Engines roared to life as the calm, steady voice in his ear finished the countdown to zero. The small Vespa-class frigate shuddered momentarily before shooting upwards, groaning as the planet fought to keep them from escaping. Ever-fading blue was interrupted by brief flashes of white as he pushed through the atmosphere.

The stars fully expressed themselves, and Thomas felt a peace that he had not known in years. The company he worked for had been in exponential growth and couldn't afford to spare him. He jumped at the first opportunity to get off world, having finally finished a project that would allow his employers to corner the market back on Earth. He'd head to the cloud cities of Venus for awhile before beginning his week-long trip to Epsilon Eridani. Thomas engaged the autopilot and was about to open the main viewport when the first proximity warning sounded.

He scrambled to power his weapons and emergency thrusters, but the ship nearly rolled completely over from the impact of two missiles. Flurries of alarms flashed, indicating massive power failures throughout the ship. Thomas punched a sequence into the computer. Any second, the smaller escape vessel would separate and leave the damaged husk of its host ship behind.

Violent explosions ripped the vessel apart and Thomas was thrown clear. In a panic, his hands gripped for any piece of the eviscerated vessel but found nothing except the tips of his gloved fingers. He could only watch, horrified, as her innards spilled out into the cosmos from ever-expanding wounds. His gaze was fixated on the destruction, the backdrop of Earth partially obscured by the carnage. Tom floated away. One by one, the fires died, and the lights faded into darkness.

Just then, a calm, steady voice spoke into his ear.

"Enjoy your trip."