Chapter 3
Lost In The Mist © 2015 Sinclair Diavante
Chapter 3.
I woke up alone, completely rejecting the reality that sorted itself out in my head. I was convinced that this was a nightmare, one that I needed to wake up from, like now. After a few minutes awareness settled fully, with depression heavy on my mind. After-effects from the drugs?
No.
Just missing Sinclair like the desert misses the rain.
Zeek had recently been in my quarters. I could still smell him; I looked around and saw something lying on the table near the doorway. I picked up two plasteel squares. My name was engraved on one, the other was heavier and blank. My wetware pinged it in the kilohertz range, and received a small data packet. It contained planet identifier text, GPS coordinates, and Sinclair's personal information. I touched the tags together and they produced a very familiar noise. Hurf. These were dangerous to our secrecy, I would guard them with my life.
Zach had explained to me the negative effects of his project. After he had pulled my mind through space and time, engines fell off transports in midflight, airlock doors opened without command, rivers changed direction temporarily. Catastrophic stuff. That a wake had been performed became well known. Half of Earth was in a state of chaos for weeks.
I. Was hunted.
That was a critical aspect he had drilled into me repeatedly, about my new life. Throw in the connection with Sinclair, it would be all bad for everyone involved. Many people died in order for me to exist. Zach had been so nonchalant about it all. I suppose other people in history had killed more for less, all in the name of accomplishing their goals.
Oh well. I didn't care anymore. Zach said it best: such choices were outside the scope of my capabilities. You can't say no to your creator. Here I am, deal with it.
I curled my paw around the tags, briefly considering the idea of hanging them from a collar, one of my own construction. Wouldn't be the first time, but no. Sin might consider that a failure to live on my own.
Depression began to crush me in its spiny grip. I fired up old routines I had learned at one point, the best way out of it was establishing realistic short, medium, and long-term goals. I needed something to occupy my mind while I healed. I flipped to my financial applet, and shook my muzzle at all the zeros. A starship was definitely within my reach, even one with FTL capability.
I thought back to what Sin had said about disappointing him. I wouldn't opt for a ZPD setup, I'd get something older and much cheaper. A hydrosplitter, maybe even an ion repeller, though I couldn't handle the maintenance of that on my own, she would need a crew.
Something large enough to warrant FTL, yet small enough for me to pilot alone. I accessed the local 'net, looking for the nearest shipyards. I found one that looked perfect. It supported a DIY environment, offered short and long-term housing, tool rentals, refitting services, and had thousands of vessels to choose from via many sellers.
Next on my list was finding Ash and Casey to break the news. I wasn't staying on The Hahkota. I couldn't go back to my old life, that Keman didn't exist anymore.
"What? You're leaving? But... you just got back." Ash smelled very surprised.
"Keems..." Casey put his paw on my shoulder. "You can't leave yet, don't be absurd. This doesn't sound like you."
I stared at the paw, then his eyes. "Take a whiff, I don't even smell like I used to. I don't sound like I used to, because I'm not the Keman you remember. I'm sorry."
"But... I mean, wow," Ash said. "I just figured you'd be here for a while, to recover. I was sort of looking forward to having you around again."
"I'll be around. We can still meet up. Look. I have to go out and do this on my own. I have to see what this galaxy has to offer me. I need to be alone for a while, that's how I'm going to recover." Truth.
When I departed, Zeek whispered into my ear. "Good boy, Keman. I'll be in touch." I stared at him with my emotions in check, and nodded. I left my friends behind, again.