The Silent Drift

The ship, Eclipse, hung motionless in the vast void of space. Lieutenant Mara Ellison adjusted her helmet, her breath fogging the visor slightly as she stared at the enormous derelict vessel in front of her. It loomed like a ghost—silent, cold, and ancient. No markings. No transponder. Just a monolithic shape against the endless stars.

“Captain,” Mara’s voice crackled through the comms. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

Captain Jules Carter’s voice came through calm and resolute. “Noted, Lieutenant. But that thing didn’t drift into our sector by coincidence. If there’s any chance of salvage or intel, we need to explore it.”

Mara sighed, glancing at her crewmate, Engineer Deacon Hale, who was already prying open the hatch of their shuttle. His face was lit with excitement. “You’re too eager for someone who’s about to board a ghost ship,” Mara muttered.

Deacon grinned. “Come on, Mara. We’re explorers. What’s life without a little danger?”

With a hiss, the airlock opened, revealing the corridor of the derelict ship. Darkness swallowed the light from their helmets, and the silence was oppressive.

“Stay close,” Jules instructed. “We’re not splitting up.”

The team moved cautiously, their boots clanging on the metallic floor. The interior was alien yet eerily familiar, with corridors and terminals that bore signs of technology far beyond Earth’s capabilities.

“It’s like the ship’s been dead for centuries,” Deacon whispered.

“Then why does it feel like we’re being watched?” Mara replied, her hand tightening around her sidearm.

---

The team reached what appeared to be the command center. The consoles were dark, but strange symbols flickered faintly on the walls, pulsing in rhythm with the hum that seemed to vibrate through the ship.

“These markings,” Deacon said, running his gloved hand over them, “are some kind of language. But it’s… alive.”

As he spoke, a low hum intensified. The walls began to glow, illuminating a massive chamber ahead.

“What did you touch?” Mara demanded, stepping back.

“Nothing! I think it’s—”

The ship shuddered, and a voice echoed around them. A deep, resonant tone that wasn’t human.

“Why have you come?”

Jules froze. “Who’s there? We mean no harm.”

The voice seemed to resonate in their minds. “You are intruders in the Drift. This ship was not abandoned. It was sealed. You have broken the seal.”

Mara’s heart raced as lights flickered around them, revealing humanoid shapes embedded in the walls—motionless but intact, their eyes glowing faintly.

“Captain…” Mara whispered. “I think we’ve woken them up.”

Jules gripped his weapon. “We’re leaving. Now.”

The lights intensified, and the figures began to stir, their movements unnatural and jerky. One turned its head toward Mara, its mouth moving soundlessly before the voice echoed again.

“Join us. Or flee. You cannot undo what has begun.”

Jules didn’t wait. “Back to the shuttle. Move!”

The team sprinted down the corridor, the walls pulsing as if alive. Behind them, the figures emerged, their glowing eyes fixed on the fleeing humans.

As the Eclipse blasted away, the derelict ship began to hum louder, its structure shifting. Mara watched from the viewport, her breath shallow.

“What do you think that was?” Deacon asked, his voice trembling.

Jules stared at the growing glow of the derelict in the distance. “A warning. And maybe the last one we’ll ever get.”