ABANDONED SKIES
A cargo plane pilot is trapped alone with his plane in Earth orbit due to a nuclear war. Until one day he found someone else’s connection in space.
- Producer, Lighting & Render Artist, Modeller, Texture Artist, VFX Artist | Mikhael Alessandro
- Director, VFX Artist, Animator, Environment Designer | Ardi Aryaguna
- Lead Animator, Modeller, Texture Artist | Rakha Adhvasta Pradana
- Director of Photography, Editor, Sound Designer, Modeller, Texture Artist | Alpin Santoso
- Art Director, Concept Art, Texture Artist Rigger | Jihan Dyahputri Ramadiani
Synopsis
The story begins with a display showing the date January 30, 2074, in the cargo room of a spacecraft. Jack, a 32-year-old man, is reviewing some documents when an alarm suddenly warned of a nuclear attack on Earth. Jack receives a call from his wife and daughter, who inform him that they are in danger and need to find a safe place to stay since they can’t access the government bunker. Jack is lost in thought, but suddenly the communication is cut off and he sees a big explosion that occurred on earth. The story then jumps to a year later when Jack wakes up on the spaceship that hasn’t undergone maintenance for quite some time. The ship’s artificial intelligence, Beta, warns Jack to schedule a maintenance check, but he is too preoccupied with the realisation that he is alone and the last remaining human. Jack attempts to contact his wife and restore communication, but all his efforts are in vain, plunging him into depression.
Months later, Jack experiences a mental breakdown, becoming destructive and damaging the interior of the spaceship. He repeatedly hits the control panel and throws objects around. However, eventually, Jack collapses, exhausted and defeated. Jack decides to give up and leaves a recorded testament in outer space. Shortly after, a radio signal enters his system. A scientist named Defa is also trapped in space. Jack immediately tries to reconnect with her. Unfortunately, the communication system is damaged due to his actions during his depressive state. Beta suggests physically approaching the signal source. Jack agrees with Beta’s suggestion and starts up his ship for the journey. However, Jack’s old and neglected ship encounters problems along the way. The electrical system and fuel experience malfunctions, causing a fire inside the ship. Jack tries to extinguish the fire using a fire extinguisher, but it’s also damaged because of Jack’s actions in the past. In desperation, Jack decides to continue the journey despite the circumstances.