Captain Mira Chen stood on the bridge of the starship Odyssey, staring out at the endless expanse of space. The year was 2147, and humanity had finally begun to colonize distant planets. Yet, for all their advancements, one question lingered in her mind: What lay beyond the stars?
Suddenly, the ship’s AI, named Orion, interrupted her thoughts.
“Captain, I’ve detected a distress signal emanating from the coordinates of the Elysium, a ship lost over twenty years ago.”
Mira’s heart raced. The Elysium had vanished without a trace during its exploratory mission to the Andromeda sector. She turned to Orion. “Can you pinpoint its location?”
“Affirmative,” Orion replied. “Calculating course now.”
As they approached the coordinates, a massive derelict ship came into view—its once-proud hull now battered and covered in debris. Mira felt a chill run down her spine as they docked.
“Prepare for boarding,” she commanded, her voice steady despite her unease.
Once inside the Elysium, Mira activated her flashlight and scanned the darkened corridors. The air was stale, thick with dust and neglect. Every step echoed with an unsettling silence.
“Orion, can you access their logs?” she asked.
“Accessing now,” Orion replied. “There are multiple entries leading up to their disappearance.”
Mira listened intently as Orion played back the recordings. The crew had reported strange occurrences—unexplained power fluctuations and eerie noises echoing through the ship. Then came the last entry:
“We’re not alone,” a voice trembled through the static. “Something is here with us… It’s watching.”
Mira’s pulse quickened as she pressed deeper into the ship. She found remnants of crew quarters—personal items scattered about as if left in haste. But there were no bodies.
“Captain,” Orion interrupted her thoughts. “I’ve found something unusual in their last communication logs.”
“What is it?” Mira asked, turning to face the AI’s interface.
“The crew reported encountering an unknown entity—something they referred to as ‘The Watcher.’ They believed it was manipulating their reality.”
A shiver ran down Mira’s spine. Manipulating reality? She shook off the thought and pressed on until she reached the control room.
The console flickered to life at her touch, and she gasped as images filled the screen—distorted faces of her crew members twisted in terror.
“Orion! What is this?”
“It appears to be a recording of their final moments,” Orion replied gravely.
Mira watched in horror as shadows danced around her crew, their screams echoing in her ears. Just as abruptly as it began, the recording cut off.
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the ship.
“Warning! Energy fluctuations detected!”
Orion shouted.
Mira felt panic rise within her. “We need to leave! Now!”
As they rushed back to their ship, Mira glanced back at the darkened corridors of the Elysium. What had happened here? What had they encountered?
Once aboard the Odyssey, Mira initiated takeoff procedures. But before they could escape, a blinding light engulfed them.
“Orion! What’s happening?”
“Unknown energy source detected! It appears to be emanating from… you!”
Mira’s heart dropped as she felt an overwhelming force pulling at her consciousness. Memories flooded her mind—her childhood, her family, moments from her life she thought long forgotten.
“No! This can’t be real!”
she screamed.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
When she opened her eyes again, Mira found herself standing in front of a mirror—not on her ship but in a familiar room filled with childhood memories. Confused and disoriented, she looked closer at her reflection and gasped.
It wasn’t just any reflection; it was another version of herself—a version that had never left Earth.
“Welcome back,” said a voice behind her.
Mira turned to see an older version of herself standing there—a woman who looked wise yet weary.
“What happened?” Mira demanded.
“You were chosen,” older Mira explained softly. “The Watcher has been waiting for someone like you—someone who could transcend reality itself.”
Mira shook her head in disbelief. “But I was on my ship! We were exploring!”
“No,” older Mira replied gently. “You were never on that ship. You were always here—trapped in an endless loop of your own making.”
As realization dawned upon her, Mira understood that every choice she had made led her back to this moment—a prison of her own design where she could never truly escape.
In that instant, the truth shattered her perception of reality: she was not just exploring space; she was exploring herself—a reflection of every possibility and every regret.
And now, as she stood before another version of herself in this infinite loop, she realized that perhaps it was time to confront not just The Watcher outside but The Watcher within—the part of herself that had always been watching from afar.
The Last Transmission wasn’t just about lost ships or distant stars; it was about finding oneself amid an endless cosmos of choices—and learning to break free from them once and for all.
