A galaxy of dreams

Decisions and Dreams

Astrid woke up during the night only once. The sounds of footsteps in the hall outside of her room had woken her. She listened to feet shifting restlessly. A sigh tore through the silence before the sound of footsteps leaving could be heard. Eyelids heavy with sleep, Astrid settled down and soon fell asleep. What she did not know was that a dream would not fill her thoughts that night, instead it would be a memory.
***
Young Astrid laughed, a twinkle in her eye, at something William had just said. Her and the young prince were standing on a bridge over a river on the planet Warra after a particularly boring meeting, and her heart was filled with joy to see him again.
"And when President Solis started talking about his pet pig, I almost burst out laughing." he exclaimed.
She responded with a smile, "Oh, and how horrible that would be to have Prince William burst out laughing. Blasphemy! Lady Corrine would fall off of her chair in surprise."
As their laughter had faded, Astrid realized William was looking at her intensely.
"What?"
"I just realized that when you laugh, your eyes look like starlight, Starlight."
Astrid smiled at the double use of the word, both as the word itself and her nickname. William's face grew serious.
"Astrid, do you ever think of the future?"
"All the time. It's hard not to when your life is hanging by a thread as it is. Why?"
"I want to ask you a question. Astrid Corralyn Seffings, will you do me the honour of be-"
"Stop." Astrid gasped. "Will, please stop." A tear traced a line down her check. She let out a sob at William's crestfallen and confused expression.
"I can't." she breathed. "You're a Prince and I'm an orphan destined to fight battle after battle and wander in space. You have a life, Will. You need someone who can be your Queen, who you're people will adore. I-I can't be that person."
"Astrid..."
"I'm sorry, Will."
Astrid turned and ran off of the bridge. Tears falling freely now, she ran into her ship and took off. As she flew into the galaxy, she couldn't help feeling like a part of her was left behind.
***
Astrid's eyes flew open in a panic. Cursing, she through off the blankets and glanced at the clock that read 8:05. The captain picked up her schedule. "Meeting with crew and Ambassador at 8:30!" she screamed internally. "Oh...and the gala's today!" Not wasting any time, she hurried to the bathroom to wash up and forget last night's memory. "All I want to do is forget it." she thought to herself as she opened the door to her room and slipped out into the hallway. "And I was so so close to putting it in my past when he just had to show up."
"Ah! Miss Seffings! Allow me to escort you to the library. I believe your crew is already waiting to discuss your new mission." The Ambassador greeted her cheerfully as they both embarked on the elevator. "I have no doubt that this will be the most exciting job in your career."
Astrid smiled as she felt a flutter of anticipation. She walked into the library to find her crew curled up on armchairs or sitting on the couch. She herself settled down between Sienna and Hazel on the leather burgundy sofa and crossed her legs, a habit she had picked up that made her look both professional and fierce.
"Let's begin." The Ambassador pulled out a file and flipped it open. Astrid noticed that it contained more than the usual files. This time, it had a variety of legal documents and pictures. Ambassador Salem pulled out a photo for all to see. It was a man with a cruel expression, with cold blue eyes and blond hair.
"Meet Sir David Alistair. Age, 35. Family, a boy at a boarding school on the planet Quantum." Astrid has visited that planet many times. It was home to many orphanages and boarding schools. A young boy Astrid had met there, Karter, was spirited yet frail and always admonished for his behaviour. Many of the other children were the same; neglected and forgotten by those they were supposed to love.
Ambassador placed another picture, and Astrid leaned forward to see a lady with the green eyes of a hawk, bright red lipstick and blonde hair. She might have been considered beautiful, except for the grimace that was on her face.
"Meet Allyson Corsworth. Age, 30. No family. Owns a nightclub called The Deadly Viper."
"She looks pleasant." Caleb said sarcastically as the Ambassador moved on to the next photograph of a teen boy with piercing brown eyes and hair. He face looked as if it was stuck in a permanent frown.
