Chapter 18: The Makings of Greatness

There was a massive explosion, the R.L.S. Legacy charged fast as the solar sails picked up the energy for a boost of power. The crew members were thrown against the railing, and Delbert fell forward into a pile of rope. The ship blasted out of the black hole and soared into the safety of space.

Jim, Rose, and Silver opened their eyes and looked in bewilderment that they made it out in one piece.

The crew cheered with excitement for their escape from the black hole.

The captain smiled and left the wheel.

Morph turned back into a blob heaved a sigh of relief, and plopped on the floor into a puddle.

Rose took a breath, and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She heard a chirp and looked around, remembering it was Artemis. The auburn-redhead reached into her skirt pocket and tenderly brought her pet out. The chameleon turned into a mixture of colors and was shaken up.

"Artemis are you okay?" She asked.

The chameleon chirped and nodded at her mistress, before passing out on the palm of her hand.

Rose gave a giggle of her pet's action, and hugged Artemis.

"Captain!" Delbert caught his breath and attempted to free himself from the ropes. The feline just walked past him. "That… oh my goodness! That was… that was absolutely… that was the most…"

"Oh, tish-tosh," Captain Amelia interrupted, looking through a telescope to check the stars. "Actually Doctor, your astronomical advice was most helpful."

The canine was stunned by hearing the feline giving him praise. This was a first for him.

"Well… uh, uh… thank you. Thank you very much," he stammered. "Well, I have a lot of help to offer anatomically, ananamonically, astronomically," Realizing how awkward his sentence was, Delbert facepalmed himself.

The captain made her way down the steps and Rose hurried over to her adopted mother. The feline wrapped her arms around the girl, relieved that the human girl was safe. Then, she turned her attention to Silver and Jim.

"Well, I must congratulate you Mr. Silver," she said. "It seems your cabin boy did a bang-up job with those lifelines."

Jim and Silver nudged each other playfully and laughed. Rose giggled at the scene, happy to see that things were getting better for them. But it wouldn't last for long.

"All lives accounted for Mr. Arrow?" the captain called.

But there was no reply.

Rose grew concerned, knowing the First Mate always responded immediately to the Captain's calls.

Everyone turned their heads around to look for Mr. Arrow, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Mr. Arrow?" the feline called again.

The auburn-redhead's gut twisted with worry and dread as she twisted her head around to look for the First Mate. The silence ended when a hissing was heard, and everyone turned their heads to see Scroop walking straight towards the captain. In his claws was a familiar tricorn hat.

"I'm afraid… Mr. Arrow has been lost," Scroop informed melancholy. He handed Mr. Arrow's hat to Captain Amelia as she took it in distraught.

"What?" Rose gasped, shaking her head in disbelief, and her blue-green eyes widened in terror. Despite being terrified of the spiden, she asked him, "How did this happen?"

"His lifeline was not secured." Scroop made an accusing glance towards Jim.

The boy was shocked, and his eyes widened in fright.

The auburn-redhaired girl looked at him with her eyes filled with hurt and betrayal.

Captain Amelia gave the boy a glare filled with resentment.

"No, it can't be!" Rose breathlessly said, and her eyes brimming with tears. "No, no, please!"

"No! I checked 'em all!" he protested. Jim ran towards the main mast, pushing through a few crew members and halted. All the lines were tied to the mast, but one was missing. It was Mr. Arrow's. Jim specifically remembered all the lifelines were all secured on the mast and was shocked again that Mr. Arrow's was not there.

"I… I did! I checked them all! They were secured!" Jim said, his shoulders dropped and turned to the feline. "I swear!"

Captain Amelia only glared at him. It was very clear to Jim that the captain was blaming him for the death of her dear friend. The boy was filled with guilt and shame.

Silver and Morph looked at Jim, filled with pity for him.

The ursid glanced at Scroop, who gave him a malicious smirk as a silent admit that he killed the first mate and framed the cabin boy for the crime.

Silver just glared at the spiden and didn't have the heart to defend Jim.

The petite girl couldn't hold her emotions in any longer. Her hurt expression turned into anger as she glared at Jim. Tears were pouring down her face, and she snapped at him, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Then, she ran away, up the stairs, sobbing uncontrollably. She entered the captain's stateroom and slammed the door shut.

Captain Amelia looked up to where her daughter ran, and her expression softened. She glanced at Mr. Arrow's hat and turned back to the crew to give a small eulogy about her First Mate.

