Orlen Vance

Log Entry 3162.10.30 Situation Summary: The ISS Vigilant Dawn drifts closer to Eretheon-6’s gravity well. The Captain has manually overridden key ship systems and secured the command deck with Vice Captain Aria Venn. Lower decks remain overrun with Hive activity. Orlen Vance and a small contingent of surviving crew are holding a defensive position but face relentless Hive waves. Serah Korrin, a former ally, now Hive-assimilated, taunts Orlen from her restraints, testing his resolve. The Hunter is approaching, assimilating additional biomass along its path. --- Chapter XXXVII — Orlen Vance Orlen’s breath came in ragged gasps, echoing through the reinforced corridor. Sparks rained from exposed conduits as Hive drones swarmed, their fused limbs scraping against metal. The small squad behind him fired desperately, but every figure that fell reassembled, twisted by Hive assimilation, and pressed forward again. A sharp, familiar voice cut through the chaos. “Commander…” Serah Korrin’s words dripped with mockery, filtered through the Hive’s cold rhythm. “You always were slow to see the truth. Join us, Orlen… it’s so much easier this way.” Orlen’s grip on his pulse rifle tightened. Memories flashed—childhood games, shared victories, promises. Now, her eyes glowed crimson, her body a grotesque parody of the friend he once knew. Pain and fury surged together. “Not today,” he muttered, keeping low, scanning for cover and firing in short bursts. Every shot, every motion counted; every hesitation could be fatal. The swarm advanced relentlessly, limbs fused into unnatural angles, mouths gnashing, sensory nodes tracking each heartbeat. The Hunter’s shadow fell across the corridor entrance, massive and impossible, claws scraping the floor with a sound that made Orlen’s stomach knot. Its red lenses flicked, analyzing the humans’ positioning. Orlen adjusted his footing, ducking behind a reinforced pillar. He couldn’t outrun it—but he could outthink it.