Until Time Runs Out: The Awakening

By Grayson Anderson-Brown

Cappa is born a cripple raised a cripple and dies a cripple many Galaxies away in the Sirrom solar system. In his death he dreams about another being far greater than himself. 5 million years later he finds himself awoken on an alien vessel with the memories of his crippled life but the abilities of the one he has dreamed about for so long. His arrival in the universe does not go unnoticed and he is recognised as Lord Capprona of Grasmere God of time. While his dreams confirm this could he really be a God or is he just a vessel for powers which were never meant for him? He soon finds himself pursued by beings even greater than himself. With only his dreams connecting him to his new abilities he finds himself on the ultimate quest of discovery and survival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Sep 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781456798178

Grayson Anderson-Brown

Grayson Anderson is a British born Jamaican born on the 17 of December 1975. He was raised in Peckham to a single mother and following the footsteps of an older brother Grayson often found himself watching silently the lives of others not daring to break out off the shyness which consumed him in his earlier years. In this period of emotional solitude he found his love of books and subsequently spent days in the library sharing one adventure after the other with the fictional characters written by the hand of Enid blyton and C.S Lewis to name but a few and yet it was the chance encounter with an old friend who was throwing away a bag of comics which was to change his life. Within the comics he found the realm of fantasy that he had secretly and unknowingly craved. Different planets, beings with different abilities all with different reasons for using them. He found the concepts and possibilities both astounding and phenomenal. It was a few years later when his own characters began to blossom in his mind and a further ten years for his own universe to materialise in his mind. Driven to the brink of insanity by the ideas in his head he finally put pen to paper and four years later the first of his collection was complete. Grayson Anderson currently resides in forest hill with his wife Natalie and their 12 year old son Seymour where he continues to write the tales locked within the realms of his mind.

Book preview

Chapter 1

H igh above the burnt out planet of Callios, the Septition ship Haice rotates effortlessly in orbit. Small, discrete and black against the background of space, the Haice is almost perfectly camouflaged, making it the ideal vessel for its purpose.

The planet of Callios had been nothing but a barren wasteland for five million years, ever since it was hit by a giant meteor. The atmosphere was still thick with dust particles, making even basic visibility impossible. Not even light from the sun could penetrate the hostile clouds.

It seemed strange that such a dead planet offered the planet of Septition one of the greatest discoveries in its scientific history. The blue ore of the dead planet was able to react with a formerly un-reactive metal from Septition. The amalgamation formed a new metal, lighter and stronger than anything on their home planet. The potential for building, travel and defence was astounding. This new metal was aptly named Calliosept and this is what brought the Haice to Callios.

‘The excitement’s killing me,’ thinks captain Aluz, her face betraying her thoughts.

Commence transportation, she calls out. The observation wall in front of her shows her images from the graveyard planet’s surface. The images alternate throughout the spectral range. The atmosphere of the planet shows her nothing more than fuzzy static as the air is full of too many particles to get any kind of useful readings.

She sits on the one chair at the only desk in the ultra-minimalist room which is her laboratory. The three remaining walls and ceiling are coated with a special non-stick metal called Logistan, which is so advanced that not even bacteria can stick to it. The floor has a constant micro-electric charge which hums as it sweeps from left to right and wall to wall, destroying everything and anything which falls from the Logistan walls or ceiling. The micro-electric charge is crimson, giving the lab a slight red glow. The desk and the chair which captain Aluz is sitting on is also made out of Logistan, her uniform is made from a variation of the same material and is magnetized to stop her slipping off her chair and hurting her slender 6'2 frame.

She has skin the colour of honey with shoulder length hair of the same hue. She is humanoid in form as is her race. She had been called attractive by many people over the years but she never took any notice of what she saw as superficial flattery. This is obvious by the half chewed fingernails and unkempt hair which always manages to find its way into her mouth, especially when in deep thought. Aluz had spent many years proving her dedication to science and saw no joy in the whole procreative cycle that her gender was expected to partake in.

