I was feeling nostalgic and decided to dig out my older works. Honestly I thought I’d have to go through 30+ CDs but I found it on the second one. Go me. Anyway, this was my first original story long ago, and is science-fiction, mostly. I’ve made a few ‘look n’ feel’ changes such as a few grammar fixes and such, but left it otherwise in its original form.

One major change I did make was that long ago I used ‘…’ excessively. So excessively I did a search and replace and got about 300 hits, meaning virtually ever period was ‘…’. Enjoy; whether I put more of this up depends on my mood and yours. (Also, lately I’ve felt sci-fi-ish so it is possible I may do an over-haul rewrite of this. The main reason I dug it up, however, was more to see how my writing style has changes.)

Second note: apparently I spelled ‘course’ as ‘coarse’. What an odd one…

Episode One: Pilot

“Jamie, I suggest you wake up.” A soft, feminine voice said.

“Hmm.”

“I really suggest you wake up.”

“Hmm.”

“Miss Luminaire.”

“Don’t call me ‘miss.’”

“Wake up!”

“Hmm.”

“…” The ship, (for that’s what they were on,) shook violently.

“What?” Jamie sat forward. She had fallen asleep at the controls.

“It is the Phoenix.”

“Not again.” The captain of the Phoenix, Rubicent, had made it his personal mission to capture her.

“We’re being hailed. Shall I answer it?”

“I guess. I’m in the mood for teasing him.”

“Hello, Jamie.”

“Rubicent.”

“And what are we doing in this part of space?”

“I don’t know; what are we doing in this part of space?”

“Very funny. Now why don’t you surrender? I know you stole that statue.”

“Hey, once I found out it was a religious artifact, I put it back.”

“That doesn’t matter. You’re coming with me. I know you’ve committed other crimes.”

“Maybe. But there’s no proof.”

“I don’t care! You’re coming with me!”

“Oh, I think my ship is a little faster.”

“Thank you.” The voice from earlier said. It was the computer, which Jamie had named Cassandra.

“I didn’t want a response.”

“Sorry.”

“It seems you computer has attitude.”

“Hey!” Both Jamie and Cassandra said.

“Goodbye.” The screen shut off, and he fired

“Cassandra, get us out of here!”

“Umm. I don’t think I can.”

“Why not?”

“He hit the engines.”

“Well, do something!”

“Okay.” The ship jumped forward, and went right under the Phoenix. The weapons couldn’t reach them.

“This is something?”

“I cannot out run him. “

“Yes, but now they can send a shuttle directly to the ship.”

“Then I suggest you repair the engines. Quickly.”

“Gee, thanks.” Jamie raced back to the engine room.

---

“Where is she?” Rubicent asked.

“Sir, I don’t know.”

“The Consortium isn’t going to accept that.”

“I’m sorry; she headed towards us, and then vanished.”

“You moron! How did I get stuck with this crew? She’s under the ship, in the blind spot in our sensors. Send a shuttle to go and get her.”

“Uh, yes sir.”

---

“Ow!” Jamie recoiled as she received a shock. “Did that fix it?”

“No.”

“Then what should I do?”

“You should know.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She started crossing some wires.

“There.”

“We can move now?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, enter hyper-space, and get us out of here!”

“Okay.” The ship moved out of the ship’s shadow. It moved away. The ship started firing.

“Avoid them this time!”

“I’ll try.” The ship managed to dodge a few shots, but got hit as it entered hyperspace. It spun, uncontrolled, into the portal.

---

“Sir, she’s gone to hyper-space.”

“Damn!”

“We hit her as she was entering. I wasn’t able to tell where she’ll come out.”

“So, she’s lost?”

“Yes.”

“Start scanning. We have to find her.”

---

“Ah!” Jamie exclaimed angrily. “Where are we?”

“I do not know.”

“What? I thought you had the whole galaxy stored in that little box.”

“I have most of the galaxy. We were hit, and I spun out of control. We are in the unexplored region of this galaxy.”

“Figures. We get thrown into the only part of this galaxy the Consortium hasn’t explored. What’s our status?”

