In the ensuing days, the relentless efforts of the escape pod’s sensors bore fruit. They painted a picture of the distant object that took shape in the digital canvas of the pod’s main console. To Gan’s growing excitement, it bore all the hallmarks of a starship.

  In the wake of this revelation, Gan threw himself into deciphering the ship’s enigmatic features. His fingers danced across the controls, pulling threads of data from the sensor feeds, his eyes aglow with the thrill of discovery.

  Subtle, spectral whispers pulsated through the incoming data, bearing the unmistakable signature of a life-support system. This suggested the tantalizing possibility that the starship was not an empty husk floating in the void, but a vessel teeming with life.

  Gan dismissed the prospect of the ship belonging to the Marau, for their footprints had never marked the celestial sands of this system. And yet, the same logic also dashed his hopes of encountering a fellow Ellurian. His heart ached at the truth, but a glimmer of hope remained. Maybe, just maybe, the ship’s occupants belonged to one of the many friendly races the Ellurians had chanced upon in their cosmic wanderings. Or, perhaps, they were an unknown entity, peaceful and welcoming.

  As the distance between him and his destination diminished, Gan could feel his pulse matching the rhythm of the ticking chronometer. His solitary existence had been a tempest of despair and fear, broken only by sparks of hope. The prospect of meeting others, of exchanging words or even smiles, was a beacon in the shadows, a prospect that was as exhilarating as it was daunting.

  After what felt like an eternity, the escape pod entered orbit around the moon, and Gan was able to get a clear view of the craft. He was amazed by what he saw. The craft, sleek in its aerodynamic design, was reminiscent of the majestic Laguria sea creatures native to his home world, Elluri. Its elongated body, bisected by a midline, held a smooth and gently rounded dorsal hump, not unlike the back of a Laguria swimming against the underwater currents.

  Two wing-like appendages swept back from its sides, their stubby structures imbuing the craft with an illusion of speed even while static. The metallic hull was an intricate patchwork of panels, ports, and apertures, a testament to the complexity of human engineering.

  Gan’s attention was drawn to the shuttle’s stern where three colossal power structures nested. They appeared to be equivalent to his ship’s propulsion matrix. These mighty cylinders were dormant now, yet Gan could imagine the raw force they’d unleashed, their fiery breath propelling the craft into the cosmos.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Its overall design, while different from his own Ellurian technology, spoke of a civilization that the dream of reaching the stars had touched. It looked as though it had been in a battle, with multiple holes in the hull and scorch marks covering the exterior. Despite its condition, Gan was intrigued by the ship and decided to investigate further.

  The pod’s sensors, despite their relentless efforts, failed to produce a definitive verdict on the presence of life aboard the ship. They hummed and whirred, casting electronic tendrils into the void, but the answers they sought remained elusive.

  Immersed in the silent embrace of the cosmos, Gan found himself caught within an expanding bubble of anticipation and uncertainty. This infinite expanse of time, a byproduct of his lunar journey, became a canvas for his contemplations. With each passing second, his thoughts spiraled out into the nebulous unknown of the forthcoming encounter.

  Acting on instinct and training, he initiated a broadcasting sequence. His fingers danced over the communication panel with practiced ease, launching a series of hailing messages that rippled out into the silent void. Each transmission was like casting a stone into a still pond, the ripples propagating outward, hoping to reach receptive shores. The words he crafted were concise, neutral, and drafted to serve a single purpose: to establish contact with the starship’s crew.

  The escape pod’s computer would have broadcast these messages in a carousel of languages known to the sentient species of the cosmos. Common Galactic, Ellurian, Marau, and several others—all poured into the vast expanse of space like whispers on a cosmic wind. Each language was another key, hoping to unlock the silent door that the starship had become.

  Yet, the void reciprocated his efforts with silence. The communication line remained cold, devoid of the welcoming warmth of a reply. His hailing messages echoed into the depths of space, swallowed whole by the cosmic wilderness. He sent message after message, a beacon persistently pushing against the engulfing darkness, yet the ominous silence persisted.

  Multiple possibilities loomed before him, each cast in the shadow of uncertainty. Was the starship deserted, its crew long gone, leaving only their silent vessel as testament to their presence? Or was it that his messages were slipping undetected beneath the starship’s radar, lost amidst the sea of cosmic signals? A more disheartening thought was that the starship’s inhabitants had ignored his hails, their indifference a cold mirror to the vastness of space.

  Each unanswered call amplified the tension within him, adding another layer to the enigma he was trying to unravel. The silence was deafening, yet he resolved to continue his attempts, navigating the vast ocean of uncertainty with unwavering determination.

  DAMN! he thought.

  Gan had used up half of his fuel to get here, and now it looked like it might have been a wasted effort.

  Could the ship’s crew have abandoned it or been taken as spoils of some unknown intergalactic war? There was no actual way to know without more data, and he would not acquire it just by staying here.

  Well, he was in this far, Gan mused. He might as well go all in.

  mysterious starship resting on a distant moon. But now, he’s met with silence. No response to his hails, no sign of life, just an eerie, battle-scarred vessel floating in the void.

  Is the ship abandoned, its crew long gone? Or is something—or someone—still inside, watching in silence?

  Drop your theories in the comments! ??

  favorite, rate, or leave a review—it really helps more than you know! ?? Thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter!