Leaving Hegira: a space opera novelette

Hegira is a leviathan, home to thousands of sapient alien species. The ship of legend is a wandering world of horror and boundless beauty. The legacy of a nearly extinct superhuman race known as the Starchasers, Hegira is a powerhouse traversing the galaxies of the local supercluster. Many seek to conquer the behemoth but to rule this great ship one must control her pilot. Hegira's current pilot, Sesili, is dying and the militant Merchants Guild and Koros supercult are both scrambling to present their chosen pawns, Laila and Sumida, as candidates to take her place.