Carbon by Josh Roberts
The silent darkness brings comfort.
Josh, in his mid-thirties, just over six feet tall, skinny but muscular, with shoulder length dirty blonde hair and a well kempt goatee, sits in the captain’s chair on the bridge of the Legendary in his white Corp A issued under suit, resembling a painter’s jumpsuit but tighter fitting, staring into space. The bridge is a series of large computer screens in a half circle surrounding the captain’s chair, which has controls on both arms to manipulate the screens around it. The screens monitor everything associated with the ship, inside and outside, and provide a complete view of the mission the Legendary is undertaking.
He enjoys being alone. Ever since Josh joined Corp A, he has made sure that he had at least a few days out of cryosleep before the rest of the crew so he could “contemplate the void”.
Josh has been on fourteen mining missions in ten years and his “alone time” ranges from twenty-four hours to five days.
This time, they have given him three days. Being a mission technologist, his life is full of computer screens and meetings. The noise on Earth is too loud and the people are too close. Out here, silently hurtling to his destination, surrounded only by stars, he can collect his thoughts and check on the mission at his leisure.
Plus, he can get real sleep without cryonic assistance. Cryonic sleep is more like being awake but immobile. There are lights and sounds constantly monitoring your vital signs. It is like being in a hospital bed, but not being able to move. Your mind is constantly processing the stimuli around you. Josh never feels rested after cyrosleep. Real sleep is quiet…peaceful.
Corp A is the world’s largest galactic mining company. They patented the technology and machinery to take elements in their raw forms from nebulae clouds and coalesce them into whatever elements or compounds they desire, like gold, platinum, diamonds, uranium, or whatever the market needs. They have been the frontrunner on nebula mining since day one, which is why Josh chose to work for them.
Rumors of unethical methods and putting profit over people follow Corp A, but the way he sees it, they all do shady stuff, and this company has perfected the tech, so why go with anyone else?
The Legendary is a newly christened carbon fiber vessel that is super light and strong, able to withstand small to moderate impacts from just about anything. It is divided into two levels. The upper level has the bridge, with the controls for the entire ship; the cryotube chamber, where everyone sleeps for the trip; a mess hall and kitchen, even though most of what they eat is pre-packaged and dehydrated; and access chutes that connect upper to lower levels. Each room has a bulkhead door that can shut it off from the rest of the ship. These doors are each one foot thick, made of the same carbon fiber, and are meant to prevent decompression if the hull is breached in any area. Each door has a rail that circles both sides of the door so that crew can tether themselves to the strongest points of the ship in case of emergencies. The lower level is 80% cargo bay, along with the propulsion system, the ion drive; the element generator, which converts the nebula elements into whatever solid elements they want; and the life support system, which keeps the ship pressurized and the air breathable, so the crew stay alive. The ship is the pride of Corp A, having been designed, built, and patented by them over the course of six years in moderate secrecy. She is the most advanced ship ever created, and the most expensive by far. This is her first mining operation, so Corp A has assembled the best seven-person crew available.
Captain Blake is retired military and always wanted to see space. He is fifty-six years old, six foot three inches tall, maintains his military style brown crew cut hair, looks like he lifts weights daily, has plenty of scars to go with his many military honors, and speaks very loudly in short bursts, like a drill sergeant. He is a seasoned pilot, a decorated veteran, and a single-minded leader. This is the seventh mining operation he and Josh have been on together.
Dr. Moore is the first mate and a biologist. She is in her early forties, is five foot eight inches tall, is fit but not overly muscular, has long blonde hair, and wears typical “nerdy” glasses. She is one of the top minds in her field, highly praised for her work on nebula science as it relates to biological systems and has devoted her life to her work. This is her third mission, and the first Josh has been on with her.
They have a psychologist in the crew since the trip is over two months even with the ion drive. No one bothered to tell Josh her name. She is five foot two, shoulder length curly raven black hair, medium build, fair skinned, deep green eyes. In his experience, the crew does not like having a psychologist because they think they are bad luck, so they tend to shun whoever draws that unfortunate straw.
There is an actual medic/doctor with them, Dr. Rajesh. He is from India, is in his early fifties, has tight cropped black hair, and speaks with a very faint Indian accent, almost as if he is trying to hide it. His specialty is the long-term effects of nebula mining on the human body, but he is also a general physician. Josh has been on one other mission with him.
