A/N: All the things in this story are property of Tolkien, except for Kalelia who is all mine! I hope you enjoy it! And leave a review and tell me how I am doing!
Kalelia clicked a few buttons on the control panel in front of her. The lights on one of the pressure monitors flickered momentarily, and she flipped a few more switches above her head.
"I love the auto-pilot function," she whispered to herself as she rose from the pilot's seat, "It's so useful."
Kalelia walked towards the rear of the cockpit; a door whooshed open and she stepped into her living quarters. Her spaceship wasn't among the biggest or the fastest; in fact, it was a rather old single-pilot craft that gleamed white and gold on the outside. She liked it precisely the way it was, though, with its patched-up wiring and navigational system that didn't work half the time. Upon inheriting the ship from her father, she had renamed it the Intrepid, packed her belongings into it and started her voyage across space.
She strode across the room to her mirror and smiled at her reflection. Her long, bright blue hair fell across her face, complementing her dewy green skin. She was wearing what she always did, a shimmery green flowing shift dress that reached her knees over tight black leggings, heavy black boots and a small laser gun strapped to her thigh. She didn't like carrying a weapon, but had learned in her visits to many planets that some species were less than friendly.
Kalelia sighed and sat on her bed. Rubbing the silver bracers she wore on her arms, she thought back to the last planet she had landed on, hoping to make contact with a friendly race. They were afraid of her, it seemed. Alien, they had called her. They chased her back to her ship when she tried to approach them. When she left her home planet in search of adventure, she didn't have a specific destination in mind, but she certainly didn't expect there to be so many unfriendly planets in the galaxy. She looked in the mirror again and adjusted the silver coronet she wore in her soft hair, which was a symbol of her high status among the Rhygerians. How she missed her father and her people...and she'd never see them again...
A shrill beeping sound coming from the cockpit woke her from her thoughts. She stood quickly and went to the source of the sound, the warning display.
"Huh, looks like a wing fin is coming loose. No worries, I can repair it when I get to...oh, no! I'm way off course! Stupid navigational system!" Kalelia groaned as she hit the side of the control panel, then frantically pushed several buttons, but to no avail. "Well, looks like I'll have to land on the nearest inhabited planet." Glancing at a monitor, she was relieved to find one nearby.
She dropped into the pilot's seat and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "This is going to be a tough landing," she muttered, "bring it on!" The ship rocked as it entered the atmosphere, hurtling towards the earth. She braked just before slamming into a grove of trees, sending leaves and birds flying.
Once the ship came to a complete halt, Kalelia peeked out from behind her fingers, having covered her face before landing. "Not too bad," she said softly. Pressing the hatch release, Kalelia nervously stuck her head out the door of her craft, surveying her surroundings. It was a lush, green landscape that greeted her. Tall trees rose above her, only showing patches of a blue sky. 'Hmm, not a bad place to land, either,' she thought to herself. 'Time to do some exploring.'
She took a moment to check that she had her usual belongings; her laser gun remained strapped to her thigh, but she wrapped a dark blue velvety cloak around herself and secured it with a silver pin. She attached a tracking device to her bracer that connected her to her ship, and grabbed her transformer. This ingenious device, carried by all interstellar travellers of her species, allowed her to take on different appearances, and certainly came in handy that one time she met the Grogons, a race of three-armed slugs.
Kalelia began to walk north, following what looked like an old path. She continued on for quite some time, becoming weary as the sun rose into the afternoon sky. Then a voice, though far away, caught her attention. She approached the sound, and observed what appeared to be a male of the species of this planet, standing in a clearing.. He had two arms and legs as she did, but his skin was a pale peach colour and his hair gleamed gold in the sunlight. She promptly punched a few numbers on her transformer and changed her skin to the same colour, only hers was a bit paler and much softer. But she chose a beautiful dark brown for her hair, and deep blue for her eyes, just as his were. She decided that her clothing was similar enough to his that no change was needed. Satisfied with her appearance, she approached the stranger.
She was on the edge of the clearing when he turned around quickly and drew a sword. "Are you friend or foe? Speak!" He ordered.
Kalelia, surprised, replied, "I am not an enemy, that's certain. I only wanted to ask you a question." The man lowered his sword and smiled a bit at the lovely woman before him. Kalelia continued. "May I ask, what is this place?"
The man answered, "This is the Grey Wood, in Druadan forest. Have you lost your way, Lady?"
Kalelia let out a sigh. "No, I meant this land. What is it called?"
The man gazed at her quizzically. "Why, Middle-Earth, of course. Are you not human? You have not the ears of an Elf, " he said.
"So you're called human. I see. No, I am not from Middle-Earth. My...land, you could call it, is called Rhygeria," said Kalelia.
"Rhygeria. I have not heard of such a place. And do you have a name, Lady?
"I am Kalelia. And yours?"
"Faramir," said the man.