Eight years old Jo Haseul stared out of her small bedroom window, her gaze fixed on the indigo sky above – deep blue, not pink or orange like it was during the day –, so distant still so close, as she silently prayed that someday she would be able to reach it. Her brown eyes reflected the stars, the same ones she wished to visit one day. It was a far way dream, a possibility so slim that it would be better to just forget it and concentrate in living a quiet life just like the past generations of her family had.

But Haseul wasn’t like the others. She had big dreams, big aspirations that were beyond anyone else’s imagination. Dreams that she was determinate to fulfill.

Hugging her knees, she rested her chin on it, her gaze never leaving the stars. Her little sister, Yeojin, slept soundly on their shared bed. The small house was old, the boards cracking even when Jo’s light steps touched it, the rooms so small that it barely fit a single bed and a small wardrobe. This house was too small to contain Haseul’s imagination.

The little girl would spend a lot of time just looking out of her window like she was now, dreaming of all things she would do once she was old enough. She wanted to meet the world – the worlds out there. Visit the Saeg cities at north and the huge central market at the capitol, run through the city ruins at east and see the oceans in the south. More than this, she wanted to see the beautiful project for their new world – Mars, the first and only colony created by humans and Saeg, the very own planet created to become an ideal home to all of them.

Ever since the other race arrived, the ones that looked so much like humans except for their bright colored eyes, technology had progressed as both species worked together to rebuild this world. Travelling through the solar system was the biggest step ever taken by humanity, the ability to travel freely around their own planet and visit others was a breakthrough in science. Now aircrafts were everywhere, some small, some bigger, all of them equally attractive to Haseul’s heart.

Having only stepped onto commercial carriages to travel through the provinces, it was nothing like the vehicles she saw on TV. She wanted to be there, to see it up and close and to be able to command one of these things herself – a pilot, someone who never stops in a place for too long and gets to see all the cool places other people can only dream of, that was what she wanted to be. Coming from a poor family in one of the rural districts, she couldn’t be farther of this dream. Pilots were usually men trained in great academies, versed in all the new technology she wasn’t even able to approach. Still, for someone as young as her, there wasn’t such a thing as a limit to her dreams and hopes.

Only that it never changed. No matter how many years passed, Jo never forgot her dream, nor stopped fighting for it.

She grew up, every day a little more determinate than the last one. Every day sitting by her window and promising herself that she would get out of the village and find her way to the aeronautic academy.

Jo worked at her parent’s small farm, at the local shops and even at some fairs nearby. All the money going to her savings. Her parents were never very fond of the idea of letting their daughter go to a big, potentially dangerous city, but nothing could’ve stopped her. So as soon as she turned eighteen, she was out of the house and off to the capitol, Civita. And what she found there? Nothing she was prepared for.

Civita was a combination of many things, the bad and the good in a screaming contrast. One side of the city harbored the imposing castle of the Saeg royalty and the tall buildings where the human and alien politicians reunited, alongside the huge mansions of the rich families. The other side consisted of a mix of new and old constructions, grey buildings piled one on top of the other, all equally lifeless structures, surrounded by the noise sounds of the city’s vehicles and the always active market. It was beautiful, chaotic and decadent all at the same time.

Didn’t took Haseul too long to learn to love it.

Unfortunately, took her a lot longer to start to live her dream.

The academy wouldn’t simply accept a country pumpkin like her, instead she had to get a job helping to clean up the aircrafts and taking care of maintenance. This was her first contact with the spaceships, and although it wasn’t like she had dreamed of, it was a beginning. It was also how she managed to get a place to live and met her first friend, Ha Sooyoung, a mechanic with an intimidating aura that hided a gentle and fun personality. They bonded easily and Sooyoung taught her a lot about how the things worked – both in the city and with the flying machines they were responsible for.

