This story takes place shortly after the Treasure Planet film we all know and love and after Amelia's return to service as an Admiral, but before the events of the Battle at Procyon PC game. I hope that it does Disney's wonderful setting and characters justice, that you enjoy it, and welcome any reviews.

Credit for the cover image goes to the inestimable Jabberwockychamber17, one of the most prolific and good-spirited Treasure Planet fan artists out there. The full-size version can be found on her DeviantArt page.

Thanks also go to all the kind reviewers, with particular reference (if it is not too invidious to say) to Welsh Gem and Obsessive Imaginings for their support and sound advice.

"Careful with that! I said, be careful!"

Doctor Delbert Doppler waved frantically from the Crescentia dockside up at the ship. Some of the crew paused in their work and looked at him in puzzlement, which didn't help his mood.

"No, no, no! You need to watch what you're doing! Please!"

A heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder. Doppler turned, an admonition on his lips, but it soon died away as he followed the hand up the thick arm to the enormous shoulder of the Cragorian to which it was attached.

"Oh...hello, Mr Kleff..."

"Is there a problem here, doctor?"

Doppler took a deep breath and sighed. "Do you think it would be possible for your crew to be just...a little more careful with my cargo? It's terribly important and rather fragile..."

Crewboss Kleff nodded. "We'll do our best, doctor. Please stand aside while we lower it onto the dock."

Doppler thought about arguing for a moment before he gave up and retreated, producing a crumpled contract from his pocket and reading it closely for words like 'insurance' and 'liability' while wishing that the funding he had obtained from the University of Montressor had stretched far enough to charter one of the bigger cargo companies. As it was, it had barely been enough to get the equipment to the spaceport and onto the first trampship heading to Crescentia.

"Where did you say your cargo had to go, doctor?" Kleff asked.

"The Navy dock," said Doppler. "Er...Pier 139, I think."

He looked up as a large crate was swung up from the trampship's hold by the loading crane. The box was well over thirty feet long and Doppler felt his heart in his mouth as the straining ropes lowered it slowly towards a waiting hauler than was hovering nearby, small solar sails glowing.

"Steady her by the bows, there!" bellowed Kleff, so loud that it made Doppler jump. "You men, brace those stays!"

Doppler watched anxiously, screwing up the contract in his nervousness until he remembered himself and stuffed his hands into his pockets. The stevedores manning the hauler stepped forward with long hooked poles to take hold of the crate and guide it down onto the floating platform. Doppler saw the solar sails glow brighter as they took the strain and the vehicle bobbed lower under the weight and he thought for one horrible moment that, having survived the journey to space and the unloading, the crate would now smash itself to pieces on the dockside. But then the whining note of the solar engines rose and the hauler rose with it to resume a safe height. Doppler suddenly realised that he hadn't dared to breathe for a full minute and exhaled hurriedly, panting as he took out a pocket handkerchief and wiped his forehead in relief.

"There," said Kleff cheerfully. "Not a problem."

"Yes, yes...thank you." Doppler straightened his ascot and coughed to cover up his passing anxiety. "Well. I suppose our business is concluded."

"That it is." Kleff nodded. "Farewell, doctor."

As the Cragorian turned and stumped away, bawling out new orders to his spacers, Doppler sighed gratefully and looked up. The little trampship couldn't afford the expensive berthing fees charged at Crescentia's inner docks, and had been forced to come into one of the smaller facilities towards the southern end of the giant spaceport. The rest of Crescentia loomed above them, curving over its own artificial horizon like a wave poised to break, sparkling white in the bright daylight. At its heart, Doppler could see the vast terracotta dome of Admiralty House, the spaceport's nerve centre. Even from here, he saw the bright pennant fluttering above the enormous Imperial ensign that flew from the great flagpole that crowned the dome. He smiled, knowing that it meant that Amelia – Admiral Amelia, he hastily corrected himself – was in her headquarters. For a moment he was tempted to visit her, but then he remembered his precious cargo that was waiting on the hauler, being securely strapped into place on its deck by its handlers. The stevedore boss coughed to get his attention, and Doppler shook himself out of his reverie.

"Yes. Well, let's go, shall we? Pier 139 in the Navy docks...and, please...drive carefully..."

