Ben didn't understand how things could have gone so poorly. That morning had been a breeze- suiting up, taking off, chatting with his crew mates about the tasks ahead. The dire panic of his current situation was a harsh slap across the face in comparison to the joy he'd felt just hours before.
A loud voice suddenly pierced his thoughts, crashing his train of thought.
"Ben, how's the engine repair going?!"
"GREAT! Good- It's, IT'S GREAT, LENNY!"
He quickly attempted to get back on track with his task, running his eyes over the engine for what felt like the fiftieth time. Everything seemed fine, everything WAS fine- but it was failing. Falling apart, apparently- but it WASN'T. Somehow! And Ben- oh! He had to fix it! Somehow! Again.
The status screens laid out countless errors, but the entire contraption was intact!
Hm.
He was on the edge of asking for help.
He slowly began to turn his back and leave as the machine let out a violent wheeze, rattling and shaking like a lung taking a shallow breath. Coolant spluttered from the pipes surrounding it, soaking the steel, coating the cables and causing sparks to fly.
This was the opposite of anything good.
He set to attempting to fix the leaks- anything, everything to solve this problem. Panic began rising in his throat, sweat bearing up on his forehead. He had ONE job! Just the one!
"Ben, are you finished yet?!"
Ben's gaze snapped to the door, irritation momentarily quenching his panic.
"I'M WORKING ON IT, ALRIGHT!"
He rubbed his face, attempting to calm himself before turning to look at the engine and its condition screens.
As his eyes met the bright red of the monitor, his heart dropped into his stomach.
ENGINE FAILURE.
Uh oh.
His pulse was overwhelming, fear and dread rushing through his veins.
His training- at the academy, at his engineering school, the classes- they'd taught him about situations like this.
He and his crew were in middle of an asteroid field, going several hundred miles per hour;
And their ship was going to blow in a matter of minutes.
The ship hadn't been equipped with any kind of major safety precautions- this mission was filler work, simple, easy to accomplish. There were no escape pods, no barriers- the vessel was barely bigger than an RV.
He had to do something.
Ben ran out to the cabin, nearly tripping over his own feet, scrambling to get to his crewmates. Instinct took over, stabilized his voice a bit, muted the terror for just a moment. His training had paid off.
"I- I did everything I could! You, you all have to huddle to the front and shield yourselves with anything you have- NOW."
He didn't wait for a response, just the slight scurry of his crew as he began hurrying back to the engine room, trying to think of anything to muffle its blast.
His shipmates, even if they got on his nerves, questioned his ability at times- they were like his family. He had to protect them.
Frantically, Ben's pupils scanned the area, his panicked gasps digging up the glass of his helmet.
Fabric from the spare parts bag? No- not heavy enough to act as a cushion. Scrapped metal bits? Too hard. Would cause more damage.
It was getting hard to breathe.
Time was ticking. The room smelled like ash and gasoline, smoke was rising up from the cogs of the machine-
He had no ideas.
But one.
He flung himself onto the engine, the metal scorching him through his suit. His grip still held, his teeth digging into his mouth to keep himself from screaming.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Liftoff!
Ben's body was thrown from the ship's exploded form like a doll, careening through space. Flaming hot pain burst through his nerves, nearly numbing him as he was sent facefirst into a hunk of fired away framework. The world was growing dim and black, and he was being sent further and further away.
The glass in his face and the growing fuzzy feeling in his skull were nearly unnoticeable compared to the tiredness he felt. His head was light, he needed a nap- he'd been working so hard, too. So stressed.
A faint hissing took the backseat as his eyes grew heavy, his breathing starting to slow.
The last thing Ben saw was his ship built by his own hands, eviscerated from the inside out. Slowly, surely, simply getting further and further away in the cold vacuum of space.
It didn't worry him.
He could always make another.
