Every family traverses through difficult times throughout their lives. And Issac Clarke's family is no exception to those regulations.
With his father, Poul Clarke, on an extended mission as a ship architect for the Galactic Union Merchant Marine Corps, Issac would spend most of his childhood with his mother, Octavia Clarke, alone without ever meeting or knowing his father.
But the one thing Issac did inherit from his father was his external fascination for ship architecture, which Issac used to receive an education in electrical and mechanical engineering and would have majored in a prominent engineering College. Unfortunately, he would be unable to afford it because of his mother.
Because of her husband's comprehensive absence, Octavia suffers from mental loneliness and depression for many years. Octavia would keep herself locked up in her room for most of the day, crying herself to sleep while holding a picture of her husband close to her. Despite Issac's many attempts to be there for her and help her up from her depression, Octavia would just not accept his help.
This would lead her to seek psychiatric help. Where there, Octavia would receive much helpful persuasion to find something meaningful to do for her community. And this is where Octavia would find the consolation needed for her depression.
The Church Of Unitology.
A religious organization founded two hundred years ago when a geophysicist named Michael Altman supposedly uncovered an alien artifact called the Black Marker and later exposed its existence to Humanity. However, this act would have Michael Altman mysteriously assassinated by an unknown party, and his death was made into a martyr by the people to create Unitology and a belief that higher beings created the Marker to help humanity transcend beyond the stars.
This belief would later spread across Humanity as the largest religious group in the world.
It was because of the Unitoligy's heavy influence and reputation that it easily brainwashed Octavia Clarke to become a highly decorative member of the Church. Her absolute devotion caused her to recklessly contribute her family assets to Unitology, not understanding or realizing the negative impact it would have on her son's life.
Seeing his mother was so brainwashed by Unitology and wouldn't change her mind for any reason, no matter what, Issac had no choice but to send her away to get serious help, whether she wanted to or not.
(-Medical Facility-)
Issac always held a deep grudge against Unitology. Because of them, he couldn't enroll in a prominent engineering college because his mother carelessly donated every money they had to the Church. Luckily, he was able to enroll in a lesser-known college thanks to numerous scholarships and financial assistance offered to him and graduate from there with high honors.
He later enrolled in the Galactic Union Merchant Marine Corps, just like his father, and worked to be promoted to a high-profile position that's close to that of Major Shipping Lanes. However, the sudden receiving reports that Octavia's mental health was worsening further caused Issac's career to stagnate. From there, Issac reluctantly had no choice but to move his mother into a particular psychiatric medical facility for treatment.
He blames it all on Unitology. It's all their fault. And him, sitting in the Facility, treating his mother, inflates the hatred within him for what they did.
"Issac Clarke,"
Said person snaps out of his inner thoughts before standing up to see a neck-length blonde-haired woman with a holographic tablet in her hands. "Uh, yeah, That's me," Issac informs her of who he is. "I'm here to visit my mother, Octavia Clarke."
The woman scrolls through her tablet for a few seconds until smiling in confirmation. "Ah, yes, Octavia has a visit scheduled with her son today, wonderful." She says pleasingly before looking at Issac. "My name is Dr.Nicole Brennan, Medical Officer. I was assigned to look after Octavia's progress."
"Nice to meet you, Dr.Brennan," Issac greets the blonde medical officer, smiling back at her.
"Alright then, follow me," Nicole instructs the man, which he does, to come with her as they traverse through the facility room entrance.
"I hope my mother's getting the help she needs here." Issac couldn't help but express his concerns to the blonde medical officer.
"That's what we're here for Issac." Nicole easily assures her patient's son. "And trust me, Octavia is not my first mental patient to be brainwashed by Unitology."
Nicole's last statement would take Issac by surprise. "You help people get out of Unitology?"
Nicole nods in proud confirmation. "Yes, I specialized in counseling patients to leave Unitology for the better. That's why your mother was assigned to me." She says, explaining her occupation in this facility. "I promise you, Issac, I won't let Unitology have their way with her anymore."
Issac is left astonished by Nicole's commitment to her job. He has never met anyone else who feels the same way he does about how corruptible Unitology is. The sheer dedication and compassion she expressed in her words had lit something within the man, a lit of admiration for the woman.
And almost affectional for her.
(-Space-)
For as long as they knew, Humanity was slowly dying. With the overpopulation rate and deprivation of resources, pollution, and political unrest, Earth was on the verge of total collapse. The warning signs were there, screaming at them. But ignorant as they are, they ignored them all. And now, the consequences were irreversible.
To prevent their demise, Humanity boldly initiated a project to expand their reach beyond into the stars, encompassing Earth and its colonial territories. But despite this effort, it did not eliminate the ongoing crisis of resource decline.
Which, a resolution was met, planet cracking. The Concordance Extraction Corporation, aka the CEC, is a public trading company. And also the forefront of the deep space mining industry. The CEC was responsible for providing resources to numerous colonies, credited to their creation of giant planet-cracking class starships.
