"The universe has a funny way of delivering exactly what you need, if forms no one truly understands at first glance."
The hum of the Prospect's engines was a lullaby, a constant drone that finally allowed the Voidwalker to slip into something resembling restful slumber. After the… events… on Eldrath Prime, sleep had become a battlefield of fractured memories and chilling premonitions. But here, amidst the stars, a fragile peace was beginning to take root. He dreamt of nothing for a blissful few hours, a void within the void he was trying so desperately to understand.
The rude awakening came in the form of a metallic shock, a series of crashes and bangs that echoed through the ship's relatively compact frame. Groaning, the Voidwalker dragged himself out of the surprisingly comfortable bunk in the bedroom. Had the ship hit some space debris? Were pirates trying to board? Or, God forbid, was Kallus here? A shiver ran down his spine at that thought. No, Kallus wouldn't find him. Not yet, anyway.
He padded down the main corridor, the low gravity making each step feel strangely floaty. Reaching the common area, he paused, hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of the Cold Justice he'd started carrying since leaving Eldrath Prime. Caution, drummed into him by Kallus, was paramount.
The scene before him was… chaotic. Equipment stores, usually neatly organised into their compartments, were scattered across the floor. Gadgets, tools, and spare ship parts lay in a tangled mess. It looked like a small explosion had detonated within the storage area. But no, there was no sign of damage to the ship's hull, which made the possibility of a rogue asteroid or space debris out of the question.
Then, he heard it. A low rumble, a shifting sound emanating from within the pile of dislodged equipment.
Something was moving.
Hesitantly, he crept closer, his blade pulsating with a timid energy. Whatever had caused this mess was still present, concealed within the metallic debris. He imagined some sort of space goblin, a gremlin that had somehow found its way onto the ship. The thought of an intruder was enough to make his heart race.
The rumbling intensified, followed by a series of clanks and scrapes. Suddenly, a head popped up from the pile, shaking itself vigorously. The Voidwalker froze, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
It was a creature. Small, luminous, and… fluffy? Golden fur streaked with cream, giving it the appearance of a miniature nebula. Its eyes, impossibly large and glowing with an otherworldly blue light, stared back at him with an equal measure of surprise. A crystalline sigil, pulsing faintly with the same Voidlight he sensed within himself, adorned its forehead. Around its neck, it wore a simple scarf woven from brown thread with strange symbols on them, not one that he'd ever seen before.
They stood there, frozen in a tableau of mutual bewilderment. The Voidwalker, a reluctant chosen one, armed with a halo relic of Cold Justice. The creature, a ball of cosmic fluff, blinking innocently amidst the wreckage.
"What… are you?" The Voidwalker finally managed to stammer, lowering his blade slightly.
The creature tilted its head, its ears twitching. It opened its mouth, emitting a series of high-pitched squeaks and chirps that were utterly incomprehensible. It was clearly trying to communicate, but its language was utterly alien.
The Voidwalker sighed. Of course. Just when he thought things couldn't get any weirder, he encounters a talking space gerbil with a head tattoo. He deactivated his blade. Combat seemed… inappropriate.
He began rummaging through the scattered equipment, searching for something, anything, that might help bridge the communication gap. He remembered seeing a universal translator somewhere, a device designed to decode alien languages. After a few minutes of frantic searching, his fingers closed around a small, metallic disc.
"Aha!" He exclaimed, holding up the translator. It was an older model, scavenged from some forgotten spaceport, but hopefully, it would still function.
He approached the creature slowly, cautiously. It watched him with wide, curious eyes, its body tensed, ready to dart away at a moment's notice.
"Easy," the Voidwalker said, his voice soft. "I just want to… help."
He held out the translator, gesturing towards the creature's ear. It hesitated for a moment, then, with a shrug that seemed almost human, allowed him to gently slip the device behind its ear.
There was a brief flicker of static, followed by a clear, crisp voice.
"Well, hello there," it said clearing his throat, "fancy meeting you in this… dishevelled… state."
The Voidwalker recoiled in shock. The voice was coming from the creature, filtered through the translator. And it spoke with a casual, almost flippant tone.
"You… you can talk? Like properly?" He asked, dumbfounded.
"Of course, I can talk properly! What did you think I was doing, singing? Though, I do have a rather impressive vocal range, if I do say so myself." The creature replied, preening slightly. "The name's Widget, by the way. And you are?"
The Voidwalker was still trying to process the situation. A talking, sarcastic, fluffy alien had somehow materialised on his ship. This was just his luck.
