Upon beginning a new adventure, most young people find themselves bursting with youthful vitality, brimming enthusiasm and endless energy, but not eighteen year old Aya Tintel. Her stomach was riding a spaceship going fast enough to break the gravitational pull of her planetoid; and though she was belted in, her stomach bounced around, making her very ill and dizzy. She was an Aquan, an elven creature native to the doomed planet of Tarabos and they very rarely voyaged from their own world. Aya only rode a spaceship one other time, and it was only to escape Tarabos as it imploded from an unforeseen disaster. Aya, was a very young child at the time and was greatly traumatized at the sudden loss of all her friends and family. To make matters worse, the spaceship crashed into another planetoid, one soon to be her home for the next fifteen years of her life. She was greatly traumatized by the wreckage and vowed never to ride in a spaceship again. But when a similar threat of destruction loomed over this new forest planetoid, she volunteered to be the one to save everyone. That required taking a spaceship known as the Blue Thunder to get help from where ever they could find it. Aya felt determination at first, but now she only felt the effects of the g-force and an increasing sense of hopelessness.

“Are you ok back there Aya?” a friendly voice from the front cockpit called. “The monitor says that we’ll be there in two hours if everything goes according to plan.”

Seated in front of Aya was a young woman only a year older than she was. She was Aya’s best friend, Flora Du Bois, a belle of the planetoid turned space captain. She wore a cream colored elastic spacesuit and a slide-up helmet in place of her yellow-green sundress and flowery sun-hat.

“I’m….urk…ok,” Aya said, her pupils moving towards the top of her head. “I think I just need to lean back.”

She reclined the seat, invading the space of the spaceship’s third member. Seated in the third and final seat of the ship was a tan skinned man with a long wave of dark hair and a smooth chiseled face that was adored by many but not by the prickly roses that accompanied him on his latest venture. “Clearly you’re not cut out for this, Miss Aquan. Such a shame because you showed so much spunk when you were on land.”

“Taylor, if I could see straight I’d whack you so bad. Instead I’ll probably just throw up on you,” Aya grumbled and closed her eyes.

“Look, I’m not up for fighting this whole way here,” Taylor said with tied hands nestled behind his back. “It’s going to be a long ride even at full speed.”

Taylor Lunsford was a prisoner of the people of Aya’s planetoid, a man who through foolish acts caused nature to become highly unbalanced. Even if the people of the planetoid didn’t know he was responsible for this crime, they knew he tried to murder Aya and attempted to turn them against her. In truth, Aya and Flora, only really needed this captive because it was his home planetoid they were traveling to for help. They hoped he would cooperate until they could get some aid for their planetoid before it crumbled with their friends and family on it.

“Neither do I,” Flora said. “I’d much rather just enjoy this outer space trip, even with Mr. Good Hair, Bad Personality here.”

“See, there you go,” Taylor said in his smooth, and deep virile voice. “Just relax. I personally can’t wait to go home myself. There’s a little lady calling my name.”

Flora turned away from the auto pilot for a second. “Is this the woman you are talking about?” She lifted her hand to reveal a photograph of a blond business woman who’d written a note on the back addressed to Taylor.

“Ah,” Taylor said with a smirk, “So that’s where you put that. No my dear sunflower, that is Madame Caruso, the president of the Electra Company”—he gave a sly lift of his eyebrow—"I’m of course talking about her daughter.”

“The…Electra….company,” Aya muttered laying on her back at a slight incline over Taylor’s feet.

“Yes, that’s the name, Miss Aquan,” Taylor said, paying no mind to Aya’s delirium. “That’s the company I work for. They are quite the name where I live, since they managed to harness electricity and use it to further mankind’s achievements”

As if by magic, Aya’s tattoo on her left arm spoke to her. The tattoo was formerly an elder of the wolfhound tribe known as Eterna before she transferred her energy to Aya and became a spirit guide for her. Only Aya could commune with Eterna. To everyone else she appeared a stationary tattoo. “Aya, listen up, I know you’re woozy but people who harness lightning are dangerous and selfish. Members of the rivaling thunderboar tribe spoke of a future disaster brought upon everyone by thunder-wielding humans.”

“I don’t think it’ll come to that,” Aya said softly, breathing in and out. “We’re just asking for help. They can’t all be as nefarious as Taylor.”

“Did you say they all can’t be as hilarious as Taylor? Well I am known for making even the snobbiest of girls giggle like a child,” Taylor said with a grin, before Flora scowled at him. “But yeah, I actually work for the Electra company. It’s how I got my ship and my penthouse. Madame Caruso’s little lightning bolt is pretty sweet on me.”

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“I see what kind of person you are Taylor,” Aya said, lightly turning with agitation. “Someone who licks the boots of those who can take them further in life.”

“I’m sorry not all of us can be born rich like sunflower here,” Taylor spat back, “or choose to live in poverty like you because it ‘spiritually’ satisfies them.”

Flora’s agitation exploded out of her hands. She flailed as she turned around. Her normally lilting voice became sharp and aggressive. “Aya, Taylor I’d wish you two would hush.”

Aya and Taylor both pointed fingers at each other. “You started it,” they cried like children.

