Escape Incomplete

Short Story

Artur watched as the ship was loaded with the supplies, they would need for survival. As the supplies were at last loaded the colonists took once last look around at the base that they had spent six years building up from the ground. Artur looks towards the tomb, remembering his fallen comrades and towards the barn. The unsuspecting animals they would be leaving behind makes him sad, but with time they will return to the wild and the base had years' worth of food being left behind specifically for them. If anyone were to commandeer this base, they would have enough to get started for at least a century. Artur's colony had been well off. Artur looks down as the wet nose of his bionic husky Sergio places into his hand as if telling him it was time. He was the last colonist still awake and knew that he should quickly join the others.

Artur leans down and injects the anesthesia into his beloved husky. He watches as his friend falls asleep in his arms and lays him into his own crypto sleep casket, right next to the dragons they had reared since they were young. Artur smiles as he looks over the world because they were finally leaving, no more mechanoids, no more manhunters, and no more raids. They could finally be at peace. Artur slips into his own crypto sleep casket and presses the button to launch their ship before falling into sleep himself.

The sleep wasn't long. Artur was awoken by a blaring siren and flashing red lights, Sergio was barking at the casket as if to warn him the ship was failing. Artur got out of his casket to see Boris, Zoya, Ivy, Hatfield, and Blitz doing the same. He looked at his closest friends and realize they need to get to the escape pod and fast. Zoya had woken up the dragons, the other colonists seemingly escaped already as their pods were empty until they saw the blood. Something must've snuck aboard their ship, desperate for escape. It wasn't until Ivy screamed about the mechs that Artur realize what had happened. Mechanoids were taking over the ship.

Everyone runs for an escape pod before the mechs have a chance to shoot, knowing that if anyone is hit then it's unlikely for survival. Inferno canons are like that. Everyone was supposed to be safe; they were supposed to free, but as Artur watches the icy tundra of the rimworld come into view he realizes that they'll never be safe. It'll always be one colony after another, watching countless friends die, experiencing nothing but pain. At least Artur has his friends. At least he has his loyal pets. This rimworld looks like a trying place as the freezing air, colder than the last home, burns at his face when the escape pod crash lands, and Artur's vision starts going black. He takes one last look around at his friends before he falls unconscious. Hoping to awake to some kind of good news.