It is with great pleasure that we unveil the first official installment of Dream Flight Adventure fan fiction!
Major props go out to our good friend Mia—a brilliant young student, and quite the literary prodigy, if I do say so myself—for writing a fantastic novella and winning the April Dream Weaver Challenge!
Everyone with me, one, two three: Hip Hip Hooray!
Mia really went above and beyond the call of duty on this one, and I’m delighted to share her fantastic work here for the world to see. We have the first three chapters of her epic tale, and hopefully we can twist her arm into writing more.
With the dawn of a new month the Dream Weaver Challenge has been reset again, refreshed with a new batch of topics for you to creatively weave into epic adventures like Mia’s.
And now, without further ado, Chapter One:
My legs tremble as I walk into the debriefing room. Admiral Starblayze stands at the head of the room. The other crew members and I turn to him and salute sharply, hands at our sides. Only a few minutes ago, I had been pulled out of training and instructed to go to Admiral Starblayze’s office. Many of the other cadets looked at me with surprise, and others with jealousy. Only my closest friend, Nicholas Tern, looked at me with admiration and approval. We all knew that a pullout could mean only one thing: a place in the crew of the I.K.S. Titan. Since I am a relatively young cadet of only eleven, being chosen to be in the crew at all is huge honor. I know what is about to happen next, as do the cadets around me. The first and perhaps most longed for part of the mission is about to begin. I feel the tension in the air rising. Admiral Starblayze clears his throat and begins to read off the stations.
“David Augustine, Captain.” I look around me, waiting for another, older, more experienced cadet who bore a similar name to stand up and take his suit. No one is. Lizzy McConnell (a spirited girl who I recognize from training) is standing at attention next to me. She shifts her weight the tiniest bit and flicks me in the shoulder with her brown hair. “Go!” she hisses under her breath, trying not to giggle at my ignorance. I come forward, take my uniform, and go into the adjacent room to change. I finish and stand beside him at the farthest position from the airlock. As captain, I will enter last. My breath quickens. As captain, I think. There must have been a mistake. There must be a different David who got mixed up with me. I can’t do this! I’ve never even run a mission before. I don’t know what to do! I glance at Admiral Starblayze for reassurance, but he’s already moved on.
“Rosie Keylen, first officer. Kyle Royle, second officer. Jean Luc Baudion, Pilot. Layla…” I know he is still talking, but I can’t help but wonder what our mission is. We won’t know until everyone knows their station. They (as in the admirals) won’t brief us on our mission until we know what our position is. They say it is so we have time to think about how our station will correspond with the mission. I can hear Admiral Starblayze ending. Lizzy is shifting from foot to foot nervously. She hasn’t been called yet. “Kirsten Stylo, communications officer. Eliza McConnell, deck chief.” Lizzy nearly squeals with excitement as she takes her uniform and scurries off to change. I feel important in my suit, and realization of what I’m about to do finally kicks in. Missions aren’t easy and and are often dangerous. As captain, if anything happens to my crew, well, it won’t end well. Lizzy and Kirsten have finally exited the changing room and are in line. We stand straight and turn to face Admiral Starblayze. He clears his throat then begins to speak.
“Many of you have heard of the star system Koan. Your mission takes place at one of its planets, Ruath. It is, and has been, a mining slavery foundation. The slaves get transported to Lun to where they mine the resources. From there, the resources, normally precious stones and gems, are taken to the small settlements in Mura. The craft workers in Mura are famed for their prestigious sculptures and makings. The things they make are shipped back to the higher ranking officials in Ruath. There is a flaw in this system, however. It is completely automated. The robots used to transport the slaves have no way to understand human feelings There have been rumors of rebellion and restlessness. It must be stopped! Your orders are to prevent the rebellion, but I trust you to do what you think is best. Good luck.” The crew members nearest to the airlock begin to file in slowly. As they do, Admiral Starblayze pulls me aside. “I know what you are thinking and how nervous you are. But I trust you to make the best decision for your crew. You are one of our best cadets. Have you ever heard the saying ‘better sooner than later’?” I nod quickly. “That applies today.” I follow my crew into the airlock, and step onto the bridge of the I.K.S. Titan.
Stay tuned for the gripping continuation…