Day 173

[from Space Hunter]

Aurelia quickly swept the perimeter, checking behind the boxes of supplies that had been loaded into the bay. At first, there seemed to be nobody there. Then, Aurelia noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, cautiously, she turned round, looking up at the ceiling.

There was something on the ceiling. Before she could properly tell what it was, Aurelia squealed, raised the primitive pistol, and fired. The bullet missed by about two feet, but nevertheless, the thing on the ceiling abruptly dropped down to the floor, as though startled. Aurelia then realized exactly who her stowaway was. "Kylos?!" she exclaimed.

The young Vodi, realizing he had been rumbled, held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said meekly.

Aurelia swiftly holstered the gun, her fuchsia complexion turning purple with anger. "What in the blazes are you doing aboard my ship?!" she demanded. "Do you realize how far away from home you are right now?"

"We can't be that far," said Kylos, "it's only been half an hour."

"It's been three Zetan hours!" said Aurelia. "And we've hyper-jumped to a completely different star system! I'll have to turn back around and re-engage the warp drive in order to take you back to your home planet, and just as I was getting close to the first of the ingredients I needed! You, young sir, are in a lot of trouble!"

"I'm sorry," said Kylos, looking at the floor.

"You had better me," said Aurelia. "Now, what in the King's name possessed you to stowaway on board my ship?"

"I dunno," said Kylos. "I just wanted to have a look around, really! But, I knew I wasn't allowed on board-"

"There was a good reason for that!" Aurelia interjected.

"-so I snuck in through the cargo hatch when nobody was looking. But then I heard people coming, so I hid in the cargo bay so I wouldn't get in trouble, but then the ship launched, and..." Kylos' voice trailed off as he ran out of explanation.

"You do realize that if you had made yourself known before I had taken off, you would have gotten into a lot less trouble than you're in now, don't you?" asked Aurelia.

"Well, uhh... I guess..." said Kylos.

Aurelia let out a heavy sigh. "Honestly... I was already delayed by several weeks after crash-landing and having to rebuild my ship. Another delay like this is the last thing I need, but I guess it can't be helped." She turned and started to make her way back towards the cockpit. "I have to return you to your family, so for now I'll just have to turn back around and-"

All of a sudden, there was an almighty crash, and the entire ship shuddered violently. Aurelia was knocked off-balance and tumbled to the floor, and as she started to pick herself up, red warning lights began to flash throughout the ship, accompanied by a blaring siren. "What now...?" she pondered wearily.

"My lady?" Dr. Sanara's voice sounded through the comms system. "What's the matter? We've got warning lights flashing up all over the system. Don't tell me you're under attack?"

"I sure hope not," said Aurelia. "I have enough problems to deal with at the moment."

"Like what?" asked Dr. Sanara.

"I'll tell you about it later," said Aurelia, rushing over to the cockpit.

"Is it the stowaway, my lady?" asked Dr. Sanara.

"I said I'll tell you about it later!" said Aurelia, who was getting rather agitated. As she brought up the ship's status screens, the information displayed on them didn't help her mood. "I don't believe it," she said. "The ship has struck an asteroid."

"An asteroid?" repeated Dr. Sanara. "But the..." Dr. Sanara fell silent for a moment, and when she spoke again her voice was distinctly unimpressed. "You forgot to turn the autopilot on again, didn't you, my lady?"

"No, I definitely turned it on this time!" said Aurelia, though she checked to make sure anyway. "Yeah, the autopilot is telling me it's on, but it must have malfunctioned or something, because there's no way it would fail to avoid an asteroid otherwise."

"Perhaps it wasn't reprogrammed correctly after the crash on Sigma-2?" suggested Dr. Sanara.

"I assume not," said Aurelia. "Right, let's see what damage that collision caused..." She consulted the status screens once more. "It looks like the starboard bow and wing have sustained significant damage, and some of the thrusters on that side are inoperable. I'm going to have to land somewhere for repairs as soon as possible."

"Are you close to Kappa-2 yet, my lady?" asked Dr. Sanara. "You could land there, perform the repairs, and procure the first component all in one go."

"I'm still one planet over from Kappa-2," said Aurelia, "but I think I can make it there okay, provided that we don't run into any pirates... or any more asteroids, for that matter."

"Okay," said Dr. Sanara. "Our sensors indicate that even at your current damage levels, you should be able to survive re-entry through Kappa-2's atmosphere. It's an inhabited planet as well, and a spacefaring one to boot, so you should be able to get plenty of help with repairing the rest of your ship."

