Zion walked for minutes, his body shivering from a combination of exhaustion and the extreme cold of the night.
Despite that, he pressed the items tightly to his chest, afraid even one of them would fall and break.
'I don't want to be stuck on this godforsaken planet,' he thought, staring at the cracked ground spreading endlessly in front of him.
As he continued walking, his mind fell into deeper thoughts.
'Even if I do somehow manage to get off this planet, how can I survive?'
The punishment the Echelon Sovereignty had given him wasn't just an exile to a death planet.
'Protocol 178,' Zion thought, brows furrowing. 'I'm supposed to die on this planet… if they figure out I survived, they'll place a bounty on my head and hunt me down.'
The more he thought about it, the more he understood that, even when this crisis was over, it wouldn't get easier.
[Host…] Uriel's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. [May I ask… what crime could warrant such punishment?]
Zion slowed his steps, his expression darkening as he thought about his shattered life.
"What I did…" His voice cracked. "That's complicated."
He remembered the day too vividly. He'd been performing some casual maintenance for the battleship with another repairman while his best friend led a squad into an ancient bunker.
"They were supposed to recover an ancient relic," Zion murmured. "But something went wrong, many of that squad died while the relic was destroyed before they could secure it…"
His jaw tightened. "And my best friend?"
"He said it was my fault. That I'd undermined his strategy… while, in reality, I couldn't even go inside with them."
Zion's voice trailed off, his eyes locked ahead.
For a while, Uriel said nothing, making the silence even heavier than it already was.
Finally, the AI's voice echoed quietly through his head. [I will not ask any further.]
Zion blinked for a moment, surprised by its reply. He'd expected further questions, about things he did not yet want to face.
He adjusted the items in his arms and pushed forward, his breath fogging the air. "Thanks, Uriel."
[Of course, Host.]
Silence fell between them again, but somehow, Zion felt lighter than before.
'At least Uriel believes me,' he thought, feeling a small weight lifted off his back.
[Host,] Uriel snapped him out of his thoughts. [Look ahead. We're almost there.]
Zion glanced ahead, narrowing his eyes as he spotted familiar metal structures illuminated by the moonlight.
His chest tightened, the exhaustion he'd forgotten for a moment bubbling up in an instant.
'Almost there,' he thought, gritting his teeth as he pushed forward.
By the time he reached the ship's elevator a mile in front of the city, every muscle in his body screamed at him.
At last, the ground underneath him shook softly as the elevator pierced through the earth in front of him.
He stumbled inside, clutching the salvaged parts against his chest. Once the doors shut behind him, Zion carefully started placing down the items from his trembling arms beside him.
'I'll pick them up from the elevator tomorrow,' he thought, feeling a deep exhaustion settle over him.
Zion sat down as the elevator slowly started descending. 'Safety,' he thought, feeling his eyelids grow heavy. 'Finally.'
Uriel's voice came softly. [Welcome back, Host.]
Zion didn't reply. As the elevator reached the main floor, he forced himself on his feet, slowly stumbling to the control room.
His hand brushed against the ship's smooth walls, using it to stay upright as his legs had long gone numb.
As he arrived at the control room, his gaze fell on the familiar sleek table at the center with a long power cable dangling out of it.
'Now I can really rest,' Zion thought. The last thing he wanted was to wake up tomorrow with an empty Uriel.
The second he reached the table, he plunged the cable into his arm.
[Connection established,] Uriel reported cheerfully. [Recharging now…]
Zion pushed his back against the table as he slid down onto the floor, all the strength finally leaving his body.
Blood, sweat, and frost still clung to his skin, even his breathing was heavy. Yet, a feeling of satisfaction spread through his mind.
'I actually did it,' he thought. 'I fought real creatures.'
As the warmth of the control room spread through his body, Zion could no longer control his eyelids and fell into a deep sleep.
Hours slipped by in silence as Zion slept and Uriel recharged.
When Zion's consciousness finally returned, it was not to silence but to a cheerful voice echoing in his head.
[Host! You're awake.]
Zion groaned, rolling onto his side. His entire body ached, but the extreme exhaustion had dulled into something more manageable.
[Good news.] Uriel continued, its voice brighter than he'd ever heard it before. [Energy levels are at 100% and all resources are on board… We can finally begin construction of the ship now!]
Zion pushed himself upright slowly, rubbing a hand across his face. A small smile spread on his face despite the pain and exhaustion still lingering in his limbs.
For the first time since being abandoned, there was some certainty ahead of him.
"Then let's get to work," he whispered, his voice slightly hoarse but determined.
As the first schematic loaded inside Zion's eye, he clenched his fist with a grin. 'Escaping this planet will be the proof the Echelon Sovereignty failed.'
'And it'll be the first of many.'