Blazing through Fire
Third story in the series! I’m so pumped! I promised a new chapter for a new story and wala, here it is.
(I hope you read my important Author’s note at the beginning. That’s really crucial.)
Enjoy.
Millions of miles from Earth, two spacecraft modules drifted through the darkness.
One was the famous Parker Solar Probe, humanity’s closest observer of the Sun. The other was SETH, a newer international research probe jointly monitored by NASA and Roscosmos. Together, they gathered priceless information about solar activity, magnetic storms, and the strange behavior of the star that sustained life on Earth.
Johnson B. Space Center, Houston, Texas
Inside mission control centers in both the United States and Russia, technicians watched streams of telemetry flow across enormous monitors.
“Solar wave activity is increasing again,” one NASA analyst reported.
Over in Moscow at space centers Tsiniimash and TsAGI, another Russian scientist adjusted a headset and frowned. “SETH is picking up unusual acoustic conversions.”
The room grew quiet.
The Sun did not produce sound in space. However, electromagnetic activity could be translated into audio frequencies for researchers to study.
A recording began playing through the speakers. At first it sounded like ordinary wind. Then the pitch changed. The noise deepened into a haunting howl.
Several technicians exchanged uncomfortable glances.
The sound rose higher and higher until it resembled a distant screech echoing through a cavern.
Someone nervously cleared their throat. “The hell is that? That doesn’t sound natural.”
The mission director folded his arms. “Log it and continue monitoring.”
The recording continued. The howling became distorted. Almost alive. Almost angry.
Then warning alarms erupted throughout the control room. A massive solar prominence erupted from the Sun’s surface. Data feeds spiked. Telemetry fluctuated wildly.
“Temperature increase!”
“Radiation surge!”
“SETH is taking damage!”
The monitors flashed red.
Far from Earth, the two probes endured the fury of the Sun.
One of SETH’s external panels began glowing orange. The metal warped. Then cracked. Moments later, part of the panel melted away completely, shards of flexible carbon fiber tore off, carried away by the invisible wind.
The Parker Solar Probe however survived the blazing heat that seared through. Thanks to its advanced thermal shield, it recorded temperatures and radiation levels beyond predicted models. The solar prominence swallowed both spacecraft in a storm of super heated plasma.
Signals flickered.
Then stabilized.
For now.
Mission control collectively exhaled.
“Both probes still responding.” the Russian technician relayed in return.
The director nodded. “Keep recording everything.”
No one noticed the faint unease spreading through the room.
The strange howling from the Sun remained stored in the system archives.
Waiting.
The blackness of space stretched endlessly around Space Shuttle Atlantis II as it glided in Low Earth Orbit above Earth during mission STS - 137A.
Outside the orbiter, astronauts Helios Pherae and Camden Murphy floated beside the aging Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. Their white EVA space suits gleamed in the sunlight as they worked carefully on a malfunctioning communications panel.
Inside Atlantis II, mission specialist Aleksei Rychenkov relaxed in his seat while Rains down in Africa by Toto played through the shuttle’s speakers.
“I bless the rains down in Africa…”
Aleksei grinned and keyed his microphone. “Mission Control is going to question my musical choices again.”
Helios laughed over the communications channel. “Could be worse. You could’ve picked Russian polka.”
Camden chuckled. “Or whale sounds.”
The repair finished successfully. Helios tightened the final bolt and gave the satellite a gentle push.
“Houston,” he announced dramatically with a smirk, “we no longer have a problem.”
The crew erupted into laughter.
For a moment, everything seemed perfect.
Then Camden went silent. “Uh… Helios?”
“What is it?”
Camden pointed toward the distant horizon. “The Sun.”
Helios turned.
At first it looked like a bright flare reflecting off his visor. Then he realized it wasn’t moving normally. A glowing sphere of fire pulsed near Earth, separate from the Sun itself. It shimmered with strange golden and crimson colors.
“Aleksei, do you see this?” Helios asked.
Inside the shuttle, Aleksei leaned toward the window. “I see it. Recording now.”
His hand held camera activated immediately. The glowing object expanded. The sphere stretched. Twisted. Moved.
Aleksei’s smile disappeared. “Helios… that’s not a solar flare.”
The fire suddenly elongated into a massive serpent-like shape. Wings of plasma erupted from its sides. Its blazing eyes opened.
The creature released a shriek that somehow carried through the vacuum of space—not through sound, but through every display screen and radio frequency aboard Atlantis II.
Warning alarms erupted.
“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” Helios muttered in disbelief. He vividly recalled a similar prominence snapped by Aleksei during their previous mission, the phenomenon linked to his childhood drawing and an ancient Atlantis prophecy.
The flaming snake lunged.
“Incoming!” Camden shouted.
The entity wrapped itself around the shuttle.
Atlantis II began spinning violently.
The song began to glitch and die out, leaving a steady static churning throughout the shuttle’s interior.
Inside the cockpit, Aleksei slammed against his restraints. A loose equipment case broke free and struck him across the head.
The Russian astronaut collapsed unconscious.
“Aleksei” Helios yelled.
The shuttle continued rotating. Panels flashed red. Attitude control warnings filled the displays. Helios pushed himself toward an emergency stabilization assembly mounted near the payload bay. His gloved hand found a manual valve tab.
“Come on…” With all his strength, he yanked it.
The reaction control thrusters fired.
White steam burst from Atlantis II’s nose cone. Slowly… Painfully… The shuttle steadied itself.
The serpent recoiled with a furious screech.
For a brief second, Helios thought they had won.
Then the creature struck again. Its blazing tail whipped around Camden.
“No!” Helios shouted.
The astronaut’s tether stretched tight. Camden clawed desperately at the fiery coils. “Helios!”
The entity surged away from Atlantis II. Dragging Camden with it. The tether snapped. Helios launched himself forward instinctively, reaching out into empty space. “CAMDEN!”
But he was already gone.
The flaming entity carried him into the darkness beyond Earth.
The flames shrank into the distance until both the creature and astronaut vanished among the stars.
Silence returned.
Only the crackle of static filled Helios’ headset. His breathing became ragged. His hands trembled.
Inside Atlantis II, Aleksei remained unconscious. The satellite drifted nearby. Earth turned peacefully below. And Helios floated motionless beside the shuttle. Another crewmate gone. Another life lost beyond his reach.
“Atlantis II, do you copy?” a static voice crackled through Helios’ headset.
Tears gathered inside his visor as he stared into the endless void where Camden had disappeared.
For the first time in years, Helios had no report to give Mission Control.
Only grief.
So this scene was inspired by the opening to Moonfall, one of the kickass movies that was mentioned by Ryan Henderson in the first story to this series, You’re my Sunshine.
Camden Murphy is another OC that is kinda loosely based off of Monster Jam Bakugan Dragonoid driver by the same name. Except my Murphy looks different from him.
I’m heavily editing and revising every chapter on Reedsy, so please bear with me, it may take up to a week to fix all grammatical errors and add some more details.
Falco276 out. :)
