'Twist of Fate' - chapter 2

Chapter 2


“Jim, come on, I don`t wanna miss the ferry!” yelled Dolphy as she stood in the door of their room.
She had a big dark blue travelling bag in her hand and carried a black shoulder bag. With a vigorous breath she blew away a strand of hair that was hangin into her face and tapped her fingers on the door frame.
Jim let out a deep sigh.
“We still have over an hour and the ferry will land right in front of the academy. So don`t worry.”
He continued packing the rest of his clothes in such a composure that it made her almost crazy.
“Couldn`t you have done that after the party yesterday?” she meant reproachfully.
“You mean at 1 am? Like you?” he asked matter-of-factly while he put some shirts into a black travelling bag without looking at her.
“Yes, at least I had my stuff ready for today!” retorted Dolphy.
“Yeah, too bad you forgot to leave something to wear for today and had to unpack the whole bag to get some clothes.”
His back was turned at her but she knew that he was grinning mischievously.
“Haha, very funny, now stop making fun of me and finally get it done.” she said aggravated.
Despite her words Jim suddenly let go of his baggage and stepped towards her. He took the travelling bag out of her hand and put it on the floor before closing the door behind her.
“Okay, now please tell me why you`re so nervous.” he asked with a calm voice.
“I`m not nervous, I just don`t wanna be too late.”
“I have known you for 3 years, so I should realize when you`re nervous…and now you definitely are.”
Dolphy sighed and dropped her shoulder bag on the floor.
“Yeah, you`re right. I`m…worried about what will happen on Crescentia. I somehow have this weird feeling.” she said anxiously.
There was a short moment of silence between them before Jim laid his hands on her shoulders and looked her into the eyes.
“What should happen? We`re together and only that counts.” he smiled and gently removed the strand of hair that was hanging into her face again.
Dolphy smiled in return as he took her in his arms. She cuddled against his chest and put her arms firmly around him. It was still a wonder to her that all of her worries and fears were like  blown away the moment she was close to him. Every time her problems were driving her insane he just had to hug or kiss her and everything seemed to be not nearly as hopeless as it had before. Just like now.
“Nothing bad will happen as long as we`re together.” said Jim softly.
Dolphy embraced him stronger.
“Yes…as long as we`re together.”

***

Later that morning Jim and Dolphy stepped out of the space ferry that had taken them to the Spaceport of Crescentia. They had been there for a few times already but each visit was still a breathtaking experience for both of them. While the ferry was launching they took in the countless new impressions.  
Ships which seemed to be from far away galaxies since they differed in appearance and technology from the ones Jim and Dolphy had known till then.
Aliens who were speaking in foreign languages that neither of the two could assign to a particular race, less than ever understand.
The smell of exotic meals that rose into their noses, making them wonder what the heck they consisted of and, more importantly, what they tasted like.
There were so many new things to see that Jim and Dolphy stood there like in a trance, staring at the frisky bustle which surrounded them.
A loud bugle from one of the disembarking ships made them snap back to reality.
“Guess we should go to our Inn now.” said Jim and pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket.
“I hope Amelia has written down the right directions.” meant Dolphy sarcastically.
Everybody knew that the captain was a perfectionist who seemed to be incapable of making mistakes.
After taking a short glimpse at the notes Jim pointed to the street in front of them.
“We gotta go that way.”
They followed the wide street which was surrounded by pubs and stores on the left side, whereas the right side was literally fenced in by several stalls. Aliens from all over the etherium yelled at potential customers to come closer and praised their wares. Dolphy stayed close behind Jim since she didn`t want to lose him in the crowd around them. As if he was thinking the exact same thing he turned around, reached for her hand and smiled at her before looking back at the street.
A while and several branch-offs later they finally stood in front of the sought inn. It was a small building squeezed between a pub and a map-store, in no way comparable to the Benbow Inn.
“Well, at least it looks not too expensive.” said Jim and shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah,” meant Dolphy ,”guess that`s why the captain suggested it.”
Jim was the first to step in and held the door open for Dolphy to follow. The inside was by far better than the outside. Right in front of them was a nice little bar that seemed to be manufactured of a mahogany-like wood. Behind it were shelves, which were mounted on a mirror wall, with all kinds of different alcohol-bottles standing on them. Some tables and chairs in the same colour were filling the rest of the room, whose brighter wooden walls gave it a pleasant athmosphere.
“Okay, I recant what I have just said.” whispered Dolphy as she realized why Amelia had sent them to this inn.
While Jim was talking to the brown elephant-like alien behind the bar, who seemed to be the owner of the inn, Dolphy eyed her surroundings a bit more. Next to the bar was a stairway, most likely leading to the rooms on the upper floors. Since it wasn`t midday yet there were only a few customers sitting at the table and eating a late breakfast. Most of them looked like spacers who were spending their shore leave here until they would have to go back to their respective ships. It was a rather peaceful scenery, except of an already drunken alien that had similarity with some kind of ugly lizard.
Dolphy turned her attention to Jim, who had finished his conversation with the innkeeper and was approaching her now. He was holding a small silver key in his hand.
“I`ve rented a room for two days, it`s really value for money.” he smiled at her.

