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‘Just call me angel of the morning, (Angel)

Just touch my cheek before you leave, baby…’

It's ironic. As I write this, Hurricane Irma is about to arrive here in Tampa. A hurricane is coming, and here I am, writing and drawing when I should be fretting.

This is Angel Mischter, a Beechcraft Starship. Starships are an exceptionally rare breed, with only 60 or so individuals worldwide. Most of the population resides in the United States, while the latter half resides in Europe. Among humans, Starships are symbols of status; of wealth, fame, royalty, and great importance. Because of their exotic, proud appearance, crowds gather just for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of one. Starships are coveted and highly sought after, they’re the pinnacle of achievement. The finest clothes, the most exotic cars, and the most lavish homes pale in comparison to flying on or being seen with a Starship.

Starships are soft-spoken, reserved aircraft that almost always marry and produce offspring with other Starships. This along with their low birth rate contribute to their population’s exceptionally slow growth. Thanks to the clientele they serve and the high status bestowed upon them, Starships hold their noses high with pride and actively avoid socializing with aircraft of other models. Humans stare at their curves with awe, marveling at their almost otherworldly design the same way one might stare at an abstract Salvador Dali painting. Clients rarely view their humble and pure Starships as anything more than a tool, a means of showing off to the world, more so than a means of transportation. Despite their best intentions and steadfast service, Starships receive little respect from humans and are regarded primarily as objects, rather than thinking, feeling individuals.

Greatly envied by other sentient aircraft, Starships often find themselves alienated from their own kind, pointed out and mocked because of their appearance and what their model stands for in human society. Among themselves, Starships are unique in another way. Starships forge what are perhaps the strongest bonds among sentient aircraft. They possess what some label as a sixth sense. Starships can sense the emotional state and presence of their offspring or mates from afar. An extrasensory form of perception, no one understands why or how it works. From many miles away, a Starship can sense if its mate or offspring is afraid, happy, sad, or angry, and respond accordingly. In a fight, Starships utilize their canards as weapons along with their sharp, predatory teeth. In a situation with no alternative, Starships will more than willingly sacrifice themselves for those they held dear.

Angel is the only child of two Starships, Janice and Tobias Mischter. Enjoying a happy childhood and growing into a playful, polite child, she upheld her family’s honor by serving important clientele once she turned 18. Signing a contract with a famous golfer, Angel served as a status symbol, like her parents before her. Initially saddened by how reviled she was among her own kind, she grew used to being the odd plane out and serving thanklessly. By age 22, she’d entered womanhood and grown into a strong, competent female of marrying age. However, male Starships didn’t interest her. Although a few males expressed interest in her, she didn’t hesitate to growl when they refused to politely turn away. After resorting to something so unladylike as aggression, she’d clear her throat and carry herself forward in an unfeeling, almost robotic manner.

Angel wanted a mate, someone to hold dear in her life. She had to find someone or risk having her parents find someone for her. Seeing a few of her friends fall victim to arranged marriages and bear the offspring of their suitors, Angel trembled at the very thought of being forced into a commitment. She was required to marry and produce at least one Starship to carry on her lineage and ensure the continued survival of her model. However, males of her model didn’t interest her. Angel feared she was destined to find herself beneath a suitor and raise the child of someone she didn’t love. One sunny day not long after her 23rd birthday, Angel arrived in Monterey, California. After ferrying her client for a golf tournament in nearby Pebble Beach, Angel wasn’t sure where to find the reserved hangars.

She suddenly found herself face to face with a Beechcraft King Air 350. He was young, perhaps a year or two her senior. His cowlings were dirty from turbine exhaust and his dull paint was scraped and pitted in a few places. He appeared raggedy and unkempt. With no choice, she asked him for directions. To her disbelief, he not only answered her question, he answered without a hint of bias and in a cool, collected manner. He didn’t seem to care that she was a Starship at all. His politeness baffled Angel. For the first time, she sincerely thanked someone. On the flight home to her private hangar in sunny Fort Lauderdale, her thoughts were consumed by the kind male King Air. She couldn’t understand why he was so nice. Did it really happen? Or was she losing her mind?

