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Fiction Mystery Science Fiction

3019 August 13

Terminal 5 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry #1

               My name is Sean Grover, I woke up in my cryo-pod today, which was approximately thirty years too early. When I emerged from the pod, I saw the bones of all my crew or what I could only assume was my crew, dried blood staining the interior of the hull. Whatever happened here, happened a long time ago. We were headed to a nearby star system that required my crew and I to stay in stasis for two hundred years, whenever this happened, it must have been at least a few decades ago. Why am I the only one left? The ship is empty or at least the parts I’ve explored. I haven’t gone too far as I don’t know who or what could still be aboard. I haven’t encountered anyone or anything. So, who or what did this? Are they already long gone? Did anyone board the Galileo while we were asleep? Navigation is shut down so I can’t even tell where I am or where the ship is heading, if it’s even moving, I can’t tell because the shutters are all locked down, the controls are busted. Someone wrote a note next to them stating, “Don’t Open Shutters.” It looks like I can fix the navigation to start with, but that will take me a month, at least. It’s usually a two-man job but if I could just find the manual, I could probably make it work as soon as I can figure out what’s wrong with it. I’m smart enough, right? I’m going to be updating the notes inside the terminals across the ship just in case anything happens to me, that way my story is told. I’m going to send the transmission of my journal entries back to Earth, in hopes they reach someone because the radio isn’t working. Something may have attacked us and ruined any hope of communication, but they didn’t know the notes are automatically sent out just in case communications go down.

             ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 15

Terminal 12 “Mess Hall” – Galileo

               Entry #1

I’m not sure if these have been saving across multiple terminals or not, or if they’re even saving at all. I’ve spent the last two days gathering as much supplies as I can and piling them into the mess hall, which I believe is a good place to store them as it’s right outside of the flight deck. I haven’t figured out what the issue with the navigation is other than it’s on the fritz. What I have discovered is that it is too quiet inside the ship. It doesn’t seem like the engines are working at all, either that or they’re shut down. I haven’t made it down to the engine room yet, I’ve been too worried to explore certain parts of the ship. I stayed in the flight deck for a couple of days until I got too hungry to stay in there. I was confident in my ability to figure this out on the first day but now, the loneliness is really setting in. I occasionally hear things hitting the hull on the outside of the ship, I may be floating through an asteroid belt or something, or at least close to one. I need to get the shutters open so I can see where I am, but I’m worried about the note. It really doesn’t seem like the ship is moving at all, I need to get navigation up and running.

             ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 16

Terminal #5 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry#6

               I hope my entries are making it there okay, I have no idea if these are even sending but I can’t go back to view my own entries so, maybe. There has been a constant sound echoing through the corridor, something is hitting the outside hull that almost makes it sound like it’s raining. Which is impossible in space. My best guess is that it’s space dust. I’m not sure, I’m a doctor, not an Astronaut, I was only supposed to be coming on this journey to heal people, which if you remember, there are no people anymore, it’s just me. I think the heating is failing as it’s been getting colder each night. I need to find the manuals to fix these things. I just don’t know where they keep them. Or, kept them, rather. It’s usually so quiet, so what is that sound? Maybe if I could get a shock to the shutter controls, I could get them to open, that usually works in movies right? I could give it a go.

             ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 16

Terminal #2 “Crew Quarters” – Galileo

Entry#3

               I’ve spent the last three hours in the crews quarters to find anything to point me towards the manuals, which I have found the communication manual. What I have read is that I would need to go outside and fix the antenna. That’s what could be wrong with it given what I have deduced. So, something hit the antenna and knocked out our communications. Fixing an antenna shouldn’t be too complicated, right? Surely, I could do that. It’s the whole going out into space on my own, I’ve never done a space walk before, ever. I can do it though, so once I figure out how to open these damn shutters, I’ll get right on it.

                ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 17

Terminal #9 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry#1

               I found the manual for the shutters. There is an emergency open mechanism on each shutter. I figured out where it is after inspecting them. I figured I could open one of them to get a quick peek outside, however, I keep thinking of the message someone left stating to not open them. Could I die if I open them? What if the glass is shattered and the shutter is the only thing keeping me from being sucked out into the void of space? There was something tapping the outside of the hull again. I must know where I am and what’s out there hitting the ship. What could even be living outside in the vacuum of space, messing with the ship? If there are no more entries after this, then, I have died opening the shutters.

              ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 18

Terminal #5 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry #9

               I couldn’t bring myself to open the shutters, I’m terrified of that note. I keep staring at it every time I bring myself to get up and open them. What if something really is out there? What if the windows are shattered? What if I’m floating into a sun? What happens when I open them? I’m not strong enough, but it is getting colder in here, I’m going mad thinking about where I am and what has done this to the crew. I need to know. If I could just somehow do it when I’m not in my right mind, such as a bottle of whiskey, I could do it absolutely no problem, because then if I died, I wouldn’t even care. Perhaps the kitchen has alcohol.

             ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 18

Terminal #1 “Kitchen” – Galileo

Entry #1

               I found alcohol, it’s not whiskey but champagne will work too. It had a note attached to the bottle stating that it was a celebratory drink for once we landed. I don’t think that’s happening anymore, so I took the liberty of opening it and drinking it, I am in the correct headspace to open the shutters now. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s the vacuum of space, nothing is out there, and if there was at some point, it’s long gone now. It somehow got in here, murdered the whole crew except for me for some reason and then left. So, I am on my way to open the shutters, I will update you when I open them and realize that everything is fine and the ship is still on it’s way to land at our destination.

           ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 18

Terminal #5 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry #10

               I made it back to flight deck and will open one shutter now apologies for rough journal entry as I am inebriated will report back after shutter is open

            ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 August 30

Terminal#5 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry#59

Just in case you didn’t get the last fifty entries, which may have seemed like a jumbled mess coming in one word at a time.  I’m no longer floating through space. I have landed. I know it’s not our destination as the environment seems hostile. I couldn’t close the shutter once I had opened it, I keep trying but to no avail and I see things out there at night. I’ve been terrified to open a terminal. So, I’ve been typing one word at a time, hence the multiple entries. I was able to cover the window with a blanket I had found, so hopefully that’s enough to conceal me in here. The shutters were blocking out a lot of noise, I hear what sounds like giant animals roaring, almost like a lion once did on Earth hundreds of years ago when they were still around. I’ve always wanted to see a real-life lion. I will look out there when I hear it again just to see what it is. If I find the courage that is.

            ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 September 5

Terminal #12 “Left Corridor” – Galileo

Entry #2

               I’m opening the door and going outside. I’ve had enough of this ship. The crew are all dead and I soon will be too, so this will be my last entry. I leave you with my story which I hoped it would become the story of a hero but I have left you with the story of a coward that had only managed to open one single shutter and was terrified of it. Galileo has crash landed on an unknown hostile planet and no crew survived. Don’t come. Don’t send help. Just leave us be.

            ------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

3019 September 13

Terminal #5 “Flight Deck” – Galileo

Entry #11

Everything---------------is------------fine--------Beautiful----come-------to------us---Planet is safe--

*Coordinates Sent*

------------Connection to Terminal Closed-----------

January 16, 2024 11:15

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2 comments

Michelle Oliver
07:36 Jan 18, 2024

Ominous ending. I’m curious and a little frightened to find out what happened.

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Brendan Sanders
08:52 Jan 18, 2024

Thank you for reading! I honestly wasn't sure how to end it but I knew I wanted it to be..."weird" in a sense. Unsettling, really.

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