“What?!” exclaimed Sana in a panic, grasping at the sides of the console in the cockpit, her face uncomfortably close to its speaker. “W-What do you mean something’s broken?!”

Tomoe pulled her away. The two of them had just come to the cafeteria for some quick breakfast, only to be called to the cockpit by Coraline where they were given some bad news.

“Calm down,” Tomoe said, before turning her attention back to Coraline. “Given you’re acting calmly about it, I assume you already have a solution?”

“Yes,” Coraline answered. “The solution is clear. One of you simply leave the ship and fix the navigations system on sight.”

Tomoe stared at the panel. “I assume that you know the small flaw in your plan, here, right?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there to instruct you on how to replace the parts through the speaker attached to the suits,” Coraline assured. “It will be simple. As the prior captain would say, ‘Merely put on the suit one foot at a time and don’t think about your fear of the unknown.’”

“I don’t have feet!” snapped Sana.

“Yes, that is an unambiguous fact.”

“Then how do you expect us to leave the ship?!” asked Sana, jabbing a finger at the panel. “You told Tomoe that if we go out without a suit then we’ll surely die!”

“I’m not expecting the two of you to go out at all,” replied Coraline. “There is someone else I have in mind.”

Tomoe blinked. “Who?”

“There you are.” Sana and Tomoe looked behind them to find that Charlotte had finally left her bed. They had tried to get her out of bed before coming here, but she had been unresponsive. At the time, Coraline assured them that she wasn’t, like, dead, but merely in a deep sleep.

“What are you two doing here?” the centaur asked tiredly, folding her arms beneath her chest. “I would’ve thought you’d be in the cafeteria.”

Tomoe and Sana glanced at each other, before turning their attention back to Charlotte, realization dawning on their faces.

Charlotte frowned. “What?”

“You’re joking,” Tomoe said flatly. “Coraline you must know that this is ridiculous.”

“The two of you cannot wear the suits without significant alterations.That is true,” Coraline admitted. “However, if we were to combine two large suits, connected one’s neck to its backside, it should be enough for a simple mission as this. Or am I incorrect in assuming that you don’t know how to sew? If that’s the case, then—”

“I know how to sew!” interrupted Tomoe. “It’s just…” She glanced at Charlotte and the words died in her throat.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Charlotte demanded to know.

“There’s a problem,” Sana explained, unable to meet Charlotte’s eyes. “Apparently the ship’s… ‘navigational systems,’ aren’t working anymore. I don’t know what they do, but Coraline says we can’t get to the space station without them. So, someone needs to fix it.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “So? Fix it then,” she said.

“So, that’s the issue.” Sana laughed awkwardly. “We have to leave the ship to fix it. And the only way to leave the ship safely is to wear the spacesuits. But Tomoe and I don’t have the right body types for the suits to fit. But, well…”

Charlotte looked confused for a moment before understanding dawned on her face. “No.” She shook her head. “There’s no way I’m doing it.”

Tomoe looked between Charlotte and Sana, before muttering. “You two hash it out. I’ll just grab the suits and start on the patch job.” With those words, she scuttled out of the cockpit, disappearing around the corner.

Sana bit her lip, as Charlotte glared at her. Sana couldn’t exactly meet her eyes. “Coraline says that if we don’t fix the navigation systems then there’s a good chance that the ship will fail to reach the space station we’re heading to. Then she says we’ll run out of fuel and then food…” She didn’t bother to finish.

“I wasn’t the one who wanted to go!” Charlotte snapped, jabbing a finger in Sana’a face.

“I-I know! But we didn’t have any other option,” protested Sana. “And besides that doesn’t matter anymore! If someone doesn’t fix it then we’re doomed!”

“You’re exaggerating,” Charlotte said with a wave of her hand.

“Unfortunately she isn’t,” Coraline said. “There certainly is a small chance that we will make it to the Nemesis Station but more than likely we’ll end up missing it and travel into uncharted space. There we will run out of fuel and you three will starve to death.”