“Shields are almost gone, engines are down, and life support is at minimal. I think we’ll have to find somewhere to dock. The damage to my hull is extensive.”

“Great. I don’t have any credits.”

“Steal some.”

“You’re helpful.”

“There is a ship approaching.”

“Is it armed?”

“No. It does have strong weapons however. They are hailing us.”

“Well, answer!”

“Hello.” The person who had hailed her said. He had dark, blue skin, and pointed ears. He also had dark blue hair and eyes.

“At least he’s coordinated.” Jamie thought to herself.

“Did you say something?” The alien asked.

“No. Anyway, what can I do for you?”

“Actually, I was wondering what I could do for you.”

“Really. Do you know where I could get my ship fixed?”

“For the right price.”

“I happen to have maps for two full galaxies, and most of this one.”

“Hmm. If they’re accurate, I think I could make a deal. Follow me to a nearby space station.”

---

“Sir, I believe I have a found her.”

“Well?”

“She is in the unknown area of the Lumina Galaxy.”

“Great. Let’s get started.”

“Sir, that puts us out of communications range. The Lumina Galaxy has almost no Consortium contacts.”

“I know! Let’s go.”

“It will also take a week to get there.”

“The faster we get started.”

“Yes sir.”

---

The blue captain had indeed found her maps useful. He had agreed to have her ship repaired. Jamie had told Cassandra to act “computer” like, so they wouldn’t know what they had. She could have taken her with her, but she figured she’d look weird carrying a black box around.

So, while she was waiting, Jamie had decided to go to a local establishment, also known as a bar. She took another sip of her drink, but she couldn’t remember its name.

“So, what’ a pretty girl like you doing here?” A rough, and rather big, man asked. He looked human, except for the slight crinkle in the bridge of his nose.

“I’m looking for my long lost parents. We were separated during a great war when I was young.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I miss my poor mother. I’ve been searching my whole life for her.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“That’s okay.”

“I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Thank you. At least I have this small pleasure on my great journey.” He left her alone. Sucker. Jamie thought quietly to herself. “I’ll take another.” She told the barkeep.

After a few more free drinks, Jamie went to check on her ship. It was fully repaired.

“So, how did it get so damaged?”

“Oh, it was horrible. I stole some food to feed myself. Their government has such strict laws. This mean man named Rubicent attacked me. I was just so hungry. Luckily a friend was able to help me get away.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. It’s all ready. I appreciate the maps. If I find this Rubicent, I’ll give him your regards.”

“Thank you so much! Bye!” She jumped into her ship, and closed the hatch.

“Why do you lie so much? It is unnecessary.” Cassandra greeted her.

“It’s fun to be needlessly pitied.”

“I do not understand.”

“I guess you wouldn’t. So, how are the engines?”

“They were able to repair the sub-light drives, but I do not believe they even know about hyperspace.”

“I see. So we’ll have to get home the hard way.”

“Yes. Unless we happen to find a wormhole.”

“Right, knowing my luck.”

“Oh, I believe there may be a planet with the appropriate materials, assuming you can repair this ship.”

“Hey!”

“You do seem to say a lot.”

“I am a competent engineer.”

“Of course.”

“Anyway, tell me about this planet.”

“It is a Class 2 civilization.”

“Class 2? That’s about a millennium behind us. How can they have the proper materials?”

“They are raw materials.”

“What?”

“You will have to acquire them. I have scanned the planet. We need Lumarium for the hyper drive. Since it is shiny, and very malleable, it is used for jewelry on this planet.”

“So, I have to steal jewelry?”

“Unless you can convince someone to give it to you. They also like to make swords out of it.”

“Great. I guess I’ll have to take something.”
“You can use the phasers.”

“Yes, but they’re a less advanced culture.”

“Survival is more important then the contamination of a small area. You could also use your telekinesis.”

“Oh no. I don’t need them to think I’m a witch.”

“In some cultures, you are.”

“Thank you very much Cassandra. Get us to this planet.” When they arrived, Jamie looked at the planet.

“Looks like Earth.” Although she wasn’t human, she had lived on Earth for a long time. She had awoken there about twenty years ago. She didn’t remember anything, and all she had was a black box, which she had been holding onto. She found that box was Cassandra, who had been in a similar situation.

