The Space Sailor

Prologue

Gildor leaned over the starboard rail of the Dawn Star, trying to determine how long he had until the enemy was upon him. She was a fast ship, but with most of her fuel depleted, she was an easy target for her pursuer.

The Dawn Star was a valuable ship, not too large but sturdy and well made. Designed to be handled by a crew, she could be sailed by one person if need be. However, the sails were now furled as they were only needed when sailing the oceans. Completely enveloping the ship was a slightly hazy protective bubble, providing essential protection while sailing the stars. Behind her trailed a golden wake, as if being pulled along by the ship.

The enemy ship had been gaining on them for the past few hours, and Gildor needed to act fast. He ran back to the middle of the deck, where the Dawn Star's dias sat. His original destination was now out of the question, he needed to land soon or risk being caught without any fuel, floating endlessly, hoping to be found. But his enemy was almost upon him, and he would be defenceless if he was unable to move when they caught up.

He turned the dials on the dias, looking for a solution. The map in front of him shifted and revealed a planet not too far away. Though he had never been there, he had heard of it. Considering the circumstances, he was lucky; there were worse places to be stranded.

He ran back to the rail and and noted the enemy was still gaining on him. Gildor couldn't run his ship at full speed, to do so would deplete the remaining fuel too fast. He looked at the pursuing ship one last time, and then made his decision. Returning to the dias, he pushed the central dial, altering their course. The golden wake made them easy to follow, but he had a better chance of fighting back once he landed.

Time ticked by as he sped towards his new destination, the pursuing ship still gaining.

Then he saw it: Avior. This far out all he could see was a blue planet but the landmasses become visible as he got closer. He picked one of the smaller continents on a part of the planet was covered by the darkness of night. He could see thunderstorms with lighting flashing through the clouds covering large parts of the planet. He slowly entered orbit around the planet in a way that would bring him towards the continent he chose.

Caution was required when decelerating and heading for the planet. The Dawn Star would burn up in an instant while entering the atmosphere if they were going too fast. This would be a harrowing experience for a novice space navigator. However, Gildor was an old hand at space faring, his experience gained over many years of sailing the stars. He now switched to another set of dials, reducing speed and slowing descending towards the atmosphere.

He didn't have time to think about his enemy now, all his focus was on the Dawn Star. They hit the atmosphere with a jolt and continued to slow down. He reduced power, keeping just enough on to control the ship while flames started licking up the side of the Dawn Star. The continent continued to grow in his view and soon the flames completely enveloped the ship on all sides. The flames started receding a few seconds later and saw the enemy ship closing in on the port side.

He could see the the enemy captain guiding the ship from his own dias. All of a sudden the enemy ship slammed into the Dawn Star. The enemy had hoped to throw the Dawn Star off balance and destroy her but instead the impact caused the ships to drift apart. The ships were sluggish in flight and the captains guided their ships as best they could, rather than maneuver them. And so Gildor counted himself lucky as they vered further apart while hurtled down.

He switched the power back on as he neared the surface of the planet, ready to give the ship full thrust before landing. He guided the ship toward a vast forest not far from him and then slammed the throttle to full power before hitting the treetops. The deceleration was jarring, but Gildor held on and let the Dawn Star glide slowly down until it she hit the treetops. The defensive shield was still up and so trees didn't touch the ship. He could hear as they crunched beneath the ship until she finally came to rest on the ground.

Gildor knew his enemy would also be touching down now and would then come searching for him. He hoped they had ended up far enough apart that he wouldn't be found immediately. He went below decks to to check the remaining power supply. In the cabin below the dias hung a box, connected to it through the deck. He opened a door on the box, revealing a weakly glowing golden ball of light. It was almost out of power, not even enough to take off and reach orbit. He closed the door to the box and picked up his essential belongings and the items he would need once away the comfort of his ship. He grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows on the way out. An ornately carved wooden rod about a foot long hung from his belt, with a red tassel at one end.

Back at the dias, Gildor pushed another button. The shimmering shield around the shop gradually disappeared. He took one last look around the deck and then pressed a series of buttons on the dias. He walked to the side of the ship and climbed to the ground over the branches that still sat beneath the hull. He then watched as the ship started shrinking, which continued until she was the side of a small rowing boat, sitting beneath all the mess of tress and branches that were crushed when landing.

He knelt beside the ship, and flipped a switch on the now tiny dias, barely fitting his fingers. The protective shimmering shield enveloped the ship again. Once this was done he put his hands onto the earth next to the ship. Sapplings sprouted around the Dawn Star, growing thicker until they reached Gildor's height. The branches grew leaves, forming a thick entanglement. He took one last look at the Dawn Star as she was completely concealed  by the small trees, now appearing as a thick stand of brush.

Gildor stood up and took in his surroundings. This was an area of thick forest and he needed to get to higher ground to get his bearings and off in the distance he could see a mountain rising above the forest. As he looked up he saw a flock of massive birds flying overhead. They resembled birds, but he wasn't quite sure. Shouldering his pack, he picked up his bow and quiver and turned turned towards the mountain, walking as carefully as possible to avoid leaving any tracks that could give away the location of the Dawn Star.

He looked toward the mountain, it was time to see what he has gotten himself into.