“Woa, comfy.” meant Dolphy as they entered their room.
The sunlight shone through a big window which was rimmed by bright curtains. At the wall to their left was a big double bed with white pillows and dark red blankets. On the right a big mahogany-coloured wardrobe stood next to a small round table and two chairs.
The room wasn`t big, but it was nice and enough for them.
Dolphy went to the opposite side of the room and stared out of the window from which she had a perfect view over the spaceport and the ships in front of the inn.
After unpacking the most necessary things for their short stay Dolphy`s tummy rumbles made them notice that it was already lunch time. Since the food at the various stalls, which they had passed on the way to the inn, had looked rather promising they decided to eat outwards.
The afternoon was spent with strolling through the streets and enjoying the last bits of spare time they would have until their traineeship started.

When it was night they lay together in their bed, exhausted from running around in Crescentia all day long. But Dolphy tried in vain to fall asleep, instead she tossed and turned on her side of the bed. This didn`t work however, what made her sigh defeatedly.
“Can`t you sleep?” asked a soft voice behind her.
She turned around to face Jim, who was looking at her tiredly. It was late at night, but the light from the lanterns outside the window shone weakly through the curtains, so Dolphy could see at least somewhat in the darkness.
“There are so many thoughts spinning around in my head, and I just can`t make ´em stop.” she explained quietly.
“Come here.” he said softly and opened his arms for her
Dolphy smiled and gladly accepted his embrace as she cuddled against him. His fingers wandered soothingly through her hair while he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“Everything`s gonna be alright, you`ll see.”
Some moments later Jim had already fallen asleep again. But Dolphy was still awake, thinking about his words.
“Yeah, I do hope so.”

There were shadows. Red light shone threateningly from the sky. It was cold. Very cold. Dolphy looked around her in panic. Nobody was there. But then why did she feel like she was stalked? Footsteps behind her. She quickly turned around but there was noone to be seen. Another black shadow crossed her way. What was going on here? Suddenly the wind became stronger, blowing around her severely. She was standing in the middle of an arising storm, not knowing where to go. More shadows were encircling her. She was trapped. A fierce lightning dashed from the sky as all of the shadows jumped towards her with a horrible cry.

