Ever since telescopes had first laid sight on her, the Myskria Nebula has been a source of awe and wonder. The clouds and clusters of stars perfectly formed the shape of a feminine face, and this breathtaking image quickly inspired countless songs and poems in her name.
Behold the magnificence of the Lady of Stars
The goddess of splendor and grace
Blessed is he who is fortunate to be
Welcomed into her heavenly embrace
Mortals will always aim for the heavens. As soon as the technology was capable of intergalactic travel, coordinates were set to explore the fabled nebula.
Captain Rexton Bratcher and his crew of five were the first to embark on a journey to discover the secrets of the Lady of Stars. But when they were two light years from the edges of the nebula, they suffered an engine failure which destroyed the entire ship. Shortly after a second mission was launched, headed by Sir Dionte von Pruett. They too were unable to reach their destination, after an airlock malfunction caused the crew to be lost to the vacuum of space. After extensive safety checks, a third spaceship was deployed. But when they were a light year away from their goal, a rogue asteroid crashed into the hull, splitting the craft in half and dooming yet another mission to fail.
Individually, each one could have been chalked up as an unexpected accident. But when there were seven, ten, then a dozen failed missions without a single success, the coincidence became impossible to ignore. Every man who set out to conquer the Lady of Stars was doomed to die in her presence. And with these new developments, the poems and songs suddenly changed their tune.
Beware the bewitchment of the Lady of Stars
The temptress of deadly seduction
Bemoaned is he who is cursed to be
Lured into her claws of destruction
The final attempt to reach the Myskira Nebula was a solo mission piloted by Jocelyn Ralesing. Everyone was certain that she was sailing straight to her demise. Members of the control base took bets on how close she would be when her ship was destroyed.
When she was three light years away, communications started breaking up. But her ship remained intact. The ground crew watched the screens in disbelief as her little green tracker sailed directly to the heart of the nebula.
Jocelyn was never heard from again, but one final transmission was received before all contact was lost.
[This is where I belong]