《Aphelia of the Stars》


 Chapter I: Point of Origin

    <blockquote>


    "Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on."


    ¡ª Captain Kirk


    </blockquote>


    ~


    The night was calm and quiet. The half-moon only cast a pale sheen over everything, stars peeked out from behind the clouds - twinkling in the night. Or, at least, as much as they could, with the light pollution from the city. Aphelia sighed. She wished she could see the skies in their full glory - a bright multitude, shining light in absolute darkness, the milky-way within grasp. She had been to the local observatory many times, but she imagined seeing it with the naked eye brings a magic that isn''t comparable. Here, in a grassy field behind her home in the suburbs, she could almost imagine what it''d be like.


    After a while, she could hear muted footsteps in the grass. She looked around and she saw her crush, Elisa, run up to her. She was pretty, the moonlight simply didn''t do her justice. Her whispy strawberry-blonde hair fluttered in the wind. She was wearing an oversized sweater against the cold, which, in Aphelia''s opinion, only made her look prettier. Aphelia couldn''t see her eyes, but her body language made it seem that it was urgent.


    She yelled something - she could see the shadow of her mouth moving, but the sound was blown away in the wind. Aphelia sat up straighter, to get a better view. Elisa was still so far away, running barefoot - as if she''d just stepped out of her room moments before. Her expression was still mostly in the shadow, but it was pained, panicked - Aphelia tried to get up from the grass, but she couldn''t. Elisa reached out for her, but then - a bright light, and nothing.


    Aphelia shot up from her bunk and instantly hit her head on the ceiling. She yelped in pain, clutching her head; her incredibly curly, brown hair was tousled from a night of restless sleep.


    A''turaca stirred in the lower bunk, the bird-woman groaning as she stirred. "Keep it down, man." She clicked her beak in annoyance. "I need my beauty-sleep."


    Aphelia sighed. "Sorry, ''tur." She hopped out of the bed. Glancing on the display, she saw it was almost time for her night''s watch. Ah well, she needed to use the restroom anyway. On the way, she peeked into the cockpit. She could see Elisa''s strawberry blonde curls fall on her back like a waterfall. She sighed and opened the door to the tiny bathroom and looked into the mirror. She looked like hell. Her hair was a mess, she had bags under her eyes and she still had an oil stain on her cheek from last night''s mishap. She hadn''t taken a shower in a while - water was scarce in space, and their vacuum-condenser wasn''t exactly working right.


    She splashed a tiny amount on her face, just to wake herself up, and picked up her hairbrush. She held it in front of her, pointing at herself in the mirror. "En guarde, old foe." After the battle of hair, she made her way back to her bunk and changed into a set of clothing that didn''t reek of oil or less savory materials.


    Once that was done, she walked to the cockpit. Elisa was there - her long hair in a messy bun, sitting crossed-legged on the captain''s chair. She was engrossed in a map, a piece of yellowed, crumpled paper. Aphelia took a deep breath and lightly touched Elisa''s shoulder to get her attention.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."Hey."


    Elisa sat up straight, a bit startled. "Oh, Aphelia! I didn''t hear you come in." She smiled tiredly and put down the map, her attention on Aphelia.


    "Oh, sorry, I just - I came here to relieve you from your watch, I - you should get some sleep..."


    Elisa glanced at the time-display. "It''s not time yet." she said lightly.


    Aphelia shrugged. "It''s almost time, and I''m awake anyway." She sat down in the co-pilot''s seat and looked out through the window.


    Their little ship, the Freefeather, was going at cruising speed. She could see stars and galaxies shoot by in the inky-black darkness. The display''s many lights and switches were blinking lazily, a sign everything was in order. Some of the buttons were pale and a few displays were cracked, but that''ll happen at an older ship like this. Despite its age, however, it''s still in great shape; that''ll be A''turaca''s doing. With Aphelia''s help, someday, this ship will be as good as new.


    They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Elisa had the crumpled map in her hands. It appears as if she''d been studying it.


    "Got any clues?" Aphelia said, attempting to start up a conversation. In all honesty, she hadn''t been able to take a look at it yet.


    "Not really. It may be English, but it''s so... disjointed. I mean, what the hell does "The apple bites the sun" mean? Or this - " She said up straight and mock-cleared her throat.


