Once Upon a Star

Camilla groaned and sat up, her old bed creaking under her weight. Though she wasn't overly heavy, she also wasn't skinny. But she was a collector of antique items, specifically from the 21st century, and earlier. She now wore what had been a 'nightgown' from the 20th century, and she loved the way it felt on her tired and callused body.

This middle-aged woman was a wealthy pirate, with a sparkling silver ship. The only 'modern' thing she possessed. Everything else was from those earlier years, before technology advanced like never before, and before clothes and food became more sophisticated.

Now, small meals that consisted of oats and cheese, similar to that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was too expensive for middle-class families, so those that didn't live in wealth generally lived in poverty. Families nowadays were small, with only the parents and a child or two. Three if you were rich. Four if you were filthy rich. No one ever had more than four children anymore, but who would? With so little of everything, there was no point in having five children unless you wanted to live in poverty for the rest of your lives.

Camilla stood from sitting on her bed, and shuffled over to the washstand, which was one of her favorite items in her collection, and rinsed her face. She dug in one of the drawers underneath for a pale brown jumpsuit, which she was rather fond of, and changed into that and out of her nightgown. A little silver, heart-shaped locket hung on a peg next to the mirror, and Camilla slipped the locket on and brushed her hair with a comb that was a few hundred centuries old, at the earliest. She tied her long, silky black hair back with a bit of twine, then grabbed a nutrient bar, the cheapest kind of food there was on the market. Though not very filling, tasty, or nutritious, it was still popular among the poorer folk.

Following the glowing lights to the cockpit of her spaceship, the pirate downed the bar and started looking for more food before remembering she was out of rations. Groaning, she plopped down in the pilot's seat, which was of a scratchy cloth, which was the cheapest option on the market. Camilla was heading to a small planet, full of wealthy sales folk, to collect the next addition to her ever growing collection of 'old things'. It was a little box-like thing, silver on the front half and black at the back, with a screen on the front. It was described as an ancient artifact used to offer information throughout Earth in the early 19th century. She believed it was called a "TV", whatever that meant.

The white planet appeared on the front monitor, and a little arrow showing which way she needed to go to dock. Slightly turning the joystick, the ship rocked to the side and began angling down, to get into the planet's atmosphere. When her run-down ship finally landed on the small patch of grass outside a mansion, which was based on mansions from the late 20th century.

Camilla's ship released a puff of smoke and seemed to creak as she pulled open the door to her ship and extended the plank. Once the end touched the grass, Camilla stepped through, shutting the door on the outside and locking down her ship. The plank stayed extended, for it didn't have the sensors that higher end ships tended to have.

There was a young girl, not much older than 15, waiting at the end of the clearing a few feet away. She had sun-kissed skin, bouncy brown hair, and freckles dotting her face. She wore a clean white gown of silk, with a little ribbon tying the top few layers of her hair out of her face. She had soft brown eyes, and a kind smile. The girl beckoned Camilla to follow her, which she did reluctantly. Camilla touched the knives she had hidden in the belt she wore, which also held a few extra tins, the common currency of this age and time.

The two took a long, winding path, paved with stones, through the dense forest. After what felt like forever, they came upon a clearing with the stone path leading up to an early 21st century mansion-like building, with many curving pillars and tall windows lining the walls. The girl never missed a step as she kept trekking down the path, with Camilla right behind her.

Finally, they came to the long porch at the front of the house, in which an older woman, dressed in an ancient Roman-like gown waited for them, grinning. She had silvery hair pulled back into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her grin widened when she saw the two of them.

"Ah, hello!" the woman exclaimed. "You must be Dreisia, the one who bid on the early 20th century information broadcaster?"

"That's me! I would like to collect my purchase and go, please."

"Of course, Dreisia, or should I say, Camilla?" Camilla's face went pale when she heard her real name uttered and not her alias. "Yes, yes, I know about your false identity. There is no shame in pretending that you are your boss. Believe me, I've done it too."

