“Hello can anyone hear me? We need help…. Please if anyone is there!?”

When humanity developed technology that could launch itself across the stars, it opened itself up to new possibilities. But it wasn’t prepared for this dark new world, this frightening space, and all it presented. Slowly humanity spread itself across new planets and systems, seeking out new life and possibilities. However, space would prove perilous and frightening. Entire ships and their crews would disappear into the endless void, never to be seen or heard from ever again.

Some would claim to stumble upon ghost ships, others even claiming to have ventured inside the drifting remains, seeing no sign of the crew, whose disappearance could often never be explained. Stories began to pass between people. Many would be more myth than reality, a side effect of the difficulty of life in space. The most infamous and mysterious disappearance though, is that of the Mariana, whose ghostly shape is said to haunt the vast reaches of space.

Created as a transport ship, The Mariana was to bring large quantities of people to new colonies on distant planets. On its maiden voyage to a colony on the edge of known space, The Mariana boasted a crew of over 200, and well over 2000 men, women, and children ready to begin their new life on a new planet. It’s massive size and new technology made it a hot topic across human worlds.

When it left Earth, everyone was talking about it and all it represented. Progress and potential… But it wouldn’t last. As the Mariana entered what would become known as the ‘Celeste Ring’ it disappeared from radar and contact was lost. A few hours after though, a message from the ship reached a nearby space station. The communications officer opened it. The voice of lieutenant Alicia Bale, distraught and on the verge of tears came through

“Hello can anyone hear me? We need help…. Please if anyone is there?!”

The message ended abruptly. It would be the last message to come from the Mariana, the first ship to disappear into space, as well as the largest. News of its disappearance hit like a tidal wave of emotion for humanity; friends and family especially.

A rescue operation was dispatched to search the Celeste Ring and nearby systems. Numerous vessels scoured, but found nothing. The Mariana left no trace of its presence in the area, and no signals matching the ship were picked up. The search continued for a whole month, but The Mariana was declared a lost cause, and its crew presumed dead. it was the largest loss of life in space

Disappearances of other vessels followed. Most were never seen from again, but some turned up, with no explanation to their disappearance or any sign of the crew. But none were as mysterious as the Mariana, which quickly became legend. Stories of sightings and messages from the ship quickly popped up, though most were easily proven false. Still though, the Mariana would remain in the minds of many, and would become a reminder of the danger space presented.

However, the Mariana would emerge from Folklore and re-enter the minds of space farers when the small vessel ‘Ascendant Star’, a civilian transport would come into contact with the long lost ship. Ferrying civilians, workers, and government officials to earth, the crew were caught by surprise as a ghostly silhouette appeared beside their ship. Undetected by sensors and visible only by sight, The Ascendant’s crew crowded against any window they could find, to catch a sight of this legendary ship.

On the bridge, the captain was frozen in shock as he peered out the view screen and saw the Mariana. He quickly opened a channel to communicate, expecting to hear from a rejoiced crew, happy to be found and ready to return home. But the captain was met with no response. He tried again. No response. He tried again and again but was met with the same result, dead air. He turned to his Lieutenant and ordered that a team be sent to enter the Mariana and attempt to make contact, but he saw shock and surprise enter the Lieutenants expression. He turned back to the view screen. The Mariana had vanished. The crew of the Ascendant scanned, but found no sign of the ship, it was gone without a trace

News of the sighting quickly spread throughout human systems and speculation ran rampant. Some suggested the ship had been hijacked by bandits, or even aliens. Others even believed the ship had been taken over by a supernatural force. At the same time, sceptics attributed it to an optical illusion, or simply chose to ignore the story entirely

The next major event happened two weeks later, with a scientific vessel venturing into the Celeste Ring. The ship traversed the ring for a number of days with no issue, landing on a number of desolate planets. Leaving one, the team stopped by a nearby moon and begun their research. One of the scientists strayed from them team and stumbled upon a large piece of scrap metal embedded in the moon’s surface He examined it closely and called the others over to investigate. At a quick glance, they could tell that the metal came from a human ship. A faded decal revealed the name of the ship, ‘The Mariana’. A hush fell over the scientists as they crowded around the debris.

They rushed the metal back to the ship, performing scans immediately in the hopes of more information on the lost ship. If they could explain the Mariana’s disappearance, they would get all the media attention they could ever want, their careers and reputation would reach new levels. The scientists worked tirelessly, running scans and writing down notes. They chose not to contact Earth, lest they reveal their discovery prematurely.

While the scientists worked away, the pilot of the ship set course for the next planet on their expedition. The quickest way there would bring them through a large nebula field. As they entered, their sensors and communication were cut off. Seeing it as an opportunity to relax, the pilot turned on the automatic navigation and reclined lazily into his chair, propping his feet on top of the console. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

An hour later, half way through the nebula field, the pilot was awoken by a familiar sound. The sensors lit up with the sound of a nearby vessel, a large one. He shot up from his position and peered at the sensor screen. The screen showed a single ping, coming from directly ahead. He looked out the view screen to check, but there was nothing. Thinking it a malfunction he gave the screen a light bump and sat back sown. The ping disappeared and the sensor returned to a steady pulsing. There was no way there would be any other ships in this part of space.

But before he could get comfortable, the sensor lit up again; this time much louder. He peered over angrily. However, he was met with a shocking sight, looking down to see dozens of pings surrounding their location. The sensor was beeping furiously. It began to reach a deafening volume.

The pilot couldn’t help but be afraid as the pings begun to get closer and closer. Countless hours of flight and he had never seen anything like this.

To the pilot’s surprise, the pings suddenly disappeared and the deafening sound of the sensor returned to a steady pulsing. He stood there in shock and noticed sweat dripping down from his face and onto the console. The cockpits silence was broken only by the quiet sound of the control panels and the pilot’s heavy breathing.

He stood frozen for a few seconds. what cruel prank was being played on him?

In a split second, the cockpit was filled with a blinding light, coming from directly in front of the ship. The pilot quickly threw his hands over his face…. then the light slowly faded. The pilot lowered his hands and cautiously opened his eyes. Before him, now shrouding the cockpit in darkness, was the Mariana. The ship appeared in perfect condition.

The pilot stood motionless, transfixed by the ship. He couldn’t bring himself to move and his mind could only concentrate on the Mariana. The communications panel lit up. A message begun to channel through. The voice of a woman filled the cockpit.

“Hello can anyone hear me? We need help…. Please if anyone is there!?”

The message cut off and the room fell silent again, the research ship floating there and the Mariana, looming over it, staring it down.

A few days later, the abandoned, ruined remains of the research ship were discovered drifting past a small colony world. The ship was smashed to pieces and the crew missing. Many believed it had gotten lost in an asteroid field.

The ships records were then checked, revealing a record of the hull fragment of the Mariana. Many of the other discoveries made by the scientists had remained intact, sealed inside a hardened part of the ship. But, the fragment of the Mariana had vanished from the wreckage.

Although most believed that the ship had fallen prey to asteroids, some chose to believe that the ship had been visited by the Mariana… and its crew taken.