---

---

Across various points of the station, the crew members of the Aurora wondering around doing something. What that something is is up to them. Perhaps they are helping with the preparation of the launch, perhaps they are in the throne room talking with the Captain, the Princess, perhaps they are solizing with the other crew members. That is something for them to decide.

---

In the throne room
"Commander Vossler, you'll be leaving in a few hours." Sayd the cold, lifeless voice that belonged a tall, formally dressed woman. Her age could not easy be declared, as she has her face covered by a mask and her figure was hidden by her loose clothing. "I trust that you have your route planned?"

"That is correct, your majesty." Said the Commander, his tiredness poorly hidden by his formal tone "We'll be taking a route direct as possible. It will take us directly through the pirate-infested areas, and we will be dangerously close to the center of the galaxy and enemy territory. But we don't really have any better options, the long way around the center would take far too long, she would certainly die while in suspended animation."

"Very dangerous plan indeed, but I trust that you have calculated the risk involved. I trust you with my daughter." Said Queen Cyria. "Speaking of Fara, what does she think of the plan?"

Princess Fara quite nearly dozed off. As worried as the situation has her, talking about politics and similar subjects bores her. She woke up a little when she heard her name. "I... I'm sorry, Mother, what was that?"

"The Journey, what do you think about it?" Asked the Queen.

Fara's shoulder slumped. "Oh... I don't really know. I don't know anything about Space Travel. Besides, I'll be in that suspended animation pod for most of the journey, right?"

"Assuming things go well, you'll be awake for over half the journey. There should be no reason you'd need to be in that device on the way back." Said the Commander.

"Oh, I didn't think about that. I still don't really know, though. I don't know what to think about most of this." Said the Princess, a little worried.

"That is alright, Fara." Said the Queen. "You have had a lot to think about, and not much time to do it. Anyway, is there anything you have forgotten?"

Princess Fara thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, I think I left my gun in my room. I'll go get it, after that I might go to the ship, see what it's like."

The Queen Responded. "That is alright. I will meet you at the port, give you a proper goodbye when you leave."

Fara nodded, and then left. Then the Queen turned back to the Commander.

"She trusts you like a father, you know." The Queen said.

Vossler sighted. "I know. I'm not a very good father, though."

The Queen Responded. "You are better than her real father was, in any rate."

"Maybe I am, Queen Cyria, but I'm most certainly not enough." He responded while turning. "If you don't have anything else to tell me, I'm going to go roundup my crew. by the time all of them get to the dock, it will probably be about time to leave."

"Suit yourself, Commander." The Queen said.

---

Commander Vossler checked a communication device he has with him. Along with several other functions, it can track his crew. It's essentially this day and age equivalent of a smartphone. He then heads off in the direction of the nearest crew member, assuming none are already following him.

After the Princess tucks her Plasma Pistol and anything else she forgot into her back, she finds a free guard to escort her to the dock, as the Queen does not like for her to travel by herself, even in a secure place like the Cyria station. The Princess and her guard head straight for the dock, although they might run into a crew member along the way.

---

@Hokum@Dartbored Fairy
Somewhere near the dock...

Along with the expected crew members and permanent members of the station,

There are two kids running away from something they only know right now. Perhaps they can get away from whatever they are running away from if they hide on a spaceship that's going to leave soon?

Devin saw the princess leaving her quarters and quickly walked over. "There you are." he said, "I was wandering where you were. Do you need me to carry anything for you? You did remember your school pad, yes? This poison won't prevent you from continuing your lessons. I believe your Astrophysics lessons will help in this situation." He would follow her if she walked away or refused to answer him, as long as she didn't order him to go away. True, her mother had ordered him to look after her safety and see to her education, but on a friendly, safe station and only one missed day in her studies neither of those orders would override the princess's order.

---

Kyle was on the bridge of the RES Aurora, double checking the communications equipment and upgrade the encryption package so that it was compatible with royal quantum encryption protocols. He'd probably be there until the ship launched, minus the few minutes it would take to go down to the mess hall and grab a cup of tea. He considered heading down there now, but a console beeped, informing him that his diagnostics had come back with a minor inefficiency being reported in the communications bandwidth.

