Chapter 2: Adrift

The cold of space was relentless, a vast black ocean that engulfed Aldric and his small escape pod. Through the visor, the stars stretched out like a distant tapestry, indifferent to his presence. The only proof that he was still alive was the slow blinking of the life support system’s lights. His breath fogged up the glass in front of him, a constant reminder of the fine line between life and death in the void.

Aldric had barely had time to process what had happened. The screams, the explosions, the roar of the engines as the family ship tried to escape... It all felt distant, like a fading dream. He had searched for his parents during the attack, running through the burning halls, but the chaos had separated them. Their last words still echoed in his mind: "Survive, son."

Now, he was alone.

The pod’s system indicated that resources were limited. Oxygen for three days. Water for two. Food... barely a few nutritional bars. Aldric had randomly activated the autopilot during his escape, but the unknown coordinates left him completely adrift.

"Is anyone out there?" he asked aloud, setting the communication to all frequencies. Only static buzzed back.

Loneliness was worse than the danger of being found by pirates. If they caught him, at least he would know his fate. But here, floating in nothingness, every second reminded him of his fragility. He looked at the pod’s small monitor, where a rudimentary map showed his location. However, without syncing to any external network, the data was incomplete.

For the first time in years, Aldric felt fear. Real, visceral fear that made him curl up in the cramped seat.

Hours later, something caught his attention: a coded file within the navigation system. His family crest flashed on the screen, activated by the emergency protocol. Aldric opened it nervously and discovered a map of nearby territories.

The name glowed in clear letters. It was the territory granted to his father, a system on the edge of the Empire. The data was old, but it indicated that Antares might be close enough to reach. With no other choice, Aldric manually entered the coordinates, redirecting the pod toward what he hoped would be his salvation.

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The journey was slow and maddening. As the hours passed, Aldric reflected on how little he knew about his family’s territory. He had heard of the mining resources and the exotic plants that grew there, but always from a distance. He had never visited Antares. Now, it was his only hope.

Days later, the pod began to shake. Alarms went off as the system detected an asteroid belt. The massive rocks collided with each other, forming a deadly maze.

"Stabilizers engaged," the automated voice announced.

Aldric took manual control, his hands trembling as he tried to maneuver the pod. The rocks seemed to appear out of nowhere, and every second was a battle to avoid destruction. A smaller rock struck the pod, briefly shutting off the lights and life support.

"No, no, no!" he yelled, hitting the controls until the system powered back up.

For a moment, he thought it was all over. But then, through the window, he saw something that gave him hope: a blinking light in the distance.

The mining ship Colossus, designed to operate in the harshest conditions of the asteroid belt, patrolled the area for valuable deposits. Its crew, hardened by years of dangerous work, was used to the risks of deep space. They were men and women with rugged appearances, marked by scars and the metallic dust that clung to their clothes and skin.

At the helm, Captain Harlen watched the radar with a mixture of boredom and concentration. He was a burly man with a prosthetic arm that reflected the dim light of the cabin. Beside him, his second-in-command, a slender woman named Saria, studied the scanner data.

"Is this just another rock?" Harlen asked dismissively, pointing to an anomaly on the screen.

"No," Saria replied, zooming in on the image. "It’s a pod. Someone’s alive in there."

Without hesitation, Harlen ordered them to approach.

"Engage the tractor beam and get ready for anything. It could be a trap."

When the pod was secured, a group of three crew members approached to open it, weapons ready in case the contents were hostile. But when they opened the hatch, they found a young man with a pale face and desperate eyes.

"Are you from Antares?" Harlen asked, leaning in to inspect the young man.

"Yes. My family... our ship was attacked by pirates. I need to get to the territory."

Captain Harlen crossed his arms, studying the young man carefully before giving a brief nod.

"Close the damn hatch. We’re taking him with us."

The pod was discarded, and Aldric was brought aboard the Colossus, where the miners surrounded him with curious and wary eyes. Saria offered him a glass of water, and though he initially couldn’t speak, the constant barrage of questions eventually forced him to talk.

"What were you doing out here?" asked one of the miners, a man with a scruffy beard.

"I was running. Pirates... attacked our ship. I lost my parents," Aldric replied, his voice barely a whisper.

"Antares isn’t an easy place," Harlen chimed in. "If you think having a famous name will make things different, you’re in for a surprise."

Aldric looked up, noticing the hardness in the captain’s eyes.

"I know it won’t be easy, but I have no other choice."

Saria let out a dry laugh.

"Welcome to reality, kid."

The days aboard the Colossus were a clash of realities for Aldric. He heard stories of desperation and struggle, of how Antares barely stayed afloat thanks to the efforts of miners and traders while Imperial authorities ignored it. Each tale was a piece of the puzzle that began to form an unsettling image of his home.

Finally, the ship reached the system. From space, Aldric could see the main planet. The landscape was barren, occasionally interrupted by mountain ranges and vast mines. The cities looked like tiny spots on the surface, and the night lights were sparse.

"Welcome to Antares," Harlen said, his tone laced with irony.

Aldric stared in silence, his mind processing the harsh reality that awaited him.