Summary: Captain Arthur Pendragon is on a mission to find his sister, the dreaded space pirate Morgana. But first he needs a ship and a crew. Space AU

Author's Note: If you've read the original in Across the Universe, then you know that I said that I was gonna start extending this when Undying Love or The Lord and the Governess get close to the end. Buuuuuuuuuut I have writer's block on both, so this is going up sooner than planned. :D

Excalibur

Camelot was the most affluent planet in the Albion star system, and its lush forest and crystal lakes made it a cool pearl standing out among the black backdrop of space. It was also home to the top officers in Albion's Starfleet, including the son of President Uther Pendragon.

Arthur always went above and beyond to make his father proud, much to the displeasure of his sister. With Uther always focusing his attention on his son, he neglected Morgana. The harder Arthur worked and was rewarded honors, the more Uther praised him, and the more Morgana would act out. Being the product of an affair, Morgana was already a black smudge on the Pendragon's pristine family history. Her becoming a space pirate wiped it out like the plague.

And now it was Arthur's job to bring her home.

Arthur found himself on Cameliard, the larger of Camelot's two terrestrial moons. Cameliard was rich in resources, especially metals, and responsible for Camelot's heavy industry. It's where the planet's ships were built, and Arthur had the most stunning picks in the system to choose from.

Accompanying him was his best friend and fellow graduate of the Albion Starfleet Academy, Pilot Merlin Emrys from Ealdor, Camelot's smaller moon. Merlin stared longingly at the rows of ships gleaming under the sun in the shipyard. "Are you sure you don't want something more…shiny?" They were standing a distance away from the ships and in front of an older, less glamorous one.

Arthur looked up at the older model. He knew this ship, it was made for him. He had named it before it was even built.

Growing up, he always went with his father to inspect the ships every month. Tom Leodegrance, manager of the shipyard and the greatest builder Camelot ever had, told Arthur that he'd build a ship special for him. Arthur swore that Tom was the greatest engineer in the universe, and so did everyone else. He's the reason why Camelot has the finest ships. And Tom had kept his promise; he began building the ship when Arthur went off to the Academy, unknown to Arthur. It was going to be a surprise gift for when he graduated.

Arthur perused the shipyard looking for one of Tom's ships that sang to him until they had reached the end. The new ships were a polished crimson, but this one was darker, the red deeper with age. They reached the dock and a worker came up to them.

"Captain Pendragon, hello! What can I do for you?" he asked, thrilled to see him. Arthur remembered John, Tom's partner. While they worked, his wife Mary would bring them the most delicious lunches that would put their cook to shame.

Arthur shook his hand. "I would like to buy this ship," he said.

John's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "This ship?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. It's one of Tom's isn't it?" All the ships were technically Tom's, but this one actually had the engineer's fingerprints on it.

John wrung his hands, hesitant. "Maybe we should go inside."

The insides of new ships appeared sterile with their white hallways lit by florescent lights. These walls were lined with cool blue steel and softer lighting that glowed, not glared. John led him through the cargo bay and down a passageway to the end of the ship. As they got closer, and the sound of banging and clanking grew louder. The door to the engine room was open, and over the sound John had to yell.

"Gwen! Hey, Gwen!"

The sound stopped and a woman popped out from behind the engine. It wasn't just any woman; it was Tom's daughter, Guinevere. Arthur hadn't seen her since he last visited Cameliard four years ago. At twenty, she still seemed like just a girl to him, but seeing her now in her coveralls pulled down to her hips, and her grease stained tank top sticking to her sweaty skin, she was definitely a woman. And her eyes, her bright brown eyes revealed when she perched her goggles on top of her head, glared at him.

"You remember Captain Pendragon, and this is Pilot Merlin Emrys," John said. "The captain would like to purchase the ship."

"No," Gwen said coldly.

Arthur would've felt warmer if a bucket of ice was thrown on him. "Guinevere—"

"Don't you 'Guinevere' me," she pointed at him with an angry finger. "It's been four years. Not a visit, a call, a letter, nothing! And now you come here wanting to buy my father's ship?" She wiped her hands aggressively on a rag and marched up to them. Arthur held his ground, but Merlin stepped back.

They played together as children. He'd pull her curly pigtails, and she'd push him down. As teenagers, they'd lie on top of one of the ships and admire Camelot and Ealdor in the sky. "I'm going to become the greatest captain in the 'verse,'" Arthur would say, and Gwen would lean on his shoulder, and her curls would tickle his neck.

"Your father said he would build me a ship," Arthur said.

"If you haven't noticed, he's not around to build you one!" she snapped.

Merlin cleared his throat. "I think we'll just leave you two to discuss things." He and John left the room, closing the door behind them for extra privacy.

"I need this ship," Arthur said desperately. "I need to find Morgana."

Gwen threw down the rag. "You can have any ship, and you want this one?" She turned her back to him and crossed her arms, staring intensely at the engine. "This is the last ship my father built from scratch…It's all I have left of him."

"I understand that, Guinevere."

"And just because you're the President's son, doesn't mean you're entitled to any ship in the 'verse!" she said in annoyance.

Arthur walked over to the engine and placed his hand on it. The ship's heart. He remembered the conversation with Tom and one of the most important parts of owning a ship. "He didn't happen to name it, did he? Is it Excalibur?"

She looked at him sharply. "How did you know that?"

"It's what I told your father I'd name the ship he would build me."

Gwen lowered her arms to her side in defeat. "He started building it right around the time you left for the Academy. He poured everything he had into this ship. 'It'll be the greatest ship I've ever built' he would say. 'It's for the greatest captain in the 'verse.'" Her lips curved into a smile at the memory of her father. "Tell me, Arthur. Are you the greatest captain in the 'verse?"

"I…can't answer that," he said. He's received countless of complements and graduated first in his class, but his opinion of himself wasn't very high, not when there's always room for improvement (and a president for a father to impress).

She regarded him for a moment. "You may not have shown your face around here for years, but I've read the stories about you. You've done great things, Captain."

"That doesn't make me great," he whispered.

"You used to be so…arrogant. What happened?" He heard the humor in her voice.

Grow up, Arthur Pendragon! She was the only person to ever dare yell at the President's son. He grinned. "I grew up." With the tension gone between them, he moved closer to her. "I'm assembling a crew, and I would be honored if you would be part of it."

Gwen looked around the room. It was only one of many, but the engine room is where she spent all her time. The ship was complete and just sitting in the yard where it would remain as long as she lived, protecting her father's final creation from being turned into scrap metal. Gwen imagined Excalibur cutting through space like the sharpest of swords and made her decision. Ships don't belong on rocks.

Her gaze settled back on him and she smiled. "When do we leave?"

A/N: Thanks for reading (again or for the first time)!