Stargirl

Villa Sol returns to the Locomotive and secures the hidden compartment beneath the engine casing. The brass-edged token locks its cover, while the navigation crystal remains isolated in the auxiliary reader.

She records the crystal’s unfamiliar route and disconnects the reader from navigation, propulsion, and communications. Departure preparations can continue, but the ship’s old discovery now sits sealed behind her.

A docking-lock alert interrupts the cabin. On the berth camera, a lean young adult woman waits alone in a charcoal courier coat, her dark hair clipped short on one side and a silver authentication case held against her chest.

The lock display verifies the claim’s chain of custody, though not its final ownership. It names a vanished trader captain who reported the Locomotive stolen years before Villa Sol acquired it.

Sera, with warm brown skin, a narrow face, and a small mole, extends the authentication case toward the camera. Behind her, the docking lock remains open, and the berth records her as an authorized visitor rather than an owner.

Sera studies Villa Sol through the docking camera, her grip tightening around the silver case. The station’s contractor registry and Villa’s fresh Kinetica commendation appear beside the ownership claim.

She checks the berth authorization again, then lowers the case. The lock display changes from ownership review to visitor clearance, recognizing Villa Sol’s right to remain aboard the Locomotive.

Sera steps back into the station corridor. The docking lock closes behind her, and the berth system clears the visitor from Villa Sol’s access channel without further challenge.

Villa Sol leaves Locomotive behind and arrives at the first jump point in the navigation crystal's route.

The Locomotive emerges at the first jump point beneath a violet gas giant, its cloud bands threaded with pale electrical storms. A ring of shattered satellites circles the planet like frozen debris.

The navigation crystal settles into a stable route projection, linking the ship to a dark orbital structure ahead. Its silhouette resembles a station, but no registry identifies it.

As Villa Sol brings the Locomotive into a cautious holding position, the auxiliary display reveals a narrow docking corridor through the wreckage. The path is precise enough to be deliberate.

A dormant beacon on the structure wakes as the ship aligns with the corridor. Its signal carries no words, only a repeating identification pulse keyed to the Locomotive’s old registry.

The crystal adds a second destination beyond the station, deeper in the gas giant’s shadow. Before that route can resolve, the abandoned facility opens a docking aperture and illuminates a single green guide line.

Villa Sol holds the Locomotive steady through the debris corridor, matching the facility’s green guide line while shattered satellites drift harmlessly beyond the hull.

The old registry pulse synchronizes with the docking controls. Guidance vanes adjust around the ship, and the aperture widens to accept the Locomotive’s trainlike profile.

She guides the Locomotive through the aperture and settles it onto the facility’s inner berth. Magnetic clamps engage in sequence, securing the ship without a jolt.

Beyond the cockpit glass, dormant service lights awaken along the docking bay. Dust lifts from the deck in slow spirals, revealing faded cargo markings beneath.

The crystal’s route projection shifts as the berth seals, bringing the second destination into sharper focus. A narrow access passage opens at the far end of the bay.

A status panel beside the hatch illuminates with the Locomotive’s old registry symbol, followed by a simple request: PRESENT CREW AUTHORIZATION.