I can't see anything properly. My sight is getting obstructed by tears. However, the grip of my tentacles on the control pad remains firm.
No matter what I'm feeling I need to push forward. Forward. Forwa...what? Huh?
I wipe my sensors and look around me for once. Wow. There's so many galaxies... Which one should I go to?
Hmmm...
What galaxy is this?
Maybe it's because I never actually went out of my galaxy but I have never seen I've never seen a galaxy have spindly arms, at least from the manual.
I press on the square shaped button with a large question mark over it and hover it on the galaxy I just found. After waiting a couple of nanoseconds, or years, I can't really tell the timeframe anymore, it shows me a result. It appears as a small square floating screen.
"The Milky Way (termed by humans on Earth), is a galaxy estimated to have 100 to 400 billion stars and has a diameter of 52,850 light years and as old as the universe. It will collide with andromeda I'm about 4.5 billion years blah blah blah"
Where's the interesting parts? I scrolled until I found the words "Solar System" and "Earth". Earth was mentioned briefly earlier so maybe it's something important and it looks like it's connected to the solar system.
Apparently the solar system is just a bunch of planets located at Orion's Arm and Earth is one of those planets. Who's Orion supposed to be? I dig a bit deeper and what's he got to do with a belt and three sisters?? Earth is where "humans" reside and "humans" are the ones who made the name for their own galaxy.
What is a "humans" exactly?
Perhaps another variant of my species since they seem to have the almost same thinking capacity as me? Well, my species is obviously more superior in that regard.
I pressed on the button again and it showed me an image of a "human". It appears humans is the "plural" form of human. Plural just means many of one. Anyway, not the point, it looks so different. So different from me. It doesn't even have tentacles. How is that possible? I thought our species were the only intelligent ones... Well, it's not like they're ACTUALLY as intelligent as my species.
Maybe the manual that they kept trying to shove in my sensors was incorrect. I should've brought the manual so I could check if I knew it was going to be like this. Maybe the one who made the manual never actually went outside of the galaxy's orbit. If my hypothesis is true, then they could be charged for betraying the eye of truth, not that the author still exists. Everything in my galaxy is gone anyway. What a waste of dark matter it was.
I wish I had a Liktech model instead of this old outdated ship so I could upload this information on the dust. Actually not that I think of it, how can this outdated ship identify a galaxy that even the dust has no information on?
There's no point in worrying about that. My fuel might run out if I keep asking questions. It seems like the Milky Way can inhabit my species through planet Earth so I guess I should settle down there and maybe even take over and become the ultimate ruler until I find a way to refill my fuel.
And with that, my focus is turned towards navigating a way to Earth. Looking at the control panel, there's a lot of unnecessary buttons. There's one for communication with other ships of the same model. I suppose it used to be necessary but now it doesn't really serve a purpose.
If I want to reach Earth, even the Milky Way for that matter, I need to put this thing in overdrive unless I want to personally experience the merging of galaxies.
Overdrive uses a lot of fuel and the speed might make my body have some sort of change but change is better than a mutation so I guess it's fine.
I don't mind looking a bit different but the issue is fuel... Maybe I can sacrifice some of my tentacles? Scratch that, "some" won't be enough, I need to sacrifice all of them.
I can't really afford to be choosy right now. If I really need them back, I could just always try to make new ones using dark matter. Right now though, I don't really have a container for dark matter.
Determined, I laser off all of my tentacles. My pain sensors are going off but I choose to ignore it. I exit the cockpit and head to the back of the ship. My walking has shown a significant decrease in speed as well as balance.
Something about this situation is a bit funny. If I think about it, I'm literally carrying my severed limbs and offering it just for fuel. My species would never think of sinking as low as this.
At the back of the ship, there's a melting zone and transfiguration zone. It's usually used for making emergency consumables but it can also be used like this. I put my tentacles inside the melting apparatus and change the settings to "fuel". I watch as my once well-cared for tentacles melt into something as trivial as fuel.