"Mr. Arrow was…" she cleared her throat to compose herself. "A fine spacer. Finer than most of us could ever hope to be."

Delbert looked down in sadness, feeling sorry for Amelia and Rose to lose their close friend.

"But he knew the risks, as do we all. Resume your posts. We carry on." The captain turned around and walked up the stairs to mourn alone.

Jim was filled with guilt and devastation grew on his face. For a moment, he glanced at Silver and ran away upset.

The cyborg looked at Morph, as the little blob was sad for Jim. The ursid grew concerned for the boy and looked down in guilt wishing to help him. He also glanced at the quarters where Rose ran away, knowing the teens need some time for themselves to process.


Rose arrived in her bedroom and slammed the door. She dropped to her knees and released another sob that reverberated through the entire room. First, she lost her beloved parents as a child, and now her guardian, whom she saw as a father was dead. Feeling anger and sorrow rising in her soul, she threw her fist on the floor, banging it until it turned red and gave an angry yell at the top of her lungs.

When she finished her tirade, she went to a mirror and stared at her reflection. "A fine choice I made months ago!" she reprimanded herself, before pounding her fist on the wall. "Why did I say yes? If I had said no, then Mr. Arrow wouldn't be dead! Not only do I blame Jim for not protecting Mr. Arrow, but myself too!"

The auburn-redhead collapsed on the bed and sobbed from a broken heart. Just when she thought things were going right have all gone downhill. She thought that this voyage would help her find her purpose in life, but only for it to end in tragedy. Artemis crawled up on the bed and attempted to comfort her mistress.


Later that night, Jim was sitting on the rope ladder of the rigging and staring into space. The boy was filled with more guilt for what happened to Mr. Arrow and how Rose snapped at him.

Silver appeared and leaned on the railing, smoking his pipe. He glanced up and saw Jim twisting a piece of rope in his hands.

"It weren't yer fault ya know?" The cyborg said.

Jim responded with a frustrated sigh.

"Why half t'e crew would be spinnin' in dat black abyss…" Silver continued.

But Jim couldn't handle it anymore. He angrily threw the piece of rope into space, gritted his teeth, and coldly shouted at the cyborg, "Look, don't you get it?!"

He got on the deck and went up to Silver. "I screwed up!" Jim yelled in frustration. "I mean for two seconds, I thought that maybe I could do something right but… AUGH!" Jim grabbed his hair in frustration and turned away from the cyborg. "I just…" The brunette boy looked at his feet, filled with shame and regret, couldn't think clearly of what else to say. "Just forget it. Forget it!"

Silver stared at Jim intently, seeing how broken and vulnerable the boy was. The ursid reached his organic hand on Jim's shoulder and made him turn around to face him.

"Now, you listen to me, James Hawkins," Silver said in an authoritative tone. "Ya got t'e makings of greatness in ya, but you gotta take the helm and chart yer own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls! And when the time comes you get t'e chance to really test the cut of yer sails and show what you're made of, well…" the ursid stopped to look at the glittering stars. "I hope I'm there… Catching some o' the light coming off ya that day."

The cyborg's speech made Jim more emotional, and tears welled in his eyes. The teenager leaned forward, rested his head on Silver's abdomen, and sobbed silently.

The cyborg grew surprised, and his eyes glanced to each side. Silver peered down at the boy and patted his shoulders.

"There, there," he said, comforting the boy. "Lad, it's all right, Jimbo. It's all right."

Silver wrapped his enormous arms around the boy in a loose embrace as if they were wings shielding their young from danger. Ever since the past few months, despite not liking each other at first, they began to feel like father and son.

Then, Silver looked up and released Jim from his hug, wanting to make sure that no one was watching them.

"Now, Jim, I, um… I best be gettin' about my watch, and you best be getting some shut-eye."

Jim was about to head down to the crew quarters. He stopped for a moment and turned back to Silver. Then, his expression was filled with concern as he thought about Rose.

"Silver, I'm worried about Rose. Guess she's still mad at me."

"I don't know Jimbo," the cyborg shrugged. "I think ye better talk to her and try to work t'ings out."

The teenager thought long and hard about the cyborg's advice. He looked back to the day he saw the girl on the first day of the voyage looking out from the balcony and introducing to themselves. From the meeting in her secret room, revealing her past, and talking with him last night made him realize that he was falling in love with her. He made up his mind and decided to go talk to her.