It took Haseul a whole year to be able to get classes with a retired pilot that now worked making deliveries and decided to accepted her as an apprentice after she and Sooyoung helped her to fix her old ship. It was far from what she had pictured. The ship was huge, old and not very reliable, demanding constant maintenance, her teacher was as lousy as it gets and she would just make her run errands for her all day using the excuse it was a good way of practicing. Nonetheless, she didn’t waste the opportunity. She tried her best every day, learning the insides of the machine and working hard for a new goal: buy her own ship. Owning her own ship happened before she expected, as her mentor died due to a heart attack, leaving everything for her – what wasn’t much, but was more than she ever thought she could have.

From that day on, she and Sooyoung worked together on making that spaceship the best it could be. Haseul accepted all sort of works all around the city, and soon she was able to apply for an interstellar license. She would never forget their first trip to the Moon, it was just a simple delivery of parts for another ship, but for both girls it was an unique moment, full of tension and excitement.

Ever since many things had changed.

Soo’s younger cousin and Haseul’s little sister joined them, for very different reasons, yet both fit perfectly into the group. Hyejoo was a tech genius that helped to bring their ship to a new era, while Yeojin was always great at helping to lift the mood with her quirk remarks and loud voice. And then Vivi came along and Haseul couldn’t be more glad after meeting her. They were a weird little group, but a happy one. Finally, their crew was complete and her dream had become reality.

Or at last she thought so.

Being a pilot and the captain of the ship wasn’t an easy task. Travelling all the time, having no fixed home other than the old spaceship that still needed repairs once in a while, left little to no time for her to enjoy the sight of the night sky. The places she always dream of meeting became only one more stop to make their deliveries, after the first few times where she would stare at everything like a child and promise herself she would eventually come back and see everything with calm, she started to not pay attention to it. The people she wanted to meet for so long became just faces in a crowd so diverse that it became just natural to her. She learned about the bad aspects of things, about how petty and greedy people could be – and she became like this a little bit as well. They were always in a hurry, searching for better deals, better opportunities and more money. They were always looking for things, and failing to find them.

Her dream became reality, and reality was never as beautiful as dreams can be.

It took her a while, but she finally realized. Haseul had become an adult and life is never what you dreamed of.

Haseul was having a lazy afternoon, laying on her buck bed and staring at the old mattress of Yeojin’s bed. She probably should invest in new ones next time they got some spare money – fixing the ship always took most of her earnings, and although Jo was a naturally greedy person, she had to be fair with her crew and make sure they got their payments in time, even if most of the time it also meant there wasn’t much left for her. Grimacing, she moved on the bed, wishing they could just get a new, easy and highly paid delivery to do. She really wanted a new bed. Maybe even order some fancy meals from that Saeg restaurant at the high end of the market that was always too expensive for her wallet.

Wishes were very powerful things – there wasn’t other explanation why she heard Yeojin’s loud voice shouting her name and asking her to come to talk to some ‘fancy Saeg dude’ just half hour later.

Running her hands through her brown hair, she tried to fix it as she stood up. Grabbing a coat to partially cover her childish shirt – the one with constellations on it –, she hurried up to meet the man, praying that he was a customer and not someone from the government coming to nag her about the ship’s license renovation fee.

At the conference room – what they called the main room of the ship –, the man was sitting stiffly by the table as the crew watched him with curious looks. Haseul breathed in relieve when she made sure he wasn’t one of the government workers, and opened her trademark business smile. “I’m sorry for making you wait. I’m Jo Haseul, captain and pilot of this ship.” Her voice was full of pride and a confidence that only seem to exist when it was related to her work. She made a small reverence before offering her hand for him to shake.

The man stood up, politely replicating her actions. His hand was cold when he touched hers, the light shake didn’t last long – of course, Saegs were never big with physical contact. Haseul had to look up to face him, noticing the typical slight paler skin tone and the gentle features of his face typical to his species – one thing made her curious, and she almost furrowed her brows in confusion, but she kept her composure. The man was wearing sunglasses. She had seen enough Saegs to know how to spot them into the crowd, but without seeing his eyes it would be impossible to tell how high he was in their hierarchy.

The man must have noticed her hesitation, because the next thing he did was to ask to talk to her in particular. “If this is not a problem, of course. I have an important proposal, but it requires certain…discretion.” He lowered his voice, his tone always calm and composed.

