It was a warm summer night when Prince Kashion stood on the veranda of his house, gazing up at the starry sky.
A gentle evening breeze drifted by, pleasantly warm. To his right and left stood large planters filled with plants and flowers that gave off a sweet fragrance.
It was a clear night, and the stars and constellations were sharply visible.
Kashion took a deep breath. It had been a stressful day—a stressful week, stressful months, and more beyond that. But now this moment belonged entirely to him. His eyes wandered across the sky until he spotted Orion. He smiled. His father had shown it to him back then. It had been the first constellation he learned to recognize, and even today he always searched for it. Somehow, in its constancy, it gave him a sense of stability. Not everything is always subject to change.
Even if much would soon change.
It had been over a year since the High Council had agreed to receive the envoys from Saturn. It had been a necessity, as they urgently needed Aethereleum, which existed only on Saturn. Without Aethereleum, Earth's population would soon have to abandon all spaceflight plans altogether.
It had been over a year—because even with the most advanced technology available today, a journey from Saturn to Earth still took a full year.
An entire year. So much can change in a year, and yet it can pass so quickly.
Kashion sighed. It wasn't only the trade agreement weighing on him, but also the expectations everyone had placed upon his shoulders.
The envoy from Saturn was none other than Princess Evlina. He had never seen her in person, but she was said to be a very beautiful, very intelligent woman. Not that Kashion had any interest in her—but more and more voices were suggesting that a union between two great royal houses could lend greater stability to the trade agreement.
Kashion, however, enjoyed his freedom—limited as it might be. He did not want anyone at his side simply because it was expected of him. Still, Evlina did seem to be a truly remarkable woman.
Shortly after she had been appointed envoy, his advisers, friends, and relatives had begun steering his thoughts in that direction.
He would have preferred if they could have simply concluded the trade agreement online.
But hundreds of years after the colonization of Saturn, its inhabitants had grown rather proud. They no longer saw themselves as descendants of Earth's so-called space pioneers, but rather as something better. And yes, Saturn did not suffer from the same major problems that Earth had faced. Humanity—or rather, the Saturians—had at least learned something from past mistakes.
Nevertheless, Saturn could not exist without Earth. Certain scientific knowledge was not shared, and there was neither crude oil nor several other vital elements on Saturn. Some things could now be produced independently—but not everything.
Thus, an agreement had been reached: a contract involving the exchange of Aethereleum, found only on Saturn, for other materials.
The Saturians, however, insisted on seeing for themselves what Earth was really like. The largest Aethereleum producer was King Tioff, Evlina's father. He was a descendant of space pioneers who had once lived in what was now Tingdao—Kashion's kingdom. For that reason, Tioff wished to negotiate with Tingdao.
And that was how Kashion had ended up in this situation.
A year full of preparations.
These preparations included not only setting up quarters for the princess and her entourage, but also negotiations with other Earth nations and further education in scientific matters. Kashion needed to know—and fully understand—why Aethereleum was so important and how exactly they could trade it for their own resources.
In addition, there was much to learn about the Saturians and their customs. Of course, they were perfectly normal humans—but they had grown up under very different conditions. They had a different history and a different culture.
Only the most privileged could undertake a journey to Saturn themselves. And there was always the issue of time: even the journey alone would take at least two years. Not everyone was willing to waste two years of their life inside a spacecraft.
Cryo-sleep, once dreamed of by humanity, was impossible. Science had long since discarded the idea.
Kashion looked back up at the night sky. Was there a star that seemed to be moving? A shooting star? Or perhaps, far in the distance, the spacecraft could already be seen?
There were now only ten days left until its arrival.
Kashion turned around and closed the door. It was time to say good night to the day—and to freedom.