Star Odyssey

Chapter 4: Looking for a quick fix - Part I

I was plagued by the same nightmare as I had been for a year now. Each time I went to sleep my consciousness brought it back to torment me.

It wasn’t as big a deal as it was before – I learned to forget about it during the day each time, as soon as I was out of bed – but the experience was painful and disheartening nonetheless, made all the more worse, by the realization that it wasn’t real (not anymore… in a sense) and I couldn’t wake up from it on my own volition.

Finally, I felt myself back in the waking world.

I stretched my limbs without opening my eyes and smiled content with life for once.

Things are going great! Mom is getting better; dad is coming back from his work trip, and uni---

My smiled vanished without a trace.

I heaved myself into an upright position, and cracked my eyes open.

The broken glass capsules and black metallic walls darkly met me.

Right… I wasn’t on Earth anymore…

And to think I was confused, as to why my left arm wasn’t moving…

“Master!” a sphere jumped up in front of my face. “Good morning!”

“Is it morning?” I stood up and scratched my neck. “On Earth, I mean?”

“One moment,” they were silent for a moment. “According to you memories, and to the time measuring method used by human civilization, it is about 13:00… or 1 pm.”

Wow, I slept in…

“Eh, morning is when you wake up,” I shrugged. The left arm was discomforted, but not pained. “Can you please keep track of time? We’ll say it is 13:00 right now.”

“Sure!”

“Is there a shower here somewhere?”

There was.

Or rather, Absoli quickly made it in the adjacent room, while I was sleeping. Actually they set up a whole apartment for me – no makeshift bunk a true two-person bed, a few chairs, a table, and a…

“Computer?” I asked, eying the screen floating above a table, as well as a thin holographic keyboard, and a mouse.

“Yes. I found that you prefer the… futuristic style in electronics,” they admitted. “So I decided to make something nice for you. Do you like it?”

“Yeah,” I smiled. “It is very nice. Not very decorated,” at least the room and bathroom were of different color – Earth beige and brown – I assume Absoli wanted to imitate wood. “But we will make do.”

“Great!” their lens pulsed with light. “However…”

“We have a problem?” I casually asked, opening the wardrobe. Huh, the armor stood in it completely repaired, and the bracelets hung on the rack to the side of it. Looks very homely. Especially if you consider, that the wardrobe was as if made out of wood.

“I hope to Titans that it won’t become our catchphrase,” Absoli wailed. “But, yes. We do.”

“Naturally,” I sighed, stepping into the armor. The back slid on itself, sealing me perfectly inside. I calmly took the bracelets and put them on, armaments clicking into place.

And the morning shower promised such a calm day.

+++

“I assume there must be something in there?” I gestured at the empty space before me.

Well, not quite empty – there was a ten meter wide glass ball floating in the air, with two spikes that almost touched it, coming from the ceiling and the floor. There was nothing more in the room.

A trend, really – the only exception to the minimalism that Titans displayed was the bridge (and even then it is arguable) and my room, that Absoli furnished. Being from a planet which machines were far bulkier in comparison to this place, I found it a little strange. I suppose when you have access to a hyper-advanced technology you can afford that.

“Yes. A hyper-drive.”

“FTL?” that is certainly a problem.

“Yes, a device that will allow us faster-than-light travel.” they said. “It is not here, and the logs of the ship are nonexistent. I do not know where it went.”

“Can you make one?” unlikely, but…

“No, Alex, I cannot.”

“Damn…” I crossed my arms on my chest – I discarded a cast on the way here, my arm was perfectly healthy, demi-titan regeneration helps (huh, feels really great to have superpowers).

So, the FTL drive is missing. It doesn’t seem like it was stolen – mostly it looks like it was never installed in the first place. Though…

“Is there any obvious signs it has been taken? You know – after, they made it?”

“No, Alex.” Absoli moved closer, circling the empty glass ball. “It is more like it was never here in the first place. I see the place for it…”

“Is it the glass sphere?” never hurt to ask.

“Yes. But I do not see the signs of it being installed in the first place.” The stopped right before me, looking at the sphere. “It’s ridiculous! You make the protective screen around the engine! It is there to prevent… that!” they pointed a claw at the sphere. “It is there as to protect the engine and to serve as the connection circuit to the rest of the ship!” the sounded absolutely baffled. “I have no idea how you would take out the engine, without damaging the screen first!”