Access to the Navy docks was through a tall, fortified stone gate. Doppler was relieved to see it as they approached. His insistence on caution during the long drive had added considerably to the journey time, and the hauler's crew was clearly growing impatient at him. Fortunately the papers he was carrying had been enough to convince the Royal Marine sentries to open the gates and wave them through. The Naval docks were a stark contrast to those of the rest of spaceport. The hustle and bustle of the crowds was gone, replaced by wide open spaces and the orderly movements of spacers and soldiers. Instead of the cries of merchants hawking their wares, there were shouted commands from officers and overseers. The docks were built of fine white stone and most of the piers stood empty as the ships of war that used them were on patrol or had not yet been assigned to the sector fleet. But one berth was most definitely occupied, and Doppler felt his heart lift as the hauler approached it and he got a close-up view of the warship that hung serenely at anchor. Even the hauler boss whistled in admiration.

"Now there's a pretty little scow," he remarked.

Doppler smiled and nodded. "She certainly is."

The RLS Lyonesse, proud flagship of Battlefleet Crescentia, her ivory hull trimmed in Imperial blue and gold, hung in space like a four hundred foot rapier. She was undoubtedly a weapon – the row of gunports that marked her flanks gave silent testimony to that – but her shapes were those of the predators of the natural world. Zaftwing and skyshark had both lent their lines to her design, but neither approached the Lyonesse for majesty. Her sails were still furled against her dorsal and ventral masts, but her sweeping lines hinted at something of her speed. A gangplank ran from the pier up to her deck, a steady stream of figures coming and going. The hauler pulled up on the dockside and Doppler stepped down onto the cobblestones.

"Thank you, men," he said. "Just unload the cargo there – carefully, of course – and I'll take it from here."

"Right you are, sir." The boss nodded. "You heard him, lads!"

Doppler looked up as one of the ship's sentries approached him and tried to remember where he had put the pass that had got them into the dockyard. Finally locating it in a pocket of his coat and wondering what had possessed him to put it in there, he waved it frantically. The marine scanned it briefly before nodding and handing it back.

"Carry on, doctor."

"Er, yes, thank you." Doppler folded the paper away again and looked up the gangplank. It was hard not to think of the last time he had boarded a ship, when he had led young Jim Hawkins up the gangplank to the RLS Legacy for the start of their journey to Treasure Planet. Though this time there was no such adventure in prospect – or at least he hoped not – the moment had not lost its sense of possibility, of freedom, of casting off land-based concerns and of stepping into the tumult and glory of the universe. He took a deep breath and set his foot on the narrow timber path. It was proof of his excitement that his precious cargo, the focus of so much of his attention for so many hours, was forgotten until he was halfway up the gangplank. Whirling around, he looked back to the dockside where the large crate was being unloaded and manhandled to the ground by the hauler crew and a team of spacers. For a moment, he considered calling out instructions or another injunction to be careful, but then he realised that such an unexpected intrusion could easily break the concentration of the handlers and cause the very disaster he sought to avoid. Restraining himself, he turned again and made his way up to the waiting ship. His appearance at the top of the gangplank attracted some curious glances from the crew, but most were too busy with their duties to pay much attention. The deck was a hive of activity, spacers hurrying to and fro stowing supplies or preparing equipment. Waiting for a suitable moment, Doppler dropped off the gangplank onto the quarterdeck. Remembering his strict instructions from Amelia, he turned to the raised bridge platform and gave a slight bow towards it even though everyone on it seemed to be busily occupied, before he coughed to clear his throat.

"Um...I say, permission to come aboard?"

"Permission granted." A young officer, a midshipman by the white patches on his uniform collar, stepped forward. "Midshipman Collis at your service. Are you Mr Doppler?"

"I'm Doctor Doppler, yes." Doppler frowned, accentuating his title and drawing himself up to his full height.

"We've been told to expect you," said Collis. "But you'd best report to the bridge, sir. Just up there, sir," he added, a touch redundantly, as he pointed.

"Oh? Very well. I'll go at once."

Stepping onto the timbers of the bridge, he saw a familiar felinid figure in an officer's high-collared uniform working at one of the ship's consoles and nervously made his approach. The sound of his footsteps made the officer look up from her work and for a moment Doppler feared that he had intruded, but then a warm smile greeted him.