It wasn’t typical for Haseul to keep secrets of her crew members, nor to deal with clients on her own, but still, dealing with Saegs was rare and by the clothes the man wore she could guess he was loaded – Haseul wasn’t good at saying no to money either.

Exchanging a glance with Sooyoung, she nodded slowly as the brunette shook her head slightly. “We will talk outside. Sooyoung, you take over while I’m away.” There wasn’t much to take over, but it sounded better than saying Sooyoung would have to make sure the younger ones wouldn’t try to spy on them.

The man expressed only a shadow of a smile, before bowing to the other girls and following her outside.

The ship was currently at an open field at the outskirts of the city, cold wind blowing as the two of them stood at an awkward distance. Haseul had to refrain from shiver, yet the man seem very comfortable – Saegs were more resilient to the cold.

“So, Mr…?” She began, giving him a questioning look.

The Saeg took of his sunglasses in a single, fluid motion, putting it on his pocket. “Mr. Kim. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier.” His overly polite tone was almost funny. Jo wondered if he always acted like this, she had met a couple of Saeg, but never one like this.

When he lifted his gaze to meet hers she understood the reason why.

He had bright, red eyes. A royal.

“Oh my god! I mean, I-It’s okay, sir. In what may I help you?” She blinked, trying to see Kim as a person and not only the biggest pile of money she had ever seen – even if it was probably what it meant. Haseul wished she had spent more time watching the news about them so she’d have been able to tell which one that was. A prince? The brother of the king? Just a cousin that lucked out to be born with red eyes?

Kim probably already expected such reaction and didn’t even bat and eye before continuing. “I heard you make deliveries and such. Very reliable service, efficient crew and you’re a good pilot. Over all I only heard good things.” He nodded as to emphasize his words. His gaze shifted to the ship that looked like a huge yellow lump against the grass. “However, I can see you seem to have, some…Minor, finance issues.” It was the most polite way Haseul and her spaceship had ever been dissed before – what didn’t make it any less offensive.

Instinctively, Jo crossed her arms over her chest and straightened her back to defended herself and Raven – that was the name she had given the aircraft – if needed. “We are still pretty new to the business, but as you said, we are working hard and Raven is a trustworthy ship. Besides, my crew is very competent, they make sure it is always running perfectly.” As perfect as the second hand parts she bought could run.

“I’m aware of it, Miss Jo. I admire your work.” Kim crocked his neck slightly, his red irises staring at her with attention. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I need you to do a very special work for me, a work that will be generously awarded.”

Haseul didn’t move, but his words did ring some very loud, happy bells, on her mind that were hard to ignore. She tried to remind herself to be careful and not get ahead of herself. No money was enough to risk getting herself and the girls into trouble. Please just don’t be anything illegal, she thought. “And what would that be, sir?”

“Someone very dear to me is leaving the planet. I need you to take her to New Mars.”

This time was impossible for the brunette to not frown in confusion. “A person? I thought royals had their own spaceships and we only transport machines and this kind of stuff.” She hated be the one pointing out this fact that could possibly make them lose money, but unfortunately Raven was nowhere near of being a first class ship to carry some highly ranked Saeg.

“I’m also aware of it.” Kim sounded slightly annoyed now, his cool façade showing a signal of emotion for a second. “Although this person is very important, she doesn’t qualify to use one of our private aircrafts, neither travelling in a commercial line is an option for her. Your ship on the other hand…It is not ideal, but after some investigation, I came to the conclusion is the most appropriated one.”

Be generously paid just to take a woman to Mars? It seems too good to be true and Haseul was torn between jumping in happiness, and kicking that dude out for trying to scam her. She didn’t do either. Instead, she tried to be professional.

“I see. What would the conditions for it be? I presume is not as simple as just taking her there.”

