The Galactic Plumber

"We Need to Land. Now."

The universe hates me.

I've accepted this.

At this point, my life consists of fixing disasters, surviving catastrophes, and chasing an evolving poop monster while being hunted by unknown hostiles.

Right now? All of the above.

The ship shuddered violently as we tore through the void, engines screaming under the strain. The unknown black ship was still behind us, and whatever nightmare fuel they had in their arsenal? It was locking onto us fast.

"Shields at 28%," Orla barked from her console. "I don't know what they're using, but it's cutting through like butter."

"That's because it's plasma destabilization rounds," Benny muttered, sweat beading on his forehead. "Direct hits will unravel the ship's molecular cohesion."

I stared at him. "In English, please?"

"If we get hit, we're gonna melt into goo."

Great. Fantastic.

As if things weren't bad enough, my earpiece crackled.

Benny's voice, urgent and slightly panicked.

"Uh, Logan? The poop monster is freaking out."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You have got to be kidding me."

But then, Specimen 37's voice came through.

A static, garbled whisper. "Land."

I frowned. "Land where?"

37 made a wet, garbled sound. "Home."

I blinked. "Home?"

I checked the nav display.

And sure enough, a planet loomed ahead—half-shrouded in thick, swirling green clouds.

Scanners were picking up nothing. No atmosphere readings, no surface details—just a storm-covered world screaming "BAD IDEA" in neon letters.

I turned to Captain Ryker. "We need to land. Now."

The Captain hesitated for only a second. Then, through clenched teeth:

"Do it."

The Descent

The moment we hit atmosphere, everything went to hell.

The ship lurched violently, winds battering us from all sides. The storm raged, crackling with green lightning, and I could feel the engines straining to keep us level.

I fought the controls, teeth gritted. "This is not a good idea!"

"You said to land!" Ryker shot back.

"Yeah, I didn't say to die in a fiery crash!"

Orla's hands flew over the controls. "We're coming in too fast—brace for impact!"

I didn't need to be told twice.

With a final, gut-wrenching jerk, the ship slammed down, skidding across what I could only assume was solid ground. The impact sent sparks flying, consoles exploding, and for a second—

Everything went dark.

Welcome to the Worst Planet Ever

I woke up to Benny slapping my face.

"Logan! Wake up, man!"

I groaned, shoving him off. "I'm alive, stop slapping me!"

The ship was still intact, but barely. The hull groaned, the lights flickered, and outside the viewport, all I could see was churning, neon-green mist.

Something about it made my skin crawl.

Captain Ryker groaned as he sat up. "Status?"

Orla coughed, checking the damage. "We survived the landing, but we're in bad shape. Hull integrity is down to 40%, and—oh, cool—we're leaking fuel."

Ryker scowled. "Can we take off?"

She gave him a flat look. "No."

I sighed. "So, we're stuck here. Perfect."

Benny checked the sensors. Then he froze.

"Uh… guys?"

I did not like his tone.

I turned toward the display.

And that's when I saw them.

We Are Not Alone

Silhouettes.

Tall. Humanoid.

But… wrong.

The figures moved at the edge of the storm, their bodies charred black, eyes glowing with an eerie blue light.

They were watching us.

Benny made a strangled noise. "W-we should probably go back inside, right?"

Nobody moved.

Then, slowly, the creatures raised their hands.

And bowed.

I felt a cold chill creep up my spine.

One of them stepped forward, standing just beyond the mist.

And then… it spoke.

A voice like cracking embers.

"You… have returned."

I turned to Specimen 37.

It was shaking.

Before I could even process that nightmare fuel, Benny's voice squeaked through the comms.

"Uh, Logan? Something else is out there."

I looked back at the storm.

Something huge was moving within it.

Something watching us.

And then, for the first time ever, I heard Specimen 37 whisper in fear.

"Hunger."

And then the thing in the storm started coming toward us.

To Be Continued…