The Ship’s Ascension

The Tommyknockers

This thread follows the discoveries inside the spacecraft, the return of its systems to life, and Gardener’s final attempt to take control of its power.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The First Hatch The First Hatch from "The Tommyknockers". The First Hatch Entry into the unknown Bobbi and Gardener open the buried ship after excavating its circular hatch.

The First Hatch from "The Tommyknockers". The First Hatch Entry into the unknown Bobbi and Gardener open the buried ship after excavating its circular hatch.

The First Hatch Entry into the unknown Bobbi and Gardener open the buried ship after excavating its circular hatch. They enter wearing equipment that supplies breathable Haven air. A hostile interior The ship contains unfamiliar corridors, a barren control room, and preserved alien bodies. Machinery begins responding to their presence, making exploration an active risk.

A Violent Past A Violent Past from "The Tommyknockers". A Violent Past The bodies in the control room Gardener finds four alien remains tangled in a corner, one of them divided in two.

A Violent Past from "The Tommyknockers". A Violent Past The bodies in the control room Gardener finds four alien remains tangled in a corner, one of them divided in two.

A Violent Past The bodies in the control room Gardener finds four alien remains tangled in a corner, one of them divided in two. Wounds and a discarded blade indicate that the beings were fighting when the ship crashed. A shattered ideal The scene refutes the comforting assumption that technological progress implies wisdom. Gardener sees evidence of familiar aggression inside the supposedly advanced civilization.

The Engine Room The Engine Room from "The Tommyknockers". The Engine Room The ship awakens As Gardener and Bobbi move farther inside, machinery hums to life and systems begin cycling.

The Engine Room from "The Tommyknockers". The Engine Room The ship awakens As Gardener and Bobbi move farther inside, machinery hums to life and systems begin cycling.

The Engine Room The ship awakens As Gardener and Bobbi move farther inside, machinery hums to life and systems begin cycling. The ship is no inert archaeological object; its surviving mechanisms can still respond. A retreat from danger A failing pump and rising claustrophobia prompt them to turn back. Their brief exploration leaves the larger purpose and hazards of the ship unresolved.

A Struggle for Control A Struggle for Control from "The Tommyknockers". A Struggle for Control The network’s pursuit As Gardener tries to reach the ship, the town’s shared mind directs residents and weaponized gadgets against him.

A Struggle for Control from "The Tommyknockers". A Struggle for Control The network’s pursuit As Gardener tries to reach the ship, the town’s shared mind directs residents and weaponized gadgets against him.

A Struggle for Control The network’s pursuit As Gardener tries to reach the ship, the town’s shared mind directs residents and weaponized gadgets against him. The forest fire adds an immediate physical threat. A failing human body Gardener’s injured ankle, blood loss, and exhausted mind make every movement costly. He continues because he believes the ship may still offer a chance to save David and halt the transformation.

The Ship Takes Flight The Ship Takes Flight from "The Tommyknockers". The Ship Takes Flight An improvised command Gardener reaches the control room and uses the ship’s connected systems to draw power from the Tommyknockers.

The Ship Takes Flight from "The Tommyknockers". The Ship Takes Flight An improvised command Gardener reaches the control room and uses the ship’s connected systems to draw power from the Tommyknockers.

The Ship Takes Flight An improvised command Gardener reaches the control room and uses the ship’s connected systems to draw power from the Tommyknockers. The craft begins tearing itself free of the earth. Escape at a cost The ship rises through smoke and fire and leaves Haven. Gardener travels with it, gravely injured and unconscious, while the town is left behind without its central power source.

August 15, 1988

Minutes after entry

Shortly after the control room

Late August 19, 1988

August 19, 1988, late afternoon