Chapter 1

The fog shrouded almost the entire view of four largest moons of Jupiter. Mariku narrowed his eyes, but he could see their outlines only vague through the fog. Mariku called it fog, though he knew it was gas. At least something he memorized from school. He stretched his neck a bit to look down. Water sloshed against the pillars of the building. Mariku again narrowed his eyes as he thought he spotted figures in the water. He almost pressed his face against the glass. He tried to remember what he knew about Jupiter and its inhabitants, but the memories were just vague. He had not necessarily been the best student, at least not in astronomy. The subject was too dry to his taste. Ships, however, were more to his liking, so he was particularly excited to finally be on Jupiter. It was the planet with the largest spaceport in the galaxy.

Mariku turned away from the window and let his gaze wander through the vast spaceport. He almost couldn't handle all the impressions. It was just too overwhelming. He had never seen so many different species in one place. He had often been at the spaceport on the moon, but the moon was tiny compared to Jupiter. It was a sea of colorful shapes, who conversed in languages Mariku had never heard before. He took a deep breath. Even the smells he could not name, because there was no name for it in his own language. Mariku closed his eyes and let it all sink in. He felt a pleasant tingle in his stomach. He had trouble to hide his broad grin. He still couldn't believe that he was here. He was only a stone's throw from his biggest dream.

Mariku opened his eyes and looked once again at the sheet of paper in his hands. He knew the text by heart. It was the confirmation of admission for one of the best pilot schools in existence. Every year only a few got the chance to receive training to become a pilot at this school. There were many pilot schools, but none stood out more than the high quality Cera Academy on planet Ptera. Only the best were able to graduate.

Mariku sighed. Since he was a child, he dreamed of travelling through space. He wanted to see everything: aliens, whose names he couldn't pronounce; planets, whose atmosphere would probably kill him, and star systems, he didn't even knew they existed. Mariku made a pleased sound.

He could really consider himself lucky that he got a chance, since he was only a normal human being. He had no special skills, no super vision, or any claws, or wings. He was so inconspicuous, he sometimes felt really uncomfortable among all the aliens, who could easily break every bone in his body. Still, he shook his head, he did it. His performances had convinced the selection committee and he would do his best. He would show everyone who had laughed at him what he could do. He clenched his hands into fists and crumpled the paper. Of course they didn't dare laughing at him again, after he had beaten them up. They could be happy they were still able to laugh. He was now a student at the Cera Academy, at least almost, he just had to go there.

Mariku pushed the paper back into his pocket and strolled around the grounds. He still had time until departure and wanted to use it to look around. With big eyes he looked at the creatures, he passed. Some had a kind of fur; others in turn were translucent, as if their body was made of glass. He saw the different skin colors from blue to red. Horns, claws, tails, wings. Mariku couldn't get enough. He heard scraps of the conversations around him, but couldn't understand a word. He himself spoke only Arabic, English and the language of commerce, which was spoken by most aliens. It would have been interesting to know what aliens were talking about, but it was also interesting to hear the different languages.

However, the spaceport was more than just a big bus stop; it offered shops, pedlars, hotels and bars. Mariku hang around between the pedlars who sold the strangest things. One looked like an octopus in a glass and Mariku didn't even want to know what it was good for or what it really was.

"Hey boy," suddenly one of the dealers spoke to him. At first Mariku thought he had no arms until he saw the claws sticking out of his midsection. Four in number and fiery red. In one, he had a cup containing an amber liquid. As he held the cup under Mariku's nose, the smell alone sufficed to water his eyes. It burned and he started to feel dizzy. Mariku stumbled back and out of reach. Only slowly, his eyes recovered and Mariku wiped the tears from his cheeks. He wanted to rest against a wall, but instead of metal he grabbed something soft. Surprised, he drew back and fell backwards over a box. Mariku grimaced as he hit the ground.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Don't worry," he heard a female voice with a pleasant sound say. He looked up. Her skin was pale blue with dark blue tattoos and her eyes were a clear, radiant green. She had no hair, but two tentacles reaching down to her butt, like two long braids. It didn't affect her beauty in the slightest. The dress, she wore, emphasized her charms just right. Mariku swallowed. Her full, red lips gave him a smile. Mariku licked his lips unconsciously. He wasn't able to avert his eyes from her. Only with trouble he came back onto his feet. She reached out her hand and stroked his cheek gently. Mariku got goose bumps. "Are you hurt?"

"No," replied Mariku hoarsely. His whole body was focused on the alien woman in front of him. Her slender fingers ran along his neck.

"I'm relieved. It would be a shame if such a handsome guy like you would get hurt." She came closer and Mariku breathed her scent, which reminded him of flowers. "Or should I rather see if everything is really alright?" As she pressed her body against his Mariku felt the arousal taking him over. He didn't know what happened to him, but he knew he wanted this woman in any possible way.

