Kalen Dorr

Log Entry: 3162.10.26 Situation Summary: Lower decks remain without power. Life-support steady at 43%. Security teams reduced to two active personnel after Deck 7 decompression. Unidentified motion detected in Section C, though scanners show no life signatures. Security Chief Kalen Dorr conducting manual sweep of affected corridors. --- Chapter V — Security Chief Kalen Dorr The corridor was dark except for the pulse of his helmet light. Security Chief Kalen Dorr moved with a soldier’s caution—rifle raised, every step measured, silent except for the soft creak of his armor joints. “Deck Seven clear,” he said into his comm, though no one answered. Static hissed in his ear. He frowned. “Bridge, confirm—am I coming through?” Still nothing. He swore under his breath and switched channels. The hum of the ship echoed faintly—a deep, throbbing groan that made the air feel alive. The kind of sound that got under the skin. Kalen reached a junction where the walls were scorched black from the pirate attack. The bulkhead metal had twisted inward, as if melted. His visor scan flickered—faint motion ahead, then gone. “Hello?” he called out softly. “Anyone there?” No reply. He crept forward, scanning the dark. Then he saw it—a smear of something wet and glistening trailing along the floor, vanishing around the corner. It wasn’t blood. The sheen was thicker, almost iridescent. His grip tightened. “This is Dorr,” he whispered, more to himself than to the dead comm. “If anyone’s listening—there’s something moving down here.” The air felt heavy, damp. His motion tracker blinked erratically, picking up multiple blips… then none. He stepped closer. Something dripped from the ceiling, striking his armor with a soft tap. He aimed his light upward. For a heartbeat, he thought the walls were breathing. Then the power flickered—and everything went black.