The other day I decided to write a short story.....
It's not finished yet, but maybe if you like it I will finish it.
Initially I wrote it in another language, and translated it with the help of a translator, so there may be mistakes in the text...
Chapter 1: Space truckers
The stars slowly drifted past the old cargo shuttle, Old Luck. It was a name Scott had chosen not without irony - luck really wasn't on his side most of the time. The ship made creaks and light tapping noises - signs of age, but Scott had long since gotten used to those “lullabies”.
- Hey, W43, what's our route? - he muttered, glancing at the dashboard.
The robot assistant stood at the terminal, indifferently reviewing the task list. Its body was an angular box with a screen in place of its head. It was already quite old, so every now and then, its screen went blank and there was only one yellow inscription on its face, “Loading...”.
- The route doesn't matter. It'll all be over soon anyway... - muttered W43 in his characteristic mechanical voice.
- Oh, here we go again,” Scott chimed in. - Look, just try to find something good in life for once.
- I did. Once. It was disappointing.
Scot smirked and turned on the autopilot. His mission was to deliver a container of dangerous goods to Vulcanus, a planet that, despite its name, was known only for its abundance of dust and oceans of lava.
- Vulcanus. Who came up with that name? - he muttered. - Zero volcanoes, but tons of lava. Genius. Wouldn't it have been easier to call this planet Lava then?
W43 paused for a second, uttering his trademark squeak.
- The planet is named after the ancient god of volcanoes. However, it was probably named that way because it sounds pathetic. - W43 calmly remarked.
- Yeah, the god is probably laughing at us right now. - Scott brushed it off, checking the fuel gauge.
Robert, Scot's partner, came out of his quarters clutching a mug of red drink.
It was a newfangled drink, Yumako tea, drunk throughout the galaxy.
The spice of our time.
Robert glanced nervously around the radar screen. And settled into a chair on the captain's bridge.
- Scot, I think we need to be more careful. There's a lot of debris in this sector.
- Relax, Robbie. - replied Scot.
- It's not the first time we've been here. Besides, who needs our old ship? We're not Starfleet, just a cargo transporter.
Robert sighed and moved into the copilot's seat. Despite his constant sense of dread, he remained a loyal friend. His good-natured and cautious nature often saved the crew, though Scott regularly joked about his excessive panic.
- What kind of cargo are we carrying this time? - Robert asked, sipping his drink cautiously.
- I have no idea. - Scott shrugged. - As usual, the "Wuber Corporation" sent the container without instructions. All they said was, “Do not open.”
- It could be anything from toxic waste to....
- Or a nuclear bomb! - Scott grinned. - Relax, Robbie, it's all under control.
But, as was often the case in Scott's life, it was at that moment that things got out of hand.
Chapter 2: Space Incident
A strange object suddenly appeared on the radar, moving directly towards them. A small piece of iron ore, slowly spinning, flew towards the shuttle.
- Cattle! - Robert shouted. - Something is flying at us!
- Hell, it's just a piece of iron. What can it do to us? - Scott began, but at the same second, his tone changed. - Oh, shit.
He abruptly shifted the control lever to manual, trying to dodge the collision. But the ship was too old and the reaction too slow. The metal mass slammed into the hull, tearing a hole in the hull plating and coming within a couple of centimeters of the W43's hull.
-You should have been a little more to the right. But it's okay, the systems are damaged. - reported W43 with a look of relief in his voice. - We may all be dead soon.
- You won't! - Scott snarled, frantically pushing every button he could reach. - Robbie, help me.
- I'd love to, but we've just had a firmware upgrade, and there's so many settings I don't know where anything is,” Robert shouted frantically. - We have to get out of here as soon as possible.
Robert, with trembling hands, activated the evacuation system, but immediately turned pale:
- One capsule has failed. There's only enough room for one.
Scott knew that the choice was not an easy one. He glanced at W43, who stood still, and at Robert, who was pale and ready to faint at any second.
- Okay, guys, don't panic,” Scott said, trying to stay calm. - I'll make a decision.
First, he tried to shove the W43 into the capsule.
- 'You soulless piece of iron, just get in!
- I refuse. I've dreamed of the end of my existence for too long to pass up a chance like this,” W43 replied, resisting.
Then Scott thought about the fact that he himself might sacrifice himself for others.
- Robbie, take the pod. And I'll... stay with W43. After all, someone would have to tell him a goodbye joke.
But as he began to realize how much he loved life, panic took over.
- Wait! That's my capsule!
He started to climb into the escape pod, but W43, grudgingly muttering something about “human selfishness,” deliberately broke the capsule's mechanism. In the end, neither of them could use the rescue.
- You're crazy, W43! - Scott shouted, grabbing the robot by the mechanical torso.
- I appreciate the compliment,” he replied dryly.
Their argument was suddenly interrupted by a sharp impact. The ship, which had lost control, began to plummet toward the nearest planet.
- Vulcanus! We're falling right there! - Robert shouted, grabbing his chair.
Scot tried his best to stabilize the fall, but to no avail. The shuttle rumbled into the planet's atmosphere, leaving a trail of fire behind it.
Chapter 3: Welcome to Vulcanus
When Scot woke up, the misty landscape of Vulcanus was slowly spinning before his eyes. The shuttle was lying on its side, sparkling with fuel residue. All around him were the remains of the ship, a desert covered in dust that was being chased by the hot wind. And a huge amount of lava.
- Robbie! W43! - he called, climbing out of the cockpit.
From the pile of rubble came Robert's quiet voice:
- I'm here... but I think I've got a sprained leg.
Scot crawled over to his friend and helped him out. Then turned around to find W43, who looked completely unharmed.
- That was terrible, I'm still in one piece. Let's do it again,” the robot said, not hiding its sarcasm.
- You better find us a way to get out of here,” Scott snapped at him.
Now they were faced with a new task: to survive on this dangerous planet and to find out why the corporation had sent them here with this strange cargo.
- Welcome to Vulcanus,” Scott muttered, looking around at the barren land. - Well, the fun begins.