    "The scales horrid gold,


    The life flames extinct,


    Oh, lively bird old


    Save our lives with ink."


    Elisa sighed. "Why couldn''t he just have written ''hey, this is my name, this is where we are, come find us."


    Aphelia shruggd. This sort of stuff was beyond her. The map is mostly just Elisa''s little pet project. She found it on a flea market on the Derii-va outpost - she hadn''t even bought it, it was thrown away because the map itself was so scribbled over, it was nearly useless. However, to Elisa and Aphelia, the scribbles were far more valuable than the map itself: it was English - the writer was human, like them. It was a link to home, someone who had also survived so far. Sure, they were either onto something or on something, but it was worth it to take a closer look. However, right now, they were en-route to a new ''quest'' - they were to go to the Derii-nict settlement not far away and help cull the population of beasts threatening the population. They were a bit low on money and taking these kinds of jobs were only a little dangerous and well worth it.


    "Well, I should head for bed then." Elisa said, awkwardly.


    "Oh, uh, yeah," Aphelia nodded. "Sleep - sleep well, I''ll wake you when we''ve arrived."


    "Bye," she said quietly, and with a small wave she headed towards her bunk to the back of the Freefeather.


    With a melancholy expression, Aphelia watched her go. When Elisa disappeared, she turned towards the stars. She remembered her dream - a memory, of way back when. It all felt like a lifetime ago. She didn''t want to think about it, so she tried to focus on Elisa instead. She''s her one link to home, to Earth, and not just that - Aphelia had a crush on her. A huge one, at that. Elisa always had something funny or interesting to say. She is level-headed under pressure, and she''s a wonderful pilot. She is beautiful and graceful and spending time with her filled Aphelia with a sense of home. There was nothing they couldn''t do when they were together.


    But Aphelia had no idea if Elisa felt the same way. She didn''t want to ask, either, she didn''t want to sound creepy or ruin their friendship. Hell, she didn''t even know if Elisa was attracted to her at all. Aphelia could only hope she would find the courage to ask her out someday, when they weren''t in immediate danger for once.

 Chapter II: Deserted

    By the time they were near their destination, A''turaca had taken the wheel again. Her feathers were somewhat messy and her head crest stuck out to all directions, but she was wide awake and concentrated on getting the ship safely to the settlement. Because all Derii locations were neutral zones, ships from all over the galaxy would come; last time they were at Derii-Va, they encountered the sleek Sagittau ships, the Xetarian ships with their atomic sails, bulky, rusty Dolovan ships, practical but pretty blocky Derii ships, and many, many others. The Freefeather didn''t hold a candle to many of them, both in size and firepower, but they made it up with their maneuverability and wit; and even though it was a neutral zone, there was no guarantee there wouldn''t be skirmishes. The Derii-Nict settlement was smaller, but it likely would attract more attention as it was still in the process of terraforming, to create more land.


    A''turaca narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Strange. These are the coordinates they gave me." She had piloted the ship into a low orbit around the small planet. It was only truly habitable in a few spots, where the Derii had terraformed the landscape to suit their needs; for the rest, there was only desert and an ocean of liquid nitrogen. The atmosphere was rich with water and oxygen, however, and once they had established an atmosphere around the settlement, it had started to condense almost instantly, giving them plenty of materials to work with.


    The surface below them, however, was only sand and rock, as far as the eye could see. Even the ship''s sensors didn''t detect anything. A''turaca grumbled some more. "Damn merchants, giving me false coordinates... all the way out here for nothing... wasted fuel..."


    Aphelia frowned. "Weird. Maybe the coordinates were wrong, or - the sensors are off?"


    "No, I don''t think so. There really is nothing there." A''turaca moved the ship to break orbit and started to fly around the small planet. There were supposed to be multiple settlements on the planet, but the telemetry showed there was nothing there. No vegetation, no form of life, nothing. She frowned, slightly panicking. "This is insane! A settlement can''t just vanish overnight."


    Aphelia and Elisa were starting to get uneasy as well.


    "Let''s - we should probably go back..." Elisa offered, eyeing the dead planet nervously. "Whatever caused them to run, might still be around."


    "Hmmm..." A''turaca took another look at the data they received from the sensors. "The coordinates of the main settlement shows natural rock. There''s no indication the settlement was ever there."


