Chapter eleven

I stayed behind Jim as he looked for his mother. I wanted to make a good first impression on her when we got off the boat, so Amelia lent me one of her dress shirts, along with her makeup. I had also needed to brush my hair mighty fiercely, and ended up having Amelia just cut it short in the end. It looked boyish as short as it was, a few inches long, but according to Jim it made me look even more gorgeous.

I breathed deeply, trying to calm my nerves. Then I spotted a woman in a yellow bonnet and blue ribbon tied around it. She had on and white and blue dress along with an off white scarf draped along her back. Jim resembled her to much for her not to be his mother, and as usual, I was right.

Jim went straight up to her, put a gentle hand on his shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She seemed quite surprised by this, and hugged him back. When Jim stepped back he presented me, introducing me as Salina Copper, my mother's maiden name, and my middle name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am." I said trying my best to be polite.

"The pleasure is all mine," she said, looking me up and down with an open smile.

"Mom, she needs a place to stay for a while, can she come with us?" he asked.

"Well, Jim, I don't know. The inn is still down and I've barely been able find a new place-"

Jim showed her a small gold coin, and put it in her hand. "There's many more where that came from." His mother looked at it baffled.

I stepped back some, giving them their space to get everything through. I then stopped when I bumped into someone. I turned to see a man in a galactic police uniform looking down at the projector on his wrist. "Excuse me, miss. But were you just on the RLS Legacy?"

"Y-yes. What may I do for—"

"Ma'am you are under arrest for being under the impression of being a pirate of the name Salina Silver." He cuffed my hands and pulled me by my shoulder.

"W-what, you're kidding me?" I turned to see Jim and his mother looking me in shock.

"She's not a pirate." Jim told the officer, pulling me away from him.

"Her profile says otherwise, boy. Now either let go or I will have to take you in as well. Now, as we were, Pirate." He said spitting out the last word. "By order of the galactic armada you are hereby taken into custody to be put before a court of your peers and then have your punishment decided. Which presumably will be death by hang—"

"Excuse me, but what are you doing to her Mr. Geller?"

I looked behind the man to see Captain Amelia standing in full uniform with Dr. Doppler at her side. "I was taking this pirate in for her charges, Ma'am."

"Were you? Funny, I seem to recall dropping her charges as she was undercover for me on my past voyage."

"She what?" asked Jim.

"But Ma'am, one act of accordance with us does not excuse her past afflictions against the law."

"Then take this into account, Private. I hereby excuse all her past actions and leave her to be a citizen. Thus excusing her of all past afflictions and rendering her a free woman, as my status allows me to do. Now if you would please release my cabin girl and allow her to return to her friends." She said, leaving all of us with our jaws slack. "Also, Private Geller, if you wouldn't mind making the changes now, it would ever so please me." She said patting the man's shoulder.

"B-but Ma'am she—"

"Are you ignorin' a direct order?" I asked a sly smirk on my face.

He looked down at me and between Amelia, not sure what to do. "… No…" he then released my hands from the cuffs and pushed me towards Jim. "Anything else Captain?" he said erasing my file.

"That will be all. Carry on your way, sir." She said waving him off.

Despite my comment earlier I was shaking in Jim's arms. I hung my head, glad that the incident was over.

"Salina Silver?" asked Sarah.

"Sorry, mom, she didn't want an incident like that to happen." I felt him shift me in his arms to where he had me wrapped tightly to him. "You alright?" he asked me.

I simply nodded into his chest before stepping away. "Quite alright, Jimbo." I turned to Sarah and bowed my head. "I'm sorry for givin' you a false name, Ma'am. I meant no disrespect in doin' so." I raised my head up to see her smiling at me.

"Ms. Cooper," she said, "Would you like to stay with me and Jim for the time being?" there was a slight chuckle to her voice.

I simply nodded and said, "It would be my pleasure."

The few months following the return of our voyage were quite stressful. Sarah was having a hard time figuring out how to build the new inn over again, choosing the drapes and the furniture, while trying to go as cheap as possible. Jim had gone off to the Academy without me; they would not despite the captain's rendering on my record. 'Would not trust a former pirate under their prestigious school.'

