旅 by Isobutane

So here it is, at last, it is happening!
It took him a while to make this decision.
But from the beginning, he knew it was the right one.

He was done, fed up with all this. Devoured for a long time. He was discerning only from numb to sullen.
Or feeling nothing at all, not even enjoying colors anymore. Desperate for change.
Only a significant shift, such as one which only the unknown could bring back.

After the decision was made, he felt calm for the first time in a long moment. And then, it all came naturally.
First of all, a starship was needed. But not one of these shiny stock ones everyone flew around.
He knew he needed something special to get through what was coming.

For many reasons, he decided to build his ride himself and chose it to be as analog as possible.
Very few digital systems were considered. And only in the form of auxiliary equipment.
The vehicle had to be durable, fast, and agile. Easy to repair.

The cruise route was set without the help of the official planetary roadmaps.
Uncharted deep space areas. No one had ever seen these lands before.
Seems exciting! Or had he nothing to lose? No, everything was already lost!

Acting fast was crucial. He couldn’t stand a day longer here on his homeworld.
There was only a short moment for preparations. No room for mistakes.
Just one take to prepare for the trip.

The unique machine which was to decide his future was ready soon after.
People around him usually bore him to death with their praises about how talented he was.
Everything was done from scratch. Even if a component was commercially available, he leaned toward creating his version instead.

He ruled not to keep the captain's log for reasons known to him only.
And so, the sonic message you're about to hear now is the only record of what truly happened.
Sit down, relax, listen, and enjoy this thriving adventure in the unknown.

So yes, here it is, at last, it’s happening!
It was a dazzling morning when he sat behind the main console.
After a short efficiency check of the engines, without a moment of doubt, he put the pedal to the metal.

The jolt was significant. He felt crushed into the pilot's seat.
For someone else, it might have been an unpleasant experience, but not for him.
With a thunderous burst of energy, the sleek, metallic hull of the spaceship pierced through the atmosphere like a steel arrow.

The ship's shielding crackled and shimmered as it navigated the tempestuous, ever-thickening layers of turbulence.
Its external hull, impenetrable to the extreme heat and pressure, emitted a sparkling eerie glow as it absorbed and dispersed the atmospheric forces.
Outside the viewport, the world transformed into a surreal dreamscape. Swirling clouds of colors danced and collided, creating a mesmerizing display.

Breaking free of the atmosphere's grip, the ship breached the final threshold. A breathtaking panorama unfolded before his eyes.
Amazingly, he breathed easier than before and noticed warmth in his chest. He has seen the cosmos stretched out infinitely in all directions.
In the orbit, the ship's first destination, a distant, uncharted planet emerged. With secrets waiting to be uncovered.

It took some time to reach it. He decided to use the sleep capsule to shorten the waiting time for the arrival.
And again, it was the first time in a long, long moment that he remembered what he dreamed about.
Her dark, beautiful eyes were something he was trying to forget. But now they were so real as the landing alarm that woke him up.

While trying to get dressed he glanced through the viewport right when the spacecraft's landing gear extended.
A gentle touch down on the elastic terrain caused a satisfying bounce. It wasn't a surprise to him as the onboard computer
managed to analyze this previously undiscovered planet and described it to him as made of an unknown rubbery material.

As the airlock hissed open, he stepped onto its bouncy surface, which immediately sprung him into the air like a gymnast on a trampoline.
This immediately brought a smile on his face. Something that hasn't happened since immemorial times! Gazing around, he marveled at the surreal landscape.
Not only the planet itself, but everything on its surface seemed to be made of a rubbery substance that felt more like a cushioned mattress than solid ground.

While he couldn't resist the urge to bounce higher and higher, he quickly understood that there were no signs of intelligent life in sight.
It didn't make him sad (or sadder than he was before). He wasn't ready yet to get into interactions. But this was just the first stop of this journey.
He reveled in the planet's low gravity, performing this force-defying acrobatics, while his laughter echoed across the surreal landscape.

