Futuristic Transsolar

[Spazzycat101]

Not yet had Lydia been let from her cell. The security seemed too afraid to let her out, having nearly broken a slew of rules and regulations, until the captain and majority of the security team were back on the ship. They also seemed overly-alert in a confused way, as if she suddenly were some malicious mastermind hiding behind the completely and totally not-menacing mask of a 5' 3" girl.


On the other hand, the biochemist was taking no notice of the nervous tension on the other side of the cell door, or pretended not to. Now, she had taken to acting not spiteful, not aggravated, not anything, really, but bored. She was lying upside-down on the bed, her feet where her head should be, and her head hanging over the edge of the bed while she studied the wall, upside-down, to pass the time. Lydia was consciously focusing on every detail in the smooth, blank cell wall to try and drag her mind from the unhappy thoughts of how many potential specimens of both plant and animal were slaughtered, cooked well-done and well beyond study.

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince turned his mug up and chugged down the coffee. He set the mug down before turning back to Adira and saying, "Alright. Time to get this over with." The trip to the medical tent was easy enough even with his injury, but by the time they made it to the quarantined off zone Vince was more than ready to sit. "Where the hell is Doc when you need her?"

 

[InsanEleven]

Doc

​

"Right behind you." Doc said popping up from behind a medicine cabinet, having not seen the newcomers being too deeply caught in work. "Oh it's you again... can I interest you in a platinum med-bay card? No?" Clearing her throat she put away the last of the bottles she had in her hand, and led the Captain and Woods to a field bed on the side of the tent. Her disposition became more serious after that, as she gestured for him to sit on it while she grabbed a nearby cabinet filled with medical instruments. "I assume the bug hunting went wrong?"

 

[BookWyrm]

"Depends on how you look at it really." Vince winced as he laid back on the table and waited for Doc to get her tools. "I'm still alive, so that makes it a success." Vince looked over at Adira and smiled, hoping to at least ease some of the tension in the air. "Took a talon in the gut. Think it nicked my liver, know for sure there is internal bleeding. Stopped it up with a field sealant."

 

[InsanEleven]

Doc nodded understandingly and grabbed a bottle of local anaesthesia and a sterile needle from her cabinet. Without much hesitation she peeled the fabric around the wound back and took a superficial look firstly, before deciding she did indeed need the needle. "Alright, I took the powerful stuff, so this will probably numb the area around the wound pretty well, even for you. Anything is better than popping a cork in it really, but if your liver is actually hit you might not get off with mere stitches." The scanner would show her in more detail how bad the wound was, but it didn't take a specialised eye to see it was fairly bad. Just in case she gestured for one of her fellow doctors to stand by, and the man was probably happy to see something more exciting than stubbed toes.


When the result from the handheld device came in, she clacked with her tongue which showed she wasn't too happy with the result, nearly disappointed, but she wasn't looking worried. "Well, you're right, you're not going to die. Your liver was grazed, but it doesn't warrant surgery. I'll have to work on the internal bleedig though, and it might be best if you didn't do any moving around, at least not for today." Soon after she'd stopped talking to Woods and was instead asking the doctor to get her equipment. Removing the field sealant she set to healing the wound. She first disinfected it thoroughly, then coated the inside with a clotting medicine that would stop the bleeding and speed up the healing process. After that she started on the stitches, which took a while. Admittedly none of it would probably feel too comfortable, as the numbing agent didn't work against feeling pressure, but neither did running around with a hole in your stomach.

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince folded his arms behind his head and prepared for the long haul as Doc started in on everything. Even with the painkiller Vince felt a lot of the process. It was....uncomfortable, to say the least, but not the worst pain he had ever felt. Doc did get a groan out of him at the mention of not moving around much. "You are asking the Commander of Security to not move around while we are deployed on a hostile planet." He let the sentence hang for a moment to let the irony and sarcasm sink in. "I can manage for today. We need to get some rest before going down into the vent anyway. But I will be there for the descent." Vince looked over at Adira, suddenly realizing that she could put him on leave until he was healed. Even with his enhanced healing capabilities it would take a couple of days for everything to patch up.

 

[Dragongal]

Adira had stayed quiet and out of the way the whole time, mostly filling out work on her tablet. Who cared if one of the assistants talked? It didn't matter to her. She glanced up at Woods. At least he didn't seem to be in too bad of shape. "We need to cut more before we can reach the vent anyway. You're staying down for today, but we'll see how you are after that. You would likely be able to go on the descent."

