Hive. Kalen Dorr

Log Entry 3162.10.29 Situation Summary: Security Chief Kalen Dorr — Security Decks 2–4. Status: Investigating missing personnel reports and abnormal activity in lower decks. Anomalies: Physiological and neurological interference detected. Suspected source: Unknown—potential Hive infiltration. --- Chapter XIX — Security Chief Kalen Dorr Kalen had always trusted his instincts. The quiet of the ship should have been comforting—a lull between shifts—but the corridors were too silent. Even the hum of the auxiliary power felt… off. As he turned a corner near the crew barracks, he saw movement. At first, he thought it was a surviving crew member, but the figure wasn’t right. Limbs stretched beyond normal proportions, head tilted at an unnatural angle. Before he could react, a subtle pulse hit him in the chest, like a vibration through the air that resonated inside his bones. His vision blurred, and whispers echoed in his head—not words, not speech, but thought patterns that weren’t his own. > We are the ship. We are inevitable. Kalen staggered. He shook his head violently, trying to clear the sensation. The figure stepped closer, yet it didn’t move through space in a normal way—it seemed to glide, merging with shadows. The whispers grew insistent, weaving through his thoughts, probing memories, highlighting fears. Each command he had ever given, every tactical choice he had made, was being reviewed and judged. > We can improve you. We can complete you. Muscle memory kicked in. He reached for his sidearm—but his hand trembled uncontrollably. His own body no longer felt entirely his own. Reflexes that had served him in years of combat were now shared with something else. By the time he realized what was happening, the Hive had tasted his fear, his strength, his authority—and he felt it coiling inside him. Not just a parasite, but a new rhythm, a guidance system that whispered solutions, calculations, and orders far beyond his own.