Off Track

**Off Track** Benji never planned on a career in space cargo delivery. If you'd asked him years back, he would've told you he was going to be an architect, sketching marvelous structures on the dusty plains of Mars. But life has a funny way of steering you off course. Flying was something he did out of necessity, but he can’t deny the thrill he gets from navigating a vessel through the vastness of space, systems humming softly like a lullaby in zero gravity. Life goes on in the quiet universe, until one day, it rudely crashes in. He's on a routine delivery run. Deliveries within the Triangulum system are supposed to be a walk in the park, a chance to coast on autopilot while sipping recycled coffee from a paper-thin mug. But then the onboard AI, Olly, decides to chime in. "Hey Benji," Olly's synthetic voice crackles through the silence, "I've registered a faint signal on asteroid QQ9. It's not officially on our route, but it's pretty close. Check it out?" Benji sighs, running a hand through his perpetually unkempt hair. "Why not? What’s an unofficial detour in the great scheme of things, right?” Landing on the asteroid takes a bit of finesse. It's small—a mere blip in the expanse—but covered in fissures like cracks on an old plate. As Benji sets foot on the jagged terrain, he can’t help but notice something remarkably familiar about it. The source of the signal is a capsule, looking a bit worse for wear and clearly out of place. Pulling the hatch lever, he fumbles in the darkness until his hand grips something smooth and rigid—a holo-diary, the kind that went out of fashion decades ago. **That's when it hits him.** The memory resurfaces like a tidal wave: his brother Milo, setting off on his own space adventure ten years prior before disappearing without a trace. This was his brother's journal. Sitting amidst the silence, Benji opens the diary. A hologram of Milo manifests, flickering, yet ethereal. "Benji," it begins, voice wavering through digital distortion. Benji feels a weight in his chest, the kind that only comes from echoes of loss. The entries are a mixture of mundane observations, lively tales, and moments of vulnerability. As Benji sifts through them, he realizes Milo wasn't lost but looking for something—an energy source only hinted at in hushed academic circles. “Brave enough to chase dreams, unlike me.” Benji whispers, a silent vow dancing on his lips. In the days that follow, Benji becomes consumed by Milo's search, finding himself retracing his brother's path across the starry expanse. Olly, now a confidant rather than just a programmed sidekick, offers data analyses and endless cups of coffee, as if understanding an unspoken need. And just as Benji starts to feel like he's chasing a ghost, they stumble upon it—an unknown energy pattern located near the edge of the galaxy, enough to power whole civilizations. The discovery catches fire across the universe, news waves rippling through galaxies. Suddenly, Benji's world, once filled with deliveries and stale coffee, bursts into color. In those final moments, as the universe watches with bated breath, Benji's story transforms. It’s not about an energy source but about remembering a brother and the fleeting connection that is never truly lost. Finally, Benji has found his path. Not as an architect on Martian plains, but an explorer illuminating the darkness. And maybe, in that great unknown, he feels Milo at his side. In countless ways, he’s gone off track. But maybe, just maybe, that's where he's supposed to be.