At least a dozen shuttles came into view as the group entered Hangar 3 of the Unifier. Since Admiral Mirtan had used this opportunity to take the carrier on a maintenance flight, these would be their way down to the planet. The survivors of the Star Treader spread out in small groups as the pilots got ready for takeoff, and Githaiy entered a shuttle together with the princess and Nadine. With a hiss, the door closed behind them and sealed itself airtight.

The doctor sat down and took a deep breath. Soon, this whole ordeal would come to a close. She could really use a proper rest.

"Doctor?"

She looked up.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"I wanted to apologize. And I am also sorry that I am only doing so now."

"Y-Your Highness, what are you talking about?"

"How I called the Star Treader a "sentimental piece of scrap metal". Back then I thought you were just talking about its role as the royal vessel, I didn't know what it meant to you. I still wouldn't, had it not by chance come up during my talk with uncle."

A subtle hum became audible as the pumps started to suck the air out of the hangar so it could open.

"It's alright, Your Highness. It wouldn't have changed the fact that we would've needed to leave it behind. It was necessary, I've come to terms with that."

"That doesn't make up for my choice of words though."

Nadine cocked her head.

"Was there something about that ship?"

The doctor sighed. She knew the Star Treader was lost, trying to recover it outside of the secure routes with only a vague idea of its last position was futile. She might have said that she had come to terms with it - First Ones, she had even believed it herself - but now that the topic had come up again, she realized that she hadn't.

While I can't really fault her, I wish Her Highness had just said nothing.

"For me it was. My father created it when I was just two cycles old."

"Back then," the princess explained, "all our ships were of a fairly... practical design. My parents wanted something more prestigious for our embassy. They announced a contest, and a commoner from the outskirts of the capital won, as his design was both aesthetical and highly functional. I was still a young child when that happened, I didn't know that man was Trocu."

Githay nodded.

"It is as Her Highness says. It's a shame you only saw the lower decks, Nadine. The ship really was a piece of art. Unfortunately, my father never lived to see his creation fly. He was killed by a competitor who had bet everything on winning the contest so he could pay off his debt. In his honor, the king raised our family into nobility. It was thanks to this that I was able to become a royal physician and work on the ship that became his memento. It was... like..."

Her voice failed her and she didn't manage to finish that sentence.

Oh, First Ones, pull yourself together Githaiy! You're a grown woman!

"Do you still have the blueprint?" The small alien's soft voice broke the silence.

The princess cocked her head.

"We do, yes. But why do you ask?"

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"Well, by the sound of it, what he made was the blueprint, right? Then as long as the ship can be rebuilt, his memento lives on, doesn't it? It might not be the same ship, but wouldn't it still be "his" ship?"

The doctor was stumped. She had never looked at it that way. But thinking about it, it made sense. Her father's legacy was the plan, the ship itself was just a result of it. She didn't know what to say except for one thing.

"Thank you, Nadine. Seriously, thank you."

The face of the alien girl took on a more reddish color again. Githaiy swore to herself that she would eventually figure out what these color changes meant.

"I-I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did."

The Hangar opened and their shuttle took off, setting course towards Hohmiy. For a while, they were quiet as they flew through empty space. Then, the protective shutters closed over the windows, and the shuttle shook a bit as they entered the atmosphere.

The window shutters opened again. The forests of their homeworld flew past below them until buildings became visible in the distance.

"That is the city of Calhanar," the princess explained to Nadine, "but most people simply call it "Harbor Town", because of the gigantic spaceport. Pretty much everything that has to do with other worlds happens here. See that wide building over there? That is the Star Palace, where I live. And so will you."

"Y-you don't have to do that! Something simple would be more than enough."

"Nadine, please don't make light of my invitation," the princess chuckled. "You are a royal guest and you will be treated accordingly!"

"By the way, my office is also in the palace," Githaiy chimed in. "Having you there makes it way easier for us to learn more about you kind and to tend to your special needs. Which reminds me..."

She pulled out her datapad and gave the fruits of her labor to Her Highness.

"Ah, perfect," the princess thanked her. "Nadine, this is a list of every nutrient - and potential nutrient - on our planet. I would like you to go through that list and tell us which of those you need, and which are poisonous to you. I will also call in my personal dressmaker to make you something better than... well, this."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I won't say no to that," the small alien said with audible relief.

"If you are uncomfortable," the Princess pointed out, "then you are free to take the blanket off. You don't have to wear that just for the sake of it. No one will fault you for being naked for a few days."

Nadine's eyes widened, and her face became its darkest shade of red yet.

"W-what is that supposed to mean?"

Githaiy had already kind of expected that reaction. Considering that Nadine's original clothes had had a pretty excessive amount of fabric by Vanaery standards, it was an easy guess that her culture put a lot more emphasis on covering themselves.

"You see," the doctor explained, "for most of our history, we didn't wear any clothes. Outside of protective gear, of course. Most Vanaery still don't. The concept of "fashion" is something we only learned when we met other species, and to this day clothes are considered more of a luxury than a necessity. Amongst Nobles like us, being naked is seen as a sign of financial struggle, so it is expected that we dress ourselves, but commoners only wear them if they are either wealthy or work for a noble that gives them uniforms."

"I see. I'm still gonna decline though."

The Princess nodded.

"That is your decision. Anyway, if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."

Nadine thought for a moment.

"A language tutor would be good."

"Are you sure?" the princess asked after a pause. "That's of course no problem, but you don't need to inconvenience yourself, feel free to rely on the translator."

"That thing is not always reliable, you said so yourself. It also doesn't help me read."

"Sure, but, you can always rely on us for that. All of the palace's servants can read, they will gladly be of assistance."

Githaiy could understand why the princess was so hesitant. Learning a language was a long and tedious process, and she wanted Nadine to feel like a guest. Then again, Nadine's brain was highly capable, maybe it wasn't as hard for her kind.

Nadine sighed.

"Your Highness, with all due respect - you JUST NOW asked me to go through a list that I cannot read."

The two went quiet. Right, they hadn't considered that. Written translations normally were such a non-issue that Githaiy hadn't even considered it when she had made the list.

"I... see your point."

They reached the landing platform in front of the Star Palace, and the doors opened. As they exited, a line of servants greeted them. Some of them threw weird glances at Nadine, but they were all professional enough to not start whispering. The small alien walked close to the princess to show her status, while Githaiy and the others kept a bit more distance.

As the palace doors were opened for them and they were about to enter, Nadine suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and jumped backward. Before anyone could react, a large amount of water dropped from the ceiling and hit the place where the small alien had been standing. And where the princess was STILL standing.

For a moment everyone was frozen, while the princess stood drenched in the doorframe. She then took a deep breath, before opening her mouth.

"KIIIIYRTIN!"