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince gave a short sigh as he laid his head back against the table. "I guess I'll get caught up on my sleep then." If I can. Being grounded wasn't the worst thing that could happen. He could have ended up on the operating table unconscious with his left arm missing this time. Or, you know, dead. Dead wouldn't be fun either. "Shit!" Vince flinched as he felt one full stitch, and for a moment he held completely still. During the conversation he had moved his arms from behind his head to his sides, and when he felt the stitch he had twitched just enough to cause the ten inch spike to deploy, and it now hung in the air just in front of Doc's face.

 

[Tarmagon]

Rae stood silently, her head cocked slightly to one side as she attempted to properly process the torrent of information and the contradictions inherent within it. How could she have stolen information that was freely available on an open communications channel? Why would she wish to communicate with a limited AI whose sole purpose was to handle standard ships systems during uneventful flight? Autopilots were not autonomous, they were stored within highly capable flight computers, and tied into the deep structure of the ships they serviced. The females words made no sense. Then there was the male who had come up behind her as she was posing her question. His initial comment appeared to be related to mating, which reinforced Rae's opinion that she had interrupted some form of pre-mating ritual between the female and male, but the rest? While her environmental armor was quite heavily customized, it was nothing that anyone with basic skills couldn't accomplish, and how would it shake a, she had to search her memory storage to try and understand... ah, that was probably it... male reproductive organ at an ancient method of storage?


"Pardon me," she said to the male as the female made references to drugs and parts before storming off. "I do not understand. You are the individual who made the comment about hunting with a robot, your voice patterns are a match to the transmission. Is there an autonomous robotic unit with the security team, and if there is, why was I not issued a recognition code upon arrival to prevent it targeting me? Also, my armor lacks any reproductive organs, so why, or how, would it 'shake a dick' at an antique method of food storage?"


Rae looked down at the male, puzzlement clear on her face as she waited for his answer, hoping he would make more sense than the female had.

 

[InsanEleven]

Doc

​

Doc let out a loud gasp of surprise when she just about got her head made into a shish kebab, and in pulling back in fear tumbled backwards off of her stool. "What the... Jezus..." Still shaken she looked up at the spike coming from Woods' arm, her fear turning into confusion and then finally some sort of understanding. "Christ the military had a field day with you didn't they? Did Mr. Wriggles eat something wrong or what?" Getting her bearings back somewhat, even if still a bit trembling, she got up and looked around. The remaining doctors seemed equally shocked, staring wordless at Woods, and then at her for answers. The problem was she didn't know enough to get any substantial answers either. "What are you buggers looking at, don't you have work to do?" Hopefully that'd at least get them off of their tails, but she didn't doubt she'd get pestered with annoying questions later. Not to speak of the rumours...

Saami

​

Having returned to the tent all showered and cleaned, he could finally set to properly cleaning his armour and finishing mapping the area by recalling what he had seen. Though he could update points of interest nearly immediately, he could also go through his previously recorded image more precise and meticulously so any details his brain had missed in the heat of the moment were accounted for. Even if he had an impeccable memory, his mind wouldn't be able to deal with taking in such massive amounts of information, not for long at least. So in the moment he selected the most important sensations, objects and concepts to act on, while his programs stored and categorised everything else for later use. To him this wasn't anything special though, just the way his head worked, and usual this switch between digitalised and organic memories and functions was so fluid he didn't think twice about it.


While scratching the bug blood out of the nooks and crannies of his armour he worked on the map, knowing that once that was done he'd have a whole load of other tasks to look forward to. Not in the least the task of getting everyone prepared for the descent into the vents, which probably wouldn't prove as easy as simply writing a few task plans and documents. Of course Woods would do the bulk of the physical preparations, but he had a behind the scene role in the logistics, as the main navigator. So with a little sigh he just continued scrubbing, wondering how it was possible that normal people slept eight hours a day and still found the time to have leisure.

 

[Dragongal]

"Jesus!" Even Adira was startled by the spike. She gave Vince a rather shocked glance as Doc fell over backward. Would this happen any time he felt pain? Adira glared around at the medical team. Right now she had to protect Vince. "This is considered patient information, if I hear a single word about it in a rumor - and I hear all the rumors on the Lullaby - you will all immediately be put on probation or worse."