Guess that would have to wait.

Eydis had woken up only an hour prior to now, and she was dreadful of her mistake. Mumbling under her breath, she latched her bag closed. She quickly positioned it on her back, allowing her rifle to rest securely next to the bag and still be easily accessible. Eydis fumbled with the door, believing it would slide open at her presence. Once she finally got through her first obstacle of the day, she finally began to collect herself. A mental checklist had been checked and double checked. Walking down the immaculate hallway, she was able to fix her unkempt hair. Eydis turned on her communicator and clipped it onto her belt, hopefully no one noticed her absence. Eydis held a cold expression, walking at a brisk pace towards the dock.
Surprisingly, her mind was blank. Eydis had been planning a month voyage to research more modern and cultural medicinal practices and techniques with a smaller crew. Until the sudden emergency, of course. Furrowing her eyebrows, Eydis tried to remember why she took up this career, how she came to this position of head medic (many people call her chief physician). Shaking the thoughts away, she focused on the problem at hand. All other matters were little compared to the one at hand. Princess Fara had been poisoned, and she only had so much time to get the antidote before succumbing to it. Eydis, whether she liked it or not, had been entrusted with this position for a reason. And she knew damn well she wasn’t going to disappoint.

@Dartbored Fairy

While Victor huddles behind one of the last remaining crates to be loaded onto the Aurora, he can feel that dark, sinking fear tying a knot in his stomach. For a moment, but just for a moment, he feels a little dizzy as his mind races to find reasons to justify the doubts he was having about stowing away on this specific ship. Or was it more of a concern about wanting to leave the Capital at all? He couldn’t be sure which… but one thing became certain very quickly, overriding that sickly knot in his stomach; he needed to find a better life for him and his friend. After all, a life on the streets was no life at all. Sure, running wasn’t much better, especially when running into unknown territory, but at least it would provide the hope of a better life to come.

Finally, he summons the final ounce of courage needed to make the next move onto the ship. With a deep breath, he speaks to his friend to ensure she is ready also, though hopes that his whisper isn’t too soft for her to hear.

“Laika…. Are you ready for this? There’s nobody watching. We have to do it now. Or never.”

In a blur of movement, Victor pounces atop the crate and pivots as he reaches to the security camera on the wall above. As he grabs the camera, temporarily blocking its view with the palm of his hand, the distribution of his weight causes the camera to shift its line of sight. With that, and the final phase of their plan complete, he leaps down from the crate and starts walk.

“Let’s go, quick!” He whispers again, though his words are so very soft that he doesn’t expect Laika to hear him.

In the hopes that his friend will follow without a problem, he walks in a casual but hasty manner along the remaining stretch of the walkway, around the corner, and into the passage that leads to the cargo bay of the Aurora. No personnel or security guards are present for now, but three more cameras are passed along the way. Victor however keeps his faith, knowing that he and Laika aren’t being detected. Still, after what the suspense made feel like an hour long walk, though was likely only just a minute or two, they arrive in the cargo bay. Victor then begins zig-zagging through numerous rows of storage containers until reaching the far corner of the room. There, he hunkers down by an active data computer terminal and breathes a massive sigh of relief. Due to the lack of security alarms going off and the absence of any guards in pursuit, it was clear that there plan was a success. They had successfully arrived unseen and undetected on board the Aurora.

Realizing for a moment that he had in his haste forgotten about his friend who was meant to have been following his lead, he turns his eyes frantically, desperately searching the dark shadows for her.

“Laika…. Are you there? I can’t see you…. Is everything okay?”

@TheUnknowable

Laika sighed a breath of relief as she looked around the Ship's Cargo Hold. She'd followed Victor's risky plan as best she could, and it seemed that that effort had paid off.

They'd gotten past the security without trouble, no camera had seen them, and no guards had blocked their way. And as a result, they had gotten into the Cargo Hold without complications. This place would be their hideout for who a time. How long? Laika didn't know, she didn't even know what this ship was for, all that mattered was that they had gotten aboard safely. Her only concern now was with staying hidden from the crew. Especially while they hadn't taken off yet.

