《Stellar Reach》


 Prologue: A Wish Upon a Star

    The crisp night air bit at my skin as I pulled my coat closer to myself for warmth, though I had a chance to go inside I wanted nothing more than to be far away from my parent''s reach. New Eden was beautiful in its own way, with its orderly streets and pristine landscapes, but I hated it. I hated how suffocating it felt to be surrounded by perfection¡ªespecially when it wasn¡¯t the life I wanted. My lungs exhaled a visible breath but my focus was on the night sky that I stared at above me. I always came to this roof when I needed time for myself, one of the best things about New Eden was its lack of light pollution, so I could see the night sky unhindered. I longed to be up there with the people that could choose their own lives. When I came here I imagined myself being one of them, exploring new planets and celestial bodies.


    For that reason, I was always drawn to space, researching as much as I could about this beautiful galaxy that I could look at but likely never touch. I would never be allowed off this planet if my parents had anything to say about it, and our currency was nothing to outsiders so I couldn¡¯t possibly save up enough to afford my way off the planet.


    That never stopped me from dreaming about the life of seeing a black hole or finding new species or even just looking out my window to see the vastness of space. I wanted it more than anything in the universe, even if my parents were insistent that no good could come from it. I wanted to be up there where you could choose your own life, do whatever, and be whomever you wanted.


    This fight with my parents was pretty nasty and my longing for escape was stronger than ever this time. I loved them dearly but it always felt like I was never enough for them. Not manly enough, not enough dedication to God, too interested in space, and this time¨Cit was all three. The beauty of New Eden was undeniable but the strict rules were suffocating me. I felt my eyes tearing up once more, an act that my father would likely scream at me about. I was expected to be a strong man constantly, never to falter, but that wasn¡¯t me.


    My older brother had stood up for me, arguing that I needed space to grow and that my parents were too restrictive on me, but I stormed out before hearing what the conversation turned into. Though I loved my parents, I was always thankful for my brother¡¯s support more than anything. He would listen to my rants and comfort me when I was low, he was the only person who knew about this spot that I always came to.


    I just wished my parents would understand that I¡¯m not them, I¡¯m not the macho man who¡¯s obsessed with God like my father. My mother was more understanding but she would never defend me from my father as it was her role as a wife to always support her husband. They had raised me and taught me how to interact with the world and I would be forever grateful to them for that but I couldn¡¯t help but clash with them. I sometimes wished I could be their perfect son, to be more extroverted and interested more in God than technology, to be more macho and dominant, but I simply never was.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I didn¡¯t hold it against my parents as I knew they wanted me to follow in their shoes and find my place in heaven. They always wanted the best for me and sometimes I couldn¡¯t help but think that I was the problem. Maybe they were right and I needed to try harder, needed to be stronger. I knew my brother would try and convince me otherwise but I knew it would make life so much easier if I could just be the man they wanted me to be. Maybe I would have done more with my life than depend on them for help and waste away with my books every day. I wanted an escape but I also wanted to be normal. Maybe I needed to stop thinking about fantasies that would never come true and instead focus on the here and now. Maybe it would all be for the better if I just listened to them.


    Maybe one day everything would work itself out and I would measure up to their expectations. I would get a job as a farmer or work in the Church and they would never complain again. I would marry a nice girl and, despite how repulsed I was by sex, I would have a bunch of grandchildren for them and everything would be okay.


    Despite the comfort that looking at the sky gave me, I also was struggling with my longing to be out there among the beauty of space. I don¡¯t think my longing for it would ever go away as it hadn¡¯t subsided at all over my entire life.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile as a shooting star started streaking across the sky, the timing was utterly poetic and my eyes closed to focus on my one wish. It was a multilayered wish but it came down to one simple sentence: I wish to be free.


    As I opened my eyes I realized that the ball of light that had been streaking across the sky remained, but instead, it was bigger and brighter. I knew that my studies in astronomy were vastly incomplete but I knew enough to recognize that shooting stars weren¡¯t supposed to act like this, this was something different.


    The ball of light kept growing and burning brighter to the point that it started to cause my eyes to sting in slight pain. My heart began to race as possibilities ran through my mind. Maybe God was tired of my antics and sending an angel to strike me down, maybe an asteroid had gotten through the planet''s defensive shield and was hurdling straight toward me. Whatever the case, being here wasn¡¯t safe as it was no longer a streak in the sky and now a burning ball. Whatever it was was on a collision course with the building I was on top of right now.


