The Erebus was humanity’s last hope. A colossal ark, carrying the remnants of a dying Earth, it was built to shepherd the final survivors across the stars to a new home—a habitable world known as Eos-7, nearly a hundred light-years away. The journey would take decades, but cryosleep would ease the burden, allowing the passengers to awaken in a world of new beginnings.
Captain Elias Rourke stood at the bridge, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out into the endless void. The ship had been traveling for seventeen years without issue, its course meticulously calculated by the ship’s AI, Solace. But something had gone wrong.
“Solace, report our position,” Rourke commanded, his voice steady despite the growing unease in his chest.
A slight pause, then the AI’s smooth voice replied, “Unknown.”
That single word sent a ripple of tension through the bridge crew. Unknown? That was impossible. The ship’s navigation systems were flawless, its star maps meticulously charted.
Lieutenant Mira Valdez, the ship’s chief navigator, frantically worked the control panel. “We should be somewhere near the Eos system, but…” She trailed off, her face pale as she scanned the data. “Captain, none of these star patterns match.”
Rourke turned sharply. “What do you mean?”
“I mean we’re not anywhere near Eos-7. We’re not even in a recognizable sector of the galaxy.”
The weight of her words settled over the bridge like a lead blanket. The ship had strayed off course—no, worse, it had been completely displaced.
“How?” Rourke demanded. “Solace, what happened?”
Another pause, then: “A gravitational anomaly was detected twelve hours ago. Course correction was attempted, but the phenomenon exceeded computational prediction. The Erebus was pulled into an uncharted region of space.”
Rourke exchanged a look with Valdez. “Why weren’t we alerted?”
“All crew were in cryosleep. Awakening protocol was delayed due to interference from the anomaly.”
“Can we retrace our path?” Valdez asked, desperation creeping into her tone.
Negative.” Solace’s response was final. “The anomaly has dissipated. No known route back.”
Rourke exhaled slowly, containing the panic threatening to bubble up. He couldn’t afford fear. Not now. He turned to his crew, their expressions mirroring his own dread. They were alone. Lost.
But they were still alive.
“Alright,” he said, voice firm. “We need to focus on what we do know. Status of the ship?”
Lieutenant Doran, the chief engineer, checked his readings. “Engines are functional. FTL drive is intact, but without coordinates, jumping could send us deeper into the unknown. Life support is stable, but…” He hesitated. “Our food and water supply were calculated for the journey to Eos-7. We can’t sustain the entire population indefinitely.”
Rourke nodded grimly. The Erebus carried over fifty thousand human survivors in cryosleep. Their hope had been Eos-7, a paradise waiting to be colonized. But now, without a clear destination, their survival was uncertain.
“We need to find a habitable planet,” Rourke said. “Valdez, scan for nearby systems.”
She worked quickly, her fingers flying over the console. The seconds stretched into agonizing minutes before she exhaled sharply. “There’s a system within sublight range. One planet shows an oxygen-rich atmosphere.”
It was the only chance they had. “Set course,” Rourke ordered.
The Erebus glided through the dark, engines humming softly. But as they neared the system, a new problem arose.
“Captain,” Valdez whispered, eyes wide with horror. “We’re not alone.”
A massive structure loomed ahead. A station, ancient and derelict, floating lifelessly in the abyss. It was impossibly large, stretching for miles, its blackened hull riddled with signs of decay.
The bridge was silent. Solace finally broke it. “No known records of this station exist.”
“What are the chances it has supplies?” Doran asked.
“Unknown.”
Rourke considered their options. The planet was still hours away, and if the station held food, water, or even star maps, it could be the key to their survival.
“We send a team,” he decided. “Minimum personnel. We need answers.”
He assembled a team of six, including Valdez and Doran. Armed with plasma rifles, they took a shuttle to the station’s airlock. The interior was dark and silent, the air stale. The walls were etched with unknown symbols, faded with time.
As they ventured deeper, they found remnants of an alien civilization. Desks overturned, rusted machinery, shattered glass. Whatever had once lived here was long gone.
“This place is ancient,” Valdez murmured. “How is it still intact?”
Doran examined a control panel, dusting off the screen. “Maybe we can pull some data from this.”
As he activated the panel, the station hummed to life. Dim emergency lights flickered, casting eerie shadows.
A sudden noise—a skittering sound in the darkness.
The team froze.
“Did you hear that?” one of the crew muttered.
Then came the whisper. A voice, faint and distorted, drifting through the air.
“Who… are… you?”
Valdez gasped, stepping back. “That’s impossible.”
The screen Doran had activated flickered, revealing a garbled image. Not human. Its form was shrouded, its voice crackling through the centuries.
“You… are lost.”
Rourke swallowed. “Yes. Can you help us?”
Silence. Then: “Flee.”
The lights flickered again. And then they saw them—figures, shifting in the shadows, eyes glowing dimly.
“Back to the shuttle!” Rourke shouted.
The figures moved fast. Too fast. The team fired their weapons, but the shots barely slowed the creatures. They ran, breath ragged, sprinting down the corridors as the station groaned around them.
They barely made it. As the shuttle’s doors sealed, Rourke looked back to see the station shaking, lights flaring like a dying star.
As they launched, a final message crackled through the ship’s comms:
“Your kind was never meant to be here.”
The Erebus fled, pushing toward the planet with all available speed. As they broke through the atmosphere, a lush world unfolded beneath them—a world untouched, wild, and alive.
A new home.
But Rourke knew they had not escaped unscathed.
Something in the dark had seen them.
And it knew they were here.