"I'm here, I'm here..." Laika whispered, sitting down next to Victor. "We got aboard safe, it's fine..."

Managing a smile, Laika looks around once again at the containers in the Cargo Hold. "Guess this will be our hiding place, huh? Reckon we can get into one of those containers to hide?"

@TheUnknowable
The Princess's shoulders slumped. "Ugh. Don't remind me of school! Yes, I remember those. I was hoping nobody else would." She snapped. "Even when sick and dying, I can't escape school."

Then she turned to the guard that was escorting her. "Adease. Devin can look after me from here on out." The guard nodded and returned to where he was guarding beforehand.

---

@TheUnknowable@Candy
The problem with the communication was simply an outdated program that should take a few minutes to update. Easy Fix, and afterwards Delu and Kyle should have some time to do whatever it is they wanted to do with their time.

---

@restless
Eydis heard a voice from behind her. "You there! Head Medic Corra, correct?"

The voice came from none other than Commander Vossler. His normal tired demear was hidden by a warm but formal smile. "I saw you earlier during the briefing, but I don't think we've properly met. I am Commander Vossler." He offers his hand to be shaken. "I know you probably didn't want to go on this mission, but I am deeply thankful that you are willing to help us."

---

@Dartbored Fairy@Hokum
Laika and Victor are probably unaware of what ship they are boarding, or how important it is. Nevertheless, they have managed to get this far unnoticed.

"Hey, I think I heard something from behind those pipes. I'm going to go check it out." Said a nearby guard.
"Eh, it's probably just rat or something" Said another.
"Still, Don't need any rats on board." Said the first.

The two stowaways should probably make sure they are absolutely hidden. The guards don't sound too concerned, but the escape is going so well. Shame for it to fail so soon.

---

Rizavi cradled a transparent container in her hands as she made her way to the dock. Inside the container were delicious homemade éclairs; they were one of her favourite recipes. She made these pastries to share with some of her comrades. This was going to be her first seriously important job, of course she’d had to make a good impression. The anticipation of the mission amped her up and she felt even more energetic than usual. As she walked along a few people came and went asking for a pastry and she gladly accepted each time. Besides, she always got a kick out of the look of satisfaction people had when they tried one.

Continuing her walk, Rizavi noticed a younger girl next to a man a distance in front of her. Recognition instantly made its way through her. It was the princess. Rizavi sped up her walk and was practically skipping at this point.

“Princess!” She called out getting the two’s attention. “Sir” She nodded in acknowledgment to the man next to the princess. Something about him seemed odd. Inorganic even. She shrugged it off and turned her attention back to Princess Fera. She bowed her head and curtsied the best she could while straddling the container “It’s a pleasure to make acquaintance with you. Would you two be interested in an éclair?” She smiled as she presented the container. She opened the lid slightly to let the sweet scent of the food to waft into the air.

@Quote5 @TheUnknowable

@Quote5@Dartbored Fairy and just a little @Candy

---

Victor was more than happy to see Laika was with him. He’d been worried that something would go wrong. It didn’t, but he guessed he should have never questioned her special abilities to start with. Still, and what came across as a surprise to him, is that soon after observing no guards nearby, a couple of guards could actually be heard now. He was about to reply to Laika when the voice of one of the guards prevented him from uttering a word of his own.

He stopped with mouth agape in silence, glaring at Laika in a suspended moment. He then turned his eyes towards the computer data terminal on the wall next to him, giving Laika a nod to suggest that she knew what to do. He then quickly motioned with his hands that he would find a safe place to hide and not to worry about him.

When the security guard arrived, the area where Laika and Victor were hiding was empty, as too is the surrounding rows between cargo containers and crates. The guard must have been right, probably just a dirty rat or something.

---

Fortunately, all the cleaning equipment was already stored in the janitor’s room on the lower level of the ship, so Palmerstone only had his seen-better-days brown duffel bag (filled with clothing and other odds and ends) slung over his shoulder in the grip of one hand when he arrived on board.