    They kept watching the barren surface. "Wait, what''s that?" Elisa pointed to the sensors. "I''m picking up a ship, it''s still active but it''s landed on the ground."


    "Anybody on board?"


    "I''m reading one life-form... but incredibly faint, barely alive."


    "Hmm. Maybe they can tell us what happened here. I''m taking her in." A''turaca took over controls and piloted the ship to the surface. Once they got closer, they could see the ship clearly. It was a Deriivian ship, stuck in the sand. They landed right next to them. By the time they had landed, the sun had started to set.


    "They''re still inside. Think we can climb in?" Aphelia asked, gathering some tools.


    Elisa adjusted a few sensors. "Yea, I''m reading an atmosphere and since the sun is setting, it''s not that hot anymore."


    "Alright. Aphelia, you''re with me." A''turaca said. "Elisa, stay and guard the ship."


    "Yes ma''am," Elisa replied.


    They decided to don their environmental suits just in case. They were skintight and made of a very light but sturdy material. They were originally E''Sagittau in design, but Elisa managed to sew them over to human shape, so they could fit Elisa and Aphelia as well.


    "Gravity on the planet is slightly lighter than we''re used to." Elisa warned them right before they stepped out.


    Aphelia immediately tripped and landed slowly in the sand. "Ah, gotcha," she said as she got up.


    The trip to the other ship was slow, but they made it. The ship was so damaged, Aphelia only had to whack a wrench against the plating and it fell off.


    "Hello?" A''turaca called out, taking the lead. She held her phaser in front of her, cautious of people jumping out.


    A Deriivian laid on the floor. His skin was pale and there was a lot of blood around his head. Aphelia squirmed, jumping back, but A''turaca held her own and scanned him with a mobile sensor. "Hm. We''re too late."


    "Ah." Aphelia said, looking away.


    A''turaca saw how uncomfortable she was and decided to give her something to do. "Think you can download the sensor readings of this ship? They might tell us something."


    "Right, right," she said, and started to work. The downloading point was away from the body, and she was grateful for that. After a bit, she had all the data she needed downloaded in her data-unit. "Let''s go."


    "Yeah." When Aphelia had been turned away, A''turaca had carried the body and laid it in the sand, face-down, as was usual in Deriivian burial rituals. "Sorry, bud." she muttered and scooped a bit of sand over his back.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    They quickly left the ship. Once they got back on the Freefeather, Aphelia plugged the data into a terminal and started looking through it.


    "Wow - it looks like this had only happened yesterday," Aphelia said. "The sensors show a huge spike of energy and then it was just - gone."


    "Wow," Elisa said, looking over Aphelia''s shoulder. Despite still being a bit shaky, Aphelia blushed, being so close to Elisa. "It doesn''t really say who or what did it, though. It didn''t detect any anomalous ships."


    "Strange." A''turaca said, mulling over the information. She looked out over the desert, deep in thought. "Well, whatever did this, it might still be around, or come back." She turned to the rest. Either way, we should go back to base. We have no more business here."


    "Right." Elisa sat in the co-pilot''s seat and started to lay in the correct heading for the Derii-Va outpost. They had to stop there to refuel on their way to their current hideout, a little place on the Derii-Nos settlement.


    "Maybe we could ask around Derii-Va? I''m sure some of the freighters would know what happened to Derii-Nict." Aphelia said, "I mean, all those people..."


    "No, it''s none of our business," A''turaca said, harshly. "If we butt heads in this, we won''t be getting out. Whatever did that could wipe our ships before we could say featherbrain."


    "But -"


    "No buts. It may not be war anymore, but we still can''t take any chances. If we encounter the wrong people, we''re done for."


    "Right." Aphelia sighed. "Fine."


    After a few hours, they arrived at the Derii-Va outpost. It was a floating orb, with the upper half having atmosphere and a clear dome, with buildings and parks, and the lower half were the docking stations, where ships in all shapes and sizes could dock. They were quickly assigned to the upper docks, for the smaller ships.


    "Alright. I''m going to see if I can haggle for some supplies. Aphelia, make sure the ship is in working order."


    "Aye-aye." Aphelia nodded and took out her tools.


