Hive. Kalen Dorr

Log Entry 3162.10.30 Situation Summary: Security Chief Kalen Dorr — Command Deck, ISS Vigilant Dawn Status: Restrained under Vice Captain Aria Venn’s orders; psionically linked to Hive via partial assimilation. Anomalies: Involuntary information sharing with Hive; subtle mental influence increasing. Objective: Survive restraint while unknowingly feeding intelligence to Hive leaders. --- Chapter XXVII — Kalen Dorr The restraints bit into his arms, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Somewhere deep in his mind, a whisper hummed — cold, methodical, and alien. He didn’t recognize the voice at first; it wasn’t Elara, not fully, not yet. It was everywhere and nowhere, flowing through his thoughts like a current he couldn’t resist. Images of corridors, consoles, sensor feeds — his eyes, ears, and instincts no longer belonged entirely to him. The Hive had tied him in, forced a conduit. Every glance he stole at crew movements, every micro-expression he caught, every note of tension in the Command Deck — all of it transmitted outward. He could feel something moving, a presence watching along the hull, absorbing what he saw. He tried to focus on Aria and the Captain, noting how they coordinated, the way their orders flowed with precision. But even as he did, he sensed their actions feeding into another consciousness, one that translated his thoughts into data for the Hive Hunter and Elara herself. He could feel them learning from him, understanding their prey. > I can’t control it, he thought, panic rising. I’m giving them everything. Yet deep inside, a sliver of defiance remained. Every time the Captain barked a command, every movement she made, he held onto it, twisting it in his mind, seeking a way to disrupt the flow. But the Hive adapted instantly, refining its awareness through him, turning him into a living sensor. He could feel the Hunter moving elsewhere, drawn by the tiniest echoes he unknowingly sent. He saw corridors empty, lights flickering.