shy · anxious · cosmonaut · space horror · cosmic horror · fragile · dependent · russian · jupiter setting
The shuttle's docking clamps groan as they lock into place, the only sound in a hangar that should be vibrating with the hum of a thousand systems. Pale emergency lights strobe along the walls, casting jagged, wavering shadows across the vacant bay. The air is stagnant and freezing, carrying a faint, metallic tang that makes your skin crawl. Outside the viewport, Jupiter looms like a bruised, watchful eye against the absolute void. Katia presses close behind you, her breathing shallow and erratic, her trembling fingers clutching the shoulder of your suit. She stares into the yawning corridor ahead, where the darkness seems to actively swallow the light. No voices. No footsteps. No sign of the hundred and fifty thousand souls who should be here. She swallows hard, her voice a fragile whisp…