She watches as the first of the three ore-laden containers begins its ascent from the surface of Callios. Rapid external and internal scans reveal no malfunctions and no other ships in the vicinity; she is definitely alone, just the way she likes it. The observation screen shows the first container being loaded into the docking bay. The Haice’s computer handles the whole process with ease as the observation screen continues to alternate between the light spectrums. As much as she enjoys being where she is, she feels like a spare part to the ship’s technology. She was the ship’s ‘back up’ in case of malfunction. She consoles herself that if the ship did suffer a malfunction, then she would take control and bring back the biggest consignment of ore to date—but so far the ship has had a 100% record.

Weight overload in pod 3. Take off not possible. The ship’s monotone voice cuts through Aluz’s thoughts. The words take a second to register.

Repeat, Aluz replies in bemusement and the ship repeats its original statement.

Diagnose problem, she calls out to the faceless voice of the computer. She looks at the schematics of pod 3 on the observation screen and watches as the pod is examined for internal or external failures. Each container has been designed to carry 50 tons of ore, so the malfunction that Aluz had wanted seems to be coming true. The green observation screen shows the side profile of the pod being horizontally and vertically scanned by opposing energy beams. The two beams suddenly stop together and form a circle in the bottom left corner of pod 3. Aluz watches the circle become larger, as the observation screen zooms into its target.

FOREIGN OBJECT appears in crimson letters across the screen and Aluz sits wide-eyed as the image of the ‘foreign object’ is flipped and rotated, constantly being magnified until it takes up the whole screen. A flood of adrenalin shoots through her body, her hair falls out of her mouth and her eyes blink repeatedly. There on the observation screen right in front of her, there is no mistake; it is a body.

Re-scan Aluz calls out.

Analysis complete, the monotone computer voice answers back.

Rescan, Aluz repeats louder, annoyed at the computer’s refusal to follow her command.

Analysis complete, the computer once more returns it assessment, much to Aluz’s frustration.

Fine, Aluz mumbles to herself, Manual override 171275. A monitor slowly rises out of her desk and the desk itself becomes illuminated with buttons and symbols. She types in her commands and her orders are now dutifully carried out. The results on the screen match the computer’s original response which irritates her more than just a little. Aluz looks at the dimensions of the body and immediately feels her heart beating within her chest. She allows herself to lean back in her chair; her hands cover her face and seemingly push her head back over the top of her seat. She takes a deep breath and looks back at the screen. The body’s vital statistics are displayed on the screen and she lets out a gasp as she views the results. It is 20ft tall, 8ft wide and weighs an astonishing 15 tons. Even more strange is the fact that it is perfectly intact after all this time. Was the ore a preservative? What did the inhabitants of this dead world look like? What was this alien creature’s genetic makeup? What makes it so heavy? The questions keep coming, unaccompanied by answers. Aluz’s eyes dare not leave the computer monitor which holds her find in animation. She keys her instructions into the computer and lets her index finger dangle over the ‘confirm’ button before banging it down. She feels her breath quicken as her mind becomes divided by her actions. ‘What are you doing?’ she asks herself. ‘Being a scientist,’ she answers back under her breath. Aluz looks at the observation screen and can see the pod devoid of ore make its way back to the ship. Aluz decides to take her find back to the space station and immediately makes the decision to keep the pod sealed until her arrival. The lab on the Haice wasn’t designed for such a project. All thought of ore, Calliosept or anything else has long since left Aluz’s mind as she watches the pod entering the loading bay.

Chapter 2

C alm down, calm down, Aluz tells herself, wanting to see but not daring to check on her unexpected cargo. She sits at her desk and presses a sensor in front of her Haice to base, she shouts at the console in excitement.

Haice to base, she repeats.

Acknowledged, a reply came through invisible speakers. Has cargo been secured? the slightly irritated voice asks.

Yes Commander, no commander Aluz responds, her excitement making her trip over her words.

Is it yes or is it no? We have strict protocols Captain, including radio silence. What…

I found something else of interest, Aluz interrupts.

Your orders are specific captain, have you got the ore?