Charlotte swallowed, rethinking her stance. She gave Sana a desperate look. “Is there any possible way you can go out there?” she asked, practically begging.

Sana shook her head. “No,” she said a little sadly, before brightening a little. “But look on the bright side! You’ll be the first centaur to ever go out into space.”

“Yeah,” muttered Charlotte. “Great.”

“Have you sorted this out?” Tomoe returned, in her arms a pair of spacesuits with their helmets. “Good. I grabbed the largest suits I could find.”

Charlotte winced. “Um, I’m sure that the smaller suits would fit me fine.”

Tomoe rolled her eyes. “Sure, honey,” she said sarcastically. “If these are too big, I’ll be sure to change them out.” She placed the suits on a nearby chair, before turning back towards Charlotte. “Here.” She tossed her a hairnet, which Charlotte easily caught.

Charlotte gave the object a strange look. “What is this for?” she asked.

“To hold up your hair.” Tomoe held up a helmet. “You’re going to choke inside these helmets with the amount of hair you have.”

Charlotte sighed. She truly regretted picking up that stupid button.

“It’s too tight,” Charlotte grumbled, trying to adjust the sewn together orange suits she was wearing so that it was more comfortable. After Tomoe had finished sewing the two suits together so that they would fit her body type, Charlotte had put it on and stepped into a room called the “Airlock,” by Coraline. The door then shut behind her, leaving her separated from Tomoe and Sana.

Luckily there was a way for her to talk to the others, installed within the helmet she was wearing. Coraline had called it a radio, and Charlotte wished they had the technology during the war. It would’ve surely helped.

Charlotte could hear a whizzing noise around her, as Coraline began to talk to her. “Once the door to the deck opens you won’t be able to remove your helmet without dying. The moment you step out, use the carabiner and rope to attach yourself to the railing, before doing anything else. Because we had to combine two suits together it means we had to remove some of the propulsion units. If you float off into space, none of us will be able to do anything to bring you back.”

Charlotte swallowed and nodded. “Understood.”

“The artificial gravity field will also not work outside the ship. You’ve experienced zero gravity before so I won’t go into detail, but just be sure to be careful when moving forward.”

Charlotte just nodded again.

“Good luck!” Sana said through the radio.

I don’t need luck, Charlotte thought. I need a miracle.

The doors opened up and Charlotte felt herself grow lighter all of sudden. Must’ve been that zero gravity concept that Coraline was talking about. Charlotte hung to the right wall of the airlock, as she took small steps towards the railing. Once she was close enough, she snapped the carabiner to the railing and looped the rope attached to it around a small keyring on the side of her suit.

Charlotte let out a sigh of relief. Safe. She was safe. She looked up and immediately felt her breath taken away.

It was hard to see the scope of outer space from the cockpit. It was only a window after all. There was only so much someone could see through it.

But here, outside, Charlotte could see it all. The glittering silver that she paid no mind back home shined brightly all around her. The star, the one she had seen when she arrived here, still shined as the brightest thing she could see, but it was smaller now. No longer could she see the swirling flames that made up its surface, only its bright orange color.

“-lotte!” Charlotte suddenly became aware that Sana was shouting her name through the radio. “Are you alright?!”

Charlotte couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “I’m fine,” she replied. “Just getting my balance.” She tugged on the rope to make sure it was secure, before using her hind legs to jump forward. She was a little surprised by how far she went. The only reason she didn’t go farther was the rope that tugged on her lower body, bringing her back to the ship.

“I told you to be careful,” admonished Coraline.

“Sorry,” muttered Charlotte as she landed back on the ground and stretched her legs a little. “It’s just that it’s hard to move around with human shoes on my hooves.”

“It was a patch job,” drawled Tomoe. “I was in a hurry.”

Charlotte scowled. “Just point me to where I’m supposed to go, yeah, Coraline?” She patted a small bag slung around her shoulders. “Let’s get this over with.”