Finally, are the two mechanics, Bill and Lars. They are both in their mid to late sixties, they are both roughly six feet tall, both have muscular upper bodies, both have black crew cut hair like the captain, and both have moderate stubble on their faces. They are not brothers, but their physical features and constant filthy appearance make it hard to tell otherwise. They are a team and have been for countless years. They were hired specifically to keep the Legendary in perfect physical condition, so Josh assumes they are the best in the business.
The mission of the Legendary is to reach the Ghosthead Nebula, mine the elements it contains, and convert the elements into what Corp A wants during the return trip, making the bosses happy. This nebula has never been mined, so of course Corp A wanted it to be the first mining mission for their amazing new ship. No expense was spared, and the expectations could not be higher. The Ghosthead Nebula is at least twice the distance from any other nebula Josh has been to, which explains why it has not been mined to date. There have been several failed attempts to reach it in the past, from other companies, and although no public record has been released detailing the reasons for failure, the general consensus among mining crews is that the ships used had to abort due to hull damage or propulsion problems.
Josh wakes up on the floor of the bridge, alarms screaming and lights flashing all around him. His head aches, and there is a trickle of blood running down his cheek. His thoughts are scattered as he tries to reorient himself and figure out what is happening. He had just checked their destination parameters, making sure they were on course. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At his last check, they were still a full day from the Ghosthead Nebula.
He sits up and squints at the main screen, straining to focus, realizing that the ship has stopped. Dead stop.
“That’s not supposed to be possible.”
Shaking the cobwebs out of his brain as he rises to his feet, he realizes he has been unconscious for at least an hour. Every system is in alert.
He rushes to the cryo chamber, still dazed and unsure on his feet, to wake up the rest of the crew. The cryo tubes are arranged in a circle in the middle of the room, all connected to a large octagonal column that runs floor to ceiling. The ten foot long, four-foot diameter white cylinders sit at a 45-degree angle with 90% of the front made of a near unbreakable glass. Each tube has a control panel on the left side which monitors vital signs and keeps the occupant alive. There are more control panels on the wall just inside the chamber. The tubes are programmed to open automatically when the ship reaches its destination, or in Josh’s case the prescribed time before.
Alarms and lights are still flashing everywhere as Josh hits the override on the wall panel.
Dr. Moore is already awake, and eager to get out of what she calls her “glass coffin”. As the door to her chamber opens, she almost hits her head on the lid as she scrambles out.
“What the hell happened?”
Josh is still wide eyed and slightly addled.
“I have no idea. I was checking things out one minute, then I woke up on the floor an hour later. I must have hit my head on something.”
Dr. Rajesh yawns and stretches once before the piercing wails of the alarm system cause him to spring into action.
“Josh, you are bleeding. Let me look at your head.”
Ignoring Dr. Rajesh, Josh moves to the next cryotube.
The tubes for Captain Blake, Bill, Lars, and the psychologist have not opened. They are awake.
As he frantically pushes buttons on the control panels, another tremor goes through the ship hurtling Josh, Dr. Rajesh, and Dr. Moore across the room into the wall.
Dr. Moore pulls herself up to her hands and knees.
“Everyone needs to get into their suits in case we lose pressurization.”
The three of them rush to their suits housed along the wall in recessed cubbies in the cryo chamber.
Josh turns to the trapped crew members.
“I’ll get you out once the ship is stabilized, I promise.”
Their reactions betray their lack of confidence in his words. Captain Blake pushes on the glass. Bill and Lars randomly push buttons on the inside of their tubes. The psychologist glances around her tube as panic wells in her chest.
Now suited up, the three race back to the bridge to assess the damage.
Josh examines the main screen and pushes several buttons that don’t respond.
“The hull is breached in the cargo bay. We’ll have to go down there and seal it. The controls for the bulk heads won’t respond.”
Dr. Moore sees that the life support systems are about to fail.
“We have to get the others out of those tubes and into suits. The cryotubes can’t keep them alive if the life support system fails.”
Josh nods, then realizes something odd.
“The ion drive is shut down, the ship has completely stopped, and we are inside the nebula.”
Dr. Moore looks quizzically at Josh.
“How is that possible? Did we hit something?”
Staring at the two doctors, Josh swoons slightly, grabbing the monitor as he starts to step away.