    "Elisa, you can choose, do you want to come with me or stay with Aphelia?"


    Aphelia blushed slightly and tried to hide behind her small toolbox.


    Elisa smiled. "I''ll go with you, A''turaca, I want to look around a bit."


    Aphelia sighed.


    "Alright then! Maybe, if we''re lucky, we could get ourselves a proper place to sleep for once." A''turaca smiled. "Let''s go, ''Lis."


    Elisa quickly left with her, leaving Aphelia alone with the ship. "Looks like it''s just you and me, Freefeather." She put down her tools, pried open a maintenance latch and started her work. Somewhere nearby, a radio was blaring a popular local song that she couldn''t understand the language of, but she did like the tune. After a while, the news jingle sounded. "Welcome one and all to Derii-Va Docking Station, here for your song and dance. That song was called ''Catly'' by the famous E''sagitau A''cona, which no doubt, you''ve all heard of at least once on your many travels, and if you haven''t, you have now."


    "And now, the news. It''s the three year anniversary of the E''sagittau Alliance winning the war against the Xetarian Empire. Many people from many races perished, but together we stood victorious, and tomorrow we will take a moment to honor the fallen. The E''sagittau leader, E''dovo, will give a speech which will be broadcasted live to Derii-Va and other outposts throughout Alliance space. Come if you want, there will be free food. To honor the fallen, of course."


    "Alarming word comes from several outposts where entire settlements over multiple planets have mysteriously vanished."


    Aphelia froze, her wrench still in the air. The outpost, Derii-Nict - that wasn''t the only one? She lowered her wrench, properly worried now.


    "It''s as if the cities had never existed. The flagship of the E''Sagittau fleet, the Endeavor, is on its way to investigate the disappearance. We all mourn for the people we have lost, but until we know more, we can entertain a small glimmer of hope that they''re not dead, and that they''ve just been transported to a weird dimension and that they, somehow, can be brought back again."


    "Let''s end this on a happier note. The E''sagittau heiress, A''dova, has recently said the happy words and will be bonded with her mate-to-be, E''conno, in the traditional bonding ceremony. The ceremony will be held in a few cycles, but, according to sources, an exact date has not been picked yet.


    "This concluding the news. After a short ad break, we''ll continue with a human classic, Fly Me To The Moon, by a guy called Frank Sinatra. See you then."


    Aphelia sighed and ran her hand through her hair. It came back black. She sighed again and sat down for a short break, trying to figure out what needed to be done next. The commercials were so loud, she didn''t hear Elisa walk up behind her and jumped when she put her hand on her shoulder.


    "Oh! sorry, heh," Elisa said, withdrawing her hand.


    "N-no, no, it''s fine." Aphelia smiled and patted the concrete floor next to her. "Have a seat."


    Elisa sat down and leaned towards Aphelia. "You''re doing great work. Freefeather is looking a whole lot better."


    Aphelia smiled. "Thanks. I''m doing the best I can." She played with the wrench she was holding. "So, how''s the haggling going?"


    "It''s fine, we got the stuff we needed. ''Tur asked me to deliver these to you." She held out a bag with two canisters and some canned food.


    "Oh! Parts for the condenser! And fuel, too," Aphelia smiled, excitedly. "Thank you."


    Elisa blushed softly and smiled back. "I knew they''d make you happy. You''re welcome."


    They both blushed and sat in silence. Right then, the commercial break ended and Frank Sinatra started playing.


    "Man, it''s been a while since I''ve heard this song." Elisa said, looking around for the source of the music.


    "Yeah, it''s pretty amazing how many human things have seeped through since the treaty." Aphelia said. "It''s been, what. Three years?"


    "Yeah, I think so. Feels a lot longer, though."


    Aphelia nodded in agreement. "We''ve been making progress on getting home, though. I mean - we''re at the Derii outposts! That''s so close to Minich Five! I mean, the tech that got us here in the first place came from there- I''m sure that they can make it reversible, bring us back."


    "Yeah, but how are we going to convince them? They''re not just going to open the portal because we asked. Plus, what about the implants?"


    Elisa brushed her hair behind her ear, feeling the small, metal plate in her skull, right behind it. It allowed her brain to retain vital information easier and translate most languages into English. It had been sorely needed, especially in the beginning. However, it had some drawbacks; they had to disable the tracker function so that they couldn''t be followed.


