-AMARA-

  High Priestess Amara watched as the StarHawk landed on the Freighter. She stood on a metal terrace on her Flagship Bulk Carrier, a starship that had been gifted to her by the Stellar Authority. Her acolytes had long left the Flagship, and were making themselves comfortable in their room. Amara had chosen to wait behind to meet the Stellar Authority agents.

  All around her, the Freighter workers flitted around, making final preparations for their upcoming journey.

  Amara’s main attendant stood next to her. His name was Tinkaku and he cut an imposing figure. He was several feet taller than Amara, and had dusky blue skin which had bone-like protrusions pushing through it. The most prominent of these protrusions was the pair of horns jutting out of his forehead. Tinkaku, however, shaved his horns and wore a turban to cover the ends. Amara thought he did that to avoid the stares.

  Tinkaku was a native of Chin, a small planet located at the center of the Andaris Reach. The planet was the place that Amara and the Order of the First Light planned to make their newest base of operations.

  This mission was of particular importance to Tinkaku. He had left his people many years ago, in order to pursue enlightenment, and had found it with the Order. Now he was returning to redeem his people and bring them into the light.

  He stood bare chested and wore a flowing red cloth with gold accents, the colours of the Order of the First Light. In his hands he held a sturdy-looking staff with a bulbous end.

  Amara was also dressed in the same red and gold material, except she wore hers as a large overcoat swung over her shoulders. Beneath the coat, she wore more understated clothing; a simple thigh length tunic with matching trousers and black boots.

  She had multiple tattoos on her face and arms: short horizontal bars that marked her accomplishments within the Order. Amara had been the youngest woman in history to become a High Priestess, and her reward for it was this mission.

  She did not think she was ready. Andaris was far from any established Order encampment. It took hours to travel there even with interspace highways. If something went wrong, help would not be coming quickly.

  And then there were the agents.

  Amara had never heard of the Order requesting escorts from the Stellar Authority. The Order trained their own militia. Beyond that, they often partnered with special bodyguard agencies. Amara had been assigned two of those guards already.

  The Order requesting additional support from the Stellar Authority only meant one thing. They still didn't trust her.

  Beyond that, Amara wasn’t sure what to think about the agents chosen to escort her.

  She watched as the crew of the StarHawk descended from their ship. They were led by a stern young man dressed in a black military uniform. He had tanned skin, and walked with the confident swagger of someone used to being in command.

  Ben Wilson.

  He had changed a lot. Amara remembered him from when they had been children growing up in the Order. Ben had been her sister’s best friend, and Amara had been the annoying third wheel. Back then she went by a different name: Mae. Together with Amara’s sister, Fen, they became a troublesome trio.

  Fen had been the leader, though Ben liked to believe it was actually him. They were always up to no good, and whenever they got caught, Amara somehow ended up taking the brunt of the punishment.

  She still looked back on those days with fondness, and the day Ben and Fen left was still one of her worst memories.

  Initially, she had hoped to meet them again, but when she came to understand the vastness of the galaxy, she gave up that hope.

  Now, her chance was here, and she hated it. It had been too long. She had changed so much, and so had Ben. She wondered if he would even recognize her.

  Amara had read his profile: It described him as confident, effective, and direct. No mention of humor. The Ben she knew had always been the funniest person in the room.

  She wondered if that Ben was gone…just like Fen.

  Ben Wilson was followed closely by a lanky dark skinned man.

  Blazecorra Kuto.

  Amara's work as a Priestess had brought her across a few memory morphs. Every single one she had met was either a nervous wreck, or one step away from insanity. She watched with fascination as Blazecorra strode along the deck of the Freighter.

  I wonder if he hears the voices, she thought.

  Though young, Ben and Blaze were very accomplished, and that fact irked her. Why trust these people despite their age, but not do the same for her?

  Amara did not understand the Abbot. She knew his hand was in this. He had always been lurking in the corners, observing her progress at the monastery. She knew he had a special interest in her, and that he had links to the Stellar Authority. She had no doubt the Abbot had been the one who chose these agents.

  Her attention was caught by a third figure exiting the StarHawk. That was odd. There were supposed to be only two agents.

  Amara's eyes widened as she studied the large tattoo on the girl's face. The Kulox, the mark of an avenger. How on earth did the Stellar Authority allow someone like that into their ranks?

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Mmm," Amara heard Tinkaku react. "How strange this all is."

  "Yes," Amara replied. "Yes. Very strange. Come. Let's go welcome our guests."

  -BLAZE-

  Ben and Blaze had a game they played whenever they went on missions. Well, Blaze played the game, and Ben tolerated it.

  The objective was simple: try to identify as many human species as they could. The person who identified the most won. Blaze's record was 20 different races. From the looks of things, that record was about to fall.

  An assortment of different peoples hustled about on the Freighter's deck. Some of the people had extra eyes and extra limbs. Others had skin that shifted colours. Some were very hairy and walked barefoot.

  Blaze recognised many of the species: Curios, Magans, Rutans. But there were a few that even he didn't know. They all wore black uniforms with white diamond-shaped badges strapped to their chest. The badges identified them as members of the ship's crew and more specifically, members of the Freighter Alliance.

  Blaze had been on many Freighters, but all of those ships had either belonged to the Stellar Authority or his family. This was his first time on a foreign vessel, and he was enjoying himself.