“I don’t know, but we need to find out.”
Dr. Rajesh grabs his arm.
“You need medical attention. It’s obvious that you have a concussion.”
Ignoring Dr. Rajesh, Josh heads toward the hallway to the lower decks.
Following, Dr. Rajesh turns to Dr. Moore.
“He needs to be examined. You can see he isn’t thinking clearly, can’t you?”
Dr. Moore responds under her breath.
“Let’s get the ship stable, then we can look at him.”
On the other side of the bulkhead door to the cargo bay, Josh and the two doctors can feel the air pressure being sucked out of the ship.
Josh glances at the two doctors.
“Attach your tether to the bulk head rail.”
After hearing three distinct “clinks” of the tethers being attached, Josh hesitates for a moment, then opens the door.
Violent decompression rips all three of them through the doorway. Almost instantly the tethers are pulled taught as the crew members lurch against the sudden arrest of their flight into open space.
A huge hole has been torn in the wall of the cargo bay, with jagged twisted shards of the hull resembling an inward explosion pointing toward them.
There is a mist hovering in the air. It is black and so fine and wispy that it looks like smoke.
Dr. Rajesh notices it first.
“Did something catch on fire?”
Quickly glancing around, Josh sees nothing charred or burned.
“No, it looks like something punched a hole in the side of the ship.”
Dr. Moore gazes out into the vacuum of space, pointing at something.
“What is that?”
Focusing in the direction of her finger, Josh and Dr. Rajesh see an enormous cloud of swirling, churning blackness. It writhes and seethes, tentacle-like protrusions twisting and rolling from its large center mass, revealing small glimpses of the colorful nebula around it, then enveloping everything in a void-like darkness.
Josh is transfixed.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Breaking his stunned gaze, he turns to the others.
“We have to get this breach sealed.”
Terror grips Dr. Rajesh.
“It looks like it’s alive. It’s moving as if it is alive.”
Josh and Dr. Moore grab Dr. Rajesh and pull him back into the corridor outside the cargo bay.
Josh turns to Dr. Moore.
“If we don’t close the blast doors, the underside of the ship will be torn to pieces. The ion drive, the life support, the element generator, everything down here will be destroyed.”
Dr. Moore looks at Josh, fear growing in her expression.
“Did…that do this?? I…I can’t…I can’t breathe…”
Josh puts his hand on Dr. Moore’s shoulder as Dr. Rajesh interrupts, shouting.
“It’s moving. It’s coming toward us.”
Dr. Moore and Josh turn to see the mass of black extend its large tendril-like projections and hurtle them towards the open hull of the Legendary.
Dr. Moore snaps out of it first.
“Get those doors closed now!”
Dr. Rajesh stands mesmerized as Josh scrambles to close the blast door by turning a manual crank that seals off the damaged parts of the ship.
As he makes the third turn of the wheel, the ship is rocked by another powerful jolt, sending all three of them slamming into the half-closed blast doors.
The blow is strong enough to crack the dome of Dr. Moore’s helmet, increasing her panic.
Josh whirls around to see the ion drive, element generator, and most of the underside of the ship have been torn away. Then he sees the wide-eyed stare of Dr. Rajesh.
“Dr. Rajesh, are you okay?”
The doctor tries to speak, but his body begins to writhe and shake, a black foam starting to come out of his mouth.
The other two see a black tendril piercing the half-open blast door, impaling Dr. Rajesh through his chest. The black mist they noticed earlier surrounds his entire body.
They watch in horror as his body shakes and bucks. His eyes roll back in his head as black spots begin to appear on his face. They quickly turn red as his blood bursts from every black dot. The gurgling sound of the black foam pouring from his mouth takes the place of his screaming.
Dr. Moore sinks to the floor, weeping. Josh is frozen with fear.
The black mist envelopes Dr. Rajesh, his skin, hair, bones, and organs disintegrating as they watch in a state of shock.
What was once Dr. Rajesh is now a cloud of wispy black connected to a long tentacle flowing back into space.
Suddenly, it withdraws, pulling the newly formed cloud with it.
Peering through the hole in the cargo bay door, Josh watches the tendrils snapping around to start another attack. The blast door is disintegrating into black wispy smoke where the tentacle touched it.
“We gotta get out of here right now.”