Boom
One such starship just so happens to arrive from shock-point speed. But this starship wasn't just any of the CEC's most recent designs. It was the oldest and the first to be built. The first was installed with a shock-point drive when invented by a man named Hideki Ishimura.
Said person was also honored to have this ship named after him, the USG Ishimura. And right now, the Ishimura is on another planet-cracking mission as it flies toward a gray-colored planet in the Cygnus system, Aegis 7.
As the ship inches closer to the planet, a secret conversation transmits from both sides.
"Aegis Colony, this is the USG Ishimura, respond over."
"This is Aegis Colony. We hear you loud and clear, Ishimura."
"What is your extraction status of the artifact?"
"I'm afraid there's been a delay in the extraction."
"Explain?"
"Unexplained absences and violent incidents reported among the colonists and unknown interface generated from the discovery site, over."
"Acknowledged. Ishimura will arrive at the station within twenty-four hours and be on standby until transport is ready for pick up. Our chief scientist, Dr.Kyne, will be on board and will coordinate experiments."
"Altman be praised."
(-five days later-)
Cold.
Everything felt strangely cold to Ethan Clarke the moment he woke. Confused, his hazel eyes gazed at the dark sky above him as he lay on the uneven concrete ground. But he suddenly realized that the sky wasn't a sky, but the dark void of outer space.
Pushing himself to his feet, Ethan tries to take in his surroundings. He looks to be in the middle of a colorless rocky landscape with a fog covering the entire atmosphere. No sound could be heard from miles away, even when the wind passed through the area. And despite these problematic factors, Ethan didn't feel disturbed at all.
It was more of a calming feeling.
"Ethan…"
An ominous but soft female voice brings the blonde-haired boy to its attention. Ethan tries to call out to the voice that somehow knew his name. But no sound came out of his mouth. Words couldn't be spoken. And nothing could be heard from anywhere.
"Ethan…" The same voice calls out to the boy again. But this time, Ethan tries to trace the source with his ears. And to no avail, he couldn't trace it.
But Ethan discovers something else when turning around. Which once again, left him more confused.
Symbols
Numerous unrecognizable red symbols floated everywhere, all scattered around him. Along with them were Sounds of ominous whispering could be heard from each of them and they seemed to be directed at the lone blonde-haired boy in the center.
Ethan watches all of it until one of the red symbols floats near him. Curiously, He gazes at the object just as it looks back at him. It's as if it has eyes as well. The surrounding whispers intensified shortly after.
"Ethan."
The ominous female voice suddenly returns along with them, still trying to call out to the boy. But this time, Ethan manages to locate the source of the voice. And it was right behind him.
When he turned to see, Ethan was surprised and startled when an unknown shadowy figure stood tall before him. Despite the intimidating presence in front of the boy, Ethan was still weirdly calm about it.
"Ethan."
Crack
Then suddenly, the entire area violently shakes around the two. Startled by this, Ethan looks down at the ground and sees a crack spread around him. And without warning, it splits open, revealing nothing but darkness.
But Ethan does see something down there. He can't make out what it is. But it's big, really big.
As this was happening, the red symbols encircled the boy. Along with that, the whispers became much more harsher.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The intense screaming of a female voice sheerly frightens Ethan. And it came right in front of him straight from the figure itself.
Without warning, the figure suddenly leans towards the frightened boy, placing its hands on his shoulders in a firm hold to not let go. And utters out a sentence that's in perfect English.
"Forgive us,"
Boom
And with that, everything is suddenly enveloped in a bright light.
"Ethan."
(-Ishimura Crew Deck-)
"Ethan."
Slowly, Ethan hears a soft voice call for him to wake up before said boy groggily groans out until he slowly opens his eyes. His vision is blurry and unable to see anything. Except for the figure, standing over him.
"Ethan." The soft voice of the figure calls to him again. The same one that pulls him from the soft ground into a sitting position. Rubbing both of his eyes out of the distorted vision, Ethan recognizes the voice of the person who woke him up.
Groaning from his drowsiness, Ethan removes his hands away to see who is calling him. And it was his mother, Nicole Brennan Clarke, outfitted out in a white coverall suit with black accents, two black straps fastened around her, black gloves, and boots. The most notable part of her suit is the Resource Integration Gear, short for R.I.G., a glowing blue segment bars spine-like apparatus attached to her back.
"M-Mom?" Ethan confusedly says to her. "W-where are we?"
Nicole notices her son's confusion about the area around them before she addresses it to him. "In our quarter in the crew deck, honey. You fell asleep in my office."
Ethan proceeds to look at his new surroundings. And he is indeed in the living quarters located within the Ishimura crew deck.
But unlike most of the thirteen hundred crew members on this ship stationed in public bunk beds, Ethan and Nicole have a quarter exclusive to them thanks to his mother's status as a senior staff medical officer. The only downside is that they would have to share a single bed due to Ethan being the extra member of the ship.
