The Attack on the Jaan

"The Attack on the Jaan" is one version of an urban legend of the category "mysterious horror attacks an unsuspecting Stenza vessel going about its business", told by the Engine Technicians of the Annihilator to new hands as a rite of passage/instructive tale about the hazards of the job (but also primarily because of its terror potential).

Purpose

The tale of the attack on the Jaan is part entertainment, part rite of passage, and part instruction about the fact that some things cannot be fixed, and that disasters can occur despite our best efforts.

Historical Details

History

"The Attack on the Jaan" is one of a great many urban legends featuring the Stone Menace, a creature that can be said to quite literally haunt the Stenza psyche. Like most such legends, it highlights a critical theme: no matter how competent the main character (typically a foreperson of an engine crew) is, that thing will always win.

Public Reaction

Variants of the legend exist all over the place, cropping up chiefly among engine crews to dovetail with related legends in other groups of Stenza. It's considered a good way to thrill or shock people, especially rookies.

Read the Document

The Attack on the Jaan

(As told by Ta'zhen)
“It was almost time for the night shift, and the foreperson was preparing for one final inspection when she noticed some unusual sensor readings. Because she was diligent, she checked each and every one herself, no matter how small or weirdly placed. But they were all in working order. Thinking there was some kind of glitch, she made a note to ask a technician to get them all examined and changed out at the first available opportunity. As she went to leave, she heard a thud against the door to the main engine room. Now, nobody was in there at the time, she knew that from their schedules and the sensors themselves. But she peered inside anyway.
"And found the intruder in the engine room. She locked eyes with a grey stone creature, clinging to the door in the antigravity environment of the engine room. And then the power flickered, and the creature stood in the hallway with her. She immediately activated the emergency alarm. All at once the entire crew began evacuation protocol--pups first, of course--only to find most of the escape pods had lost power. Systems all over the ship were beginning to fail. The foreperson did her best to keep the statue in sight, but with the lights flashing and the strain of needing to keep your eyes open without a mask on, well, it couldn't last forever. Before long the Jaan was adrift, a derelict floating through the cold, unfeeling void. Most of the pups had escaped, thankfully, but most of the hands had been lost."

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Type

Manuscript, Literature

Medium

Oral Tradition / Word of Mouth

Myth

Urban Legend

Signatories (Organizations)

• Engine Technicians of the Annihilator