As the day turned into a kaleidoscope of colors during the planet's vivid sunset, he decided to settle on a soft, rubbery hill.
It was so peaceful, alone on this funny planet, that he almost forgot about the questions that were bothering him. Not for long.
The joy of discovery was a great reward, but it was the time to go further and to get back to his vehicle.

When he found himself in infinite space again, he instructed the ship's onboard computer where to make the next jump, and went for rest in the sleep module.
The machines were about to wake him up when they reached the destination.
As it turned out, there was absolutely a reason for it! The next planet appeared to be of unparalleled natural beauty.

Its landscapes were an exquisite blend of lush forests, azure lakes, and majestic mountains. Air was scented with the fragrance of exotic flowers.
The skies above were painted with hues that seemed to defy reality. Never before had he occasion to taste such delicious fruits.
Flora and fauna seemed to exist in harmonious symbiosis. Trees with luminescent leaves were casting an otherworldly glow. And the wildlife was more than friendly.

After wandering around for some time, he decided to set up camp on the shore of a great lake, feeling he could spend an infinity here.
It took him some time to realize that this paradise may not be what it looked like at first.
His ship's systems were sending him alarming signals before. But charmed by the stunning surroundings, he ignored them.

Then, suddenly the tranquility was shattered. A deep rumble awakened him from this dream and echoed through the land.
The ground started to tremble beneath his feet, and the skies grew ominous with clouds of ash and smoke. However, he did not panic.
He was reading about similar planets in the explorer's books before. He knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to keep his cool.

Things escalated quickly. Soon a lava flow from the planet's cracked surface has started to consume the idyllic landscapes.
Fiery rivers cascaded down the mountainsides, incinerating everything in their path. A real apocalypse unfolded.
He managed to scramble to his spacecraft and initiate its engines at the last moment.

With a heart heavy with grief for this once-vibrant world, now turning into a hellish wasteland, cloaked in smoke and fire, he barely fled the cataclysm.
While he manually gave the takeoff engines full power, tears came to his eyes. Something that he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Yet, he wasn't sure whether it was from sadness, or the acrid, sticky smoke of the dying planet.

Once he was a safe distance away, he took all the necessary measurements. The ship was untouched, but he couldn't say the same thing about his mental state.
Upset by what had happened, he managed to give only brief commands to the autopilot systems and headed straight to his cabin.
There, hoping that the memories of her would give him some respite, he decided to take one of the last sepulkas he got from a black market and lay down in the sleep chamber.

Seconds before it punched in, with eyes already closed, he heard the autopilot voice revealing the next stop on his journey, the frozen globe. He smiled as it reminded him of his heart.
The computer woke him up earlier than usual. The black market goodie worked out pretty well and washed most of his bad mood away.
Now it was time to prepare for the expected properly. A venture into the heart of absolute zero, a realm with temperatures dropping to unimaginable depths. Not a piece of cake!

The planet's analysis revealed a place where the use of a special suit designed to withstand the extraordinary cold was a must. He had thought about it before he left his homeworld.
And it looked awesome. Futuristic shell made of crystalline fibers woven into the fabric, shivering with soft, ethereal light, reflecting all the surroundings. He jumped in.
With a hiss of air, the helmet of the suit sealed shut, and cocooned his head in a transparent bubble. Inside, a visor's hud projected all the vital information. It felt like a computer game.

He was all ready when the ship's landing gear ground on the hard ice surface of the harsh, unforgiving environment of an unknown planet. As beautiful as deadly.
The temperature readings plunged into the negative hundreds. He activated the advanced thermal regulators which maintained an insulated layer of warmth around his body.
On his demand, the landing bulkhead began to swing open with a mechanical whir. Immediately the air around him shimmered with crystalline frost.

With a deep breath, he stepped forward, into the abyss of zero kelvins. The door sealed shut behind his back as he slowly ventured forth, pushing the boundaries of his curiosity.
A frigid planet, shrouded in an eternal winter, a realm of desolation and permafrost. Vast, towering glaciers stretched to the pale blue skies.
Their icy peaks disappear into the swirling snowstorms raging across the frozen landscape. What a place to die.

