Lira Voss

Log Entry 3162.10.29 Situation Summary: Communications Officer Lira Voss — Communications Deck, Secured Room B-12. Status: Sealed inside comms room after initial Hive contact in lower decks. Objective: Attempt to send emergency transmission off-ship. Power status: Emergency backup only. Signal interference increasing. --- Chapter XVIII — Communications Officer Lira Voss The hum of the emergency generator was her only companion. Every flicker of the holo-panel reminded her that she was running out of time. The Vigilant Dawn’s main relays were compromised, likely by the same thing that had killed—or transformed—so many of her crewmates. She keyed the transmitter again, praying the message would break through the interference. > “Mayday, Mayday! This is Lira Voss of the ISS Vigilant Dawn. We—” Static. The voice that responded was not one she expected. It wasn’t a reply from an Imperial station, nor a patrol vessel—it was garbled… layered. A faint whisper beneath the interference, repeating words she didn’t say. > “…Vigilant… Dawn… Lira…” Her hand froze. The voice was mimicking her, echoing her own tone. Heart pounding, she yanked the handset away from her ear. Sealed inside the comms room, the walls suddenly felt thinner, like they weren’t keeping her safe at all. She glanced at the internal monitors. Flickers of movement in the hallways, shadows crawling too long and thin. > “I know you’re in there,” she whispered to herself. “I don’t care what you are, I’m not going to—” Another screech of static interrupted her. The communications console lit up with dozens of incoming SOS pings. Crewmen she recognized—and some she didn’t—sending desperate calls for help. One by one, the pings cut off mid-transmission. Some ended with what sounded like screaming, others with silence. Lira swallowed hard. There was no time to mourn, no time to be afraid. If she didn’t get the message out soon, no one would know what had happened.