Using what was left of my limbs, I grab onto the fuel-filled jug and head into the engine control room. The engine control room has a higher temperature than the rest of the rooms, not that it bothers me. There's also a bunch of intertwined pipes and panels and the heart of it, an engine control module, near the module is one of my trophies which I earned through a tentacle wrestling competition displayed ever so proudly. Not sure if I should really be touching or thinking of it now though.
The tank for fuel is not in this room but outside. Usually I wouldn't worry much but without my tentacles it might get a bit risky. Fortunately, I've always been a gambler. I'm not just going to give up just because it's risky, actually maybe the risk is what motivates me.
My still connected limbs grab onto the handle of the hatch door and open it. The heat earlier is now gone. The temperature sends shivers throughout my small body. I can feel the radiation spreading throughout my whole body. I need to do this fast.
I grip onto the hatch handle like my entire being relies on it while one of my other limbs hold onto the fuel. With a sudden thrust, I float in outer space, still gripping onto the hatch handle. At the corner of my sight, I see it. The fuel tank. Carefully, my body inches towards it. Not leaving a single drop, I dunked the entire jug of fuel into the fuel tank, making sure none of it floats out.
A problem arises and I close it however. My limb which I used for sinking the fuel, has reached high radiation levels. Maybe it's because of the interaction with outer space or the fuel but this limb is too dangerous to use or to be left alone anymore.
Who knows what kind of mutation it might cause to my body. It's best to lose this limb. Using my sensors, I laser this one off as well. Now I'm left with four limbs.
With that, I quickly closed the lid of the fuel tank and closed the hatch door. After I'm inside, my limbs fall into the floor and I close my sensors for a brief moment and open them again. How much longer until I lose all of my limbs? No, no, no. This should be the last time.
I observe the engine control rooms and look at the panels. The fuel seems to be heading into the exhaust system. The heat seems to be returning as well. With everything looking like it's going well, I should head back into the cockpit.
I tried walking with only four limbs and I struggled more than I thought I should.
One of my limbs presses on the big red circle button with a comically large exclamation mark. Before it actually initiates the command, a giant floating warning screen.
"Are you sure you want to initiate overdrive mode?"
Obviously, yes.
"Command received, please press on this button using your tentacle for verification." It shows another screen but with the shape of suckers on it.
Wait. WHAT.
NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED A TENTACLE FOR OVERDRIVE??? The manual never said this as well. Well, to be fair, the manual's reputation isn't looking too good right now.
What should I do now? Should I get some of the fuel and transfigure it back into a tentacle? That's stupid. The fuel must've got to be mixed up with the remaining fuel which means if I transfigure it back it might not be a tentacle anymore. You are great a likzek! You need to think! Think!
Oh! Maybe one of my trophies could work? It's not as fresh as I want it to be but it's better than nothing I suppose.
I quickly exit the cockpit again and head into the engine control room. That said, it took way too long to get there. I don't use these limbs as often as my tentacles so currently they are at risk for complete exhaustion.
I carefully grab the trophy to make sure not to mess with the engine control module. This time, instead of walking, I'm crawling. The great Likzek's have truly fallen from grace.
Enduring the shame, I'm back at the cockpit again. I press the trophy into the screen with suckers on it. The screen lights up and turns green. Does this mean it worked...?
"Verification successful. Commencing overdrive in 20 seconds."
I never thought I would be using a trophy like this. Anyway, I set the navigation course to Earth. Where on Earth though? What about the "Pacific Ocean"? Oh, wait that's a body of water. I'm not surviving if that happens.
Suddenly, the button for communication starts going off.
What?
Is there another ship nearby? Does that mean someone actually survived? This is...
I quickly turn my sensors to the locator to check if there are any identifiable ships nearby. The locator senses nothing. I turn to check the cockpit's window for anything but nothing is there.
Oh.
Okay.
Then, what was that? A sick joke?
No. It was just a malfunction.
