Clarkesworld Magazine This Sepulchral Aegis by Rob Gillham (audio)
Dec 28, 2025
Aboard a derelict ship, Leander awakens to discover an alien sarcophagus and a haunting mystery unfolds. Jocasta, presumed dead, revives in a casket and learns the dark history of the ship. Their first meeting reveals the tensions between them, while Jocasta explores the ship's eerie architecture. As violence erupts under the ship's influence, secrets come to light, leading to a desperate search for a living occupant. When Deodora awakens, emotions clash, revealing themes of survival, morality, and the complex nature of control.
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Machine-Mediated Humanity
- The ship revives and chemically manages humans, blending machine control with human fragility.
- Leander's identity and role are shaped by Ship's interventions and centuries of maintenance rituals.
Aboxed Awakening
- Jocasta wakes inside a sealed sarcophagus and chokes on a tube before reclaiming breath and agency.
- She meets Leander, an altered 'prime' guardian, whose bond to Ship is obvious and uneasy.
Data as Life Force
- Jocasta emits massive, incomprehensible data bursts that threaten Ship's memory.
- Ship must compress and purge her streams, revealing incompatibility between organic memory and Ship's archival limits.