disinterest. "I speaks nothin' but me heart at all times!"
Silver's hat floated up, with Morph repeating his words in there. The Ursid immediately used his organic hand to pull down the hat back on his head, and gave a nervous chuckle. Captain Amelia looked in the distance to notice Jim climbing down from the riggings.
"And um, by the way, isn't that your cabin boy aimlessly footling about in those shrouds?" she asked.
"Yeah, it… oh…" Silver stuttered and sighed in embarrassment. "A momentary aberration, Cap'n, soon to be addressed." He turned to the boy's direction and addressed firmly, Jimbo!"
Jim looked back at and saw Silver coming up to him with both of his arms behind his back.
"I got two new friends I'd like yeh to meet," the cyborg said. This made Jim looked around the ship with curiosity, wondering who these 'friends' are.
"Say hello to Mr. Mop and Mrs. Bucket." Silver tossed a mop and a bucket to the boy, and he managed to catch them both as he still hung onto the riggings. The cyborg gave a chuckle to himself at his own joke. None-the-less, Jim was not entirely pleased with this.
"Yippie," he replied with dry sarcasm in his voice.
Rose saw the scene play out between Silver and Jim. The boy climbed down from the rigging and the cyborg began to give him clear instructions on making this deck clean and spotless. Now that they were deeper into space, all of the crewmembers were resuming their tasks on the Legacy. The girl turned to the Captain and came up with a question.
"Mother, is there anything I could do to help Mr. Hawkins or Mr. Silver?"
"Not for now Rose," she said. "After all, I hoped you remember that you can only help Mr. Hawkins if you are needed?"
The redhead nodded, remembering the rules her adopted mother discussed in the stateroom earlier and especially about her not going out on the decks alone.
"At least for now, I think you ought to stay in the medical bunks or your secret room and be with Artemis. You'll never know until someone from this crew may need your service in order to help them. But for now, until it's safer, you might be able to go on the decks yourself. You are excused for now. And one more thing, don't hesitate to inform Mr. Arrow and I if anything goes wrong."
"Yes ma'am," the girl said, bowing her head.
Soon afterwards, the redhead made her way down the stairs and entered the medical bunks. She looked back to take a quick glance at Jim, as much as she wanted to help him, she had to follow the rules her guardians set up. So with that, she entered the bunks and closed the door.