Amelia and Doppler soon realized their feelings for each other, were married in just a few short weeks. They now had four little ones, three kits and one pup, each of them looking more like one parent than the other. Sarah and I helped with them whenever we could, while trying to rebuild the inn with our own hands.

It had taken ten long months to finish up the shop. It was now the grand reopening of the new and improved Bimbo Inn. Amelia had taken me shopping for a dress to wear on the occasion, and despite reasoning not on for herself as she was going in her uniform as always. She had gotten me a light orange dress with a green bow tied around the middle, matching the one tied around my slightly longer hair, now five inch long hair. Amelia said it would make my eyes pop while also making my skin look slightly darker as well.

I was standing beside Sarah with a pair of scissors, that was actually Morph, as she went to cut the ribbon held by the doc and captain across the entrance of the inn. I was holding my breath. If only Jim could have been there to see his mother's glow as she finally snapped the scissors shut on the line. Everyone clapped, some cheered as the ribbon fell away.

There was dancing, food, and music. I stood to the background avoiding the people around me. I had gotten many offers to dance from Ben, who actually pronounced his name B.E.N, Bio Engineered Navigator, who had gotten his rust scrapped away and shined a goldish-brass color. Sarah came over to me, handed me a small glass of Mangardian Wine.

"Enjoying the fun?" she asked, clapping along to the beat of the music.

"Quite." I said raising the glass then to my lips to take a drink.

Suddenly the front doors busted open showing two robo cops, blocking the way. "Jim?" gasped Sarah. I dropped my glass, it spilling onto the floor. I was shocked to think he would have gotten into trouble again, after going straight for so long.

They then stepped back to show Jim on a crisp white Captain's uniform with gold trimming, spreading his arms out wide. His hair had been trimmed down to an army cut, his braided pony tail gone. I let loose the breath I had been holding a put my hand to my breast over the three scars hidden behind my dress. Everyone else clapped and cheered, Sarah crying beside me and went to go hug her son.

Amelia went to pat the lad on his shoulder, as did Doppler. Ben hugged him and soon stepped back his arms raised. Morph flew in out of nowhere and turned himself into a gold medal pinning himself to Jim's jacket. All the time Jim was glowing, looking to everyone around him. Then his eyes finally landed on me his smile brightening anymore.

I smiled back, leaning down to pick up the cup I had dropped. The wine had soaked into the wood, leaving a small stain in its place. I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that very day.

I stood back up to see Jim standing in front of me, everyone's eyes on me as if they expected me to do something. "Hello Cap'n." I said, going to peck him on the cheek. But he stepped back and did something I never expected to see him do.

He knelt down on one knee, pulling a small red box from his jacket pocket, opened it and showed a small gold band, with a golden ball with two small rings around it, a mini treasure planet. "Salina, will you marry—"

"Yes," I said leaping at him before he could finish his question, shocking him and knocking both of us onto the floor. "By all the powers that be, yes" I said kissing him full on in front of everyone. In the back of my mind registered clapping and cheers coming from the guests. I pulled back, looking down to see Jim slightly blushing, his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Ahem…" said someone above us, it was Sarah. She held out her hand to help me off of Jim. I blushed bright red and grabbed her hand, not looking her in the eyes. Jim got himself up and took the ring out of its case. I turned to him, keeping my eyes low as he took my left hand in his and slipped it onto my third finger.

The officers came up to us, grabbed Jim's hand shaking it firmly and then took mine and did the same.

The night went wonderfully; the guest drank, ate and danced before us. Once forming a tunnel for others to dance through, Jim and his mother being the first, Amelia and Doppler then followed, and then reluctantly me and Jim.

I stood back, by the window and Jim next to me and we clapped along with the music. Soon his gaze drifted away from the scene before him, his hands slowing. He turned and gazed out the window. Feeling the change in him I followed his gaze and saw a cloud looking to be the exact image of Silver, winking at us. I stopped clapping as well, a single tear slowly streaming down my cheek. Then behind the cloud glowed a soft yellow light right behind the cloud in the spot where his eye would have shined.

The rest of the night went smoothly after that. I and Jim retiring to our room after the guests had left. Changed from our fancy attire and for the first time we laid together in our bed, falling into the most wonderful sleep I could ever recall.

The end