"Okay, thank you," said Aurelia. "I'll be in contact as soon as I have the first ingredient."

"Goodbye for now, my lady," said Dr. Sanara, before disconnecting.

Aurelia turned round to address Kylos, who had followed her into the cockpit. "Well, that's the situation," she said. "Because I was busy dealing with you, and not helping to fly the ship, we've hit an asteroid and we're going to have to stop off for repairs before I can take you home."

"I'm sorry," said Kylos.

"You had better be," said Princess Aurelia. "I'm sure General Pereira will have some very stern words for you when you return to Sigma-2." She turned her back on the young Vodi, turning her attention back to the controls. "For now, I'd appreciate it if you would return to the cargo bay, so I can concentrate on flying this ship."

"Okay," said Kylos. As Aurelia steered the ship back on course, Kylos glumly rolled off back towards the cargo bay, feeling as though he truly were a million miles from home. His young mind could not comprehend that he was, in fact, a million times further away than that.

Day 121

[from Space Hunter]

Aurelia's ship exited warp speed in the Kappa system. According to Dr. Sanara, the first component of the cure could be found on the planet Kappa-2. There was nothing specific regarding the planet or its inhabitants that would potentially affect this mission; however, space pirates were known to be operating in the area, so Aurelia would have to be careful. As the princess of another star system, she and her ship would command a very high price on the black market.

As she assumed manual control of the ship once more, Aurelia checked the ship's thrust vectors to make sure it was properly on course, then contacted Dr. Sanara via the ship's comms device. "I've emerged in the Kappa system," she said. "I'm on route to Kappa-2 now. Everything looks good; there shouldn't be any problems from here on out."

"Well, there's always the pirates to be worried about," said Dr. Sanara, a little warily. "Your ship isn't well-armed, is it, my lady?"

"Right now it isn't armed at all," said Princess Aurelia. This was a craft built for speed and luxury. Its only weapons were two photon blasters in the nose cone, and those wouldn't bother anything larger than a fighter. In any case, they had been deactivated ever since her crash-landing on Sigma-2, and she had so far chosen not to repair them. She had been hoping she wouldn't need them. "However, I do still have my plasma shields, and the ship's armour is pretty tough. Even if I can't out-manoeuvre them, I can still take a few…"

Aurelia paused, her voice petering out. She thought she had heard a rattling sound coming from the cargo bay. It was impossible that any space pirates had infiltrated the ship, so unless it was just her imagination…

"Is something wrong, my lady?" asked Dr. Sanara.

"I thought I heard something coming from the cargo bay," said Aurelia, glancing over her shoulder.

"Space pirates?" asked Dr. Sanara.

"No, that's impossible," said Aurelia. "There's no way they could have gotten on board."

"Then a stowaway?" asked Dr. Sanara. "Someone from Sigma-2?"

"That's the only explanation I can think of," said Aurelia. "I'll go check it out."

"Okay," said Dr. Sanara. "Be careful… and remember to turn on the autopilot while you're not in the cockpit."

Aurelia, who was already halfway out of her seat, abruptly re-engaged the autopilot, letting the ship steer itself for a moment while she investigated the cargo bay. She didn't really see the point in this, as they were in the middle of open space and there was no chance they would hit anything. Apparently it was so that evasive manoeuvres could be conducted in case of a sudden ambush, but Aurelia doubted that the autopilot would be much use in a situation such as that.

Drawing the primitive handgun General Pereira had given her for self-defence purposes, Princess Aurelia slowly made her way back through the ship, towards the cargo hold. If anyone was inside, they must have somehow snuck in while it was being loaded. The only way in during flight was through a airtight door, and like all the doors on the ship, it would only open if a sensor detected someone with the appropriate clearance level was approaching. In other words, the doors would only open for Princess Aurelia and the most trusted of royal staff.

Sure enough, as Aurelia approached the door, the sensor detected the security information encoded in the insignia of her jumpsuit, and the door slid open to allow her access. Stepping inside the cargo bay, Aurelia held the firearm at her side, her hands shaking a little. There was no chance of the bullets going straight through the wall and causing an explosive decompression, so she didn't have to worry about missing. But it was hitting that she was more worried about. She had set out on this mission to save lives, and she didn't want to end any, certainly not innocent ones.

Aurelia quickly swept the perimeter, checking behind the boxes of supplies that had been loaded into the bay. At first, there seemed to be nobody there. Then, Aurelia noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, cautiously, she turned round, looking up at the ceiling.