As for the King Air himself, he couldn’t get that beautiful Starship out of his mind. Through her external beauty, he saw a desperate, confused plane. The following month, Angel found herself back in Monterey. To her astonishment, the King Air was there, too. Properly introducing themselves, she learned his name was Barry Stearman. A courier who possessed a strong ‘can-do’ attitude, he didn’t mind getting dirty to complete the task he was presented with. The only son of two proud King Airs, Barry was a bit of a social outcast himself, his raggedy appearance drove almost everyone else away. Distracting himself with his work and frequent flights, he longed for companionship, someone to accept him for who he was. By the end of their second meeting, numbers were changed. What began with simple phone calls and letters blossomed into something more.

During their free time, Angel flew to California or Barry to Florida. Neither cared if they were differing models. After knowing one another for a year, their relationship had grown beyond a simple acquaintanceship. Angel came to love Barry’s honesty and the fact he spoke and regarded her as an individual, rather than an object. Like her, all Barry wanted in return was company, to know he wasn’t alone. Their relationship didn’t go unnoticed, however. Barry’s coworkers labeled him a tail chaser, a suck up hoping for pleasure and monetary gain. Angel’s parents and friends were appalled that she had grown infatuated with a ‘vulgar’ King Air such as Barry. Her parents went so far as to plan a marriage. Finding out, Angel’s hand was forced. Refusing to be regarded as an object, she fled to California, where Barry welcomed her with open arms.

Disowned by her parents, Angel and Barry lived together for a year. While he continued to serve as a courier, Angel continued to serve her client, who fortunately remained patient with his prized possession. At 25 years old, she confessed her love of Barry, who also confessed his feelings. Marrying in Monterey, they relocated to Key West, where Barry found another, higher paying job with the same courier service. Securing a contract with another Starship, Angel’s client dismissed her, refusing to associate himself with her. Now an outcast and unwelcome among fellow Starships, Angel didn’t fret. She had Barry, and he had her. Not long after their relocation, Angel learned she was going to be a mother. After an uneventful pregnancy, Angel delivered twins, a male and female Starship. Naming their children Lucas and Jean, the young parents couldn’t have been happier.

Five years later, Angel learned she was pregnant again. With two growing children and another on the way, Angel and Barry had everything they needed. A loving family, and a hangar overlooking the pale blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. Life couldn’t have been better. That is, until they learned a monumental hurricane was on its way. In her third trimester and due within a month, Angel couldn’t fly. Lucas and Jean could fly, but not very far or for very long. Not about to leave his mate and children to fend for themselves, Barry vowed to stay behind as well. Hours before the category 5 storm was due to make landfall, Barry flew a group of hospital patients to Orlando, to safety. About to take off and return to his family, Barry was blocked on the runway.

Because of the storm’s sudden intensification, all aircraft were ordered grounded. Fighting with the airport staff and screaming to be let go, they had no choice other than to restrain him for his own safety. From afar, Angel sensed Barry’s anguish and fear. Knowing he wouldn’t be back in time, she held her children close and waited for the inevitable. Surrounding their hangar was a large temporary rubber dam meant to hold back four feet of water. As the storm passed overhead, their reinforced hangar held together. Lucas and Jean trembled and whimpered meekly, pressing themselves against their mother. Suddenly, they heard water trickling. Outside, floodwaters simply spilled over the top of the temporary dam. Inundated with four feet of water in less than a minute, Angel scooped her son and daughter onto her wings.

Resting precariously atop her fuselage and out of the water, Angel struggled to keep her mouth above the surface. Gripped by fear, the family remained trapped for many hours, well into the night and following morning. Angel knew if she gave in, if her strength failed, she and her unborn child would die, and her son and daughter would be left alone. Soldiering on for her children, Angel fought valiantly to stay alive. Slowly, the waters receded and the winds calmed. Rupturing the temporary dam, the water inundating their hangar rapidly drained. Soaked and exhausted from her ordeal, Angel was finally able to rest. Amid the devastation outside, the trio of Starships had survived. The following day, Barry arrived to find his hangar flooded and family safe. The following month, Angel delivered another Starship, a male. Naming him Marlon, the family relocated to Miami.

In a new hangar, they rebuilt their lives and carried on as a family.

