Rattle The Stars

Chapter Six: The Spaceport

“Whoa.” Jim paused at the end of the ferry ramp, glancing around in awe.

“This is amazing,” Alice concurred. Everywhere around them, aliens bustled from ship to ship and deck to deck, loading cargo, shouting commands, and arguing over the value of imports.

“I can’t believe we’re actually here.” Jim pulled in a deep breath, then released it, his blue eyes shining with excitement.

“Jim? Alice? Wait for me!” Dr. Doppler’s muffled voice sounded from behind them. Alice turned, chuckling as the doctor opened the window in his helmet. “Well, my young friends, this should be a wonderful opportunity for the three of us to get to know one another. You know what they say,” he said, plopping a heavy, metallic arm on both of their shoulders, “Familiarity breeds…well…um. Contempt.”

Alice covered her mouth, barely masking a laugh.

“But in our case—“

“Look,” Jim said, releasing a slow exhale. “Let’s just…find the ship. Okay?”

Dr. Doppler’s helmet window clanked back down, and Alice followed Jim through the maze of docks and aliens.

“Excuse me,” Alice called to a friendlier looking pair of aliens, who were on a ladder washing the windows outside of the concourse. “We’re looking for the RLS Legacy.”

“Second boat on your right,” said the taller of the two, a metallic alien, his voice monotone.

“You can’t miss it!” said the gruffer, stouter one at the bottom.

“Thanks.” Jim gave a little salute as they headed away.

“It’s the suit, isn’t it?” Dr. Doppler whined, following them down a set of stairs. “I should never have listened to that pushy, two-headed saleswoman. This one said it fit, that one said it was my color, I didn’t know what to do, I get so flustered—“

Jim stopped abruptly, and Alice nearly ran into him. But she gaped as she realized what he was looking at.

A gorgeous, lithe golden ship lay before them, its sails tucked safely in.

“Oh! This is our ship! The RLS Legacy,” Dr. Doppler announced.

“Whoa.” Jim craned his head back to take it in.

“It’s beautiful,” Alice remarked breathlessly.

“Come on!” Jim took her hand, leading her to the ramp. As they ascended, Alice heard a rich, strong voice calling out orders, along with the metallic clanking of Dr. Doppler’s space suit as he followed behind them.

They reached the deck, where a flurry of activity tore Alice’s focus in several different directions. Everywhere she looked, aliens were swinging from the masts, milling around the deck, polishing cannons and tightening ropes.

“How cool is this?” Jim noted, walking backwards.

“Oh, watch out!” Alice warned, but Jim backed right into an alien standing nearby.

“Sorry about that.” Jim whirled to face the alien. But it didn’t seem the alien knew his language. It began making strange noises from the many mouthpieces all along its body, shaking its fist at Jim.

“I don’t know what it’s saying,” Alice noted, taking a step back, “but it doesn’t appear to be very happy.”

“Allow me to handle this.” Dr. Doppler stepped forward. He then began a series of similar sounds, using his mouth and armpits.

Alice gaped at him, while Jim simply watched, amusement pulling up the corners of his mouth.

The alien paused, then responded with what seemed to be a laugh, its body language loosening and relaxing.

“I’m fluent in Flatula,” Dr. Doppler said smugly. “Took two years of it in high school.” He saluted the alien with another raspberry and walked away.

“Oh, dear,” Alice giggled. “That is the strangest language I’ve ever heard. And quite possibly the rudest.”

“Flatula,” Jim muttered with a chuckle, flattening the hair the alien creature had messed up. “Cool.”

They followed Dr. Doppler to a large, rocky figure with a red coat who stood on the deck giving orders.

“Good morning, captain,” Dr. Doppler greeted cautiously. “Is everything ship-shape?”

“Ship shape it is, sir,” the stone-faced alien replied politely, “but I’m not the captain. The captain’s aloft.”

He gestured up towards the rigging with a massive, rocky hand, and Alice watched in amazement as a lithe, feline figure in a blue coat descended from the rigging with acrobatic flair, landing in front of them in a stately, perfect pose.

Dr. Doppler and Jim exchanged glances as his helmet window clanked closed, while Alice simply stared.

The cat-like alien clasped her hands behind her back and approached the stony alien, who straightened immediately, falling into position.
“Mr. Arrow,” she began, her voice lilting with a familiar British accent, rich and commanding, “I’ve checked this miserable ship from stem to stern and as usual…” She paused, turning with a bit of a smile. “It’s…spot on. Can you get nothing wrong?”

Mr. Arrow lifted his hat, giving a little bow. “You flatter me, captain.”

The captain strode away from him, stopping short in front of Dr. Doppler, her feline eyes widening in interest as she took in his space suit.

“Ah! Dr. Doppler, I presume.” She’d spoken loudly, as if he couldn’t hear her, and gave him an amused smirk.

“Uh, yes, I, uh,” Dr. Doppler stuttered, but the captain lifted her fist, knocking on his helmet.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can!” Dr. Doppler snapped, righting his helmet. “Stop that banging!”

“If I may, doctor,” the captain offered, grasping something on the front of his suit, “this works so much better when it’s right way up,” she spun him around, yanking a cord, “and plugged in.”

Dr. Doppler yelped as an electric current flowed into his suit.

Alice exchanged an amused grin with Jim.

“Lovely,” the captain said, amusement dancing in her eyes. “There you go.”

Dr. Doppler yanked off his helmet and whirled to face her.
“If you don’t mind, I can manage my own plugging!” He pulled the plug back out, brandishing it at the captain.

But the feline captain, unfazed, simply shook his hand.
“I’m Captain Amelia, late of a few run-ins with the Protean Armada. Nasty business, but I won’t bore you with my scars.” She turned next to Mr. Arrow. “You’ve met my first officer, Mr. Arrow. Sterling, tough, dependable, honest, brave, and true.”

“Please, captain,” Mr. Arrow grumbled, but Captain Amelia simply smirked.

“Oh, shut up, Arrow, you know I don’t mean a word of it,” she scoffed, though her affectionate smile belied her words.

Dr. Doppler glanced back at Jim and Alice, then cleared his throat.
“Excuse me,” he put in. “I hate to interrupt this lovely banter. But may I introduce to you Jim Hawkins, and Alice Kingsley?”

“Pleasure to meet you, Captain Amelia,” Alice said, giving a little curtsey. “And you, too, Mr. Arrow.”

Mr. Arrow gave a polite nod. “I hope you won’t find a ship too rough a place for your sensibilities, Miss Kingsley.”

“Nonsense, Arrow,” Captain Amelia scoffed. “It’ll be quite refreshing, I think, to have another civilized female on this ship. Welcome aboard, Miss Kingsley.” She shook Alice’s hand.

Alice smiled. “Thank you, captain.”

“And Jim here,” the doctor said, giving Jim a little nudge forward, “is the boy who found Alice and the treasure—“

“Doctor, please!” Captain Amelia grasped his face, and Alice watched as the crew mates nearby paused and glanced at them quizzically. “I’d like a word with you in my state room.” She tapped Dr. Doppler’s nose with a claw-like finger, then beckoned for the three of them to follow her.

“What was all that about?” Alice whispered to Jim.

Jim shrugged, but his eyes were on the curious alien crew watching them. “Dunno. But we’ll find out soon enough.”


AlyCatAuthor