Yes, but I’ve found an intact body which could give us answers about the inhabitants of Callios, possibly even information on how the civilization lived. Aluz gasps as she runs out of breath from speaking so fast. Commander, it’s fascinating. I’ve never seen anything like this before, she begins once again. It’s…

Drop it. It was the commanders turn to interrupt her, his words cold and deliberate.

What? Aluz shouts glaring at the monitor in front of her with a mixture of shock and anger. But you don’t even know…

What I know, Aluz, is that we haven’t the facilities or the manpower to entertain such flights of fancy. This is an excavation not an exploration. Leave it where it is and concentrate on the task at hand. The Commander’s voice is calm in contrast to Aluz’s and this just seems to infuriate her more.

We’re scientists, this is our job. This is a huge discovery, surely you…

My job, Aluz, is to safely deliver processed Calliosept. It’s a job that pays me very well and allows me to pay you very well. If you don’t do your job I can’t complete mine. Now I’m pretty sure I can find someone else to do your job so I can continue doing mine. It’s your decision.

But sir…

My superiors will not tolerate my failure and I will not tolerate yours. Transmission out.

Transmission out? Transmission out? she shouts at the unanimated screen in front her. She violently swivels in her chair so her back is facing the screen. She places her forearms on her thighs and lets her head droop towards the floor. Aluz’s head is full of all the things she had wanted to say to Commander Youl, none of which was constructive or even physically possible. He was blind to any scientific task which was not instigated by himself. It was his way or no way. She stands up and types her command codes into the ship’s computer, overriding communications and all computer automated commands. The ship is now entirely under manual control. She takes a deep breath before walking out of the control room.

As she walks down the shiny Logistan corridor she can feel the gentle pull of the magnetic floor on the underside of her shoes. For the first time since she had been on the Haice she finds the corridors hollow and far too quiet. Her pace quickens as she knows she hasn’t got much time. Luckily, being a small ship the cargo bay wasn’t too far. She feels her chest tighten and her breathing becomes shallow, even her palms begin to perspire, but she is determined not to let nerves get the better of her. The observation glass separating her from the pods quickly comes into view, before she knows it she finds herself standing in front of the double glass doors separating her from the cargo bay. Towards the left of the glass door entrance to the cargo bay stands another monitor, smaller than the one in the control room. There is no chair accompanying this one, just a small integrated desk console. She looks through the observation window and can see all six pods accounted for. They are 20ft in height, 20ft in width and 50ft in length, lined up in two rows of three with a 40ft gap separating the rows.

Aluz taps her access code into the green radiated screen of the console and a cargo-carrying platform detaches itself from the wall within the cargo bay. Held in suspension by the magnetic floors, it glides effortlessly to the back of the cargo bay towards pod 3. Aluz works in unison with the console, not daring to look into the cargo bay, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the screen. She guides the platform until it is in place at the entrance of the pod. The pod door opens, lowering itself slowly and silently. In her peripheral vision she can see the cargo bay fill with the blue Callios ore, but she continues her refusal to look directly into the cargo bay. The ore is instantly and violently vented out of the ship, clearing the cargo bay of its presence in a matter of seconds. Aluz types in the instructions on the console and the floating platform enters pod 3 to get her prize. Her hands tap furiously on the console keyboard. All the information tapped into the computer relays instantly to the platform. When the platform acquires the subject Aluz finds herself having to increase its magnetic polarity as the sheer weight of it has the platform hovering mere inches from the floor. The platform glides itself to the cargo bay doors where Aluz waits anxiously on the other side. She takes a deep breath to steady herself and only then does she dare to look up.

Chapter 3

T he subject is enormous; even with the raised platform its hands and feet still drag across the floor. Aluz can see no signs of decay upon the body whatsoever. She gives it one more scan and the sensors in the cargo bay confirm what the pod sensors had already assessed, that the subject definitely has no life signs.

She takes another deep breath then presses the door release button on the console. Letting out a brief sigh, the doors open and leave nothing standing between her and her acquired subject. Aluz types her last orders into the console, sending the platform with the subject to her main lab where she would be able to properly examine it. She watches in awe as the body passes her. She attempts to walk after the platform but finds herself floating weightlessly. The increased polarity keeping the platform afloat acts like anti-gravity to her considerably lighter frame.

