MTLNOVEL Chapter 2: Stranded
[Warning! Warning: Thrusters overheating!]
[Warning! Warning: Energy low!]
[Warning! Warning: Thrusters are stuck!]
A bombardment of images flashed on Astra's screen, each one more chaotic than the last. Her eyes darted between them, heart pounding as the issues multiplied. Yu floated beside her in the cockpit, its soft beeps and boops the only sound in the eerie silence of space.
"At this rate, they'll catch up with us any day now—" Astra muttered, her hands reaching to claw at her hair. The stillness of space was suffocating, not even a whisper of wind could reach her.
"Wait…" She muttered, an idea striking her.
"Hey! How much energy does the mech have!?" She demanded, hope flickering in her voice despite the panic gnawing at her.
[NOTICE!]
[The flight from Planet X-0 to here, with thrusters using 100% energy disruption, leaves us with 15%!]
Astra's heart sank as she leaned back in her chair, furrowing her brows. She tapped anxiously at an empty spot on the control deck.
"And how far can that take us? Where are we even?" she asked quietly, frustration mixing with exhaustion.
[We are in the Hexrian Galaxy, in the solar system commonly referred to as Solara-6! Approximately 778 million miles away from Planet X-0; the farthest planet from this sun!]
[If the thrusters were still in working order, it could have taken us approximately—]
"194.5 million miles to go…" Astra muttered, eyes scanning the numbers, mind racing to find a solution.
[Affirmative!]
"That's enough to get to another planet, but we can't go anywhere with the thrusters broken…" She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping.
[Affirmative!]
Yu tilted its body to the side, watching as Astra fell into silence for a solid minute. The rhythmic tapping of her finger against the smooth metal grew louder, a sign of the tension building within her.
"Hey—what's the power of our energy blasters?" she asked suddenly, eyes bright with a new thought.
[Searching…]
[NOTICE!]
[The energy blasters are designed for continuous bursts of immense energy, powerful enough to rival the thrusters of most starships!]
"And if I use them as thrusters?" she asked, voice tinged with hope.
[It will provide just enough!]
"Oh, that's perfect!" She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
[Affirmative! It will take us the exact 194,500,005 miles needed!]
"But how will I even get to—" Yu beeped, cutting off her train of thought. Astra's eyes darted over to her drone companion, which was happily bouncing in place. A grin formed on her face.
Yu was shot out into the cold vacuum of space, tethered by a wire to the mech as it drifted through the endless expanse.
"Alright…" Inside, Astra's fingers flew over the controls, watching the outside through Yu's camera. The stars looked unreal from this close, like something out of a dream.
"Okay—" She huffed, snapping herself out of her reverie. "Get ready, Yu. We're going to be at this for a while!"
Yu beeped in excitement, its small thrusters firing as it moved toward the damaged thrusters.
"Just carefully remove those, we're rearranging this thing!" Astra commanded. Yu nodded, a precise beam shooting from its lens as it began dismantling the thruster. The scrap metal loosely floating in space, soon doing the same to the canon's welding the iron together, leaving a scar behind by the hasty yet efficient job.
Hours passed as the tiny robot replaced the thrusters, slowly returning to the mech afterward.
"Set a course for the nearest planet!" Astra demanded, her eyes focused on the newly repaired systems.
[Calculating…]
[NOTICE!]
[Setting a course for Terranix!]
"So, what's the status of the Anomaly?" The man pondered aloud, towering over the other. His hair was neatly styled, his facial features sharp and defined. He stood in a room adorned with cutting-edge tech—monitors flickering, wires snaking across the floor and walls. His eyes, a calculated blue, stayed focused on the screens before him.
In the midst of the tech chaos, his partner sat relaxed, leaning back in his chair. Wild black hair framed his face, and a smug grin tugged at his lips. His green pupils darted across the screen as his fingers danced over the sleek keyboard.
"You mean Astra Falkov? She got away with the interstellar tech that was 'accidentally' sent to Planet X-0, and of course, she just so happened to come across it," the black-haired man explained casually, resting his foot on the expensive-looking controls beneath him.
The other man muttered under his breath, "I'd hardly call it an accident. She is the daughter of—"
"Jaspher Falkov? Yeah, I know," his partner interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. His grin faded slightly as he focused on the next question his more serious colleague was about to ask.
"So what do you intend to do about this?" The blue-eyed man leaned forward, a furrow forming on his brow. He couldn't help but wonder, his voice now edged with curiosity.
The black-haired man straightened, his smirk returning as he typed something into the console. He turned toward his associate with a soft chuckle, clearly unfazed.
"For now, we'll just wait and see what happens," he declared confidently, tapping a few more keys before pointing at the monitor. On it, the stolen mech Astra had taken was displayed, with a live feed of the pursuing Astral Corp forces closing in.
"It's N.O.V.A. Corp's problem after all~" He turned back to the man beside him, offering a teasing smirk as he observed the seriousness in his eyes. "What? Do you not trust me, Harlock?"
Harlock's lips tightened, his gaze unwavering. "You're right—I don't. I have no reason to trust an abnormal."
The black-haired man feigned shock, clutching his chest in mock hurt. "Ouch, sir! Even words can hurt my cold, dead heart!" he exclaimed dramatically.
"If only that were enough," Harlock muttered, barely hiding the exasperation in his voice.