“NOO!!!”
She let out a yell as she was striking out wildly asleep, turning hastily from one side to the other one.
“Dolphy? DOLPHY, wake up!”
This voice…she knew this voice. She could feel hands on her shoulders, shaking her carefully.
“W-What?” she mumbled confused as she opened her eyes.
Her heart was still racing, where was she, what had just happened? She glanced around her bewildered.
“You had a nightmare.” explained the familiar voice.
Her gaze stopped at Jim, in whose arms she was lying. Once more she looked at her surroundings. They were still in their room at the inn, so much was sure. Judging from the sunbeams shining through the window it had to be already in the morning. As she finally realized what had been going on she grabbed the collar of Jim`s shirt and pressed her face against his chest.
“Sshh, it`s okay, it was just a bad dream.” said Jim reassuringly and embraced her tightly. “It`s okay.”
When she had calmed down Dolphy backed away from him and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the ground.
“What`s wrong? It`s not just the nightmare, is it?” he asked.
Jim waited patiently for her answer. She kept looking away from him and sighed.
“No.”
“You`re still nervous, right?”
He could see her nod her head slightly. Dolphy noticed that he was getting out of the bed and wanted to see what he was going to do as he said :
“Don`t turn around, I`ve got a surprise for you.”
She averted her gaze from him while he was apparently searching for something in his travelling bag. She could hear the rustling of his clothes and the other things he had packed.
“I had planned to give this to you on our anniversary next week, but I think you need something to cheer you up now.” smiled Jim and sat next to her.
He was holding a small black jewel case in his hand. Dolphy took it and opened it slowly, as if to increase the suspense for herself. In the case was a silver necklace with a diamond-shaped pendant that had an engraved eight-pronged star. In the middle of it was a ruby, in the same shape as the pendant. Dolphy knew that it was more than just a pretty piece of jewelry. The eight-pronged star was the Etherial symbol for eternity, and the ruby was the precious stone of love. There was also something engraved on the back of the pendant :
“For Dolphy. I love you.”
She looked at Jim and flung her arms around his neck, knocking him over onto the soft sheets of the bed and kissing him passionately. He smiled at her.
“So, I guess that means you like the pendant?”
Dolphy kissed him once more and stared deeply into his eyes.
“Yes, you`re the best!”
She put the necklace around her neck and took another fascinated look at the silver shining pendant. Jim grinned and rolled his eyes mockingly.
“Give a woman some jewelry and she`s happy.”
“Hey! It`s not that simple!” tried Dolphy to justify herself, albeit not too seriously.
“Yeah, suuure.” meant Jim, that wide grin still on his face.
He couldn`t help but laugh loudly as she started to tickle him without mercy.
“NO! Don`t!” he gasped but it had no use.
She straddled him so he had no chance to escape. Jim had to be one of the most ticklish people of the whole Etherium and she pitilessly took advantage of that.
“P-Please! Do you wanna kill me!?” he yelled between laughs, with tears already in his eyes.
Dolphy stopped her tickle-attack, bent down to him and gave him a soft kiss.
“No, I still need you.” she whispered seducingly.
Jim smiled and tried to get up, but was soon laughing again as she pushed him down and continued to tickle him.

After they finally managed to leave the bed they changed into their casual clothes and went downstairs to get some breakfast. Not many customers were in the room. This was no surprise at all, it was 10.21 am and  most of them were likely to have eaten already in order to catch their outgoing ships. As they passed the bar the elephant-like innkeeper waved towards them and gestured for them to come closer.
“Are you Mr. James Hawkins and Miss Susan Dolphers?” he asked in a husky voice.
They exchanged a quick look. Jim had told him his name when he had rented the room yesterday. What people said about elephants having a good memory apparently didn`t apply to this one here.
“Yes, Sir, what`s the matter?” asked Jim.
The old alien rummaged about under the bar and made a triumphant grunt as he found what he had been searching for.
“This is for you.” he said and gave Jim a small sheet of paper.
“What is that?” meant Dolphy and looked curiously over his shoulder.
The innkeeper turned around, took some dirty glasses and began to wash them up.
“Some guy came here in the early morning and said I should give that to you. Don`t know who he was but he said it was kinda important.”
Jim unfolded the paper and quietly read it to Dolphy.

Dear Mr.Hawkins and Miss Dolphers,

as you may know the launch of the RLS Defiance is scheduled for tomorrow in the morning. Since we just heard about unexpected breaks in the weather I`d like to have a word with you and discuss the further proceedings.

I would be very grateful to you for coming as soon as possible.

RLS Defiance
South Dock 138
Embarkation point 4

Sincerely,

Captain Alexander Smollett

“Okay, that means choking down breakfast and rushing to the Defiance.” sighed Dolphy. How she hated having to hurry in the morning. Jim, however, was more enthusiastic about it.
“Hey, we`re gonna see our ship today already! Ain`t that cool?” he grinned from ear to ear.
It had no use, she simply couldn`t resist being infected with his anticipation.
“Yes, it is…” she said and looked at him with big eyes. “But there`s still time for breakfast, isn`t it?”
Jim smiled, oh what a question! Everyone who knew Dolphy knew that it would border on sadism to not give her something to eat in the morning. She would be in a bad mood all day long.
“Of course.”

