She said, “Dave, you’re the captain. You have the discretion to take someone up if you feel like it. If you want to take her along on a trip at her own risk, and yours, then go ahead and do it. As long as you don’t neglect your duties and responsibilities, you can do just about whatever you please on your ship. So, the ball’s back in your court. Sorry, but I’m not going to give you a policy on this that might be detrimental to our needs later on. You’ll have to make that decision.”
I replied, “Okay, Penny. That’s a fair answer. I’ll think about it before I answer Annie.”
Penny said, “I know you will, Dave. Have a safe journey tomorrow.”
I replied, “I will. Good night.”
Chapter 21
Annie came out to see me off in the morning. She looked so depressed that I finally made the decision about taking her on the Rust Bucket. I called to the office from the ship, asking them to call her father and inform him that she would be with me and my responsibility, while I waved at her to run to the hatch and come on board. She handed the ignition card for her hover to Jim before running out to the ship and inside, where I allowed her to sit with me on the bridge as we took off five minutes later, right on time. The moment she came on board with her eyes bright and cheery as I remembered them from before, I knew I had made the right decision about bringing her along as far as her sake was concerned. Now, it was up to me to make sure that nothing happened to her on the entire trip.
As soon as we got into orbit, I ran the ‘battle stations’ drill as we always did. It thrilled and excited Annie as she watched out in space at the targets our gunners perforated with their shots. I thought for a moment that it might frighten her when I announced “battle stations.” Evidently she remembered what little I told her of it before during some of our chats.
We were on the route to Gabriel. I wasn’t much worried about the trip out so much as the return trip. I would later discover that I needn’t have worried. The Rust Bucket’s and my reputations were already firmly in place. We were the last ship and captain that any pirate wanted to knowingly tangle with, though I didn’t know it at the time.
I allowed Annie to indulge herself on board the ship during the day. By the second day, she must have talked to every crew member and officer. She then walked around naked with their blessings. At night, I indulged her personally in my bed. I even asked her to make love to me and was, again, responded to with the same bright, cheery, bouncy woman whom I first met. By the second night, I knew that I was in love with her. I decided then that I would propose to her once I got her back safely on Beulah where she could begin attending to the arrangements for a wedding.
The return trip was as uneventful as the trip out to Gabriel. Not one pirate showed up in our vicinity the entire trip, possibly disappointing Annie, but not me. When we started our landing approach, Annie put on her clothes for the first time in almost two weeks.
She walked out arm in arm with me, after my First Officer said that she would see to the ship’s maintenance. I thanked her and said that I would return shortly after seeing Annie off. I walked Annie to the office. We stopped for a moment as Jim handed the ignition key to Annie’s hover to her and told her where it was. Then I walked with her to her hover.
“I’d like to come over tonight, if I may?” I asked.
“I could pick you up,” she suggested.
“Sure, I’d like that. Will your father be home? I need to ask him something.”
“What? Can you tell me?” she asked.
I replied, “I will then. Can you pick me up in time to talk with him before he goes to bed or out on some kind of duty?”
She said, “All right. I wish you’d tell me why you need to see him.”
I answered, “I’m going to do something for him. That’s about all I can say for now.”
I watched her leave in her hover, slightly confused about what I was up to, but completely obedient to me in my wishes. Then I returned to the ship and assisted my First Officer in taking care of the ship to prepare it for quick departure in case a special shipment needed to be sent out aside from our regular escort runs.
I was waiting in the office area. Annie showed up just before five in the afternoon to pick me up. I drove us to the base and then to her father’s quarters where she lived with him. About the only thing I hadn’t thought of was where Annie and I would live if she accepted my proposal. I only knew that we could afford to live comfortably on what I was making and had saved.
Admiral Reason met me at the door and shook my hand warmly. I almost expected him to not want to see me, but I guessed then that he knew what was on my mind when Annie told him I wanted to ask him something. He offered me a drink, but I suggested that we hold off on the drinks for a few minutes.
I said, “Sir, you may have guessed already. I’ve come to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I do love Annie and wish to marry her. I’m kind of doing this the old-fashioned way even though it’s not a requirement. Regardless, I would feel better knowing that we have your approval of my plans, provided that Annie accepts my proposal.”
He replied, “Dave, you have made me very happy. I gladly give you my approval and wishes for the best in life and marriage.”
I answered, “Thank you, sir. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to talk with Annie and find out if she’ll accept my proposal. If she does, then I think that a toast would be an excellent idea.”
“Certainly, son. Go get her! Don’t take no!” he exclaimed.
I finally found Annie in her room and walked over to her. “Annie, I’ve just asked your father for his approval of what I’m going to ask you now. Will you marry me?”
Annie almost fell to the floor when she heard my words. I was able to catch her and keep her from falling. Before I could get her fully upright, she had her arms around me and was kissing me tenderly on the lips while saying, “Yes, yes, yes.”
We walked back downstairs together to the living room where her father was waiting, wondering whether he should pour the brandy he held in his hand or put the bottle away. When he could see our faces and our smiles, he poured drinks for the three of us. Then he carried them to us. We toasted the union to be, our great Union of Planets, the Navy, and just about everything else we thought of as good and righteous.
Later, Annie and I were alone in her room talking.
“When did you decide?” she asked.
I answered, “The second night on board the Rust Bucket. That was when I realized finally that I was in love with you, too.”
She exclaimed, “Oh, god, what a wonderful ship that old Rust Bucket is! That was the most perfect voyage! I don’t think I’ll ever experience anything like that again in my life.”
I said, “I wasn’t sure about taking you along at first, but I enjoyed having you along during the entire voyage. However, I’m not going to be taking you along as a habit. It’s still dangerous out there, even if we didn’t run into any pirates that time.”
She replied, “I know. But at least I’ll have that one time to remember.”
I said, “Yes, you will and you’ll have me coming home to you from now on. We also need to decide where we want to live. For now, I’m keeping my job with Pennyweight Shipping. They’ve treated me right and fairly. They made it possible for me to get this far. I feel I still owe them some service. If something better comes along at a later time, then I’ll look at it with an open mind.”