Welcome back, adventurers, to another thrilling episode of our daily D&D podcast! Today's story is a chilling journey into the heart of space where a routine mission turns into a terrifying encounter with the undead. Buckle up, because this one will send shivers down your spine!

A young, cocky cadet named Kai is sent on his first solo mission – a simple beacon check on a remote, uninhabited asteroid. Easy peasy, right? Wrong! As Kai approaches the asteroid, his AI companion, Astra, detects a strange glitch in the beacon signal. Kai, eager to prove himself, ignores Astra’s warnings and proceeds with the mission. He soon discovers a derelict spaceship, ancient and eerily silent. It’s a ghost ship, filled with the frozen bodies of its long-dead crew.

Kai's blood runs cold as he explores the ship. He finds the crew frozen in time, their faces etched with horror, their final moments preserved in a terrifying tableau. The comms crackle to life, a faint distress call repeating endlessly – "Mayday. Mayday. Mayday." This isn't just a ghost ship; it's a time capsule, a loop of tragedy replaying over and over.

Suddenly, Kai encounters a living person! A woman, seemingly unharmed, appears as if from thin air. She's confused, disoriented, and completely unaware of the horrifying truth – that she's dead, trapped in a timeless loop replaying the ship's final moments.

The chilling realization dawns on Kai: This isn't a ghost ship, it's a tomb adrift in time. The crew is not aware of their demise, living out their final moments in an eternal, repeating cycle. His AI companion urges him to flee, but Kai can't bring himself to shatter the woman's illusion of life.

In a heartbreaking act of mercy, Kai fabricates a story about a reactor malfunction and convinces the woman to evacuate. He leaves the ghost ship and its spectral crew to their timeless existence, carrying the heavy burden of their secret.

This episode is a masterclass in cosmic horror, exploring themes of death, time, and the weight of truth. So gather 'round, adventurers, and prepare to be spooked by this chilling tale of a ghost ship lost in time!

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