Victory of the Stars

Chapter 1: Ambassador Lavigne

Vi was homesick.
She'd done her best to hide it, but it was difficult on such a tiny ship as the one she was traveling on.
Especially because she wore all her emotions on her sleeve.
Stupid brain. Stupid heart. Stupid leaky eyes.
She sniffed.
She really didn't want Captain Riley to think her unfit for the mission, but she couldn't help it. She'd never been away from her home planet for this long, and Vi missed everything.
She missed the forests and rivers she'd spent so many hours exploring, the prairie storms that turned the sky the exact blue-grey of her eyes, and especially the summer nights; the sky full of firebugs and the triple moons shining brightly.
She'd been surprised and thrilled when she'd gotten the message informing her that she'd been chosen as one of the ambassadors to the Galactic Council for Demetrix, her tiny planet. She'd packed a bag and gone to live at the Galactic Council's mission command right away. As the youngest ambassador there - she was only fifteen - Vi often wasn't taken seriously, but Captain Riley had changed that. He hadn't cared that she was just a young girl from a tiny, obscure planet. As a respected long-time member of the Galactic Council, he had power, and he had used that power to take her under his wing.
That's the only reason that I of all people was accepted to this mission.
Captain Riley trusted her, and she felt that she didn't deserve that if she was going to be this homesick.
A hot marble rose in her throat, almost choking her as the door to her room slid open.
She quickly looked up with wet eyes as her droid, MX8-6, rolled in, closely followed by Captain Riley. Vi quickly dried her eyes and stood up. 8-6 rolled over to her and let off a string of curse words with a few encouraging phrases hidden in the stream of profanity.
Captain Riley walked over and joined her on the small couch.
"Stars, Ambassador Lavigne, but your droid can swear," he chuckled.
Vi looked down. Suddenly, she felt very, very small.
8-6 chirped again. "---- -- Vi! Stop feeling ------- sorry for your ------- self!"
She bonked him.
"8-6! Watch your language or so help me universe I will deactivate your voice chip!" Captain Riley laughed again and looked at Vi. "Lavigne, did I ever tell you about how badly homesick I was on my first mission?"
Vi looked up at him, her accent showing through her usually careful pronunciation. "Howd'ja know I was homesick?"
Captain Riley smiled. "Everyone gets homesick, Lavigne. It's nothing to worry about."
Vi wiped her eyes again, tugging on her collar to pull it farther up, although it was already as high as a typical military uniform should be.
It was a nervous tick of hers that she'd been trying to get rid of for a long time.
"Oh," Captain Riley said, pulling a brown paper package out of his pocket. "I almost forgot! Private Zhao and Private Lauronne sent you a care package. They asked that I would make sure it found its way to you."
Vi took it, carefully unwrapping the paper.
A letter and a small package of squashy golden candies fell out. When she opened the letter a small noise escaped her throat.
It was messily written, both in Laira Lauronne's messy cursive and Dane Zhao's immaculate scrawl, and there were small drawings and flowers taped to all three pages.
Layra and Dane were her best friends, and had been since she'd arrived at the Council.
I can't believe that they'd take the time to send me a letter!
There was a fourth page, too. A small, neatly drawn sketch of the three of them together filled
the piece of paper.
Vi smiled and placed one of the candies in her mouth.
Le caramelle de trefle, she thought to herself. My favorite. Tastes like home.
"Captain?" Vi broke the silence they'd been sitting in. "Why am I here? I mean... surely there were lots of people who are more qualified than I am, or better at ... well, I guess everything. Why did you ask me to come? Stars, I don't even know what we're doing!"
Captain Riley placed a large, comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Lavigne, I picked you because I admire your courage, honesty, and intelligence. While you do have a tendency to get into fights-"
"That wasn't MY fault."
Captain Riley chuckled, and then continued. "You almost always win those fights. And even when you lose, you make it work for you. Don't think that I picked you purely out of favoritism. You are the most qualified for this mission."
She smiled up at him.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but just then the ship lurched, tipping everything sideways, and 8-6 let off a series of curses much more fit for a tavern than for a diplomatic envoy as he went sliding into a wall.