So, the second chapter. I hope somebody actually reads this, otherwise my life will have no meaning. Ha nervous laughter! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter as well, since you clicked on the 'next chapter' button, and if you don't, its your own darn fault! Anyway, happy reading!
The dark hull of the ship was easily masked by the blackness of space as it moved closer to the nebula. One might think that nothing was there, if not for the green light emanating from the engines. The vessel, under Ratchet's command, began to level out about 500 meters from the nebula, until it was approximately parallel with the nebula's closest edge.
Turning to Clank, Ratchet asked: "Close enough?"
"Yes," the metal-plated mechanism approved, "This is an excellent spot." A button was tapped, a ding was sounded, and the com-buoy was launched. The two could feel the rumble as it entered space; it was a small ship, after all. The buoy did exactly what it was programmed to do, and stopped about halfway between the ship and the nebula.
"So, now that that's done, what's next?"
But Clank was preoccupied with something else, staring at the computer screen. "I'm receiving some very odd readings," He finally said.
"How odd?" Ratchet asked.
"I would suggest pulling the ship away."
Ratchet didn't respond vocally, but he did maneuver their vessel several kilometers distance from the nebula.
The nebula itself was going through a very strange transformation. Instead of the bright and colorful cloud it once was, it had become a condensed area of dark red and crackling energy, as if all of the nebula's stored and contained rage had been released in a huge fit of cosmic fury. Even the light around the nebula began to waver, signaled by the phenomena becoming blurrier. This was not a good sign.
The ship itself began to shake and rattle, and started moving closer to the nebula on its seemingly own volition.
"The nebula has begun to emit a huge gravitational field!" Clank explained, his hands working furiously on the computer screen in front of him.
"That's great!" Ratchet sarcastically replied, his hands at the controls, trying to free his craft from the nebula's grip, "Now how do we get out of it?"
"I'm not sure!" Clank said, "Let me work on it!"
"Work faster!" Ratchet added.
Their ship had already fully entered the nebula, and was approaching the center of the maelstrom. A tight ball of gases was at its place, and as the vessel drew near, it blossomed into a wave of blue and yellow energy.
"The nebula must have reacted with the com-buoy! We have succeeded where others have not!" Clank exclaimed, a melding of panic and joy in his voice.
"What are you talking about?" Ratchet yelled over the shrieking of the engines.
"We have created a wormhole!"
Pieces of the ship's armor were tearing off, flinging into the wormhole. The craft began to convulse more violently, giving everything it had not to follow the same fate as the com-buoy.
"We're gonna get torn apart if we keep this up!" Ratchet shouted, gripping the controls for dear life.
"Head into the wormhole!" Clank shouted back.
"What, are you crazy!" the lombax responded.
"It's our only chance! We'll die here if we don't!"
Ratchet growled, but he did turn the ship so the nose was directly aimed at the center of the galactic monstrosity. The craft's reverse engines were working at full power, but they were still heading into the rift. With one last yell, Ratchet cut power to the reverse engines, and into the wormhole they went.