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It was a peaceful night. A quiet, peaceful night. Daicora looked at the stars thoughtfully and allowed herself to relax somewhat. With the perfect solitude of the night and the stars' gentle glow, she could almost forget. The stars were captivating, reaching into her soul, and she let them carry her mind away with them, away to far-off places where only the imagination could go.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, allowing the night to fill her soul. When she opened them, she began to trace out the familiar patterns in the stars. She started near one horizon -- east, where the stars were setting -- and worked herself across the sky until she had touched every star with her mind.
As her gaze lingered near the western horizon, watching the stars that had just risen, she suddenly realized how late it was. She fixed her eyes on a particular red-orange star. Rehjac was already up. She wondered why her mother hadn't called her in.
Daicora sat up slowly. "Good night, Rehjac," she whispered softly, then got up and headed down the hill toward her house. She could see a single light on, glowing dimly in the night. As she neared the house, she could see that her mother was waiting up.
"Good night, Mom," she said as she walked in the door. She gave her mom a quick hug. When she let go, her mother held her at arm's length and studied her briefly.
"Was it pretty out?" she asked.
"Beautiful," Daicora answered. "Not a cloud in sight. Not even any haze."
"Good." Her mother smiled. "Sleep well, Starry Eyes."
Daicora smiled. She liked it when her mother called her Starry Eyes. "I will," she said, and she almost did.
Chapter 2
Submitted by David Carroll http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/blish/393/index.html
Her dreams floated on the banks of eternity once more, the stars above filling her veiw, their reflection from the water making one wonder if there was a lake there at all. She remembered the place well. It was here she'd learned the stars' names. Here she learned to feel them, but not understanding what it meant.
The stars came down from the sky, one by one, greeting her warmly before going back to their place in the sky. Last of all was Rehjac. He lingered longer than the others, begging her for help. "Please. You must come. I need your help."
"Rehjac," she said, "you are so far away, and I am too young. How can I possibly come?"
"Please. Find a way. We will all die if you don't." The large red star in her hands seemed to shudder before going back to its place in the sky.
'Eight light years away,' she thought as she sat up in bed. 'Only eight light years. That's not all that far from here.'
Chapter 3
Submitted by Dannis Cole dbcole@netzero.net
Daicora walked down the wide expanse of the Spaceport skirt where brightly-colored ships mingled with the dull gray. Some belonged to diplomats, others to traders, and a few were passenger ships with windows. Smooth hulls, hulls with boxes and hatches and buttons, hulls in glowing shapes like jewels, all kinds seemed to call to her. If only she had a ship! But, if anyone knew how she could get to Rehjac, her father did.
She smoothed her white jumpsuit and waved for her holo to show to Father's secretary. "Daicora here to see Jaicon."
The prim secretary, modest in her red suit, smiled. "Daicora! A pleasant surprise. Come in. Today's a slow day, so you picked a perfect time to see him. Here to watch the ships? We saw some interesting items come through Customs today."
Ah, on any other day, she would press her father for stories. Not this time. "You know I always watch the sky, Hera Panalee." She smiled her secret smile.
Slowly, the door slid back, and she hardly kept herself from running down the hall to her father's office. The day is yet young. The day is yet very young.
The next part is up to you.
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