"Ah, Doctor Doppler." Lieutenant Aurora Mayflower stepped away from the console. "I was wondering when we'd have the pleasure of your company."

"Yes, well, I do apologise for being late," Doppler said quickly. "There was a delay with unloading my equipment at the cargo docks, and of course I wanted to supervise the exercise. And then it took quite some time to get here. The traffic was...rather intense..."

"Naturally." Aurora smiled. "And no doubt you'll be eager to install your equipment on board. We'll have the foredeck cleared in time, don't you worry."

"I have every confidence in you." Doppler smiled. Aurora was a felinid some years younger than Amelia, with distinctive mustard and white-coloured fur and black stripes. A mane of pure blonde hair was barely kept in check by her cocked hat and her lilac eyes were quick and intelligent. The young officer was Amelia's trusted Flag-lieutenant, a personal aide, and Doppler had developed an appreciation for her care and devotion to Amelia which, he suspected, was in its way at least equal to his own. Aurora grinned as she accepted his compliment with a nod of thanks.

"You flatter me, doctor. Have you any dunnage of your own?"

"You mean my luggage?" Doppler nodded. "It's coming over with the equipment now. Or so I hope, anyway."

"Very good. We'll have it taken to your cabin at soon as it arrives." Aurora picked up a clipboard and made a note on it. "The Admiral has instructed me to attend your arrangements personally."

"I'm very glad to hear it." Doppler smiled. "When do you think you'll be able to bring my equipment on board?"

"Not now, I'm afraid," said Aurora. "We could make the space for it on the deck, but as you can see we're still rather busy stowing our own supplies. I wouldn't want you to have brought your equipment so far only for it to be damaged at the last moment by an errant barrel. It'll be perfectly safe and stable on the docks in the meantime."

Impatience almost led Doppler to commit the cardinal sin of arguing with an officer, but the logic of the proposal was so clear that he found himself nodding before he even found the words to agree.

"Of course. That...would be acceptable."

"And once we're in space, I'd be happy to give you a tour of the ship," Aurora went on. "I'm afraid I'm rather busy at the moment."

"I quite understand," Doppler nodded. "Carry on, please. I'll try to keep out of your way."

Aurora smiled her thanks and turned back to her work. Along with her responsibilities to Amelia, the young lieutenant was also the flagship's principal navigator and would need to check and double-check the careful calculations that plotted the ship's course into space.

"Bridge! The Admiral's coming off, ma'am!"

A shout from Collis made Aurora and the other officers look up from their work. Doppler, his heart skipping in anticipation, leaned on the siderail and looked along the dock. A solar carriage was approaching from the direction of Admiralty House. Aurora joined him, raising a telescope briefly to her eye.

"That's her, all right," she said. "Mr Collis! Pass the word for the Captain and get the quarterdeck clear! Mr Pike, call all officers! Muster the sideboys! Major Tansley, parade your marines! Move smartly, now!"

As the deck burst into an even greater bustle of activity, Doppler watched the carriage as it drew up on the dock next to the ship. It was a rich blue, flying a white pennant, and bore the Imperial crest on its door. The driver, a red-coated marine, dismounted and went to open the door. Doppler couldn't help his heart rate increasing as Amelia stepped out, acknowledging the driver's salute and those of the sentries at the gangway. She was resplendent in her blue dress coat and Doppler caught a flash of the red silk sash that was one of her badges of rank.

"Look lively, now! Sideboys in line! Bosun, stand by to pipe on command!" A Benbonian officer in a Captain's uniform had emerged from below decks and was clearly taking command of the reception arrangements. The other officers hurried up to the bridge and stood in a neat line at the rail overlooking the quarterdeck in order of rank. Aurora, as Amelia's aide, was the sole exception, standing at the head of the stairs in order to be close to her Admiral when she came aboard, and she waved Doppler over to join her. Red-coated marines were falling-in to a neat formation under the watchful eye of a marine officer and a grey-furred felinid Sergeant-Major. Amelia was halfway up the gangway by the time the crew were in position. The Captain barked an order for silence, and nodded to the bosun and his mates, who were standing ready with their silver whistles.

"Silence in the ranks! Pipes at the ready!"