    I jumped to my feet, my mind racing as I desperately apologized to God for not working harder to be faithful to him and started running to the stairs that I would never reach. My mind flitted to my family in hopes that they would be okay. I hoped I would be able to meet them in Heaven.


    The last thing I remember was light before the world went black.

 Chapter 1: A New Beginning

    My body felt heavier than I ever remember and I wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep, the deep dreamless sleep that I just had that somehow made me feel extremely well-rested and utterly exhausted at the same time. I felt the light hitting my face and knew my mother would be in soon to wake me up but I would savor every bit of this calm that I could get until then. My body felt like I couldn¡¯t move it even if I wanted to.


    ¡°Procedure complete, subject fully recovered.¡±


    My mind took a long moment to process the words as if they were coming to my mind through thick pudding. I tried to think about who had said that but my mind couldn¡¯t come up with anything beyond it sounding extremely technological. I slowly tried opening my eyes but it was a difficult movement from how heavy they were and the brightness that was seemingly around me. It took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the unfamiliar ceiling above me and even longer for my brain to catch up with what I was seeing.


    After what felt like an eternity, my mind finally began to process that I wasn¡¯t in my room anymore and searching for answers. I tried to recall the last thing I was doing. I had a fight with my parents, David tried defending me, and I stormed out. I went to my usual escape spot and then¡­The shooting star!


    I tried to bolt up but my body decided that it had not caught up with my brain¡¯s level of energy and barely budged an inch. I knew I must be in a hospital but judging from what I could see it was much too advanced for anything that was near my house. Maybe my injuries were just that bad, that I needed one of the advanced facilities in the capital city.


    The unfamiliar voice of a woman called out from my left, surprising me out of my thoughts. ¡°Oh, thank fucking hell you¡¯re alright!¡±


    Well, that was a strange phrase to be used, maybe the rumors of people in the capital being less connected to God were true and that was common here. I had never heard anyone curse like that before. Nonetheless, I rotated my head to face where the voice was coming from and I slowly turned my head just enough for the woman to come into view as she approached. She was far beyond anything I expected to see. She had short hair (unheard of for women on New Eden) that didn¡¯t even reach her chin, as well as a lab coat and strong features. Even more shocking, her hair was a vibrant shade of green that I had never seen before. Her skirt only came down to mid-thigh which was utterly taboo everywhere in New Eden just like her top that exposed her chest to the air.


    ¡°Okay, I know this is probably a bit of a shock to you,¡± she says, seemingly trying to put on as much of a comforting voice as possible, ¡°but as you can likely tell, you¡¯re no longer on New Eden.¡±


    My mind raced with shock, fear, and excitement upon hearing her words, though my expression likely only displayed the first two from how this woman reacted. I wasn¡¯t on New Eden. I wasn¡¯t on New Eden!


    ¡°Everything is going to be alright,¡± she said, stepping forward to place a hand on my shoulder, ¡°you¡¯re onboard the star ship Stellar Reach right now and I have been giving you the best treatment I could possibly provide.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    My mouth struggled to move and the voice that escaped me was completely unfamiliar to me. It sounded soft and girly, though my brain quickly rationalized that it was likely a temporary after effect from whatever treatment they gave me. I pushed aside a strange feeling of elation from hearing my voice and attributed it to the excitement of being in space, at last. I was on a starship!


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s kind of our fault,¡± she stated, her voice turning solem, ¡°one of our crew members was chasing down a fugitive and that criminal¡¯s ship crashed straight into you.¡±


    I stared at her in bewilderment as my brain struggled to process what she had just said. A ship crashed straight into me so it was a miracle I was still alive. I should¡¯ve been vaporized by a crash like that.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°We¡¯re still in orbit and can return you to your home as soon as you¡¯re strong enough to do so.¡± Her hand gently squeezed my shoulder to try and comfort me from the sadness that ran through me.


    I had no idea what she thought about my reaction but it certainly wasn¡¯t sadness at what happened, it was a sadness of knowing that I had reached space but immediately had to return. Maybe I could act like I was still hurt and could stay longer. I knew it was a long shot but I had to hope.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­okay though?¡± The voice I heard threw me off once more, hopefully it would return to normal soon.