“What do they look like? Will I have to change anything?”

“You are actually quite lucky. Green hair is very common, especially among woman. Purple eyes are rare, but not unheard of.”

“Good. I hate any other color on me.”

“I do not know. You looked good as a blonde.”

“Shut up.”

“Right. Where should I land?”

“There.” She pointed to a small island. It had a port town, and a large area of woods. “Go into the center of the woods.” Luckily she was on the night side of the planet, so they would go unnoticed.

“Okay, I’ll keep the link open.” She put on a small ring, which was a transmitter. It also doubled as her phaser. She put the receiver in her ear. “Here I go.” She stepped off the ship. Although her ship was small, at least compared to most, it took up most of the field.

“Okay, where do I go?”

“About a kilometer from your right. I mean left.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Right.”

“No, left.”

“I can’t believe you made such a horrible joke.” She started walking. She didn’t encounter any trouble as she made her way towards the small port town. She read the sign.

“Enhancia. Cute.” Although it was in an alien language, she knew she could read it. It was one of her many gifts. It was late, so almost no one was out. She went towards a building that said “Inn” in giant letters.

“Hello.” She said to the innkeeper. He was a gruff-looking man, with short green hair. These aliens also appeared human, except for their exotic hair colors. She had seen purple and pink on the people in the streets.

“50 dolrans a night.”

“I wish I could pay. I was on my way to visit a family member, when pirates attacked my ship. I managed to get away on a small boat, but I lost everything.”

“Really?”

“I’m sorry. I guess I’ll sleep outside.”

“I wouldn’t think of it! I’ll even give you a room with a fireplace.”

“Oh, thank you sir. You’re so kind.” He led her to the room, and led her in.

“Breakfast is at dawn.”

“Thank you so much. I wish I could repay you.”

“Just knowing you’re comfortable is enough.” He left her alone.

“You are very good at manipulating people.” Cassandra said over the comm.

“Thanks.” She raised the ring, and a purple beam shot out. It started a fire. “It’s been a while since I’ve sat in front of a fireplace.” She lay on the simple bed. “Since I’ll have to wait for morning to get anything accomplished.” She yawned loudly.

“Good night Jamie.”

“Night Cassandra.” She fell asleep.

---

When Jamie woke the next morning, she felt unusually refreshed. She had what passed for eggs in the area, which she thought was good.

“I was wondering if there was a jeweler around here.” She asked the innkeeper.

“There is one. She’s quite odd. She lives in the forest near here. Most people keep away from her. I’d recommend booking a trip on a ship, and trying somewhere else.”

“Well, thanks for everything. I have to go.”

“No problem.” Jamie left.

“I do not see why you have to take advantage of so many people.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to do what’s necessary.” Jamie mumbled making sure no one saw her talking. She headed for the woods.

---

“Why are you firing at us?”

“You should know, Rubicent!”

“What did she tell you?” The ship stopped firing.

“How did you know it was a she?”

“She tells people what they want to hear. Did she give you the orphan story?”

“Yes.”

“Which one? The one where she stole food?”

“Yes.”

“I believe you’ve been had. Now if you could tell me the last direction she was heading.”

“Of course.”

---

“Okay, I’m a little freaked out.” She stood in front of a giant cabin, which looked like it had come directly from a horror movie. “Life signs?”

“Hmm. There is one, but it is not native to this planet.”

“Are you saying we’re not the only aliens?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Do you know what species it is?”

“No. I have never encountered it before.”

“Okay.” She went up to the door, and knocked. The door opened by itself.

“I hate that.” She stepped in. The place contained a lot of old furniture, and a lot of cobwebs. Jamie made her way through it all. Cassandra told her to go downstairs.

“That way.”

“There’s a wall there.”

“It’s a secret passage.”

“How quaint.”

“Just proceed.”

“Fine.” She pushed on the wall, and a door opened. She stepped through.

“Boo!” Someone yelled, as they jumped out at Jamie. She didn’t even flinch.

