Chapter Text
Biotite awakes from their slumber under the stars their eyes pop open, dawn is about to break over the Village, Biotite lays in their sleeping bag it doesn't really help change the lumpy ground underneath but its not to bad right now.
They smile, and think of all the things they are going to do in space, they put their hands on the ground, and lift their body up, they groan their back is soar from sleeping on the ground.
"Hey Hatchling! Are you ready to get this thing of the ground?" Slate excitedly says noticing that Biotite has now gotten up.
"You bet I am, what's for breakfast?" Biotite says sitting on the opposite side of the fire. "Well we got some, brittle-fish stew, and, uhh marshmallows." Slate says handing Biotite a full bowl.
Biotite chuckles. "Y'know its better then I thought it would be." They say grabbing a spoon. Slate chuckles, "Well, when you are done you should go get the launch codes from Hornfels." The sun breaks the horizon, Slate and Biotite shield their eyes. "So you sleep well hatchling?" Slate asks stuffing a marshmallow in their mouth. "Pretty good, I did have this nightmare about the sun exploding though." Biotite responds. "Yea the pre-flight campout really makes people jumpy if you ask me." Slate says. "Well im done, Biotite says putting the empty bowl next to the fire. Biotite gets up, "I might be back for more though, that stuff is really good." "Get out of here," Slate chuckles shooing Biotite away.
Biotite walks away, eventually jumping over the stupidly high rocks surrounding the tower. 10 minuets pass. Slate looks over to the pad "You ready to fly?" Slate says to the rocket sitting atop the pad. Suddenly, Slate hears a metallic pop, and then a hissing sound. Slate gets up confused. Then suddenly, a piece of metal hits the ground next to the fire. They pick it up and take a look at it, it looks like the outer shell to one of the thruster valves.
"I though I fixed you..." Slate says confused. "Stars above that's not good, Mabey I have time to fix it?" Slate says picking up their welder. "No..." Slate says quietly, as they watch the hatchling happily trot back with a paper slip in their hand.
"See you later Slate!" They say as walk over to the tower. "NO!" Slate screams, as they lunge at Biotite's shoulder. This stops Biotite from entering the elevator. "Ow! What was that for?" Biotite angrily says to Slate.
Slate waves the ring in Biotite's face. "This came of the rocket a couple minutes ago, I don't think you should go!" Biotite looks at the ring. "What is it?" Biotite asks. "Its a nozzle stabilization ring, if this is not attached engine could blow!".
Biotite puts their hands on their shoulders. "Slate, its ok! You have built things with a higher change of exploding then just missing a ring." Before Slate can get a word in Biotite interrupts them. "Ah, be quiet im gonna be okay, I've been waiting for this for a long time."
Biotite turns around, "Im gonna be okay, okay? Now good bye, I will see you later."
Slate's look of worry becomes a look of despair. They weakly wave as they watch the elevator rise. "Mabey they will be ok?" They tell themselves. They sit back down at the campfire and duck their head into their knees as the hear the rocket take off.
The rocket gets of the pad, and Biotite starts to hover the rocket. "Why was Slate so worried, this looks fine!" but right as they accelerate, one of the nozzles on the left engine block, bursts, sending the rocket into a spin. The Village looks in horror as the rocket spins with out control in above the rocket. Gossan runs out of the cave to find out what's going on. "Stars above! What happened?!" Gossan screams.
Gossan tracks the path of the spinning rocket. Its heading for the tallest tree in the village, and Moraine is still on it. Signal scope on the ground, frozen in fear.
Gossan makes their way to the tree to go and grab Moraine. Gossan is running faster then they have in a long time, throwing their helmet out of their hands and reaching out Infront of them.
They scoop up Moraine right as Biotite's failing rocket, slams through the tree, meatal and glass fly everywhere and the wood of the tree splinters and the rocket comes crashing down next to the two Hearthians.
Gossan, slowly takes their head out of brace position, and hears the sound of splintering wood, the platform is going to collapse, and they are still on it, the pick up Moraine, they are both bruised and aching. They jump off the planform, and Gossan tires to reach for Moraine signal scope, but it slides of the broken platform, just out of Gossans reach.
They run over to soled ground, and gently put put Moraine on the ground. Gossan picks up their radio, "I need Slate, Hal, and Prophy here now!" They scream into it. "Why Hal?" Hornfels responds. "For Biotite's emotional support!" Hornfels responds. "On it!"
They can hear the sound of the reactor alarm inside of the ship. "I need to get Biotite out of there!" They run over to the ship and start franticly pressing the eject door button. The door flys of and slams into the ground, they climb up inside of the ship.
Its boiling hot, they touch the reactor dial, it burns their hand. "I cant fix that", they scream, shoving their hand in their pocket. They move over to hatchlings chair, "Hey, wake up! We need to get out of here!" They scream as they shake Biotite's shoulder. Biotite is not responding, they are slouched over in their chair, bleeding heavily. "Stars above!" They say to themselves as the look at their blood covered hand. They attempt to unbuckles the seatbelt, it wont budge. "I know there is an emergency knife somewhere in here." They say, looking around the cockpit. They turn around and see a giant fire is raging behind them.
In quick instinct, they rip of the eject buttons glass, and press it with out thinking.
With a thunk, the explosive bolts that disconnect the capsule fire, blowing the damages capsule off the rocket the force is what finally causes the reactor to blow, exploding behind them, the capsule, fly's over the ghost matter field, and out of the crater, slamming into the ground just outside of the village.
Gossan slams their head on the seat and falls backwards outside of the village.
They get up, groaning.
The stop out a small grass fire around the capsule. They climb back in to find that Biotite's gone, in fact their entire seat is gone, its out the window, a couple meter's ahead of it.
The gasp and see the seat, crushing Biotite on the ground. They jump out the window, sliding down the hill of dirt the capsule dug into the Hearth, the lift the seat off of Biotie, and ley them flat.
Gossan puts ear to their chest, they are not breathing but their heart is still beating. They go to call on the radio. Its broken.
Gossan grips Biotites hand, "Don't worry Biotite, they get here soon."