In accordance with strict tradition, the bosun's pipes began sounding their keening call as Amelia's head drew level with the main deck as she ascended the gangplank and cut off as her heel met the quarterdeck.

"Admiral on the deck! Present arms!"

As one, the crew snapped to attention, Aurora and the other officers offering crisp salutes. Doppler, somewhat uncomfortable at this show of military precision and feeling rather conspicuous in his old burgundy coat, tried to straighten his ascot and stand a bit taller. Amelia looked around for a moment in the taut silence that followed, her eyes alert and appraising as they took in every detail, before she nodded and returned the salute.

"Carry on," she said simply.

The Captain turned on his heel and raised his voice again. "All hands, dismiss! Back to work!"

Amelia mounted the steps to the bridge. Doppler caught her eyes as she came, seeing a flash of happy recognition as she saw him. Aurora touched her hat respectfully.

"Good afternoon, ma'am."

"And good afternoon to you, Ms Mayflower." Amelia returned the gesture. "And to you as well, doctor. Welcome on board."

"I'm very glad to be here." Doppler smiled.

"I trust that arrangements are being made to have your equipment brought on board?"

"Yes, ma'am," Aurora stepped forward. "Once the foredeck is clear."

"Very good. And how long will that be? Flag-Captain Rennier?"

Rennier, the Benbonian officer, who Doppler now saw wore a silver-edged monocle over his left eye, shrugged.

"We've got more than half the stores below decks already, ma'am. If we work through the centre and aft hatches only, we could have the foredeck cleared within half the hour."

"Will using only two hatches delay our departure?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't do, ma'am. The forwards holds are mostly filled already anyway."

"Excellent. Then you may proceed. Bring the doctor's equipment on board as soon as possible."

"Aye, ma'am."

"Er, but do be careful with it," Doppler raised a hand.

Amelia grinned. "Indeed."

"We'll take all caution, ma'am," said Rennier.

Amelia nodded her thanks. "In that case, captain, I leave it in your capable hands. All officers, there will be a pre-departure briefing in my day cabin at 1430 hours. Doctor Doppler, would you do us the honour of attending?"

"Of course," Doppler nodded.

"Will that sufficient time to take care of your preparations? Navigator?" Amelia glanced at Aurora, who nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. Our departure trajectory is set."

"Very good. 1430, then, ladies and gentlemen." Amelia smiled. "Carry on."

Amelia's stateroom on the Lyonesse was an order of magnitude more impressive than the one she had occupied on the Legacy. Doppler gazed around the room in awe at the smooth white timbers. A large desk was set in front of the wide gallery windows that looked out through the ship's stern, and a long oak table was set in front of it with enough chairs for the entire complement of officers to gather in conference. A portrait of the Queen, framed in gold, hung on the wall to oversee proceedings. It was only after spending several long moments staring around the room that Doppler realised that Amelia had been going around the table and introducing her officers. He hastily dragged his attention back to the matter at hand and scrambled through his unconscious memory to recover as much of the introductions as he could.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen," Amelia said, apparently oblivious to her husband's unpreparedness, "some of you are no doubt wondering why we have a civilian on board and are clearing the quarterdeck. I trust that this little lecture will assist you. Carry on, doctor."

"Thank you, Admiral." Doppler stepped forward, clearing his throat and hoping that he sounded serious and knowledgeable. Though he was sure that everyone on board knew of his relationship with Amelia, he maintained her own use of formal address in order not to diminish her authority by appearing to be over-familiar with someone of her exalted rank. "First, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for being allowed to bring my experiment on board this fine vessel. I'm sure that we'll all be able to work together to make it a famous success."

"I'm pleased to have your confidence, doctor," said the Katydian officer. "But I'm not yet any the wiser."

Doppler coughed and caught a glimmer of amusement in Amelia's gaze as she watched him. "Yes, well. As you know...or may not know, the University of Montressor has been participating in a cooperative scientific undertaking that we like to call SIRIUS, short for Spectral Imagery Research for the Integrated Understanding of Stars. You see, in order to truly understand stars and the effect they have on the etherium, we need to gather as much data as possible. Fortunately for us, a remarkable event, quite literally once-in-a-lifetime, will shortly be taking place."

