The name Starlight will be used from now on.
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Once again, Starlight found himself seated among several familiar faces—tow, to be exact.
He was dressed in the white official armor provided to Union soldiers.
He wondered which memory this was. He tried to move, to return to reality, knowing full well that his current circumstances did not allow for such peace—did not allow for this pleasant dream.
"Hey, boy… or girl, honestly I can't tell with your kind. Never mind that—are you okay?"
He snapped out of his thoughts at the voice of an elderly human sitting beside him.
"Oh… old man, were you worried?" Starlight replied, stretching his body.
The old man chuckled as he straightened his white, graying beard.
"Prepare yourself; we're about to reach the station."
"How long have I been asleep?"
"About ten hours. Honestly, your kind sleeps too much," the old man laughed.
Starlight laughed along with him before getting up and sitting next to the young captain at the controls.
"So, boss, how long until we arrive?" Starlight asked with a light laugh.
"An hour or two," the captain replied calmly, a composed smile on his face.
"What?!" Starlight exclaimed in shock.
He turned to the old man, who sat there with an innocent smile.
"Old man! Why did you wake me up now?!" Starlight shouted at him.
"Well, to be honest, I was bored. And this young fellow here is way too serious," the old man explained sheepishly.
"And how is that my problem, you humans?!"
The captain chuckled quietly as he observed the two bickering without saying a word.
"Well then, little one," the old man said with amusement, "since you're awake, how about telling us about your strange kind?"
"I'd also like to hear about your species, Starlight," added the captain, his eyes never leaving the ship's controls.
Starlight sighed and placed a hand on his chest, slightly annoyed but not angry.
"Fine…"
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the old man as his appearance began to shift. His skin turned a pale blue, his long black hair became translucent blue, and his emerald green eyes shimmered with a black ring around them. His ears grew longer, and his body became slimmer.
The old man stared in shock at the transformation, and even the captain glanced over briefly, though his focus remained on the controls.
"First of all, my name isn't Starlight—it's a nickname given to me by the Union Commander. As you can see, I'm not human. I just take on this shape. My species can change our appearance at will, but within certain limits, and I am no different.
"My home planet is distant, located within the Old God's Belt—a violent, isolated, and irradiated world because it lies in the domain of the God of Destruction. My kind are naturally slim and small, living in water-covered territories. As such, my species adapted to survive underwater. Is that enough information for you?"
Starlight returned to his human form, his tone carrying a note of exasperation.
"In other words… you're a fish," the old man joked.
"A fish? What's that?" Starlight asked curiously.
The old man and the captain burst into laughter at his innocent question.
"Well… you see…" the captain chuckled softly before continuing, "A fish is a creature that lives in water on Earth."
"I guess I do resemble that if you put it that way," Starlight admitted, scratching his head.
"We eat fish, by the way, little fishy," the old man added, laughing even harder.
Starlight glared at the old man, his face a mixture of annoyance and anger.
He jumped to his feet, shouting, "Old man, you—!"
Before he could finish his sentence, water flooded into his mouth, cutting him off.
He opened his eyes in panic, realizing he was almost naked, save for a few scraps of fabric covering his body.
His metallic armor and the exoskeleton designed to support his fragile body—both gifts from the Union—were gone.
Scanning his surroundings, he found himself trapped in a rusty iron cage. Outside the corroded bars, he saw insect-like creatures resembling black beetles watching him quietly, communicating in an unfamiliar language.
He had been caught.