The planet Penausta was a world of sleek, towering spires and skybridges stretching between the heavens. A civilization of breathtaking advancement, it was home to two races: the ruling Pennou and their enslaved Pennae. The Pennae had served the Pennou for centuries, bound by law, fear, and technology. But among them, some dreamed of freedom.
For years, Kalren and his wife, Olynn, had harbored such a dream. Their twelve-year-old son, Rool, had grown up hearing whispers of a life beyond Penausta, beyond servitude. Kalren worked within the Space Force as a trusted technician assigned to strip decommissioned ships of their valuable components. He was given access to parts of the fleet that most Pennae could only imagine. And then, at last, their moment came.
Once part of the planetary patrol fleet, a small reconnaissance craft was to be dismantled. Kalren was assigned to clear out its systems, but rather than gut the ship, he secretly restored its essential functions. He covertly stocked the craft with provisions for several weeks and recalibrated its navigation systems, including the most modern security systems he could steal from the spaceport's maintenance lockers. Olynn, skilled in information gathering, monitored planetary security patterns and spaceport patrols. She had access to security overrides for many Pennou space systems. She had earned her supervisor's trust over several years. Eager but fearful, Rool studied the ship’s controls under his father’s guidance. Every move had to be meticulous; the penalty for escape was worse than death.
When the night finally came, the family moved swiftly under the cover of darkness. Security drones hovered above the scrapyards, their searchlights slicing through the gloom. Kalren led Olynn and Rool aboard the vessel, sealing the hatch behind them. His fingers danced across the console, reactivating the ship’s silent engines. The countdown to freedom had begun.
As they lifted off, alarms blared. The planetary defense network immediately detected the unauthorized launch, dispatching interceptor craft to pursue them. Using the upgraded security hardware and Olynn's stolen codes, they successfully evaded the spaceport's defensive system. Within hours, the news spread across Penausta. Among the Pennae, the escape became a beacon of hope. For the first time in generations, one of their own had broken free.
The ruling Pennou, however, saw it as a challenge to their control. The authorities vowed swift retribution. A slave hunter was dispatched—an elite tracker named Vaelix, known for his ruthless efficiency. His mission was clear: capture the fugitives and make an example of them.
For eighteen months, the chase spanned across the void. The family evaded capture by scavenging, hiding among asteroid fields, and taking desperate risks. But Vaelix was relentless. Whenever they thought they had lost him, he would reappear, closing in ever tighter.
Then came the final confrontation. Their battered ship, running on failing systems, had been forced into a desperate trajectory—straight into a restricted space sector. They found it there: a newly discovered wormhole, swirling like an abyss in the void. But the sector was guarded, and its defense systems were primed to fire on anything unauthorized that entered.
Vaelix realized the family's intentions and pushed his engines to maximum to over take their escape. Weapons fire streaked through the dark as Vaelix's vessel struck the family’s ship. The hull groaned under the impact. Flames erupted from the rear engines. Kalren knew they couldn’t last. There was only one chance.
With every ounce of skill he had, he pushed the dying ship toward the wormhole. The defense systems locked onto them as they approached, unleashing a final barrage. Just as they entered the event horizon, another blast struck the ship. Sparks rained down inside the cabin, panels shattered, and then - They were gone.
Vaelix stopped his ship near the wormhole's entrance, staring at the rippling aftermath of their escape. No trace remained. No sensor reading, no wreckage. Just the quiet hum of the void.
The family of three had disappeared into the unknown. No one could say whether they had survived the wormhole’s passage or perished within its depths. But to the Pennae on Penausta, their story had already become legend. Vaelix calculated his next move.
Chapter 2
The ship shuddered violently as it emerged from the wormhole, spinning uncontrollably before its failing stabilizers barely corrected its trajectory. Rool gasped for breath, heart pounding as he tried to orient himself. His parents lay motionless beside him.
"Mother? Father?" His voice cracked with fear. He shook them, but they did not stir. They needed medical help immediately, and he didn't know what to do except to break the family rule on never using the ship's communication system. He looked around the small ship's bridge. Tears blurred his vision, but the ship's warning alarms pulled him from his grief. The vessel was severely damaged, and a red flashing icon on the control panel indicated an oxygen leak. He struggled to remember what his father had taught him about ship maintenance, but the controls were sluggish, the systems failing. He had to act quickly.
With trembling hands, he activated the ship's communication system. Static filled the cabin as he attempted to send a distress signal. "This is… this is Rool. I need help. Please. Anyone..."
As he transmitted, he kept an eye on the ship's sensors, watching for any sign of Vaelix. If the Pennou hunter had followed them through the wormhole, Rool had no chance of escape, not in his ship's current condition.
Perhaps an hour passed, then, a large ship emerged from the darkness of space. Its silhouette loomed against the backdrop of distant stars as it glided silently toward him. Rool’s breath caught in his throat. It was unlike any Pennou vessel he had seen before. Could he trust this ship with a message for help?
The communication panel flickered to life. A transmission; the alien ship was calling him. He hesitated, then pressed the receiver. A deep, alien voice filled the cabin, speaking in a language he did not understand. His fingers hovered over the controls. "I... I don’t understand. Please, help me." The alien voice continued, but the words were unfamiliar. Yet, as the transmission repeated, something changed. The alien ship was using a translation algorithm to adjust its sounds. Vocal patterns emerged that he could understand —some words began to sound familiar.
The alarms in the cabin screamed louder. Oxygen levels were dropping fast. Rool’s vision blurred, his fingers numb as he tried to respond. The last thing he saw before darkness took him was a second approaching ship, its hull illuminated by distant starlight
Then, silence.
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You see how the story ends just as the Intolerance missions start for a crew visiting the Space Center.
GOOD LUCK! If this goes well, there will be many others as the year progresses. Let's build an incredible library of stories that fill our fantastic science fiction universe at the Space Center.
Ad Astra!
Mr. Williamson
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