Description

‘Just call me angel of the morning, (Angel)

Just touch my cheek before you leave, baby…’

It's ironic. As I write this, Hurricane Irma is about to arrive here in Tampa. A hurricane is coming, and here I am, writing and drawing when I should be fretting.

This is Angel Mischter, a Beechcraft Starship. Starships are an exceptionally rare breed, with only 60 or so individuals worldwide. Most of the population resides in the United States, while the latter half resides in Europe. Among humans, Starships are symbols of status; of wealth, fame, royalty, and great importance. Because of their exotic, proud appearance, crowds gather just for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of one. Starships are coveted and highly sought after, they’re the pinnacle of achievement. The finest clothes, the most exotic cars, and the most lavish homes pale in comparison to flying on or being seen with a Starship.

Starships are soft-spoken, reserved aircraft that almost always marry and produce offspring with other Starships. This along with their low birth rate contribute to their population’s exceptionally slow growth. Thanks to the clientele they serve and the high status bestowed upon them, Starships hold their noses high with pride and actively avoid socializing with aircraft of other models. Humans stare at their curves with awe, marveling at their almost otherworldly design the same way one might stare at an abstract Salvador Dali painting. Clients rarely view their humble and pure Starships as anything more than a tool, a means of showing off to the world, more so than a means of transportation. Despite their best intentions and steadfast service, Starships receive little respect from humans and are regarded primarily as objects, rather than thinking, feeling individuals.

Greatly envied by other sentient aircraft, Starships often find themselves alienated from their own kind, pointed out and mocked because of their appearance and what their model stands for in human society. Among themselves, Starships are unique in another way. Starships forge what are perhaps the strongest bonds among sentient aircraft. They possess what some label as a sixth sense. Starships can sense the emotional state and presence of their offspring or mates from afar. An extrasensory form of perception, no one understands why or how it works. From many miles away, a Starship can sense if its mate or offspring is afraid, happy, sad, or angry, and respond accordingly. In a fight, Starships utilize their canards as weapons along with their sharp, predatory teeth. In a situation with no alternative, Starships will more than willingly sacrifice themselves for those they held dear.

Angel is the only child of two Starships, Janice and Tobias Mischter. Enjoying a happy childhood and growing into a playful, polite child, she upheld her family’s honor by serving important clientele once she turned 18. Signing a contract with a famous golfer, Angel served as a status symbol, like her parents before her. Initially saddened by how reviled she was among her own kind, she grew used to being the odd plane out and serving thanklessly. By age 22, she’d entered womanhood and grown into a strong, competent female of marrying age. However, male Starships didn’t interest her. Although a few males expressed interest in her, she didn’t hesitate to growl when they refused to politely turn away. After resorting to something so unladylike as aggression, she’d clear her throat and carry herself forward in an unfeeling, almost robotic manner.

Angel wanted a mate, someone to hold dear in her life. She had to find someone or risk having her parents find someone for her. Seeing a few of her friends fall victim to arranged marriages and bear the offspring of their suitors, Angel trembled at the very thought of being forced into a commitment. She was required to marry and produce at least one Starship to carry on her lineage and ensure the continued survival of her model. However, males of her model didn’t interest her. Angel feared she was destined to find herself beneath a suitor and raise the child of someone she didn’t love. One sunny day not long after her 23rd birthday, Angel arrived in Monterey, California. After ferrying her client for a golf tournament in nearby Pebble Beach, Angel wasn’t sure where to find the reserved hangars.

She suddenly found herself face to face with a Beechcraft King Air 350. He was young, perhaps a year or two her senior. His cowlings were dirty from turbine exhaust and his dull paint was scraped and pitted in a few places. He appeared raggedy and unkempt. With no choice, she asked him for directions. To her disbelief, he not only answered her question, he answered without a hint of bias and in a cool, collected manner. He didn’t seem to care that she was a Starship at all. His politeness baffled Angel. For the first time, she sincerely thanked someone. On the flight home to her private hangar in sunny Fort Lauderdale, her thoughts were consumed by the kind male King Air. She couldn’t understand why he was so nice. Did it really happen? Or was she losing her mind?