"Finally, meet Thomas Oscar Winslow. Age, 21. Family, two sisters who died in a massive car accident that happened two years ago. That concludes the profiles. Extra information in the folders such as birth place, credit card numbers...you get the idea. You see, these three people want to kill one specific man. Our inside sources have discovered that they're going to strike on the day of the Royals Ball. What we need you to do is to find out the specifics: where, when and how, and stop them before they can pull it off."
Leland held up a hand. "Hold up a sec. Who do they want to kill?"
"My dad." William said from the doorway. Astrid felt herself clench and tense as he strolled into the room and sat down next to his uncle. "That's why I also must be in the plan. I know the castle inside out, I have access to things nobody has, I have the perfect excuse to be in the castle when they strike and I can be a valuable part of the plan."
"As I mentioned before, there's a high reward if you succeed. You get 16, 000$ each or 80,000$ whole." Hazel gasped next to the Captain, and she almost followed suit. The money was they earned went to food, parts and more. Most of the basic necessities were provided, but with that kind of money...new additions to the ship, beauty products, lava lamps, waterbeds, exotic foods and clothes, hot water all year long and real vacations.
"There's also an added bonus." he continued, "If your mission is successful, you all get to ask one question to the king, and he will answer it as best as he can."
This time, Astrid couldn't contain her surprise. "Us, being chosen for our survival skills because we were either runaways, orphans or stowaways, always had some part of our past that we questioned. If I did this...I could finally learn the identity of my parents." she thought to herself, "Once I know their names, I can track them down and find out more about them and about me."
"Now," the Ambassador said, getting up, "I'll leave you and your crew, Astrid, as well as my nephew, to figure out a plan. You have the rest of the day to do so, and then you'll leave at dawn tomorrow."
"Thank you, sir." Astrid said, standing up. "My ship is yours to entertain yourselves today. I look forward to seeing you at the gala tonight."
Astrid took a deep breath and faced Prince William and her crew as she took the file off of the table and flipped through it.
"Okay. We need to start by deciding who's coming. There's six of us now, and I prefer keeping it four. The two people that will stay  back will manage research and testing. Obviously, the prince and I are going, which leaves Caleb, Hazel, Sienna and Leland."
"I'll stay." Hazel said immediately. "I'm the rookie. I'm the least experienced. With a job as important as this, we can't afford mistakes. Plus, I have the most experience in research and analysis." Astrid nodded. Hazel's father was a detective, and after he died in a downtown riot and she was found fighting and brought aboard her ship barely a month ago, Hazel had retained her sleuthing abilities and instincts. This would be maximized if she stayed aboard.
"I'll stay too." Caleb said, giving Astrid a significant look full of meaning. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I think you know why." When Caleb had begun training as ship's technician, the crew had quickly found out his deep hate for royals. Caleb's family was...different, to say the least. 
It all started when the youngest son, Cole, was beaten up by a drunk royal, the king's wife's sister's husband's nephew. For anybody else, they would have been thrown into prison. But for that royal, no matter how minor he was, he got quietly reprimanded. Nothing more was said or done, and the family had to pay out of their own pocket for medical aid for Cole. Ever since then, they had visions of a world where the rules that were enforced on the public were also enforced on them.
No matter how indirectly related he was, the king would not be aided by Caleb, for the hatred and bitterness in him was deep. Astrid wondered how he could even stand the sight and the presence of the prince.
"That leaves Leland, Sienna, the prince and I." Astrid said. "Hazel and Caleb, you will remain in constant contact with us. I'll have your instructions sent to you tonight. You have the rest of the day off to do as you wish, just remember that the Ambassador needs entertainment and the gala is tonight. As for the rest of us, I want you to come up with a fake identity. Sienna and Leland, you have done this before so it shouldn't be an issue. As for you, Your Highness, your face is instantly recognizable. You will have to wear a SAD." SAD, or Seamless Additional Disguise, was on the cutting edge of technology. After programming the appearance of the SAD, it will produce a chip. That chip could be worn invisibly and will project the programmed appearance.
Astrid turned to address the group. "Remember that your identity needs to target a specific person. Review their profiles if needed. We meet here in an hour."
