“There ain’t no such thing as fairies,” Jethro declared upon being introduced to the fairy.

“Of course, there ain’t,” Ifanta sniffed. She snapped her fingers, revealing her true, much smaller form. “If fairies did not exist, where do the stories come from, I wonder?” At this latest revelation, the rest of the crew fell silent.

“Navi…?” Jaehyun asked.

“We need a magical expert to help us find a magical expert. Ifanta needs to travel incognito and her abilities will be an asset to us,” Navi listed off before the protests could start.

“Abilities?” Joseph looked intrigued. “What can you do?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Ifanta beamed at them from atop the dragon that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The beast, in question was the size of a horse and its roars echoed throughout the ship. It burped a blast of fire towards the rafters.

“That’s enough, Ifanta!” Navi rubbed her temples.

“Th-there’s a dragon!” Jethro gasped. Jaehyun had his gun trained on the beast and Joseph had frozen to the spot.

“No, there isn’t,” came Lamond’s firm voice from the doorway.

The dragon appeared to shimmer then vanished, leaving Ifanta hovering on her lacy butterfly wings.

“Spoilsport!” she hissed at him.

“Ifanta’s abilities are predicated on belief,” Navi explained to Jaehyun. “She can easily do smaller things like change herself or our appearances. Larger things—like the ship—can be done for a short amount of time, but requires stronger, sustained belief.”

“That doesn’t—” Jaehyun started, still trying to sort his thoughts.

“I know,” Ifanta returned to her human form. “It’s difficult to believe once you see it—which is why Casey here will be an invaluable asset.” She put her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “Children have such pure faith. That will make me all the stronger.”

“If you are so powerful, why do you need us?” the pilot asked politely. Is this why Navi had gotten Casey? How far in advance was she planning these things?

“Meat shields, of course,” Ifanta breezed by him. “Is my bunk this way?”

“I’ll show you!” Casey took the fairy’s hand and led her away.

“I’m not sure I like her,” Jethro muttered. “And I know I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, well, it’s better to keep the magic you know about in sight,” Navi retorted. “And it’s better to have some sort of mask when dealing with magic. She can help with that, so we’ll have to just deal.”

_____________________________

That evening Estelle was ensuring the True North stayed on course. She had been trained on the basics to relieve the pilot. Jaehyun was taking a much-needed break. Besides, the skies were clear. Then five blips appeared on the radar.

“Jaehyun? I’m sorry to wake you, but it seems we may have company,” she pinged him.

“Roger that. I’m on my way.”

Estelle watched the blips approach quickly and fan out around them.

“Hey pretty fishy! You are flying over the Red Hand’s territory and are subject to a toll,” a voice crackled over the radio. “Surrender now and no one gets hurt.”

Jaehyun ran up onto the bridge. “Pirates! Take a gun, Estelle.” He pinged the general line. “We’re under attack! Secure everything and to battle stations!” He glanced down at the radar. They were close. “Banking starboard. Hang on!” He turned hard. The True North responded as though she were gliding through water, smoothly cutting through the turn.

The ring of bullets against their hull let him know they were in firing range. Overhead he heard the newest cannons roar. Navi had installed a large gun beneath the dorsal fin of the True North and one on the bottom. Lamond and Joseph took the eye guns. They were by far the best shots. The ship shook. A hit.

He glanced at the meters. “Navi! We’ve got a leak in the upper starboard. Can you patch it?”

She pinged back. “I’m on it. Jethro, can you take the top cannon?”

“I’m coming. You get to work on that leak!”

Navi scrambled from the dorsal gun to run along the catwalk. She followed the sound of the hiss. The high pressure of the water made it easy to locate leaks in the dark. She pulled her goggles down and her scarf up. She was glad she always wore thick gloves on the job. A clanging from down below caught her attention. She slapped an oversized heat patch onto the pipe and scrambled back towards the big guns. The screech of the wheel on the main door below fueled her speed.

“We’re being boarded!” she shouted. She spun the transmitter on her earring to ping the bridge in case no one heard her.

A loud clang told her they had pried the door open, even as she clamped onto one of the two pulley lines. She dropped to the main floor. Four figures made their way into the interior of the ship.

“Spread out and find the cargo bay!” The largest figure gestured to the others.

Navi pulled out her heavy wrench, calculating the odds. This was her ship and she would be hanged before she let someone else take it! They all held on to the walls while Jaehyun made another tight spiral.

The boarding group split in two with two heading towards the rear of the ship and two towards the bridge. The latter two would pass by where Navi was hiding. Her mind went to Ifanta and Casey in the rear of the ship. She had to get to them!

When the second figure passed her, she lashed out with the wrench, knocking him solidly on the back of the head. He dropped with a grunt. The other figure spun around. She was a tall, well-built female and did not give Navi a chance to swing the wrench again. She spun and fired her gun. Navi dropped, rolling to the side.

“Stop shooting on my ship!” Navi grabbed her earring and turned it quickly. In her ear, she heard a high-pitched beeping. In seconds, she heard a buzz.

Something small hit the woman on the face. She swatted. “What the--?” A buzzing cloud descended on the two of them, blocking the hallway.

Navi quickly removed her earring, hit a sequence on it and stashed it in a corner. The noises of irritation from her attacker turned to gasps of pain. Navi army crawled away from the bug-filled hallway. A few of her bugs stung her on the way, but she focused on getting to Casey. When she was clear, she got up and ran down the hall.

A flying body slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her. “Oof!” He was heavy! Navi thrashed and managed to flip him off. He was already unconscious. She looked back down the hall. An enormous brute of a man was carrying the limp body of the fourth attacker. “Ifanta?”