"And what's that?"

"A stellar conjunction," Doppler said. "Between the twin stars we call Kovis Binary, or the Kovis Twins, properly known individually as Kovis Alpha and Beta. Normally they orbit a common centre at a distance sufficient to preserve their independence, but a once-in-a-century orbital fluctuation will shortly bring them close enough for their gravitational fields to interact with each other's masses. It will produce what we call an astral bridge. Stellar material will be pulled from each star across to the other, mixing as it goes, and giving us a unique opportunity to observe deep into the interior of the stars to determine their precise elemental constituency."

The officers listened politely but with little evident engagement. They were practical spacers whose knowledge of the etherium necessarily concentrated on the "what" side of things rather than the "why" in which a scientist like Doppler revelled. The exception was Aurora, whose specialist astronavigational training had inducted her into some of the mysteries of the theoretical universe and who was listening intently and with interest. Doppler sensed that most of the others had not really understood him, so he simplified his language and tried again.

"We'll be able to look inside the star and find out what it's made of," he said. "The equipment I've brought on board will help us do that. It's a spectroscopic telescope. That's why I need it mounted on the front of the ship, where it has a clear view."

"I trust that won't impede your work, Mr Constantine?" said Amelia.

The Katydian shook his head. "No, ma'am. No objections."

"I must admit to a certain curiosity," said a red-coated officer, whom Doppler recognised from the deck as being Major Tansley, the leader of the ship's Royal Marine contingent. "Why is this project – worthy as it sounds, doctor – worth the diversion of the flagship of Battlefleet Crescentia?"

"We have a scheduled sailing and a patrol route that takes us past the conjunction, Major," said Amelia. "And we're one of the few ships big enough."

"Indeed you are," Doppler smiled his thanks to Amelia. "You see, the measurements must be taken very precisely. The SIRIUS telescope must remain absolutely still to achieve maximum resolution. I need a solid, stable ship to do that."

"It's not just a question of size, either, Major Tansley," said Aurora. "Lyonesse has a dynamic positioning system. One of the most advanced in the fleet. We can keep this ship within a foot or two of where she needs to be even with a headwind and the solar tide."

"As ever, then, I shall defer to my blue-coated colleagues when it comes to ship-handling." Tansley nodded and sat back, apparently satisfied.

"But," said Amelia, "don't think that this mission is a pleasure cruise, ladies and gentlemen. We are still a ship of war of Her Imperial Majesty's Royal Navy and we have a lot of new recruits on board. I intend to maintain a full schedule of training throughout the voyage. I want this crew of neophytes whipped into shape by the time we return."

"If I may, doctor," a female officer, whose name Doppler dimly remembered was Grath, leaned forward. "What is the ultimate purpose of this...SIRIUS project? What are the outcomes expected to be?"

"Well, um, to learn the composition of the interior of stars," Doppler hesitated before he went further – to a theoretical scientist such as himself, that explanation alone was sufficient yet he suspected that it would do little to impress a professional military officer. "It'll tell us about the kind of energy they put out and that could help in all sorts of ways. We could make more efficient solar sails, able to capture energy from a broader spectrum, for example."

He'd mentioned that to appeal to the audience's practical concerns, and it seemed to work. There was a general shifting of poses into a more positive aspect and some approving nods from officers who had previously maintained a sceptical attitude. Amelia seemed to sense the atmospheric shift as well and stepped forward, taking on a businesslike attitude and folding her hands behind her back.

"Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure that Dr Doppler will be happy to answer any further questions during the course of our voyage."

"Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, absolutely." Doppler nodded.

There was a knock on the door and Midshipman Collis stuck his head into the room, touching his forelock respectfully.

"If you'll pardon the interruption, ma'am, sir, but we've a green light from Crescentia Control. We're cleared for departure at our discretion."

"Very good, Mr Collis." Rennier nodded. "Carry on."

Doppler sensed a lightening of the atmosphere in the room at the news, as if the ship as well as the officers were pleased at the thought of soon being shed of the ties binding them to the spaceport. Even Amelia seemed to have a new light in her eyes as she nodded approvingly.

"So if there's no further business here," she smiled. "Let's get this creaking crate into the sky. Would you care to observe the launch, doctor?"