Essay:
The alarm blared, echoing in the eerily silent spaceship. Beads of sweat trickled down Captain Reynolds’ forehead as he struggled to identify the cause. A critical failure in the ship’s life-support system, according to the blinking console. And all around him, the cold and indifferent vacuum of space.
Reynolds sent out distress signals, each one a desperate plea for help echoing into the void. The nearest human outpost was days away, far beyond the life expectancy of his failing systems. Despair clawed at him, gnawing on his resolve.