About an hour and several bread rolls later they stood in front of the RLS Defiance. Jim stared at the huge ship fascinated. It was at least a third bigger than the Legacy, with four masts than the common three ones. The upper half of the wooden hull was painted black and red , with filigree golden lines and ornaments which made it appear all the more impressing.
While an excited smile formed on Jim`s face Dolphy stood in awe of the huge ship hovering above them. The impressive size and magnificence were rather intimidating. She was ripped from her thoughts when Jim grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the narrow staircase that led on board. The sailors, mainly alien species whose names she couldn`t think of, were busy climbing in the shrouds and checking the sails. Dolphy could feel the glares of some of them as she and Jim entered the ship. A squid-like creature whispered something to an eight-eyed one next to him. The distance to hear it was too far, but she knew that it wasn`t anything nice. Suddenly there was a deep voice coming from behind them.
“Mr. Hawkins and Miss Dolphers I presume?”
They both turned around to see who had addressed them. In front of them stood Captain Smollett, easy to recognize because of his blue captain`s uniform. He was at least 6”7’ tall, with broad shoulders and a sturdy body-build in general. The short maroon hair was mostly hidden under a captain`s hat in the same colour as his jacket. His face resembled the one of a lion, what added to his awe-inspiring appearance.
“Yes, Sir.” answered Jim politely.
“Thank you for coming so quickly, I was a little worried that my cabin boy delivered the note at the wrong inn. It´s his first time here on Crescentia, but I`m glad that he finished this task successfully.”
The captain smiled almost unrecognizably but soon became serious again.
“Now, I don`t want to quibble about unimportant details. The reason why I wanted to speak to you is the weather, like I already let you know in the note you got. There`s a stellar storm announced for tomorrow, fortunately just in the surrounding area of the spaceport. You see, I can`t permit delay to the launch, so I thought it would be the best to tell you personally that we`ll leave Crescentia at 8 am. instead of 10 am..”
Jim and Dolphy exchanged a questioning look between each other.
“But…what about the storm?” she meant cautiously.
“We`ll be out of reach by the time it`s going to start.”
“Sir, excuse me, but…that`s not the only reason why you wanted to talk to us, is it?” asked Jim suspiciously.
Captain Smollett stared shortly at him, a hint of a smile forming in his face.
“I see it is true what Captain Amelia has told me about you. It`s not easy to conceal something from you.Yes, I admit there is something else.” he said and Dolphy noticed a doubtful glance being darted in her direction.
“You are aware of the fact that it is not common for women to become spacers on Etherial ships. Of course, I have to accept that a lot of things changed since my time at the Interstellar Academy. There weren`t many women around, maybe 3 or 4 on the whole, but those few were extraordinary exceptions I have to say. As you may know, Captain Amelia was one of them.”
He took a shallow breath. Dolphy knew where this was leading to.
“Miss Dolphers, in my 20 years as spacer and captain of the RLS Defiance I have never admitted women, less than ever couples as trainess on my ship. Captain Amelia assured that I wouldn`t regret it but nevertheless I have to point out that this is no holiday excursion. I expect the exact same things from you like I would expect from any male spacer, so don`t think I will handle you with kid gloves only because you`re a woman.”
Jim wanted to defend her but he knew that this would have shown weakness on both of their sides. He looked worried at Dolphy who gulped heavily.
“Yes, Sir. Of course.”
“Fine then. I`m going to see you tomorrow.”
With that the captain said goodbye and turned away from them to go back into his stateroom.
They stepped down the stairs off of the ship without saying a word. Only when they were back on solid ground did Dolphy let out a deep sigh.
“He hates me.”
“No, he doesn`t.” reassured Jim and lay a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“He`s just…kind of strict.”
“Oh, Jim, face the facts. He and his whole crew hate me. They think I`m just here because a friend of their captain has persuaded him to let me on board! And you know what? They`re right!”
Dolphy hated to admit it but hadn`t Amelia put in a good word to Captain Smollett she`d have to pass her traineeship on some mediocre ship, far away from Jim.
“Don`t let that guy bawl you out! He`s got an old-fashioned attitude, yeah, but we`ll prove him wrong, okay?”
There was really no point in arguing with him. Dolphy stared at the ground and nodded weakly, being anything else than confident.
“Hey, we`ll do it.” said Jim encouragingly and gave her a gentle kiss.
”I promise.”