There was something on the ceiling. Before she could properly tell what it was, Aurelia squealed, raised the primitive pistol, and fired.

Day 52

[from Space Hunter]

Slowly, Princess Aurelia awoke to find herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She recognized the sterile smell and soft lighting, however: she was in a hospital. She found herself wondering whether it was as advanced or well-equipped as the ones on her home planet. Then it occurred to her that the people of this race would not be familiar with her people's biology. Any medical treatments they might attempt could potentially have disastrous results. On the other hand, she was, at least, alive.

She wasn't sure what exactly had happened. Upon entering the planet's atmosphere, something had sheared on her ship's right wing, causing it to slowly disintegrate, and in turn sending the ship hurtling out of control. It had been a miracle that she'd been able to steer it away from the launch pad, and the masses of Vodi gathered there, or else things would have ended in catastrophe, both for this planet and for her own.

As she lay there, reflecting on this, a Vodi nurse pulled back the curtain surrounding her bed, presumably to check on her. Upon realizing the princess was awake, she jerked back with a squeal. "It's awake!" she exclaimed.

"Stay back!" said a voice from behind the nurse. "Men! With me."

The nurse rolled back out of the cubicle, and in rolled three Vodi males. At the front of them was General Pereira, a stern look on his face. The other two men carried primitive-looking projectile weapons, probably magazine-based. So, she was to be treated as a threat, then. Perhaps understandable: she had, after all, very nearly killed a lot of people.

The curtain was drawn back around the cubicle, shielding the four of them from view. General Pereira moved around to Aurelia's bedside, examining her curiously. Finally, he spoke. "Can you understand," he said slowly, "what I am saying to you?"

Aurelia nodded. "Yes. I have a translation device."

"I see," said the general, his spherical body rocking back and forth in what may have been this species' version of a nod. "So… do you realize the trouble you caused today? The damage you caused? The damage you so nearly caused?"

"Yes," said Aurelia, closing her eyes shamefully. "I am so dreadfully sorry. I came to this planet as a representative of my people, and I have made a terrible first impression upon you."

"You can say that again," said General Pereira fiercely. "Today was to be the most glorious day in our race's history, and then you arrived and ruined everything."

"I am so very sorry," said Princess Aurelia. "If there's any way I can make it up to you-"

"You can start by telling us who, or rather, what you are," said General Pereira. "Where did you come from? Why did you come here? What do you want from us?"

As the barrage of questions came forth, Aurelia began to realize something that only made her feel even worse.  This planet had never received an extraterrestrial visitor before. She was the first person from any other planet to ever make contact here. And she had made a complete and utter mess of it. I'm such an idiot, she thought. Well, the only thing I can do now is try and salvage things. Perhaps I can still get what I came here for.

"My name is Princess Aurelia Celarius Corsis," she began. "I am a Zetan, from the planet Zeta-4, several star systems away. I have come here to beg for your assistance. My people are dying of a terrible disease, and although our best scientists have formulated a cure, it requires materials that cannot be found on our world, the first of which is located here. I know you and your people must hate me after what happened today, but  please… this is all I will ask of you. Once I have what I need, I will leave you and your people in peace."

"That might be rather difficult," said General Pereira, after a moment's pause.

"What do you-" It was at this point that Aurelia remembered just how violently she had crashed, not to mention that the entire wing of her craft had been shorn off even before that. Her craft was heavily damaged at best, and irreparable at worst. And if it was irreparable, then she could never leave. She could never go back. Her people would think she had died, or abandoned them, and the vicious plague would never be cured.

It was too much for Aurelia to take. Shutting her eyes, she turned away and began to sob quietly into the pillow. Crying was not becoming of a princess, but Aurelia was too distraught to care what was expected of her at that moment. She was also too distraught to remember that Zetan bodily fluids were rather acidic, an evolutionary adaptation designed to kill anything that might try and eat them. As her tears dripped onto the pillow, they began to dissolve it, the soft down hissing as it was eaten away by the caustic fluid.

"What's she doing?" asked one of the guards, puzzled. "Is it some kind of attack?" He started to raise his weapon, but General Pereira put his hand on the barrel and forced it back down again.

"I don't think so," said General Pereira. "I've served in the army for 30 years and I've never seen anyone look that sad while attacking. This must simply be a trait of her species." Pereira moved closer to Aurelia's bedside, his expression suddenly more compassionate.

