Kairi is a young Altheaten a race of blue skinned humanoids with the gift of being empathic. A whiz with technology she joins the peacekeeping StarPatrol. But the idealistic Altheaten soon finds that life in the Patrol is hard work and the galaxy is...
Kairi could sense her mother's presence before she could even see or hear her. She could feel fear, disappointment, and concern all at once. Kairi kept packing as her mother finally spoke after standing in the doorway for a few seconds.
"It's not too late to change your mind," she suggested for the fifth time.
Kairi sighed. Ensuring all her clothes and toiletries were in vacsealed bags she closed the steel suitcase before turning to her mother. She resembled Kairi, blue skin and elfin ears but with dark brown hair unlike Kairi's red hair.
"Mother, we've been over this. I'm not changing my mind. This is my decision."
Altheatens were an empathic race and Kairi could feel the hurt before her mother's face displayed it.
"Why are you locked onto this star? You're brilliant Kairi! You could attend the university of science or become an engineering apprentice. Why do you want to throw your potential away with the StarPatrol?"
Kairi sighed as she brushed a hair behind her pointed ears.
"How is joining the patrol wasting my potential? It's all about helping people."
The waves of distress radiated off her mother as she suddenly shouted, "It's dangerous! You'll have to fight pirates, smugglers, or dangerous criminals!"
"The patrol will train me how to fight. Besides, I'm going to be a tech specialist. I'll be putting my aptitude to electronics and shipboard systems. I could be the one to keep ships' systems from failing in the heat of battle."
"Kairi, please! You're not seeing things clearly! You haven't thought this through."
Kairi shook her head as she picked her suitcase up.
"No mother, I've done a lot of thinking and this is exactly what I want."
Kairi's mom sighed, "I can feel your determination. I wish I knew that it would be enough. But I know I can't talk you out of this."
Kairi smiled, "Thank you mother."
"If this doesn't work out, you know you can always come home," she said.
"I know," Kairi said. Though in her head she knew she wouldn't return if she was washed out. She could not bear to feel the emotions that would go into an, "I told you so," from her mother. The young Altheaten pushed the thoughts aside as she finished packing. One last night in the bed of her childhood and the following morning she was out the door. She took the airbus to the spaceport. Ticket in hand, Kairi boarded the rocket clad in a jumpsuit that actually complimented her feminine frame. With the roar of the rocket engines, Kairi was starbound. Her next stop? The Academy.
Authors Note: Character concept art by: Futumbo on DeviantArt
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