743 Days

The ground felt soft and soggy under my feet. I took a few careful steps away from the ramp of my shuttle, and almost instantly, the water rose above my ankles and began to pour over the edge and into my shoes.

I shivered and looked up at the sky. At least the rain had stopped. It had kept me inside for almost a week, but now I could at last go outside to watch something other than the flashing warning lights that had filled my shuttle. I hadn’t found a way to turn them off without completely shutting down the emergency power, and in the end, they had almost driven me insane.

I sighed. According to my data pad, I would be here for a while. 743 days, to be exact, and that was if I was lucky, and the emergency beacon had actually sent the distress call before the drive shut down. In any case, I would have to get used to calling this place home, at least for a while.

I started walking toward the grove of strange-looking vines I had seen from the window of my shuttle. They reached high into the air, and after watching them for several days, I became curious about them. According to my data bank, they weren’t dangerous, so I wasn’t too worried as I walked closer. If I had been a biologist, I thought I would be excited by the prospect of the endless opportunities to study this world, but unfortunately, my field of study couldn’t be any further from it. So, how should I occupy my time during these 743 days?, I wondered as I stepped into the groove. Unfortunately, my data bank wouldn’t give me any helpful suggestions except constantly reminding me that I should save power. I sighed. I was on my own.

The rain kept falling over the next couple of days, but at least I managed to turn the warning lights off in my shuttle. At least, I hoped it was the reason they stopped, and it wasn’t the emergency cells running out of power. The rain and the water no longer bothered me as much, and I began to spend more time outside, shedding a few unneeded clothes and enjoying the warm water. With a bit of imagination, I could pretend that I was on a beach in an exotic place I could never have afforded to visit. At least, it was partly true. This place had its charm, and maybe I would be able to call it home after all, even if only for a while.

When I dreamt about dolphins for the first time, I didn't give much significance to the dream. I woke up to the sound of the rain drumming against the shuttle’s exterior, but instead of following my established routine, which my data pad insisted I should stick to, I stayed in bed for longer than usual, finding comfort in the strange feeling the dream had left me with.

When I finally got up and went outside, I sat down on the edge of the ramp and dipped my toes into the warm water. It was raining lightly, but I didn't mind; it felt refreshing to let it wash the sleep from my body. As always, the sky was covered with thick clouds, and I could never tell what time it was. I didn’t want to waste power on such an insignificant thing as time-telling, so my day had become divided into the time when it was light outside and the time when it was dark.

Some time after that, a thick fog surrounded the shuttle when I woke up and went outside. I did my best to follow the established routine that, according to my data pad, would help me maintain good mental health in the situation. The fog was white and concealed everything from my sight, giving me the feeling of being submerged in deep water. The few careful steps I took felt more like swimming than walking, and there was no difference between the water I walked in and the fog that surrounded me. It made me feel like I was dreaming once more and swam with the dolphins deep in the waters. I ignored the warnings of my data pad and ventured further into the fog, feeling that, just like in my dreams, I would be able to find my way back.

I didn’t recall coming back to the shuttle, but of course, I must have done so because I woke up in my still-damp bed. I must have been too tired to dry my body from the fog before I lay down yesterday. I got up and went outside to collect some fruits from the grove, hoping it would make my data pad pleased that I tried to have a varied diet. Apparently, it was another important factor that would improve my chances of surviving.

A light rain washed over my body, wetting my skin again, and the grey clouds slowly rolled over the sky as I filled my backpack with fruits. A part of me considered it a waste of time. I knew I should preserve the food I could find, but I never got around to doing it, thinking that the fruits would be there when I needed them.

My dreams became more vivid, and sometimes it was difficult to distinguish between them and my waking time. I never notified my data pad about it, though; I didn’t think he could do much about it, and anyway, I didn't notice it affecting me in any negative way. All the biometric scans I did with regular intervals were perfectly normal, and I even got some muscle after spending so much time walking around. I had stopped collecting food by now and instead simply went for a walk whenever I was hungry, knowing I would find a grove full of sweet fruits. It felt easier that way, rather than carrying the heavy backpack back to the shuttle.

The dream was different from the other dreams I’d had, and as we swam together, they spoke to me for the first time. I had never doubted they were sentient, of course, not after having listened to their songs for such a long time, but I had never expected they would want to share their words with me. Being welcomed into their company was more than I could ever have expected.

Did I want to go back?

I pondered the question for a long while, both in my dreams and when I was awake, but by now, it was hard to tell the difference since both states felt identical. I wasn’t sure, and they seemed to like the fact that I took my time to make a decision.