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince looked from Doc to Adira and then to his arm. "Sorry." As he lowered his arm the spike eased back halfway, but Vince kept it from completely retracting. They needed to actually examine this now that they were out of combat. As he looked at it now he realized it looked like bone and some kind of chitin combination. Certainly durable, and sharp seemed like an understatement. Vince looked from his hand to his arm and slowly pulled back his sleeve before peeling away the already torn synthskin. "Shit.", he said in utter astonishment as he saw the synthetic arm had a crack running down the length of it.

 

[InsanEleven]

Doc

​

Doc assessed the situation for a bit, and then decided that Woods' arm was far more interesting than finishing the stitches, even if the latter were probably better for his health. Carefully looking the spike over she came to the conclusion it was indeed made of living organic materials, mostly of bug like origin, but she could also determine that there was bone in it. "It looks like some combination of insect and mammal properties. The symbiote has probably aligned with your genetics." After inspecting it she went on to the synthetic arm, even if it wasn't really her speciality. Taken by fascination she plucked at the edges of the synthetics, and though she touched cautiously, pieces broke away nearly immediately under her touch. When she saw what was below, she just softly gasped, and her demeanour changed from distant to utterly intrigued, amazed even.


"Marvellous..." She was still by heart a doctor, one specialised in both human and alien medicine, and this... this had to be the most amazing thing she had come to see in her career. Despite the perhaps dubious origins of it all, the regenerated arm revealing was nothing short of a medical miracle. Her scientific heart was stirred to say the least, but she knew her boundaries, despite having to suppress her eagerness to run every test known to man on it. "Well, I mean... given the situation it is a unique outcome."

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince stared blankly at the spectacle, not knowing how to process all of the information. Slowly he reached over and touched the synthetic shell, which slowly crumbled and peeled away with the sleeve that had once covered it. Vince followed the cracks and splits as they traveled up to his shoulder. The whole facade came away with one tug and all at once the regenerated arm was revealed. Complete, fully functioning and symmetrical to his other apart from the obvious pink of new and sensitive tissue. For all parts his arm looked normal, perhaps a little emaciated, but that was to be expected from a newly grown limb. "Oh my God...."

 

[Dragongal]

Adira looked at Vince in awe. "How in hell...?" She really had no clue what to think of this. Something that was supposedly impossible had just happened in front of her eyes. Vince didn't seem what to know about it either. "Does it hurt?" She looked to Doc. This wasn't supposed to be possible. Not that she was upset, but.... "How is this possible?"

 

[InsanEleven]

Doc

​

She examined the arm for a little bit, carefully touching and looking before coming to her hypothesis. "It appears the symbiote has accessed his DNA and used it to mimic the missing body part." It would have a blueprint for the human body, and if it used it's own stem cells it would be able to regrow any part of the body with given time, which was an amazing feat in itself. "This must have been going on for a while, it wouldn't have happened over night. I am surprised that we didn't find it earlier..." This opened up a whole other range for tests, and not in the least... would significantly make her life easier if she were to remove the ATT. "If it is alright with you, I would like to take some tissue samples so I can gather more information about the nature of it all."

​

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince winced occasionally during the examination. The new arm was sensitive to touch, what with the nerves being rather fresh and all. Along the underside of his wrist was a small slit-like sheath where the spike was stored. At the mention of samples, though, Vince narrowed his brow and the spike slid out defensively. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he steadied himself. It is for the better. She is not going to do anything to you. "Alright.", Vince sighed. "Nothing crazy."

 

[Anaxial]

Nadanya

​

The girl was very, very lucky that Marshall had distracted Nadanya, otherwise it would have probably ended into a shouting match. Pointing a thumb towards Marshall, she replied: "That's the guy you want to talk about your little snitched piece of communications. But if you want a real autonomous robot to probe around in go see the autopilot." At least she could have some fun out of Miss Mating Ritual by having her annoy the head pilot, that would always go over well. Hopefully she'd be around when it happened.


For now she'd switch her attention to Marshall, and she'd never thought she'd appreciate his company more than any other human and non human being. "Hook you up? What do I look like, some shady Euphoria dealer? Though I could probably get you that too... in the right places." Nothing like Engineering school fun times, and Arid Harbour had a lot things worse going on than a few drugs here and there. She quickly returned to the matter at hand though, clearing her throat and nodding. "Yeah, I got some parts I can spare. They're back at engineering." Which meant she'd have to leave JT at the hands of the extraterrestrial. On the other hand, it meant she had to leave the ET. "I'll follow you up on that free lunch. Even if lunches are free anyway..." Not waiting for a response she continued on her way out of the tent.

