Day 4

[from Space Hunter]

"Prepare my personal shuttle."

As Princess Aurelia entered the royal hangar, barking an order at the mechanics stationed there, her advisor hurried behind her, startled. "My lady," he asked, "what do you intend to do?"

"For too long we have stood back and watched our people suffer because of this virus," said Princess Aurelia, not looking back as she strode purposefully towards the gleaming silver shuttle. "It is time to take action."

"But what exactly can you do?" asked her advisor. "If a cure cannot be found in the Zeta system, who's to say there's a cure anywhere?"

"All diseases have a cure," said Princess Aurelia. "One must exist somewhere."

"But my lady--"

"I will not back down on this," said Princess Aurelia firmly, coming to a halt next to the shuttle as the mechanics set about preparing it for flight. "I have spoken to my father, and he has given me his blessing for this trip. He too realizes that this is not something we can face on our own anymore."

Her advisor opened his mouth to argue once more, but decided it was futile. Aurelia had made up her mind, and she was clearly not going to be swayed, no matter what. Besides, if she had the king's approval, what power did he or anyone else have to stop her? Heaving a great sigh, he conceded defeat. "Very well," he said. "But please, my lady, be careful."

"I shall," said Princess Aurelia, "don't worry."

"Shall I contact Dr. Sonara?" asked the advisor. "If you're looking for a cure, her help could be invaluable."

"Very well," Princess Aurelia replied, nodding once. "Bring her here; she may have some upgrades for the shuttle as well."

When Dr. Sonara arrived a short time later, she did indeed have an upgrade for the shuttle. An advanced spectrometer instrument, placed in the shuttle's nose cone, would automatically scan the atmospheres of planets. "If there's life there, this baby'll let you know," she said. "Take this as well," she added, handing Princess Aurelia a handheld gadget with a circular readout. "Once you're on the surface, it'll analyze the chemical make-up of anything you point it at. Chances are we'll be looking for very specific compounds, and that should help you find 'em."

"Okay, thank you," said Princess Aurelia. "These should definitely help."

"I'll stay here, and continue to analyze the virus," said Dr. Sonara. "I'll try and pin down the cure, one ingredient at a time, and let you know via radio what you'll need to get. It'll be all up to you to track 'em down, though."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Princess Aurelia. "I'll do my best, for the good of our people."

Dr. Sonara bowed in farewell, and Princess Aurelia returned the gesture before retreating to the lockers. By the time she re-emerged, now clad in a black-and-silver spacesuit emblazoned with the royal crest, her shuttle was fuelled and ready to go. Its main engines were powered by hydrogen, the most abundant substance in the universe, so refuelling, if necessary, should be a trivial matter. The mechanics quickly ran through the pre-flight checks, making sure everything was in order.

"Everything seems to be okay, ma'am," said the chief mechanic once the checks were complete. "Flight conditions are good. You are cleared for take-off."

"Very well," said Princess Aurelia, bowing once more. "I shall be off, then." As the door of her craft slowly lowered, providing a walkway inside, she paused for a moment, looking pensive. "I just hope all is still well here when I return."

"It will be, my lady," said her advisor, bowing again. "The king and queen will see to that. Take care on your voyage, and…good luck."

"Thank you," said Princess Aurelia. Not knowing what else to say, she ascended the walkway and entered the ship, the door slowly closing itself behind her. The mechanics gathered around to wave goodbye to their princess, and Aurelia waved back to them until the door closed completely, sealing her inside the gleaming shuttle.

Aurelia entered the cockpit, sinking into the pilot's seat. Her headset sat on the dashboard, waiting for her; she donned it and switched it on, adjusting the mic so it was positioned properly in front of her mouth. A calming voice from mission control floated into her ear from the speakers: "Okay, Your Majesty, you're free to take off whenever you're ready. Do bear in mind that as you get further away from the planet, it'll take longer from our communications to reach you, and for yours to reach us. Don't panic if we don't answer you straight away, okay?"

"Okay."

"The people of Zeta-4 are with you all the way," said mission control. We all wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, sir," said Princess Aurelia. "I'll be taking off now."

The hangar door opened, and Aurelia fired up the ship's thrusters, propelling her out onto the runway. Once she had gathered enough speed, she pulled up on the control stick and before long the craft was pointed vertically upwards, soaring up through the atmosphere. Quickly reaching escape velocity, Aurelia watched as the sky around her slowly darkened to black, the air rushing loudly around the ship and buffeting it slightly despite its luxurious suspension. Aurelia's hands gripped the controls tightly, gently riding out the turbulence.

All at once the buffeting stopped, and silence fell within the cockpit. She had left the planet's atmosphere. Before her lay the unfathomable vastness of space,  the blackness permeated by innumerable stars. To her right, she could see a swirling, blue-green nebula, the gases within slowly coagulating into a whole new star system just like her own. Sadly, there was no time for her to spend admiring the scenery.

Before activating the ship's warp drive, which would propel her beyond the solar system in a matter of minutes, she took one last look back at the planet she was leaving behind. It was a planet in turmoil. A strange, deadly virus had swept across it in a matter of months, leaving many thousands dead and millions more seriously ill. The virus had resisted every attempt to cure it, treat it, or contain it. The royal family, unable to help their people, had felt powerless. But now, that was all about to change. The cure lay somewhere out there, among the stars, and Princess Aurelia was going to find it, no matter what.

"Computer," said Princess Aurelia, "activate the warp drive."

"Destination?" asked the computer in a cool female voice.

"The nearest star system." said Aurelia.

"Activating warp drive." There was a sudden whirr as the warp drive warmed up, preparing to blast the ship forwards at the speed of light. The ship's computer determined that the Sigma system was the closest, and automatically set a course for it.

"I sure hope there's somebody there," she said.

Then the ship was gone in a flash, the warp drive propelling it at half the speed of light, ferrying the princess away into the empty void before her.