Lotren had been flying through the skies of Earth for a few moments, his speed caused the cloud to fold and tear apart as his body cut through them. Below him, Earth transitioned from vibrant greens and scattered cities into something far less forgiving. The land grew dry, cracked, and colorless, as if life itself had decided this region wasn’t worth the effort. Lotren’s eyes tracked the shift without much interest, though his trajectory adjusted subtly. The Gizard Wasteland revealed itself fully as he descended, a massive scar of a crater interrupting an otherwise endless stretch of rock and dust. At the center sat his spaceship, Lotren slowed down gradually. He remained still for a moment, standing at the edge of the crater, taking in the sight with a neutral expression. Then, after a beat, he tilted his head slightly.
Lotren: Geez… You look worse than I remember.
He descended in slow steps, his boots grinding lightly against loose stone and debris. The ships surface was scratched and coated in a thin layer of dust that dulled its already unimpressive appearance. Lotren reached out, brushing his fingers along the hull with a casual swipe, clearing just enough to reveal the metal beneath. He stared at it for a second longer than necessary, as if expecting some kind of response. With a soft hiss, the ships hatch opened, either responding to his presence or the button he pressed secretly in his pocket while wiping the dist off of his hip. Lotren stepped inside and lowered himself into the seat, adjusting only slightly before settling. His hand hovered over the ignition controls for just a moment, not out of hesitation, but out of mild skepticism. Pressing the activation sequence. The system responded with a weak mechanical whir, lights flickering uncertainly like they were waking up from a nap they didn’t want to end. Then, without ceremony, everything shut off. Lotren blinked once, slow and deliberate. He pressed the ignition again, this time with a little less optimism and a little more expectation. The same sound followed; whirring, flickering, almost promising and then the same abrupt failure. A third attempt produced identical results, the pod teasing functionality before immediately abandoning the effort. Lotren leaned back slightly, exhaling through his nose as his gaze drifted upward toward the interior ceiling.
Lotren: No… You’re kidding
By the fifth attempt, the pod didn’t even respond anymore. There was no flicker, no whir, no sign that anything worked. Lotren’s fingers lingered over the controls before slowly pulling away, his expression settling into something unreadable. He sat there for a moment in silence, the kind that wasn’t empty but rather building toward something inevitable.
Lotren: …Alright, So you want to do this the hard way.
Lotren straightened, rolling his shoulder once as if preparing for something far more physical than necessary. He lifted his fist, holding it just above the console then he brought his fist down. The first impact rattled the entire pod, metal groaning in protest as the console flickered weakly in response. Lotren didn’t react immediately, watching instead to see if that had been enough. When the lights died again, he nodded slightly, as if confirming a theory. The second strike came faster. The third hit drew a longer flicker from the system, the engine almost catching before slipping back into silence. His eye twitched, just once. The fourth and fifth strikes came with less restraint, each one carrying more weight than the last as his patience thinned. The pod responded more noticeably now, low vibrations humming through the structure as if something deep within it was being forced awake. Yet each time it came close to functioning, it failed at the last possible moment, like it was resisting him out of spite. Lotren’s expression didn’t shift dramatically, but the space around him grew heavier, his presence pressing against the interior in a way that made the air feel dense. The sixth strike was different; the moment his fist connected, the entire pod seemed to freeze, as if reality itself paused to acknowledge the decision. Then the engine roared to life, not weakly, not hesitantly, but fully and violently, lights stabilizing in an instant. The hum of power filled the space, steady and unbroken, as if the ship had always intended to work perfectly. Lotren held his position for a second before slowly leaning back into his seat.
Lotren: …See? That wasn’t so hard now was it.
For a brief moment, the ship hovered just above the crater, engines screaming with restrained power. Then, without warning, it shot upward clean, precise, and absurdly fast. The wasteland disappeared almost instantly beneath him, reduced to a fading scar on the planet’s surface as the pod tore through the sky. Clouds offered no resistance, splitting apart in clean, circular shockwaves as he ascended. The sky darkened in gradients, blue surrendering to indigo, then to the deep black of the upper atmosphere until he was outer space where he could see the ship of Lord Shivero in the distance.
Location: Gizard Wasteland → Headed To Space
Order: Lotren