    "What about the implants? They knew they wouldn''t get them back when they installed them on us."


    Elisa sighed. "Yeah, but we''d probably be ''stealing'' the implants from them, at least in their eyes."


    "Maybe..." Aphelia scratched her head, also feeling her implant. "I don''t know. We''ll see when we get there."


    They were silent for a while, listening to the song. They slightly leaned against eachother, trying to find some comfort when the distance between them and home seemed so big.


    Fill my heart with song,


    Let me sing for ever more


    You are all I long for, all I worship and adore,


    In other words, please be true


    In other words,


    In other words,


    I love you

 Chapter III - The Visitor

    Aphelia looked up to the sky. The night was calm and quiet and the stars twinkled as best they could. She looked down, to see Elisa running up at her, worried.


    Ah, she thought, I''m dreaming this again. Except, not a dream - a memory.


    She looked back up to the sky. The stars were twinkling brightly - too bright. The power had gone out in the city. Aphelia looked back to Elisa, still hurrying along, and back to the sky. The stars were moving now - there were so many little lights. Some were shooting down - were they... firing at us? They were, I could smell the ozone in the air, and the sky was once again dimmed by the bright light of the fire raging on in the cities. She could make out two distinct types of ships - and they were both firing at us and at each other. Aphelia scrambled led up, panicked, and Elisa collided with her.


    "Aphelia! I was so worried about you - Are you alright?" Elisa''s voice, usually so soft and kind, was harsh and nervous.


    Aphelia held her at her shoulders. "Yes, I''m okay - and you?"


    "Yeah, I barely made it out - oh, my parents, my family - " she broke down crying.


    Aphelia held her tight, shivering, the full weight of what was happening finally sinking in. "It''s okay - it''s - i-it''s -" She found her voice trembling as well. "I''m going to - I''m gonna go back to my house, it''s not far from here." She hoped her parents were okay...


    "Yeah, let''s go..."


    But before they could get up, a ship whooshed overhead. It was sleek and sharp in design, with a solar sail spanning over the front of the ship. It almost crashed right in front of them. Two figures climbed out - they appeared lizard like, with scales over their heads and pale brown skin. They had weapons akin to those you would see in science fiction movies - big and bulky and dangerous. Aphelia shrunk back, cautious, Elisa right at her side. The lizard like aliens growled and aimed their guns at them. Before they could shoot, however, their ship exploded behind them.


    Aphelia gasped and sat up straight. She groaned. Not this again. She buried her face in her hands and fell back on the bed. A''turaca had been able to make do on her promise and got a proper motel without the space equivalent of bedbugs. The beds were pretty big, enough to accommodate the E''sagittau''s stature, but they wouldn''t be able to fit Dolovans. Maybe they had special beds in different rooms, or maybe they didn''t even like beds. As she wondered idly, Elisa stirred in the bed next to her. She watched her sleep peacefully for a bit, and she wondered - did she have nightmares of that day, too?


    ?


    Breakfast at the motel was a modest affair. There was a buffet, but it only contained some basics - local Derii-bread and butter and cheese, some native fruits that somewhat resembled oranges but were actually much sweeter, and a small assortment of drinks. Nevertheless, the trio ate their fill with gusto. When A''turaca was halfway through her derii-bread, her communicator started to beep. This communicator was used for interplanetary calls; Aphelia wasn''t sure how it worked, but it looked a bit like an Earth flip phone. Instead of a screen, however, when you flip it open, it shows a little hologram.


    "Hang on, I gotta take this." A''turaca got up. "Don''t eat my breakfast while I''m gone." She walked over to a quiet corner and started conversing with the hologram in question. Aphelia couldn''t see who she was talking to, so she decided to focus on her breakfast instead. Elisa was sitting next to her, nibbling on some Derii cheese.


    They both smiled slightly.


    "How, uh, how is your breakfast?" Aphelia started, awkwardly.


    Elisa chuckled. "Pretty good. I really like the cheese, I daresay it''s better than the cheese they have at home."


    "Oh?"


    "Yeah, it''s got more flavor to it, and the aftertaste is pretty salty. Works great with the bread."