The form flickered as the fairy nodded. “What’s going on?”

“We’re under attack! Help me secure the boarders.”

Navi started to drag the unconscious man down the hall, but Ifanta scooped him up easily, so she went back to secure the still open door. She eased her way towards the doorway. The wind howled shrilly, but they were still airborne. An explosion outside rocked the ship.

Navi stuck her head out. The night sky above them was clear and calm. Below them, she watched one of the pursuer ships spin out into the ground. It burst into flames in the distance as they passed. She pulled her head back in and shut the door.

“That’s two of the five now!” Jaehyun spoke on the General line. “The other three have turned back.”

Navi raced back towards the bridge. The first attacker was moaning on the ground, clutching her eyes. She bled from multiple wounds and the bees still swarmed above her. She snatched her earring, deactivating the automatons. Like hail, the bees fell and the attack was over.

_____________________________

When the True North landed at their delivery point in Merigold, a familiar figure was waiting for them at the dock.

“Jaehyun, it’s that reporter again—the one we met back in Jerpin,” Navi peeked around the edge of the door.

The man in question looked as though he were merely watching the clouds. He was clearly waiting. The excitement rolling off his form was palpable. Navi mentally went through their list of deliveries. Had they done anything as spectacular as their maiden voyage, but still—they were doing quite well for a young courier ship. “What do you suppose he wants?”

“There is only one way to find out, I guess.” Jaehyun went down the gangplank to greet the man. “Lucky, right? Lucky Dupree? What brings you out here to Merigold?”

“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten me, Captain Park!” Lucky touched the brim of his hat. “And no. It’s no coincidence I am here. They released the roster for the Imperial Thunderdome—along with packets to each of the entrants. I believe you have some mail to pick up.” The tall man smiled, twirling his pencil.

The words struck Navi—who had been eavesdropping—like a lightning bolt. Their race entry! Without a second thought, she was down the gangplank, flying down the road towards the post office.

“Who was that?” Lucky asked with interest.

“That’s our mechanic and first mate, Navilene Sitara. She…doesn’t care to be noticed much.” Jaehyun smiled. “But it looks like she’s heard about the mail, so we’re going to want to catch up and see what the future has in store.”

With that Jaehyun took off after Navi’s retreating form.

“Female mechanic, eh?” Lucky jotted down some notes. “This story just keeps getting better.” He put his notebook away and ran after the other two. “Wait up! The public needs to know!”

___________________________

Navi stared at the official letter in disbelief. The paper was thick and creamy. In the bottom corner, the Imperial seal glittered in the dim light of the post office. The building was crowded, but she could not see all the people. All she could do was repeatedly read the lines “The entry of the True North has been accepted for competition in the Imperial Thunderdome. Report to Lambasca by Noon on June 23^rd.”

“Well?” Jaehyun finally caught up to her. “What does it say?”

Wordlessly, she handed the letter to him. He scanned it quickly as the reporter joined them. “We did it! Congratulations, Navi!” Jaehyun clapped her on the back. She stared as though shellshocked.

Lucky was already scribbling down more notes for his story. “Allow me to extend my congratulations to your crew! This is a huge accomplishment—even if you don’t make it through the Thunderdome. You are famous for making the roster! Anything you wish to say?”

Jaehyun gently nudged Navi who was still in shock. “Well, I would like to first thank my crew. They have been amazing and because of that we have been able to make our drops quickly.” He nudged her again. Still no response. “We’d also like to extend our thanks to our patron…” He flicked her ear.

She jumped and finally made eye contact. “Lord Umbreon Gervais!” she blurted out, then quickly looked back at the ground.

“That’s right. Thank you,” Jaehyun nodded encouragingly. “We’d like to thank our customers for putting their trust in us and…anyone else, Navi?”

Navi was gritting her teeth. The reporter’s piercing stare made her uncomfortable. All the people in the post office who were watching them made her feel even more so. “Our families back home. If they hadn’t…supported us, we would not have made it this far.” Navi cast a pleading look at Jaehyun clearly asking “are we done?”

He shrugged at her indicating “it depends.”

“Do you think I could be introduced to the rest of the crew at some point to get a profile on them?”

Navi glanced at Jaehyun in alarm. He did not look at her or let anything change the pleasant smile he kept on his face.

“Is all this really necessary?” Jaehyun asked. “I am more than happy to answer any questions, but we tend to be fairly private people. What about the other contestants who would have received their summons?”

“Oh, they have reporters already assigned to them,” Lucky grinned. “And no, its not necessary, but I wanted to be the one to follow the True North. I have a hunch that this ship will be the jewel of my career. I’ve been in the business a while now and my hunches have yet to lead me wrong.”

“I appreciate your interest, but we’re going to forgo the crew interviews today.” Jaehyun led Navi out of the post office.

“Suit yourself,” the reporter shrugged, tucking his notebook away. “If you change your mind though,” he flicked out a business card. “Do drop a line my way.”

Jaehyun took the card. “We will. It was a pleasure, Mr. Dupree.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Captain Park.” He shook Jaehyun’s hand, then looked down at Navi who was still avoiding eye contact. “Miss Sitara.”

When she held her hand out for him to shake, he did so with surprising gentleness. She peered up at him.

“I’ll see you in the winner’s circle!” He winked at her, then turned away, striding off down the street.

“He’s an odd man,” Navi noted to Jaehyun. “May I have his card?”

“Sure, but what for?” Jaehyun handed it over.

“Information, of course.” Navi tucked it into one of her many pockets. “Reporters can get access to all kinds of information. That will be useful—especially with the Thunderdome.” A huge smile overtook her face. “And we’re going!” She took off running towards the ship. She could not wait to share the news!