“I’m not asking for much, Miss Jo. Actually, I’ve a couple of requests, all reasonable ones.” He took a careful step closer, his eyes still on her as if he was trying to see how she would react. “My…Person, is coming with another girl. They must be well taken care of, making sure she is always safe is your number one priority. Your second one is to make sure no one besides you and your crew know about her presence, and even so, I would appreciate if you could keep the number of people that know about her social status within the crew to a minimum. Unfortunately, this young lady has had quite a lot of trouble due to it and I wish she could have a relaxing trip.” The man lowered his voice, a soft sigh leaving him.  It was obvious the person he was talking about meant a lot to him. Haseul just hoped he wasn’t hiring her to take care of his royal mistress because his wife was hunting her down.

“I need you to be the best you can be for her, make sure she is happy. You’ll have a month to take her to New Mars, therefore you should use the spare time to take her to anywhere she wants to go. Take her to see, eat and experience whatever she requests. All the expenses will be on me, so you’ll only have to make sure she has a good time.” He smiled, a sad smile filled with unfilled promises he was now trying to fulfill through someone else. “I’m trusting you and your crew to be like a family for her in this month.”

“I had someone watching you and your crew. You’ll do a good job.” He wasn’t there to buy her services as a pilot, nor Raven’s huge trunk to carry some stuff. He was there to pay her to care for and pretend to be friends with someone she didn’t even know.  No matter his reasons, it didn’t sound right. It didn’t feel right for her to take so much money to look after someone. She was a pilot and took pride on it, not a babysitter.

Still, another opportunity like this might never come around. They really needed that money.

Kim, on the other hand, seem to be unaware of her inner turmoil. He put his glasses back on, covering the red eyes that made him a special person to his people. “Another thing, you won’t mention this conversation to her. All she needs to know is that you should be at Mars by the 13 of next month and you are under her orders before it.”

Haseul clenched her fist into the pocket of her jacket, fighting her nerves. Did she really want to do it? Mr. Kim made it sound so easy – and perhaps it was. But still,  part of her was telling it was a bad idea and she should turn it down before it ruined her.

“Mr. Kim, why are you doing this? Why not sending her just when it’s time? What happens when we leave her there?” The questions probably would cost her the job, but she wouldn’t be able to accept the task before she had some answers. She could take machines anywhere, however, a person was a total different matter. She wouldn’t indulge on it if it could harm the girl in anyway.

“Is not your place to know my reasons. She will be fine there, and that’s all you need to know.” It was the first time his tone sounded arrogant, cold as the royalty was in the old movies Jo had seen in old projectors she found in the market for a couple of bucks. “You’ll receive the address and other relevant information about the trip later.” He stared at her though the glasses lenses, his face expressionless. “Only a month, Miss Jo. A month and you’ll have plenty of money for you and your crew, and a free renovation for your ship.”

Pursuing her lips, she bite back the questions that were still in her mind. Accepting this job would mean she would have to put aside her morals to some extent – not accepting meant she would lose a one in a lifetime opportunity. Her mind flashed with images of all the things that needed some sort of repair in the ship. Sooyoung, Hyejoo, Yeojin and Vivi worked so hard and still they were never able to fix it. With this money she would be able to not only fix Raven, but also spare the girls from arduous work, perhaps even guarantee them some of the things they had always wanted…And all this for a month with some strange girl.

“Now, do you accept the work?”

How hard could it be? She wouldn’t need to fake it, she could befriend the woman, therefore it wouldn’t be a bad thing…Would it? Something in the back of her head still told her it wasn’t right to get paid for it. Haseul made sure to shut this part of her conscious, giving place to the more realistic and greedy one.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do it!” Her parents wouldn’t be too proud of her for it, but she couldn’t waste the opportunity.

Mr. Kim’s lips curved ever so slight into a smile, the man nodding in agreement. “Good. I’ll send a team to start the renovations on the ship tomorrow, along with the details you’ll need for this mission.” He bowed slightly, ready to take his leave, but Haseul’s voice stopped him.

“Mr. Kim, just one more thing.” He turned and looked at her, his face expressionless as before. “What’s her name?”

“Kim Jungeun.”

Hours later, sitting by the table Haseul had to deal with the puzzling stares of her crew members. She had been careful with the information she gave out, just telling them about the fact that they would have to transport two important clients and be at their service for a month prior the main trip – she left out the part of making Kim Jungeun happy or how weird Mr. Kim was on his speech.