    ¡°Of course! I had to use the medical AI to run the procedure but we¡¯ve fully reconstructed and restored your body to its former state, maybe even healthier.¡± She gives me a reassuring smile. ¡°You¡¯re a perfectly healthy woman.¡±


    My brain processes crawled to a stop as I replayed what she had just said about a billion and one times. I was healthy now, sure, but that last part must have been a slip of the tongue, I was sure I didn¡¯t mishear her so that must be it.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I smiled nervously at her, worried by the new voice I was hearing now, ¡°you mean ¡®a perfectly healthy man?¡¯¡±


    It was her turn to stare in bewilderment this time as I could almost hear the gears turning in her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±


    ¡°You accidentally said I¡¯m a perfectly healthy woman, not a man.¡± My nervousness was now creeping into my voice as I watched her piece the puzzle together.


    ¡°I¡­give me a moment to call the Captain in and we¡¯ll work this out,¡± without waiting for my response, she walks over to her interface screen and taps away.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    It only takes a moment for her to send her message as she turns back around quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± she states as her eyes are filled with concern, ¡°We didn¡¯t recover much of you and I simply set the AI to construct you a new body. It should have built you one identical to your last.¡±


    My mind reels in shock at her words. I was a six-foot-tall man with plenty of body hair and a masculine face. There was no way that anyone could¡¯ve mistaken me for a woman before all this. This woman had to be referring to something else, maybe this was all a misunderstanding or a prank, possibly even a dream. A dream seemed most likely, I would wake up soon to my mother opening my curtains and everything would be normal.


    Having a bit more energy than when I first woke up, I turned and lifted my head downwards towards my body, and everything ground to a halt. On my chest, right before my eyes, were two mounds of flesh attached firmly to my chest, and below them was the lack of maleness in my groin. I slowly lifted my arms into view only to see that they now reflected the newfound femininity that I seemingly had. My hands were much smaller and though I didn¡¯t have much muscle before, it had entirely disappeared in favor of soft and thin arms.


    I only had a moment to look at myself before the woman covered me with a hospital gown, but that didn¡¯t stop my chest from poking through the fabric.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m so sorry, the captain will be here in a minute and we¡¯ll sort all of this out.¡± Her eyes were filled with concern but her voice was a mile away. My mind was still catching up to the situation I found myself in.


    Her look of worry only deepened as I didn¡¯t reply, continuing to stare at myself until the door of the medical room slid open. Stepping through the door frame was a tall, muscular, and dark-skinned man. He was dressed in a muscle shirt and cargo pants, giving him a soldier-like look. His hair was white from age but he seemed as fit as one would be in their twenties.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re awake,¡± he said with a broad smile, ¡°my name is Captain Reed Halloway, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, miss¡­?¡±


    The medical woman shoots him a look that I¡¯m unable to see but he immediately reacts with a confused face. She turned back to face me without whatever look she had given him, instead giving me a soft, comforting smile.


    ¡°I never introduced myself either, my name is Dr. Bennett, but everyone just calls me Zara. What¡¯s your name, sweetheart?¡±


    I hesitate for a long while before answering. ¡°S-Samuel.¡±


    Zara gives me a nod though I can¡¯t help but notice Captain Halloway¡¯s face deepening his confused look, he obviously wasn¡¯t expecting that answer but was slowly putting the pieces together.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lovely name, Samuel, can you give me your last name as well?¡±


    ¡°I-...Viera.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mr. Viera, or may I call you Samuel?¡± After she receives a nod in confirmation from me, she continues, ¡°Would you mind waiting just a moment while I speak to Reed?¡±


    I nod again, not sure what to make of the situation. I was a girl. It was likely the shock but I was taking it fairly well, I thought.


    ¡°Thank you, Samuel. We¡¯ll be just a moment.¡±


    She quickly turned towards Captain Halloway and started shooing him out the door, making their exit swiftly. Not even two seconds after she said that she¡¯d be only a moment was she out the door. It slid closed, leaving me alone in the room.

 Chapter 2: Changes

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    Lifting my body from its position on the medical table was not only difficult but incredibly strange. I felt every movement of my body, as my chest shifted and my bare thighs pushed against the soft padding of the mattress. Hair much longer than I remembered fell into place and reached all the way just past my shoulders. I had always kept my fluffy brown hair cut short as men having long hair was completely inappropriate in the majority of New Eden. Much to my dismay, when Dr. Bennett had placed the hospital gown on me she hadn¡¯t tied it to my body and it slid right off. My hands shot up to gather the top of the gown and pull it back up myself but in that process my hands brushed against my chest, sending a whole new array of sensations through me. I tried my best to ignore the sensations and quickly tied the gown in place.


