| "I'm a Spacer, Not a Mother" by Christy Chapter 4 The next morning, Amelia was on her way to the Spaceport Crescentia to inspect the Legacy. Not that the Legacy really needed much inspection, but she felt she needed something to take her mind off her status. As if that were possible. The instant the ferry to the port took off, her head began spinning much in the same matter as before, only far more intense. Her head started to sway to the side, pulling her body down with it. Vision began to blur as the sensation in her head grew stronger. Within a few minutes she was resting her head on the armrest of her seat, seriously thinking that she might actually faint if she moved. Was this something which she had heard many young spacers suffer, but she herself had never before experienced? Was this...airsickness? She closed her eyes, feeling the vibration of the ferry's rockets beneeth her cheek. Inside her head she kept repeating to herself, it'll be over soon...it'll be over soon...it'll be over soon. "Ahoy there Captain! Mind if I sit?" Amelia opened her eyes and slowly turned her head upward to find herself looking up at Marcel Duncan, a four-armed creature who worked at the spaceport selling rocket fuel tanks. "Fine Mr. Duncan, the seat's not reserved for anyone," she said in a growly voice. Marcel took a seat beside her and rested two arms on the armrests, and the other two arms in his lap. "So Captain, is this true what they're saying?" "About what?" "About you being expecting." Amelia's brow furrowed. "Where in the Etherium did you hear such a load of preposterous fiddle-faddle??" "All over," replied Marcel. "Seems whenever I meet someone they say to me 'Hey, did you know that Captain Amelia is pregnant?' Guess news like that travels quickly. After all, it's not every day when someone like you has kids." "I strongly advise you not to consume a rumor as if it's the unvarnished truth," sneered Amelia. "It's because of gullible blokes like yourself that false statments spread around." Marcel appeared to be a bit hurt by her statement. "So....you're not pregnant?" he said with his orange face falling. "I never said that; I merely offered advice about listening to rumors," said Amelia. "And as long as we're on the subject, I also advise you not to jump to conclusions." "Ask a simple question...." Marcel muttered to himself, then he raised his voice to audible level and asked "So, are you or aren't you?" "And I advise you to work on your impatiant tendencies," said Amelia. "As for your question....yes, I am. There now, are you satisfied?" Marcel looked at her in awe. "Very satisfied. My highest congratulations, Captain!" "Thank you. Now would you be so kind as to cease your jibber-jabber?" "Very well," agreed Marcel. He leaned back and was silent for a few minutes, but soon the urge to speak that was bubbling within him got the better of him. "How long before they arrive?" he asked. "Likely it'll be about six weeks." "Any idea what the genders are?" "No." "Taken any pregnancy courses yet? How about your husband? Is he training up to be a father yet? Have you decorated the baby room yet? When do you suppose your belly will get big? Will you..." "MR. DUNCAN!" Amelia almost yelled. "Did I not request that you be quiet??" "Okay, okay," said Marcel. "I can take a hint." As he said this, two of his hands slipped over to Amelia's stomach. "Say, have you felt any movement yet?" "The only movement I've felt is a certain nudnick who must have a death wish poking his nosy feelers into personal territory!" Amelia growled. That finally shut Marcel up. He quickly jerked his hands away from Amelia, which momentarily satisfied her, but soon she discovered that without something to distract her, the dizziness in her head grew stronger. She bit her lip and concentrated on keeping her head upright. Though gravity was increasing its pressure on her head, there would be no way she would allow herself to look weak in the presense of Marcel, or else he'd never leave her alone. This was going to be a long trip. Once Amelia finally arrived at the spaceport, the experience with Marcel seemed determined to repeat itself until it had driven her to insanity. Everyone she ran into seemed to have something to say about her pregnancy. "If you get fatter around the sides, the babies will be girls. If you get fatter in front, they'll be boys. If you get fatter both around the sides and in front, you'll have a mixture." "Breast milk is best to ensure healthy children." "So Captain, are you going to be one of those moms who only sees her children at certain times of the year? I hear some spacers are like that." "Are you planning a baby shower yet?" "Ahoy Captain, how does it feel to be sharing your body?" "I hear feline infants like purp flavored baby food; you oughta try it." Amelia did her best to overlook the various comments, but occasionally she would shoot an angry glare in the direction of the speaker. She didn't want to think about baby showers, breast feeding, sharing her body, or anything