Planetary

Chapter 1: Saturn

Dex furiously ripped wires out of the control panel in front of him. Red emergency lights were flashing accompanied by the cacophony of noise from the alarm. Suddenly only the lights remained. 

At least the computer had shut up, Dex couldn't take the computers emergency procedure for the millionth time.

"Protocol alpha engaged, gas released, remain calm, protocol alpha engaged, gas released, remain calm"

Over and over again on the worst fucking loop!

Even though the robotic voice was gone the words echoed in Dex's head like an eerily annoying jingle, but instead of advertising the Space Ranger trading cards he used to collect as a kid it was a reminder of his imminent doom.

He had maybe five minutes max to save the rest of the crew. With a shaking hand Dex pushed his tangled red hair back out of his face- it had gotten annoyingly long in the four months since the Planetary first left Asteroid Command Center's orbit.

Was he seriously thinking about hair at a time like this?

Dex laughed to himself thinking of Sydney.

Syd would always make fun of Dex's unruly hair and freckled face. Looking up on the monitors in front of him he saw that Sydney was unconscious, his normally impeccable braided hair an uncharacteristic mess on the floor where he laid. The others in their various positions were in a similar state.

"Get it together!" Dex scolded himself as he finished plugging the necessary wires into the central mainframe.

Now or never he thought we are all gonna die anyways so big picture I'm just ahead of schedule.... As usual.

Dex winced as he drove a crude knife made out of cut steel into his arm. The knife dug as he was looking for the identification chip that every citizen of the Asteroid Colonies had. He had always despised having it! Even though the pain and the blood made him want to vomit, there was sweet satisfaction in knowing he would using this damn device for the sake of humanity for once.

He carefully stuck an exposed purple wire, which he had spent ages trying to find, to the chip in his arm and felt a surge of electricity so intense it was like he had been struck by 100 lightning bolts at once.

The world was fading fast.

Was it all for nothing?

.....

"SATURN, CHIEF NAVIGATOR ACCEPTED"

He had done it! 

With the click and whir of the computer resetting there was nothing left in him as Dex faded from consciousness.