“I don’t care who did, but if you two don’t be quiet, I’m taking us back to our planetoid where we’ll just sit there and rot.”

Aya who was greatly sickened from the ride immediately snapped to attention and her voice grew shrill. “Please don’t Flor, I couldn’t bear to endure this trip a second time.”

“Who knew you had such a strong captain’s voice, sunflower,” Taylor said, taken a bit aback. “But no, I don’t want to be back on that redneck rock either.”

“That’s right, I’m Captain Sunflower, er… I mean Du Bois, and we’re all going to enjoy each other’s company on this space cruise or I’m going to start acting like my father.”

Both Aya and Taylor were well aware with the intimidatingly stubborn man who reared Flora and not wanting to bring out his brashness in his daughter. They both remained silent for the next hour only bickering with occasional gestures, smirks and eye rolls.

Flora finally could rest her hands in her arms and enjoy the cruise through a raisin purple sky filled with white, shining, sugar like specks. Ever since she was a child, she always wished to explore the frontier of space. From her first moments as a baby wrapped tightly in her mother’s arms, she found she was reaching at the night sky. As a child, with her best friend, Aya, she found herself pretending a derelict shack was her spaceship, and her reluctant best friend was her crew. Her parents wished for her to be a proper lady who would settle down and yield the children of a farm boy. Their illusions for her clashed with her own goals, but when her planet was in danger, Flora proved herself to be the most fitting candidate for piloting a ship. Reflecting on how far she came, Flora delighted that her dream had finally come true by counting up every star and constellation she could see.

After much happy counting and relaxing, medium sized silver-grey meteorites floated past the spaceship and Flora immediately took notice. She watched as rocks bigger and bigger floated past the ship and she grew concerned. She looked ahead and saw an enormous cluster of giant rocks building a hard-to-navigate blockade ahead of them.

“Are those asteroids?” Flora asked with an alarmed curiosity.

“You should know, Captain,” Taylor remarked with a relaxed smirk, “But yes they are. There is an asteroid field between my planetoid and yours. You already knew that of course, since you’re a far more experienced pilot than moi.”

“Oh dear,” Flora said, with a look of panic on her face. “Can the ship navigate through this?”

“I wouldn’t count on it Sunflower. This is where human dexterity comes in good use. You might want to plug the tablet into the control panel.”

Flora slowly slid the small black remote-control tablet into the control panel and it fit perfectly. It lit up bright green and showed a schematic of the ship before zooming through a digital graphic of outer space. “Manual control system: Activated.” The ship’s feminine voice said echoing over the intercom as the ship halted.

“So what do I do with this?” Flora asked.

“Just manipulate the tablet with your fingers. It’s kinda like a video game but with actual consequences if you screw up,” Taylor said.

“A vidja game?” Flora said with wide eyes, “What’s that?”

Taylor gave a dark laugh. “Oh this will be fun.”

“Please spare me,” Aya cried and hid her face.

Flora disregarded both of the them and tapped her finger at the control panel. The ship pointed upwards. She tapped it below the ship’s trajectory and the ship lowered. “I think I get this.”

She pressed the accelerate button and the ship zoomed forward towards the asteroids at an alarming rate. Aya let out a scream but Flora ignored her friend. Flora realized her best friend was going to be nothing but a burden in this situation but Flora didn’t mind. It was a nice feeling to see her idol in a state of panic. The role reversal brought a small smile to Flora’s powdered cheeks.

Suddenly, an asteroid the size of the ship hurdled towards the them. Flora let out a quick gasp and swiped at the tablet. The ship spiraled in the air and completely dodged the falling rock with an awkwardly fluid jerk.

“Whoa, wasn’t expecting that,” Taylor said, “Sunflower’s got more wits than I thought.”

Another midsized asteroid crossed the path of the ship, and this time there was no chance to get out of the way. “Quick how do you fire?” Flora asked, tilting to faceTaylor.

“Tap the asteroid.”

Flora jerked the ship to a stop and shot a bomb from outside the ship. It collided with the asteroid, and a red and orange fire enveloped, and consumed it.   “Yesss!” Flora exclaimed fist pumping the air. “Did you see that Aya?”

“Through my hands? No,” the terrified Aquan responded, peeking between her fingers.

Flora sped towards the heart of the asteroid field. This time she weaved, dodged and bombed all at once. Her computer allowed her to know the full range surrounding her ship, and with it, she could play a game of keep away with those destructive asteroids. Every time the space rocks came within range of the ship, she pivoted and pirouette the ship with a dancer’s grace.

As she went further, the asteroids got larger and more jagged. When a destructive mass the size of the planetoid she once lived on came too close to her ship, she realized she couldn’t bomb it or fly away. “Guys, get ready. I’m going inside that asteroid.”

“You’re what?” Aya exclaimed. “Aww, and I had just opened my eyes too.”

“Do what you please, Sunflower. It’s clear you got this one.” Taylor said, leaning back in his chair.

Flora’s eyes widened. She never expected him to be more supportive than Aya.

“All righty,” Flora said, and took a dive into the dark cavernous hole in the asteroid.