“Excuse me.” She looked her “attacker” over. She looked to be about fifteen, and had elf-like features. While Jamie was 5’10”, the girl couldn’t have been more then five feet. She had short blue hair, with pointed ears sticking out.

“Huh?”

“I was told you were into jewelry.”

“What?”

“Is that your whole vocabulary? I mean besides boo?”

“Um. It’s just that most people are scared of me.”

“Why?”

“Look at this place. Then they think my experiments are weird.”

“A scientist?”

“Yes. Doctor to be exact, but they’re scared of the unknown.”

“Well, I hope you aren’t, because I’m a huge unknown.”

“What?”

“I’m looking for some Lumarium, which I assume you know what it does.”

“Yes. Umm… it does make pretty jewelry.”

“Don’t pull that on me. I need it for my hyper drive.”

“Wait, you’re not from here?”

“Of coarse not.”

“And you have a ship?”

“Yes.”

“This is great! I can finally get off this backward planet.”

“If you have it.”

“Yes, of course.” She went to the corner, and opened a box. It had a nice sheet of Lumarium in it. “Here.” She gave it to her.

“It’s very well refined.”

“Yes, I saved it, so I could make a ship. I won’t need to now. Let’s go.”

“I guess that’s equal payment. Where to?”

“Wherever you’re going.”

“Oh, no. You aren’t following me!”

“Oh come on.”

“Let’s go to my ship, and we’ll talk.” Jamie led her to her ship, and the girl stopped to look. “Great!” She rushed aboard, and Jamie quickly followed.

“You’re lucky I followed the conversation.” Cassandra said.

“Huh? Who’s there?”

“I am the ship’s AI, Cassandra.”

“I didn’t know there was anything like this out there.”

“I get that a lot.”

“We haven’t been introduced.” Jamie interrupted. “I’m Jamie Luminaire, and this is Cassandra.” She gestured to the ship.

“Oh, I’m Katrina. Just call me Kat.”

“Katrina?”

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?”

“It just doesn’t fit. Now, about you staying…”

“Oh come on! I don’t even know who I am! I was abandoned at birth. I managed to get a ship, but I crashed here!”

“Yeah, I think I’ve used that story a few times.”

“22 times to be exact.” Cassandra answered.

“Quite.”

“No, it’s true.” Kat said.

“Hmm. I guess you can stay, at least until I disprove your story. The bedrooms are in the back. I have to work on the engine.”

“I can help.”

“Cassandra is very sensitive about who sees her inner workings.”

“Oh, I guess I’ll go lay down then.” She walked down the small hall, and turned left into the bedroom. Jamie walked forward, and the engine room door opened at the end of the hallway. It closed behind her.

“Why did you tell her I would only allow you back here?”

“I want you to talk to her. Find out more about her.”

“Okay. Just fix it fast.”

“Of course.”

---

“Hmm.” Kat said as she examined the beds. “These are more comfortable then I’d expect.”

“Jamie is very resourceful.” Cassandra replied.

“Oh! I didn’t know you were there.”

“I am everywhere.”

“What exactly are you?”

“I am a sentient computer, stored in a little black box, which is designed to interface with ships and other computers.”

“I see.”

“No, you do not.”

“Right. What is Jamie’s story anyway?”

“One moment.”

“…” Kat sat on the bed, wondering why the computer hesitated.

“Jamie has agreed to tell you the truth.”

“The truth?”

“She likes to exaggerate on her past life.”

“Why?”

“Mainly to play on people’s sympathies. She does not see the point of lying, since she has nothing to gain.”

“I see.”

“So here’s her story.”

“About twenty years ago, Jamie found herself lying in an open field on a planet called Earth. She had no memory, and the only thing in her possession was a small, black box, and a ribbon made of an unknown material.”

“I was that box, and I had a similar problem. I found I was able to speak directly to her mind. She wandered, and finally took the name Jamie Luminaire. She found she was a good thief, and was easily able to manipulate people. She eventually acquired this ship, and left the planet. That was about ten years ago.”

“Along the way, she started stealing priceless artifacts, just for the challenge. This caught the Consortium’s attention. Rubicent of the Phoenix was sent to find her. He has been after us since then.”

“The Consortium?”