As he ventured deeper into this inhuman world, it transformed into a more and more alien dreamscape. The scenery was a pristine canvas, untouched by any civilization.
Navigating the spiked icy lands proved to be a backbreaking task. The landscape, though breathtaking, was unforgiving. One wrong step and you were done.
It didn't come as a surprise that the planet was lifeless. What alien creature would be able to adapt to such icy wilderness? He felt more alone than ever.

The further he pushed forward, the more the passage of time was becoming an abstract concept. Finally, he realized that he was hopelessly lost in this scary place.
He couldn't find his way back as the snowstorm had erased all traces of his previous path. The temperature plummeted further, and his survival became a desperate battle.
Left disoriented and isolated he sent a rescue pickup signal to the ship. He felt great relief when, after some time, he saw its distant outline on the horizon. It came for him.

Back onboard, he couldn't get warm, even a hot shower didn't help. So he reached for an elixir once given to him by a wanderer, created especially for such occasions.
He never bothered to find out what exactly this substance was. The vial had an inscription in some unknown language saying Boviročka. Whatever it was, it worked like a charm.
In a burst of pleasant warmth and new energy, he started preparing for the next journey with verve. New adventures were waiting for him. If only he could guess what exactly!

Everything looked great. He worked with maps for a long time to choose the best possible course. He checked whether all the systems and mechanisms of his vehicle were working properly.
For a moment he seemed to even feel content, which was something he rarely felt. When he decided where to go next, he started work on improvements to the ship's equipment.
He even found some time to meditate and exercise. He tried to maintain discipline so as not to fall into numbness. Anything to avoid starting to think about her too much.

The starship just came out the superluminal speed at that time. He didn't feel like sleeping. Even this speed felt surreal and thinking of it was making him excited.
Through the viewports, he observed the flashing objects passing by fast, and that's when he heard this crazy loud, ripping metallic sound. Funnily, right after, the ship's intercom switched to some foreign language. At first, he didn't even feel any strong tug, but it quickly hit him. He must have miscalculated the route and got pulled into the asteroid swarm. The situation got severe!

Soon after, another deafening explosion echoed through the ship. He managed to switch to manual control and was already in the pilot's seat when he was greeted by a stream of sparks and the wail of alarms. The usually immaculate control room suddenly turned into a chaotic mess. He was struggling to regain control while the spaceship hurtled through the asteroid shower.
He acted instinctively, as a pilot he had a sixth sense, but at such speed, it might not have been enough. He tried to counteract with the auxiliary engines, but this only made the situation worse.

The damage was already extensive and the ship was taking hit after hit, he stopped counting them. Instead, he scanned the instruments. Most of the support systems have gone down already. Onboard space sonar displayed an incoming colossal asteroid on the ship's course. It was too late to avoid the coming collision, no way for a warp jump.
This was the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness. It all happened so quickly, big boom, and that's it. His old friend darkness gave him some respite.

He couldn't know that but one of his inventions saved his life. No one could know about it but he named it after her when he worked on the design.
When he became unresponsive, this last resort little helper initiated a total shutdown and restart of the ship. The remaining power was redirected to maneuvering engines.
The nearest planet was automatically chosen for an emergency landing. His ragdoll-like body was grabbed from the control room's floor by mechanical arms and put in a rescue capsule.

In there his body was put into a plant-based healing tank and a process of curing his wounds started immediately. If only science would allow him to create something similar for soul mending! As the damaged ship's systems were silent, he had no clue how long he was anesthetized. He barely found the strength to crawl out of the tank, but at least he was in a one-piece.
He quickly managed to regain composure with a bit of help from regular stimulants, and the memory of the accident hit him. He started from the inspection of his vehicle.

The once-proud vessel was now a wounded bird. The asteroid shower massacred it, he wondered how it didn't fall apart. There was not even a slight chance to fix it here, outside his workshop. Here he was struck by another question, where exactly was he? Not having access to the computer data, he tried to find out where he was by going outside the vehicle.
But he couldn't see anything outside due to the impenetrable darkness. The planet was desolate and seemed to absorb all light. The air was thick and unnaturally still, the only sound was the faint whisper of wind.