    My eyes traveled down to find my legs devoid of hair, only my newly softened skin visible now. I couldn¡¯t help my curious mind from wondering the reason that the hair on my head had grown but on my legs had been removed but quickly pushed the thought out of my mind. I had many more important things to think about. I was a girl! This was completely against everything that I had ever been told and my mind raced at how this would affect me.


    Would they be able to change me back? If they couldn¡¯t, would I be able to return home? Would God reject me because of this? Would I have to live the rest of my life as a girl?


    I was strangely calm in comparison to how I knew I should be acting, I should be screaming and furious and forcing them to change me back. That¡¯s what a man should do but I felt no compulsion to follow that. Maybe it was the shock that had set in and I hadn¡¯t fully processed the situation so couldn¡¯t react accordingly. Strangely, I didn¡¯t feel as uncomfortable as I would¡¯ve imagined, in fact, I almost felt more comfortable than I did before but that was an answer to be searched for after I sorted things out. A man had to take control of his situation first, that¡¯s what my father had always said.


    Trying to ignore all the new sensations, my gaze traveled around the room before stopping at something that I couldn¡¯t ignore. My eyes widened in wonder and excitement as I looked out the window to see the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.


    Space.


    I struggled to my feet, needing to take it fairly slowly as my body still felt like it was traveling through jello but nothing would stop me from making it to that window. I rushed over as fast as my sluggish body would allow and stared outside to see something I thought I would never see in my lifetime. Down, far below, was the planet I had spent my entire life on, New Eden, and everything beyond it was the vastness of space that I had always wished to be a part of. Emotions started welling up in me as I pushed back tears that were struggling to escape.


    The thought crossed my mind only briefly that crying wasn¡¯t acceptable for a man to do but it was just enough to bring me back to my current reality. I was somehow in a girl¡¯s body from the magical technology that this ship seemed to have.


    I turned back towards the bed I had been lying on to inspect the room briefly. In the middle of the room was a normal hospital bed that I had woken up on but everything else seemed so much more advanced than anything I had grown up around. In one corner of the room was a set of lab equipment as well as what seemed like a stasis pod. I had heard of the pods before but they were strictly forbidden on New Eden as it was said that using one would separate you from God by altering your ¡®perfect¡¯ human form. My gaze continued to scan the room, noting the cabinets and the desk that Dr. Bennett¡¯s computer was on. It was mind-bogglingly strange how normal this all seemed despite how far advanced it was compared to home.


    The door sliding open broke me out of my thoughts and Dr. Bennett and Captain Halloway stepped through looking nervous underneath their friendly smiles. They immediately noticed me by the window and I tried to give them a small smile to alleviate their worries. For some reason, I held no anger towards them and instead was simply excited to learn all I could before they sent me home.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up! That¡¯s very, very good,¡± spoke Zara, ¡°I was afraid the process would¡¯ve tired you too much to allow much movement for a little while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still pretty tired,¡± the strange new voice said, coming from my mouth. It was soft, gentle, and almost melodic in its cadence, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m moving through pudding.¡±


    I could see Zara¡¯s expression relax upon hearing how calm I was, as it seemed like she might think I would be furious. It was a reasonable assumption and I wasn¡¯t entirely sure why I wasn¡¯t furious at this moment. I almost felt calm, or even happy, if it wasn¡¯t for the utter bewilderment.


    ¡°That¡¯s to be expected, your entire body was reconstructed from scratch,¡± says Zara, walking over to me.


    I had never found a woman taller than me before all this but now it seemed like this woman was a half a head taller than me. Judging from what I saw, she was also about the same amount shorter than Captain Halloway, which didn¡¯t bode well for my height. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I don¡¯t have much time to think about it as she guides me back to the hospital bed carefully and I end up having to lean on her due to having expended more energy than I thought I had.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve probably already realized what¡¯s happened,¡± she says in a calm and soothing voice. She seems like a very helpful and friendly type, almost motherly, ¡°we¡¯re not entirely sure why this has happened but you are most certainly a woman now.¡±


    Though I already knew the second part of her statement, many questions flew through my mind at the fact that they didn¡¯t know what happened. I was on a strange spaceship with little understanding of the situation and was now in the body of a woman. They had to at least have some idea of how this happened, right?


    ¡°You don¡¯t know why I¡¯m¡­a girl?¡± I ask, flinching at my new voice. If my father heard it then he would have an absolute fit.