Camilla was speechless. Most people who knew her true identity would call the StarCops on her, as nobody would trust a pirate. She laughed softly, but knew that eventually the dots would be connected. The older woman laughed merrily at Camilla's shy laugh, and she loosened her bun.

"Don't worry. You'll get the artifact either way. I understand wanting to be like your boss. I understood you weren't who you called yourself when you dropped 2,900,000 tins on that artifact. I had my eyes and ears look into your file, and we found your real name, but not your boss. Surely, though, he or she would want to stay secret, so that they can stay safe from the thieving pirates that happily steal all their tins. The last clue was your ship, as run-down and broken as it is. You make sure your boss gives you adequate pay to fix your ship, you hear me?"

Camilla simply stared in shock at the woman, then nodded her head vigorously. The woman smiled, then beckoned a young man out on the porch. She told him to collect the artifact and bring it out to Camilla, where she could load it onto her ship. The pirate thanked the seller profusely for still helping her despite her fake identity. Again, the woman smiled and nodded her head, then sent Camilla on her way once the artifact was brought out.

The pirate collected her package, bit back questions and remarks that would most likely give away her true identity. Camilla turned tail and, as quickly as she could go without looking suspicious, she rushed off down the path, not thinking to look behind her. She rushed through the forest, and finally came to her ship. She climbed the plank and pushed in the code to unlock the door with her elbow, then kicked the door with her foot and it popped open.

Grunting, she closed and locked the door, again with her elbow, then shuffled into the cockpit. She dropped the box, which was a standard 21st century mailing box, then opened it up and pulled out her package. She frowned slightly when she saw how plain it was, but she hooked it up to her ship and turned it on. She walked away to get her ship up in the air, then came back to a loud staticky sound coming from the box. She gasped and turned the closest nob, which caused the static noise to fade a little bit.

Camilla was frustrated with how difficult this information distributer was to work with, so she kept turning the nob, and managed to find five more noise levels of static, ending with a level that was nearly deafening. Giving up on the package, she selected another knob and twisted it as far as it would go, which caused the screen to go black. The only thing that made Camilla happy with that, though, was that the static noise had stopped, which also stopped the cacophony in her head.

Sighing, she turned back to the controls and pushed the joystick forward and up, causing the ship to ascend and exit the small planet's atmosphere. Once she was back in space, surrounded by the billions of stars all around her, she could finally breathe. As much as Camilla liked the danger of being discovered, she wished that she could see what would happen should she fail to escape.

She pushed the pushed joystick forward, and her ship started to speed through the stars. Camilla almost lost herself watching the little dots fly past her in a blur. Until the proximity alarm on her ship went off. The buzzing noise got louder and louder, and Camilla look at the cams that displayed the space around her ship. She slowed down, and saw a giant ship looming up behind her. The pirate quickly recognized the emblem painted on the front of the ship. The StarCops. Crud. She quickly twisted the joystick around, lurching her ship into motion, taking a long, skillful route around the ship, but it was too late. The ship had already latched onto her engine, and the only way she knew to survive this excursion would be stop struggling. Camilla's ship was built poorly, in such a way that if the engine was simply pulled out without any caution, her whole ship would explode.

When her ship was fully docked inside the StarCops ship, Camilla stood and unlocked her ship's side port, the little door on her ship with the platform. She extended the plank and opened the door to see a small troupe of StarCops in their uniforms, with the commander standing in front, marked with a silver star balanced perfectly on top of his head. He was frowning.

"So...lemme guess. You forgot to invite me to your super secret police party, so instead of admitting your mistake and sending a late invitation, you decided to kidnap me? Real smooth, dude." Camilla grinned but the commander didn't even blink.

"By the order of the Supreme Court of the StarCops, you are hereby under arrest on numerous accounts of thievery."

"Haha! That's funny. It almost sounded like you were trying to arrest me!" Camilla blinked when two officers, who had come out of nowhere, strapped electric cuffs onto her wrists and picked her up by her armpits. She kicked against their grips, but it did no good. She was hauled down the plank and passed by the commander, who smirked. She was led through a wide door in the back wall, which in turn led to a wide staircase leading down into the prison on the StarCops ship.

