"And this is the main deck- this is where Marik and I control the ship." Captain Bakura proudly explained as the other two males followed him up a small set of steps. "If we're traveling at any rate higher than the GEC's pre-set cruising speeds, we must both be present to guide and monitor the controls."

"Wow..." Ryou felt his head start to spin as he took in the seamless metal-and-plastic surfaces around them. The flight deck was modestly sized, but very efficiently designed to maximize the space. Multiple panels, just waist-high or so, surrounded the crew in a nearly-enclosed circle of lights and instrument displays. The various gauges alone took up a massive area- Ryou glanced over the ample measuring dials, noting how some of them had labels describing their key functions.

'Oxygen and Nitrogen Levels... Anti-Gravity Ratios... Core Engine Fluidity... Exterior Thrusters...'

It was a fascinating array of titles, but also a bit intimidating to the young prince. 'I'm sure glad I don't have to fly a ship like this! The one-person rotunalls back home seem much friendlier...' The distracted royal thought back to the days when he had first learned to drive one of the small, hovering crafts. He was hardly an expert in motorized vehicles, but he knew enough to know that he had no chance of flying a behemoth like this!

The captain soon spoke up, pointing to the third seat situated just slightly to the right of the other two. "Right, you can take that seat there- it's a four-point restraint system, so make sure everything's good and tight before we check off."

Thankfully, the safety belt system of the B917-class spaceship was not all that different from the rotunall harnesses back on Celitarios, and Ryou was able to get himself comfortably locked in between the seat and the restraints.

Meanwhile, the captain and the first mate were verbally going over the standard list of checks before take-off (or the 'SL', Ryou reminded himself; as the average crewman would call it). Together they went over all the different readings and measurements that required level-checks in order to successfully leave the planet's grasp. Ryou waited patiently for the last section- crew safety. When Marik came over and checked his harness, he gave the prince a grin before declaring him to be 'totally ready.' Then the feline-alien strapped himself into his own chair, next to the captain's.

Bakura nodded before declaring, "then we're all set. Prepare for blast-off."

"Ooh! Ooh! Should I do a countdown?!" Marik waved one arm in mock suggestion.

But the captain was less amused. "Cut the dramatics, you hairball-brain."

Marik instantly sulked, his arms folded as he snarled out, "stubborn fun-killer."

Without even blinking, the captain retorted, "crazy show-off."

Ryou gasped as the powerful engines purred to life. The Albus Serpens was trembling, almost as though the ship itself was eager to make a new trail through the skies.

"Oh dear..." The foreign dignitary felt his grip on the armrests tighten involuntarily. He was just starting to wonder if this was a good idea after all, when he heard a noise from the foremost seat.

"Hey." Ryou turned to glance at the amused shipowner. "Relax, princess. I haven't messed up a take-off yet."

Normally the royal youth would've objected to the teasing nickname, but he was afraid if he opened his mouth his last meal might come out. So he only nodded in nervous understanding.

Despite Bakura's previous comments, Marik did a quick count-down anyway. He seemed genuinely excited, and Ryou noticed that even the fur on the back of his neck seemed raised in anticipation.

"Three... Two... One! GO!"

"Oh!" Ryou felt his heart jump in his chest as everything seemed to shift into another place. He could hear Marik laughing as he let out another involuntary gasp. "Ohhh my-!"

"So, whaddya think of space travel?" The Felidorian slyly asked, clearly curious as to how the first-timer was handling the experience.

Ryou felt his body adjusting to the ship's speed, and he was able to briefly yelp to the first mate: "i-it's amazing!" Indeed, it was the most incredible feeling. The prince felt like he was both weightless and yet somehow entirely solid at the same time. His body was pressed backwards against the plush seat, and the entire universe seemed to lay before them just beyond the triple-thick windows of the deck.

The proud ship was finally in motion, soaring upwards in a confident, gravity-defying twist.

"I'm going to level us out at 75 NPS in 3." Bakura calmly explained as he guided the ship into a more level position. Ryou felt a rather uncomfortable lurch in his stomach as the ship dove downwards to a different angle.

'Though I'm not sure I like this part...' The first-time flier gasped as the ship gave a slight lurch before leveling out again. He waited for a few moments, unaware that his reaction was garnering attention.

Ryou suddenly heard the captain make a brief snorting noise. "You know, you can open your eyes now."

Embarrassed, Ryou found that both of the ship's crew were looking at him with amused grins. He decided to glance out the front bay windows, feigning distractedness to mask his fear. But he hardly needed to feign any awe once his eyes were aligned with the view.

"OH!" There were no words to describe the swirling mists swathing the shimmering void before them. It was as if the very sky itself was traversed by winding trails of diamond dust. The glistening stars seemed to form radiant clusters that stretched far beyond the prince's field of view.

His expression seemed to glaze over in incomprehensible wonder. "I have never seen something so beautiful..."

The celestial bodies were reflected in his wide eyes, He had never seen so clear and astonishing a sight.

"The atmosphere of your system is unusually thick with water molecules- so you wouldn't have a very good view of your galaxy, even on a cloudless night."

Ryou could only nod in silent wonder as he watched the marvelous expanse of blue and purple and orange swirls twisting across the dark void. His voice trailed slightly as he reminisced, "you know, there is an old folk saying on Celitarios... my mother used to recite it to my sister and I every night before bed. She said that every good wish, every good dream; eventually becomes a star. And whenever we truly loved someone, we were filling their universe with stars."

Marik nodded thoughtfully. "That's a wondrous thought." He turned and looked at the glorious expanse before giving another nod. "I bet she was right."

Ryou gave a quick cough before trying to explain his actions earlier. "By the way... sorry if I, er, freaked out a bit."

But Captain Bakura only chuckled. "No worries. You still handled it better than Marik did. His first trip out, he dug his claws into that seat so hard that he almost ripped-"

"HSSSS!" The feline-creature let out an angry vocalization, his teeth bared as he glowered at his partner.

But Bakura only gave another wry grin as he glanced at his co-pilot. "What, did I lie?"

"NO, but I know you're quite capable of it; and it'd be a good idea for you to start right now!" The Felidorian stubbornly replied.

Ryou had to hold back a bit of laughter- he had a feeling the two star-travelers lived to get on each other's nerves.

Marik didn't have to sulk for very long; however, as a small asteroid managed to get past the outer field detector and bumped into the hull. This led to the captain cursing and swearing about the potential damage to his precious ship's hull.

Marik leaned over and gleefully whispered (loudly) to the sole passenger: "Toldja the ship is his baby."

Ryou couldn't help but giggle while the head pilot continued fuming. "Oh shut up!"