NOTE: I know that 'gods' and 'worlds' are plural, and I meant them to be like that. With all the cultures and religions… plus it sounds a little cooler!

A tall, young woman sauntered down the docks of the Interstellar Cressida Space Port, her head held high. She looked for the worlds like an interstellar princess, her long waist length hair braided over her shoulder, swinging in the same rhythm as her hips. She might have been royalty, too, if not for her grubby face and the tattered rags that she wore. Everything seemed a few sizes too big for her tall and slender frame. Her boots were of somewhat good quality, but compared to her figure looked large and cumbersome. Hanging from her thin waist like dead sails were canvas pants, held up by a wide belt. The cuffs were rolled up to make them short enough and both knees had fraying holes in them. Her shirt seemed to be the only thing close to her size, and it was a white tank top, the selves having been cut off sometime in the past. This was hardly seen, though, for most of her torso was covered in a bulky, green jacket. This had kept her from freezing in the streets many times, and she was damned if she would ever take it off.

Keira glanced at the ships she past with her mesmerizing steel-blue eyes. She was disappointed to see that most of the vessels she glanced at were small, old boats that were covered in space barnacles. One, though, caught her eye. It was a large galleon style ship, painted in a creamy-golden hue. It had three large masts, covered in brilliant new solar sails. The forecastle was high up from a long, flat deck, glistening from the cabin boy's mop and pail. The captain's cabin was bejeweled with ten tall and narrow blue-glass windows that looked out on the sky. She could see the crew running to and fro, securing barrels and crates below deck. She also noticed a frowning man atop the poop deck, gazing out over the ship. She guessed that this was an overseer of some sort, for he wore common clothes, not an Academy uniform. Walking around, she made her way closer to the ship. When she was close enough, she shouted up to the man.

"What ship be this?" she yelled, having no difficulty overcoming to noise from the crowd.

"This is the Royal Inter Stellar Integrity, miss. Who be it that asks?" he shouted back down to her.

"No one of importance. Just a street mouse. Say, you be that captain of this fair ship?" Keira asked, meaning to flatter the man into a momentary lapse of common sense.

"No, I just be the overseer of the loadin' of the supplies. The captain is a youngster. This be both the ship's and his first voyage."

"When does she set sail?" she shouted up to him, meaning the ship.

"Tomorrow mornin', miss, bright and early with the dawn sun."

"Thanks be, and the gods willin' you she has a safe journey." Keira shouted, walking back down the dock.

Smiling to herself, she disappeared into the crowd. Doubling back after a distance, she came back close to the ship, staying out of site from the overseer. She crouched down low behind a stack of crates. Settling down on a pile of rope, she got ready to wait. The fool of a foreman had been more than accommodating. Keira had learned all she had needed to know.

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Keira woke from her quick catnap and found that darkness had finally fallen. She waited for another hour, watching the crew slowly leave the ship and trickle out onto the docks, bidding each other goodnight and walking their separate ways. She waited until it seemed like most of the men had left until she stirred from her hiding place, staying low to the ground. Hugging the shadows, she slunk closer and closer to the ship, her feet hardly making a sound on the ground. Taking her time, she finally got to the boat. It had smooth sides, with few proper handholds, and was floating a ways out in the air from the ground.

Looking around for a mean of getting aboard the ship, a rope dangling down from the deck caught her eye. She gauged the distance from the dock to the rope and stepped back a few paces. Taking a deep breath, she quietly rushed forward and jumped into the air. She fell down faster than she liked and just barely caught hold of the rope in time. She was lucky that the rope trailed below the ship; otherwise, she would have crashed into the side, causing any guards to investigate.

Keira pulled herself up the rope, hand over hand, making sure not to scrape against the ship's pale siding. Reaching the top, she peeked over the railing. Seeing that the guard had his back turned to her, she pulled herself onto the deck. She disappeared into the shadows, making sure she had not been seen or heard. She waited in the darkness and hoped that the guard would slip off into sleep. Before long, loud snores could be heard escaping from the sleeping man.

Keira crept from her hideout and toward the stairs that would bring her below deck. She kept to the shadows, listening for any guards that might be around the corner. Fortunately, she met none, and her journey to the cargo hold was easy going. She finally found herself among the ship's supplies, made up of the necessities and a few luxury items. She also glimpsed many scientific instruments, many of which purposes were unknown to her. She traveled farther forward to the bow and found a nice hiding spot were the sides of the hull came together at the tip of the ship. She settled down, pulling some rope and other things together to fashion a makeshift nest. She pulled a few barrels and crates around her to better conceal her hideout, but she was confident that she would not be discovered until it was too late.



James Hawkins sat at his desk, all of his belongings folded and lying neatly inside his spacer's duffel bag, which sat on the floor next to his chair. His hair was neat, for once, and shorter, his customary ponytail gone. His face was smooth from his recent shave and his bright blue eyes danced in his face. Yet despite his cheery appearance, he was melancholy. He would soon be leaving the school that he had attended for five years. He would once again be journeying into the unknown, this time without a proper map, and less than a hope.

Sighing, he stood up and crossed to his bed. On it sat the wrapped bundle he had received at his graduation a few days before. He opened it and pulled out a new captain's suit. He stripped off his old clothes and pulled on the shirt and jacket. The creamy material felt cool against his skin, and he shivered slightly. The pale fabric of the jacket was pierced with bright golden buttons, the collar and cuffs trimmed with thin golden braids. He pulled on the new pants and, rather reluctantly, switched his old, scuffed black shoes for the new white boots. He stood in front of the mirror and examined his new attire. He seemed a different person, unfamiliar even to himself. He thought back to his days on Montressor and his childhood, his adventure on the RLS Legacy, and then reflected on his more recent days at the Academy. Things defiantly havechanged, he thought to himself, and I've changed. He looked at his old duds. Folding them, he placed them in his bag, not wanting to part with the clothes that had served him so well for so long.

Jim hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and opened the door walking out into the hallway. Not even pausing to take a look back, he treaded down the corridor, making his way to the front doors of the Academy. People gathered in the halls, watching him through their doorways as he continued on. It seemed ages before he reached the large doors that barred his way to the world. Pausing, he took a deep breath. He started forward, and the doors swung open. He blinked at the sudden sunlight, stepped from the shadows of the door, and disappeared into the brilliance of the morning sunrise.