"Wait, I fell asleep?" The blonde-haired boy suddenly asks as he now remembers what he was doing yesterday. He was in his mom's office in the Medical Deck, doing his usual activities, working on his homework assignments, playing his video games, and coloring out pictures.
But despite remembering that, Ethan doesn't remember ever falling asleep soon after.
The similarly hair-colored woman nods in assurance. "You were," Nicole answered before gently smiling at him. "I guess waiting around for me in my office wasn't the smart move. Being around all that science stuff must've been boring to knock you out like that, huh?" Her attempts to joke about last night quickly have the twelve-year-old boy have a look of subtle panic.
"No, that's not it, I love it!" Ethan almost clamors as he quickly leans over to hug his mother, surprising her by her son's sudden action. "I love what you do, Mom, you and Dad. I love science and ships. That's why I wanna be like you guys when I grow up one day."
"Ethan…" Nicole tries to say. But only for said boy to look back at her with great determination.
"I wanna build big ships like the Ishimura so we can go further into space to find better resources to help humanity. And I wanna be a Medical Officer, so I can help people when they get sick and can't help themselves." When talking, Ethan's voice matched his expression. "I wanna help humanity become something great where we can all understand one another and live in peace."
Nicole was just completely caught off guard by what she just heard. A simple joke from her has suddenly brought out something from within her little boy. A boy who idolized both her and her husband so much that he had big dreams to want to help humanity go beyond expectations.
It was truly an astonishment altogether. And Nicole wanted to ask for details about her son's supposed dreams.
"Breakfast will be served in the Mess Hall in five minutes."
But it looks like it'll have to wait as she sees Ethan's face lit up with eagerness and realization when the announcement kicks in.
"Pancakes…" an enthusiastic Ethan lets out as he gets out of bed.
Nicole smiles again at seeing her son's enthusiastic display before she addresses him. "Alright, Ethan, hurry and get dressed. I need to head to work in an hour."
"Ok!" The boy responds in acceptance as he proceeds to change into his everyday outfit, his civilian R.I.G. suit.
The said outfit consists of a black pant with similar running shoes. He wears a black Gilet-style jacket with a long-sleeve black shirt underneath and an elbow-sleeved white shirt. But the most significant part of Ethan's outfit is his individual R.I.G. attached to his back.
Ethan heads over to the exit where his mother is waiting for him. "I'm ready to go," he says, notifying his mother, who nods in confirmation.
"Alright, let's get going," Nicole proclaims in confirmation. Without any time to waste, she and her boy proceed to leave the room.
But as he does, Ethan's mind couldn't help but try to recall the dream he had earlier. It was different from any dream he's had before. Those red symbols looked strange if not ominous. There was something familiar about them. He just can't pinpoint where he saw them though.
But most importantly, that shadowy figure. Ethan has no idea who or what that is. And what it said to him, 'Forgive us.' It makes this even more mysterious to the boy than it needs to be. Was it a warning? Is something going to happen on the Ishimura or the Colony? He has no idea.
It's all so bizarre.
(-Ishimura Bridge-)
In the frontal part of the ship lies the command and control center of the Ishimura, the Bridge. In the large room filled with holographic computers, numerous employees tirelessly continue working throughout their day end.
The person in the center of the room watching them with a posture of regard and authority is the current captain of the USG Ishimura, Benjamin Mathius. A senior-looking man with white hair while wearing his captain's blue uniform consisting of a collared shirt, straight pants, and black boots. And like all the members of this ship, he is also equipped with an R.I.G.
The Ishimura's Captain continues watching his crew members perform their daily transactions with a calm expression outside for all to see. But inside, Mathius is somewhat annoyed by the current progress he knows of the Colony.
"Chic, Status update on extracting the Artifact." Mathius orders, wanting the latest progress made by the Aegis 7 Colony.
To answer his request, one of the crew members named Chic, a man with black hair and glasses while wearing an officer R.I.G. outfit, comes in with it. "I'm afraid the extraction process is still undergoing some delays, sir. The teams are still working around the clock on making the last preparations until extraction can commence."
"They're still encountering problems down there?" Mathius asks. The crew members could hear the slight annoyance in the captain's calm voice when he spoke regarding the status of the artifact's removal.
"I'm afraid so, sir. It's likely to have to be because of the ongoing incidents in the colony." Chic informs the Captain before returning to work.
Hearing all this, Mathius let out a sigh in irritation. Things were not going as the Captain had planned out. But just now, he hears the opening sounds of doors behind him and someone approaching him.
"Captain." A female voice of both firm and authority calls out to him. Mathius recognizes who the person is without having to turn around to greet her. But he does it anyway. And there, he's greeted by the sight of the head chief security of the entire Ishimura, Alissa Vincent. A sharp-looking woman with pixie-cut red hair and green eyes while wearing a form-fitting white shirt underneath her standard R.I.G security open brown uniform jacket, with similar colored pants, and finally combat heels.
