Portents of Fear is a horror fiction podcast which is intended for mature audiences.
Discretion is advised.
Welcome, Fearlings, to another weird and horrifying tale made just for you.
I am your host, Mashulu, and I'll be your guide into the macabre and mysterious.
Today, our story is set in the distant future.
Let us learn that horrors lurk deep in space in Dead Coms.
Before we get started, take a moment to like, subscribe, and ring that notification bell so
you don't miss a single terrifying story. Peter woke up from hyperspace disoriented.
The cryotube slowed his vitals to a point that you would have thought he was dead at first glance.
He worked on the salvage freight gantry. It wasn't really his ship, though. It was owned by Milky Way
Freight, an interstellar shipping and salvage company based in the Alpha Centauri system.
They were a multi-quadrillion dollar company with over a million employees.
Peter was just one in a sea of workers. He felt a hard shake from Clutch.
Wake up already, lazy! It's time to make some credits and dream about multi-titted aliens.
Clutch was seven feet tall and five feet wide with one cyber eye and arm
and at least three chips in his head.
All right, all right. Where are we? Peter sat up.
His cyber leg was still booting up and syncing with his neural net chips.
Peter lost his leg three jobs before when a hatch slammed shut on him.
The gantry was riddled with problems that Milky Way Freight had noted and forgotten.
It wasn't worth their time to fix. Instead, employees were patched up and sent back out.
They did get 7,000 credits in compensation, the amount they agreed in case of severed limbs.
There's a rumor that they take the limbs and a chef cooks them up for the top brass,
but these kind of cannibal rich people stories have been around forever.
Peter was five feet one and very skinny. He was what was known in the industry as a rat.
He was able to crawl into very small spaces and this came in handy when surveying derelict ships.
He wore a beard to cover his baby face and had solid black eyes.
His skin was dark brownish green, but he could change it to camouflage himself.
His new leg was metal and used lights to disappear, which meant he could still hide if he needed to.
His hair was very short and kinky, just like his dad's.
He was born on Alsof, a planet 10 parsecs from Earth, to a human father from Kenya, Africa,
and an Alsof mother from Kirun. Being a salvage rat was not what his parents raised him to be,
but it was easy credit and he got to be in space without much responsibility.
Who's on the job with us? Peter asked as he jumped out of the cryotube and started to suit up.
Clutch, who moved like a refrigerator on wheels, thought for a moment.
Jade is out sick, woke up with a brain bug,
woke up with a brain bug. They've got to fish the little sucker out.
There's a dance card I wouldn't want to be on. Would you just tell me who is with us?
Sorry. My chips are giving me a hell of a headache. I understand.
Okay, fast and dirty. Tilly, myself of course, your surly butt, and Helen.
No, please not Helen. Peter grabbed a bottle from below his tube and threw back an uncounted
amount of pills. I don't make the roster, my friend. You should have never tried to kiss her.
She is a million parsecs out of your system, Clutch said with a sadistic smile.
I thought she was flirting with me. I misread the signals. I didn't grow up on Earth and my
dad never said anything about the mating rituals there, Peter slouched down.
Alsos made in public. I made a fool of myself in front of everyone.
Yes, you did. And it was recorded and sent out over company network as a PSA about sexual harassment.
Clutch started to laugh. Thanks for filming that, you jerk. I'm your best friend. It was my duty.
But did you have to send it to HR? Yeah. Peter and Clutch made their way down to the briefing room.
It was packed with 80 people all ready to start pulling the USS Constell apart.
Peter and Clutch stood against the back wall. Captain Sari Yallem barked out,
All right, people, you already got the job right out for this operation. This is our first job in
the Banton cluster. So all safety protocols for new sectors are in effect. We have no idea how
the USS Constell got out here. It went missing five years ago. And as you know, that means it's free
to salvage. The theory on how it got here goes that it fell into an unstable wormhole. But that's just
a guess. The ship has been scanned and no signs of life have been found. But we all know how reliable
the gantry computer is. So Clutch, where are you? Here, Captain. Clutch raised his hand.
