Peter scrolled through the holographic checklist projected from the data console in front of him. As each item was completed, he would tap the appropriate name tag, and the transparent box of red hovering around it would rotate in place while changing color to green. When the entire list showed green, Peter activated the communication system and broadcast to the entire city.

"Pre-flight checklist completed," Peter announced. "Departure in ten minutes. If you don't want to be left behind, you had best get onboard."

It was an unnecessary order, but Peter felt compelled to say it regardless. In the three weeks since the first failure of the dome, the work crews had moved at a tremendous pace, completing the ship and readying it for departure. As a result, most of the people were already on the ship.

The dome had failed in four other places since the first incident, and every time, the response was the same. Sections of the city were sealed off to create additional barriers and keep the atmosphere inside the dome safe for its residents, but the mood of the population grew worse with every incident. The walls were quite literally closing in on them, leaving the workers a smaller and smaller safe area. They knew every moment might be their last, and their feverish pace in completing the escape ship showed their determination to live.

Peter had done his best to keep them calm. Focusing on work instead of the growing threat of choking to death on toxic gas gave the workers something else to occupy their minds.

The ship had been completed yesterday, but because of the speed used to assemble the vessel, Peter had been resolute on taking an extra day to do a thorough check of all systems. Since they were putting their lives and the future of humanity at risk using this craft, Peter wanted nothing to go wrong. Haste frequently hindered precision, so Peter set his people to a slow and careful examination of all systems. The check had now been completed. They were ready.

The escape ship resembled a vertical rectangle of polished black metal with rounded edges to make it more aerodynamic. The glowing violet spheres of antigravity units marked the hull in several locations, and they grew brighter as the systems powered up. Bell shaped engines were mounted underneath the massive vessel for primary propulsion, but secondary thrusters were attached along the flanks of the ship to increase stability and guidance during landing procedures.

The last of the work crews entered the ship, and the exterior doors in the hull were closed and sealed. Peter gave them a few minutes to reach their workstation chairs and buckle in for launch before he authorized the ignition sequence.

Seated in front of Peter and to his left was the pilot. Since Peter had no experience flying, he was grateful a qualified pilot lived in the city and was willing to assist. His real name was Dean, but he requested everyone call him Ace in reference to some ancient flying tradition Peter had never heard of, but considering he was going to fly them to safety, Peter was willing to grant the request.

While he waited for everyone to get set, Peter's eyes swept across the cockpit, examining everything. Although most of the controls were holographic, hovering in translucent lines of light above the console, there were manual backups for everything in case of trouble. No windows marked the front of the cockpit as they would've presented too great a danger for potential breaches. Advanced sensors had been installed to read exterior conditions and project a hologram on the interior surface of the cockpit in a resemblance of a window.

Because of the corrosive gas outside the dome, the exterior hull of the ship had been crafted of the same highly resistant material of the dome. It would serve to protect the vessel for the short time it was exposed to the cloud. The only things currently concerning Peter were the engines. Unable to hide them behind layers of insulation, the engines would be in direct contact with the gas cloud upon liftoff. It was a calculated guess as to whether the engines would hold together long enough to reach another world.

A light flickered on his status board, indicating all crew were ready for launch.

"Ready, Ace," Peter reported to the pilot.

"Ignition!" Ace replied over his shoulder as he activated the main drives.

A tremor reverberated through the vessel as the engines powered up and began to apply thrust against the launching pad. Utilizing an antigravity system, the escape ship surrounded itself in a field of nongravity, essentially making it weigh nothing, and allowing the large thrusters to push the massive craft easily in any direction desired. The thrusters fired, spewing jets of blue fire, and the ship lifted off the ground.

Ace pushed a button on his console to trigger the dissolver charges on the dome above them. When activated, the dissolver charges released an energy burst capable of nullifying atomic bonds. The affected portion of the dome broke apart into individual atoms, allowing the ship to pass through unscathed as the brownish clouds of toxin poured inside the abandoned city.

Peter watched the display in front of his chair and noticed circular indicators appear above the other cities as the different domes launched their own vessels. Because of the opacity of the clouds, he couldn't see the other ships except on his sensor screen. When they reached orbit, he'd get a better look at them.

A gauge on Peter's status board was of particular interest, and his eyes came back to look at it frequently. The indicator showed engine efficiency and power levels. Peter watched it because he knew if the ship took any damage from the clouds, it would register in the unprotected engines first. The numbers, holding relatively stable, suddenly began to drop.

"Ace," Peter said in warning.

"Yeah, I see it," Ace acknowledged. "I'm using the emergency landing thrusters to give us additional lift."

"Won't we need those later?" Peter questioned.

"Not if we stall out before reaching orbit," Ace replied. "We're losing thrust by the second, and if the engines give out before we reach minimum altitude, we're going to come crashing right back down."

