Under the starlit dark sky I set off for launch.

"All compartments sealed, engines are ready, fuel is at maximum capacity."

My robot narrated about all the statuses I needed to know of. But I could barely comprehend what these words meant at this point. All I knew is that I needed to stay awake. A slapped my cheeks and made my ship ready for takeoff.

"Launching in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

A sudden huge amount of force was put onto me as we were launching. I tugged at the seatbealts to make sure they weren't giving way.

"Tight as a rope."

The liftoff was a success. I looked down, seeing the pedestrians and the buildings started to look smaller and smaller quickly as we kept accelerating. It was a mesmerizing sight to be able to see the entire country, but didn't have the time to fully take in the sight.

"Model A6, scan for any patrolships."

"......None to be found within a 500km radius, master."

It's advantage above other robot models however, is the companies disregard for law enforcing code. Not once does it disobey you. So even though it's a much older model, it does have it's advantages, though it did take lots of modifications to get it up to date.

I smiled to myself. I'm finally unbound by the pressures of society. All I needed to do at this point was go to a universe that was unexplored. Lucky for me, I got an unending amount of choices. I decided to go into the direction where they havebarely established themselves. Just need to go from lacronemia to sertide and then into the unexplored XC188W4 region. At worst it should take a month to reach it.

As we left orbit I stifled a yawn. The adrenaline rush has stopped by now, so only an extreme wave of tiredness remained. Before I knew it, I had already shut my eyes and turned my body, my mind has resigned, and all I could do was fall into a deep sleep.

................

A vision.

Endless golden mountains spanned over thousands of kilometres. A city filled with a neon aesthetic. Greeted and loved by all, I spent endless amounts of time partying and playing around.

A disheveled man passed me in the bar. He looked old, and it looks like he caught some dust and cobwebs before entering here.

He spoke to me, in a deep, scruffy growling voice.

"You look miserable."

and simply left without ordering anything.

I laughed at him, together with the other customers. What a stupid idea, I was happier than anyone. But the thought gnawed at me.

Sometime later I left for the dimly lit restroom, and stood opposite the mirror.

But I all could see in the mirror was pitch black.

I got unnerved, and slowly walked out, keeping my front pointed toward the mirror, afraid something would happen if I looked away.

But I tripped, and landed on my ass.

There was no bar anymore, there was nothing.

My voice didn't come out as I tried to shout.

"...."

 

"Master! Wake up."

"Huh...? Oh, morning. Man that was a weird nightmare."

"Good morning, master. Patrol cars sighted with 550 kilometer radius. What should we do?"

"From the back or the front?"

"... 250 kilometres upward, 340 kilometres from the front."

That means that we could get scanned if we're not careful.

"Use the anti-radar cloak, and set the cannon. If you see the patrol coming toward us, notify me instantly."

She headed off and I took a look at the clock I hung up. 5 hours had passed. This would mean we should have already passed by one planet at least. As long as we're not spotted, this trip should go pretty smoothly, but I'm not going to rely on luck to get us through.

I took manual control of the ship and started accelerating. I used the studying tech to open up a map for all the planets in this system and circled the place I assumed to be at. I even went beyond what would be considered the speed limit, breaking another law once again. It brought a little surge of excitement realizing I was officially an outlaw, but my grand journey is only barely starting.

"Is the cannon set up yet?"

"Yes, master."

"Alright, come here, we're gonna do a few test shots."

It wasn't out of necessity, but out of curiosity instead. 

"Rocket is loaded in, ready for firing."

I shoved the handle forward, and a clunk could be heard, then the rocket shot outward succesfully, and blew up a few kilometres ahead.

"Well, it definitely works."

It seemed it hit a rock, which got blown up into pieces. We maneuvred upward to dodge the incoming rubble. I keep trying to go faster, but it's already maximum speed. What's important is being patient.

"A6, can you bring me a pen and a notebook?"

"Right away."

After getting it, I started jotting down our status.

'Day 1:

Launch was a success. No complications.

No patrol interception.'

This is all simply for the sake of being able to keep track of the days that will pass.

"Wanna play a game of chess?"

"If you wish, master."