Her expression shows the utmost seriousness of what she wants to discuss with the ship's captain.
"You wanted to see me, Vincent?" Mathius asks the female officer for her reason for being here. But obviously, he already knows why.
With her permission granted by her captain, Alissa makes her statement straight and forward. "Captain, as chief of security of the Ishimura, I severely urge to halt production of extracting the artifact."
"I've already heard your objections to this, Vincent, and I've taken them into account," Mathius says, notifying the woman of his firm opposite stance to Alissa's.
"Captain," Alissa protested again before speaking again. "With all due respect, but I don't think you realize the severity of what's causing these violent incidents."
"And you believe the Marker's the source of all these violent occurrences within the colony?" Mathius questions the red-haired security officer's accusation against the artifact.
Alissa doesn't flinch from the question before making her citations. "There's no other explanation for the sudden behavior changes that started since they started to extract that thing." If she was wrong, it could all be just a big coincidence. But fortunately, thanks to the provided reports, she wasn't.
"Deep space is inherently dangerous enough, and you know this, Alissa." But Mathius, however, refutes her claims before giving his own. "In the two and half years since the Agesis colony has been operational, it is natural for a few people to lose their composure due to any forms of stress and anxiety. It has nothing to do with the Marker at all."
Listening to the Captain trying to downplay the situation below irritates the female officer. If not, infuriated her on the inside. Alissa knows that there is something wrong down there. She suspects that it does have something to do with the Marker, and Mathius denies It, which makes the red-haired woman suspect there's more to what's going on.
The argument between the two abruptly halts when another of the Bridge workers named D. White, a bald man with green eyes and wearing an officer R.I.G. similar to Chos, calls for the captain. "Captain, the colony has just apprehended another mentally unstable worker who murdered a nurse and is requesting permission to transport him onboard for treatment."
The information surprises both high-ranked officers before Mathius regains his calm composure to address it. "Acknowledged, inform a security team will be there to escort the patient once they come aboard."
"Yes, sir."
With that quickly settled, Mathius turns to Alissa. But only to be met with a glaring grim-like look from the chief officer as if saying 'I told you so' to him.
Despite this, Mathius dismisses it. "Vincent, have the team prepare for their arrival." He orders with a firm tone, turning his back on her.
Despite it being an order, Alissa knows this is just a brush-off bullshit way to avoid anymore discussion from earlier. And she wanted to continue her argument. But this order couldn't be ignored, not with everything else currently happening in the Aegis Colony down there. So she had no choice but to comply.
"Yes, sir." Alissa lets out while saluting to the unaware Mathius with a middle finger before departing.
This wasn't over, not by a long shot. She knows something is seriously wrong down there. And Mathius is too stubborn to acknowledge it.
Whatever it is that's gonna next, it won't be pleasant.
(-Aegis 7 Colony-)
Though the mountainous rocky terrestrial planet does have a thin atmosphere, it was still significant enough for humans to breathe in. And because of the orange-tinted thin atmosphere, the stars of outer space were always visible to those living in the eighteen sectors of the Aegis Colony for at least two and a half years.
Speaking of sectors, One of them happens to be a public area for entertainment and relaxation. Where here, a good number of colonists are chattering with each other while recuperating from a hard day of work. But looking closer at a few specific people, they look like they're ready to have a mental breakdown of some sort.
But through the entertainment and relaxation sectors lies a simple Coffee Shop. Where inside, a young couple is enjoying a nice warm cup of coffee while correspondingly enjoying each other's company.
"I tell ya, Lexine, it feels like it's been forever since we last went out like this." The man with black hair suddenly lets out after taking a sip from his cup of coffee. Unlike most people, who are in their civilian outfits, he's wearing his Engineer R.I.G suit, an almost skin-tight black suit with brown accents.
"I know, Sam, but it's nice to have this, right? Even if it is for a little while." The person, Lexine Murdoch, similarly expresses as well. A black-haired woman, most of her hair is held back by a hair band on top of her head, leaving only a few bangs to hang across her front. Her R.I.G outfit consists of a form-fitting teal-colored shirt underneath her short grey jacket. She wears a nylon skirt, black belt, grey leggings, and knee-high boots.
The man, Sam Caldwell, looks at his girlfriend, pondering about what she just said for a second before he smiles. "Yeah, you're right. it's better than none at all." He says in acknowledgment before reaching out to grasp Lexine's hand. Lexine also smiles back before clasping her hand around his in return.
The two remain silent as they continue to enjoy each other's company for the next few seconds. They'll never get a chance like this for a while. So it's best to revel in the moment before work intervenes.
That is until Lexine's curiosity gets piqued about something. "So, Sam, tell me. What you and your team found on the planet. Is it true?"
Already knowing what she's asking about, the young engineer puts forth his skepticism to not confirm anything. "Honestly, Lexine, I don't know what we found exactly."
"Oh, come on, Sam." Lexine enthusiastically implores her boyfriend to tell her. "Everyone is talking about it. Even my supervisor Leon is going nuts about it. Did you know he's a Unitologist?"
