[b]The Courtyard
The Imperial Palace
Planet Aura of the Deminutian Empire[/b]
[@HounderHowl]

“Well, your trajectory analysis was spot-on, Lady Aelia.” Alik murmured, standing beside the young princess, using his hawk wings as a shield of sorts to keep the sun from impeding the princess’s view of the slowly descending probe.
“Not exactly. I thought it would land on the edge of the lake.” The girl muttered, then yelped in pain as her mother’s fan flicked out and hit her in the back of the head.
“Conduct yourself appropriately, young lady!” Elissa snapped.
“Yes, mother.” She flashed a rueful smile at Alik, wincing again as the fan hit her head a second time.
“I mean it, Aelia Drusilla Imperia.”
Aelia blushed. “Of course, mother! I’m just being friendly.”

[i]So friendly, aren’t you, Aelia?[/i]
[i]Oh shush, Alik.[/i]
[i]I SAID, BEHAVE, CHILDREN![/i]
Aelia winced. [i]I’ll behave if you let me go check out the box.[/i]
[i]Oh, alright. You are the spare, after all. And you’re clever.[/i]
Aelia bit her lip, shaking off the barb about being the spare. [i]And Alik and Eris get to come with me too.[/i]

“Absolutely not, Aelia.” Aness snapped.
“Why not?” Elissa asked.
“Because she is an heir to the throne, and going off without an escort, with only the chaperonage of an unrestrained [i]boy[/i], and I will not allow it! A breach of protocol on the highest level, it would be, and undignified for ANY of Imperia’s royalty.” Aness shouted.
“But they won’t be alone, because I’ll go with her.” Eris said.
“An incompetent ex-major? Hardly a fitting escort for the second in line to Imperia’s throne.” Elissa said.
“Oh, just let them go, Mother, Uncle.” Ellyna said, unexpectedly supporting Aelia’s cause.

Aelia, not waiting for her parents’ authorization, grabbed Alik and Eris by the hands and sprinted for the lake, then remembered she had wings and launched herself into the air, fluttering her clear dragonfly wings rapidly to gain altitude and speed, until they arrived, hovering, in front of the box. It was enormous, bigger than the entire Royal Palace, and covered by…
“What in all Imperia is that?” Alik muttered, flying up to the box and yanking hard on the material around it. It was like cloth, except… not. It was too strong and thick for any cloth the Deminutians had ever seen.
“Alik, don’t touch it!” Aelia shouted.
“Why not? It seems harmless enough.” Eris said, flying over and kicking the box.
“We need to get through the wrapping.”
Aelia frowned, her natural curiosity at war with the caution that her mother had instilled in her. Finally she let herself fall on the box.
“I think we should try to figure out what’s in this thing. It could contain like, all of the Aurae on this planet. If not all of the Aurae in this system.” Eris said, seeming quite excited.
“That’s exactly why we shouldn’t open it.” Aelia said. 
“I don’t even think it can open.” Eris said as she flew around the box. “There’s no button or lever or anything.”
“Who would make a giant box that wouldn’t open?” Alik said. 
“Who would dive-bomb us when most empires don’t know we exist?”
And on and on the three Aurae chattered, unaware that the box was awake and listening to them.

[hr]

[b]Explorer Ship Scientiae-II
Property of Deminutian Empire
Ryukyuan Space – 500,000 kilometers from Gaishia[/b]
[@ClocktowerEchos]

Lieutenant Regylis Sky-Dancer of the Deminutian Army’s Interstellar Pilots branch was the first to realize something was wrong, for the first time in the five hundred years since this ship had been launched. The spots on the radar had come out of nowhere. 

“Captain! Captain Cnaeus, Lieutenant Alena, Lieutenant Illani, come quickly!” the Aquae lieutenant called. The Ignii captain and Aurae technician raced in from their work, soon followed by the Terra medic.
“Nyeris save me, is that what I think it is?” Alena murmured.
“It’s a bunch of ships. A whole bunch of ships.” Illani said, leaning in over Alena to get a look at the holographic display.
“Hey, just because you’re tall, Illani, doesn’t mean you can use me as an armrest!” Alena said.
“Quiet, girls! We’re about to have company, if these enormous ships are any indication, so will you kindly SHUT UP and brace yourselves?”