Kain of the Nova Vol. 1

"They'd dreamt of of places where odd creatures dwelled... who knew they were the creatures all along?"

                                                                                                   〰〰〰

Joey looked outside her window just a little longer before resuming to her piloting lessons displayed on the screen in front of her. She couldn't help but take one last glance out at the ongoing constellations of beaming crystals that she so longed to explore. Of course, that's why she was currently taking these lessons. To learn, and to become one of the best pilots in her flight school, just like her father.
That was all Joey lived for. She practically breathed for the day that she would earn her first piloting medal. Ever since she was old enough to grasp a ship's control, she and her father cruised around the rim of their star system's border, gazing at the remarkable sights beyond their world. This was, of course, after they had finished their work with delivering cargo to different stations and planets.
This, this was Joey's life. This was what she loved. But, she also wanted more.
Before Joey's father, Danivel P., was a cargo carrier, he was known for being one of the best pilots of his time, also a well-known hero during the Age of Kain. The community even made a memorial statue, displayed back on their home world, Verskel, in his honor.
Yes, that was what Joey wanted, too. She wanted to become legend as he had, protecting the innocent and exploring the unknown depths past the rim of the galaxy. She wanted to be victorious, to discover, to journey. She yearned that same excited feeling her father explained in his stories every night as he tucked her into bed, leaving her in envy of the day she could become the quickest, smartest, and most dangerous hunk of metal in the whole galaxy.
'No,' she thought while laying in bed one night. 'The quickest, smartest, and most dangerous hunk of metal in the whole network of galaxies! Joey didn't just want to carry cargo or any other regular work when she was older. She was determined to become... a hero.

                                                                                                〰〰〰

"Joey, girl, we're reaching the platform! Give me a hand with landing the old thing?" an echoing voice rattled down the tunnels of the ship. Although many would lose themselves in the works of the ship, Joey knew exactly where the voice had come from.
Switching her lessons to the main screen of her Holo-puter, she eagerly slipped on her work-gloves and fastened a tool-belt to her baggy cargo pants. Joey then secured her usually messy purple bun to avoid it getting caught in something, and afterwards counted all of her tools. As soon as she was satisfied with the preparations, she tunneled into the network of pipes and ladders found inside the walls until she reached the cockpit.
As she ducked into the doorway, the swivel of a chair showed a welcoming face turning toward her. Her father grinned widely before waving her over to the control panel. Joey responded back with another smile, walking over to the uniformed man.
"Hey, there, kiddo,"
"Goood afternoon, Captain!" she said jokingly. She marched over to the control panel, ready to start the landing. "Shall we begin initiation?" she asked, more serious this time. Her hand was already drifting toward one of the landing switches, the other hovering over the sophisticated dials.
"That's okay, kid, I just wanted you to watch the back for me... you can do that, right?"
"Ugh...again?" she muttered, her posture gradually sinking. "You know I don't like it when-" He cut her off, his gloved hand in the air as if to wave away her words.
"I know, girl, I know... You are getting older, you want more responsibility, but the darn ship isn't gonna land without a little help from someone, so who's gonna do it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows to wait for her response.
Joey stared at his face for a while, deciding what he was trying to express. Was it confusion? Doubt? Or frustration, maybe?
"Yeah, sure, fine, I can... I can watch the back for you..." she finally replied. Her hands slowly slipped away from the controls, falling to her sides. "I'll go now. How long should I wait?"
"Just wait for me to holler, and then you can get in a seat for the rest of it, okay?" he said, nodding her off.
"Yes sir..."
Her bulky boots added to the dramatic echo of her footfalls as she raced down the metallic maze leading to the small back room. This was a cramped area, where there was not much room to do anything but sit and watch the landing pad.
It was Joey's job to do this so that she could watch out for any oncoming traffic in the surrounding air.
"All clear!" she shouted with her hand cupped around her mouth.
The ship began to rumble as the landing pad got closer to the glass she monitored through.
There was, suddenly, a sound. At first Joey tried her best to ignore it, but it seemed to bother her conscience the longer it waned. It was so faint, she was just glad enough to even hear it.
Her body was quickly thrusted forward, and she fell to the glass floor in a panic. Something was clearly wrong.

                                                                                            
To Be Continued...