"Well my dear lords and ladies, last time we ended with the return of the first imperial fleet and the awakening of the sleepers. Who knows the next important event we need to discuss?"
From her seat at the back of the room, Maya glanced over the class of children in front of her. When she was offered the opportunity to visit a history class in the palace, she had immediately jumped on it, if only to escape the boredom that was the behaviour training to her.
A chubby boy in the front raised his hand. The teacher smiled and motioned the child to answer.
"The first war in heaven, Lady Gullivan."
"That is correct. Does anyone know why we call it that and why it happened?"
This time a girl with glasses from the middle rows got to answer.
"It's called a war in heaven because it was not a local conflict or uprising, but a war that affected the whole known galaxy. And it was caused by the Imperial commerce Guild when they tried to overthrow our Lords."
"That's right, after it was clear that the empire had fallen, the greedy guild masters decided that the influence and money they already had was no longer enough. They rose against the natural order and attacked the Imperial Lords just as they were at a conference to discuss the future of the remaining Imperial territories."
Maya scoffed at the teacher's explanation, she knew a different version of the story, but before she could say something, the teacher addressed her.
"Dear Voidfarer, you are allowed to observe this class on the condition, you do not interrupt it. Your father has done some great service, to the noble and fair House Vallian, so I understand the decision to give you the chance to learn in a civilized place, still be mindful of where you are and who you represent."
Maya grid her teeth and barely managed to not snap back at the woman. Slowly, getting back to her usual class started to sound better and better.
Another kid raised their hand and the teacher's attention shifted away from Maya.
"Yes, dear?"
"What rank is a Voidfarer equivalent to?"
"Good Question. Voidfarers live in much smaller communities than we here. Oftentimes the crews consist of only a hand full of people. The captains are the absolute rulers of a vessel and their word is the law. You can think of them as our Princes or Planetary Governors. Under the captain come the officers, they are comparable to barons or lower nobles. The rest of them are simply crew. There might be more distinctions, but that is what's written down in the charter of the Void."
"What is the charter of the Void?"
"Lord Jeremey, please raise your hand like everyone else if you want to speak."
"I am sorry, Lady Gullivan."
"Just remember it for next time. As for your question, the Charta of the Void is a document, drafted and agreed on by all major powers after the third war in heaven, that regulates the interaction between factions as well as how to act in states of emergency. Voidfarers are technically one of the major powers, even if they do not control a single planet."
"Why are they a major faction then?"
"I told you to raise your hand!"
"I'm sorry."
The boy smiled innocently and the teacher did not dwell on his behaviour.
"Voidfarer are the free traders, explorers and universal service providers of the galaxy. If you need something and can't get it from the traders on your planet or the faction wide network, you can hire a Voidfarer to fetch it for you."
The teacher looked Maya directly into the eyes and when the young woman grid her teeth in frustration, smiled at her pretentiously.
"To ensure Voidfarers can deal with any faction and are free to go where they need to, they can't belong to a faction. As soon as you decide to become a voidfarer, you lose all your title and right you held within a faction."
Maya pinched the bridge of her nose, upon hearing this twisted version of the story she knew. Under normal circumstances, she would have challenged the story the woman had told, but her father had implored her to only listen and observe and under no circumstances intervene with the things she saw or felt wrong.
When the lesson was finally over, Maya was the first one to leave the room, despite sitting furthest from the door. The expressionless Maid, that was accompanying her like every day was already waiting by the door.
"I will bring you back to the kennels."
Maya stared at her with squinted eyes, ever since meeting the woman she was unsure if she liked her or not. The maid would oftentimes talk or act in a way, that could be understood as belittling or arrogant, but the complete lack of facial expression as well as tone shift in her voice made it impossible for Maya to tell.
"Very well, lead the way."
Visiting the Kennels was the one thing, Maya was sure she would never get tired of. After some hesitation, the people there had opened up to her and would sometimes give her new foods to try or tell some of the gossip they had picked up working in the palace.
Today was no different, she enjoyed petting and playing with the animals while some of the people came up to ask questions about space and other planets she had seen or tell her about stuff that happened in their life.
She was just chasing around a young dog when she felt the mood around her change. The lively talks died down and she could hear the heavy boots of guardsmen arriving.
When she turned around she could see a woman wearing an expensive dress entering the courtyard. The face looked distantly familiar and the fact that everyone present was bowing or kneeling quickly made her realize that it had to be someone important.
"Why are the dogs running free? I don't like that."
The trainers and handlers immediately ran to catch the animals. The dog Maya had been playing with was also immediately leashed.
"You forgot one of the beasts over there. It appears to even miss a collar."
The woman moved slowly through the courtyard, followed by her guards. She looked directly at Maya, who could do nothing but look back grimly. The golden crest on the woman's clothing unmistakably identified her as a member of the House of Vallian, the rulers of the planet.
"Hello, are you stupid? the beast is still here."
She came to a halt directly in front of Maya and regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
"Gods, that thing is hard to look at, is it a crossbreed? What did you do to the poor thing?"
She walked slowly around Maya, who was struggling to control herself.
When the woman was right behind her, she bent down and smelled her theatrically.
"Oh, my. How regularly are the animals washed?"
She finished her turn and now stood directly in front of Maya.
"Doesn't anyone here feel responsible for this thing?"
"I'm not a thing, thanks for asking."
Maya's reply was like the rumble of an animal. A very angry animal.
The woman's eyes widened as if she was surprised.
"Oh my, it's you. I didn't recognize you among all the dogs. You're that creature that criminal of a Voidfarer calls his daughter."
Before the woman could say another word, Maya's head flew forward and she heard a satisfying crunch as the woman's nose broke. Screams immediately erupted and the next moment she was hit by the guards' electric batons. It only took two or three hits before everything around her went black and she lost consciousness.
The woman with the broken nose, simply pressed a handkerchief to her face to stop the blood from ruining her dress. The disgust, as well as the arrogance she had displayed earlier, had completely vanished from her face.
"Take her into custody for attacking a noble. And someone bring me a Serum for my face!"
An expressionless Maid stood in the corner of the courtyard and watched everything. After the woman and her guards had left with the unconscious Maya, she stopped the recording she had been making the whole time and left to report back to her employer.