Suddenly someone grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. Again, he landed on the ground and Mariku blinked in confusion. The magic was gone as quickly as it had come. What had happened to him? He couldn't explain his behavior. "I don't think he is old enough for you, my love." Mariku looked up at the man who stood next to him, but because of the hood he wore, Mariku couldn't see his face. The alien woman pressed her lips together in disapproval. She said something in a language Mariku didn't understand, but for the sound of it, it weren't nice words. She turned away and disappeared into the crowd. The man turned to Mariku and held out his hand. Mariku let him get pulled to his feet. Now he could see that the guy was human. He was at least 50 and had a full beard. The gray eyes regarded him with interest. "You should be careful," he warned Mariku.

"Yes, thank you." he said embarrassed. Normally he had a quick tongue, but the surroundings unsettled him. Hopefully that would change, once he was at the Academy. He really didn't like this shy side of him.

"You better go to your ship." With these words, the man left Mariku alone. Mariku took a deep breath. Geez, how embarrassing. He still had a lot to learn.

He pulled out the confirmation of acceptance from his pocket and flipped it over. On the back it had the number listed from which platform his ship would departure. At least he thought it was a number. It was a strange-squiggly symbol and he didn't even know if he had written it down correctly. With the paper in his hand, he left the dealers behind and entered the part of the spaceport, which housed the ships.

Amazed and with a touch of awe he looked at the space ships which rose majestically before him. Aliens in different uniforms hurried through the area, welcomed guests and took luggage. Mariku sighed. He could never afford to fly with one of these luxury ships. He was even glad that he had found an affordable flight. But maybe one day he would be in control of one of these big ships. At the thought of it, he felt again this pleasant tingling in his stomach.

Mariku compared the symbols on the pillars with the one he had written down. The ships became smaller and lost its shine, the father he went. At the smaller ships there were no uniforms, no one welcomed the guests and took care of the luggage. The persons, he passed, gave Mariku an uneasy feeling and he unconsciously quickened his steps.

"I warn you, you greedy beast", Mariku heard someone say while he compared the symbols. It looked almost identical. He saw the ship, which outer shell was painted in white and blue and seemed to be in an unexpected good condition. AMANE stood, much to Marikus surprise, in Latin letters on the outer casing. "If I have even a small problem during the flight, then I'll come back and make sure you never get a piece of gold into these greedy, green fingers of yours again. Do you understand me?" Mariku turned his attention to the speaker. He stood with his back to him, so Mariku could only see his long white hair. He held a creature in the air, no bigger than a small child, with deep green skin and a big hooked nose.

"Of course, sir, of course." It had a shrill voice which hurt in the ears. The white-haired man let go of the little alien and it landed on its butt. It quickly got back to its feet again and walked away muttering. Mariku didn't understand what it said, but it didn't sound too happy.

"And I always thought Cygni were nice and lovely contemporaries." Surprised Mariku looked to the side. He hadn't heard him coming. Between the long white hairs, Mariku could see pointy ears. One of them was almost completely shredded. He grinned and Mariku could see the long, pointed canines. His dark eyes flashed with amusement as he watched the other white-haired man, who had now turned around and looked anything but happy.

"Watch your mouth, you abject bloodsucker." Ryou pointed his marbleized claws at him. Mariku took the opportunity to have a close look at him. Instead of skin he had some kind of fur (maybe it was something similar to down, Mariku wasn't sure), and his ears were several long white feathers. He had a small nose and big brown eyes. His features were soft, even though just twisted into an angry grimace.

Bakura raised his hands defensively. "Relax, relax. Only joking."

"One more of these stupid jokes and you can go and find another ship. Be glad that I take scum like you on board at all," Ryou hissed. "If you make one wrong move, I'll pulverize you myself. Now give me the payment!" Bakura gave him a small bag. Mariku heard the coins jingle. Ryou weighed the bag in his hand. "JOU!" They heard the clatter of hoofs. Jonouchi had large curved horns coming out from the side of his head and his legs turned into hoofs from his knees. Ryou gave him the bag. "Count them." He looked at Mariku. "And you?"

Mariku averted his gaze from Jonouchi. "Uh, hi, I'm Mar—"

"I don't care," Ryou interrupted him curtly, holding out his hand. Mariku put his bag on the floor and went to his knees. He unzipped it and took out a small bag, which he handed to Ryou.

Without another word, Ryou turned and walked toward the ship. "ANZU!"

Mariku took a deep breath. Had he forgotten his self-consciousness on earth? "Oh wow, what crawled up his ass and died?" Mariku just shrugged his shoulders and picked up his bag. Bakura looked at him with interest. "You're a human."

"Uh, yes. And you are a...?" But Mariku couldn't name his species. He knew far too little about the different aliens. Mankind was still too stubborn to teach reasonable in the schools about it and if they did, he hadn't paid attention.

"Nocidea," Bakura replied casually. "I've never met a human before." He came uncomfortably close and Mariku put one foot backwards, leaning his upper body away from him. Bakura's eyes were closed. "Sweet," he muttered with a grin, and then he licked his lips. "Very sweet." Questioning Mariku lifted his eyebrows. What was wrong with this guy? What was sweet? Him? Did he hit on him? He knew he looked good, but was that a reason for all the aliens he met to be keen on him?

"Will you stand there forever or what?" Ryou shouted to them angrily. "Get your stuff and your asses into the ship. I don't have all day."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "I'm glad we only have to endure this for a few days."

