| Day –60 / 2025-03-01 07:42 |
Woke with the taste of burning plastic on my tongue again. It’s never there, but I can’t shake it—like guilt seared into my bones. |
| Day –45 / 2025-03-16 22:18 |
Dreamed the lab walls bled data and the consoles whispered my failures. I woke gasping, afraid that one day they’ll all tell on me. |
| Day –11 / 2025-04-13 03:17 |
Last supper before launch: the freeze-dried ragù was as lifeless as my hope. Signed the final manifest with trembling hands—ten thousand souls depending on one fallible signature. |
| Day –10 / 2025-04-14 14:05 |
Ran my fingers along the Ark’s hull. Cold, smooth, unyielding. I swear it sighed under my touch, as if warning me: “You’re not ready for this.” |
| Cycle 0 / 2025-04-24 10:55 |
Liftoff smashed me against the seat. The roar was a benediction and a curse. I closed my eyes, imagining Earth shrinking behind me—will I ever forgive myself for leaving her to die? |
| Cycle 3 / 2025-04-26 22:47 |
Heard the ducts pulse at forty-two seconds. I counted it like a heartbeat, wondering if the ship itself is alive—or if I am just too alone to know the difference. |
| Cycle 7 / 2025-05-01 06:11 |
Drift corrections into Blind Sector Φ. I slammed my fist on the console. Hate the charts, hate my pride for thinking we could chart the unknown without getting lost. |
| Cycle 9 / 2025-05-04 02:05 |
Lena found teal dust in the vents. She said it tasted like pennies and ozone—funny, I’d trade a mouthful of hope to taste something pure for once. |
| Cycle 12 / 2025-05-07 21:47 |
Off-course again. Each course correction writes another sorry in my logs. I’m beginning to wonder if the Ark is punishing me for thinking I could save us all. |
| Cycle 15 / 2025-05-10 14:22 |
Those motes in the air—bright, dim, bright—dance just out of reach. I caught one on my tongue. It tasted like memory and longing. |
| Cycle 18 / 2025-05-13 16:30 |
Markus laughed through his mask after the trial. Such raw joy—it made me ache with envy. I locked eyes with Lauren afterward; she squeezed my hand, and for a second I believed we might survive. |
| Cycle 20 / 2025-05-16 12:05 |
The inhibitor stall buys forty-eight hours. We toasted with nutrient gel in the mess—never tasted so hollow. I looked at Lauren across the table and hated that I felt comforted by her presence. |
| Cycle 22 / 2025-05-18 19:00 |
Mirrorglass Station emerged like a broken promise. I swear I heard its glass shards whisper my name. I wish I’d never chased Shale’s ghost here, but my heart won’t let me turn away. |
| Cycle 26 / 2025-05-22 05:47 |
First steps on Zild. Gravity’s embrace was gentler than I expected. Spores drifted in teal spirals, silent judges. I whispered “Sorry” to Earth and “Thank you” to the unknown. |
