Captain's Log

23 September, 2215

Time Index: 0900

Star Hauler Stoker under the command of Captain Jonathan Harker.

We left Vana station this morning under full engine burn heading for New London colony.

Chief engineer Renfield has reported all cargo inspected and safely stored, and the ship's physician, Dr. Seward has certified the passengers and crew in good health.

We should arrive at New London colony within a month. I suspect it will be an uneventful trip.

End log

***

Flight Recorder Visual Excerpt

29 September 2215

Time Index: 2230 hours

Captain Harker stretched his arms and arched his back without rising from the centrally located command chair.

"Your duty shift was over an hour ago," the first officer reminded from her seat to the right of the Captain. "Isn't about time to let the relief watch take over."

"Thank you for the suggestion, Commander," Jonathan dismissed. "I'll stand down once we're passed the threat zone."

Commander Mina Harker swiveled her chair to face her husband. "Since the installation of the deep space sensor buoys, we haven't had an undetected meteor shower in three years. Why are you acting so stubborn?"

"Because I am stubborn," Jonathan replied with a chuckle. "It shouldn't be more than an hour, then I'll left the relief shift take the night's watch. I did notice you're still here."

She smiled as she swiveled her chair back toward the forward hologram display. "Two of a kind, I guess."

Jonathan reached over to her armrest and put his hand on top of hers.

"Captain," said a voice from the speaker in the armrest of Jonathan's chair. "When you have a moment, would you come down to the med bay?"

"Is something wrong, Doctor?" Johnathan inquired.

"I don't know yet," the chief medical officer answered. "I need you to have a look for yourself, and I'd rather not discuss this over the open comm system."

"Understood, I'll be right down," Johnathan acknowledged. He nodded to Mina. "You have the bridge."

Flight Recorder Data File Ended.

To continue, select file NRJ287

***

Personal Log Entry - John Seward

Current Assignment: Doctor, Star Hauler Stoker

29 September 2215

Time Index: 2245 hours

My meeting with the Captain was on the frustrating side as I didn't have any of the answers he clearly wanted. After I'd called him away from the bridge during the late night watch, Johnathan Harker marched into the med bay, took a sharp left turn, and entered my office. He asked what the situation was and why I didn't want to discuss it over the comm system.

I explained to the Captain about some of our passengers being a group of miners, and he said he remembered them and recalled I'd given them a clean bill of health, along with the other passengers and crew.

I agreed with his assessment while leading him into the next room where a still form lay underneath the opaque white sheet of a sterilization cover. Pulling back the cover, I showed him the dead man underneath.

He asked for the cause of death, and I told him exsanguination. Nearly seventy-five percent of the man's blood was missing. However, the real reason I'd called the Captain was there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body. No significant cuts, laceration, or wounds. The only thing I had discovered was some odd markings on the skin of the dead man's throat and the underside of his chin. It looked to be a rash, but under closer examination was discovered to be a multitude of miniature puncture marks.

The closest thing even remotely similar were nematocysts, the stinger cells carried by jellyfish and other similar creatures. The difference was, jellyfish inject toxins, and I couldn't find any in the body. With a lack of sufficient injury elsewhere, I could only theorize his diminished blood level was caused by it being drawn out through these holes, but that lead to another question. There wasn't any blood on or around the body, so if the blood was taken, where did it go?

The Captain asked me if I had any ideas. Jamming my hands into the pockets of my white lab coat, I could only answer in barely controlled frustration that I hadn't. I don't know how they got so many needles so close together. These things would've been barely wider than the width of a cell, and yet, none of them had overlapped or harmed the edges of those near them. It's almost as if they were all made at the same time. A holding rack of some kind might've been able to organize a set of surgical probes to accomplish the task, but the marks on the neck curve with the shape of the body, indicating a perfect fit, and it would suggest the rack had been designed for a specific neck. It's a lot of trouble to go to. There are faster and more efficient ways to drain blood, so I didn't know why someone would use a thousand needles when one would've sufficed. I couldn't even speculate on the purpose behind it.

The Captain offered to speak to the miners, but I'd already done my due diligence on that front and spoken to them myself. They'd claimed not to know anything, but the fear had been clearly obvious on their faces when they'd seen the body. Besides, the moment they saw the remains, they couldn't wait to leave. They seemed to care less about their deceased comrade and more about fleeing at full speed, as if their own lives were in danger.

I expressed my concerns to the Captain, and he promised to look into it.

End Log

***

Captain's Log

01 October 2215

Time Index: 0815 hours

I checked with the miners, but they refused to tell me anything more than they'd said to Doctor Seward. Unwilling to leave the questions unanswered, I contacted the Terrestrial Mining Corp. for further information. They also refused to speak with me the moment I began questioning them on the issue of their deceased miner and the possible cause.

