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The Star Catcher

All her life, Etria wanted to catch stars, and she wouldn't let anyone stop her. Even herself.

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  • Published: 27 Dec, 2023
  • Length: 6,665 words ★
  • Format: eBook
  • Written in: 3rd person
  • POVs: Single
  • Tense: Past
  • Sci-fi
  • Space opera
  • Short story
  • Lesbian MC
  • Alien MC

The Star Catcher

They said a broken mermaid could never catch stars. Etria proved them wrong.

In a galaxy that set her up to fail, Etria’s journey to capture stars redefines acceptance.

Etria, a determined stella, defies expectations and becomes a Star Catcher despite her disfigurement. Teaming up with Maron, her own personal Star Keeper, they set off on a mission to catch stars. Through their partnership, Etria’s self-perception changes and echoes into her cluster, challenging the stella culture’s narrow ideals.

Join these mesmerizing space mermaids in this short and tear-jerking sci-fi adventure as they defy conventions and ignite the spirit of acceptance, inspiring others to embrace their differences.

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  • character death
  • discrimination
  • ableism
  • dismemberment
  • disfigurement
  • bodily modification
  • strong female lead
  • against society
  • disabled MC
  • alien MC
  • strong female protagonist
  • space mermaids
  • space opera
  • huge scales
  • short story
  • cyclical story
  • hopeful ending

Excerpt

The last two participants joined them across the finish line. An announcement in the shared net used for the race told them that the results were coming soon and for them all to return to their cluster. 

Maron flicked her long red tail in agitation, shedding more scales but keeping remarkably still in space, showing how much control she had over her body. She looked right at Etria then turned around and flew off. The others followed closely, passing Etria each with a wary glance. 

Etria was last to follow, tired and feeling so heavy. However, the streak of red and pink that Maron left behind was a joy to follow, making Etria hurry up before the colours faded away into empty space. 

“That was amazing!” Trion said as she entered Etria’s mind net without so much as a greeting. She was flying slower, right next to Etria. “I mean, it sucks that I will be a Star Seeker, but you were amazing!” 

Etria was not used to others entering her net, even though she always kept it open. Most stellas knew to avoid her and treated her like a complete outcast, as they did with all others that had any form of imperfection. Especially with the tail. A stella was nothing without her tail.

“How did you do it?” 

Etria was shaken out of her musings by Trion’s question, but she kept silent, not sure how to respond. Fortunately for her, Trion took care of both sides of the conversation until they made it back to their cluster. 

There were hundreds of stellas there, everybody from their cluster who was not spread out amongst the stars at that moment and even some from other nearby clusters. The announcement of a new Star Catcher was always huge news and Etria remembered sneaking through the crowd to go watch the previous races, even though she never got much information when no one let her into their nets. 

Etria followed the officials as they directed the participants to the shoal of elders. They were all circling a single point, unable to stay still after many cycles of chasing stars. When Etria came closer, she noticed they were all circling a spaceship. Etria tried to connect to their joint net to hear what they were talking about, but she was rebuffed. She looked at the other participants, but none offered any information. Etria decided to reach out to her new friend instead and asked, “What is going on?” 

Trion looked surprised at being addressed but then answered, “They couldn’t tell who won so they are asking the humans to check their recordings.” 

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What Readers Say

"This is a short, beautiful mermaid story that you will read in two sittings. Once because you couldn't stop, and twice because you want that happy feeling it gives you in the end again. The relationship between Etria and Maron is so perfect that when the embrace happens, I felt my heart being pulled in with them.

Cons - None.

Get this quick read."

—Laura Huie

This was a short but beautiful story about mermaids (and one with disabilities and disfigurement) who take care of dying stars.

When I heard it was sapphic mermaids in SPACE? I was sold.

Their writing is soft, beautiful, and makes this tale (the dark, sad parts and the sweet, precious moments) all the more gorgeous.

I literally gobbled this up in no time flat. If you want a story that is fast, but will hit you right in the feels, this is it.

Please check content warnings! While short, this one has some heavy stuff

—YarnWyvern

""The Star Catcher" is a tear-jerking, sci-fi adventure that defies conventions and inspires with its spirit of acceptance. For anyone looking to embark on a short but profound journey through space, this story of mesmerizing space mermaids is a must-read."

