I do not know how long I was out there, for night and day has no place within the realms of space. The sun is little more than a star, and all stars are mere pinpricks of light in the otherwise blank sky. When you finally reach a point that is close enough to see the sun properly, it neither rises nor sets, for all planets orbit a sun which does not move.

I was travelling in no particular direction, with no particular purpose other than to flee. Looking back now, I realise how pointless that exercise was, for he would never search for me. I was out of his life, out of his hair. The only living reminder of his wife had left. Now, at last, he could breathe and forget her. I was no longer there, reminding him of the woman I truly believe he actually loved. He had placed all of his anger and grief onto me, blaming me for her absence. Now that I had left, he would finally grieve for a lost love, but I would never come back. There is denial, grief, frustration and guilt, but there is absolutely no reason for inflicting pain and heartache onto another.

The old, harsh vastness of open space reminded me of him. Its darkness reminded me of our planet. That thought was immediately pushed aside and forgotten. The place I had left was not mine. It was never mine and could never be regarded as home. It was his, and it was part of a life that already seemed to be so far away. Someone else's life. I did not know where I was going, but wherever I landed, that would be the place I would live. I could not imagine any place that was worse than where I had just left. But at the same time, I could imagine no place that seemed any better.

I flew for as long as was physically possible for any being to stay awake for. I had no food, no water and the sheer enormity of what I had done began to catch up with me. I was exhausted, but if I submitted to the need to close my eyes, I would wake in a weakened state, far worse than I was before I slept. I could not rely on the Automatic for too long, but as exhaustion began to creep up on me, I somehow activated it and began to explore the ship that I had often seen, but never fully understood.

I will not pretend that the ship was something it wasn't. I will not say that I was able to stand without having to crouch, that there was a bathroom where I could freshen up or that there just happened to be a chance emergency basket of food and water, for these would all be lies. The ship had only ever been used for short journeys, and it had not been used in some time, but fortunately had always been well maintained. I will say this however, that despite the lack of space and comfort, it was simple in both design and mechanism. Every button and lever was clearly labelled in its use and purpose and every gauge had the universal language of colour to tell the driver exactly what was a dangerous level. It was at this point, after refreshing myself as best as I could, that I suddenly thought to check the fuel meter. Glancing at it hurriedly, I saw with a mixture of apprehension and relief, that there was more than a quarter of a tank of fuel left. To some, this amount would strike fear into their heart, but I believed that the fuel tank was larger than it really was and did not even consider how much fuel the ship used at a time. Considering my condition at the time, this was understandable.

The dark abyss had begun to brighten. Space became occupied by orbiting planets. My fuel level was beginning to run low and I was suddenly struck with a thought. I had no idea what sort of fuel this ship required! Even if I did, I had no idea whether these surrounding planets actually had it in abundance, or if they even had it at all! Whenever I landed (and by my calculations it had to be soon), wherever I was, I somehow would have to make it my home.

A blue planet caught my eye, little more than a glimmer in the distance. It lay just beyond the horizon, hanging, much like a pendant my mother once owned, its beauty unblemished and indescribable. I stared at it, surprised by how close it appeared to be coming, not realising that I had turned the ship towards it instinctively. I just wanted to look. To look at the perfect sphere that lay before me, shimmering with untold hope and life.

A blare jerked me from my dream, warning me of the danger as the fuel level drastically dropped. It was too late to turn from this planet. It seemed that this was to be my home for now. I judged that if I was careful, I would be able to land somewhere on this planet safely. I had once landed a ship, much like the one I now sat in. With this knowledge, and the clear labels around me, I was certain that I could not fail, that this would be a definite success. I forgot one important thing. Landing a ship onto a sturdy level is one thing. Landing a stolen ship when half exhausted, starved, on low fuel and onto an unknown planet? That was something entirely different!

My hands automatically went to the manual controls, positioned to steer, ready to face the peril. I'm afraid that my mind becomes somewhat fuzzy on the details, for when in danger adrenaline and desperation takes over. I do remember how many times I had to close my eyes and to breathe, to relax, to forget how close I lay to death. I tried desperately to keep the ship steady, but I cannot remember how successful I was. I recall heat. Lots of heat as the ship entered the planet's atmosphere. The blackness of space had left me unprepared for the brightness of those orange flames that now surrounded the hull. The blackness was a sharp contrast to the colour of those flames that now blinded me, making spots dance before my eyes. I focused my gaze, instead, on the controls that I feared had now lost control. The heat from the hull was terrible. It burned without touching me, nearly causing me to black out. I held on to consciousness for my life, believing it to be nearly over. There was a point when I nearly gave up, very nearly sat back to die or black out, whichever came first. A scream in my head told me I would do no such thing. I could conquer the heat, it couldn't last much longer. I had made it this far and I was not about to stop now. And if I did just give up now, my personality would never speak to me again!

Suddenly the flames stopped, the heat subsided. I could see clearly once more. What I beheld just beyond my screen, was not a terribly reassuring sight. All I could see was brown and yellow flashes. The ground soared to meet my ship and my fuel level was now next to nothing. I cannot remember what I did. All I ca recall to memory was my hands moving, doing something that my brain had not ordered them to do. There was a crash as the ship finally collided with the ground. There was a pause, then…silence.

I sat there for what seemed like forever. Carefully, I moved my limbs, reassuring myself that they were all still intact. I breathed deeply, attempting to relax and meditate, but a sharp pain in my side brought me back to reality, reminding me of where I was. The ship was broken, and at the angle it now lay, there was no telling what could happen. I may have stopped moving, but I was still in danger. I had to get out! Pausing, I glanced around me, searching for a way out. A small breeze of air gave me a clue, persuading me to look up. I did, and spied a small tear in the metal of the ship. Reaching within myself, I called my power to me and branched it out towards the metal. It was a slow process for my body kept protesting. Reaching up slowly, I felt that I had the metal before me, and carefully I began to tear the metal apart, much like a piece of paper. I was in control once more. The gap widened with a terrible screech and gradually I drew my power back towards me again and crawled towards the gap I had created, hauling myself out of the wreckage of my sole transport.

My first impressions of this place, it must be confessed, were far from favourable. All I could see was sand and rock. I began to fear that I had not landed on the blue planet that I had seen from space, but common sense told me otherwise. Where was there food that I could eat? Where could I find shelter to stay in? I could see none. My aching limbs protested as I made myself stand and start to walk across the sand. My eyes began to adjust to the brightness of this world which was definitely a lot larger than the dim ship that I had just left. I relished the space, breathing in fresh air for the first time in…who knew how long? A small shadow caught my eyes, the shadow from my own ship. The shadow was not terribly large, but there was space enough to shade me.

Slowly I sat, tugging my precious, and remarkably unbroken. Mirror from my pocket to my hands. As my exhausted limbs got into position, I knew that I had to meditate before I did anything else. My body has it's limitations, but unless I show my power it's limitations and keep it in check, it does not, My tired body settled quickly into a state of relaxation and I met myself once more, finally able to thank each part for giving me the will, knowledge and determination to stay alive.

I do not know how long I sat there, but when my eyes opened, I found myself looking straight into the eyes of a monster!

A/N

Yay! I'm getting reviews! Do it again for me! I am so please people like the way this is turning out and I am saying nothing about what's happening later because if I do that you won't keep reading! (hint hint AntimatterManticore). PLEASEclick the little blue button at the bottom and review? I won't update unless you do!