“Wait, can you make a screen in the first place?” I mean, if you need it for the engine…

“The screen is not the problem!” agitated shuffling. “The absence of engine is!”

“Right.” I tapped my foot, thinking. “So… I’m blanking here. If we can’t make it…” I frowned. “Can we find it?”

“More walking, master.” Absoli stated solemnly. “But yes, we can. Or, you, really,” they fidgeted. “I would be useless there… Except for the ‘locating it’ part…”

“That is already useful,” I shook my head. “Without you, I would have been searching this whole complex my whole life. I mean – it is the size of the moon, after all!”

“Right, yes.” they straightened themselves. “Well… It is actually a day’s walk away.”

“Hm!” that’s… far. “Is there any way to shorten it?”

Absoli intently stared at me.

“Maybe…”

+++

Hoverboard.

Holy. Mother. Of. God.

“It’s…” my lips barely moved.

“Your memories suggested that it was a popular concept in human civilization,” the laxity of Absoli’s tone was mindboggling. “And the design was rather interesting and effective… I did have to iron out a few quirks, but I do believe that this vehicle is the most efficient iteration of the fictional design of your people.” They paused. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” I shakily picked up the ‘board. The thing was long and wide, I could easily put my feet on it. It actually had skids for them. Despite its bulky appearance it was very light. On the underside it had a glowing cube, that was an anti-gravity generator, as Absoli explained, allowing the thing to fly.

It had other bells and whistles – energy shield, which not only protected me, but also kept me in place, so I wouldn’t get thrown off from the hoverboard.  The hardlight gun built in the front of the thing, capable of shooting rounds much more powerful than the ones from the multi-tool. Also – a trailer behind it, with a large glass box, which is containing water, with a lid on top of it. Well, the latter was more of an addition to the hoverboard, than coming with it.

“Is it for the engine?” the crystal clear water gently swayed in the box, which floated a few decimeters above the ground.

“Yes.” Absoli explained. “Once you find the engine, it is imperative that you put it in the water as quickly as possible. It would die otherwise.”

“Right, okay. Like, from overheating?” I mean… it is the engine for a hyper-advanced spaceship, right?

“Not only, but that too.” They nodded.

“How I would recognize the thing? You will highlight it on my visor?”

“And on your radar,” Absoli began walking towards the door out of the workshop. “You will not miss it. After all – I will always stay in touch on comms.”

The workshop was very cool – today was the very first time I saw it, but it awakened all the necessary sci-fi nerd neurons in my brain; the sterile glowing machinery, taller than man 3-d printers, scanners of some sort or another and much more stuff that I do not know the purpose of.

So very cool!

I hesitated for a moment.

“Absoli, it is not urgent, is it?” I hopefully asked. The sphere turned at me with slight confusion.

“The drive? No, it is not urgent.” they regarded me. “Why?”

I took a deep breath. I deserved some leisure activity after all I’ve been through. Mom and dad noticed my disappearance by now anyway, so an hour or two won’t make a huge difference.

“Absoli,” I was embarrassed to admit a tiny quiver in my voice. “Can you tell me how all of this works? And what it does?” I gestured towards the workshop.

They could.

+++

Some two hours later, after an extensive tour of the workshop, and no less extensive explanation of functions of its machinery – of which I understood less than ten percent (yeah, I am more of a humanitarian than technician) – we stood in the square room of a descending elevator.

“So…” the elevator was surprisingly slow. Though is suppose I should be thankful for the fact that elevator was here at all – walking up and down a starship the size of a skyscraper would have killed me more surely than any reaver. “Since you mentioned the ships databanks being wiped, I don’t suppose there is any new information about the Titans?”

“No, there isn’t.” they sounded as frustrated as I felt about the whole thing. “I was certain that the ship would clear the picture somewhat but…” a beat. “At least the absence of the information tells us something.” they murmured.

“Really? What?”

“Well, Alex.” They turned to look at me. “Titans clearly didn’t want anyone knowing about them. At least, they didn’t want people to know anything else, except for the fact that they existed.”