Yes, Sam did know that Leon's a Unitologist. But he also knows Leon is almost nuts about everything else. And apparently, most members of the entire colony are made up of Unitologists.
It explains how the rumors started when they found the artifact within the planet. They believe this is what they've been looking for, the key to their evolutionary form and eternal life, the Marker.
"Look, Lexine," Sam tries to explain to his girlfriend about the supposed Marker being here. "We don't know if it is a Marker or just a big rock for all we know. We won't know until we finish putting in the gears to move it out so the boffins can study it."
Lexine's curiosity soon diminishes when Sam mentions the current progress with the Marker. She hears the slight tiredness in her boyfriend's voice. "The gears? Are you still running into problems, Sam?" She asks with a look of concern dawns on her face for her boyfriend's health.
"There's been a lot of interferences with our progress lately. That's all." Sam quickly informs Lexine as he tries downplaying their situation. He doesn't want to worry her about what he's dealing with.
"Could this be related to what's been happening to everyone in the Colony?"
Sam is caught off guard by Lexine's sudden question. "Lexine, how did you-"
"Sam, I'm not an idiot." Lexine lets out with a firm tone as she crosses her arms while straightly looking at him. "I know about the violent incidents happening around the Colony." She then leans close to her boyfriend's space to whisper something only he can hear. "Even…the murders too."
Sam's eyes widened in surprise at his girlfriend's awareness of the sudden incidents around the Colony. Workers were calling in absences due to the number of them experiencing sudden ailments such as insomnia, depression, deep uneasiness, and unexplained hallucinations. And worse, these afflictions would lead some workers to lash out in a violent manner that would lead to them murdering their coworkers or committing suicide.
But despite these ongoing occurrences, Captain Mathius insistently orders them to finish their excavation and extract the Marker without delay. But it's easier said than done.
Sam lets out an exhausted sigh. "I don't know, Lexine," He begins to express his honesty about all of this. "With all that's happening around here, even with all the overtime we're putting in to get this thing operational, I don't know if we can finish in time."
Lexine looks sympathetic to her boyfriend's current situation. She can see that the overworking is starting to affect Sam as well. Lexine understands the significance of what they're doing out here, but there's no need for the Captain to rush this operation in any way. And as Sam said, they don't know if it is the Marker or just a large chunk of rock that looks like one.
"Hey," Lexine softly says to gain Sam's attention. "I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end. I mean, the Marker isn't going anywhere. You'll get it done when you get it done, despite whatever the Captain or anyone else says."
Lexine then grabs her boyfriend's hands in a comforting and encouraging manner. "I know you can do it, Sam. And when you do…" She proceeds to give out a slight flirtatious gesture. "There'll be a special surprise waiting for you."
Sam's expression soon perks up at the last comment. "Oh, what's the surprise?" He curiously asks, making Lexine let out a small giggle.
"I can't tell you because it wouldn't be a surprise. Now, would it?"
Sam looked ready again to ask.
Beep
Beep
Beep
"Sam, hey Sam, Come in."
But only for his R.I.G. suddenly projects a holographic screen. And to project it right in front of him. Where there, it showed it was one of Sam's coworkers in the extraction team, Sterling.
"What's up, Sterling?" Sam responds to the call from his coworker on the other end.
"Breaks over Sam. We need you back in the storage chamber right now," Sterling notifies him of the situation. "We just need to finish installing the rail tracks for the extraction."
"Yeah, I'm on my way." Sam complies with his coworker's request before ending the call. He then turns over to look at Lexine with a slightly repentant look. "I'm sorry, Lexine."
"No, no, Sam, it's alright." The black-haired woman lets out as she waves off her boyfriend's apology attempt. "They need you out there, Sam. And I'll be waiting for you when you finish up."
Hearing her auspicious words, Sam smiles at her. "What'd I do without you?" he remarks, causing Lexine to giggle again.
"Oh, I don't know," She teasingly says. "Maybe you'll surprise me with that dangerous imagination of yours."
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Sam says back with a tease of his own.
"Ooh, I look forward to it." Lexine flirtatiously conveys before leaning forward to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek. "But this should cover for today's date."
Sam nods in agreement before he and his girlfriend stand up from their seat. "Well, I better get going now before Sterling makes me have a date with an overtime sheet."
"Right, I better head off too." Lexine declares as well. "I love you, honey."
"Love you too. Later." Sam similarly replies before they both go off their separate ways.
But as they do, Lexine obliviously passes by an electronic sign on the wall that seems to display an ad for Unitology. The bright blue sign displays the following statements in bold fonts.
"One Mind"
"One Body"
"One Flesh"
"We all become one."
"Through Convergence, we all become one."
"Altman be praised."
Each of these statements cycles through one another for the next few seconds until the dialogue shifts to another scene. One that would display its symbol that is so familiar to everyone in the Colony, The Ishimura, and even back home. And as it does show, for some unknown reason, the electric sign suddenly flickers in and out in an ominous way.
