Jayden sat in the skiff, staring out at the edge of the world.

It was a beautiful still evening. Beautiful for watching. Not beautiful for sailing.

He knew had to chart a course, soon. The winds were low, but he was a skilled skipper, so he wasn't worried about not making it. But he didn't have much time. He either needed a strong wind or strong luck to get him somewhere fast and return.

His next payment was due on Saturday. Five days. It was almost an impossible timeline to sail out, get to a trader port, find a good cargo, load it up and get it home.

He sighed deeply, and started looking across the sky. Looking at the places he'd been and calculating the distance and time it would take to get there.

Capella. Three days. Too long.

Cephei. Four days. Way out. Unless he got a tornado wind on the way home and cut that by a few days.

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Antares. Two and a half days. His favourite port. He knew he could find a good cargo there. But it was too tight for this trip. It was so frustrating! He'd had plenty of buffer, a month or two spare saved up, until his mum had needed a new medication. Two months profits gone in a single purchase, and now he had mere days to earn what he'd normally earn in a few weeks.

He sighed again.

The moon reflected on the still waters. He could see the stars reflecting too, right near the edge. It was picturesque, and at any other time he'd find it resful. But right now, he needed a direction, and a good wind to go with it.

Last night, Felix had told him about Delta Quadrant - a whole region of stars that no-one had sailed to in nearly a hundred years. The winds were wild and unpredictable. Fast enough, but dangerous - particularly in a small skiff like his.

He could take a risk and go out that way, but everyone who'd gone there so far either came back damaged and bedragled, or didn't come back at all. No-one had gone there and actually found something worth trading for. That's why people had stopped going.

Jayden sighed once more and suddenly felt a gust of wind at his back. It was enough. And it was pushing right into the Delta Quadrant. 100 years since someone had tried. But Jayden was desperate. Time was short - for him, for his boat and for his mum.

This was the trip he had to take. This is the risk he had to take. To sail off the edge of the world into uncharted waters.