Sapphires in the Vastness of Space

[Diana]

Once we got back to the cruiser, we were greeted by both Gabrosch and Devia having a chat by the vessel's ramp.

"Finally, you're both back!" Gabrosch exclaimed as he made his way into the cruiser.

Devia approached us and bowed as she said, "Your Eminence, your Imperial Highness. Please excuse Gabrosch's behavior. He was just worried for both of your well-being."

"He's always like that anyway," Sam chuckled.

"Shall we head in now?" Devia asked.

"Yes," Sam replied.

I followed her into the cruiser, with Devia tailing behind. Thomas waved at us as we entered.

"How was your trip or whatever?" He asked.

"It was fun, except for all that running," I replied.

"Did you take her to the spot?" He asked again.

"I did, and she loved it," Sam sneered.

"Damn it, I wanted to show her that spot," He said, defeated.

"Don't worry. You'll have much more to show Diana once we reach Luminaris Prime," Sam said.

"Oh, that's right! She'll have much more to see on the throneworld," Thomas exclaimed.

Sam simply shook her head and went back to her seat. I did the same and sat back down next to her, then the intercom roared to life.

"Hello? Hello? Alright, we'll be leaving… Right now. Alright, strap yourselves in and get ready 'cause this will be a short and rocky ride!" Gabrosch announced.

Sam turned to Devia and asked, "Is he?!"

"It seems so, your Eminence," Devia replied as she hurriedly pulled on the straps.

"Strap yourself in, Diana," Sam said as she followed Devia, "He's going to use the warp drive again."

"Did he do something to the warp drive of this piece of junk?!" Thomas cried.

"He said he added some sort of 'booster' and that this 'baby' will skip like no other ship in Levelia?" Devia replied.

"Creator, protect us," Samina whispered.

As soon as I strapped myself in, the cruiser lifted off and began soaring again into the vastness of space.

The intercom barked with life again, "Warping in three… two… one!"

I felt my skin stretching everywhere as everything around me thinned out and turned white.

~o0o~

As I came to my senses and my vision slowly cleared. I saw Sam and Devia staring out the window beside me. They were saying something, yet the ringing in my ears kept me from hearing their conversation. Just then, I was violently shaken by Thomas. He was saying something I could barely understand. But as my hearing and vision started to clear, I could finally make out what the people around me were saying.

"We're here! Goodness, you need to get used to warp jumps," Thomas said.

"Sorry, we didn't have those back on Cragholven," I replied as I adjusted my seating and peeked out of the window.

Masses of spacefaring vessels crisscrossed around us. Freighters, civilian vehicles, and even some battleships alongside their escorts flew past us. As we continued our trip, I noticed a bright light blinding my left eye. I fixed my gaze on it and noted a blazing mass of white light. But as we drew closer, the light separated into two others, then three.

"A trinary star system?" I asked in wonder.

"Welcome to the Excelsior stellar system, the heart of Levelia," Sam announced.

The cruiser continued its journey alongside the other thousands of vessels. We passed by barren worlds, gas giants, defensive placements, enormous anchorages, and massive orbital stations. Various military fleets roamed about, patrolling the trinary star system for potential threats. Numerous small craft flew past us alongside large construction ships while making their way to various sites across the star system.

We flew closer toward the star at the center of this trinary system. The beautiful ball of plasma emitted a bluish-purple glow. A dangerous color for any habitable planets within its reach. Luckily, Luminaris Prime was far enough away from the star (thinking about it now, I would say that it was ideally situated to receive enough heat and light from the star). We suddenly stopped beside other cruisers and civilian small-craft.

"Why did we stop?" I asked.

"Checkpoint," Thomas replied as he leaped from his seat and moved towards a few boxes near the cockpit.

"There are no weapons in those," Sam said.

"I'm hiding mine," Thomas replied.

He brought out his firearm and rummaged through the crate before stuffing the weapon inside.

"We're still a few more vessels away from the checkpoint. You should be fine," Sam said.

"As the Creysalvem says, 'Wise is the man who prepares for disaster before it comes'," Thomas proudly replied.

I stared out of the window once again, gazing upon the other vessels next to ours. Some were luxurious while others were old and dilapidated. Others reflected the light of the star with such intensity that I had to look away. I turned to Sam and asked…

"Hey, Sam, since Lumin Niyaveschk had a fleet, where's the one defending the capital?"

"Oh, the Lumin Home Fleet was deployed to supplement the First Lonbenium Exploratory Fleet. They've been sent for 'peace-keeping duties' in Muthratan space," Sam replied.

"In Muthrata? What interests does Levelia have all the way to the south?" I questioned.

"It has something to do with an artifact that must not be used… Something like that. I'm not informed on the matter so I have barely any knowledge of what's going on there," Sam answered.

"But if it's something that involves the Lumin Home Fleet and Lonbenum, then you know it's big," Thomas reacted.

"What's Lonbenum by the way, is it a planet or a nation?" I asked.

"It's a planet and a nation, well, it's a vassal under Levelia," Thomas answered.

"Lonbenum is the capital of Lonbenum Commissariat. A vassal of Levelia that is devoted to the defense of its overlord. Well, that's the official statement given by the Galactic Council," Sam added.

"That was confusing, but thanks…" I replied.

I peered out of the window again, gazing at the stars and the lines of small craft, freighters, and expensive cruisers waiting at the checkpoints.

After some time, it was our turn to be inspected. Thankfully, they simply asked for a manifest and let us through. We were still some ways away from Luminaris Prime but we were closer now. Then the intercom roared with life once again…

"Ladies and gentleman, we are now on our way to Luminaris Prime. The estimated time of arrival is twenty minutes. Until then, please enjoy the view as we pass by the three moons orbiting the planet. And thank you for choosing Gabrosch Liners, we hope to see you again on your next journey across the stars," Gabrosch announced jokingly.

All of us in the passenger bay chuckled at his statement. A little humor to ease up the tension before we land and a new chapter of my life begins.