    Aphelia smiled. "Yeah..." She trailed off, thinking about the bread on Earth. She missed it.


    "Oh! Do you remember that one time where we tried out that one Indian place?" Elisa said with a grin.


    "Wait! When was that?"


    "Just before finals. You were so tired of studying and wanted a break-"


    "Oh yeah! I suggested we''d go to the same pizza place we''d always go to, but you wanted to try something new."


    "Right!" Elisa giggled. "I picked something that sounded nice, but you had the audacity to pick the spiciest thing on the menu."


    "I didn''t know!" Aphelia said, mock-mortified. "They''re the crazy ones for putting a ghost pepper in the curry."


    Elisa was laughing. "I still remember your face when you tried it."


    Aphelia grimaced. "I can still taste that damn curry, even now."


    They both chuckled, and sat in silence for a while.


    "You know..." Elisa played with her food tentatively.


    "Yeah?"


    "I was thinking, uh, maybe, once we''re back in Derii-Nos, we could maybe, like, do something together..."


    Aphelia nodded, curious. "Uh, alright, what did you have in mind?"


    "Well, maybe we could check out that classical Derii place A''turaca keeps going on about... It''s supposed to have some Derii delicacies that I want to try out."


    Aphelia nodded. "Sure, sounds fun." She chuckled softly. "Don''t pick anything too spicy. I won''t be able to eat it." They both chuckled again.


    Then, a thought hit her and she blushed. "Wait, you mean like, like a -"


    A''turaca chose just that moment to return. With one wing, she just about slammed her communicator on the table. Oblivious to the way the humans are blushing, she grinned and softly spoke. "So I have some good news - this trip wasn''t a waste after all." She sat down in front of them and leaned forward. "I just got word from a contact of mine - they say we might have a passenger to Derii-Nos."


    Elisa frowned. "Oh? Why us?"


    "Well, she has some acquired cargo, if you catch my drift. I''ll tell you the details later, but it''s nothing dangerous or anything. Besides, she''s already done the hard part, we''re just here to help her on the last leg of her journey."


    Elisa relaxed somewhat. "Alright then, if you say so."


    "Best thing? She''s willing to pay!" A''turaca chuckled. "This is gonna be a breeze."


    ?


    The trio waited in front of the Freefeather for their guest. A''turaca was pacing back and forth, muttering to herself, playing with the communicator. After a while, a woman emerged from the crowd and was headed straight towards them. She was carrying a large satchel and a large frame packed in paper. Aphelia could only assume it was a painting; it was large and square and seemed quite heavy. The woman, however, had no trouble carrying her luggage; she was tall, and she had pale skin like marble. She had deep violet eyes and dark grey sclera, and her black hair had an equally violet sheen. Her most curious feature, however, were her two sets of arms. One set carried the frame with both arms, and the second set held her satchel with one arm. The other arm was waving at A''turaca, making specific gestures that alerted A''turaca of who she was. Aphelia also noticed her finger were long and bony and slightly webbed, and she had a great and powerful tail that ended with a fin.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    A''turaca approached her with a grin. "Ah, Bathypelia! How are you!"


    "I''m good, A''turaca, old friend! May the sea of stars be fortuitous!"


    "And may the stars of the sea shine deep!" A''turaca slapped a wing on her shoulder and guided her onto the ship. Once Bathypelia was inside, A''turaca turned to the humans.


    Elisa looked mostly confused. "Are you really-"


    "No, that was just a standard greeting - a passphrase, if you will." A''turaca said, hushed. "Now, let''s go." The two entered the ship behind A''turaca.


    Bathypelia had already found her way to the main cabin. She had put the large frame down to give the lower set of arms some rest. They were folded in front of her lower chest. "So! Where can I put my things?"


    Elisa slid past Bathypelia to get to the cockpit. Their eyes locked for only a moment, but the look Bathypelia gave her was intense. She would''ve stood there like a deer in the headlights if it wasn''t for Aphelia, who gently pushed her to the cockpit. They each took their seats and pretended to be busy.


    "Right over here - be careful," she stopped Bathypelia from taking another step. She quickly darted to a specific panel on the wall. Behind it was a hidden control panel. After typing a few numbers, the floor slid open. "Cargo may go in there, and it won''t be detected."