Peter swallowed hard and kept further questions to himself. He didn't want to distract Ace from his job, but more importantly, the answers weren't helping Peter stay calm.

The vessel shook slightly as one of the thrusters was compromised and exploded. Ace adjusted the controls in an attempt to even out their flight path. Another thruster broke down under the corrosive touch of the toxins outside the vessel, and a series of secondary systems overloaded as the ship was pushed beyond its designed capabilities to break through the final layer of clouds and enter the vacuum of space.

Ace powered down the engines, pressing a key to silence the warning alerts for damaged and nonfunctioning components.

"We've reached orbit," Ace told Peter. The pilot's focus was on various displays showing the damage the ship had taken in passing through the polluted atmosphere. "But, it looks like that's all we'll be able to do. Engines have taken severe damage, and it's unlikely they'll be able to get us anywhere without blowing up at worst or spinning us in circles at best."

"So, what's the bad news?" Peter asked, attempting to lighten the mood with a touch of humor.

"We left a dying city to die in orbit," Ace grumbled.

"Will you relax?" Peter questioned. "Stop being so negative. We were trapped on a dying world, but we managed to build an escape ship and reach orbit. And, I might point out, we are not alone."

Peter tapped the console displaying the images of the other ships launched from different cities.

"They might not be in any better condition than we are," Ace suggested.

"We're still alive.  Until we're dead, I refuse to worry about it," Peter said firmly. He didn't feel half as confident as he sounded, but people would be looking to him for guidance. Peter understood that once a person gave up, keeping them alive would become next to impossible. Hope would sustain them as much as their ships, and he needed to preserve their hope if they were to have any chance at survival. "Contact the other ships and get their condition and situation reports. I also want repair teams to suit up and examine the engines directly and see what can be fixed, patched, or salvaged."

"You might want to check that out first," Ace suggested, pointing to a different screen on the right side of the cockpit.

"It can't be," Peter breathed in disbelief. "Those ships belong to the Eastern Affiliates."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Ace said. "But, didn't the Eastern Affiliates start the war responsible for poisoning the planet?"

"No one knows who started the war between the Easter Affiliates and the Western Conglomerate," Peter replied. "No one even knows who let the toxins out. At this point, it doesn't really matter. The future of humanity is hanging in the balance, and I don't want old feuds destroying the progress we've made. Pass the word to all ships, under no circumstances are they to engage the Easter Affiliates' ships. They are to maintain their distance. We're going to go talk to them."

"Are you crazy?" Ace stammered.

"I just might be," Peter stated. "If they took as much damage as our ships, perhaps an alliance might be in everyone's best interests. The war ended because both sides were too busy fighting for their own survival to bother trying to finish off their opponent. I'm hoping that survival instinct is still as strong; it could help us maintain the peace. The other alternative is to finish the war and the human species right here."

                                                                                          ***

Peter swallowed hard and brushed his palms against the outside of his pants legs. He had no training as an ambassador, but cooperation between the ships now in orbit of a dead world might be humanity's only hope of reaching a new home. He had to try, no matter how uneasy it made him feel.

The ship trembled slightly as the magnetic latches secured the two spacecraft together for docking. The hatch seals engaged, and the light over the airlock switched from red to green.

Peter pressed the button to open the hatch and stepped into the airlock. Reaching over to the bronze colored metal of the opposing ship, he knocked three times. A hiss of equalizing air pressure sounded a moment before the airlock opened and Peter found himself staring down the barrels of at least four different guns; he noticed several people behind the group at the airlock, and he assumed they had guns, but he kept his focus centered on the first four.

"Greetings," Peter said, looking from the guns to the men holding them. "I'm Peter McKinnon, leader of this ship."

"I'm Cheng Luo," responded the leader of the gunmen.  Almond shaped eyes beneath shortly cropped black hair watched Peter suspiciously. "I command the remnant of the Eastern Affiliates."

"Good to meet you," Peter said. "Would you mind lowering your guns?"

"This is our ship," Luo stated. "What do you want?"

"The same as you," Peter answered while trying to seem as calm as possible with four or more guns pointed at him. "My people and I want to live."

"Then you shouldn't have poisoned the world," Luo spoke harshly.

"I'm not here to discuss the past, or fight old wars," Peter said quickly. He needed to keep the conversation civil, and talking about who was to be blamed for what could only end badly. "I'm here to speak with you about our future."

"What is our future to you," Luo questioned.

"Our ships were damaged coming through the cloud," Peter explained. "I assume yours were as well."

Luo didn't answer, and Peter took the silence for confirmation.

"Since we're going to have to cannibalize parts to create a working engine system capable of getting us to the next planet, it only makes sense for us to have the most amount of resources possible to ensure success," Peter explained, speaking quickly before his sense of self-preservation overruled his courage. "I suggest we work together to build a functioning thrust system to reach the nearest planet where we can establish a new colony for the future of mankind. Are you interested in assisting in this?"