Aquaertus

🌊Chapter One - The Fall of the USS Pertempto🌊

We're crashing.

Oh my God, we're crashing.

I'm standing in the middle of one of the ship's lounge rooms, the peanut butter sandwich I was about to eat now trampled on the ground. The alarmingly red lights have been flashing for at least a minute now, but I just can't seem to get myself to move. I was on the verge of eating my lunch when the emergency lights blinked on and a deep, almost incomprehensible voice blared from the ceiling's speakers, "This is not a drill. The USS Pertempto is under attack. Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the escape pods. I repeat, this is not a drill..."

When the previous expedition traveled to this galaxy, they found no humanoids on any of the planets. They were so, so wrong about that. Now, aliens are shooting down our spaceship? Aliens!?

I'm going to die.

Passengers haven't stopped rushing around the ship, some even pushing others over in an attempt to reach their destinations quicker. One of the lieutenants is barking out orders to control the crowd, but most of them are too distressed to focus. People are looking for their friends and family, and a few are collecting as many belongings as possible before it's all gone.

Nobody saw this coming.

I need to move.

"Errin!" I hear a woman shout my name, her voice carrying even through all the chaos. I watch, still motionless, as she shoulders her way through the mob to get to me. "You need to get on an escape pod, right now!" She grabs me by the elbow and nearly drags me towards the only way off of the ship, forcing me out of my stupor.

"Lou," I manage to ask, "What about you?" Lou has been my mentor and best friend throughout this whole ordeal. I couldn't imagine leaving without her. I won't.

"We've been instructed to send all of the youngest passengers on the escape pods first. I'll have to stay here and help out as much as I can," she heaves.

"No, Lou, I can't leave without you! You'll die here!" I need to shout over the deafening noise of the crowd attempting to funnel into the limited escape pods.

She can't be staying here!

"I'm sorry," she says softly. As I look at her, I see a mist of tears across her face. I realize my eyes have begun to water as well. I struggle against her grip, trying to get Lou to stop. She doesn't budge, though, and continues to pull me along. I give in–whether it's from her sheer persistence or the fact that my body is probably about to go into shock, I'm not sure.

Thanks to Lou's aggressive maneuvering, we quickly reach the escape pods–most of them already detached and floating somewhere in the vastness of space. I look at the gaping holes in the ship where the pods once were and my heart beats faster. I have to actually go out there.

There weren't many pods to begin with, because the expedition's director was extremely confident that escape would never be needed. He was such a pompous ass. I would think that he would've learned something from that story about the ship–"Gigantic" or something like that–but apparently not.

"Can't you come with me? Lou, please. I'm so scared, I need you," I give Lou one last plea as we jostle ourselves into one of the last vacant pods. I hold her hands in mine, squeezing tight, willing her to stay with me instead.

"You know I can't. The pod can only accommodate one person, and I have to stay here to help anyone left on the ship." She takes one of her hands and holds my face, giving me one final, teary smile.

Lou moves to put one foot out of the pod and leans to give me a hug. I squeeze her tight, letting out a sob into her shoulder. Lou places something into my hand and the sudden, cold touch causes me to let go of Lou long enough for her to wiggle out of my arms. She steps out of the pod, preparing to press the button that will send me out to space.

"Goodbye and good luck, Errin. I know you'll survive. You're one of the brightest girls I've ever met."

"I love you," I croak out. Through my blurry vision, I see her blow me a kiss. I lift my shaky hand to feign catching it, just the way we would do when our bosses weren't looking.

Lou's beautiful, tight face is the last thing I see before I'm violently blasted off the ship.