As for the King Air himself, he couldn’t get that beautiful Starship out of his mind. Through her external beauty, he saw a desperate, confused plane. The following month, Angel found herself back in Monterey. To her astonishment, the King Air was there, too. Properly introducing themselves, she learned his name was Barry Stearman. A courier who possessed a strong ‘can-do’ attitude, he didn’t mind getting dirty to complete the task he was presented with. The only son of two proud King Airs, Barry was a bit of a social outcast himself, his raggedy appearance drove almost everyone else away. Distracting himself with his work and frequent flights, he longed for companionship, someone to accept him for who he was. By the end of their second meeting, numbers were changed. What began with simple phone calls and letters blossomed into something more.

During their free time, Angel flew to California or Barry to Florida. Neither cared if they were differing models. After knowing one another for a year, their relationship had grown beyond a simple acquaintanceship. Angel came to love Barry’s honesty and the fact he spoke and regarded her as an individual, rather than an object. Like her, all Barry wanted in return was company, to know he wasn’t alone. Their relationship didn’t go unnoticed, however. Barry’s coworkers labeled him a tail chaser, a suck up hoping for pleasure and monetary gain. Angel’s parents and friends were appalled that she had grown infatuated with a ‘vulgar’ King Air such as Barry. Her parents went so far as to plan a marriage. Finding out, Angel’s hand was forced. Refusing to be regarded as an object, she fled to California, where Barry welcomed her with open arms.

Disowned by her parents, Angel and Barry lived together for a year. While he continued to serve as a courier, Angel continued to serve her client, who fortunately remained patient with his prized possession. At 25 years old, she confessed her love of Barry, who also confessed his feelings. Marrying in Monterey, they relocated to Key West, where Barry found another, higher paying job with the same courier service. Securing a contract with another Starship, Angel’s client dismissed her, refusing to associate himself with her. Now an outcast and unwelcome among fellow Starships, Angel didn’t fret. She had Barry, and he had her. Not long after their relocation, Angel learned she was going to be a mother. After an uneventful pregnancy, Angel delivered twins, a male and female Starship. Naming their children Lucas and Jean, the young parents couldn’t have been happier.

Five years later, Angel learned she was pregnant again. With two growing children and another on the way, Angel and Barry had everything they needed. A loving family, and a hangar overlooking the pale blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. Life couldn’t have been better. That is, until they learned a monumental hurricane was on its way. In her third trimester and due within a month, Angel couldn’t fly. Lucas and Jean could fly, but not very far or for very long. Not about to leave his mate and children to fend for themselves, Barry vowed to stay behind as well. Hours before the category 5 storm was due to make landfall, Barry flew a group of hospital patients to Orlando, to safety. About to take off and return to his family, Barry was blocked on the runway.

Because of the storm’s sudden intensification, all aircraft were ordered grounded. Fighting with the airport staff and screaming to be let go, they had no choice other than to restrain him for his own safety. From afar, Angel sensed Barry’s anguish and fear. Knowing he wouldn’t be back in time, she held her children close and waited for the inevitable. Surrounding their hangar was a large temporary rubber dam meant to hold back four feet of water. As the storm passed overhead, their reinforced hangar held together. Lucas and Jean trembled and whimpered meekly, pressing themselves against their mother. Suddenly, they heard water trickling. Outside, floodwaters simply spilled over the top of the temporary dam. Inundated with four feet of water in less than a minute, Angel scooped her son and daughter onto her wings.

Resting precariously atop her fuselage and out of the water, Angel struggled to keep her mouth above the surface. Gripped by fear, the family remained trapped for many hours, well into the night and following morning. Angel knew if she gave in, if her strength failed, she and her unborn child would die, and her son and daughter would be left alone. Soldiering on for her children, Angel fought valiantly to stay alive. Slowly, the waters receded and the winds calmed. Rupturing the temporary dam, the water inundating their hangar rapidly drained. Soaked and exhausted from her ordeal, Angel was finally able to rest. Amid the devastation outside, the trio of Starships had survived. The following day, Barry arrived to find his hangar flooded and family safe. The following month, Angel delivered another Starship, a male. Naming him Marlon, the family relocated to Miami.

In a new hangar, they rebuilt their lives and carried on as a family.