It's a double helix-like blue column with white accents, which resembles one thing that started the religion in the first place. The Marker.
(-Ishimura Medical Deck-)
Usually, whenever his mother is working in the Medical Deck, Ethan is left alone in the Main Laboratory, hanging around inside Nicole's office until she returns to check on him every hour she can. Though her work hours would take much of her time away from her son, it didn't mean Ethan wouldn't have things to do to occupy him to help pass the time. And one of those things happens to be his main priority at the moment.
The blonde-haired boy's eyes remain on a holographic computer screen on his desk as he appears to be reading something interesting to him.
"Shock-point drives utilize antimatter to help generate sufficient energy to facilitate propellant thrusts for space shuttles to shock out into and de-shock out of shock space," Ethan says as he reads aloud the information provided on his mom's computer before writing his notes down in his notebook. "Wow, and to think, this Ship was named after the astrophysicist who made that device. Even before they adapted it for big ships. It's so cool."
Just reading the compositions part of ships was enough to bring a smile to the twelve-year-old boy. He loves learning new things, especially when it involves two of his favorite subjects, Medical Science and Ship System Engineering. Seeing his parents' careers inspired Ethan to wanna walk in their footsteps.
Which explained his small outburst from earlier. And Ethan meant what he said to Nicole, one day to help Humanity in their Crisis. To do that, Ethan needed to work hard and learn all he could to do. He would continue to do so if not for the opening sound of the door chimes his ears.
Believing to be his Mother, Ethan turns his attention to the opened door. "Hi, Mom, I'm almost done with my study-" he would've finished telling his mother his statement, but only to stop and realize it wasn't his mother but someone else.
It looks to be a calm-looking man with blonde hair and brown eyes. He appears to have on the standard Science R.I.G uniform like his mother's own. But unlike the rest, the man's uniform has a more teal accent color than the usual black color, which indicates his rank is different compared to various medical officers on the ship.
Ethan recognizes the man as he only met him a few times around the Medical Deck. His name is Terrance Kyne, the Chief Science Officer of the Ishimura Medical Deck and his mother's supervisor.
"Oh, hello, Dr.Kyne." Ethan happily greets the man with a hand wave from his mother's desk.
"Ah, good evening to you as well, young Ethan." Kyne similarly greets back as he enters Nicole's office. Just as Ethan recognized him, Kyne similarly recognized him since Ethan was the only child onboard the Ishimura. "I was hoping to speak with your mother."
Ethan tilts his head in curiosity before asking with keen eyes expression. "What is it? Is it science-related?"
"No, it's nothing like that, Ethan." Kyne gently asserts to the boy. "But it is an important matter that I must speak with her about."
Ethan slightly pouts as he's not allowed to know the information Kyne has. However, he helps the chief officer. "Mom's at an appointment with another one of the crew members. She said she'd be back soon."
Hearing this, Kyne raises an eyebrow in suspicion. "I see," He says with his voice, sharing a similar reaction to his expression. The Science Chief couldn't help but wonder about the appointment Nicole was working with the crew members.
Soon, Ethan's keen voice interrupts Kyne's thought process. "But, you can stay here until she gets back. I don't mind the company."
Kyne looked reluctant to do so as he could go and locate Nicole with his R.I.G. location. But the innocent and trusting expression on the twelve-year-old boy's face makes him think otherwise.
"I suppose it would be irresponsible to leave a child unattended." Kyne intellectually asserts, accepting Ethan's invitation to wait here with him. Also, the presence of a child is something Kyne couldn't say no to. Reasons that were personal to him to know why.
"Great!" Ethan eagerly exclaims as he dismounts from the chair before approaching the Science Chief. "Come on, you can sit over here with me." Without a wistful moment, Ethan leads Kyne back to his computer desk.
As he treads with the boy, Kyne notices something on the desk. A family picture frame of Nicole, Ethan, and a man Kyne isn't familiar with standing together happily with fireworks in the background.
"Who might this man be, Ethan?" Kyne asks, curiously wondering who the man is in the frame with the two blonde-haired people. "Is he you're father?"
"Huh,"
At first, Ethan is confused for a second by the question until he quickly realizes the man Kyne is talking about in the picture. "Oh, yeah, he's my dad. His name is Issac Clarke. He's an Engineer." He answers with a smile on his face.
"I see," Kyne acknowledges. "Then he's part of the engineering team on the ship?"
Hearing the Science Chief's question about his dad, Ethan shakes his head sideways. "No, he's back home on Earth. But He's on an extended mission with a merchant ship between colonies. I haven't heard from him since we got here."
Kyne would notice a slight hint of sadness in the boy's voice, and he couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. A child being leagues away from his father and with only long-distance video calls is sometimes stressful. Kyne can understand what that's like to be away from someone he loves.
But the only difference is that she's not here, and Issac is.