He concentrated on fixing what he could with limited tools at his disposal, determined to find a way out of his predicament. Stranded in this forsaken world, far from any hope of rescue.
His supplies were limited, and his fate in this dark realm was unknown, to say the least. The more he thought about it, the less convinced he was that being stuck in this dark place was any better than dying on that asteroid belt. But he was determined to survive, even here, in the heart of the darkness, maybe his greatest test had begun?

The more he tried to fix his ship's crucial systems, the more hopeless he felt. There were only a few insignificant successes, but still no tools allowing a distress call.
A grim reality was that his journey might be cut short in this dark void. Realizing this, he got to a point where he just decided to try to relax. Relax, yeah, easy to say.
He opened the bulkhead wide, laid down a self-inflating mattress, and played some music from the ancient but one of the very few still working things around, a cassette player.

Everything around was dark. As dark as his thoughts. More of this, it was humid and sticky. He felt very uncomfortable in his sweaty clothes. Just wonderful.
And then, amid his despair, just like in some kind of a fairy tale or animated movie, a glimmer of hope pierced through the darkness.
An unexpected burst of radiant light, unlike anything he had ever seen before, emanated from a nearby emerging celestial body. He stared at it with his mouth open.

Like a razor cutting through the darkness, this single light stream has transformed into a mesmerizing display of kaleidoscopic patterns and colors that danced all around.
How was this even possible? He couldn't believe his eyes. Here, on this dead dark planet, a spaceship of a kind he had never seen or imagined before! Was he dreaming?
Or was it still the plant-based anesthetics? Anyways, he watched in astonishment as his huge ship gently touched down right next to his severely damaged vehicle.

In a matter of seconds, he encountered the beings responsible for this surprise. They were smaller than him, but graceful, with skin that seemed to be made of living light. Their eyes radiated intelligence and kindness, and their movements were fluid and otherworldly. They communicated with him not through spoken words, but through a beep-blop funny-sounding language. He never heard it, or about it before. But somehow it was all coherent to him. It was a connection that transcended language barriers. Which was great, as his intergalactic translator was dead.

These beings explained, that they had sensed his stress and anxiety, and so came with aid. Their technology was beyond anything he had seen before. With some kind of mastery of energy manipulation, they repaired his ship's damaged systems with a mere touch. Moreover, they made it better and upgraded it without a visible effort! All of the devices and control panels damaged during the asteroid shower became a blend of their and his design. They made it superior to what he could ever expect of it. The literary breathed a new life into his vessel!

Having repaired the ship, these beings took care of both his body and mental state. He had no clue when and how but he felt stronger than ever and a lot of good emotions filled his mind.
They felt it too and decided to invite him to their metropolis planet. Unimaginable, sprawling city where they were living in harmony with their environment, harnessing the energy of the stars to power their civilization. He had marveled at their advanced society. They shared their knowledge of interstellar navigation, energy manipulation, and peaceful coexistence with the cosmos.

It was way more than he could understand or make use of, but he was smiling and nodding his head all the time. They offered to guide him back to his homeworld, not as saviors, but as friends and allies. But he refused, which didn't surprise them. Instead, he asked for the tips he needed for his further journey. And so, with their assistance, and his ship not only repaired but enhanced with their advanced technology, faster and more potent than ever before, full of gratitude and increased self-esteem, he was ready to go further.

Soon he was ready to bid farewell to his newfound friends and left their dazzling metropolis planet behind. Soaring back into the depths of space, he had not only survived this extraordinary encounter but had been forever transformed by it. And as he journeyed onward through the cosmos, he carried with him the hope that other beings, as intelligent and friendly, awaited discovery among the stars, ready to share their knowledge and friendship with those who ventured into the unknown. But would the habitants of his homeworld would ever be able to appreciate it?

Now, with his vessel, equipped with new engines and quantum navigation technology, he set a course for the distant reaches of the universe. His next target was a breathtaking spectacle - a supernova, a dying star, the birthplace of elements. After a long time spent in a sleep tank, he was woken up as the ship finally approached the brilliant spectacle. Its newly renovated outer hull lustered as he observed the cosmic explosion from the safety of state-of-the-art advanced shielding he got from his new friends. If not for this gift, he wouldn't be allowed to see this!