“Or someone else didn’t want…”

“Someone else?!” they were baffled. “Master, who would dare oppose Titans?! Considering the might they had! That,” they gestured their claw vaguely around. “is but a shadow of their strength! No one could oppose such beings!...” a suddenly eerie silence. “Right?...”

Scarier and scarier.

“How did I get here?” this has been eating at me for some time.

“I… Well, it is a rather sad story, actually,” they quickly recovered from my abrupt change of topic.

“It started – and, well, in a sense ended – a hundred years ago.” They paused, as if to collect themselves. “I was growing desperate -  reavers were pushing my bots back (I still have no idea who the reavers are and what are their motives), I felt very lonely, and my fabricator just decayed enough to stop producing new bots.”

“So, I made an almost arbitrary gamble – I sent half of my bots to the other side of the station, so they could make the local fabricators work, and produce as much recon-probes as possible,” they paused.

“I suppose you sent them out in… uhm, space?”

“Yes – to be more specific – I sent them out in all directions.”

“Why? What did you hope to accomplish?” I was perplexed.

“I was hoping to find someone like you, master,” I heard a smile in their voice. “My authority and possibilities were limited without a Titans descendant (I am made to serve Titans, after all) – but with you here, I was finally able to do something!” they grew agitated. “With you here, I can finally do something! Something useful! I am finally fulfilling my purpose!”

They sounded so relieved and happy, that it almost brought a tear to my face.

Almost. Not sure if I am capable of crying because of my emotions anymore.

“I am happy that I could help you, Absoli,” I said, genuinely.

+++

The elevator doors slid open without a sound. I barely realized we were moving in an elevator at all – so smooth was the motion.

The antechamber of the ship--- Okay, no.

“Absoli, does this ship have a name?” I can’t keep calling it ‘starship’.

“No, master,” robot strolled ahead. “Would you like to give it one?”

Hm. How would you call a starship?...

Well, kind of cliché, but fits my MO.

“Yes – Hyperion.”

Also – it’s a cool name.

Absoli’s lens pulsed blue.

“Logs updated.”

+++

The antechamber of the ship was as bare as the rest of it – well, at least unlike the majority of the Hyperion it was clean: dozens of spider-bots climbed the walls with sponges, leaving behind a clen trail, where there was some strange dirt.

The only thing differing the antechamber from the rest of the ship, was its huge size – even by the standards of Titans – and its many hatches and doors; as Absoli explained, those are for aircrafts and other smaller (comparatively) vehicles. Only a few small doors and one huge gateway for ground-based… things.

I stepped on the hoverboard and marveled at how easy it is to keep balance on the thing – I tried skateboarding a few time before this, and it wasn’t nearly as easy. Titan-tech rocks!

“How much will the ‘board shorten the road?” I tried swaying on the thing, and it did lean into my swings, but my legs were determinedly glued to its surface.

“To four or five hours,” they explained. “That is – in one direction. The whole journey will probably take you twelve hours.”

“…How far away am I going?” I quietly asked.

“Very far… and, uhh, very away,” they shuffled. “Or is just ‘very far’ enough?”

“Just ‘very far’ would’ve been enough,” I softly smiled.

“Right, well,” the gateway started to open, gigantic metal sheets swinging outward. “You better start now – the earlier you start, the earlier you will finish. You did learn how to control the hoverboard, yes?” the black metal sheets on our side, and white on the outside stopped.

“Eh,” I shrugged, sending a thought command to my vehicle. “I’ll manage.”

“Wait---“ the space around me lost its definition and turned into a blur, wind swishing in my ear.

I shot out of the Hyperion’s gateway on a breakneck speed, which is surely illegal in all countries on Earth.

I hit the floor surprisingly soft, hoverboard floating a meter or so above the ground, and the glass box following behind it.

I flew farther, hearing (unfortunately not feeling – I am in the armor) the whipping of wind, and the sound of the vehicle’s engine below me.

“WOOOHOOO!” a thought struck me. “WAIT! WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO?!”

Absoli tiredly sighed, and highlighted the path on my radar and visor.

“SWEET!”

The constant creeping darkness in my mind took a few steps back at this moment, and allowed my chest to contract and expand just a little easier. But, perhaps, even this is enough.