He made his way with head down through the corridors of the Aurora and managed to catch sight of a woman in passing. With a quick glance he recognized her as the First Officer from the crew manifest he had pawed over earlier. In any case, Delu or whatever name was, was a fine looking sort. Maybe if he had of cared at all he might have said hello or even given her a nod of recognition, but he didn’t care and therefore didn’t react. Judging by her direction, she was probably on rout to the bridge. In time, Palmerston would get to see the bridge as well as every other place on the ship while fulfilling his duties as janitor. He would also have to check in with the Captain at some point soon, just a routine procedure to introduce himself. But for now his only interest was getting settled in his room, so he kept on walking, took the next elevator to the lower deck and then found his quarters.

@Quote5 "Very well. If you have everything, is there anything you would like to do before we leave? Do you want to buy anything? I'm not sure what this station has to sell. Or, if you want, I can explain hyperspace theory before we leave and enter hyperspace." He loved science, but she didn't seem to be as interested as him. He didn't understand this. Why wouldn't someone wish to understand how the universe works?

She hadn't been that interested in school recently. Maybe it was simple teenage rebellion. He'd have to research this.

@Candy
He wanted to respond with "actually, it's pronounced Le'zard, Commander Ma-mel.", but he didn't. It was never a good idea to antagonize the XO, especially on their first day. Bad first impressions and all that.

"Actually, Ma'am, I believe it's a configuration error in the program. He reset the program and the comm system rebooted. Another quick test confirmed that the problem was fixed. "The station's quartermaster gave us a different model of equipment than we had. Driver conflict. It's fixed now." He stood up. "So, would you like to go get a cup of tea with me?"

@TheUnknowable aaaaand a reflection on the suspicious janitor@Hokum

@FurFox@TheUnknowable
The Princess turned to Rizavi, a little surprised. "Oh, hello! You must be.... um...."

She thinks for a moment. She looked at who all was going to be on the crew but didn't remember everyone. After a moment, she spoke. "I'm sorry... I know work in the medical area... thing... but I don't remember who exactly you are. What's your name?"

She looks at the éclairs. "I've never had an éclair... These do look good, though. I'm not allowed to have too many sweet, health issues and all that, but one shouldn't hurt."

Fara takes one of the sweets and takes a bite. After a moment, she noticed that Devin completely ignored the newcomer, and nudged him. "Devin! She asked you something. Don't ignore her! I think you would better manners than that!" She said somewhat hypocritically, since she didn't answer his questions about buying something or hyperspace, although if she did the conversation would not have gone far.

---

@restless
"Yes, I am. I figured that by the time I found all of them it would be about time to launch." He said. While Corra was polite, he could tell that she wasn't as pleased as she sounded. Vossler understood that feeling though, so he didn't push it. "...Did I already say that? Felt like I have... Oh well."

As Corra and Vossler walked down the hall, there was a brief moment of awkward silence as Vossler didn't really have any conversational topics after that. This might go on for a while.

---

@Hokum @Dartbored Fairy
"Dang rat..." said the guard, as he looked around casually. "Ah well, the thing won't last long if it tries to hitch a ride. Wouldn't be any safe place for a rat to hide..." He continued, unknowingly making a grim warning for the soon to be stowaways.

The guard walked back to his post, and after a brief banter about the rat, returned to silence.

---

@Hokum@Candy@TheUnknowable
The three continued there ways with no major hiccups.

---

---

A few apparently unimportant hours passed and the Aurora has launches with a surprisingly small fanfare. Possibly by design, since nobody would want to bring enemy attention to a ship with the Empire's Princess on board.

Captain Vossler sat in his seat, keeping the ship on a steady course. He looked down at some sectors. It was too early to tell if they were on schedule, no reason to say they weren't though. They had a long ways to go, but they should get there in two weeks. That is of course, if nothing goes wrong.

Captain Vossler leaned back and signed. Then he heard someone behind him say "Is something wrong, Captain?"

He looked behind him to see who it was, and respond "No, Fara. Or at least, there shouldn't be. I don't know, something feels wrong. Can't put a finger on what, though."

Fara nodded. She didn't really have anything to say about it though.

---

Thought the ship, different people are doing different things. What it is exactly they are doing is up to them.