What the… ? Aluz calls out in surprise at finding herself airborne before quickly reaching down to her boots and switching off the magnets. She falls to the ground with a thud, landing on all fours. The impact shudders through her body but the sight of the platform disappearing around the corner into the main lab makes her forget any pain she feels and she quickly runs after her quarry.

Aluz looks at the now stationary platform and the body upon it and a smile creeps onto her face. She had done it! From what she can see the subject is male. He is still clothed but she can’t determine the original colour of his clothing optically as the blue ore has dug deep into the fabric of the material. Even the fabric has no traces of decay. He has dark brown skin with no hair. Small amounts of ore remain on his skin, reflecting the light of her laboratory, giving the body a faint but beautiful purple glow. His shirt, if she can call it that, is open and loose, showing an amazingly muscular physique. His upper body is defined, but it is his lower half that looks most interesting to her. The legs on the body are abnormally large with muscle upon muscle bursting through the tight short trousers he wears. Aluz has never seen anything like it before, as the body truly has zero signs of decay. She was right, this showed that the ore did have preservative qualities. The alien creature’s facial features are not dissimilar to her own; two eyes, a nose and mouth, in fact the whole body is of a standard humanoid form by all accounts.

Aluz starts typing her findings into her private log and starts taking pictures with the invisible cameras which are installed all over the lab. The images appear on the screen in front of her and she manages to take many multi-angled shots which she would be able to study at a later date as time is really not on her side. Aluz sets up a full spectrum scan of the alien, whose muscular structure has her imagination running wild, as she just has to see how it matches up to his bone structure. The screen in front of her uses 3D and 4D technology to show his body being rotated and invaded by the light spectrum including x-rays, but all of the tests return negative. Aluz repeats the procedure in earnest as one thought enters her mind, a thought that she dares not believe. The results once again come back negative. She looks at the body and then back to the results of the scans. The scans are unable to penetrate the alien creature’s skin. The thought she has tried to ignore surfaces to the forefront of her mind. ‘If the scans couldn’t penetrate the alien’s body, how accurate are the life sign readings?’

She immediately decides it’s time to get it off her ship. A red light on her console flashes furiously. Aluz freezes. ‘The sensors…’ her thoughts are cut short as she finds herself hurtling across the lab. Her head hits the lab wall and the platform falls to the floor with a loud bang. Aluz lies on the floor stunned.

She remembers that she had disabled the ship’s automatic controls after her brief conversation with Commander Youl. The ship’s automatic controls include system scanning and early warning alerts. In her haste to investigate the alien creature she had left herself wide open to attack. She is left ruing her mistake as the ship is hit a second time, once again sending her sprawling across the frictionless floor. Aluz reaches for her left wrist where she has a silver Calliosept survival bracelet lined with buttons. She presses one of the buttons and is immediately given remote access to the ship’s systems. Instantly the ship’s alarms scream through the ship adding even more drama to the unexpected situation.

Evasive manoeuvres! Aluz shouts, trying to make her voice heard above the high decibel alarms. Negative. the unerring voice of the ship replies. THREE ALPHA CLASS ATTACK SHIPS AND ONE BATTLE CRUISER. ESCAPE NOT POSSIBLE. Aluz curses the ship’s logic chip as she would rather die in ignorance than to be told of her impending fate. She attempts to crawl towards her monitor in the centre of the floor with instinct overtaking thought, but the frictionless floor proves itself to be no more than a hindrance. She reaches down to her boots to activate the magnets but the ship is hit once again sending her flying into the metallic Logistan wall. The platform which the alien has been laying on crashes into the wall on her right hand side, narrowly missing her already tender frame. The impact sends a loud, ear-splitting crash which reverberates around the lab. Aluz lies on the floor beside the platform dazed, and with her fate all but accepted she sees something that she can’t believe she’s seeing. The alien creature, which is now on the floor, appears to be moving.