"I'm… just call me Voidwalker," he replied, still wary. "And how did you get on my ship, Widget?"
Widget shrugged again, a gesture that only amplified its endearing qualities. "Honestly? Not a clue! One minute I was, well, wherever I was – frankly, it's all a bit of a blur – and the next, bam! I'm surrounded by your… interesting collection of gadgets and gizmos. Say, is that a Mark IV Quantum Disruptor? I haven't seen one of those in ages!"
The Voidwalker eyed Widget with suspicion. He still didn't trust this creature. It could be a spy, an assassin, or just a particularly annoying stowaway. But something about its carefree demeanour and genuine curiosity made it hard to dismiss.
"What are you doing out here anyway, all alone in the vast emptiness of space with all this equipment? Not heading anywhere in particular?" Widget asked, its blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The Voidwalker hesitated. He was wary of sharing his story with a stranger, especially one as… eccentric… as Widget. But he also felt a strange sense of connection to this creature, a feeling that he hadn't experienced since… well, since everything went to hell.
He took a deep breath. "It's a long story," he began, "But I need to get to Luminara. To find Ilstra Luminara."
Widget blinked. "Luminara, eh? That's in the Luminary Frontier, isn't it? Bit of a trek from here. Lucky for you, I just happen to know the perfect shortcut."
Before the Voidwalker could even process what Widget was saying, the creature was already scampering towards the cockpit. It hopped onto the pilot's seat, its small paws dancing across the controls.
"What are you doing?" The Voidwalker exclaimed, rushing to catch up. "You can't just fly this ship! You don't even know where we are going!"
Widget ignored him, continuing to fiddle with the controls. "Relax, sunshine! I've got this covered. Just point me in the general direction of the Luminor Star System, and I'll take care of the rest."
The Voidwalker watched in disbelief as Widget expertly navigated the ship's systems. How could this creature, who claimed to have no idea how it got on board, know how to pilot a ship?
"How are you doing this?" He asked, his voice laced with a mixture of awe and apprehension.
"A little bit of this, a little bit of that," Widget chirped, "And voila! Ha ha, we're ready for a Shatter Jump!"
The Voidwalker stared at the navigation console. Widget had indeed plotted a course for the Luminor Star System, engaging the Shatter-drive with surprising ease.
"You have got to be kidding me— are you sure about this?" The Voidwalker asked, his stomach churning with a mix of excitement and dread.
Widget grinned, a mischievous glint in its eyes. "When am I ever sure about anything? But hey, what's life without a little adventure? Besides, I have a good feeling about this. Call it intuition, call it destiny, call it whatever you want. But I know we're on the right track."
The Voidwalker hesitated for a moment longer, then shrugged. He'd come this far, hadn't he? He was already adrift in the cosmos, searching for answers he didn't know if he would ever find. What did he have to lose?
He settled into the co-pilot's seat, bracing himself for the jump. Widget gave him a reassuring wink, its eyes twinkling with anticipation, then slammed the lever forward.
The Prospect shuddered violently, its engines roaring as it strained against the laws of physics. The stars outside the cockpit blurred into streaks of colour as the ship ripped through the fabric of space-time, entering the swirling coloured vortex of Shatterspace. The Voidwalker closed his eyes, feeling the familiar sensation of disorientation and weightlessness that accompanied a Shatter Jump, his senses overwhelmed by the rush of energy coursing through the ship.
When he opened his eyes again, the ship was slowing, emerging from the swirling chaos of Shatterspace into the relative calm of normal space. Before them lay a new star system, bathed in the golden light of a distant sun. Planets of all shapes and sizes orbited the star, their surfaces shimmering with a variety of colours and textures. It was a breathtaking sight, a contribution to the infinite beauty and wonder of the universe.
"My guy, welcome to the Luminary Frontier!" Widget announced, beaming with pride, its eyes sparkling with excitement. "Next stop is Luminara! Get ready for some fun! Oh, and by the way, you might want to buckle up. This is going to be a bumpy ride."
The Voidwalker stared out at the new horizon, a sense of cautious optimism washing over him. He still didn't know what awaited him on Luminara, or whether Ilstra Luminara could help him find the answers he sought. But one thing was certain: he needed her and his journey had just taken a decidedly unexpected, and potentially very interesting, turn. And he now had a little, fuzzy, and undeniably peculiar 'friend' by his side. Perhaps, just perhaps, he wasn't as alone as he thought