How the captain couldn't see someone as huge as Clutch was a mystery to Peter.
Make sure that before your team comes back, you do all your decontamination twice. I don't want
any surprises. Yes, Captain, he replied. Clutch was crude. His mind was always on women, weed,
and beer. But he respected the chain of command. Suck up, Peter whispered. Okay, people, it will
take the recon crew several hours to sweep the ship and return with a game plan for salvage.
In the meantime, the gantry has a million things that need to be fixed. So report to engineering
and they'll tell you what you will be working on while we wait. Any questions? No? Good. Clutch,
Peter, Tilly, and Helen, I'll meet you at the shuttle before you go. Not five minutes later,
they all stood in the docking bay in front of the shuttle. Helen was tall and filled a spacesuit
in a way that made Peter's skin want to turn red. She had no visible cyberware. Her blue hair was
long, but shaved on the sides and her lips were thick and always had some shade of red or purple
lipstick on them. She had brain implants like everyone else, but she paid good money to make
sure no one could see them. She was smart, sexy, and would look everyone straight in the eye when
she talked. She was amazing. Suddenly, Peter got a brain text from Tilly. Stop staring at Helen,
you idiot, or you'll get in trouble again. He put his view forward onto the captain who was still
talking. Protocol, be careful, blah, blah, blah. He just wanted to get on with it. I can't help it.
She's amazing, he texted back. I know. Her farts even smell like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies,
Tilly replied. Really? No, moron. You can't be this stupid. F you. He loved Tilly like a sister
you only want to see once a year. Tilly was five foot nine and 100% human. Well, 99% if you count
the comms chip. Earth had started a program of biomods after deciding that cyber upgrades were
too dangerous. Other worlds did not have this restriction, so cyber tech advanced everywhere
else and was banned on Earth. Being a biomod human in a sea of cyber tech mixed species people made
Tilly an oddity, but her sharp wit and skills as a doctor made her well liked by everyone.
She was the only person on the ship that had to have a comms chip inserted into her brain as an
adult. Look, if you're that horny, I'll blow you right here. That's how you like it, right? In front
of everyone and God. Are you making fun of my people's mating rituals? Yes. That's racist.
I should report you for the damage you've done to my people. I think you've done enough damage to
your people slick. Also, we're both black, so at best I'm being a bigot. I hate you. Now who's being
racist? She replied. Peter and Tilly, stop texting each other while I'm trying to brief you on this
job. Peter, I can see your lips moving while you mentally type out each word. Sorry ma'am. Peter was
staring at his crush, Helen, again, and I was advising him that he was an idiot and should focus
on you. I wasn't staring, Peter protested. You were. We all saw it. Now will the two of you shut up?
Helen just stood there looking at the captain, never looking at Peter. He wanted to jump out of
the airlock at that point. She hadn't said anything to him since the incident. She also hadn't filed a
complaint either. The only reason HR found out was Clutch's stupid video. Maybe an awkward kiss wasn't
as big of a deal to her as it was to Pam and HR. They all piled into the shuttle and made their way
over to the constal. The docking went smoothly and the ship seemed like it was in good repair for
something that was swallowed by a wormhole and spit out across the Milky Way. They all got out
their scanners and started to send data back to the gantry. All that lit the corridor in front of
them were their personal lights. What was the crew count on this ship? Asked Helen. Over 3,000,
Clutch responded. This is a floating graveyard, Tilly said. They all are really replied Peter.
True, but the highest death toll I've ever seen is like 175. Does it bug you, Tilly? Helen asked.
It's a bit unsettling for sure. You'd think after all this time doing space work, I'd be used to the
danger. But I'm not, Tilly admitted. We need to get to the bridge and see if we can get the systems
back online. It would be great to just fire her up and ride her back home, Peter said. Clutch chuckled.
Clutch, stop it, chided Tilly. Sorry. They made their way deep into the ship, checking rooms as
they went. Every room was empty. Where the hell is everyone, Peter asked. It's a big ship. Maybe
they're on the bridge or if there was a hull breach sucked out into space somewhere, Clutch replied.