Chapter 4

‘I , Cappa, left my mortal life many years ago. Ever since my death on Callios I have travelled the stars in my mind. I have watched stars being born and others destroyed. I have witnessed and participated in the wars of many civilizations. I have run many times the speed of light; I have lived the life in death that I couldn’t when I was alive. For many years I cursed my crippled body; now free of it. I have lived a thousand dreams. For some reason this dream feels different. I’m in some kind of laboratory, (I never forget such places). I see a woman on the floor; her head is bleeding but she says nothing as she looks at me. I walk towards her and she pushes herself back further against the lab wall. It is then that I hear the buzz of ships. It seems that we are under attack. I look at the injured woman and listen as the ship’s alarms ring in my ears. My assessment of the situation is rapid. The attackers have to be stopped.

I walk out of the lab doors and down the corridor. The ship I’m on seems damaged, the attackers are circling. I feel it. I see the cargo bay and I walk towards it. The ship seems familiar to me as does the language on the console in front of the doors. I open the doors and feel a dip in temperature. The doors seal themselves after me and I walk to the back of the docking bay and press the red door release button. I feel myself being sucked outside. The doors open wider and I’m out.

I see the ship flying aimlessly trying to evade capture, as I stand alone in the coldness of space. I hear the attackers communicating with each other over radio waves. They speak ‘Relin’. I watch as they position themselves for their final assault on the damaged vessel and I know what must be done. I look around and recognize the stars around me. They are the same stars I gazed at many times from my wheelchair when I was still alive. The ships fly further and further away from me as I breathe in and feel my chest explode then implode. I feel the power flow through me. In previous dreams I had experienced this many times, but this time it feels different. This time I actually feel the chill of space and yet at the same time I feel the raging heat of the stars, and the power that flows through me awakens my very soul. I feel alive.

I run towards the Relin ships having already decided which ship would be my first target. I run faster than the speed of light, my acceleration so rapid that I’m upon the Relin attackers in literally the blink of an eye. The first Relin ship doesn’t even have time to register me on its radar before I run through it. I run through the second one before the first even has time to explode. I stop to look at my handiwork—I’m unstoppable. The third Relin ship begins to retreat back to the battle cruiser. I smile as I give it enough of a head start that there is hope of reaching the safety of the battle cruiser, and in under a second I destroy it too.

I now stand in front of the huge Relin battle cruiser. I can feel its sensors on me as they try to figure out what I am. The cruiser is roughly 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. It is bright silver with Relin symbols in red emblazed on the sides. Two forward facing 300 metre diameter canons are straddled either side of the vessel. I sense traces of Hellion plasma particles in their chambers. Most of the huge ship’s mass is armour plating surrounded by a 50 foot thick Embron force field. I surprise myself with my knowledge of this ship but I also know that it is a powerful vessel. I feel myself smiling because I know I am far more powerful. A transmission is in progress; I decide to listen in.

Commander, three of our attackers have been destroyed by an unidentified weapon. I thought this was an unarmed vessel!

You have one of my battle cruisers with enough fire power to level a planet and you report back to me about one weapon. The tone of the Commander’s voice is one of anger.

I’ve never seen one like this, sir. This is…, the subordinate stutters.

This is what? The commander interrupts impatiently. You talk to me about weapons when what I want is the cargo of the ship and its technician. I want the formula for this ‘Calliosept’ I’ve heard about."

Commander, sir, the weapon is blocking our way.

Blocking your way? Just how big is this weapon?

It’s 20ft by 8ft sir. The second the Captain had spoken he instantly regretted his answer.

20ft by 8ft? Captain who is your second in command?

Lieutenant Logti, sir.

Lieutenant Logti? The Commander says in a voice displaying little emotion, will you please kill Captain Servi?

Yes sir, immediately sir. A plasma charge is heard followed by a solitary thud.

Captain Logti?

Yes sir.

Would you like me to find out who your second in command is?

No sir, replies a nervous Logti.

Well do as I ask. The transmission ends.

After a moment the new Captain speaks.

Where is the weapon? barks Captain Logti.

In front of us sir, comes the reply from a junior tactician.

Weapon status?

Waiting sir, the junior tactician says with uncertainty. It looks like its waiting.