Shaking his head from his intimate issue, Kyne wanted to change the subject with something else in the room. Which he soon did when he noticed Ethan's notebook nearby.
"Is this your notebook?" The Science Chief asks the boy, who realizes the man's attention is on his writing journal.
"Yeah, it is. it's my study journal." Ethan happily says in confirmation. His sad mood shifted back to normal when he wanted the subject changed. "I write down everything I learn from reading texts and new drawings. And then my mom grades them. Wanna see them?"
Ethan moves to open his notebook, revealing everything he has written down. Kyne proceeds to examine each of the written pages with an inquisitive look. But to say, the man couldn't help but feel marvelously impressed by how well-written it was, let alone the drawings of components that go with the details and mathematics equations. And what's most impressive is that some of these notes written down appeared to be advanced for someone of Ethan's age to understand. Yet, Ethan can understand them.
The Chief Science Officer truly commemorates in reaction to Ethan's study habit. "For you to even comprehend the advanced quantum physics, scientific medical procedures, and configurations of Space vessels. It's remarkable."
This praise makes the smart twelve-year-old boy blushingly grin in appreciation. "I always try to learn all I can with the online learning program my parents set up for me."
"Learning program?" Kyne's eyebrows furrowed when he asked that question. "You're not affiliated with any public schools?"
"Well, I used to, but not anymore," Ethan innocently replies while his face softens. "I don't know why my parents pulled me out of school. But I think it had something to do with some argument with the principal."
Now, Kyne's eyes narrow in suspicion. "If you don't mind sharing, young Ethan. But what of this argument can you recall about." He inquisitively questions.
"I don't remember much," The innocent twelve-year-old boy answers truthfully while tilting his head in confusion. "But I remember hearing my dad being mad before he started yelling at the principal about Unitology corrupting me or something like that."
Ethan finishes his answer before looking down at his notebook, not noticing the surprised expression on Kyne's face. Like most on the Ishimura, Kyne was also a devoted follower of Unitology, and he would do anything to repay the religious group for saving him from his depression after the death of his wife, Amelia.
But after hearing this, It's a disturbing thought. Unitology, deliberately manipulating children to join the church without the parent's consent? That's unheard of before.
The Chief Science would've pondered further had not been interrupted by the door opening up to reveal Nicole entering the room.
"I'm Sorry, I'm late Ethan. The counseling took longer than I-" Nicole's attempt to apologize for her late arrival halts when she surprisingly realizes the Chief Science, Terrance Kyne, is in the room with her son. "Oh, Dr.Kyne, I'm sorry I didn't know you would be here."
"It's quite alright, Dr.Brennan," Kyne quickly says as he stands up from the chair. "I was just keeping you're son company while we waited for your return from your appointment."
Nicole raises an eyebrow in confusion before turning to look at her son.
The said son eagerly comes to speak to help remove the confusion from her. "I've been showing him my notebook of everything I wrote, even the ones with the drawings. Kyne said he liked it, Mom."
"Oh, did he?" the female Medical Officer says as she turns to the Chief Science Officer to see the man nod in confirmation.
"He truly is an extraordinary child. You raised him well." Kyne remarks. His voice spoke with truth and honesty. Even if what he recently learned about the boy's educational status.
This makes Nicole smile appreciatively. "Thank you, Dr.Kyne," she lets out to the man. "So, is there something you wanted to see me about?"
The asked question soon removes the smile from Kyne's face and turns serious. "Yes, there is." He answers with his voice channeling the same tone as his expression. "It is of utmost importance that you and the others must know."
Hearing this, Nicole quickly turns to Ethan. "Ethan, go wait outside for me." She firmly says to her son, causing him to pout slightly.
"But, I wanna know too-"
"Ethan." The said boy looks up to see the grimness on his mother's face when she says his name like that. Not to mention that Kyne's expression was similar to hers as well. It truly is something that they don't want him to know about.
With a reluctant sigh, Ethan concedes to his mother's request and exits the room without saying another word. The closing sound of the door fills the room and assures Nicole and Kyne can get on with their secret conversation.
It would start with Kyne inquiring about Nicole. "Dr. Clarke, It's come to my attention that you and your colleagues may have heard rumors about the ongoing situations down in the Colony."
Not needing to answer with words, Nicole's grim face remained firm, indicating to Kyne's question that she and the others did indeed. "Yes, I have, Doctor," she says, confirming it with her words regardless.
Kyne nods in understanding. "How much do you know?" He asks as he glances at an office window to ensure no eavesdropping. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone.
"I know that there's some unexplained epidemic plaguing the Colony," The Senior Medical Officer begins explaining the rumors of what she heard. "The unexplained symptoms of paranoia, insomnia, hallucinations, and…all of them have led to these numerous deaths."
Tension soon envelopes the room once Nicole finishes her explanation. It was almost unbearable to think about it. But it is something they can't and couldn't ignore either.
Kyne takes a moment to compose himself from hearing Nicole's description before speaking in confirmation. "Those rumors are unfortunately as precisely as you'd described, Dr. Clarke."