—Tristin Sylvester

This was so beautiful, the language gave the passage pastel pinks and reds and blues and purples and I was IMMERSED….

The vocabulary you chose was perfect for the scenes you described.

—AJ Alexanders

More reviews available on Goodreads.

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Art Gallery

Character Etria Galaxy map top view Starfield background Character Maron Galaxy map side view Etria lineart Edit rounds process Star Catcher title graphic Galaxy map front view
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Characters

Etria ▾
Etria Etria

Etria

A Stella born with a deformed tail that doesn't let that stop her from achieving her dreams.

  • Full Name: Etria
  • Age: Unknown (older than some stars)
  • Species/Race: Stella
  • Gender/Pronouns: Female (she/her)
  • Sexuality: Lesbian (the entire Stella race is female only)
  • Role: Main character

Etria was born with a crook in her tail and rippled fins that had made most of her cluster regret taking her in as their own. Due to her deformity, she was ignored and shunned by almost everyone.

The only friend she had in her cluster was Astrio—a Stella who had a habit of using space debris to create different constructs.

With Astrio's help, Etria is able to not only migrate and live with her cluster, but eventually enter the races. Although most of her cluster despises her for her imperfections, she eventually gains their respect by showing that even with her imperfections, she can do her job.

Maron ▾
Maron Maron

Maron

A Stella that was considered the favourite of her cluster to become the next Star Catcher.

  • Full Name: Maron
  • Age: Unknown (older than some stars)
  • Species/Race: Stella
  • Gender/Pronouns: Female (she/her)
  • Sexuality: Lesbian (the entire Stella race is female only)
  • Role: Supporting

Maron was the perfect Stella, born a rare pink and red that had others looking up to her from the moment she came to. She was the fastest, the smartest, the strongest… she was the only one that it made sense.

Others in her cluster already considered Maron a Star Catcher, even before she entered the races. They listened to her and were expecting that even if she decided against catching stars, she would at least become an elder in their cluster.

Maron lived under those heavy expectations and carried them without any complaint. And when they turned against her, she reminded everyone why they loved her and why they should listen to her.

Astrio ▾
Astrio

Astrio

A creative Stella who uses space debris to construct innovative tools and supports Etria despite her deformity.

  • Full Name: Astrio
  • Age: Unknown (older than some stars)
  • Species/Race: Stella
  • Gender/Pronouns: Female (she/her)
  • Sexuality: Lesbian (the entire Stella race is female only)
  • Role: Supporting character, Etria's friend

Astrio is a uniquely creative Stella who sees potential in the cosmic debris that others overlook and her cluster is so against using. While most Stellas focus on traditional roles to the point of ignoring Astrio and her work, she doesn't let that stop her from doing what she loves and helping those she cares about.

She became Etria's only friend and supporter when others in their cluster shunned Etria for her physical differences. Astrio used her skills to create a cage for Etria's tail to help the other Stella fly through space.

Over the next cycles, Astrio's skill becomes more widely recognized as Etria becomes more accepted, and Astrio starts taking on apprentices and training others in her art, while helping others like Etria.

Migra Galaxy

More about the series

Migra Galaxy

The Migra Galaxy was a spiral galaxy before it collided with a larger one and it was destroyed in the process. The remains of its spiral form are shown as the large ring of stars that seems to rotate around a larger clump of stars at the core. The ring is slowly pulling the rest of the stars into its rotation and reforming the galaxy back into a much-smaller-than-before spiral.

The name of the Migra galaxy came from the Maronian religion of worshipping the moon and stars. The Maronian Goddess of Space was known as Migra-Miratory, which was later shortened to ‘Migramira’. The word has now come to mean ‘survival and fight’ in most languages, including Commonswell.

The Migra Galaxy is actually over 27 billion years old, however it was attacked by a larger galaxy very early on and it was re-formed 6.6 billion years ago to what it is known as now. The only race that is believed to have survived the cannibalistic attack was the Stellas, however there is no proof of that and Stellas keep mostly to themselves outside of their cyclical races. 

More info coming soon!
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