“What do you mean? People don’t simply give out this much money just for a simple trip.” Hyejoo serious voice echoed, her greyish eyes filled with suspicion.

Yeojin, on the other hand, seem to take the prospect of their next job with much ease. “I don’t know about you all, but if some weird dude wants to give us a bunch of money just for us to stroll to Mars, for me it sounds amazing!”

“Well, Raven does need some repairs that I really can’t make.” Sooyoung shrugged. She was one of the oldest in there and was with Haseul since the very beginning, yet sometimes it was hard to tell what was on her mind. Most of the time Yves was a playful person, joking around with the youngsters and bossing them around, but sometimes she showed a stern side to her – like in the moment. “I don’t trust easy money, but Vivi couldn’t find any dirty on this man and we can always call off the trip if these women turn out to be insane. We should keep their area separate, just to make sure...”

“They don’t kill us during our sleep?” Hyejoo completed with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “We don’t even know who those people are. I know we need money, but I’m not sure this is the best way to get it.” Albeit Son was one of the youngest ones in the group, she was always overly rational and reliable.

Haseul usually listens to her opinions, but this time it wasn’t a possibility. “They are not murders. Or anything like that. Why would they spend so much time and money just to kill us?”

“Yeah! Don’t be silly, baby wolf.” Yeojin tried to pat Hyejoo’s head, but the taller girl scared her off with a glare.

“Haseul is right. I didn’t find anything worrying regarding them, but once the girls arrive I’ll be able to get more information on them and make sure everything is okay.” Vivi finally spoke, her soft voice always had a calming effect on the group. “Criminals aren’t allowed to leave the planet since we’ve to go through security before going out of orbit, they wouldn’t risk it.”

Jo smile at the pink haired crew member, she was always thankful for having Vivi with them. “See no reason to worry! We’ll get a free renovation and money for this job. We can build a new board system!” She looked at Hyejoo, knowing the geek inside her would be pleased at the thought. “And Sooyoung will be able to rest her old back.” She winked at the taller brunette before she could hit her for making fun of her cracking bones. “And a lot of food and new beds!” This time Yeojin didn’t hesitate to jump on her seat, starting her own list of things she would like to have. “So, can we all agree on doing it? It will be good, I swear!”

Hyejoo sighed, Yeojin squealed, Vivi just smiled and Sooyoung once more shrugged. “I still think this is too good to be true, but I’m getting tired of fixing our engines.” Ha said, concluding the topic. “I just hope you are right, Haseul.”

Red eyes stared back at her in the mirror, beautiful and bright orbs that wouldn’t ever let anyone forget who she was. Not even herself.

Jungeun took a deep breath, pulling the hood over her head to partially cover her face. The velvet cloak of a deep green was warm, but she still felt a shiver ran through her spine when her gaze darted through the room for the last time. She didn’t love that place, but it was the only home she knew for so long. The suitcase placed on the bed was the only thing she was taking with her besides the memories, too little to support her for the long trip that would take her to a foreign world, to a foreign home that she wasn’t sure could be a real one.

“Jungie!” A cheerful voice echoed, a moment before she caught a glimpse of violet eyes half closed in a smile and a body crashed against hers in a clumsy embrace. “I mean, your highness!”

The older girl rolled her eyes at Yerim’s words. No one called her like that. She might be a princess, but she would never wear the title. Still, she returned the hug a little too tight. Saegs weren’t the warmest species, demonstrations of affection were rare for most and she would never be thankful enough for having as companion the warmest and kindest person there was, her best friend Yerim. “Is it time for us to go?”

 “Yes! They have a ship ready for us.” Yerim answered with a nod, her purple eyes shining. She was a noble, and just like every single noble Saeg, she carried their trademark color.

Long time ago, legend says that there was only blue eyes on their planet, but then a noble warrior returned from battle covered in blood and his eyes became red just like the liquid, they said all the royals were descendants of this honorable warrior while nobles were the result of royals mating with commoners, generating a new race. Jungeun knew better than to believe in such nonsense, but she also knew how seriously the caste system was taken between her people. Now more than ever, she wished she had inherited her mother’s blue eyes, instead of her dad’s red ones – she was the living proof that the legend wasn’t more than that, otherwise she would be the same as Yerim.