More determined than ever, I sent a signal to a friend of mine, Arthur Holmwood, as his influential position in New London was certain to allow him more knowledge on the subject.

The truth of the situation was far worse than I ever suspected. The miners were from the Demeter mines on Vana. They were part of a relief shift, but found the entire workforce dead from the same mysterious condition responsible for the death of the miner currently in the medical bay.

Arthur said the rumors were plentiful but hard facts were scarce to the point of nonexistence. I thanked him for the information, but I was left unsettled by the conversation as I felt for certain more deaths would follow.

End log

***

Captain's Log

14 October 2215

Time Index: 0800 hours

Mina is taking the death of her friend Lucy particularly hard. They'd been friends since they were little girls. The worst of it, there's nothing I can do to console her as I still don't have any answers as to the cause. Lucy is the fifth casualty so far of the mysterious condition plaguing the ship. I'm beginning to think this isn't a disease the miners brought onboard with them. So far, all the casualties have been lone individuals. It's made it easier to keep the information confidential, as I don't want to start a panic among the civilians, but no disease is this selective.

When we'd entered Lucy's quarters, I saw what appeared to be a fog or mist vanish through the grill of the ventilation unit. I assigned the Chief Engineer to look into and find the source.

End Log

***

Personal Log – Morgan Renfield

Chief Engineer, Star Hauler Stoker

14 October 2215

Time Index: 1352 hours

Having had an incident reported, I looked into the possibility of fog being in one of the living quarters. I checked all ventilation systems and even crawled into the vent shafts themselves. Everything came back as expected – negative. The ventilation shafts were sealed, no moisture registered on their surfaces, all nearby conduits were inspected for leaks and found intact. I really don't know what else to look for.

I don't know what the Captain saw, but there's no way the environmental system was faulty enough to allow a fog to be present in any of the rooms. It's not really that surprising that people are starting to see things. With all that's been going on, it's bound to take its toll. I admit I don't have all the information myself, but there are whispers of people dying and no one seems to know the reason why. It's enough to give anyone the shivers.

What's this? I checked this vent system. How could a fog be here? Computer, pause recording.

End of File.

No further data entered by Morgan Renfield

***

Captain's Log

14 October 2215

Time Index: 1522 hours

Something is seriously wrong on this ship. Chief Engineer Renfield went missing a few hours ago. All attempts to contact him have failed. We're about to begin a deck by deck search. The engines were sabotaged. The Stoker is now adrift. I know now that some kind of creature is stalking us. The damage to our engines so near the time of the disappearance of the best man to fix them can't be a coincidence.

I tried to broadcast a distress call only to find the transmission assembly had been removed. Something has turned this ship into its private hunting grounds and doesn't want us to reach a port or call for help before it's finished.

I don't know what to do, so I'm going to inform the passengers and see if they have any ideas. I'm not sure it's smart to tell them everything, but at least this way, I'll have a chance of staying ahead of the rampant fear that is sure to set in.

End Log

***

Personal Log – Abraham Van Helsing

Professor of Astrobiology, New London Colony

Current Status: Passenger

14 October 2215

Time Index: 1830 hours

Today the Captain informed everyone of a killer lurking among us, encouraging us to stay in groups or pairs at the very least as the killer has apparently only attacked isolated people so far. As an expert on extraterrestrial life, I offered my knowledge to the Captain.

I'd originally been called in by the miners on Vana to investigate the deaths in the Demeter mines, so I was aware of the inciting incident leading to our present condition. I am convinced the cause is a creature similar to that of a mosquito or leach, a being that sustains itself on the lifeblood of a living host.

It is my considered opinion that...

(beeping)

Yes?

Professor Van Helsing, we need you to come to the Captain's cabin immediately.

I'm on my way.

End Log

***

Personal Log – Abraham Van Helsing

Professor of Astrobiology, New London Colony

Current Status: Passenger

14 October 2215

Time Index: 1900 hours

Having been summoned unexpectedly to the Captain's cabin, I suspected the creature had struck again, or done something else to the ship to hamper our efforts in thwarting it. I was partially right. The fiend had attacked the First Officer, Mina Harker, but this occurrence was different from the others. Instead of feeding on her as it had down with the others, the creature had injected her with some form of toxin, causing odd changes in the woman. Her skin had started becoming pale and slightly gaunt, hugging her skeleton in a more noticeable manner. She seemed to be developing a sensitivity to light as well.

When I was nearly finished with my examination, the Ship's doctor returned with an analysis of the toxin she'd been injected with. It contained a large amount of alien genetic sequences and was acting on her system like a mutagenic virus, altering her DNA to match its own. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be much of the toxin in her system, so the process is slow. However, it is continuous, and if we don't find a way to reverse the effects, we will have two members of the same predator species loose on the ship.

The Captain has called for volunteers to hunt the creature down. I will be going with him. We leave in a few minutes.

End Log