Shadows Within

Chapter 13

The hum of the Stardust had always been a comforting lullaby, a constant reminder of the metal shell that kept the hungry void at bay. Now, it felt like a strained whisper, a fragile thread stretched to its breaking point. Lena found herself constantly adjusting the sensitivity on her helmet comms, convinced she was hearing voices just beyond the static, soft, sibilant sounds that slithered into her thoughts like cold tendrils. She’d chalked it up to fatigue, the endless dark playing tricks on her eyes, but the feeling of being watched, of unseen eyes tracing her movements across the alien debris, was becoming a gnawing certainty.

“Anything, Aris?” Captain Rostova’s voice, usually steady, held a tremor of weariness. She stood by the main viewport, her gaze fixed on the colossal, derelict ship hanging in the blackness like a forgotten god. The Stardust, dwarfed by its silent majesty, felt like a child’s toy next to a slumbering titan.