Author's Note: Here it is, the big one! This took quite a while to finish, but it's finally done and I hope you enjoy the read. Please note that this story includes both male on female and male on male content.
Beeping incessantly, an alarm startled me awake and I sighed as I stood from the pilot's seat of my weathered old void freighter. The onboard sensors had woken me from my daydreams with an alarm that a fuel cell had somehow disconnected from the engines. There were four fuel cells, one for each engine and number three was on the fritz... again.
I'd have to go get it fixed before the ship's computer would let me get back to top speed, some company bullshit about safety concerns. It was a long and lonely journey from station to station in a cargo ship, so the sooner I got back there and took care of it, the sooner I would get my paycheck. My hope was that someday I could retire and buy a nice home on a pleasure station somewhere and never be lonely again.
The cold metal floor rang out as I stomped down the utility hall that led to the engine access, the short ceiling forcing me to stoop ever so slightly. Multiple warnings plastered the hatch that I wrenched open, the angry yellow lettering informing me of all the terrible things that could potentially happen in the engine room. Grabbing my tool belt that I had left on top of a nearby crate, I stalked over to engine three and shot it an accusing glare. The damn thing had spat out the cable that connected it to the fuel cell, despite the fact that I had firmly attached it a few solar days ago.
Only a few minutes were needed to get it connected again, but this time I secured the rebellious bastard with a generous application of duct tape. If that didn't fix it, nothing would. Satisfied that I could return to my demanding task of daydreaming while the ship navigated itself, I stalked off back to the cockpit and eased into my pilot's chair again. The job wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to constantly clash with the crushing isolation. The pay was good, but it took a real special kind of person to willingly live in a small metal cabin for months and sometimes even years on end.
Yep, a real special kind of person... I sighed again and looked out the reinforced window into the infinite expanse of space. I never really considered myself a particularly resilient or exceptional man, but growing up on Earth was rough and I figured being a cargo runner couldn't be that much worse. Turns out it really wasn't all that bad, it was just that most folks couldn't handle being alone for so long. I kicked up my feet on the navigation console and reclined in my chair, getting nice and comfy. Yep, it was a hard job. Just a little lonely...
This time a harsh klaxon woke me from my nap, the red emergency lighting bathing the cockpit in a hellish glow. I nearly fell out of my chair in shock, but I managed to windmill my arms just enough to stay balanced. The console was dominated by a warning message, the words chilling my blood.
ENGINE FAILURE DETECTED
FUEL LEAK DETECTED
ENGINE STATUS CRITICAL
EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY
"You're fucking me." I stumbled out of my chair and grabbed my jacket and data-tablet and booked it for the tiny escape pod. Some asshole designer had decided to place it down the same cramped hall that led to the engine room and I took a furtive glance through the porthole in the engine room hatch. Sure enough, I could see the fuel cable still attached to engine three, but the damn thing had torn and sprayed fuel everywhere. Somehow an errant spark or wayward heating element had started a fire and the whole engine room was ablaze.
Hell with that, I took the computer's advice and jumped into the escape pod, strapped into the crash seat and smashed my hand on the launch button.
"Press again to confirm." A dull robotic voice droned from some tiny speaker somewhere. "Remember, if found to be used in a non-emergency, the company has full rights to-" I slammed the button again and immediately a concussive blast severed the pod from the ship and I watched it shrink into the distance through the pod's tiny viewing window as I rocketed away. Perhaps thirty seconds or so after leaving the ship, I had to shield my eyes as an intense light filled my tiny craft. The ship had exploded. Christ, I was just on that thing! I could feel a grimace claw its way onto my face and I couldn't help but hold up a middle finger.
Fuck you engine three, I made it out alive.
When I had collected myself, I took a look at the small navigation display embedded into the pod's wall. These things were simple and emitted a distress beacon automatically. I wasn't really sure where I was at though, just somewhere between stations. The display flickered and simple text scrolled across the screen. The pod had detected a nearby planet that was within survivable parameters and it was setting course to crash-land. Rescue out in space could take an awful long time and I'd have a better chance to survive long enough to be picked up on a planet than stuck in a pod with only a week of emergency rations.
I could see the stars fly by the window as the pod rotated and then fired a small rocket, just long enough to put my trajectory on track to land on whatever rock I was going to be stuck on for who knows how long. Well, at least I wouldn't die in a tiny metal coffin in space... probably. I tried my best not to panic and eventually the pod chirped a short alarm notifying me that I was about to enter the atmosphere and crash-land. A heavy metal cover slid over the window and I could hear flaps extending on the outside of the pod, as well as the rocket retro-burning and a metal chute deploying to create drag.
The interior began to grow intolerably hot and the pod started shaking so violently that only the heavy duty straps of the crash seat kept me from being bludgeoned to death inside the small emergency craft. Now I started to panic and I squeezed my eyes shut as I whimpered and cried, torn between wishing for survival or a quick painless death. Finally the fear and anxiety became too much and everything went dark as I slipped out of consciousness.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that the shaking had stopped. It was still uncomfortably warm, but holy shit, I was alive! A wild, exasperated laugh slipped from my lips and I extricated myself from the crash seat before falling to the ceiling. Evidently the pod had come to a stop upside down. Thankfully, the fall was short and only really bruised my ego. I reached up and hit the door switch and the whole thing flew off, small explosives ensuring it would open even in the event of damage or odd landing angles.
Sure enough, the air was breathable. Looks like the pod's navigation computer had done its job. I gave the display an appreciative pat, taking note of the text that confirmed the distress signal was being transmitted. Engine three might have been an asshole, but the little escape pod had done its job and given me a chance to live. I collected the survival tools that the pod was festooned with and stashed them all in my jacket. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and clambered out of the pod, taking my first step on the planet I'd been stranded on.