Empty Toward The Moon

Chapter One

Someone once said that we are made of star stuff. It was quoted by an early astronomer named Carl Sagan in the late twentieth century, before man had ever left our ancestral home of Old Earth, and studying stars was a thing. Before the jump drive was invented, before the great diaspora from the Sol Sector and the 84 star systems coming under the Human Alliance Space. Even before we learned we weren't alone in the universe.

Star stuff. Carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms and other heavy elements, essentially made from the remnants of dead stars from billions of years ago. Evolved from the mire, revolutionized into a people group that would conquer the greater part of our galaxy. Clusters and clusters of star systems, trillions and trillions of progeny. An intelligent species climbing the ranks of power in a massive universe.

And here I was hiding under my blanket reading replica of ancient manga from the old histories. This is what I have come to, the great Travicia Briller, heir apparent to this sector's largest and most powerful corporation. Why am I hiding my nasty habit, might you ask? Simple really. I am a good girl, and good girls... Do. Not. Read. Comic books.

I could read on my BrainComp, but because I'm technically still a minor, it still gets monitored occasionally. I could buy a holo projector and read in a quiet sealed room, but there really is nothing on Briller Prime as exciting as reading manga on plexi-paper. Hard goods. Real print. Just nothing like it.

You can blame it on my older brother, Tomas Briller. I inherited his collected, a whole crate-full, when he left for basic training with the Allied Space Fleet two years ago. I've read them four or five times each now, but I still have to hide this nasty habit of mine.

I mean, there could be worse things a girl like me could get addicted to. High end transports, jewellery, stims, clothing, and goddess, don't get me started on shoes. My personal assistant spends most of her pay check each month on high end fashion shoes.

I get it, really I do, but when your personal shopper does all the shopping for you and you just turn up to receptions, banquets and social gatherings in whatever they have organised for you, you'd get sick of all those thousands of items of clothing and accessories too.

I'm telling you, it isn't easy being this rich and powerful. Being a senior high school student with a FULL social calendar, family and Briller Corporation obligations, and studying for college entrance exams on top of that, it is no wonder that I take every minute of free time to hide away and engage in the only vice I have that no body else knows about.

"Cia, Miss Cia, your mother is calling for you." A feminine voice carefully calls from outside my little cave.

"Pardon?" I jump from out of my bed covers and hide the dog-eared plex-print manga back into the lock crate under my bed and scramble for the main door before my maid can enter my bedroom suite.

"One moment, please." I quickly pull out a mirror on a grav-unit and let if float before me while I tidy my hair and de-wrinkle my dress. Lovely, pretty and oh so perfect, I flick the mirror towards my dressing room and quickly slip into my Bangel velvet flat pumps. These babies are worth my assistant's monthly pay check all by themselves.

Opening the door, I pause to look at the maid before me. Giving her a stern look, I watch her for a moment, reading any emotion she has on her face before I give her directions for cleaning my suite.

"Dana, a strap has come loose on a pair of emerald heals, please have them replaced. You will find them just inside the dressing room. Also, unpack the cosmetics that was delivered while I was in school, and have the bedroom window shades removed. I'm getting tired of the umbre look this season. I'd like them to be light silver please." Having said everything I needed to for my maid to keep herself busy for the next few hours, I turn to leave, but then pause.