Stuck...
"Stuck..." by Lapis L. Lazuli
--Timeframe: 3218
--Stage: Andromeda Galaxy, Planet Alpha
Four astronautsâGraham Young, Celeste Wong, Jennifer Cross, and Michael Forrestâblast off to Planet Alpha, a last-ditch shot at saving a bloated, broken Earth choking on 32 billion souls. Techâs slick, hopeâs thin, and Michaelâs the odd man out: a quiet, brooding pessimist/realist whoâd rather sleep than play hero. Theyâre hunting a new home, but when their ship vanishes, leaving nothing but a hole in the ground behind, and buzzsaw traps start snapping, Alpha turns into a spatial meat grinder. Grahamâs charisma canât save him, Celesteâs grit hits a wall, and Jenniferâs just trying to keep herself together while Michaelâs calm cracks into something... else.
"Stuck..." kicks off a sprawling lore asking âWhat is Humanity?âânot with grand answers, but with a cold, hard look at the wreckage. Is it the evil that festers, the good that fades, or the mess in between? This ainât a fairy tale; itâs a bloody warning.