“Alright, kiddo, contract’s signed, you’ve paid up, here are the keys, she’s all yours!”
Letharus was trying to remain cool and collected on the outside, but as he clutched the shiny, golden set of keys in his hand, internally, Letharus was insanely excited. He was now the proud owner of a tiny but hardy ship named “The Third Chance”.
It had taken a bit longer than intended, but after some discussion with his old co-workers and the higher ups, Letharus had quit his job as a therapist, specializing in young Decaylings and their trauma, and he was now finally free to do… whatever. Anything he wanted. And while Letharus did expect a pay cut on his universal income, apparently, because Letharus’s old job was both demanding and often required, he had been given an 8-ev buffer before his universal income dropped down to unemployed levels, with the option to return to his duties at any time if he got bored. And with the money Letharus had saved, he managed to buy his ship without needing a loan, so he didn’t need to worry about rent or anything.
The salescreature grinned, then teleported off to deal with another customer, leaving Letharus to his own devices. Thankfully, Letharus did know how to fly ships, but he hadn’t flown a small, sporty two-seater ship before. Admittedly, the last periuniversal void vessel he had flown was a colossal Voidborn ship, but the skills did basically carry over to Deathven-based ships.
Now grinning like a lunatic, Letharus opened up his new ship and stepped inside. It was a very, very basic ship. Basically a space caravan. Two seats at the front, a single bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and storage area, plus an engine room at the back. The most basic of basic ships, but hardy and sturdy, meant to be reliable more than anything else.
Letharus was still grinning as he sat down and strapped himself in, then turned the in-sector engine on, so he could fly to his first destination inside Deathven Sector Ypsilon. He needed to go to the mass storage centre near the end of the sector, where Letharus had put all his stuff. Since he no longer needed a house and his new ship was his new home, he’d arranged for all his belongings be temporarily put in storage. Letharus didn’t really like his little bungalow anyway, and he’d spent the last week in a nice hotel. Most homes in Deathven sectors were assigned based on basic needs, and Letharus was certain someone else would take the bungalow and make it their own.
Luckily, in-sector traffic was quiet. In local times, it was early afternoon, meaning most folks were at work, if they had work. The mass storage centre also miraculously had a place for Letharus to park, right out front, so he didn’t need to lug his belongings too far. Then again, Letharus didn’t really own much. Mostly just a small computer and hard drives filled with music, comics and audiobooks, some normal books, a handful of weapons and trinkets from when he was a Voidborn slave and his collection of armour, white capes and clothing. He also had a cute teddy bear that looked weirdly like Letharus himself, but purple and black instead of purple and white.
The staff at the storage centre were nice and friendly, and a massive, hulking monster helped Letharus move everything from the centre to the storage room on his ship. It all fit, with plenty of room to spare. Anything Letharus didn’t want was donated to a redistribution shop, to be given to other people who needed them. Admittedly, it wasn’t much, just some furniture and cooking implements, but it was better than just throwing everything away. In most Deathven sectors, most things were recycled.
Letharus’s next stop was the food market, and, again, he could park nice and close to the entrance. There were two things that Letharus needed to buy. The first was a magic food and drink generator, as well as some fuel and add-ons for it. Food generators were common on much larger ships, powered by water and special mixing proteins, but smaller ones mostly just stocked up on supplies. Letharus didn’t know how long he’d be travelling for, so he wanted to make sure that he always had food. Sure, Letharus was either immortal or very long-lived, but he did need some food and water. But while Letharus was there, he also wanted to buy snacks for himself. Naughty snacks. Sure, the magic food generators did make nutritional food, one of Letharus’s favourite things was chocolate, and that was something the generators didn’t make very well. He also bought some extra tinned and dried supplies, just in case the machine ever broke down.
Again, the staff were kind, and someone did offer to carry Letharus’s new food generator to his ship, but they didn’t need to, since Letharus had telekinesis.
Another thing Letharus needed to buy was fuel. Or, rather, emergency backup fuel. Letharus’s new ship was, as far as Letharus was concerned, powered by magic engines and magic energy. But after some talks with some allies who didn’t live in Deathven sectors, it was better to be safe than sorry, and Letharus knew he could store three emergency fuel cells in his storage room. While Letharus was at the fuel station, he also picked up some emergency ship repair kits, in case the ship’s inbuilt repair system also failed.
After that, Letharus decided to take a quick break. He had everything he needed, but he wanted to finish his time in Deathven Sector Ypsilon with one good, last memory. So Letharus flew his ship to a fast food all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant, which also did takeaway orders. Sure, the takeaways weren’t buffets, but their offers gave away so much food that it might as well been a buffet. Also, Letharus could just go to the drive-through and order, he didn’t even need to park or go inside.
Maybe ordering three kilos of buttery shellfish was a bad idea, but Letharus didn’t care. He was happy. He was treating himself. And he was going to have a nice, filling meal, alongside one last good memory.
The last place Letharus visited before he set of on his adventure was a hangar for smaller ships right at the end of Deathven Sector Ypsilon. This hangar gazed out into the infinite void. The last time Letharus was here, he watched the person who gave him a reason to go on set off for new adventures. Now, Letharus was about to do the same, to head off into the great unknown. To create a new future for himself.
Thankfully, just like everywhere else, there was a perfect place for Letharus to park his ship. Right in a spot so he could gaze into the darkness. While stuffing his face with food. For the first time in a very long time, Letharus wasn’t following his normal routines. He was just existing.
Letharus sat there, for quite a while. It was as if he was waiting for something. He wasn’t. He was just looking for his confidence. And, eventually, he found it.
Finally feeling ready, Letharus quickly cleaned himself up, then restarted the ship. With a smile of both joy and fear, Letharus slowly manoeuvred his ship towards the large gates that separated Deathven Sector Ypsilon from the rest of the periuniversal void, and patiently waited in line to leave the sector. The queue was short, and before long, Letharus and his ship were free from the gravitational pull of the colossal Decay Lord base.
The Third Chance drifted off, away from Deathven Sector Ypsilon, out into the vast darkness. Once he was clear, Letharus switched the ship to void-travel mode, set up the auto-navigator, and entered the coordinates for the Phevonic Eniapent. After a brief moment to calculate a route, The Third Chance’s engines exploded into life, sending Letharus off into the somewhat unknown.
As Deathven Sector Ypsilon faded away behind him, all Letharus could do was smile to himself. He was free. Well and truly free. And it felt… great. Terrifying, but great.
“New life, here I come…” Letharus grinned. “As I deserve…”