"While your actions today were almost unforgivable," he said to her, "I can sympathize with your plight. We Vodi have faced many threats to our own existence, and yet we persevere. However, I am not the one in charge of making the decision over whether we should help you. I shall tell the Emperor of our land what you have told me, and he will tell the other Emperors, and together they will decide how to proceed. They are compassionate men, and they may well decide to help you. However, the fact remains that your… craft, or whatever it is… was heavily damaged in the crash. Our finest engineers are studying it presently, but its technology appears to be far beyond our understanding. Even if we can somehow figure out how to repair it, you will be stranded here until it is fixed." He hesitated, then added, "I'm sorry."

Aurelia wiped her eyes, looking back at the general. "It's okay," she said. "Thank you. You are an excellent ambassador for your people."

"Thank you," said General Pereira. "You will most likely be discharged from the hospital soon, as your biology is so foreign to us that we have no idea how to treat you, or whether you even need treatment. Your external injuries, however, have been patched up…. with some difficulty, I might add, though I cannot fault you for the biology of your people."

Aurelia nodded. It probably wasn't worth asking just how much chaos her acidic blood had caused, so she decided to ask a different question. "What will become of me then? Once I have been discharged, I mean."

"For the time being, you will remain confined to the military facility in which you currently reside," said General Pereira. "Once we've confirmed that you pose no threat to our planet, you'll be transferred elsewhere, at the Emperors' discretion."

Aurelia had a sudden thought. "Where is my ship?" she asked.

"Its wreckage has been brought here to be analyzed," said General Pereira. "As I said before, though, its technology is beyond anything we have ever seen before." General Pereira seemed to then be struck by the same thought as Aurelia. "But then… you most likely understand it, don't you? Since it's your ship and all."

"I do," said Princess Aurelia, "for the most part. I lack the technical skill to fix it myself, but perhaps I can assist your engineers in understanding its inner workings. If it can be repaired, then I can leave once I have obtained the materials I seek, and as a token of my gratitude - and my heartfelt apologies - you may keep any of the technology you may discover in the process of repairing it. It is the least I could do to make up for everything."

General Pereira seemed most intrigued by this idea, as all generals would when presented with the prospect of advanced technology. "Very well then," he said. "I will relay everything you have told me to the Emperor, and if all goes as planned, he will agree to this deal. I have just one last question, however. Exactly what material is it that you require from us?"

"I do not know exactly," said Aurelia, shaking her head. "All I know is its chemical composition. Once I'm allowed back to my ship, I can retrieve the formula from its hard drive for you."

"Alright then," said General Pereira. "That will be all for now. I shall leave you in peace, Princess of Zeta-4." The general motioned to his two bodyguards, and the three of them left the cubicle, leaving Princess Aurelia alone with her thoughts.

Day 28

[from Space Hunter]

Kylos' mother knocked on the door of his bedroom. "Come on, Kylos! Hurry up or we'll miss the launch!"

"Coming, mom!" came the response from the other side of the door. Kylos adjusted his shoes, then left the room. His mother was waiting impatiently outside for him.

"There you are!" she said. "You all ready to go?"

"Ready," said Kylos.

"Alright then." Heading to the landing, she called downstairs to her husband. "Honey! We're ready to go!"

"Well, get down here and let's go, then!" came the response.

Today was a historic day for the Vodi. For the first time ever, the race were about to send a person into space. General Eli Pereira had volunteered to pilot the vessel, One-Vodi, on its voyage to the planet's moon and back. A crowd of hundreds of thousands of Vodi were expected to turn out at the launch site, the newly-christened "Lunar Square", to witness this historic event, and Kylos and his family were to be among them.

The achievement was all the more remarkable given the nature of both their planet and their species. The Vodi were a gelatinous race, composed of a two-foot diameter spherical main body, and six appendages - two hands and four feet - that floated independent of the main body, held in place by a strange force that even the Vodi themselves did not understand. The feet were perfectly spherical, and the Vodi moved by rolling them along the ground; in this way they had remarkable stability, so long as they did not go too fast downhill.

As for their planet, over ninety percent of its surface was covered with water. Even with the recent raft of land reclamation projects, there was very little space for the Vodi to live on. Living in the water was not an option; it was populated with all manner of horrific, monstrous creatures, and to stray too far from land meant almost certain death. Though the Vodi could not tame the seas, their mastery of the land and its resources had gotten them to where they were today.

Kylos and his parents rolled their way towards Lunar Square. As they got closer, they could see the rocket in the distance, rising from the ground like a giant silver bullet; it was easily thirty feet tall. A little further on and the streets became packed with people heading in the same direction, making it very crowded indeed. "Hold my hand tightly, Kylos," said his mother. "Careful not to get separated from us."