Nicole's expression becomes even grimmer after hearing that. "Could it be something within Aegis 7? A form of toxin maybe?" she asks, theorizing that the planet below them might be the source of the tense turmoils with the colonists.
"Perhaps," Kyne says in consensus to the female Medical Officer's theory.
After all, It's not unheard of for some planets to have some form of environmental element that is contagious to them. So it has to be that. There's no other explanation for what's happening.
"In any case," The Chief Science Officer proceeds to let out his declaration. "In light of these events, I came to notify you and your colleagues to be prepared for more incidents like these in the foreseeable days."
"More?" Nicole incredulously questions. "You think it'll only get worse from here?"
Kyne doesn't say anything as uncertainty clouds his mind. He wishes he could say otherwise, that he could be wrong about all this. But he can't. The harsh truth appears to be more inevitable.
"Just be prepared for the worst, Dr.Clarke." He seriously orders the Senior Medical Officer about the possible event to happen.
Seeing the seriousness of what the Chief Science Officer is saying, Nicole must oblige to the order given to her by her supervisor. "Yes, Dr.Kyne." She says in acknowledgment with a confirmed nod.
On the outside of Nicole's Office, Ethan is unusually quiet when his mom requests him to leave so she and Kyne can talk in private. That's because the nosy twelve-year-old boy wanted to focus his hearing with his ear on the door. And he heard everything of what they said in there.
His reaction was a mixture of different emotions. First, he was confused when he heard about them talking about the Colony. Next, he was in shock when he heard them mention some pandemic being the cause of the Colonists's unusual behavior. Finally, the last mention of detail left him incredibly scared when all the colonists inflicted resulted in their deaths.
The colonists, the people below him, were suffering and dying. Ethan hated seeing and hearing that. No one should ever go through what they're going through, ever.
He just hopes it gets better.
(-Bridge-)
Captain Benjamin Mathius is in the lower room levels of the Bridge Deck, the communication hubs, standing in front of what looks to be a holo table. Beforehand, the man ordered a sanction for the workers to vacate the room for a short while as they believed he needed privacy to send a top-secret message to the CEC.
But little did the crew members realize that it was just a ruse. All so the Captain could not be interrupted to communicate a message to his true allegiance, the church of Unitology.
With no further waiting, Mathius proceeds to activate the message recording.
"Progress report, Captain Benjamin Mathius, to Paragon Jordan, Luna," Mathius announces as he crosses both arms across his chest, conducting the Unitology salutation. "This will be my transmission. Afterward, I'll make sure our pilgrimage is completed without interference."
Mathius then proceeds to activate the holo table. What it projects is a holographic image of a double helix-shaped black obelisk. But what makes this thing mostly enchanting is the blood-red symbols, which are unrecognizable to the human eyes. But its figure was well-known throughout humanity in Unitology textbooks as the Marker.
"We have successfully found the holy Marker here on Aegis 7." Captain Mathius states with great pride in his voice. "And once the Artifact is onboard the ship, Dr.Kyne, an expert on the original Marker, will decipher its secrets."
"However…" But then the old captain's prideful voice turns to slight annoyance. He then commences the Holo table by bringing up an image of Planet Aegis 7. "Due to the sudden layoffs of colonist workers, the extraction process is relatively slow. The Colony is suffering some sort of epidemic. It could be arising through the planet."
"Regardless, planet-cracking will proceed forward despite these setbacks." Mathius continues putting in his report on the message. "CEC can scratch out another illegal operation from its board. Now that the true prize is ours."
The Ishimura's Captain then gazes at the holographic image of the Marker up close as a haughty look forms on his face. "Let's see Earthgov try to cover this up." He says with a hint of sneering when he mentions the name Earthgov before standing back up to cross his arms again.
"Altman be praised." He salutes out before ending the recording message. With that, Mathius proceeded to ensure that the extraction progress for the Marker was still underway. Regardless of the rising crisis to take hold of the Colony.
Mathius would've informed them of more details of the said epidemic but chooses not to as the ailment transpiring down on the Colony is irrelevant, along with their presence in a restricted space system. Not when he is so close to achieving his ultimate goal. That's all that matters to him.
And nothing, not the planet, not the colonists' pandemic, and not Earthgov, will stop him from getting his hands on the Marker. And once he delivers it to its rightful place in the church of Unitology, it will be the dawn of humanity's evolutionary ascension.
But unaware of Captain Mathius's rash decision, it may lead the lives of everyone onboard the Ishimura to their Downfall.
To be continued…
Chapter finished.
Well, talk about a calm before the storm right?
So far, things are about to be looking grim for everyone in both the Colony and the Ishimura. The ominous warnings are there, and yet, certain people are looking to downplay what's happening or straight-up deny it.
What will happen next? Find out the next chapter.
And as usual, I do not own anything related to Dead Space and its characters. Only the OCs are mine, nothing more, nothing less.
Goodbye, for now.