Slept Among Alien Stars
By addoseth82
Slept Among Alien Stars
Author: addoseth82@gmail.com
Zai woke inside a cryopod, staring at stars that hadn’t existed when he slept. Panic seized him, a cold fist squeezing his heart. The stars were alien, a glittering tapestry woven with unfamiliar constellations. He slammed a fist against the frosted glass, the muffled thud swallowed by the hum of the pod. Where was he? Where was everyone?
A hiss of escaping gas announced the pod's release. Zai stumbled out, his legs weak, and collapsed onto the cold metal floor. He was in a vast, circular chamber, lit by an eerie blue light emanating from the countless cryopods lining the walls. Coughing, he looked down to see his uniform was gone, replaced with simple grey tunic and trousers. The air tasted sterile, metallic. Rising unsteadily, Zai saw a figure approaching. It was another man, tall and gaunt, with eyes that held the same fear Zai felt. The man extended a hand. "Welcome back," he said, his voice raspy. "Or should I say, welcome forward?"
Seth’s words hung in the sterile air, unanswered questions swirling in Zai's mind like dust devils. He stepped closer, a primal unease prickling his skin. The blue light cast long, distorted shadows, making the chamber seem even more immense and isolating. He stared intently at the man, searching for a flicker of recognition, a hint of explanation in his weary eyes. "Who are you?" Zai asked, his voice hoarse from disuse. Seth hesitated, his gaze flickering downwards for a fleeting moment. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of centuries, he reached into a hidden pocket within his tunic. He withdrew a small, crystalline device, pulsing with a soft, inner light. "Your past holds the key to our survival," he said, holding the device aloft.
"What in the abyss is that?" Zai breathed, his eyes fixed on the glowing crystal. Before Seth could answer, a low growl resonated from the very stone beneath their feet. The circular chamber seemed to shrink as the walls began to slide inward, the grinding stone screeching like tormented souls. A wave of azure light over them, so intense it burned afterimages onto Zai's retinas. Fear clenched his gut. This wasn't exploration; it was a carefully sprung snare. He saw a muscle twitch in Seth’s jaw, a silent signal. Reacting purely on instinct, Zai's hand flew to the hilt of his sword. He drew the gleaming steel with a whisper, the polished surface mirroring the blinding blue. *Seth suddenly shoves Zai toward the center of the room*.
The cryopd hissed, its door retracting to reveal a figure blinking against the sudden light. A cloud of icy vapor swirled around him as he lurched forward, each step tentative and uncertain. A ragged cough tore from his chest, the sound amplified by the circular chamber. He coughed again, and again, each spasm wracking his frame. "Seth?" Zai called out, his voice laced with concern. Seth's knees buckled, sending him crashing to the cold metal floor. He lay there, gasping, his face pale and slick with sweat. Zai rushed to his side. She knelt beside her.
Zai stared at the viscous fluid within the cryopod, his stomach churning. Safety? This felt like a watery grave. But the chamber groaned again, the metal walls protesting against some unseen force. Panic. He couldn't stay here.
With a desperate heave, he pulled himself up and over the lip of the pod, plunging into the icy liquid. It stole his breath, a numbing cold that bit at his skin. He thrashed for a moment, the shock paralyzing him. Then, with a metallic hiss, **the lid of the cryopod shut automatically**, plunging him into darkness. The gel-like fluid began to rise, slowly, inexorably, **the cryopod begins to fill with fluid**, engulfing his face, filling his lungs with a cold, artificial sea. He clawed at the sides, but it was no use. The machine had him now.
"Welcome back," the man repeated, a dry cough punctuating the words. "Or should I say, welcome forward?"
Zai’s mind struggled to catch up. "Forward? What do you mean?" she asked, her voice echoing slightly in the vast chamber.
A shrill alarm shattered the moment. Red lights pulsed erratically, washing over the rows of cryopods like blood. The metal floor vibrated violently, and Zai lost her footing, falling to her knees. The man, despite his age, reacted instantly, his grip surprisingly firm as he hauled her up. **The Man pulls Zai towards a control hub**.
"We need to move, now!" he yelled over the din, his breath hot against her ear. "They know we're awake!" **The Man starts typing rapidly on the control hub**. His fingers danced across the illuminated panel, a desperate flurry of motion. **Seth awakens from his cryopod**. From one of the cryopods, a figure stirred. A young man, maybe twenty, with tousled dark hair and eyes still glazed with sleep, sat up, blinking in confusion at the chaos.
The biting air hit Zai's skin like a slap. His vision swam, the cold metal floor beneath him seeming to tilt. The Man, a towering figure in his worn leathers, worked at a control panel, his weathered hands moving with practiced ease across the glowing runes. **The Man glances at Seth.** Seth stood frozen, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and hope. The panel hummed, and Zai heard a hiss as the last of the gel drained away. He tried to sit up, but his limbs felt like lead.
"Easy, Zai," the Man repeated, sparing a quick glance at Seth. "You've been under a long time." **Seth takes a hesitant step forward.** The Man's gaze returned to the panel, his brow furrowed in concentration. **The Man presses a final button.** A low thrum resonated through the vast chamber, and Zai felt a flicker of warmth against the encroaching cold.
The cold was absolute, a suffocating blanket that pressed against Zai's eardrums. He fought against the rising panic, the gel now completely covering his face, seeping into his nose and mouth. Then, oblivion. But it wasn’t empty.