***


Dolphy couldn`t sleep…again. The previous night was bad enough but after the meeting with Captain Smollett she couldn`t think about anything else than his stern look and his strict words. And the fact that she would spend the next few months on board of HIS ship also didn`t make her feel any better. At least she would be together with Jim. Dolphy gazed at the sleeping form next to her and had to smile. He looked so cute when he was asleep. Not that he wasn`t when being awake, but she loved to see him so relaxed. How she wished to be able to sleep as soundly as he did. After moving closer to Jim she put her arms around him and cuddled against his chest. The warmth of his body and his steady hearbeat surely had a calming effect on her. His sheer presence was usually enough to make her feel better. She closed her eyes. Maybe it would work now…
A while later she was still turning from one side to the other one. It didn`t work. There was no way she would fall asleep anytime soon. Sighing defeatedly she got out of bed and changed into her casual clothes. Perhaps a short walk and some fresh air would help. Making sure that she wouldn`t wake Jim she quietly sneaked out of the room.
“I`ll be right back.” she whispered more to herself as she took one last look at Jim and closed the door behind her.
She didn`t know yet how wrong she was.

There was not much going on downstairs. Due to the late hour not many customer were sitting at the tables, only a few people, including the always drunken lizard they had seen when they had first entered the inn not too long ago. The innkeeper was talking, or better yelling, at three strange looking aliens at the bar. Dolphy didn`t pay attention to what was going on, she just wondered if that guy ever slept or spent 24 hours a day with serving his guests. And she also didn`t notice that they suddenly ceased from arguing with the innkeeper and followed her shortly after.

“Brrr, it`s colder than I have expected!” said Dolphy to herself as she strolled along the main street near by the inn.
It was as if life had disappeared from Crescentia. Judging from the dull bellows coming through the lit windows of the pubs you could tell that there was still a bunch of drunken spacers inside, but the streets itself were almost completely empty. Once in a while somebody crossed her path, not caring to look at her since they were busy enough with trying to find their way back home…not easy with an alcohol level that seemed to be very high.
She heard steps behind her but didn`t bother about it. Most likely some more guys who had had too much rum and were staggering to their ships. When Dolphy realized that she had gone away quite far from the inn she decided that it was time to return. Maybe this walk had been enough to finally let her fall asleep. Just as she had stopped and wanted to turn around she was grabbed by several strong hands and tentacles. She tried to scream but a hairy hand was put on her mouth and she was dragged into a dark narrow backstreet. She looked  hectically around her but could only see the outlines of her captors because of the lack of light. It were three ones. A rather tall alien with four tentacles instead of arms and a smaller but nonetheless strong boar-like one were holding her arms firmly behind her back. The third one, looking pretty much like a human except for his bat ears and long muzzle, stood right in front of her. The very weak light from the lanterns on the main street was reflected on something he took out of his pocket. A knife.
“Damn.” was the only thing Dolphy could think at that moment.
“Now, be a good girl and give us all your money. And don`t try to run away or scream, or I swear you`ll regret it. ” said the bat-like alien in a steady yet  menacing voice as he came closer and pointed the knife at her throat.
The boar put his hand away from her mouth and she looked at the gang`s leader in fear.
“I-I have no money. I swear! I was just taking a walk and-“
“Shut up!” yelled the alien with the tentacles and bent her arm even more violent, making her wince in pain.
“Ya tell me you have absolutely nothing ya can give us!? We`re not gonna leave with empty hands!”
Dolphy raised her head slightly and the bats attention was drawn to something shimmering hanging down from her neck.
“Well, what do we have here?” he meant greedily as he grabbed the silver pendant and ripped it away, tearing apart the necklace by doing so.
“No!” screamed Dolphy.
Suddenly anger arose inside her, making her forget her fear and also any bits of rational thinking. She wouldn`t admit those jerks to steal the pendant that Jim had given to her!
With a blow of her elbows which none of her two captors had expected she somehow managed to get free and threw herself at the third one in front of her, pulling the pendant out oh his hand.
“You stupid bitch!” he yelled furiously and pushed her harshly against the wall.
A short cry of pain escaped Dolphy`s lungs as her head made contact with the hard metal and she sank to the ground. Everything around her went blurry. But she still managed to see a big man appearing out of nowhere and saying something threatening to the criminals. The bat-like alien tried do attack him with his knife but was taken aback as his opponent transformed his obviously not human arm into a huge sword. In the next moment the gang was running away and her rescuer knelt down to her. His mechanic eye glowed in the darkness and looked concerned at her. The last thing Dolphy realized was that she was picked up from the ground.
Then she couldn`t fight the dizziness which was creeping up to her anymore and blacked out.

To be continued…