Hey, what with Ranma and Akane sinking the Titanic, I figured I might as
well...

Ranma 1/2 is a copyright of the Lady Rumiko and all distributors of her
work... and "Lost in Space" was a really schlocky TV show that has
absolutely nothing to do with any of this.

****

Many people have felt lost. Felt that they had absolutely no idea where they
were in relation to anything else, and that they would never find their way.
Hibiki Ryoga had felt that way his entire life. He had gotten used to never
knowing where he was, up to the point that he completely failed to recognize
his destination if and when he arrived there. And he had gotten lost to such
a degree that everywhere looked at least passingly familiar. There were only
so many variations on the theme of forest, city, mountain, desert,
prairie... that Ryoga felt sure that he was SOMEWHERE... even though he
never knew exactly where that somewhere was.

Usually.

Now, however, he was at a loss.

The air was unusually thin, which told him that he was at a very high
altitude... but he didn't know of any plateaus that were THIS high up. The
altitude would also explain the cold... and the lack of clouds overhead.

It did not, however, explain the rocks.

They were a dark reddish-orange, as though some giant had recently stained
the area with his blood. His stomach turned a bit at the metaphor, and he
quickly decided that it looked much more like the ground had been dusted
with grated orange peel. And a touch of red food coloring, perhaps. But that
still didn't explain where this was...

He had been walking for days now... although it seemed that the days were
somehow longer than they should be. Exhaustion, he told himself. This thin
air was finally starting to get to him. He looked up at the sky... now, the
sun rose in the east and set in the west... or was it the other way round?
No matter. If he would keep walking toward the sunrise and away from the
sunset, he'd eventually get somewhere familiar enough. Or at least get off
this plateau. Now... where was the sun again?

Ryoga turned, walking backwards for a few steps as he ensured himself that
he was backing away from the sunset. He'd have to find a place to camp soon,
he told himself.

A sudden crunching noise made him stop in his tracks. It didn't sound like
the usual grainy thump of his boots hitting the soil, it sounded...
metallic? He turned, took a few steps back, and looked.

Hmm... he'd stepped on some sort of little robot, a wheeled cart. That gave
him hope. Machines meant that there was bound to be civilization nearby.
Now, what kind of civilization? Ryoga started examining the crushed machine,
looking for some familiar language... ah!

English. He'd managed to wander far enough off course that learning at least
a few words of any language was worth it. Except when, to explain concepts
like "dojo" and "high school", you had to launch into a complete cultural
background and only wound up confusing the people you were asking. Now, what
did this thing say...

"Sojourner"?

****

Comments, criticism, and laughter are welcome. Flames will be mocked on
sight.

--Glazius