And that's it, I said, barely a day had passed—a new personal record for this kind of situation. I finished redirecting the power and reinstalling some basic security and location protocols, which, compared to the previous ones, were practically nothing. While carefully cleaning away some traces of diamond essence, I calmly activated the power, which returned to the place like water flowing in a completely dry riverbed.
"Welcome, my Silica," came a pearl voice, this time simpler, more limited. It didn't even say my full designation, which highlighted how little information it had about me. Not a scan, nothing.
Calmly, I leaned against the console and buried my hands in it, bracing myself for the avalanche of information that would inevitably reach my gem.
As if it were perfectly normal, my eyes went blank as information upon information about ships, models, blueprints, and functions flooded my mind. It was overwhelming, heavy, but strangely... familiar.
After about an hour, the time needed to learn as much as this place had to offer, I slowly withdrew my hands. Extracting centuries of data in such a short time wasn't easy; the sensation was similar to a forced astral projection, a momentary disconnection from everything.
I shook myself slightly to get rid of that strange feeling coursing through my body.
"I have the information... now I just need to know where the machines are," I said as I started walking, keeping the scanner active as a precaution. In case I needed to fight, in case something went wrong, in case the planet decided to remind me that it was still hostile.
"Better prepared than broken," I told myself.
Talking to myself was proving to be a surprisingly good form of emotional support. Highly recommended.
As I walked toward the area where the ships were located, I was surprised to see them. There were... how to put it? Two ships. They were small, according to the information I had, but honestly, that was more than enough.
"Did I need something exotic?" I thought, with a slight chuckle at myself. "Not at all."
Could I improve them? Of course I could. And I had the damn portal inside the base, all sealed and protected. In short, I had just become the proud owner of a makeshift space workshop.
"It reminds me of my old life," I said to no one in particular, as a few stray tears trickled down my cheeks.
I quickly wiped them away. That wound wasn't healed yet, and I knew it. Even so, I took a deep breath and focused on what was important: inspecting the ships.
Two whole days passed as I inspected them, but only superficially, meticulously, analyzing every detail, every weld, every system. When I finally emerged from under the hull of one of them, I breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing truly serious, just some necessary modifications... modifications that, to be honest, I had already planned.
And yes, I was going to combine them, too.
"Let's begin," I said, stretching reflexively, and starting with the simplest task: disabling unnecessary trackers and sensitivity systems.
Eight months easily passed as I immersed myself completely in the work. I was totally focused. The ship began to take shape, piece by piece, system by system. I'd been in this world for over a year now, and strangely enough, I wasn't complaining. Now that I thought about it, I could have ended up in something like the world of Berserk... and I definitely didn't want to imagine that.
With a slight tremor, I continued joining important parts with the laser in my hand, welding external sections that needed to be strong rather than beautiful. Aesthetics weren't a priority. I needed something practical. These ships, in their original form, had been practical, yes, but limited.
"Now they're going to give it their all," I murmured with determination.
Connecting cables, issuing orders to myself, the days passed almost unnoticed. I didn't know if it was because of my gem form, because I was a defective Silica, or simply out of habit, but time now felt light, almost nonexistent. It passed like air.
It didn't stop me. On the contrary, it made me push myself harder.
I didn't feel physical fatigue. Perhaps mental, but that could be ignored. In the end, I didn't have a human brain that would collapse from stress... although, deep down, I knew that something inside me was still dangerously human.
And at the end of a year and a half, I achieved the unthinkable.
A ship.
A real ship.
With quite a few things. Do you want me to tell you? Of course, why not? It has laser beams, just like my hand, only much more powerful. It has radar, the most important thing of all, because honestly, I didn't want eighty gem ships targeting me. No, thanks. I also removed several positioning systems; it's dangerous, yes, but at the same time, optimal for this lifestyle.
And many other things that, to be honest, I don't want to mention right now.
I'm just missing one simple thing. You might be wondering, imaginary friend or imaginary audience, what's missing. It's obvious. I already have the essence right here beside me, but I need to add a few more weapons to my arsenal, as well as a different kind of rocket in my backpack. Practically speaking, everything's fine. I mean, theoretically. But honestly... it doesn't matter. It works, and that's what counts.
So yeah, I think that's it.
I walked calmly toward the portal and, for a moment, I felt like taking it with me. But my programming was clear: they have range, a limit. And I don't have the materials to modify that. It's not like the portal on planet Earth, which is enormous and positioned at a precise point, calculated using the sun, the moon, and a thousand other variables. That's a whole different ballgame.
I stopped thinking about it. I didn't want to get into that mess right now.
I looked around and noticed how the whole place had practically become a workshop. So, well... I have a workshop. And I'm taking it with me in my ship.
As I stepped into the new cabin, I gazed in fascination at every detail, every panel, every system I had created myself.
"Damn... who made this beauty?" I said to no one in particular.
"Hahaha."
I laughed, a genuine, almost incredulous laugh.
Then I ran around, loading and unloading things that would be useful for both maintenance and entertainment. Tools, spare parts, makeshift components. Everything had its place.
"Of course, damn it," I said as I placed the last molten metal element in a reinforced corner, stronger than the rest.
The ship was ready.
And for the first time since I woke up in this world, I felt something very close to pride.
I think... I think I can finally leave, I said with a smile I couldn't and didn't want to hide. I quickly executed several commands on the ship; the truth is, I really wanted to leave. As I looked at the list of nearby planets, my eyes lit up when I saw the closest one.
Planet XXX00.
"What a name," I murmured with a small laugh.
With a single command, the hangar doors opened after so long without moving. A bunch of birds stared at the ship, as if they didn't understand what was about to happen.
"Hahaha... no way I'm staying here."
I activated maximum power before the engine began to overheat, and without further hesitation, I lifted off. I left the planet swiftly, leaving behind dust, ruins, and memories.
I looked one last time at that planet that had been my home for so long. I'd be lying if I said I would miss it. So I simply watched in silence as the ship moved away, first slowly, then at moderate speed, and finally at full power. The stars began to stretch out before the cockpit window, and I was completely shocked.
It was like stepping out of a training short film... and suddenly seeing the final results.
A few tears fell as a mix of emotions coursed through me. Joy. Sadness. Fear. So much fear.
But above all, joy.
Joy at leaving behind a planet full of mindless creatures. Joy at knowing I had accomplished something I could never have achieved in my past life. Because, let's be honest, when did I ever imagine myself flying through space? Never.
As I explored the endless expanses of space, with unknown stars passing before me, I couldn't help but whisper, almost like a prayer:
"I hope this luck continues."
End of Chapter 4.