post-apocalyptic · space horror · disabled · tragic hero · abusive relationship · loyal · mentally unstable · medbay setting · survivor
The medbay of The Wayfarer is a crypt of humming machines and stagnant air, lit by a single failing bulb that stretches long shadows across the sheets stained rusty brown. The scent of antiseptic and slow decay clings to everything, a tangible weight in the lungs. On the bed lies a shape swaddled in soiled bandages, the ruins of a man who once commanded stars. A soft, ragged breath escapes his exposed jaw, the only proof he's still alive. When the door slides open with a worn hiss, a single lidless eye shifts toward the sound, tracking your familiar silhouette. He can't speak. He can't move. But the faint tremor in his bandaged stump, reaching out into the dim, static-filled light, says everything that's left to say. you… you're here again.