This phenomenon was a reminder of the boundless beauty and terrifying power that the cosmos held. Gazing at it through a viewport was a one-of-a-kind meditation-like experience.
He found it hard to describe, even to himself. But it surely had transcended the boundaries of his blending emotions. The first and most overwhelming emotions were astonishment and profound awe. Witnessing the sudden burst of light and energy was incomprehensible and otherworldly. He witnessed the death and birth of the entire world in the blink of an eye. The brilliance of the supernova, the burst of radiant colors, and the shockwaves of energy filled him with euphoria too.

Alongside the above, he felt a very strong hit of fear. The sheer destructive force reminded him of the vast and unpredictable nature of the cosmos. And how fragile his own life was.
Participating in such a rare and majestic ceremony redefined his understanding of his place in the universe, suddenly he felt very vulnerable too. But at the same time, he felt overwhelmed with gratitude. Witnessing such a rare and extraordinary event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, something to cherish the memory of forever.

It must have been a deep existential reflection bringing a connection to the universe. Something that revealed to him clearly that he is a part of the same cosmic story and that his existence is intimately tied to the life and death of stars. The supernova is the only source of Ferrum in this universe. The Ferrum is the main component of hemoglobin and myoglobin, proteins responsible for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the blood flow of all the living creatures ever researched and described!

Overthinking again, that was the moment when he realized he was thinking of her eyes again, and the consciousness punched back in at the fullest. He had to move on again.
Using the newly equipped quantum navigation technology, he set the new course in no time. And he rushed to the discovery of a unique planet unlike any they had encountered before.
Its surface seemed to be in a constant state of flux, with landscapes morphing and reshaping themselves as if the world had a mind of its own.

Mountains turned into valleys, forests shifted into deserts, and oceans became plains before his very eyes. The planet defied all known laws of geology and physics, proof of the enigmatic forces at play in the far reaches of space. At first, it was interesting and fun looking at it, but quickly he felt dizzy. His brain was not prepared for this constant change, trying to process all the stimuli delivered by his eyes. The amount and speed of the changes were too much. He couldn't take it anymore and had to evacuate quickly before something bad happened.

And as it usually goes in such nervous situations, something inexplicable occurred. As he prepared to leave this ever-changing world the navigation systems did something strange. Hard to say what truly happened, if it malfunctioned or if was it his fault, but his spaceship got pulled into a nearby swirling vortex of energy. Desperate from the struggle to regain control, and the engine's fight against the inexorable force, it was too late. He found himself hurtling towards a phenomenon thought to be nothing more than theoretical. A black hole!

Within moments, the ship was ensnared by the black hole's unforgiving gravitational pull. Time and space warped around it, and turned over themselves. Reality itself became a kaleidoscope of surreal colors and shapes. It was here, in the heart of this cosmic maelstrom, that he experienced the strangest vivid dream of his life. He rarely even remembered his dreams, and this one was even stranger than any other because it was accompanied by some kind of digital-sounding ambiance.

He had seen the golden sand of the shore and was passing by bunches of leaves, venturing into a truly secret world. He had a brother with him and felt safe, they were close to each other even if very different. Everything was obvious to him. He knew who was the enemy and who was the friend. But then suddenly this knowledge was obsolete because these became unknown categories. Another twist, he's opening his pictures collection at home, pouring gin and rolling a smoke. And then the moment comes, he hears knocking on the bubble helmet of his space suit. Who is this?

After all, he gets to the conclusion it was such a long time ago, that this world surrounded him with a colorful soap bubble. He could see it clearly, the triangle of truth said start. He's much younger now and with all the people he considered important, he's feeling so good. And again, everything fades away, but not forever. He's calm about that. Then he took a flight, followed by his small, dwarf-like female cat. It meows loudly, and wants to get some food, and then on his laps, as always! So the flight is not too long, but everything gets more and more wonderful.

