Escape Pod 1027: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 2 of 3)

Podcast: Escape Pod
Date: January 8, 2026
Story by: Amy Ogden
Narrator: Isaac Harwood
Host: Tina Connolly

Episode Overview

This episode continues Amy Ogden’s three-part science fiction novella, "What Any Dead Thing Wants," picking up after the haunted, nuanced events of Part 1. In this installment, Hob, a pragmatic exorcist and terraformer, deepens his uneasy partnership with the haunt Ozzie—as both grapple with loneliness, grief, and moral ambiguity amidst the galactic-scale destruction of ecosystems. The narrative blends dark humor, worldbuilding, existential discussion, and hauntingly evocative scenes, all while wrestling with questions of memory, connection, and the ethics of terraforming.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Quiet Moments and Daily Routine

Timestamp: 02:27–07:00

• Hob, the episode’s primary viewpoint character, enjoys a rare quiet moment in the habitat after a taxing day. Even his effort to warm up a meal mix is interrupted by the presence of Ozzie, the haunt (ghost), revealing how Hob's life is never truly private.
• The mundane is steeped in metaphor: the persistent field mice, the annoying meal mix flavors, and the constant reminders of tasks left undone mirror his emotional “housekeeping.”
• The episode introduces, in small details, both men’s isolation: “No, I don’t have people. No one who wouldn’t be more upset to hear from me again than not to.” (Ozzie, 06:49)

2. The Loneliness of the Terraformer and the Haunt

Timestamp: 07:00–11:00

• Both Hob and Ozzie confide in each other about the absence of personal connections, loss of loved ones, and the emotional toll of their work.
• Hob’s detachment is mirrored but deepened in Ozzie, who, in death, finds himself “even more on the outside looking in.”
• “Sounds pretty fucking depressing if you ask me.” (Ozzie to Hob, 10:20) — cuttingly honest, yet delivered with sardonic warmth.

3. Inspection of the Wrecked Ship and the Burden of History

Timestamp: 14:00–25:00

• Hob investigates a site flagged by a recon drone, finding a scorched ship in a haunted ravine. Ozzie’s memory is triggered: “I remember it better before it was on fire.” (19:22)
• Through their conversation, layers of political and ecological history emerge—hinting at radical activism, failed exo-sympathizer missions, and the brutal calculus of colonial expansion.
• Ozzie’s bitterness surfaces: “No one’s looking out for the Exos either... Not the ones you casually deleted to make room for Citharin.” (25:28)

4. Terraforming Ethics and Exo-Life

Timestamp: 26:00–32:00

• The pair’s banter broaches the ethics of terraforming: is there a less destructive way than simply obliterating whole worlds and their ecosystems for human habitation?
• Hob’s attempts to rationalize the process ring hollow even to himself, exposing the economic and philosophical underpinnings: “It’s expensive... That’s all—it would be too expensive.” (35:48)

5. Exorcising the CFM (Cabbage Faced Monster)

Timestamp: 32:00–37:30

• Hob practices his exorcist skills by creating a hyperrealistic illusion of an alien species (CFM), in order to lure and banish a local haunt—interspersed with darkly funny commentary on the anatomy of CFM reproduction: “Look, but don’t touch the proboscis penis sponge thing flexes, spasms, recedes...” (34:40)
• Ozzie’s horror and amusement at the display (“What the fuck?” 34:17) offer comic relief amidst the episode’s heavier moments.

6. Discovery and Burial of the Dead

Timestamp: 38:00–49:00

• Hob discovers remains likely belonging to Ozzie and his crew, leading to a somber burial scene. This section is laced with meditations on memory, dignity, and the futility of ritual in a world that moves relentlessly on.
• “I’m trying to be human. Do you want me to bury them? ...Sure, yeah. Bury them.” (Ozzie, 46:31)
• The act of burying the dead, against regulations and practical concerns, marks Hob’s growing empathy and sense of shared responsibility for the forgotten casualties of colonial expansion.

7. Shared Trauma and Blurred Lines

Timestamp: 47:30–End

• After burying Ozzie’s friends, the two reflect on the trauma of witnessing planetary destruction, the blurry boundaries between colleagues and family, and the fact that care can be as much a burden as a balm.
• “In our line of work, that can happen with people who care a lot. Not that you would know. Not that I would know.” (Ozzie, 48:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Isolation:
  “No, I don’t have people. No one who wouldn’t be more upset to hear from me again than not to.” (Ozzie, 06:49)

• On Futility:
  “All orbits decay in time. Shall we go?” (Ozzie, 31:09)

• On Trauma:
  “Real nightmare shit.” (Hob, reflecting on the effects of terraforming, 47:04)

• On Bureaucracy vs. Dignity:
  “At this point it takes some maneuvering to get him inside the cockpit in a way that he’s fairly certain will let the charred metal take his weight.” (Hob, breaking rules to recover bodies, 44:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 02:27 | Return to the habitat, Hob and Ozzie’s conversation | | 06:49 | Ozzie’s confession of alienation | | 10:20 | Ozzie calls Hob’s existence “pretty fucking depressing”| | 19:22 | Ozzie recalls his ship “before it was on fire” | | 25:28 | Confrontation over the erasure of exo-life | | 34:17–34:40| CFM haunting/exorcism scene, comic relief | | 38:00 | Hob finds Ozzie's remains, starts burial | | 46:31 | Ozzie authorizes/begs for burial | | 48:59 | Blurring lines of care and trauma |

Tone and Language

• Reflective and mournful, peppered with dark humor and existential banter.
• Wry, cynical exchanges give way to moments of deep vulnerability, especially as the two main characters lower their guards.
• Technical and bureaucratic language surrounding exorcism and terraforming is contrasted with the haunting, almost poetic, depiction of grief and connection.

Final Notes

This middle episode is as much about haunting as it is about being haunted—by memory, loss, and the violence of empire. Hob and Ozzie’s reluctant companionship provides both the emotional heart and philosophical muscle of the story, questioning the human—and inhuman—cost of progress. The humor (shrimp-flavored meal mixes, mock insults like "simps," CFM anatomy gags) provides relief without undercutting the gravity of the themes. The burying of the dead, both as literal event and metaphor, marks a turning point in Hob’s journey from detached functionary to someone who, even grudgingly, tries to do right by the ghosts he finds.

Notable Quote (Host’s Summary, 38:53):

“This section also has a moment where Hob makes an ill thought out comment to Ozzie that exos aren’t humans, but here it marks a change… Hob has been making annoying comments on purpose so Ozzie will have enough emotion to leave. But now he’s clearly seeing Ozzie in a different light, because when he makes the annoying comment he tries to quickly move on and get past it.”

Next week brings the conclusion to this powerful serialized story, promising more revelations and reckonings on the frontier where the living and the dead—and the consequences of human ambition—collide.