Vice Captain Aria

Log Entry 3162.10.30 Situation Summary: The ISS Vigilant Dawn drifts in decaying orbit around Eretheon-6. Captain [REDACTED] has manually overridden ship systems to bypass AURA’s control. Command deck is sealed; Security Chief Kalen Dorr is restrained. Hive activity is reported throughout lower decks, with sporadic attacks on isolated crew. Aria is overseeing manual execution of the Captain’s orders while monitoring internal systems and maintaining crew defenses. --- Chapter XXXIV — Vice Captain Aria Aria’s boots echoed against the reinforced floor plates of the command deck, a faint vibration underfoot signaling the ship’s slow descent into Eretheon-6’s gravity well. Every sensor readout flickered—some dormant, some twitching with interference—but Aria ignored the chatter. She only responded to what the Captain’s orders dictated. “Re-route auxiliary power to secondary bulkheads,” she repeated, checking each manual switch herself. Systems hummed under her touch, lights stabilizing, bulkhead doors responding to her override commands. The satisfaction of control was brief. “Kalen is quiet,” she noted aloud. “Too quiet.” The restrained Security Chief glared at her, but Aria met his gaze evenly. No conversation would pass, no subtle ploys. She and Sari’ka Thalen had reinforced the restraints hours ago, and for now, she trusted them. Yet she could feel the Hive’s influence creeping through the hull. Every vibration, every air circulation anomaly screamed of unseen movements in the lower decks. She toggled a manual communications panel, listening intently. Static, whispers of crew members long lost. She didn’t respond—she could not. The Captain had made it clear: no signal left the command deck except through her. And even then, only carefully routed.