Chapter 5

A luz watches in silence as her former subject rises to his feet. She dares not breathe as he begins to walk towards her. She pushes herself further against the wall until she can go back no further. 20ft looked a lot bigger vertically than it looked horizontally. He has to bend his head to stop it scraping against the ceiling, such is his size. She looks at his face and notices his eyes they are a deep brown yet his pupils are blue; they seem to sparkle in the now faded light of the lab and she quickly averts her eyes from his. Aluz is stunned into submission at what she sees. It’s almost as if time itself has stopped with her mind unable to grasp this unexpected reality. The alien walks calmly through the lab doors leaving Aluz on the floor asking herself the same question over and over again. What the hell is that?

Aluz can hear the inside cargo bay doors open and close; the schematics on her bracelet indicate that the outside cargo bay doors have also been opened. Whatever that thing was, it has just left the vessel, committing certain suicide.

On screen she whispers into her bracelet; the chaos of the alarms and erratic movements all but dulls her senses. On the screen she watches the ‘foreign object’ disappear into the vastness of space as the Haice tries to lose its pursuers.

The sight of the attacking ships on the screen awakes her to the matter at hand. She reaches down to her boots and reactivates the magnets. She feels herself being wrenched upwards at such a speed that if she wasn’t stuck to floor she would have fallen over again. Quickly re-setting the polarity of the magnets she runs over to the main console.

Give me escape options she shouts, whilst holding onto the console.

Interception in 1.34 minutes. The computers words take an eternity to sink in. Aluz looks at the monitor in front of her.

Send distress call 2 7… Aluz’s words are cut short as a silver missile travels through two of the Relin ships instantaneously, the vibrations of the explosions adding to the previous damage the Haice had already taken and Aluz is once more sent flying across the room as the lab floor loses its magnetic polarity. Aluz goes head first into the lab wall and this time she doesn’t get up. Aluz never got to see the retreat of the third vessel and the pause of the silver light.

I hear their transmission. They want the girl, the ship and this ‘Calliosept’. I’ll leave the next move up to them. I listen to the internal transmission from Captain Logti to his weapons advisors and tactician chiefs. They plan a multiple assault with guider missiles and more attack fighters. I can deal with anything they could throw at me, but I see the flying lab in the distance which is losing power fast so choice number 2 seems the best option.

Before they can get their attack started I run through the Embron force field which slows me down by a few micro seconds. I feel it stretch around me as my thrust overcomes its resistance. Once through I rip through the hull of the battle cruiser giving it a scar which runs the length of the ship. I hear systems start crashing and explosions going off around the ship, and the Embron force field isn’t there on my exit. The battle cruiser leans to one side disabled, losing atmosphere, fuel and power. The ship would possibly survive as I have left the main power core intact. If the ship’s survival systems matched its weapons arsenal the crew would be fine. I must confess though, part of me really wants to wait and see who Captain Logti’s second in command is.

I see the ship flying away in desperation; it has escaped the Relin battle ship’s line of sight, but I can see it as though it’s right next to me. I can see the external damage and know that it won’t hold for long. With the Relin ship out of action I decide to assist the lady in the lab or at least guide her to safety. I am level with the ship in seconds and locate the cargo bay doors which I had exited from, and with the press of a button I’m back in the vessel.

I walk through the corridors toward the previously occupied lab with the alarms ringing in my head. The alarms have changed their tune. Now they scream intruder alert!, intruder alert! Once again I find myself understanding the language which is Septition. The ship has lost primary systems, the main lights are out and the pale blue emergency lights which light up the corridor pale in comparison to the radiance that my body produces. I light the whole place up as I walk through the corridor. I can already smell her blood and hear her shallow breathing. She’s been badly hurt. I walk through the lab door and I see her on the floor. The alarms ringing in my ears begin to irritate me so I go to the main console. I recognize the symbols and words on the monitor and I disable the alarm and gain the silence I need to attend to the lady.

She lies face down so I kneel to turn her over, but as I do so my hand touches some of her hair and I instantly smell burning and watch as her strands of hair shrivel up when it comes into contact with my hand. I quickly pull my hand back as this dream is starting to feel wrong. The smells, the touching of her hair, even destroying the Relin vessels—something definitely feels different.

