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religious fanaticism was even borne of an excess of
love
for God.
Love
was something Cherry was determined to keep out of her
life.
    From the day she entered
first grade and realized she had a name of her own, Cherry wanted more. Up to
that time she had answered to "girl" just as her sisters had. There
were no individuals; they were all appendages of one unit commonly referred to
as "the chiluns."
    Her dream of becoming
someone special had germinated then, but wishing it aloud had earned her a
beating. Her mother swore she would burn in hell for such thoughts, but she
couldn't get it out of her head. The first time she saw a motion picture, she
knew she wanted to become a star. She would secretly act out her imaginary
stories and pretend everyone came to see her, begging for her autograph.
    The day after high school
graduation, she walked out of that two-room shanty and never looked back. She
hitchhiked to California with high hopes and few tangible assets. As luck would
have it though, she got a ride to San Francisco instead of Hollywood. Out of
money, she found a job in that city as a receptionist for the Mackenzie
Foundation, but still intended to follow the Stardust trail to L.A. as soon as
she could afford it.
    The first day of her first
real job was when she connected with Aster. It had been Aster's first day, too,
but that was the only thing they had in common. Besides their appearances and
personalities, there was another major difference between them. Aster was
disgustingly rich.
    The Mackenzie Foundation
had been set up by Aster's grandmother to give away some of the family fortune.
Aster had just received her master's degree in economics and had been groomed
since childhood to take over the Foundation.
    Before long, Cherry had
challenged herself to break Aster's mundane lifestyle of working, eating,
sleeping, and working again. It had taken months for Cherry to force a good
laugh out of her, but it had been worth the effort. Aster turned out to be the
best friend Cherry ever had and vice-versa.
    Eight years later when her
grandmother died, Aster took over as director of the Foundation, and Cherry
moved up as her efficient, yet carefree, administrative assistant.
    Cherry never made it to
Hollywood, nor could she take complete credit for turning Asters life around. But
fate gave each woman her heart's desire in the end.
    Aster mated with the man of
her dreams and managed to indirectly make a positive impact on the planet's
environment.
    Cherry became a star—the
only thing she had ever wished for. Achieving that goal in Innerworld had made
her happier than she had thought possible… for a time. Lately, though, she had
become bored with the routine of her work. There was nothing she wanted to do
more than act; it simply wasn't a challenge anymore.
    The moment she heard about
the Noronian Performing Company audition, she had her new challenge. She hadn't
even realized how confined she felt in Innerworld until she imagined traveling
to other planets.
    Freedom.
Even a million
miles from that dirt farm in Georgia, the word still had the power to make her
pulse race. With a smile on her face and the determination to enjoy her first
taste of outerspace, she returned to the bridge.
    "Oh, my," Mar
said appreciatively as Cherry entered, then he immediately turned so that Dot
could see what had surprised him with her own eyes.
    "Oh, my," Dot
repeated in a different, more concerned tone of voice. "You certainly
look… different."
    Cherry laughed. "Geez,
I hope so. That peasant maiden get-up is one of the worst." Her gaze moved
to Gallant as he started to turn around then paused to adjust his eye patch. She
couldn't help but wonder why he had to wear such a thing when any physical
defect she knew of could easily be repaired by
    Innerworld's medical
personnel.
What could it be hiding?
    She waited for the kind of
complimentary greeting men usually paid her as Gallant quickly scanned her from
head to toe, but he swiveled back