They finally made it to the bridge. Helen tried the door, but it was sealed. I think the hull
breach theory is a good one. Why else would the bridge doors be sealed, she said. Yeah, Peter,
you're up. Go through the wiring ducts and see if you can get into the bridge, Clutch said, pointing
a light at the access point in the ceiling. Okay, here we go, he replied. Now Helen, watch how well
he can fit into small spaces. Clutch, why, Tilly said. Leave him alone, it was just a misunderstanding.
Also Clutch, that was gross, Helen responded. Peter smiled and disengaged his gravity boots to reach
the access point. Clutch looked sheepish. Sorry, he said to Helen. In no time, Peter was in the
wiring tubes. It was a tight fit, but there had to be enough space for an engineer to get around in
for fixes. He made his way to the bridge and opened the hatch. Guys, we have an issue. There was no
response. Guys, can you read me? The radio lit up with a garbled sound, but nothing else. He tried
reaching Tilly with a brain text, but it wasn't going through. He looked back into the bridge below.
There was a glowing white orb about the size of a beach ball floating in the center of the room.
All around it were different shadows with bodies of people trying to reach the orb,
but they were all frozen in place. He stared into the light for a few minutes and then decided the
best thing to do was to back out and inform the others. Peter jumped down out of the duct to find
Helen standing there alone. How'd it go? She asked. Her comms were fine. There's a strange glowing orb
in there. Where's everyone else? What do you mean? It's just you and I, champ, she replied. Um, no.
Tilly and Clutch were with us as well. Remember? Stated Peter. Who? Okay, something's wrong. You
don't know who I'm talking about. We should contact the ship. Did you hit your head, baby?
We are here on our honeymoon. We bought the derelict ship package. Come on, we have to find
a way into engineering before the ship explodes. She took his arm to lead him away from the bridge,
but Peter just stood there stunned. Look, we only have 30 minutes left, babe, before we lose. I don't
want to lose. Peter took off running to the shuttle to find it wasn't there. Helen was right behind
him. Instead of a shuttle bay, there was a lobby with a huge window showing the earth down below.
It was massive, beautiful, and very blue. He'd never seen it this big. There was a desk with a
short woman with gray hair sitting behind it. Sir, the game is back the way you came, she said in a
dull voice. What is this place, Peter asked? Honey, you're scaring me. This wasn't his Helen. Sure,
she looked the same, but something was off. She took his hand again. We only have 30 minutes,
babe. Time is ticking. The final word in the sentence trailed off as if he was falling down
a hole away from her. Everything went blurry. Peter, wake up, man. You okay? It was Clutch's voice.
Clutch's voice. Peter's vision focused on him. I'm fine, I think. Peter felt every cell in his body.
We had to pull you out of the tube. You passed out, Tilly said, looking down at him with concerned
eyes. Here, get up. Helen reached her hand down to help him to his feet. Thanks. There's some kind of
white shining orb in there. Around are several human shadows that look like they're trying to make
their way to it. I think we should tell the captain, insisted Peter. They called the captain and filled
her in on the details. If this orb is contained in the bridge, then we'll salvage the rest of the
ship. I can't go back with nothing. What happened to high safety protocol? Asked Peter. That's just
word salad to make the new people feel like the company cares. You all know the truth. Look,
get into engineering and get the power cells. Then I'll send 20 people to take apart the engine.
That should be enough to satisfy the powers that be. Captain out. This is crazy. Why are we risking
our lives for three year old power cells? Peter was angry. He could feel something was wrong and
no one was taking him seriously. Clutch, you know, I like credits as much as the next guy,
but we need to get out of here. He turned around to look at the others and he found himself in a
long tunnel. One end was lit. The other was blackness. He no longer had his suit on, but
seemed to be able to breathe. What the hell is this? He thought taking off towards the light.
He figured there might be something or someone there. He started to walk and walk and walk.
As he got closer to the light, he didn't notice that he was aging. The light never seemed to get
closer. Then a shadow cast towards him appeared. It was someone running. It took a moment, but
suddenly Tilly appeared in her suit covered in sweat and she ran right past him. He looked to
see what she was running from. The light was expanding suddenly and was very close to overwhelming
him. He turned and started to run as well, but his body was stiff from the rapid aging. Going the
opposite way towards the darkness was de-aging him, but not as fast as the light was moving.