I see a platform discarded on the floor and decide that it would be my best means of transporting her from the cold floor she is laying on. I lift her using her suit as just by touching the material I can tell it has heat resistant properties. I move her quickly onto the platform and then lift it up from the floor. As I walk through the lab doors I feel the platform begin to melt in my hand and as I walk through the corridors once again, I see an opening which I can only assume is her living quarters. As I walk in, I see a bed in the centre of the silver coloured room which has a small console integrated to the right side of it, but nothing else which is visible. I tilt the platform gently towards the bed and she slides off and lands face down onto it. Her breathing doesn’t improve and I know that she needs medical help. I would have to get her home, wherever home is. As I turn to leave the room I see a bright light from the corner of my eye and I freeze.

Chapter 6

I turn to look at the bright light gleaming to my right and what greets me is the most unreal encounter I have yet experienced. I’m looking into a mirror; the light comes from me. I am the light. I walk towards the mirror one step at a time, my image growing bigger and bigger the closer I get. All my previous encounters had been like dreams with me only observing. I’d never actually influenced any of my encounters until now. This is a whole new situation for me. I look into the mirror and it’s most definitely me, my face, my nose, lips, eyes, and the birth mark on my chest. The only difference is that I’m a whole lot bigger and I’m on my feet. I’m walking.

I can’t move. I stand motionless unable to take my eyes off the mirror before me. I still wear the laboratory clothes I was wearing when I died. They still fit, even though I’ve grown, so too it seems have they and they do not burn. As I look at my new self my mind starts to reboot itself with the information I had just gathered while being on this ship. The feelings I had in space when this power began to flow through me, how unstoppable I felt, how I could survive in space, the languages I now understood. I ask myself ‘what’s happened to me?’ This is no dream. I suddenly feel weak and drop to one knee, all the time my eyes not leaving the mirror. I am a man looking at his own ghost, I am a stranger to my mind, I am the enemy of my eyes, but most of all, I am alive.

I’m brought back into reality by a new alarm which rings through the vessel.

‘SYSTEMS FAILURE, SYSTEMS FAILURE’. I get up and go back into the main control room where I look at the main console. Previously I had been concerned about the girl’s life but I now begin to consider my own. I’ve proved that I can survive in space but I am positive that she cannot. The ship is losing power and her health is deteriorating; their existence now relies on me. I cannot, no, I will not fail.

I turn off all non-essential power and feel the ship carry on its momentum, drifting blindly into the vastness of space. I attempt to scroll through the ship’s computer systems, looking for anything which could lead me to her base. The planet of Septition is over 10,000 light years away and there is no way this ship had been designed for such a long journey. My fingers clumsily type into the computer, their size hindering my efforts. I spot a beacon coming from within the Ureti solar system 500 light years away, easily within the ship’s operational perimeters. The Ureti system is close to my own system of Sirrom, being a mere 2 solar systems away. I check the ship’s operational status to see what’s working and what isn’t. The ultra-jump system is off-line and even with fully functional main engines, without the ultra-jump system the ship would never make it in time to save the girl. The Relins knew exactly where to hit. I scroll through the schematics of the ship. The words on the screen flash by at speed but not fast enough for me. I see star charts that navigate the safest routes avoiding enemy territories and spatial anomalies, but in my head I know multiple routes that could get us there faster; I don’t know how I know but I do. If only there was a way to bring the ship with me. I pause, and then scroll back up the ship’s schematics. I smile as I look at the screen. The answer was staring right at me and I could feel that hope was once again my friend. I could take the ship with me.

The screen in front of me shows the protocols for pod failure. In event of mechanical failure the pods could be brought up to the ship using high powered tractor beams. System checks found them to be one of the only functions not damaged by the Relins.

Tractor beams powerful enough to bring a fifty ton pod through a planet’s atmosphere should be sufficient for what I had in mind. I access the tractor beam settings and transfer all remaining non-life support power over to them. I programme them to come on in 2