The Magnus Archives RQ Network Feed Drop – Hollow Disciple S1: E1 - "Extraction"

Release Date: October 21, 2025
Podcast Feed: The Magnus Archives (Rusty Quill)
Episode Summary by [Assistant]

Overview:

This feed drop introduces the first episode of "Hollow Disciple," a dark science fiction audio drama from the creator of "Wake of Corrosion." The story follows the scavenger crew of the Elpis as they attempt a seemingly straightforward salvage operation aboard a mysterious, derelict vessel adrift near dying stars. As communication with the initial scouting party fails, tensions rise and the true, sinister nature of the ship—and what happened to its prior inhabitants—begins to emerge.
Tone: Claustrophobic, tense, with a blend of gallows humor and mounting cosmic dread.

Main Characters:

• Lars Emerson (“Lammy”): Newest member of the Elpis, thrust reluctantly into dangerous situations.
• XO Rosa Oliveira (Second-in-command): Hardened, practical, dryly humorous. Communicates with Lars remotely.
• Murphy & Captain Tanvir: Members of the missing extraction team (heard only via reference or static/screams).
• Elpis (Ship): Almost personified by the crew, deeply beloved despite its age and unreliability.

Episode Structure & Key Segments

1. Introduction & Setup (00:00–03:14)

• Billy Hindle introduces "Hollow Disciple" as part of Rusty Quill’s RQ Network feed drop.
• [01:16] Mysterious comms: "Comms intercepted. Confirm. Confirmed. Copy that. Monitoring. Let's see what plans you've got up there."
• Scene shifts to the Elpis bridge: technical problems, foreboding atmosphere; XO Rosa tasks Lars with a visual check on the missing team.

Notable Quote:
B (Lars): "This isn't exactly what I had in mind for the rest of my shift though." (03:14)

2. Entering the Derelict Vessel (03:14–07:56)

• Lars is suited up and expresses discomfort with the old equipment.

• Detailed banter about the Elpis’s “luck” and the affection—or superstition—the crew of the Elpis have for their ship.

• Lars steps aboard the derelict, visually describing alien, shifting architecture:
  "It's dark purple... patches of grey, like these struts running alongside the walls and floors. None of it is uniform, though." (06:31)

• Rosa provides mission context—prior experiences with bad ships, equipment always on the fritz, but hopes that this derelict might finally yield a stroke of luck.

Notable Moment:
Discovering the ship’s surreal, shifting interior colors and design.

3. Investigation & Rising Tension (07:56–12:02)

• Lars analyzes why such an advanced ship from the Human Expansion Collective would be abandoned and unguarded.
• Discovery of functioning life-support equipment and unexpectedly safe air quality ("All in the green. Safe to breathe." – 08:59).
• Comparison of the ship’s interior to failed terraforming projects—a history-haunted, repurposed feel.

Notable Quote:
C (Rosa): "You never know with derelicts. Always something you don't expect." (04:45)

• Sudden unexplained occurrences:
  • An ISO marker suggests the team's direction, but a new sound (distressed, non-human scream) interrupts.
  • Rosa’s urgency peaks: "Lars, you're not being paid to deliberate. Someone's injured and they might need your help. Go." (10:30)

4. Confronting the Unknown (12:02–16:16)

• Lars finds Murphy’s sealed, empty suit; a harrowing, unexplained scream is heard from within.

  • "Rosa, his suit is empty. It's still fully fastened up. Who does that? Who removes their suit, then fastens it back up again while still out on ops?" (12:02)

• Debate whether this is a prank by the missing team, a technical glitch, or something far weirder.

• The relationship between Lars, Rosa, and the missing crew is explored via banter, giving a sense of uneasy camaraderie.

Notable Quote:
C (Rosa): "Distant screams, empty spacesuit. It reeks of a setup. It wouldn't be the first time." (13:07)
B (Lars): "Well, let's work off the idea that it is. That way I don't get in shit if something is up..." (13:56)

5. Crew Dynamics & Building Dread (16:16–18:06)

• Rosa shares a tradition: “The crew stands together. Always. Got it.” (15:53)

• Reflections on leadership:
  "She still say you're not the crew, you're my crew. And that means I got your back. And you better Damn. Have mine." (16:14)

• Light, nervous teasing provides comic relief amid the tension; nicknames and inside jokes, including “Lars Emerson Lammerson” and “little lamb,” show effort to sustain morale.

• Lars pushes deeper toward the ship’s unnerving core; the episode ends as he encounters another inexplicable obstacle.

Notable Quote:
B (Lars): "I'm just going to go and find them, all right? Okay. That sounded much closer. Hold on." (17:20)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Description of the derelict interior:
  B (Lars): "It's dark purple... patches of grey, like these struts running alongside the walls and floors. None of it is uniform, though. It kind of changes a little depending on where you look." (06:31)

• On superstition and survival:
  C (Rosa): "Between that and Captain's sheer force of will, it's all that's keeping us from breathing in. A whole lot of nothing." (02:21)

• Empty, sealed suit discovery:
  B (Lars): "Rosa, his suit is empty. It's still fully fastened up. Who does that?" (12:02)

• On trust and protocol:
  C (Rosa): "This could just be a shitty prank they're playing on you for all I know. Distant screams, empty spacesuit. It reeks of a setup. It wouldn't be the first time." (13:07)

• Crew solidarity:
  C (Rosa): "The crew stands together. Always. Got it." (15:53)

Important Timestamps & Turning Points

• 01:16: Series premise, intercepted comms set the mysterious tone.
• 03:14: Lars is tasked to enter the derelict and the dangerous, haunted-ship atmosphere is established.
• 06:31: First visual contact with non-Euclidean/mechanically odd derelict interiors.
• 10:24: Disturbing sounds lure Lars away from the team’s last marker.
• 12:02: Dramatic discovery: Murphy’s empty but sealed suit; unexplained scream.
• 15:53: Rosa’s emotional anchor speech about crew solidarity.
• 17:20–18:06: Episode climax; Lars heads deeper, tension peaks as the episode ends on a chilling note.

Tone, Style & Atmosphere

• Authentic Dialogue: Natural, at times darkly humorous banter between Lars and Rosa reveals stress and history, while heightening dread.
• Tension & Mystery: The setting (abandoned ship by dying stars), unexplained technology, and uncanny events create palpable suspense.
• Human Connections: Despite the horror and sci-fi trappings, character relationships remain at the heart—highlighting trust, fear, and the fragility of “found families” in space.

Summary

"Hollow Disciple" opens by skillfully blending cosmic horror, gallows humor, and the subtleties of found-family space drama. As the mystery of the abandoned ship deepens—signaled by shifting architecture, strange sounds, and impossible events—the tension between skepticism and fear grows. The interplay between Lars and Rosa sets up emotional stakes amid cosmic dread, promising a story as much about surviving the unknown as about the bonds between those who face it together.

For more of "Hollow Disciple," search for the show on your favorite podcast platform or visit rustedquill.com.