Waypoint

Expired Juice

Landing sequence, a final gulp of my expired juice, and that one moment we all have when we look into the mirror and tell ourselves, "It's gonna be a good sol"

"FTARI, open the side compartment."

I took my suit off and quickly slid into a shirt and pants before hastily stepping out into what FTARI measured as the 108-degree weather. Right away, sweat poured from my forehead and I wanted to be sick, my head pounded with discomfort. Inside the compartment, I yanked out a very rusty but trusting ladder, and leaned it onto the front of Sky Walker.

On the top, right above the cockpit, sat the main antenna. The main antenna was the antenna that caught my signal. Farther in the rear of the Sky Walker were smaller, backup antennas, though they have yet to come to use.

Steadily climbing to the top, my sickness worsened. I began to feel dizzy, and my head pounded so much to the point where I could hear it, or was it my chest that was beating?

Once I reached the antenna, I kneeled down to the pole it sat atop. There was a panel with twelve screws, and once you ripped it off, you would set your eyes upon every green, red, blue, and yellow wire. One wrong cut at any given time, and obstacles will most likely occur.

Behind the color swarm was a small canister that, when opened, revealed the main.... Core, I suppose. I'm not trying to dump you with information again, but it handles power and strength. The more you update or "level up" your core, like I soon will with this contraband part, the farther you can explore signals.

Installing it was no big deal. Once I locked it in, I forced a smile.

"I'm gonna get you, wherever you are...."

I then climbed down, admired Sky Walker for the billionth time, and turned around with my hands on my knees to let the expired juice free.

After that, I could hear FTARI's charming voice celebrating inside of Sky Walker. Stepping back into the relieving air-conditioned shelter, FTARI's screen was now displaying a blinking dot thirty-eight thousand light years away from me.

"Good news?" I smirked, but quickly wiped it away. As I took a seat on my bedding, I remembered the sacrifices that were made back at the outlaw station. I can't really blame myself, can I? How was I supposed to see that coming, besides Zenith's "ironic" joke? I had grown close enough to Brute to be funny with him, you know?

I just couldn't help but think how ridiculous that whole riot was, but here I am now. I'm free again, back to my original mission.

Talking about my mission, it was moments away from being deemed a success, or at least I hoped.

I stomped my way back into the cockpit before confidently playing my hands on the steering joystick. "Alright FTARI, let us hit the stars!"