Camilla was forcefully shoved into a cell in the middle of the prison, in which the door slammed shut and a loud click announced she was locked inside. The pirate fought against the cuffs on her wrists, but to no avail. She called out for help, but heard no response. After what felt like forever, a guard came down to retrieve her. Thankfully, he didn't haul her by her armpits.

"The Capitan Garmor will see you now," was all he said. Camilla rolled her eyes as she was escorted up the stairs, down a hallway, taking an elevator in the very end of the hall to a floor near the top of the ship. Big fancy ships like the StarCops ships had multiple floors, and this was obviously a grand ship, for the Captain himself stayed on this ship.

She was thrown to the ground when they exited the elevator, and she landed on a soft carpet covering hard tiling in a black and white checkered pattern. Obviously the Captain had a thing for antique styles. Camilla grimaced as she glared up defiantly at the Captain, who was sitting on an ornate chair, with a high back and red velvet cushions, offering a throne vibe.

Captain Garmor was an older man, though looking good for his age, thin as a nutrient bar, which was saying something, and age lines marking his face. The worst part, in Camilla's opinion, was that the Captain wore flowing red robes of silk, and had an intricate gold crown-like headdress resting on his brow, decorated with gold stars, which marked him Captain of the StarCops. Everything about him suggested king, but he wasn't a king, and that was why so many people apposed him.

"Pirate Camilla, you are brought before me as you have been tracked down and arrested with many accounts of thievery. Do you have anything to say?"

"What about 'I'm my generation's Robin Hood'?"

The Captain cocked an eyebrow. "And how do you suppose you are?"

"Why, I steal from the rich and give to the poor. More or less. But you are definitely loaded. Maybe I'll take from you next? I know a hungry family on a shadowy planet that could use a few extra tins."

Now it was the Captain's turn to grimace, which made Camilla gape and smile inwardly. Any sign that she had accidentally struck a nerve could get her thrown back into prison, or worse. Captain Garmor sighed and stood, which caused his robes to rustle and his crown to glint the artificial light filling the 'throne room'.

"Pirate Camilla, since you have been known only to steal from the wealthy and to never take a life, I am offering you an alternative option from death. You are charged with mild treason to the StarCops peace operation. Treason in any amounts are punished with death. You can choose between death or a short-term correction plan for you to ditch your criminal ways and join the ranks of the StarCops."

"And what would I gain from working for you?" Camilla questioned, not believing that he was going to actually let her go.

"You, Camilla would get hard-earned money that you can use how you wish. No more stealing, but poor families still get money. What do you say?"

Camilla didn't even blink when faced with the choice. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she never had to think. "I choose death over working for someone like you. You, who pretends to be a king, which you aren't, by the way!"

Captain Garmor sighed and sat back down in his throne-like chair. "Well then, you may have your wish."

Camilla grinned. She had never known a family, only faint memories of a mother who died when Camilla was very young and a father who was ready to kill her too. She wasn't sure whether she had been rich or poor, an only child or with a sibling, or if she had more family somewhere in the stars. And she would never know. There was a loud snap of the Executioner's weapon, and then Camilla's world went black.

Camilla died at age 43, a pirate with a rundown ship and a good life. Running from the StarCops, buying antique items, and stealing from the wealthiest families throughout the stars. She never had any regrets, other than not finding out if she had any aunts or uncle that could've taken care of her. She had been found on the streets by an elderly woman who was a representative of a well-known pirate community that Camilla had been a part of for many years. Camilla had been kicked out of the community after she disobeyed orders not to rob a StarCops ship, which was what inevitably put a target on her back for them to find her and arrest her. She never knew that her father was Captain Garmor, who had started the StarCops once he found out his wife had died at the hands of a petty thief who was stealing some of her jewelry. The worlds went on to be safer, with small underground communities of pirates barely surviving but peace everywhere else...