A/N One thing it would probably be good to know about me is that I have one rather important flaw in common with my favorite author, (you all know who that is by now.) I really do enjoy the sound that deadlines (self imposed or otherwise) make as they go by. So if you what me to get anything written ask me to have it done a month before you actually want it.

Other than that right now I'm faced with the most frightening thing in the universe, and I'm unarmed. The most frightening thing of coarse as all writers know is a blank page. And what weapon you ask could combat such a frightening creature that weapon of course would be inspiration of which I have none. Hence I'm unarmed.

Any ways just read and review, as always, this probably won't be as good as usual.

Kage Alexander and I reached my quarters to find Kage Senna napping on my sofa.

"Senna-chan grab the map lets go," she just stared up at me her amber eyes gleaming with annoyance at being disturbed. She picked the sphere up off the end table by her head and threw it at me. I caught it mid flight by my ear silver blue claws forming a cage that saved Alex from being smacked in the face.

"Who says I'm coming?" she grumbled.

"I do cousin" Alex said stepping out from behind me. Senna and Alex weren't actually cousins it was really just a way of addressing a relation so distant that there wasn't an actual title for them or that it would take up half of ones conversation just trying to get through said title. In the same way I would address my grandniece's sister's daughters cousin simply as 'cousin'. That is all because we elves can most accurately be described as lazy. Were really just creative and like to get all those tedious time wasters out of the way. Which is rather odd because most of the tedious rituals of the United Elements high court are based on elven high court customs. Were not really lazy we just seem to enjoy creating technology to make our lives easier so that we can do the things we really, really want to do like; art music or the obvious as with any race: sex.

On a completely unrelated note I don't have a grandniece but with the easy lives my clan (and all the elven clans really) live I will soon.

I sat on the bridge of the Maidens Cradle. It was strange after all these years (about three really, but when so much happens in such a short space of time it seems a great deal longer) to be back with Alex and Senna on the bridge of a glorified trade vessel. It was almost as if I'd never left. This was good.

The Maidens Cradle lurched out of the dock as any even the finest ship would. I plugged the thin link cable into the small round data transfer implant on the side of my neck just below and behind my ear close to a primary nerve track under the skin and plugged the other end of the cable into the ships navigation computer. Holding the map in my hand I fed the data from it into the Maidens Cradle's on board computer.

I took the controls in my hands before the autopilot used for undocking switched over to manual. After all I always had the sprit of a pilot. Even if right now I was wasting time on my annual leave of absence between assignments; the perfect time to go gallivanting off at random in search of gods know what for no other reason than 'because'.

I loved my job.

Lying, no floating, nothing around me, somewhat warm, but cool at the same time like an ocean of blank whiteness, wait no, it is an ocean. I open my eyes slowly staring up at a strange violet-blue sky. Floating. Little puffs of white clouds, hey they look familiar. ThatonelookslikesomethingI'veseenbefore. Ow…that…ow…hurt.

I snapped to awareness. And took control of my consciousness back. Sometimes when a pilot jumps to hyperspace without putting up a firewall between the ships computer and their higher brain functions there can be a tendency to get lost in strange hallucinations. In my excitement I had forgotten to do just that. Fortunately I had strong enough mental control to win my senses back..

I stared blankly at the screen, after days at light speed I was, quite frankly rather bored. It was because of the fact that we were following the map; I couldn't set the ship on autopilot and find someway to entertain myself.

"Oi, Rae, we've spotted something on long range."

"Feed my board the readings,"

"Aye sir. " Alex chuckled. I raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You just sound so captainly." He smirked.

"Oh, shut up Alex, before I decide to pull rank on you." I said shaking my head and tapping at the board. "It looks like a planet," I said not "entirely sure at that distance, scan again."

"it's a planet all right, aqueous, oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere, your regular every day life supporting planet by the looks of it."

"it also looks like its where the map leads, altering course now."