At her team's dedicated nods, they split up and went to their own quarters to allow their creativity to come to life and create an alternate persona.
***
An hour later, the group converged in the library. Leland stepped forward, although it was impossible to recognize him. He had taken some tonics to create an appearance with black hair cropped close, brown eyes and a few freckles.
Astrid crosses her legs and pulled out her clipboard, ready to criticize and take notes of his character.
"Name?" she asked.
"Alexander Corkov." he responded with a perfect Russian accent. Astrid's eyebrows raised, but she didn't question his accent. Instead, she put a big red check next to the box labeled Name.
"Role."
"Exchange student from Russia. Staying with my sister-in-law. Originating from Moscow. Lives on a farm."
"Family."
"A brother, Peter who is 23 and a sister, Katia who is only 16. Two parents, both dead from the influenza when I was ten. One was a farmer, the other a piano teacher. Governess, Maria Kolova. Two aunts, five uncles and twenty one cousins. A pet dog known as Fido and a cat, Frederica."
"Costume."
"A suit that was made in Russia, bifocals, books, pencil, notebook."
Astrid looked up and smiled. "All clear. Well done, Leland. Don't brake character until we're done here, please. I want it to be flawless. Next up is Sienna. Name?"
"Grace French, ma'am." Sienna has disguised herself with brown, stringy hair and blue eyes, giving her a mousy look.
"Role?"
"Lady in waiting, miss. Got hired only a few months ago. Used to work on Mars for some minor people, the ex wife of some important land owner. When my aunt moved here, I found a job near her."
"Family?"
"An older brother, Theodore, and two little sisters, Kayla and Katie. My mum and my siblings live with my aunt. My dad is always away for business trips. He's the manservant for a businessman, and gets paid handsomely, but never sends us anything. That's why Theodore has to work at a diner and me here, ma'am. We need to support the family."
"Costume?"
A little line appeared between her eyes as if trying to remember.
"Oh! What I have, you mean. I usually wear a white overcoat over black pants and shirt. I have a picture of my family in my pocket, you see. I don't have much else, other than a few things I need to have to serve." She giggled as if remembering something. "Oh, and a train ticket."
Astrid checked off everything. "Beautiful as always, Sienna. Touch up a bit on your voice; it needs to be a bit more high pitch. The role of a ditzy maid was done otherwise perfectly." The captain cleared her throat. "Your Highness, if you will."
Prince William strode forward, although he was far from recognizable. With brown hair instead of the usual sandy blonde, brown eyes and pale skin, nobody could guess he was the prince.
"The name's Mathew Winters." he said in a British accent. Apparently SAD could now alter voices as well.
"Role."
"Gentlemen. I am your escort to show you around town. Currently staying at Hotel Fleur Rouge."
"Family?"
"One younger sister, Rosemary. She's currently staying with my parents in England. She attends the Girl's Society Academy. My father is a banker. Oh, and my sister has a cat, Mr Kittens, although I don't care much for it. Bites and scratches and ruins my suits, if you know what I mean. Nasty cat. Nasty."
Despite herself, Astrid felt a smile tugging at her lips, and a little laugh escaped. That laughed turned into an explosion of laughter.
The disguised prince smirked. "I knew I'd get you laughing someday."
All of the sudden, the room grew very quiet. Astrid glared at him with her piercing cerulean eyes. "Let's not make a habit of it, shall we? If you're quite finished, your costume please."
"A suit, nothing too expensive but not too shabby. Other things that could be afforded by just any hardworking family."
The captain scribbled something down. "Good." Astrid said simply, before addressing Sienna and Leland as well. "You are dismissed. Get ready for the gala."
"What about who you are?" The prince cut in, deactivating the chip and restoring his appearance. Astrid shot him an annoyed look. "You'll see who I am when the time comes."
"Meet Hazel and I in my room, Astrid." Sienna said as William and Liam walked out. "We're getting ready for the gala together." As Astrid walked with Sienna to her room, she tried to fell happy and excited and forget about the dangerous mission at dawn.