Then he heard his voice, his complaints, and guessed it was worth it. The tape of his memory was still spinning, and he heard his desires from his memory. The answer appeared, in three letters, and after all the bells and whistles, he finally made up and described it simply as "her". Then the universe itself had opened its arms to embrace him, and somehow it looked at him with a subtle smile and her dark beautiful eyes. Stars streaked past, galaxies whirled in a mesmerizing dance and carried him on a journey of life and space travel. He was lost and found at the same time.

As he opened his eyes, he wasn't entirely sure if he was conscious or still dreaming. It took a moment to stir from it, and then he felt a profound sense of loss. He longed to hold onto the memory of her. But at the same time, his entire cosmic adventure was so real. This dream had opened his eyes to the vastness of existence and the mysteries that lay beyond everyday life. Yet, he was still here, in that boundless black hole. While still in primary space school, he was told that there was no escape from them. But after all these adventures, he decided to assume that nothing is impossible!

Escaping from the gravitational clutches of a black hole was probably one of the most enduring and captivating challenges in theoretical physics. Nothing, not even light, can escape a black hole once it crosses the event horizon. But the smart guys writing the well-known theoretical thesis about this topic never had an occasion to meet the same friendly funny speaking aliens he met! Their quantum machinery added to his vessel could be the key to leaving this forsaken maelstrom.

The idea turned out to be correct. The revolutionary technology powered by an exotic energy source implemented in his spaceship allowed this exception to become a reality. The advanced energy shields surround the vessel, allowing it to protect itself from the black hole's extreme gravitational forces. The upgraded drive set at maximum power, could possibly create a powerful warp bubble that would prop it away from the black hole at a velocity exceeding the speed of light. These two factors put together, should allow an escape velocity necessary to break free from the gravitational pull!

Before he gave the engines the maximum flow, he deployed a system of special anchors that created localized pockets of reduced gravity. This allowed him to maneuver within the vicinity of the black hole without giving in to its immense forces. That was it, he witnessed a display of cosmic occurrences, including time dilation effect, gravitational lensing, and the warping of distant starlight. He has achieved the impossible, a triumphant escape from a black hole, an accomplishment that redefined the boundaries of knowledge.

The side effect of his escape was a long period of travel at an uncontrolled speed. Also, the quantum navigation system had no time to restart after the brave evasive maneuvers. Probably caused by overheating. When it got back online he realized he was on the very edge of the universe. He crossed that enigmatic threshold and once again found himself in a realm beyond imagination. The entire universe stretched in front of him. Thrilling panorama of cosmic wonders. Galaxies, nebulae, and quasars formed a tapestry of colorful staggering complexity.

Yet, as he stared upon this celestial spectacle in silence, an unsettling realization washed over him. It was as if his entire existence had been erased from this majestic cosmic display. Desolation gripped his heart. He was just a wanderer in an alien space, a stranger in the boundless sea of stars. The memories of his blue-green homeworld, the laughter of friends, the warmth of sunlight on his skin, her eyes. All this seemed like distant echoes in a universe that cared not for him even a little bit.

He couldn't help the feeling of a crushing weight of isolation. The trivial words, there was no place like home, now had hit him badly. These tears were real, for sure. And he felt humiliated, but only for a short moment. There was no one to blame, and what's most important he could still make decisions and actions. Also, he knew for sure that this journey had forever changed him, and as it happens with changes, it was a change for the better.

For some time he enjoyed the view he found in a place so far from the place he now called home without hesitation. Decisions were made again, just like in the very beginning. All the systems got switched to full auto mode. At this point he had enough of traveling thrills so he left everything to the infallible machines. He planned to wake up right before landing in his yard. The very last thing he did right after laying comfortably in the sleep tank, was taking this very last sepulca he had. This would bring a slight chance of sensing her even before his arrival.

When he closed the hatch to the chamber and it became completely dark, he squirmed in his warm bed for some time. Sleep didn't come as quickly as he would have liked. He heard and felt the gentle hum of engines operating at full power. Calm and relaxed, he was almost asleep, then he heard a sensual voice somewhere on the left side of his head, asking:
Tak čo, dáme si kávu?


_By JT

Isobutane

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