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The spa was so quiet, so peaceful. The room filled with mixed light herbal aromas from Q'maere. Deep-sea herbs which reminded of home. Home. That place had become such a distant memory now. Droplets of water condensated on the large viewports of the Baudo-class Star Yacht 'Bauzzini Messenger'. Slowly the droplets rolled down the transparisteel shielding, collecting more water wherever they crawled.

Jools put her finger on the viewport and drew a perfect circle. She stared at it for a moment, then erased it with her hand in frustration and plunged back into the large bath. She completely submerged, touching the bottom. Not deep enough. She hadn't felt like being at home anywhere. Taking a bath was probably the closest thing. Laying as still as she could, Jools could hear her heart beating. The thumping radiated through the bath and reverbed back off the edges. Her tendrils floated weightlessly in the water, picking up her own heartbeat. The moment was mesmerizing, yet felt so utterly lonely.



Water rolled down her deep jungle green skin as she stepped out the bath. The water level dropped slowly, silently. Jools stood there, watching. It must have lasted several minutes. She couldn't be bothered drying off. It was her ship, she couldn't care if the floor was wet. Hell, if it wasn't for her crew she'd probably fill the whole ship with water, practicality left aside. She stared through the viewport. New condensation appeared where she had wiped her hand across the shield.

Jools couldn't be bothered dressing up. Her bedroom was across the hallway anyway, she wasn't prudish and her crew had seen worse, she guessed. Not that it was likely she'd bump into any of them. The 'Bauzzini' essentially only needed three crew to be operated anyways. There was the pilot, who also manned the single turbolaser. These parts of the Outer Rim were quiet in terms of pirates. A couple of precise hits usually changed their minds. There was a navigator, who doubled as chef cook. The Chiss had made some truly remarkable meals, Jools wouldn't go anywhere without her. Lastly, there was a mechanic. He didn't talk much, and when he did it was the usual technical jargon Jools didn't really want to hear about anyways. She was pretty sure he was a nice guy, just lacking some social skills. He kept to himself, and usually there was something to tweak on the ship anyways. The Star Yacht was kept in top-notch condition, it was something he should be proud of.

Jools slipped out the spa room and looked around the hallway before hopping over to the door right across it. The air in the hallway was considerably colder than in the spa. The door closed behind Jools, locking with a faint pneumatic hiss. Steam was radiating off her body, exposing rays of light coming through the striped blinds of the transparisteel shields in her bedroom. She stood there for a moment, leaning against the door. She contemplated laying down in bed. Sleeping in an environment like this had always felt so unnatural to Jools. The waves of the oceans of Q'maere were much more comforting, almost soothing and always moving. Her bed, although large and luxurious, was nothing like that. Not even close.

She pushed herself away from the door and slowly strode over to her bed. It was right next to the viewport, like a mirrored version of the spa room. As she approached the bed, a faint humming sound vibrated through the entire ship's hull. The floor rumbled under her feet. Then, suddenly the power was cut. Whatever dim lights were lit in the room now turned off as well.

The emergency intercom came to life. "Uhh, sorry 'bout that, Miss Noctru. I'm on it, should take me 'bout half an hour to fix..." the mechanic informed the crew.

Jools slowly lifted off the ground, the drops from her skin floating all around her. Her tendrils roamed freely, no longer bound by artificial gravity. She stretched out her arms and legs, her feet lightly pushing her away from the floor.

A tear appeared, drifting away from her face. She was weightless again. And she loved it.