The Edge Of Space

Chapter 1 - The Deralect Vessel!

"Hurry up there almost here!" A woman said, peering outside of an abandoned warehouse.

"I'm welding as fast as I can, telling me to go faster ain't gonna make me go faster!" A man snapped, holding a welding torch, fusing a wing to the hull of a purple spaceship. Unstable by design.

It was a rush job. Vontaine and Merca were currently on the run from the Feds of this planet. They had stolen various devices and equipment to assemble this ship but unfortunately, didn't have enough time to construct it properly.

"Vontaine, they're here, please tell me you're done," Merca hopped. As she peered out through the gap between the doors, red and white lights pulsed from the top of hover cars.

"Almost... two seconds!" He murmured, tensing up as he finally finished the weld.

"It's done let's go!" He yelled, jumping into the driver seat as she bolted for the passenger seat, volting up and landing roughly before the windscreen closed down around them.

Vontaine pressed the power switch. The Ignition coils humming to life as policemen in full body armour burst through the door levelling laser rifles at the ship.

"Fuck, fuck come on!" He cried, pressing the pedal to the floor it's massive thruster at the back lit up in a puff of smoke followed by plasma. They instantly shot out of the warehouse and into the sky.

Their rocky ship ascended into clouds and then space.

"Alright, let's hope this doesn't explode," he tried, pressing a button to engage hyperspace.

Their little shuttle sped off faster than light, leaving behind a thin purple streak of energy.

However, some stray bullet shots from the police force below would eventually be their downfall.

..................TWO WEEKS LATER...............

Ship log, "This is Vontaine of the mk1. Log 39, or 40? I think? Yeah, 40. It's been 5 weeks since we left the planet Heska. We're both alive thank god but things are looking hopeless at best... We still have food but that's only gonna last us for another week or two. Thankfully neither of our races needs to breathe so the only thing that's a real threat to us is running out of food and water.
Merca is asleep right now. I'm glad... She's been restless for the last week. Unfortunately, we're 10'000 light-years away from the nearest interstellar trading route and even further away from the nearest settlement. A fuel leak in the engine made the head reactor explode, there is no way of getting back to safety. The only thing that will save us is divine intervention, but all the gods died out billions of millennia ago, or so I'm told...
I'll try and sleep now although the steel floor of the small interior isn't comfortable. Good night Malketa, well get you a new ship body soon," end of ship log.

He woke up only a couple of hours later, merca had sat upright and taken a small mouthful from her canteen.

"Hey," he said bleakly.
"How did you sleep?" She asked.

"Not good as usual," he replied, sitting up.
"Have you checked on anything?".

"Yeah actually. I got my hopes up..." she triee, her breath empty. She moved her hand to her face, fingertips pressed down hard.
"One of the reactors was 92% operational, but no fuel," she said in utter defeat.

Vontaine crept over to her and pulled her close hugging her tight.

"I'm sorry. But one way or another we'll get through this," he said, trying to comfort her.

"This is my fault... If I had checked all of the fuel lines I might have been able to change it," he tried.

"No, it's not anyone's fault Vonty, we didn't have enough time that's all!" She insisted looking up at him.