    "Cool." Bathypelia picked up the frame and placed it carefully on its back, and she put the satchel next to it. "Ah, that''s better." She flexed and stretched both sets of arms and folded them both in front of her chest.


    A''turaca gave another command and the floor slid closed back up. "So, Pelia - can I call you Pelia?" A''turaca gently guided her to the back of the Freefeather. She silently gave Elisa the sign to start to take off. "You were headed for Derii-Nos, right? Any specific address to drop you off?"


    The door closed behind them and they were out of earshot.


    "Huh. So that''s a Berellian." Aphelia mused out loud.


    Elisa nodded. "Yeah. What did ''Tur say about their planet again?"


    "Uh - water planet, if I recall correctly. A bit like Atlantis, but bigger. It''s in the - " She checked the charts. "It''s part of the E''sagittau alliance, but it''s a bit further back in space than most 0f the planets in the alliance."


    "I wonder what she got in her luggage." She shivered a bit.


    "Are you okay?"


    "Yeah. I''m just not really getting a great vibe from her."


    Aphelia shrugged. "I''m sure it''ll be fine. It''s not even a day to Derii-Nos, so it''s not like she''ll be in our hair for long. Besides, we do need the money. And, as for whatever those packages are - I''m sure it won''t be anything dangerous. I trust A''turaca not to screw us over, and I hope A''turaca''s contact is equally trustworthy."


    Elisa sighed. "True." She turned her attention to the controls. "Are we still tethered? Did you clear with the docking master?"


    "No ma''am, and yes ma''am! We''re free as a bird."


    Elisa chuckled softly at the pun. "Right, let''s get ready to go, then." She pressed a series of controls and the ship hissed. The Freefeather started to ascend, and then leaned forward to slowly moved out of the dock.


    Aphelia admired her piloting. Even without the cheating chip, she was a natural. She smiled softly and kept an eye on the readings as they came, to make sure Elisa hadn''t missed anything. Elisa maneuvered the ship out of the station, past the barrier, and back into space.


    Bathypelia and A''turaca returned from their private chat. A''turaca pulled out a retractable bench from the walls and invited Bathypelia to sit. She did so gracefully.


    Bathypelia looked at Elisa with curiosity. "So, you got humans on board." she said, stating the obvious.


    "Yeah, they''re my friends." While A''turaca''s body language was still open and jovial, her tone had just a bit of ice on it.


    "Oh? Friends?" Pelia looked intrigued.


    "Yeah, friends."


    Pelia looked genuinely surprised. "I didn''t take you for the friendship type. How on earth did you get two humans on board?"


    "It''s not that interesting." A''turaca said, dismissively.


    "A story is nice to pas the time." Pelia smiled sweetly.


    A''turaca looked at the humans. Elisa looked doubtful, but Aphelia just shrugged. It wasn''t as if it was a secret.


    A''turaca sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Fine." She then smirked slightly. "I stole them off a Sagittau ship, if you can believe it."


    "Oh?"


    "Yeah. They were on their way to a human ''shelter'', but my client was paying me good money to get one. Instead, I got two."


    "You didn''t deliver them?"


    "The trouble wasn''t worth the money."


    Aphelia giggled. "She had a change of heart."


    Pelia chuckled with her. "Ooh? A soft spot for these humans?"


    A''turaca huffed. "They''ve stuck with me ever since."


    Pelia hummed. "What did happen to the shelter?"


    "It got attacked by Xetarian spies and Sagittau rebels who weren''t happy with it. They all got arrested, but... most of the humans, they weren''t able to escape. Those who did were scattered over galaxies."


    "Galaxies, huh..." Pelia looked thoughtful.


    "Yeah. No idea what happened to them, but in a way, it''s a good thing I stole them off that ship."


    Pelia chuckled. "Yes, indeed..."


    It was silent for a while, but a comfortable silence. The Freefeather rumbled quietly under them, and the stars went by smoothly.


    A''turaca smiled. "So, if I may ask - what are you carrying with you?"


    "Ah, some heirlooms." Pelia smiled. "Funny story. Back in the war, the Xetarians had raided my family estate and stolen some valuable works of art. I took the liberty to take it back."


    "Ah, good for you."