Around the same time, Rose was lying on her bed, still distraught about what happened. She curled up on her bed in a fetal position, hugged her legs, and sniffled. Her blue-green eyes were red from crying, and her heart-shaped face was stained with tears. She was in her state of grief, not even hearing the door opening.

Captain Amelia poked her head in and entered the room, holding a cup of hot tea and a plate of biscuits. "Rose, I brought you something to eat, in case you were hungry."

The teenage girl turned over to her backside, glancing at her adopted mother with a gloomy expression. "You're blaming me too? Aren't you?"

The captain looked at the auburn-redhead in concern, before placing the biscuits and tea down on the nightstand. "No. Why do you think I would blame you?"

"Because of my decision to come on this voyage," the girl answered, tears welling in her eyes, again. "This never should've happened. Why did the supernova happen? I should've said no months ago, and Mr. Arrow would still be here!" She choked and sobbed. "This is all my fault!"

The Captain gasped. "No, Rose," She sat on the bed, helped the girl sit up, and made her look at her in the eyes. "You must believe me that none of this is your fault. We were at the wrong place at the wrong time. But things like this do happen. We'll have to keep going until we reach Treasure Planet, and we'll go home and hold a service for Mr. Arrow. Obstacles will come every now and then when we have goals. No matter how difficult they are, we can't let them hang on our shoulders and drag us down. If we let mistakes affect our minds, it will only make things worse."

Rose wiped away her tears from her face. She was still having doubts about her future. Then, she remembered what her biological mother, Margaret, told her on the night she and David died - "You'll grow up strong and do great things in life."

The girl feared that she was not living up to their promise. "You don't suppose that my parents are disappointed in me about my choices, aren't they?"

"I don't believe that for even a second." Captain Amelia shook her head. "In life, we may or may not reach our goals. We can't always predict the future, and must accept when unexpected events come up. I believe that your parents are proud of you for coming out of your shell and facing your fears on this voyage. A good person will make mistakes every now and then. Even I happen to make them myself. And right now, I need you be strong and endure this voyage. Do it for Mr. Arrow. Do it for your parents."

Rose nodded, and allowed the Captain to embrace her. "Very well, Mother," she said. "I'll keep going."

Captain Amelia gave a small smile and pressed a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead.

The auburn-redhead allowed herself a small sad smile as her arms wrapped around her adopted mother's waist.

"Try to get some physical rest dear. You have had a very tired-making day."

"All right, Mother. I'll see you in the morning. Besides, I believe I owe Jim an apology for snapping at him."

"I believe he'll appreciate it," agreed Captain Amelia. The feline got up from the bed and walked to the door. She glanced back at the human girl again and said, "Good night, darling."

"Good night, Mother."


The door closed, leaving Rose alone. She took a biscuit off the plate and began to eat it. The auburn-redhead's incisors bit into the moderately sweet biscuit, allowing the taste to dance around in her mouth. After finishing the rest of them, she picked up the cup of hot black tea, and took a sip from it. Not only to warm her mouth, but to wash away the sticky crumbs.

After finishing her tea, Rose set down the teacup on the empty plate and placed it on the nightstand. A chirping was heard. The girl looked down to see her chameleon crawling up to her lap. Rose picked Artemis up in her hands and held her up. She raised the chameleon up to her face, and Artemis used her head to nuzzle her cheek. The auburn-redhead placed her pet down, and undid her braid, allowing her long hair to hang loosely. She used her fingers to release and rake it out.

After smoothing it out, Rose got up from her bed, placed Artemis on her shoulder, and left her bedroom. Despite her exhaustion, she wanted to talk to Jim immediately. She walked out in the hallway, passed through the stateroom, and opened the door to the deck. The fresh air filled her nostrils and head with a sense of comfort. She took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, each step below her flats didn't make a creak.

She reached down the main deck and walked towards the front. The girl heard footsteps and looked to the left to see Jim.

"Jim," she called, above her soft-spoken voice.

The boy turned his head to the girl, and his blue eyes widened.

"Rose!" He exclaimed. He hurried towards her and halted three feet away. He glanced at the auburn-redhead and took a deep breath. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Me too."

"Let me go first," he said. "I just want to say that I'm sorry about Mr. Arrow."

"No, Jim, I'm the one who should be sorry," said Rose. "I shouldn't have blamed you right away in front of the crew. It was foolish and wrong of me to be that upset. I'm sorry."

After exchanging their apologies, the teenagers looked at each other rather passionately before Jim pulled Rose into a hug of friendship and forgiveness. The auburn-redhead was shorter than the boy with only her head reaching his shoulders. Her pressed her head against Jim's chest and heard his heartbeat.