  "I've already counted 20," he called out to Ben, who was walking in front of him.

  Ben grunted and responded. "I have 25."

  "What? How?" Blaze glanced around, and started counting again. "18...19...20..." He was so absorbed in counting that he didn’t see Ben stop.

  "Whoops," he said, as he dodged around Ben, who was standing still and staring straight ahead. Blaze followed his gaze.

  His eyebrows shot up.

  "21," he whispered under his breath.

  Blaze did not believe in ghosts but he had a hard time describing the thing that was approaching them as anything else. It looked like a bundle of translucent sheets wrapped around a slender core, with boney arms jutting out. It had no feet, and as it floated, the black orb, which must have been its head, bobbed above the slender core.

  Blaze felt Kaja grab his arm. He looked at her and saw a mix of panic and curiosity on her face. "What is that?" she asked.

  Blaze didn't have an answer. The thing glided towards them, and as it neared, Blaze noted a pair of small yellow lights on the surface of the creature's head. Eyes.

  The creature spoke.

  "Good morning! Wait, is it morning? Oh no! Have I messed up? Can we start again? Oh! Oh the Captain won't be happy."

  Blaze was stunned. The creature's mouthless voice was full of cheer and pep, a startling contrast to its dreary appearance.

  "Let's start again," the creature said.

  It cleared its nonexistent throat.

  "Hello. My name is Naxisteranda. I am the first mate of this Freighter. It is a pleasure to meet you, Agents Ben Wilson and Agent Blazecorra Kuto...."

  Naxisteranda trailed off as its yellow eyes turned to Kaja. Its gaze lingered for a while. Then it said, "This one was not on the manifest...Is this your pet?"

  Kaja Khan huffed, and looked like she was about to give Naxisteranda a piece of her mind, but Ben raised his hand, cutting her off.

  "She is our colleague," he said. Kaja looked at him in surprise. He ignored her and continued. "Her name is Kaja Khan. She was a late addition. Our apologies."

  "No worries," Naxisteranda responded in a shrill voice. "You are all very welcome. I will be taking you to see the Captain, but first..."

  Naxisteranda turned aside to reveal two people standing behind her: a young lady and a man with blue skin.

  The young lady had fair skin with multiple horizontal black tattoos on her arms and face. She wore a red and gold robe which was fastened around her neck, and her hair was braided short and came down to her nape. Next to her stood a tall bare-chested blue-skinned man. Blaze did not recognize his species.

  The two newcomers nodded at Ben and Blaze.

  "Welcome," the woman said.

  Ben responded. "Thank you. You must be High Priestess Amara."

  The woman nodded.

  Ah, Blaze thought. This is the Priestess. She did not look anything like he had expected. For one thing, she was quite young. Blaze had imagined an elderly woman with beady eyes and droopy skin. This woman was not that. She was also dressed far more simply than expected. The robe was gaudy, true, but Blaze could see that she wore simpler clothes under it.

  The man standing next to her looked far more priestly. High Priestess Amara gestured to him. "This is my aide, Tinkaku," she said. "He is native to the planet we are going to and he will be helping us navigate there. He is also a highly respected member of our Order."

  Tinkaku bowed to them. Blaze returned the bow, and Ben simply nodded. Now the High Priestess' eyes were on Kaja Khan.

  "She's with us," Blaze said helpfully.

  "What is your name?" the High Priestess asked Kaja.

  Kaja glanced at Blaze. He shrugged.

  "Kaja Khan." Kaja replied. "What's it to you?"

  "Your face, Ms. Khan. All the people I've known who've carried that mark, have been lost and broken people. I don't know what your story is, but I want you to know that I am available if you ever need someone to talk to."

  "Wow," Kaja said. She stepped back, then laughed. "My story's simple. A bunch of guys killed my dad. And I'm going to kill them all."

  She glared at the Priestess, but it was the Priestess' aide who responded. He spoke with a low and rough voice. "I suggest you take the Priestess up on her offer," he said.

  Kaja stood speechless for a while then turned to Ben and Blaze.

  "Can I go back?" she asked. "I think I prefer jail time."

  "Oh it's far too late," Naxisteranda said. "Our launch sequence is in progress. The Captain would be very angry if we let you off. Mmm. Yes. Very angry."

  Kaja rolled her eyes.

  High Priestess Amara looked at Ben. "When you are ready, I would like to introduce you to the rest of my people." She bowed slightly and Tinkaku followed suit. Then they walked away.

  Ben turned to Naxisteranda.

  "I would like to see the Captain," he said.

  "Oh." Naxisteranda sounded surprised. "Oh it's not necessary. He sends his regards."

  "I have a message for him." Ben insisted.

  Naxisteranda hesitated then relented. "Okay. Follow me."

  Blaze stepped forward. "I'm coming with you," he said.

  "That's not necessary," Ben said, not even looking back.

  "I'm coming," Blaze insisted.

  Ben turned slowly and looked Blaze in the eye. "Stay on the ship Blaze. Keep a watch on our criminal friend. I'll be fine."

  For a second, Blaze hesitated. He sensed deep within himself that the right decision would be to follow his partner. Ben was smart, and very strong. But he was rash sometimes.

  "Take care of the ship." Ben said with force. "I'll be back."

  Blaze relented. "Alright. Don't do anything rash."

  Ben turned and left, following Naxisteranda.