As the gel-like fluid covered his face, Zai's mind was blasted with alien memories, visions flooding his consciousness: a sprawling, hidden underground city, shimmering with an ethereal light, its architecture unlike anything he had ever seen. Cryptic symbols, etched into obsidian walls, danced before his eyes, a complex language that seemed to hold the key to their escape, to the very reason they were here. He saw vast hydroponic gardens bathed in artificial sunlight, children laughing as they played among strange, bioluminescent plants. The images were fleeting, fragmented, but their power was undeniable. They resonated deep within him, stirring something ancient and primal.
Zai gasped, sputtering, and found himself yanked upright. He coughed, expelling the last of the gel, his lungs burning. The gaunt man, his face grim, held him steady. Red lights still pulsed, painting their faces in alternating shades of crimson and shadow. The alarm continued its shrill assault on their eyes.
"No time to explain," the man rasped, his eyes darting around the chamber. "They'll be here soon." He released Zai and strode towards the control hub, his movements surprisingly agile despite his frail appearance. **The man led Zai to the control panel**.
As they approached, Zai noticed a subtle seam in the obsidian wall behind the panel. With a swift series of taps on the console, the man triggered a mechanism. A section of the wall slid silently inward, revealing a dark, narrow passageway. "Come," he said, urgency etched in his voice. "We have to find out why we were awakened."
Story Content
Zai woke inside a cryopod, staring at stars that hadn’t existed when he slept. Panic seized him, a cold fist squeezing his heart. The stars were alien, a glittering tapestry woven with unfamiliar constellations. He slammed a fist against the frosted glass, the muffled thud swallowed by the hum of the pod. Where was he? Where was everyone?
A hiss of escaping gas announced the pod's release. Zai stumbled out, his legs weak, and collapsed onto the cold metal floor. He was in a vast, circular chamber, lit by an eerie blue light emanating from the countless cryopods lining the walls. Coughing, he looked down to see his uniform was gone, replaced with simple grey tunic and trousers. The air tasted sterile, metallic. Rising unsteadily, Zai saw a figure approaching. It was another man, tall and gaunt, with eyes that held the same fear Zai felt. The man extended a hand. "Welcome back," he said, his voice raspy. "Or should I say, welcome forward?"
"Welcome back," the man repeated, a dry cough punctuating the words. "Or should I say, welcome forward?"
Zai’s mind struggled to catch up. "Forward? What do you mean?" she asked, her voice echoing slightly in the vast chamber.
A shrill alarm shattered the moment. Red lights pulsed erratically, washing over the rows of cryopods like blood. The metal floor vibrated violently, and Zai lost her footing, falling to her knees. The man, despite his age, reacted instantly, his grip surprisingly firm as he hauled her up. **The Man pulls Zai towards a control hub**.
"We need to move, now!" he yelled over the din, his breath hot against her ear. "They know we're awake!" **The Man starts typing rapidly on the control hub**. His fingers danced across the illuminated panel, a desperate flurry of motion. **Seth awakens from his cryopod**. From one of the cryopods, a figure stirred. A young man, maybe twenty, with tousled dark hair and eyes still glazed with sleep, sat up, blinking in confusion at the chaos.
Zai stared at the viscous fluid within the cryopod, his stomach churning. Safety? This felt like a watery grave. But the chamber groaned again, the metal walls protesting against some unseen force. Panic. He couldn't stay here.
With a desperate heave, he pulled himself up and over the lip of the pod, plunging into the icy liquid. It stole his breath, a numbing cold that bit at his skin. He thrashed for a moment, the shock paralyzing him. Then, with a metallic hiss, **the lid of the cryopod shut automatically**, plunging him into darkness. The gel-like fluid began to rise, slowly, inexorably, **the cryopod begins to fill with fluid**, engulfing his face, filling his lungs with a cold, artificial sea. He clawed at the sides, but it was no use. The machine had him now.
The cold was absolute, a suffocating blanket that pressed against Zai's eardrums. He fought against the rising panic, the gel now completely covering his face, seeping into his nose and mouth. Then, oblivion. But it wasn’t empty.
As the gel-like fluid covered his face, Zai's mind was blasted with alien memories, visions flooding his consciousness: a sprawling, hidden underground city, shimmering with an ethereal light, its architecture unlike anything he had ever seen. Cryptic symbols, etched into obsidian walls, danced before his eyes, a complex language that seemed to hold the key to their escape, to the very reason they were here. He saw vast hydroponic gardens bathed in artificial sunlight, children laughing as they played among strange, bioluminescent plants. The images were fleeting, fragmented, but their power was undeniable. They resonated deep within him, stirring something ancient and primal.
Zai gasped, sputtering, and found himself yanked upright. He coughed, expelling the last of the gel, his lungs burning. The gaunt man, his face grim, held him steady. Red lights still pulsed, painting their faces in alternating shades of crimson and shadow. The alarm continued its shrill assault on their eyes.
"No time to explain," the man rasped, his eyes darting around the chamber. "They'll be here soon." He released Zai and strode towards the control hub, his movements surprisingly agile despite his frail appearance. **The man led Zai to the control panel**.
As they approached, Zai noticed a subtle seam in the obsidian wall behind the panel. With a swift series of taps on the console, the man triggered a mechanism. A section of the wall slid silently inward, revealing a dark, narrow passageway. "Come," he said, urgency etched in his voice. "We have to find out why we were awakened."
Synopsis
Zai wakes in a cryopod to alien stars and a sterile chamber, his past erased. Joined by a fearful stranger, he navigates an unfamiliar world, seeking answers and allies. As secrets unravel, Zai must confront cosmic forces and reclaim his identity in an epic quest across unknown realms.