"Yes, mom," said Kylos.

When the three of them reached Lunar Square, it was already swamped with Vodi waiting expectantly for lift-off. Kylos couldn't see a thing, but his father was prepared: he picked Kylos up and seated him on top of his body, allowing him to see right over the crowd. "There you go, son," he said. "Can you see the general?"

"No, not yet," said Kylos. "There's some people around the rocket, but none of them is the general."

"They must be technicians," said his father, "making sure everything's okay for the big launch."

"Everything is okay, though, isn't it?" asked Kylos innocently. "Otherwise the launch wouldn't be going ahead."

"Well, I'm afraid you can never be too careful with these kinds of things, Kylos," said his father. "Rocket ships are incredibly complicated, and if something were to go wrong once it's up there… well, Adha knows we don't want that to happen, but-"

"I can see the general!" exclaimed Kylos suddenly, pointing at the launchpad. "He's headed toward the ship!"

A great cheer rose up in the crowd as Eli Pereira made his way across the launchpad. He was wearing a white spherical spacesuit, and special gloves and shoes. The visor of the spacesuit was open, and though Kylos could not see it, he was carrying a microphone in his right hand. As he reached the spaceship, he tapped the microphone and a rush of static burst forth from speakers placed all around the square, silencing the crowd and gaining their full, undivided attention.

"I'm going to keep this brief," said General Pereira. "This is, without a doubt, the greatest moment in the history of our people. For the first time, we are going to breach the confines of our tiny planet, and take our first revs into the infinite cosmos beyond. Even more than that, our destination is Adhavo, the resting place of our exalted creator, Adha Herself. She has no doubt waited all these thousands of years for her children to pay her their first visit, and today, as Ambassador of the Vodi, and with the whole world watching, I am going to do just that. May Adha watch over us, now and forever, and- wait, what is that?"

Some in the crowd had already noticed the strange light in the sky, and as the general fell silent, pointing at it with an awestruck face, the rest of the crowd turned their attentions to it as well. As they watched, it seemed not only to move slightly, but to grow larger and brighter, as though it were getting closer.

"What is it, dad?" asked Kylos, amazed.

"I don't know, son," his father replied, "but whatever it is, it's coming this way!"

The object was now undeniably on a collision course with the launchpad. Security personnel began to evacuate the area, and a sense of shock and panic began to ripple through the dispersing crowd. Kylos continued to watch the object as it grew ever closer and brighter. Then suddenly, it was no longer a light, but a strange object the likes of which Kylos had never seen.

It almost looked a bit like the One-Vodi, but aligned horizontally, with three wings sticking out at odd angles. After a moment, Kylos realized that there should be a fourth, to make an X-shape, but it appeared to have been shorn off; the tattered remnants of the wing were burning fiercely. Despite how close it had now gotten, the object remained almost completely silent as it plummeted towards the control centre. The remainder of the crowd either stood in awe, or turned and rolled away as fast as they could, screaming.

The strange craft was clearly trying to pull up and turn away, to avoid hitting either the ground or the control centre, but to no avail. It clipped the wall of the control centre at over two hundred miles an hour, demolishing a sizeable chunk of it; its nose then dug into the ground, and it was catapulted into a series of frightening flips and rolls that send it hurtling straight through where the crowd had been not a minute before. Two of the remaining three wings were smashed to pieces, showering the launchpad with debris; remarkably, both the One-Vodi and the launch tower somehow remained intact.

Finally, the craft came to a stop, and the launchpad was engulfed in almost total silence, save for the hiss of the steam and smoke escaping from the broken vessel, and the crackling of the flames as some of the debris and parts of the ship continued to smoulder. With the chaos over, the crowd could see to their amazement that this was, indeed, a spaceship, and through the transparent cockpit, cracked only slightly, they could see its occupant.

Princess Aurelia of Zeta-4 sat slumped in her seat, dazed and barely conscious. Fluorescent pink liquid poured down her face, and ran down her arm; it was blood, something the Vodi lacked. Though her vision was blurred and unfocused, she could just make out the masses of strange beings surrounding her. With the last of her strength, she raised a desperate, blood-soaked hand and, to the astonishment of the Vodi, spoke to them in their own tongue.

"Please…" she gasped. "Help… me…" Then the arm dropped, and Princess Aurelia slumped forward in her seat as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

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.