"I heard that!" Bakura smiled at Ryou exaggerating in response.

Next to Ryou stood a woman, whose skin was greenish-blue and slightly translucent. Mariku could see the dark blue veins underneath. Both her lips and her eyes were also dark blue. She had no pupils. Between her fingers she had webbing. She smiled at Mariku and he smiled back unsettled. What was it today with him and the aliens? "The lady likes you," Bakura whispered to him and winked. "I've heard Seiren are excellent lovers." Mariku raised his eyebrows, not sure what to say. He didn't want to get involved with anyone outside his own species romantically. He glanced over his shoulder. The Seiren still looked at him, while Ryou talked insistently to her. Mariku sighed. He didn't hope it would continue this way. "I'm Bakura by the way."

"Mariku." muttered Mariku. Suddenly he felt tired and drained. The long journey to Jupiter, during which he couldn't sleep at all, and everything that happened in the last hours left his marks. He looked forward to his cabin and the bed.

Jonouchi was waiting for them inside. He grinned. "Don't worry about Ryou. He is actually quite nice, at least when he's asleep." He laughed at his own joke. The sound of his hooves echoed on the walls. "He's a little tense."

"I know something to relax him." Bakura said, grinning and even Mariku smirked.

Jonouchi laughed again. "Better not let him hear that. Nocidea, this is your room and next to it, the one for our little human."

"I also have a name." grumbled Mariku.

"Yes, I'm sure, but I don't know it."

"My name is Mariku, okay?"

"Relax Mariku." Bakura put his arm around his shoulder. "Don't be so serious."

Mariku pushed him away. "Don't do that." He really had enough body contact with aliens for today and Bakura made him feel uneasy.

"Departure is in an hour," said Jonouchi. "I wish you a pleasant stay." He bowed slightly.

Mariku opened the door to his cabin and left his bag on the bed. Apart from the narrow bed, there was a small wardrobe, a chair and a table, which was attached to the wall. There was not much space and it reminded Mariku more of a prison cell. He sank onto the bed. It was only for a few days. He pushed the bag from the bed and stretched out on it. He hit his head against the bed frame. He sighed. Now he was even too big for this bed. Great. He curled up and yawned. The excitement had made him tired.

A tremor went through the ship and woke Mariku up. It took a moment to remind him where he was. Oh yes, he was on his way to Ptera and apparently they were now ready to depart. Yawning Mariku stood up and rubbed his tense neck, before he left his room. He wanted to watch the start.

Ryou studied the hologram of a star chart as Mariku entered the cockpit. "What are you doing here?" Ryou hissed at him immediately.

"I would like to watch," Mariku said calmly. He won't be intimidated by Ryou.

Ryou sighed annoyed. "Get out!" He pushed a button and the star map disappeared.

"I won't touch anything."

Ryou's jaw tensed. "Let him stay," Anzu said and smiled at Mariku.

Yielding Ryou threw his arms in the air. "Sit there and shut up." Mariku winked at Anzu and she averted her gaze with a slight blush on her cheeks. Maybe it wasn't so bad at all that this alien chick had a crush on him. He liked the benefits. He sank into the chair that Ryou had assigned him and fastened the seatbelt. Curious, he looked around. Not far from him was an alien, he didn't know. His skin looked like stone; it was black and crossed by red veins, which reminded Mariku of lava. The number of buttons and levers made him excited. He couldn't wait to have his own ship, even though it would still take years. "Okay Jou, get us out of here." Ryou crossed his arms over his chest as the ship took off from the ground. Mariku heard how the landing gear was retracted. They slowly floated upwards. "Easy."

"Yeah, I'm not doing it for the first time," said Jonouchi.

"The last time you rammed another ship!"

Jonouchi grinned mischievously. "It wasn't intentional." He arranged behind another ship. In the distance Mariku could discover a lock through which the ships left the spaceport.

"Don't tailgate," Ryou hissed.

"Calm down, boss."

"I'm tired of paying for damage. We had that often enough." Another sly grin of Jonouchi. Mariku wondered why Ryou allowed Jonouchi to steer the ship when he had so many accidents.

The lock opened for them. "Honda, gravity on T5." Mariku felt a pressure on the ears, as in the departure of an aircraft. His hands were wet with excitement. Jupiter's gas layer blocked the view and Ryou grumbled. "What idiot actually built the spaceport on the most chaotic planet in this solar system?" He sank into a chair and opened the star map again. "Jou hold to the right." Slowly the vision cleared up as they left the atmosphere. Mariku watched open-mouthed the countless stars. He could even see Saturn. "Course GV38. Accelerate slowly." The ship took a leap forward. "Slowly, I said!" He closed the star card. "Anzu, prepare for the jump."

Mariku shifted restless in his chair. He knew the complete theory of a hyperspace jump by heart, but had never experienced one himself. He grinned. "All ready."

"Well then, get us out of this solar system." Mariku was pushed into his seat as the ship accelerated further. For a moment, he had trouble to breath. The space around them distorted. The lights of the stars were longer and broke into the strangest angles.

Mariku had his heart in his mouth. Finally. Finally it began…