    "You know, there is one thing I hadn''t managed to get back, but that''s only because the Xetarians lost it before I could get to it." Pelia looked miffed. "The buffoons couldn''t even keep it safe."


    "What was it?"


    "A stellar chart. It wasn''t particularly old or anything, but it was beautifully hand-crafted by my uncle."


    "Oh? What was your uncle''s name?"


    "Hmm, Anguineus. He was a strange fellow, very withdrawn, but he had a wonderful hand in art. While the map itself isn''t valuable, my mother would give anything to have it back. He died in the wars."


    "Ah, my condolences."


    They kept on making smalltalk for a while, talking about art stolen from other families.


    Aphelia saw Elisa tense. "What''s wrong?" she whispered.


    Elisa shushed her. "The map I found in the trash, the one scribbled over with-"


    "That''s hers?"


    Elisa shushed her again, more urgently. "It has Anguineus written on it, I didn''t know - it certainly didn''t feel handcrafted -"


    Aphelia leaned closer to talk. "She should know! It''s her family''s map!"


    "Yes, but we''d lose a valuable asset to find the humans! Humans must have written on the map while they were captured by Xetarians - but how did it get in the trash?"


    "Maybe it''s not her map, maybe it''s a copy?"


    "Maybe." Elisa looked doubtful, though. "Either way, I don''t think we can trust her."


    "Sure, but we should at least tell ''Tur."


    Elisa thought and nodded. "Fine. I''ll tell her."


    They were silent for a while, but the atmosphere was tense. Bathypelia seemed to notice, but didn''t react or respond. She had one set of arms crossed in front of her lower chest, and her upper set of arms supported her while sitting back. She slumped lazily over the seat. "You know, I need to use the little ladies'' room. If I may...?"


    "''Course, it''s over there." She pointed to the bathroom. "It''s a little small, but it does the job."


    "Thanks." She stood up and walked over.


    Once the door closed, Elisa stood up and grabbed the map from her bunk. She hastily looked it over and sat down next to A''turaca. "Do you think this is the map she was talking about?" she said in a hushed tone.


    "Woah, woah," A''turaca leaned back. "What''s going on?"


    "Here, look - it''s got -"


    "No, wait, just hangon for a moment, what''s going on?"


    Elisa told her what she thought.


    "Alright, fine." A''turaca grabbed the map and looked it over. She looked closely at the print. "The original map is not hand=drawn, and although it''s got the uncle''s name on it, I''m sure it''s just a copy or something. Either way... she doesn''t need to know."


    Elisa nodded and hid the map away in her bunk. She was still standing near the bunk when Bathypelia came out of the restroom.


    "What''s going on?"


    "Eh, nothing important." A''turaca leaned back again.


    "Well, alright then." She shrugged.


    At that moment, alarms went off. Elisa nearly jumped out of her seat and looked at the displays to see what was going on. "Dolovan pirates incoming - it''s the Sandscraper!"


    "Tau''s feathers!" A''turaca swore. "Not now!"


    With practiced precision, Elisa started to enter the commands to raise their shields. "There''s an incoming transmission from them."


    A''turaca clicked her beak in annoyance. "Fine, let''s see what they want."


    Their viewscreen flickered to life with a transmission from the Sandscraper. Their Xetarian captain, Igneos, was sneering at them. He looked humanoid, but he most definitely wasn''t human. His skin was an icy, pale blue. Instead of hair, he had slightly darker, scaled ridges on his forehead, leading over his skull in an intricate pattern. His eyes were a sandy amber, and his sneer uncovered some of his mean, sharp teeth. "Ah, hello! Fancy meeting you here again."


    A''turaca gritted her beak. She balled a fist, but she soon released. "Igneos." she said icily.


    "Ah, a warm welcome, as always."


    Elisa nervously looked over the sensors. "Their shields are up and their weapons are aimed at us, but not powered up." she whispered to A''turaca.


    A''turaca nodded slightly to her in response. "Let''s just get this over with." She turned back to the viewscreen. "What do you want?"


    "Well, we''ve heard talk of a guest on board." Igneos smirked. "There''s a lady called Bathypelia, I assume you''ve met, she''s got something that belongs to my client."


    Aphelia looked up. "They''re charging weapons!" she warned.


    Igneos looked almost proud. "So, chop-chop."