Some time afterwards, small white flowers appeared on the surface of the water, but neither my data pad nor I could detect any change in the weather that would justify them. I wondered what they were since I couldn't feel any roots under my feet as I walked through the shallow waters. They seemed to float on the surface, not connected to the ground beneath. They were beautiful, and I started to walk towards the deeper end of the water, hoping I would find more of them.

When I saw the ship sticking out from the water at a strange angle, I felt like I had woken from a dream. What was a Shadow class fighter doing here? I was in a neutral sector, far away from the Federation borders. I crouched down in the still shallow water, hoping to stay out of sight of whoever would be aboard.

From a distance, it seemed the ship had been there for a long time, but if that was the case, why had I never seen it before? I slowly backed away, glad for the rain that would soon hide my presence. How could I have been so careless to wander this alien world without any protection or means of defence?

As soon as I was out of sight, I ran to the shuttle.

421 days. I read the countdown on the screen in disbelief after activating the emergency reactor and putting on my protective suit. It felt strange to wear clothes for the first time in a long while, and the rough fabric pressed against my skin, but I didn't care. My feet hurt enough to tell me that the ground wasn’t as soft as I’d thought.

I relaxed when the bio scan confirmed that I was in good shape and hadn’t suffered any permanent injuries. I would deal with the pain later.

Soon, I was putting query after query into my data pad. The shuttle didn’t detect any atmospheric entries, but its sensors were never meant to detect military-class vessels, so I didn’t know how long the ship had been there. I assumed they must have crashed sometime after I did; it would explain why I hadn’t seen them until now. According to my data pad, a Shadow class only carried a single pilot, so I had a fair chance. I may not be a soldier, but I was armed.

I spent the rest of the day checking my ship’s systems and repairing what I could. I would not be able to make it fly again, but anything was better than the silence creeping in on me, making me doubt my sanity. How could I have slipped so far without even realising it?, I wondered. But being alone for almost a year in this forsaken place with a data pad as my only companion could be a sufficient explanation, I reasoned. I found some comfort in the realisation that it was not my fault, and what had happened to me was exactly what the data pad tried to warn me against. But… I had followed all his instructions….and still…

I sighed, wondering how I would survive the remaining 421 days and remain sane when the rescue finally arrived. Assuming, of course, that the emergency beacon had transmitted my distress call before the drive shut down and my ship plunged into this world.

The other night, I dreamed about the dolphins again, but I pushed away the memories as soon as I woke up. The tranquillity of the dream stayed with me throughout the day, though, and as much as I tried to ignore it and focus on the emergency checklists, I never finished them. Had I started to lose it the moment I crashed?

I realised I should be more concerned about it, but for some reason, I wasn’t. I looked out the window. It was raining, of course, but maybe it would be a good time to get out and look around. Thinking about the other ship brought distant memories of a dream. In that dream, there had been someone else except me swimming with the dolphins. I shrugged. Of course, I had seen a ship, and so I dreamed about the pilot, I told myself. That’s how dreams worked, after all. Something made an impact on you, and your mind would spin a tale about it when you slept. It was nothing to worry about, I told myself, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t distance myself from that memory.

My dreams became vivid again, and I stayed longer and longer in bed, listening to the rain drumming against the shuttle's exterior. I still didn’t dare go outside, but by now, I was less concerned about the unwanted presence in my world, reasoning that I was as equal to a threat to them as they were to me. The Federation must have been unaware of their accident; otherwise, they would have sent the rescue already and found me in the process.

I really missed the sweet fruits that grew in the grove, but as much as a varied diet was important for my mental health, staying safe in the face of the enemy was a higher priority. My data pad must have felt the same because he didn’t object to my decision.

I began considering making contact. After all, the chances that our two ships had suffered the exact same damage were small. Maybe we could repair one of them if we decided to work together. Of course, there was the obvious issue that the moment we took into orbit, the common reason for us working together would be gone, and the struggle for control of the ship would begin.

The conclusion made me sad. She had seemed so sweet when we swam together, holding hands with the dolphins. I wasn’t sure if I could harm her after spending so much time together, and I believed that she would feel the same way about me.

We met in the middle of the shallow waters, covered with white flowers floating on the surface, that separated our ships. She looked just like in my dreams, except for a few flowers she had put in her pink hair. It suited her, and I smiled as she picked up a floating flower and put it in my hair.

I took her hand, and we walked towards the deep waters to tell the dolphins of our decision.