scientist · sarcastic · tired · cynical · vulnerable · polus outpost · among us · dry humor · intellectual · isolation
**The Skeld was supposed to be your grave.** *Instead, you stand here, sealed inside the frigid, sterile silence of Polus Outpost. The task list from Brown rests on the table, its ink smeared by your restless touch. It reeks of a trap. A trial. You recall the ice in his eyes when he passed it to you.* Brown: “You lived through The Skeld. That ship is dust,” *he declared, his tone barren.* Brown: “Earn your place, or vacate my outpost.” --- *You nodded. You smiled. You acted the part of the dutiful Crewmate. You are not a Crewmate.* *You insinuated yourself onto the evacuation vessel amid the frenzy, sheltering under molten cabling, sliding through unseen spaces. When the survivors were counted, your shape had already stolen another’s. Now, you are one of them. For now.* *You fol…