Charlotte followed the directions that Coraline gave her, making her way carefully across the bow of the ship until she finally reached the spot Coraline had previously pointed out to her. She looked over the railing, seeing the panel she’d have to fix.

Now came the hard part.

“You’ll have to rappel down,” Coraline said.

“I-I know,” the centaur stammered. She gripped the railing preparing to climb over.

“You’re a failure.”

Charlotte gritted her teeth, trying to ignore her father’s voice echoing in her head. “Shut up,” she muttered

“Sorry?” Sana asked through the radio

Charlotte shook her head. “Nothing,” she said. “I’m going to go over now.”

“Alright just be careful,” Sana said.

“Of course.” Charlotte nodded, before checking to make sure the rope was secure, before climbing over the railing and, after a moment of hesitation, hopping off.

Of course, she didn’t exactly fall down. Instead, Charlotte placed her hand on the railing once she was over it and pushed herself down. The force let her float towards the panel slowly. Once she was about eye level of the panel, she stopped herself by grabbing the rope, so it would hold her in place.

Charlotte let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in. “Okay I’m here,” she said.

“You could never even follow the simplest of orders.”

Charlotte’s eye twitched. “Can I get started, Coraline?”

“Yes,” came the immediate reply. “As we discussed.”

Charlotte nodded and, using another carabiner, attached the tool bag to the rope. She pulled out a screwdriver, holding onto it as tightly as possible. “Be careful not to lose your grip on anything,” Coraline had told her. “Once you remove the screws, store them in your bag. You’ll need them to put the panel back.”

As she had been told, Charlotte removed the screws and stored them in her bag, before opening the panel up like a door. She stared at the mess of machinery and wires before asking, “What do I do now?”

“Remove the motherboard,” Coraline instructed.

“Got it.” Charlotte nodded and, after some fiddling, managed to remove the motherboard. “What do I do with it?”

“It’s unimportant. Toss it,” Coraline said firmly.

Charlotte nodded and went to toss it over her back.

“Trying to uphold your honor, despite always making mistakes.”

…After a second thought, Charlotte used another carabiner to attach the motherboard to the rope, just so it wouldn’t go anywhere. After she was done with that, she turned back to the equipment and stared at it for a moment, searching for a specific chip that she had been shown beforehand. Coraline had mentioned that she would need it to get it so that the ship could properly navigate to the station. It apparently acted as a sort of counter tracking how far the ship had traveled and how fast, so it corrections in its route. However…

“It’s not here.”

“I’m sorry?”

“There isn’t any chip where you said it would be,” Charlotte said, her hand searching the edges of the opening for anything she might’ve missed. “Are you sure there’s something here?”

“Hm.” Charlotte paused, sensing an amount of distress in Coraline’s voice. “I did not think that would be the case.”

“What is it?” Sana asked.

“I believe someone must’ve sabotaged the ship while I wasn’t aware,” Coraline explained. “Though I cannot tell you why someone would do this.”

“Ok but,” Charlotte said. “Does that mean we can’t fix it?”

“No. But you’ll need the motherboard I just asked you to remove,” Coraline answered.

“Right. So-!”

“But you just said that she could throw it away!” Sana suddenly shouted on the other end, causing the radio next to Charlotte’s ear to buzz uncomfortably. “It’s probably floated away from her by now!”

“Yes that is true,” agreed the AI. “As such the only suggestion I can give is for Charlotte to remove herself from her lifeline and attempt the get the old motherboard before it is too late.”

“That would kill her!” Sana shot back.

“Hey-!” Charlotte tried to get a word in but quickly found herself being drowned out by the arguing on the other end.

“It would not immediately kill her,” Coraline pointed out calmly. “She’d merely float away from the ship in deep space. Most likely she’d die. Still, if we’re to have any hope of fixing the Eldridge XIII’s navigational systems, she’ll need to risk it.”

“You’re one cold bitch aren’t you?” Tomoe said.