“Yes. It is a collection of three galaxies, which follow similar rules. The rules are basic guidelines for daily life, business, and trade. The planets are basically left alone, allowed to do things as they see fit, as long as they do not violate the rules.”

“Why is this Rubicent so determined?”

“Jamie is a troublemaker. When she found out who was chasing her, she went to his home.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she stole everything except his daughter’s positions.”

“Why not the daughter’s?”

“Even Jamie has some morals. She won’t steal sacred or religious items. She didn’t steal the daughter’s positions because she was trying to get to Rubicent.”

“Interesting.”

“We would like to know your story.”

“We?”

“Jamie is listening.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry, I thought you knew.”

“I guess I did.”

“Your story.”

“Not much to say. I was dropped off as a child at an orphanage. I stayed there until they let me leave, and I’ve been wandering the universe ever since. I just recently crashed landed on that planet a few weeks ago. It destroyed my ship.”

“If I may ask, how old are you?”

“Hmm… fifty years.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I get that a lot. How about Jamie?”

“It is unknown. She is defiantly over twenty. She does not age at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even though you are old, relatively speaking, I can still sense an ageing process. It is very slow, but constant. If Jamie has such a process, I cannot detect it.”

“So you don’t have a clue about her age?”

“No. If she were human, I’d say about twenty-one. I would judge you at fifteen.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“You should rest now. It will take a while for Jamie to repair the engines.”

“What about Jamie?”

“She does not require sleep. Though she does do it a lot. Maybe too much.”

“Hey!” Jamie said, working under the main engine.

“Sorry, but it is true.”

“Quite.”

---

“I want to know her location now!”

“She is on the opposite side of this star. She is trying to hide behind it.”

“Bring us around. I want to surprise her. Disable her engines, and then hail her.”

“Aye sir.”

---

“No!” Jamie shouted as the ship shook.

“We are receiving a hail.”

“Put it through, audio only.”

“Jamie?” His voice said. “Having a problem with communications?”

“No, just working.”

“I have disabled your engines.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. I guess you didn’t know about my modifications.”

“Modifications? Those are the best drives in the Consortium! I should know! It was my ship!”

“Oh, well I know a little about these things. See you later!”

“Fire at her!” She heard him say, as the transmission was cut off.

“I have entered hyperspace, but the drives are severely damaged. Your modifications helped, but once we reenter normal space, we will not be able to travel faster then light with these engines.”

“Fine, take us to the farthest, unexplored region of this galaxy.”

“Okay.” The ship shook as it dropped out of hyperspace. “I just hope our guest don’t require much food.”

“Why?”

“Without our hyper drive, it will take a while to get to a planet with life, let alone food.”

“We do have those rations.”

“But they taste terrible.”

“How would you know?”

“I am a ‘smart’ computer.”

“Right.”

“Hello?” Kat asked.

“Yes?”

“I would like to become part of your crew.”

“What crew?”

“You and Cassandra.”

“Us, a crew?”

“Yes. I’d like to join.”

“I guess.”

“Great! We both have the same mission.”

“Oh?”

“To find ourselves.”

“I guess.”

“Well, I like your uniform.”

“Uniform? It’s just a blue jump-suite, with a few pockets.”

“It’s nice. I’d like a green one. I can be your lieutenant commander.”

“Huh?”

“Well, we’ll need some kind of ranking system, especially if we’re going to add more members.”

“Oh no. I’m not ‘recruiting’ others.”

“It’ll be fun.”

“No. Besides, this ship is too small.”

“So, maybe we can get a new one.”

“No.”

“Look, as someone older.”

“Hey, we don’t know that. My memory may only be twenty-one, but I’m still wise.”

“We could use help.”

“Maybe, but first we need to find somewhere to find food.”

“I don’t require much.”

“Either do I; I guess we should still find something.”

“Well, I’ve been around this universe a lot. I know a place.”

---

“Where did she go?” Rubicent asked.

“Somewhere over there.” He pointed on the map.

“What? You don’t know where she is.”

“She made modifications to her engines. It was harder to trace, and her speed allowed her to get there faster.”

“Well, let’s go and get her.”