Separating from their hug, Jim and Rose looked at each other again.

"Jim," Rose said, "I have something I want to confess."

"Me too," Jim said. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"You first," Jim said. "Then I'll go."

Rose began to build up her courage she thought she could never discover.

"I think I might have feelings for you…" she admitted.

She turned away, blushing furiously; she wasn't sure how Jim would respond.

"Rose, what is it?" asked Jim, feeling confused at Rose's odd behavior.

Rose took a deep breath and then exhaled through her tight lips. "J-Jim?" she said, "I..."

Jim looked at her and asked, "You what?"

Rose looked back at him and sighed quietly, "I... I love you."

The teenage boy's eyes widened in shock. He took a few steps back, staring at the petite girl. A strange feeling overcame him; did the Captain's adopted daughter he met four months ago had a crush on him? Shaking away the shock, he asked carefully, "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Rose nodded. "Jim, I love you. For the past four months, I thought that I would only focus on coming out of my shell going on this voyage. But when I first met you, that's when I started to develop a crush on you. I kept my distance away because you appeared distant, defensive, and vulnerable and wouldn't want to be around me. I fell for you not because I felt sorry for you, it was because we had something in common; wanting to feel love, appreciated, and wanted."

The teenage boy blinked a few times at the girl's explanation.

"Guess that's true," he shrugged, looking away and looked back. "When I saw you for the first time on the balcony and properly meeting, I thought that I didn't have a chance with you if you found out about my past. Despite your shyness and fears, you're a sweet, kind, and helpful girl who helps others in need without hesitation. From the moment you revealed your past and working together, I knew that I loved you."

Rose smiled and her eyes glittered with love. She stood up on her tip toes to reach up to Jim. The boy and girl lean into each other and pressed their lips to form a kiss. Jim wrapped his arms around her waist and Rose placed her hands on his cheeks gently. Artemis, sitting on her mistress's shoulder, turned pink and covered her eyes as if she were blushing, only to uncover her eyes for a peek.

The two teens forgot that they were on the R.L.S. Legacy and everything around them went blank. It felt that they were the only human beings in the Etherium and the only things that were surrounding them was love, friendship, and hope and themselves.

"Well, well, I see yeh two lovebirds had made up," a familiar voice said, breaking Jim and Rose out from their love trance.

They looked over to see Silver up on the deck looking over the railing with Morph floating by his shoulder. The ursid had a smirk on his face. The teens jumped from their embrace and blushed red with embarrassment.

"Silver! Were you watching us the whole time?" Jim asked.

"I couldn't 'elp myself but watch ye two make t'ings right with each other." The cyborg admitted.

"You're not going to bring this up to Mother, are you?" the auburn redhead asked, nervously. "I just don't want her to find out until I'm ready to tell her. She may not approve it."

"Not to worry, lass," Silver told Rose with a wink. "My lips are sealed."

Jim and Rose looked at each other and smiled. Silver was the first to support their relationship and agreed not to say a word about it to anyone. For now, they would keep it quiet until the time was right to announce it.

"It's very late and yeh two ought to get some shut-eye," Silver said.

Rose yawned and didn't have the strength to head back to her room, so she decided to sleep in the crew's quarters. The teens stopped at the top of the staircase and looked back at Silver and gave him thankful smiles. The cyborg smiled back at them and gave a tiny wave from his robotic arm. Jim and Rose smiled at Silver and headed down for some rest.


As soon as Jim, Rose, and Artemis disappeared, Silver's smile turned to a frown as he was hesitant that he was growing to love Jim as if he were his own son. Unknown to the teens, Captain, and Doctor, Silver was a pirate captain, and the rest of the crew were his henchmen. For these few months, Silver planned a mutiny and move until they get the treasure from Treasure Planet and do away with Jim, Rose, Captain Amelia, and Doctor Doppler.

But ever since he met Jim and Rose, worked with them, and taught them how to be better people, he began to grow soft for them. Now, he was reluctant if he should show his soft side or decide it was to put up with them.

"Getting in too deep here Morphy." Silver said, glancing at his heart and the blob on his finger. "Next thing ya know, t'ey'll be sayin' I've gone soft."

Morph chirped and rubbed himself on Silver's cheek, making the ursid chuckle. The cyborg turned away from the railing and walked back to his post. Unknown to him, a familiar spiden was up on one of the masts and overheard the talk between Jim, Rose, and Silver with an expression of malice.