This is why most Likzeks use Liktech and not Likcheck models. There's always malfunctions with older models.
My mood is ruined so I turn my focus onto the navigation course. What the? The place for landing was picked randomly? Is this thing broken or what? What kind of stupid machine just randomly decides for you?
I can't even change it. This is so infuriating.
The communication button is still going off and I press it to turn off but instead it just shows me another floating screen.
"01000100 01101111 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01000101 01100001 01110010 01110100 01101000 00101110"
That's a bit cryptic. Why don't they want me to go to Earth though? Surely, it can't be that dangerous. Well, it's too late now.
"3...2...1... Overdrive mode preparation complete. Now commencing."
Before I knew I was traveling at the speed of light. I quickly closed my sensors to avoid becoming dizzy. My body couldn't handle the speed and I could feel it changing. My sensors, my limbs, every part of being was transforming into something unknown and beyond me. I wonder what kind of horrid being I turned into.
After a few hours of traversing outer space and into the Milky Way, I'm now in the solar system. The trip should be fairly quick now. Actually I can't use my sensors to check but that's what I think is going on? I mean the ship is going a lot slower than it was earlier.
My ship enters Earth and its "atmosphere" and the ship seems to be going in a downward direction but why?
I use the remaining fuel to search it and it seems to be because of something called "gravity"?
"Gravity is the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass."
Oh. This is scary.
I quickly turn off overdrive mode. If I didn't turn it off, the speed in which I'm going might destroy Earth completely. Actually I didn't even need to turn it off because my fuel is already out.
My ship crashes into Earth's floor and I open my sensors only to turn them off again out of exhaustion.
I don't know how long I was out but I finally managed to open my sensors again. I get out of the cockpit and exit through the hatch of the engine control room. Thankfully, my limbs strength is recovered as well.
All around me is a giant crater with nothing but soil. The smell is odd, I can't begin to describe it. I try walking around but my body is a lot heavier than I anticipated. I feel like I could collapse at ang given moment.
The distance between me and the slope of the crate is far too big. Now that I think of it, my limbs have become a lot stubbier and... softer? Looking beneath them, there are five pink pads in odd shapes for every limb.
Not only that, my sensors are now split into parts. Two for vision, one for smell and two for sound. The sensor for vision is located at the middle of what I presume to be my face and just a bit above it are the sensors for vision and at the top of the vision sensors is where the sensor for sound is located.
Below the sensor for smell is where my sound makers are located. I wonder if the way I speak has changed as well. I try letting out a shout. "Meow."
What...?
"Meow."
I can't let out anything other than whatever sound I'm making.
Can dark matter even fix this...?
Near the slope, I can hear an engine stopping. A figure looks over me at the top of the slope and starts making a weird face. This is...a human?
"EEEEKKKK!!! I heard there was a meteor landing but why is a wittle kitty cat here? Come here you poor pweety bwaby."
Do humans speak in a higher octave compared to us? Although I can't understand, it wouldn't be too bad to try and make contact right?
I try speaking to it but again, all that comes out of me is a pathetic "meow".
"AWWWWW, YOU'RE SO CUTE!!!"
The humans seem screaming in a much higher octave than earlier. Should I respond like that as well?
"Meow...?"
The human's hip sways to the side and their limbs gather near their sound makers. "THAT'S IT! I'M BRINGING YOU HOME WITH ME."
Suddenly the human slides down the slope and runs towards me.
Did I anger it? Usually I'm up for a duel but I'm too powerless right now. So, I try running back into the ship but it's a lot faster than me by light years.
I hate to admit it but it got me cornered. A pair of claspers grab onto my body and lift me up. Wait. Are they...defying gravity?! How is that possible? I can't even defy gravity myself so why is it defying gravity just for me?!
Oh. It's going to eat me.
I should've never tried contact with this human, actually no, scratch that, I should've never come to Earth just like the message said.
Tears start swelling up from my vision sensors.