The Grim Reaper drifted in space like a candle about to gutter out.
Her main engine still lay silent, and only the auxiliary engine sputtered and groaned—pfft... groooan... hissss—as it dragged the ship forward in pitiful lurches.
"Hey, Osaka. Isn't that pipe in the vent belching smoke?" Naomi asked, leaning toward the grate.
Osaka's hologram swiveled around. "That smoke's normal. Matter of fact, it's better it's comin' out than nothin'. If that quits, well... then we're toast."
"Yikes. So how many hours do we have left?"
"From the aux output? Barely enough to limp to Luna Beta. Oxygen'll just about last us. Between pirates and the Empire stickin' their noses in, we cut it awful close."
"Hmm. Well, close is good enough, as long as we make port."
"That colony's AI never did like me. Always stuck-up. Old ships get the cold shoulder worst of all. Back when Grim Reaper was new, sure, but now? She's a relic. And with a name like 'Grim Reaper,' that AI'll probably gripe twice as hard."
"What if we changed the name?" Naomi grinned.
"Alright, how 'bout Happy-Go-Lucky? Or maybe Angel?"
"No way. That's begging for us to sink out of sheer embarrassment."
As they neared Luna Beta, a sharp voice broke into their comms, almost certainly the port AI.
'This is Luna Beta Port Control. Registration: unknown. Year of manufacture: two centuries past. Armament: excessive. Vessel name: Grim Reaper?'
"Hey, that's prejudice! Registration's still pending!" Naomi protested.
'Entry denial count exceeds fifty. Refusal confirmed—'
"Wait just a moment!"
Serena's voice cut in, clear and commanding.
"I am Serena Luxia Valdis. Would this colony dare refuse docking to a true princess of the Galactic Empire?"
'...Verifying... verifying... records cross-checking...'
'...Voiceprint match. Biometric match. Serena Luxia Valdis, Seventh Princess of the Empire... Your Highness.'
'...Docking granted. Welcome, Your Excellency.'
"W-wow. Being a princess really is something," Naomi breathed.
"Heh-heh-heh. Naturally~desuwa!" Serena said with regal pride, though the relief softening her face betrayed her nerves.
"Alright then, Captain," Osaka said. "Dockin's approved. We'll tie up at a rental dock. This one's Category Two, so keep a steady hand on the stick."
"Got it. I'll do my best. Uh... what's Category Two again?"
"Forgot to mention. Ports grade their entry systems. Cat Two means you get lasers for horizontal and vertical alignment, plus marker beacons for range. You gotta steer in yourself usin' those. Cat Three? All automatic—easy as pie."
Naomi carefully eased the ship along the guidance lasers, reversing in.
"Don't rush it. Just make sure you don't ding the port," Osaka warned.
It took a few corrections, but at last she nestled the ship against the dock, clamps locking them in place.
"Phew, that was tense! Backing in is tough."
"Yeah, but it's good practice. Someday you'll need that precision."
"Just watching made me nervous," Serena admitted, impressed. "And to dock backwards—such a first for me."
"Wait... backwards isn't normal?" Naomi tilted her head.
"Hah. Princess, the ships you've flown were all warships, right? Front-first makes sense if times are peaceful."
"Uh, peaceful means front-first, and war means backwards?" Naomi asked, puzzled.
"Exactly. Front-first is easier to steer, sure. But backwards? Big perk's gettin' out quick. In wartime, you never knew when you'd need to launch at a second's notice. That's why they parked 'em rear-first."
Listening, the two girls nodded as they disembarked.
"So first stop: sell off the scrap we hauled from the graveyard, right?" Naomi asked, remembering the pile of wreckage stacked on the recovery deck.
"Oh? Those were for sale? I thought they were spare repair parts," Serena blinked.
"Nope. What's left isn't useful for our ship. We gotta sell it off to buy real spares. Docking fees already drained us dry. And this rental dock? Pay's due before we leave."
Serena smirked, puffing up. "Fufufu. Leave it to me! I am the Seventh Princess, after all. And of course I carry funds. This card could buy a brand-new shuttle outright."
With a flourish like a fanfare, she presented her card.
"Whoa-ho! Now that's handy. But... you sure you're alright coverin' our tab?" Osaka asked.
"Think of it as my fare, desuwa. Payment for my passage."
"...Er, Princess? I hate to say it, but I checked that card's data. It's linked to a frozen account."
"F-frozen? Wh-what!? Whose authority could possibly freeze a royal account!?"
Serena shook the tablet displaying Osaka's face, trembling.
"Easy, now. Hate to break it to ya, but... records say the ship carryin' you and the Emperor was hit by terrorists ten years ago. Listed as sunk."
Serena's face went deathly pale. Her body quaked, knees buckling until Naomi rushed to catch her—but she collapsed to the floor anyway.
"S-sunk...? Then Father...?"
Her words broke into sobs, tears spilling in torrents as ragged cries filled the empty rental dock. Naomi held her close, letting her grieve without restraint.
Only after long minutes did Serena rise again, eyes red and swollen but her back straight, determination pushing her forward as she returned to Naomi's side.
"Naomi, thank you..." Serena's voice trembled. She turned toward the comm. "Osaka... do you know what became of my family, besides my father?"
Naomi shook her head in silence. Serena must have already braced herself for the truth, yet a part of her still clung to hope. Naomi wanted to offer comfort but found no words that would not ring hollow.
Osaka's voice came back heavy. "Yeah, I know... but sorry, Princess. Ain't no good news here. Word is the whole Valdis royal line got wiped out. To put it plain, the third son cut a deal with terrorists, struck down His Majesty the Emperor along with the whole family... and afterward, Glanz Nei-Vald himself put him down. That's the story bein' told."
"The third son... Brother Franz?" Serena's eyes flashed. "He was frail, too weak to even appear in court. Him leading a massacre? That's absurd. And terrorists? Don't make me laugh. That day, right before our eyes, it was Uncle Glanz aboard the warship Impeldas."
From her breast pocket, she drew out a pendant and held it tight.
"Well now, Princess," Osaka drawled. "Where'd ya come by that pendant?"
Serena lifted it toward the tablet lens so Osaka could see.
"This was given to me by my father... when he sent me away in the escape capsule ~desuwa."
The pendant was carved from magical ore, bearing the crest of the royal house.
"Hold it steady right there... okay, got it. Hmmm. Well I'll be. That thing's carryin' the whole luminous chart of the galaxy, far as the Empire knew back then—top military secret stuff. And here... looks like battle records from the warship Celestial. Princess, this could be the proof that Glanz Nei-Vald was the one who staged the rebellion."
"..."
Naomi and Serena turned to each other, their faces pale, eyes wide.