Before he knew it, he was engulfed. Peter, Peter! He woke up again, this time in the engine room.
Clutch was over him. One of his arms was badly wounded.
Clutch put his finger to his lip. Then he pointed across the room. There was a creature,
huge and amorphous. It was absorbing Tilly's corpse into its soft purple exterior.
Peter was about to scream when Clutch put his hand over his mouth.
Need to camouflage yourself and wait while I lure it away, he whispered. That's insane.
We both need to get out of here. Where's Helen? Helen? She's back on the ship. That
knock on the head really messed you up. We were sent here to kill this thing, it's not. And right
then a pink slime-covered appendage fell on top of Clutch's head, covering it. Peter could tell
he was trying to scream. Within a few moments, his helmet and then his entire suit were engulfed.
He was stripped to the bone. Peter was staring into his friend's skull. The creature started
to move towards him. He got up to run and felt reality shift again. He was outside the bridge
with everyone else. You okay? You blanked out there for a moment. Peter let out a long string
of swear words. He ran as fast as he could, trying to make it to the shuttle bay. He didn't even know
what reality he was in. Did Helen hate him here? Was his dad still alive? All he knew was that the
one constant was this ship. Right as he got to the shuttle bay doors, he felt time space shift around
him. It was intoxicating. He was in Helen's embrace. She was on top of him while they made love. Time
had slowed down. The echoes of their love created shifting waves of energy. Then he found Helen in
his arms lying in a black void. She ran her hand across his chest. Why are you trying to leave?
She whispered in his ear. You're not Helen, are you? His heart sank. Of course I am, love. I have to
get off this ship, Peter said while trying to escape Helen's grasp. Reality shifted again and
Peter was in a chapel on the ship. This was a room he'd never been in till he lay in a silver coffin,
discolored and decayed. Peter stood just a foot away. There were faceless black robed mourners in
the pews behind him. Suddenly she sat up. Her jaw was barely holding on and she only had one dead
gray eye. If you give in, I won't kill you like the others. What the hell are you? I'm Constell.
The ship? You're the goddamn ship, he yelled. He turned around and ran as fast as he could.
The floor started to fall behind him. When the shift occurred this time, he realized Constell had
put him near the escape pods. I don't know how the ship controls space-time, but I bet it can't shift
reality beyond its hull. At least, I think. I may only have a few minutes. He jumped into the first
escape pod and hit the launch button. Not strapped in, he bounced all over the inside of the pod as
it rocketed away from the USS Constell. His ribs and right arm were broken. Blood ran from his nose
and he got a cut on his head. He may have blacked out. He wasn't sure. He went to the window. He
could make out the gantry and the USS Constell floating in space just like he had left them.
He couldn't tell how far away they were. Escape pod, do you read me? This is the gantry. What is
your status? The voice went out over the comms. Peter quickly pushed the button. This is Peter.
Tell the captain not to send anyone else to the USS Constell. I repeat, do not send.
The shockwave created by the gantry's explosion rocked the small pod, pushing it further away
from the Constell. No! Peter fell to the floor and started crying. There was no hope now. All his
friends and co-workers were dead and he would just float in this pod forever. I wasn't smart enough
to save anyone. What have I done? After some time, Peter sent a warning out on all subspace channels.
My name is Peter Wilkes and I served on the gantry. The gantry was a salvage class ship that worked
the outer rim of the Milky Way some 25,000 light years from Earth. If you have found this video,
stay away from the derelict ship USS Constell in sector 8662 of the Banton cluster. I repeat,
do not approach and transmission. I feel for Peter. I can't imagine floating in space till you died.
Every moment hoping for a miracle rescue that deep down you know won't come. Would you ever
brave space? Be sure to tell us in the comments. If you liked this portents of fear tale, consider
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Click on one of our other episodes on your screen right now. Good night, fearlings. Sleep well, if you can.