The Crew’s Repair Mission

This flow follows the practical mission to restore Aether’s communications and the human cost of completing it.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Dish Is Lost

The Dish Is Lost An abrupt outage A loud impact is followed by silence in the comm. pod. Sully reaches the command deck and sees the communications dish drifting away from the ship. A crew confronted The loss creates immediate uncertainty, while Tal and Ivanov argue about what caused it. Harper redirects them toward the work of restoring contact rather than assigning blame.

A Replacement Plan

A Replacement Plan Improvised engineering Sully proposes using the landing module’s dish and spare components. The replacement will be weaker, but the crew sees no better option. Dividing the work Harper assigns Sully, Devi, and Thebes to the antenna, while Tal investigates the radar and he and Ivanov assess the damaged site. Their collaboration restores a sense of shared purpose.

The First Spacewalk

The First Spacewalk Damage assessment Sully and Devi leave the airlock and cross Aether’s hull to inspect the damaged mounting site. The team inside guides them while they prepare the area for installation. Cautious success The walk produces a workable plan and removes damaged components, but the next repair will require more improvisation. The crew celebrates without mistaking preparation for safety.

The Second EVA

The Second EVA Installation under pressure Sully and Devi bring the replacement dish to the ship’s aft section and spend hours connecting wires and positioning the mast. The repair proceeds according to their plan. The suit emergency Devi’s carbon dioxide scrubber fails without warning. She loses consciousness before Sully can get her back to the airlock, turning a technical operation into an irreversible loss.

The Signal Returns

The Signal Returns Back online Sully and Thebes calibrate the repaired system, and a probe signal comes through the speakers. The communications equipment works again, though it cannot undo the death that made the repair possible. Grief with witnesses The crew mourns together and recognizes that Devi belonged to their shared life. Sully continues listening, no longer mistaking technical success for an escape from loss.

During passage through the asteroid belt

The day the dish is discovered missing

Two days after the replacement plan

A week after the antenna breaks away

The afternoon after the fatal spacewalk