May Write Away 1

The air crackled with the oncoming blast of ions. Thera shuddered in her harness, trying to stay focused on the controls, trying to punch in the right command each moment to keep the reactor from going critical, trying to keep the ship on course, trying to avoid the swirl of cosmic dust and gas trying to melt the Stormin Norman in the heart of a star aborning.
"Warning. Emergency evacuation protocol is in effect. Please proceed to escape pod," the main computer's voice chimed for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Thera, the reactor's fuel balance is nearing total instability. Your training does not include maintaining it and piloting the ship simultaneously." Her suit's A.I. whispered via her cochlear implant.
"I know, Melvin," she whispered, keeping her fingers moving and the rest of her mind focused on the too-many tasks at hand.
A more violent shudder racked the ship.
"Thera, the escape pods are ready. Everyone else is in them. The fleet is on its way to pick us up. There's no reason to continue."
"Yeah, no reason except the look on my dad's face when he sees the other side of this nebula." She couldn't help but smirk, continuing to send commands to the reactor's dueling fuel cores, pumping liquid hydrogen and liquid anti-hydrogen into and out of each as the other's level increased or decreased.
The next shudder felt weaker. She checked the sensor screen.
"Time to nebula boundary?" she thought.
"Two minutes thirty seconds. Mark!" came Melvin's reply.

She allowed herself a moment, a breath, allowed herself a smile now that they were almost out of-
"THERA!" Melvin screamed. "LOSS OF ANTIMATTER CONTAINMENT! SIX SECONDS TO DETONATION!"
She fumbled for her harness, fumbled across the cockpit to the release switch for the other pods. One hand flipped the switch, the other pushed the hatch control for the pilot's pod hatch.
The other pods rocketed away at near-light speed.
The pilot pod hatch didn't respond.
She pressed it again.

No response. The screen had gone dark.
No power. The reactor wasn't providing any more power as it vaporized itself.
No hope.

Fleet Command officially christened the newly-formed star Thera2420.