remotely related. Nature had made a serious mistake; she couldn't be a mother. She had a carreer, a life, a reputation. Dang it, she didn't attend the Interstellar Acadamy and graduate at the top of her class just so she could end up taking care of children all the live-long day. She gritted her teeth at the thought that this was only the beginning. Soon the entire course of her life would be altered forever, all due to some twist of fate during the pleasures of marriage. What foolish laws nature had. Of course, she always knew it was a possibility...but still, she had felt that propobility was against it. Or perhaps she hadn't thought enough about it. She loved Delbert; it had simply come naturally. What was she supposed to do, reject his marriage proposal because she was afraid of having children?? The sight of the RLS Legacy hovering over the end of the dock finally lifted her spirits. The sharp, proud quarkwood mast, the solar sails neatly secured, the strong body...it still gave her shivers of excitement. Up the rigging to the crow's nest....around the tables in the galley...across the longboats...Amelia knew every single detail of the Legacy by memory. Ever since her mother had carried her up into the crow's nest as an infant, she had felt a deep inner connection with the Legacy and the endless skies of the Etherium. She couldn't remember a time when her biggest dream wasn't to be a space captian. It was a lifelong goal to follow in the footsteps of her parents and set sail across the Etherium. Every night when she was little, she'd dream of flying on her family's great ship, and every day she'd spend hours reading about the great spacers in history, listening to her mother tell stories about her adventures, and imagining she was the captain of a ship. Now as an adult, she stood proud in the crow's nest, a fullfilment of her childhood dream. The result of years of hard work and perserverance. She gazed over the edge of the crow's nest and inhaled the Etherium breeze. This was where she belonged. Every nerve within her body had a surge of energy shot through it. Her head turned upward toward the white solar sails neatly tied, and beyond them, to the vastness of the Etherium. Her eyes had always been on the stars; her heart had always been with the endless mystique of space. The Legacy was her home away from home, her wings, her glory. Shudders of excitement bubbled within her, with a silent voice whispering, this is where you belong, this is where you belong, this is where you belong. Amelia closed her eyes and leaned against the mast, imagining for a moment that she was back to the way she was. Before the fateful voyage to Treasure Planet, before Mr. Arrow's death, before she got married, before she became pregnant. Back when she traveled the universe with Mr. Arrow by her side, her only passion being to get the ship and crew safely to the destination. The good old days. But of course, things couldn't be the way they were. Mr. Arrow was now dead. Her own heart had been lost to a canine astropysicist. And now her womb was providing a shelter for the development of life. So much had happened in so short a time, all due to a treasure map inadvertantly ending up in the hands of a young teen. Occasionally she wondered if she would be better off if Jim had never gotten the map, if she had never agreed to lead the voyage. Arrow would probably still be alive, for one thing. And for another, she never would have met Doppler and would never have fallen in love, thus she wouldn't have any distractions from her duties. Never have met Doppler? The thought of that suddenly made her sick to her stomach. That feeling was immediately followed by a hint of shame. It wasn't healthy for a captain to make strong attatchments; she always had to be prepared for the loss of her comrades, and in the event of that occuring, she had to remain strong and continue her leadership. Attatchments were dangerous. But a heart simply won't follow orders. Even after experiencing it, Amelia still couldn't explain this thing called love. Doppler was somehow more than just a comrade, a mate, or a friend. In this moment of pondering that, Amelia realized that she couldn't go back to the way she was even if it was possible. Her Delbert was now something she couldn't live without. She looked down and touched her stomach, wondering if she would soon have something else she couldn't live without. The thought of becoming attatched to children was intimidating. Children were delicate, fragile, easily harmed. Becoming attatched to them might be self-destruction. She shivered slightly, ambivalent about whether this marriage had been the best thing for her or not. Whether or not it was best for her, it had happened, and there was no going back. Another thing that her carreer had taught her was that life had to be taken as it was given to her. That rule still applied. She would be taking life as it was given to her, for she had no other choice. Or did she? Go to Chapter 5 Back to Non-HoND Fanfic Back to Index |