Lyla Rivera was all alone, literally floating in the silent blackness of space on The Astral Voyager while orbiting a mysterious planet named Mirra. Once thought to be an exciting journey into the great unknown, it has quickly turned dark as her crew had been vanishing under her watch, one by one. Why?

The first day or so, the planet seemed normal; then all sorts of weird things happened. Equipment failed, crew started to hear strange voices, faint whispers no one could explain. They even felt like the ship was watching them. Then, the disappearances happened. First was Captain Hale, and then the others. Lyla was left behind.

For weeks, she tried to shut out the voices, but they had begun to grow louder, more insistent, calling her name, pleading for her to come to the surface of the planet. She tried to be strong, but the isolation was starting to get to her. The whispers felt real, but they were coming from inside her own mind. Finally, it became too much to bear, and onto a lander Lyla hopped, heading down onto Mirra’s surface.

It was very desolate. Weird crystal formations begun to show along the horizon, and the air seemed thick with energy. She felt an odd, crawling pull, as if something was drawing her toward the crystals, as she approached.

In the center was something that could have been called a temple. Inside the temple stood Captain Hale, rather un-Captain Hale like. He was pale, an unhealthy level of pale. He told her the truth. They were never supposed to leave the planet. Mirra was a doorway, a place between worlds, and she was part of it now. She didn’t understand but she knew it was too late to turn back. The planet’s power wrapped around her, and she felt herself changing, becoming something else. The last thing she saw before everything went white was Hale’s calm face, and then she was gone. The planet had claimed her, just like it had claimed the others before.