Proktols of Neptune

Commander Janus and his crew aboard the patrol ship Wasp are cruising the outer reaches of the solar system when their instruments flare with an inexplicable disturbance. A massive, pitch‑black derelict drifts toward them, its hull riddled with jagged wounds and utterly silent. Rumors of the dreaded Proktols—Neptune’s legendary, hideous race—have haunted spacers for years, but the crew can only see a crippled vessel and a mystery that defies their sensors.

The officers debate whether to obey space code and board the abandoned ship, while the ship’s deflector needle spins wildly, suggesting an unseen force is pulling them in. As the Wasp latches onto the derelict’s open hatch, the crew suits up, uneasy that the hull’s damage looks as if it were torn by something far more powerful than a meteor. Their youngest member, Ross, is thrust into a tense watch, his eyes narrowed on the darkness beyond.

Every creak and flicker hints that the Proktol legend may be more than gossip, and the crew must decide how far to venture into the silent, alien wreck before an unseen danger decides its own terms.