PROJECT: CAYRO

Cayro Bracton:

September 4, 2025

21:44 CST

The Autumn

Fifty miles off the coast of Texas and Mexico

As I walked down the corridor from the galley, juggling two apples in my hands, I almost collided with the Doctor.

“Doc, what happened?” I asked, my curiosity piqued by the earlier blackout.

“We’ve begun installing the C Drive into the ship’s computer,” he explained. “The system needed to reboot to integrate the new programming, which caused the ship’s systems to go offline. The Captain’s working on the main computer now, getting everything back online. It should take about an hour and a half.”

“So that’s why the lights went out,” I remarked, finally understanding.

“Yep,” he confirmed with a nod. Then, with a lightness in his voice, he added, “Come on, let’s go find Star. You two should take some time to have a little fun.”

I nodded, and we walked down the hall to Star’s room. The Doctor knocked gently on her door, waiting to see if she would answer. A few moments later, the door creaked open, revealing Star rubbing her eyes, clearly just waking up.

“Yes, father?” she mumbled, blinking up at him.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

“Yes, I was just taking a nap since you and Cayro were talking about the armor,” she replied, her gaze drifting over to me.

It hit me then that she must have slept through the entire power outage, completely unaware that we weren’t going anywhere for a while. I had gone to the kitchen to grab a snack for us just as the power cut out.

“Alright, well, I’m going back to make sure Andrew isn’t messing up the main computer,” the Doctor said with a chuckle, leaving me standing in the doorway.

“Um, what do you want to do?” I asked, unsure, holding up one of the apples as an offering.

She took the apple, then stepped back into her room, letting the door shut in my face. I stood there, stunned by her abruptness. That was… rude. I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to knock or just leave, when the door suddenly slid open again. This time, Star stood holding a grey skyboard with purple pinstriped flames and, to my surprise, she was wearing my green Kawasaki hoodie. I did a double take. Did she go into my room and take my hoodie? Her sly smile confirmed it. Seeing her in it made my pulse race.

“Can you fly with me?” she asked, her voice softer than I expected.

My heart skipped another beat, a smile spreading across my face. “I’d love to,” I replied, my earlier confusion dissolving.

I extended my hand to carry her board, but to my surprise, she slipped her hand into mine instead. A shiver of excitement ran down my spine at the unexpected touch. Together, we walked down the hall to the flight deck, the warmth of her hand in mine making the world around us fade away.

Once we reached the flight deck, I took the board from her and positioned it for takeoff. I stepped onto it as she activated the flight controls on her wristband. Then, with a slight grin, I held out my hand for her. She stepped onto the board, positioning herself in front of me, pressing her back against my chest. As I wrapped my arms around her midriff, we took off into the starry night sky.

The stars above were mesmerizing, their soft glow calming the turmoil in my mind. I could feel Star’s heart beating faster under my palms, mirroring the excitement in my own chest. What was she thinking about? We flew in silence, gliding effortlessly around different parts of the ship. After a while, she tapped my arm, signaling for me to take control. I guided the board away from the ship, wanting to take in the full view of the Autumn as we drifted slowly through the night. Star turned her head slightly, her eyes finding mine, and in that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

“Hey, Cayro?” Star’s voice cut through the stillness, pulling my attention away from the ship.

“Yes?” I replied, focusing back on her, curious about what she was going to say.

“Can I take control again?” she asked, her voice soft yet filled with that familiar determination.

“Sure,” I whispered into her ear, feeling the light shudders that rippled through her body from our intimate closeness.

As she took control of the board, I felt it dip slightly, guiding us toward the bridge. We soared across the nose of the ship, allowing me a breathtaking view of its immense structure. The bridge itself was shaped like an arrowhead, seamlessly connected to the cylindrical neck by blades of armor that joined the front and back halves of the ship. Most of the living quarters were housed in that neck, while the rear of the ship contained the hangar bay, labs, crew lounge, mess hall, medical bay, engineering, and the ship’s main computer. The very top of the hangar held the flight deck, with the labs and engineering nestled below. Towards the front were the mess hall, medical bay, and crew lounge. The rear had a sleek, box-like appearance, with thrusters mounted on the back and four large laser cannons positioned on the bottom, currently pointed forward. The ship was kept aloft by two enormous hydrogen pods, positioned side by side.

As we flew past the bridge, I caught sight of the Captain and the Doctor deep in a somewhat heated discussion. Nathan, Casey, and Tiffany stood nearby, their eyes lifting to follow us as we glided by. Casey waved, catching the Captain’s attention. He stopped mid-sentence, crossed his arms, and a smile crept across his face. The Doctor, in contrast, slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the ship’s bulkhead, his expression unreadable.

Star made a full circle around the ship, then guided us up to the hydrogen pods, landing on a platform nestled between them. She stepped off the board first, waiting for me to follow before powering it down. I watched as she removed her wristband and placed it atop the board. Then, without a word, she reached for my hand, her fingers warm against mine. She led me to a spot on the platform that wasn’t grated and laid down. I joined her, lying beside her and gazing up at the stars and the moon.

“Hey Star, what’s on your mind?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, sensing the calm in the air between us.

She sat up briefly, placing her index finger softly against my lips, silencing me before lying back down.

“That’s Orion’s belt. Over there is Ursa Minor, and there’s Ursa Major,” she pointed out, her finger tracing the shapes of the constellations in the night sky. I watched her, mesmerized, as she drew invisible lines between the stars. When she finished, she let her hand glide down my arm, her fingers finding mine, and slowly laced them together. Without hesitation, I closed my fingers around hers, our hands entwined as we lay there in comfortable silence. A soft breeze swept over us, carrying the scent of the ocean, before I spoke again.

“Star, do you want me to stay here with you after the procedure?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. My chest tightened with the fear of leaving my grandparents behind, but I was equally afraid of her answer.

“Yes, I would like that, Cayro. I like you, and I don’t want to lose any more time with you,” she replied softly, her voice carrying the weight of emotions we both had been holding back.

I heard the soft rustle of her hair against the platform as she turned to look at me. Her answer eased the fear gripping my chest, and in that moment, I knew I wanted her in my life, even if it meant never going home. I reached over, pulling her gently against my body as we lay there, gazing up at the stars. With her warmth pressed against me, something dark and primal unfurled deep within my mind. A single word echoed in my thoughts: Mine. The voice took me by surprise. Mine, it repeated. Was Star mine? The notion stirred in me, but it didn’t feel like it came from the conscious part of my mind. It had emerged from the shadowy recesses of my psyche, a place I hadn’t even known existed. The sensation was odd, foreign, yet undeniably powerful.

My introspection was abruptly interrupted by the growl of my stomach, a stark reminder that I hadn’t eaten the apple I’d brought with me. The blackout and our flight had distracted me. Reaching into my pocket, I tried to retrieve the apple, but as I finally pulled it out, it slipped from my grasp. I watched in dismay as it rolled off the platform, plummeting toward the Earth below.

“Well… Shit…” I muttered, watching the apple disappear.

Star chuckled softly beside me. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat,” she said, standing up with a playful tone.

I rose with her, but as I did, something terrifying happened. Out of nowhere, a small red dart struck her in the neck. Her eyes went wide with shock, locking onto mine. The fear in them mirrored the horror that surged through me. A split second later, her body went limp, and I barely managed to catch her as her legs gave out beneath her.

“STAR!” I screamed, the word tearing from my throat, raw with panic and desperation.