Lightning Seeker

The hum of the Libertatem's engines vibrated through the deck plates, a deep, resonant sound that was both foreboding and exhilarating. The salty air of Balboa Pier mixed with the metallic tang of the ship's hull as Vale scrambled through the small porthole, landing in a heap on the floor of what appeared to be the crew's sleeping quarters. Hammocks were stacked three high, filled with the personal effects of the ship's human crew. Vale picked herself up, heart pounding, and scanned the empty room. The sound of shouting and hurried footsteps from above deck indicated the crew was busy preparing for departure. Vale knew she had only moments before her presence was discovered. She had defied her mother, defied the world's expectations, and now she was here, a stowaway on the first human-crewed Lightning Seeker, thousands of feet in the air and rising.