It was her turn to nod, taking a step to reach the bed and grab her suitcase – it was light and easy to carry, all courtesy of their advanced technology. It was ironic that her specie could be so advanced in some aspects, while still following such strict rules that didn’t match their time or pleased their people.

She walked towards the door, but stopped with her hand over the doorknob. “Yerim, you know you don’t have to accompany me. You should stay and focus on your classes.” Jungeun tried to sound annoyed, as if the girl’s presence was a burden instead of the one thing that made her a little less scared. She was trying to give the noble a chance of not having to follow her for once.

The younger woman giggled, seeing right through her façade. “And lose the chance of visiting Mars? I heard they have special food there, nothing can keep me away!” Her light tone didn’t match the silent message in her eyes: just like all these years, she would be with Jungeun for as long as she could. Yerim was a nobble of low level and in other circumstances she wouldn’t have been allowed near a princess – but Jungeun wasn’t a legit child, nor she had any other friends to keep her company. In what might as well have been his kindest moment, the king, Jungeun’s father, encouraged their friendship between the kids that met by chance at the castle in a day Choi’s parent were visiting – with more than just kind words, but also with much needed money that Yerim’s parents couldn’t deny –, and since then the girls had become an inseparable duo.

However they wouldn’t be together for much longer.

“Thank you. For everything.” This time it was the princess who hugged the other brunette, searching for comfort in the touch and trying to memorize the feeling of having her friend around for one last time. Even if Yerim was to accompany her to her new home, the girl would have to come back eventually, and they probably wouldn’t be able to be as affectionate around people. Breaking the hug, she took a step back to hold Yerim by the shoulders. “Promise you’ll come back when I tell you to, no matter what.”

The younger girl hesitated, her lips curved into a pout. “But Jungeun…”

“Promise.” Kim insisted, her red eyes filled with a deep concern. Whatever destiny had in store for her, bad or good, she would face it on her own. Yerim deserved better than be stuck in some isolate province of Mars. “You need to come back. Earth is your home, don’t waste it.”

 With a sigh, the purpled eyed girl nodded.

A guard broke the moment by cleaning his throat and informing it was time for them to go. Jungeun straightened herself, fixing the cape over her shoulders and once again marching to the door.

Her light steps didn’t make a sound as she walked through the large corridors of the castle with Yerim on her heels. There wasn’t a big ceremony, no one there to say goodbye to them. She would be gone from that place in the same way she had lived there: quietly and as discreet as possible. A bastard princess wasn’t better than a commoner, maybe worse.

Perhaps there was one good thing about leaving the safety of the castle, for the very first time, once she reached her new home, she would be able to walk around without having to hide who she was, without dealing with the whispers and the stares – maybe, just maybe, she would be able to feel normal. It was just a wishful thinking, but it was the only thing she could hold on to now.

The sun was low in the sky when she stepped out of the castle, its rays turning everything it touch orange. Saegs were sensitive to sunlight due to their colored eyes, what made them target to all kind of sarcastic comments about their relation to the mystic creatures in human fictional stories – vampires, overly grown bats that drunk people’s blood and spread chaos on earth –, it wasn’t something nice to hear and it bothered her as a kid. However, Jungeun had always liked to watch the sun set even if from afar. She took a moment longer to follow the guard to the outside, admiring the view one last time.

Yerim gently tacked her sleeve, prompting her to move. They would have to walk for a couple of minutes to find the place where their aircraft was, if she was something more than a bastard, she would’ve travelled in one of their official spaceships under the safety of numerous guards and a line of servers. But she wasn’t.

So she walked through the streets painted in orange, her soft steps not leaving a mark behind as she made her way to the aircraft that would take her away from earth for good.

A/N: Hello there. Hopefully this chapter will make you guys understand better what the story is going to be about and how things will work. I’ll try to make it a pleasant read.

Thank you all for reading, and I’m sorry about any mistakes. See you soo.