    This time, Captain Halloway stepped forward to answer. ¡°We don¡¯t. The program should have reconstructed a body based on your ideal image of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Samuel,¡± Zara continued to speak in her soft voice, ¡°Is there any chance that you might be transgender?¡±


    I stared at her in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Utter bewilderment flashed across their faces but they quickly composed themselves. I wasn¡¯t sure why it was such a shock, if I hadn¡¯t heard of it then it couldn¡¯t be that big of a topic.


    ¡°Well,¡± Zara looked like she was struggling to find the words to explain this with care, ¡°it¡¯s people who are born one gender but realize that they belong in the body of another gender.¡±


    This time it was my turn to act bewildered, I had never heard of such a thing on New Eden. I wondered if that was normal in space and how many people were like that. Sure, I hadn¡¯t been very manly growing up, I enjoyed girl things but I was a man and that would never change.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not, God doesn¡¯t make mistakes.¡±


    The two glance at each other with a look I can¡¯t recognize, almost as if it were a mix of worry and pity. I don¡¯t believe I said anything wrong but their reaction said otherwise.


    Zara turns back to me with the same gentle smile, ¡°Okay, I understand. Well, Samuel, Captain Reed has something to say that might be upsetting for you to learn. Let¡¯s have you sit down for this, okay?¡±


    Well, that was most certainly worrisome. She helped me to sit down and get my feet back up while lifting the bed to allow me to sit comfortably. I looked at Captain Halloway the entire time, wondering what he had to say. I had an inkling of what the words that would come out of his mouth would be, but I prayed I was wrong.


    ¡°Okay, well,¡± Captain Halloway cleared his throat, looking as nervous to say his next words as I was to hear them, ¡°Miss¨Cer¡­Mister Viera, we would like to be able to help you with this predicament, however therein lies a problem. We would have to pick up the necessary fuel for the medical pod to do so and the closest place we can buy it will be in the Beta Quadrant.¡±


    My jaw dropped and the room began to spin. I leaned my head back against the bed¡¯s pillow only to be reminded of my height by the fact that I couldn¡¯t quite reach the pillow fully. I would have to wait for them to go all the way to a different quadrant of the galaxy and back to be restored to my original body, I didn¡¯t even think that I could go home in the first place like this.


    ¡°However, as this is our fault we will be taking full responsibility and paying for everything to get that fuel,¡± Reed continued, ¡°And we will do everything in our power to take care of you until then. If you wish to stay aboard for the journey, you have full permission to.¡±


    One revelation to one new despair, I could come on a space journey but I had no idea what I would tell my family.


    My family!


    ¡°How long have I been out?¡±


    ¡°I believe it is coming on 132 hours now, or 5 and a half days standard time,¡± Zara replies this time.


    My family hasn¡¯t heard from me for over five days. For all they knew I could¡¯ve run away or died. I sit up as fast as I can (which is rather slowly at the moment,) and look at both of them with pleading eyes.


    ¡°Does my family know what happened?¡±


    Zara shakes her head solemnly. ¡°We wish we could¡¯ve informed them, however, we had no clue who you were until you said your name just now. I¡¯d be happy to help you contact them but¡­¡±


    The look she gave me instantly reminded me of my situation and my expression dropped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hun. I know that people on New Eden aren¡¯t exactly fond of the technology we¡¯ve used, but it was either that or let you die.¡± She then asks a question that I¡¯m completely unprepared for, ¡°do you think your family would be accepting of you?¡±


    I think about this for a long moment, considering all the possibilities. David would likely be able to get over it once I convinced him that it was me, he¡¯d probably be happier that I was alive than upset about the reconstruction. My parents were a different story. Even if I was able to instantly change back, the moment they found out that I had this kind of tech used on me I would be a servant of the devil in their eyes. We had just been in a fight about my masculinity too, if I returned home as a girl I can¡¯t imagine what would happen.


    After a long moment, I slowly shake my head. I wouldn¡¯t be accepted and I knew it. I tried to hold back tears that were threatening to escape but a few flowed down my face despite my protests. I turned my head away from them, it wasn¡¯t right for a man to cry. They would probably be disgusted if they saw it.


    It takes a long moment after my response for either of them to say anything but the Captain speaks up first.


    ¡°Well, that settles it then, you¡¯ll come with us, we¡¯ll let your family know that you¡¯re okay but requiring medical care, and we¡¯ll go find a solution to this problem.¡±


    I tried to wipe my eyes discretely but I knew they saw the movement. I felt Zara¡¯s hand place itself on my back and start rubbing in a comforting motion. I had wished for this but I didn¡¯t expect it to come true in such a complicated way. I don¡¯t know if I would ever be able to go home.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±