Dr. Moore is in shock from the horror she just witnessed.
“Dr. Moore, get up! We have to get back to the bridge!”
Realizing she is unresponsive; he lifts her up and puts her arm around his shoulders dragging her back to the upper decks. He seals the bulkhead dividing the upper and lower decks.
Dr. Moore slumps out of Josh’s grasp into a chair on the bridge as Josh races back to the cyro room.
Captain Blake, still pounding on the glass of his tube, yells at Josh.
“Get us out of here, Josh! Break the glass! Do something!!”
Josh spins around erratically, looking for anything that might break the glass of the cryo tubes.
“Captain, the lower deck is completely gone, and there is something alive out there! Dr. Rajesh is dead!”
Captain Blake stops pounding his fists.
“What happened to Dr. Rajesh?”
Before Josh can respond, the ship rocks violently again. He watches as a puff of black smoke comes up from the floor, eating holes in everything it touches, leaving an ever-growing cloud of black mist.
Then he hears the first scream.
Josh slowly turns to his left to see a black mist swirling around Lars’ feet. He sees the mist move up Lars’ body as his limbs disintegrate, his screams muffled by the cryotube glass. Josh watches as his organs are laid bare, his skin disappearing in a puff of black. His liver, lungs and intestines start to writhe and boil as his body bucks and jerks, then bursts into clouds of black. A gurgle comes from Lars’ mouth as his eyes roll back in his head. His struggle ends as his brain oozes out of his nostrils before turning to black soot.
Another scream pulls Josh’s gaze to his right as he sees the face of Bill melt like cheese in a fire. His eyes pop like popcorn but instead of white fluffy kernels they become puffs of black spores floating on the air. His body bucks as festering boils appear in the thousands then rupture into black tendrils of smoke.
Suddenly all the air pressure is sucked out of the cryo room through the floor. The ship is depressurizing from the holes everywhere.
Josh struggles to keep his balance and pounds his fists on the cryotube latches, but nothing gives way.
The psychologist stares at Josh with tears streaming down her horrified face as she starts to gasp for air.
Captain Blake fights the urge to gasp himself as he turns to her.
Josh gazes back and forth at Captain Blake and the psychologist, unable to act.
“I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do!”
Captain Blake looks back at Josh with somber resignation.
“Run Josh. Get away from this thing…if you can.”
As Josh sinks away, Captain Blake turns back to the psychologist.
“What is your name?”
The psychologist looks at Captain Blake, her face red from crying and hyperventilating.
“St…Stephanie. I…I didn’t want to g…go into space. I h…hate space.”
Captain Blake bows his head, struggling for breath.
“I’m sorry, Stephanie.”
As he utters her name, the mist breaks through his cryotube and envelopes his head. His body twists and quivers, but he makes no sound as he melts and joins the black mist.
Stephanie doesn’t have enough air in her lungs to scream as she sees his convulsions. The mist protrudes up through her stomach and spreads like smoke over her entire body. Blood boils out of her, then turns to black as she shares the fate of the other crew members.
Josh is able to seal the bridge with his last energy, then drops to his knees, stifling tears, about to have a complete breakdown.
Dr. Moore is staring out into space, entranced and silent.
Looking in the direction she is staring, he sees that what remains of the ship is now covered with black tendrils that are twisting, writhing, and tightening around the upper level. He notices the elemental analysis on the last active computer screen.
“Carbon. It’s made of carbon.”
The realization dawns on him as he hears the groaning and cracking death knell of the Legendary. The view from the bridge is nothing but churning black now. The cockpit glass develops long cracks that quickly fill with black soot.
“The ship’s carbon. We’re carbon. It is carbon.”
He turns to Dr. Moore, his voice quivering.
“It’s eating us, Dr. Moore. We’re becoming part of it, so it can grow.”
She gives no response as holes begin to appear in the walls and door of the cockpit.
The last rush of air is sucked out of the bridge as the glass turns to black.
Dr. Moore offers no resistance as her body is pulled with the decompression, right into the swirling cloud outside.
There is no sound as she disappears.
Josh surveys what remains of the bridge and realizes what awaits him as the black mist twists and swirls everywhere.
He heaves a final sigh and unlatches his helmet. His body lurches as the air is pulled from his lungs. His consciousness fades as the black mist engulfs him.
The silent darkness brings comfort.