As I watched the blue tint rise in the sky, the morning blooming beautifully, I sat next to a window in the space terminal rubbing my sleep-worn eyes.
I was able to pack my stuff, secure my arsenal but my thoughts still roamed untamed.
Between dinner last night and the upcoming journey my mind had enough exercise.
Adding to my list of woes was my father reminding me to smile, keeping just the right amount of 'homesick' tears in my eyes.
He had one hand snaked around my mother's waist as she had her hands on her lap brandishing one of her press worthy smiles.
He moved his mouth, faining speech before squeezing my nose playfully. Taking it as my cue to laugh I played my best hoping to give my finest performance to the member of the press not so inconspicuously hiding close to where we were.
I wanted, desperately, to be on my way.
Like an answered prayer, holograms flickered to life across the terminal. "Flight 283, Chaser bound for Earth, is now boarding. All passengers for this flight please make your way to the boarding deck." the speakers announced. The projection revealed the spacecraft in all its gleaming glory.
My heart pounded in my chest with every step we took toward the boarding deck. Affectionately called the Deck, it was an open-air walkway where passengers waited as the crafts descended onto their launchpads.
My eyes dragged to the sleek vessel I would be boarding in a few minutes. It hovered over its launchpad. Sleek, silver and exquisitely sculpted. Large enough to carry as many people as there are stars, however it wasn't too bulky. 'Chaser' inscribed on its side shining in the blush sunrise.
Butterflies filled my stomach.
My father squeezed my shoulder. I looked up at him, tears swell in his eyes. I couldn't help but scoff.
"Go find your place in the world." He held my mother's hand.
I held in the urge to roll my eyes. He should have become an actor not a king.
But then again what was the difference. He already had the largest stage.
My mother must have seen the look on my face. She gently took his hand out of hers and made her way over to me. She held me in her arms, tightly. She stayed there for a while. My shoulder began to feel damp. I heard her snuffle.
"The palace is going to be lonely without you."
Wiping her eyes, she pulled away. A chuckle escaped her lips. This was her first real laugh all day, albeit nasally.
"Well, go on before I bid you to stay."
I hugged her once more, tears treating to fall. I grabbed my bags and made my way to the craft.
The craft awaiting me was cold, humming with restrained power. Boarding felt surreal. I was truly, for the first time in my life stepping into some level of unsurety.
I'd been on space crafts before, but they have always been the private royal ones. This time, I was crammed into a crowd. They chatted away. Basically bouncing off the walls, unable to keep still as we stood on the first floor of the Chaser. It kept its silver design inwardly too with a hint of white.
The first floor had nothing but a few chairs and rules and regulations hosted on the walls. I quickly scanned the room. There were people from the length and breath of Mars. Their beads and jewellery clinging and clanking away blended in a somewhat beautiful melody.
It was my first time seeing so many different classes in the same room. I've grown up seeing mostly gold and silver beads or jewellery. Bronze on mostly the workers around the palace. I placed my hand on the gold bracelet strapped on my upper arm, spinning it.
Will these mean anything on Earth?
Suddenly the ground where we stood shook. I gripped a chair beside me. A blue light surrounded us.
Without much resistance, the blue light pulled us up to the opening above.
When we landed on what I will assume is the second floor, a woman no taller than a toddler, beckoned us towards a table that could have swallowed her whole.
"Please make a line and hand us your Boarding pass, please." Her smile was practiced, polite.
I handed it over without a word. Her stature marked her Mercury-born. I'd be meeting more people like her. Different people from different planets. The thought sent sparks racing through my chest. I held in my smile.
"Alright, Suite 12, VIP," she rattled off. "Transportersarestationedthroughouttheship. Juststepontothepad, stateyourdestination, done."
I barely kept up with the speed of her words.
I spotted a number of transporters in the corners of the room. I looked around for my bags.
"Oh, your bags have already been beamed to your room. No need to look for them." she spoke again.
I nodded, rubbing the back of my head.
Earth technology sure is fast.
I stood on a transporter. Its familiar robotic voice loud in my ears. "Where would you like to go?"
"VIP Suite 12."
"Confirmed."
A tingle raced through my body, leaving goosebumps on my skin. My vision blurred, and suddenly I was standing in front of my door, Suite 12.
I pressed the button at the side and the door popped open. Inside, the pod was smaller than what I'd known but charming. A desk with a mini-computer. Shelves stocked with fresh books. A gaming console. A bathroom with both a tub and a jacuzzi. And the best part: a window nook perfect for curling up while the stars blurred past.
The engines rumbled. Gravity loosened its grip and soon Mars dwindled in the distance, shrinking until it was just another red dot swallowed by black ocean.
My hand trailed across the curve of the glass.
This won't just be a short trip. I will be living on Earth.
Terrifying. And kind of amazing.
Did this mean I could do whatever I want?
I shook the thought from my head. I dared not dream. My life belonged to my country. I can't do anything that will shame my people. Or worse, upset my father.