In a gas giant scrapyard orbit, a salvage marine escorts the annual beacon-lighting ceremony at an old war memorial.

Then the memorial station vanishes, and a reef-growth begins using ships, suits, docking ports, and life support as weapons.

The carrier starts bleeding alarms, comms dissolve into noise, and every safe procedure becomes another pathway for contamination.

Oxygen canisters, rescue docks, emergency depots, and even the act of calling for help may carry the infection farther.

This is "The Bait" by Sascha Schmidt.