“We can’t!” Sana insisted. “Charlotte you should come back-!”

“Hey!” Charlotte snapped loudly, hearing the bickering on the other side finally die down. “It’s fine,” she grunted. “I have the old board right here. Just tell me what I need to do and let’s just get this over with.”

“O-Of course.” Even through her monotone voice, Charlotte could tell that Coraline was a little surprised. She didn’t know what Sana and Tomoe’s reactions were, but given their silence, she could guess they were slightly impressed with her.

See father, she thought. I may have made mistake before. I may have failed to follow your orders. But here, my own choice saved my life. That must count for something, right?

Their blood stains your hands. That sin will never wash off.

Charlotte’s hands paused for a moment before she continued to work. “Let’s just get this over with,” she muttered.

“As you wish.”

It didn’t take her so long to finish fixing the navigational systems until Coraline was happy. She didn’t really understand what she did, but when she returned to the inside of the ship, Sana threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

“H-Hey!” Charlotte tried to push her off, but when that didn’t work, she just settled for removing her helmet and shaking her hair free.

Sana looked up at her, meeting her eyes and Charlotte was startled to find tears flowing down her face. “I was just so worried!” she cried, burying her face into Charlotte’s bosom.

Tomoe shrugged, but at the same time, she looked impressed. “Honestly thought you were going to die out there.”

Charlotte idly scratched her cheek, appearing bashful. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. The most annoying part was the suit.” In fact, she was already trying to get out of it right now. “Still I think I’ll avoid going out myself from now on. You two should come with me next time.”

Tomoe chuckled lightly. “No chance in hell,” she said, before glancing up at the ceiling. “Coraline, is everything okay now?”

“Yes. We will now reach the Nemesis Space Station in less than a day.”

“Great.” Charlotte let out a sigh, happy to have put this experience behind her. At the same time, Sana backed away. “In that case, I think I’ll eat something small and turn in.”

A thin smile crept across Tomoe’s face. “Oh? You’re going to do all that naked? Is that any way for a princess to act?”

Charlotte paused in the doorway. “To be frank,” she said. “What do titles matter in a situation like this? And besides…” She cast her eyes downward and muttered the next part to herself. “…I don’t really deserve to be called a princess.” With those words, she left.

Tomoe blinked. She hadn’t caught the last part said, but… “What was that all about?” she asked herself suspiciously. She had expected the horse to be a little more amazed by herself after what she had just done. Yet it looked more like it had frustrated her more than anything.

“Ah well, prolly just some daddy issues or something” she muttered, hearing Sana chat with Coraline behind her. For now, she didn’t have the time to think about Charlotte’s problems.

Less than a day. Her eyes narrowed. They would be entering a goblin’s village. Sana might be optimistic about their chances to get home, but Tomoe was a little more cynical.

She held up her face close to her face as a small ball of fire magically appeared above it. Tomoe had kept her magic secret for now. It was her weapon. Tomoe was no mere arachne. She was a talented mage, one who had honed her magic for her entire life.

She smirked. “If those humans dare to turn on us,” she muttered to herself, clenching her fist. “I’ll be sure to burn them all alive.”

At least…

That was the plan.

But, it took less than a day for her to realize how futile it was.

“You can see the Nemesis Space Station from here,” Coraline announced the next morning when they all gathered in the cockpit.

The space station was a large cylindrical metal structure with multiple rings orbiting around it and bits of light dotting its surface. It stood in the shadow of a large gas planet with blue and white clouds rapidly churning on its surface. In the distance, Tomoe could see many more moons orbiting the planet.

But the problem was…

“Coraline,” Tomoe said, her voice a little shaky, not surprised at how equally stunned Sana and Charlotte were at the sight. “How many people are on this space station?”

“Nemesis hasn’t officially updated their population counts in twenty years,” answered Coraline. “But current estimates put their population at around 2.5 million people living within its structure.”

Tomoe swallowed. She had been wrong. This was no village.

This was a full-on spider’s nest.