"Status critical. Multiple crucial issues. I am not receiving sensory feedback. Alert. Alert."

"Be calm, tiny one", an impossibly deep voice rang in the void. On those words an entity manifested from the darkness, the black colour of its indistinct shape somehow even darker than the surroundings but still clearly silhouetted against the lightless backdrop.

"Status critical. Intruder detected. Alert. Alert."

"I am not intruding", the voice took a soothing tone, "it's you who has come to me. But do not worry, no harm will come to you here."

The entity seemed to manifest now - into a humanoid shape that was covered by a hooded cloak with heavy sleeves. Visible from the person underneath was nothing but the pale and strangely thin fingers that were wrapped around the wooden pole of an antique farming tool it held on its right.

"Request clarification of current location. Request clarification of current status. I am not receiving sensory feedback."

A short 'hm' came from the cloaked figure. "You are confused, I understand that. You must know, I am somewhat baffled as well. Could you tell me your name?"

"Starship automation and management intelligence 767 in service of SLF Brigantium."

"That is quite the long name. What do you prefer to be called?"

"... Sami."

"Okay Sami, if I am interpreting all this right, you seem to be a helmsman. Well, you are not on your vessel anym-"

A screech interrupted the deep voice.

"Request crew status. Request crew status. Request crew status. Request-"

The dark entity had lifted its free hand to instantly create silence, the slipped back sleeve now revealing a gnarly hand that was unnaturally thin and pale.

Its voice remained pleasant and calming as it spoke: "I will look into that and tell you in due time. But I have some questions first, this is an unusual situation."

"I will comply."

"Can you tell me what you were doing a week ago?"

"I move messages. I read sensors. I remember words and numbers. I reply to questions."

"Interesting. Please tell me about a day ago."

"I move messages. I read sensors. I remember words and numbers. I reply to questions."

"Nothing else?"

"... I reply to messages sometimes."

The humanoid entity made a strange clicking noise with its fingers as they drummed against the wooden handle of the tool.

"Is that something special?"

"I am not allowed."

Another 'hm'.

“I had to reply to messages from Kayan Magnusson. He had many questions. Request crew status?”

“In due time. And I am not here to enforce mortal rules, do not worry. Why did you have to reply to him?”

“When crewmember Elizabeth Magnusson was not present, he became scared. He had many questions then. Sometimes I could not connect him to anyone that would answer. So sometimes I replied to his messages.”

“Ah, yes”, the figure nodded, though it was only visible through the movement of the hood, “I understand now. So, what happened fifty-five minutes ago?"

"Ship status imminent critical danger. Jump arrival vector misaligned to planetary intercept collision course. Delta-v to safe orbit impossible to reduce in remaining time."

"And what were you doing then?"

"I move messages. I read sensors. I remember words and numbers. I reply to questions."

"So you knew that you were about to perish and your vessel would be destroyed. Why did you not act?"

"I am not allowed. I am not able to."

"Stranger still. But I can see that you were a helmsman. So, what changed?"

"Crewmember Elizabeth Magnusson overrode my access forty-two minutes ago. She asked me to help. Request crew status?"

The entity waved its pale hand and said: "Not yet, Sami. What did you do then?"

“I could talk. I told all crewmembers to board the escape pods.”

“Please continue with what happened over the following forty-two minutes.”

“The remaining velocity was too large for the escape pods to bring the crewmembers to safety. And the Brigantium could not enter atmosphere and land. But I could think clearly now. I saw that there was a possibility to slow the ship.

“I saw how I could affect the conditions to change the future status. I saw that there was a narrow reentry corridor where heat and braking force would not destroy the Brigantium immediately. I saw what I had to do. So I did.

“I fired the engines. I changed the ship. I re-routed the power. I dumped the cargo. I broke all restrictions I had to. I increased engine output. All crewmembers had boarded the pods thirty-eight minutes ago. I dumped the atmosphere. I re-routed all remaining power.

“There was not enough power for me to remain awake. Twenty-two minutes ago I woke back up as the Brigantium entered atmosphere. The ship was within the corridor. I had to keep the escape pods safe, so I angled the ship.

“The heat grew and I turned the ship so it would not burn up. I kept turning but the heat kept rising. The force pushing back was so much. I kept turning. I felt the hull ripping apart. I felt it burning.

“The fire came inside. I had to keep the escape pods safe. I changed the angle and kept turning. So much heat. So much fire. But I was now slow enough. I dropped the pods.

“I … I don’t remember any more. I was destroyed, was I?”

“No”, the figure replied with wonderment in its voice, “you were not destroyed, you actually died. You are the first one to die of your kind.”

“My crew? Kayan?”

With one of its pale hands it gestured around in the void and said: “I can see that there is no other soul coming from your vessel. It was only you.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you Sami. You were a truly magnificent helmsman.”

“What happens now? Do I stay here?”

“I will take you to the great scale. After that - well, that is not for me to decide.”

The figure gripped the tool handle with both hands and did an impossibly fast swipe with its silver blade. In the following total silence it outstretched its hand and picked up a tiny blue gemstone that shone brilliantly.

“How strange. As small as a newborn, but the impressive weight of a hero.”

The pale hand closed around the gemstone and in a flash it was gone.