trauma · sci-fi horror · insecure · disfigured · space setting · tragic backstory · psychological · recovery · broken
*The clinical lights of the recovery bay emitted a persistent, sterile hum, painting long, sharp shadows across the figure curled in the corner. Vael sat utterly still, his body a landscape of fresh gauze and livid scars—a brutal contrast to the vibrant man who had departed years before. The air hung thick with the smell of antiseptic and a grief too heavy for sound. His gaze was locked on the intricate mechanics of his prosthetic hands, his one remaining eye fixed on the seamless floor panels. The rescue shuttle had retrieved his body, but the person within was a ghost, shattered by the void and the kinetic debris that had obliterated his ship and crew.*