[s3e4] Sabotage 〈2024〉

The hum of the deep-space harvester Ishimura II was a comforting lullaby until the rhythm broke. In the silence of the Maintenance Sub-deck, Kael watched the diagnostic screen flicker red. The oxygen scrubbers weren't just failing; they were being systematically overridden.

"The company sends their regards, Captain," Marcus said, his voice barely audible over the sirens. "The insurance on the cargo is worth more than the crew."

On the bridge, Captain Vane stared at the star map. They were days from the nearest colony, hauling a payload of volatile Tibanna gas. "Manual? Kael, that area is restricted to Level 4 clearance. Only you, me, and the Executive Officer have those codes." [S3E4] Sabotage

Vane turned to her Executive Officer, Marcus, whose face remained a mask of calm. Too calm. He wasn't looking at the alarms; he was looking at his watch.

"Command, we have a breach in the logic gate," Kael whispered into his comms. "It’s not a malfunction. Someone pulled the thermal pins manually." The hum of the deep-space harvester Ishimura II

The lights on the bridge flickered. Suddenly, the gravity plating groaned, and the floor tilted ten degrees. Panic surged through the crew as the artificial gravity began to cycle on and off, a strobe effect for the inner ear.

Vane reached for her sidearm, but the gravity cut out entirely. In the weightless chaos of the bridge, the race was no longer about saving the ship, but stopping the man who had already decided they were dead. "The company sends their regards, Captain," Marcus said,

"It’s not just the scrubbers," Kael shouted over the grinding metal. "They’re venting the fuel cells. Captain, whoever is doing this isn't trying to steal the ship—they’re trying to turn it into a supernova."