Saami

​

The return was significantly easier than the way to get there. It seemed like most bugs had gotten the message, and stayed clear from the path of destruction leading straight through the jungle. Having switched back to his snipe rifle, he occasionally shot a bug charging for them, but most other things were taken care of. It was surprising how little distance there was between the base camp and the vent, now there was no foliage and bugs to hold them back. At least it was good to know that if something did happen, they could just make a run for it back to the camp.

Rae stood silently, her head cocked slightly to one side as she attempted to properly process the torrent of information and the contradictions inherent within it. How could she have stolen information that was freely available on an open communications channel? Why would she wish to communicate with a limited AI whose sole purpose was to handle standard ships systems during uneventful flight? Autopilots were not autonomous, they were stored within highly capable flight computers, and tied into the deep structure of the ships they serviced. The females words made no sense. Then there was the male who had come up behind her as she was posing her question. His initial comment appeared to be related to mating, which reinforced Rae's opinion that she had interrupted some form of pre-mating ritual between the female and male, but the rest? While her environmental armor was quite heavily customized, it was nothing that anyone with basic skills couldn't accomplish, and how would it shake a, she had to search her memory storage to try and understand... ah, that was probably it... male reproductive organ at an ancient method of storage?
"Pardon me," she said to the male as the female made references to drugs and parts before storming off. "I do not understand. You are the individual who made the comment about hunting with a robot, your voice patterns are a match to the transmission. Is there an autonomous robotic unit with the security team, and if there is, why was I not issued a recognition code upon arrival to prevent it targeting me? Also, my armor lacks any reproductive organs, so why, or how, would it 'shake a dick' at an antique method of food storage?"


Rae looked down at the male, puzzlement clear on her face as she waited for his answer, hoping he would make more sense than the female had.

Engineers were always the saltiest of people, but they were also the most fun to be around. Wearing a stupid grin as Nadanya babbled on about drugs, Marshall held his tongue and just kept his grin as she walked out.


"Where do they find these people huh? " Marshall said throwing a thumb towards Nadanya as she stormed out of the tent."But hey, if you're curious I can show you what I mean later. Swing by the Power Armor station later on, and leave yours at home." Marshall winked at the Alien and slapped her on the back before he laughed at his own comment and followed Nadanya from the tent.


Jogging for a short distance to catch up with her, Marshall slowed down to her pace and kept his eyes forward.


"So my idea is equipping the Tin-Can with some long range weapons. The thing used to be a construction suit and it's got the shoulder mounts for cranes or extra arms but I'm thinking I'll mount a gun on its shoulder. " he looked down at the girl. "What do you think?"

 

[InsanEleven]

Nadanya

​

For a little bit she held her pace, thinking Marshall's request over, and moreso the materials side of it. "The suit could probably hold it yeah, but where would you get a gun like that? It's not like we have gatlings to spare." Unless of course... but no... that couldn't be allowed, could it? Besides it'd be so power expensive, two shots at most but, damn would it be cool. A devilish grin crept up her face just excited from the thought. "We have a spare single plasma cannon for the fighter plabe." Her voice could barely contain her enthusiasm, and as she spoke a few sparks lit in her hair all worked up about the idea. The problem was that it was a spare for a reason, and she couldn't possibly get away with stealing that. So her face grew slightly more serious as she thought her steps over. "If we lay out a decent technical plan we might be able to get it past Cappy. But with you history of the grumps, I doubt that's possible Mister Scruffy. I rooted for you gutting Roboboy, but you went a bit far with the girl." And things didn't usually go far with her, but even to a person used to the wild ways or Arid Harbour Marshall threatening Saundary went a step into the beyond. Even if she was a damn android lover.

Doc

​

Carefully, even moreso than usually, she took samples from the newgrown arm. Amazed and curious, despite her nearly having been killed by it before. But that was the rush of knowledge wasn't it, and it was so much more exciting to examine things that were deadly. That's why she had gone out in the field after; to fix things related to death and destruction. Never had she expected to find such a destructive thing combined with the ultimate fixing job right below her nose; literally. In a human no less, sure, genetically modified by Mr Wriggly, but this arm was definitely human. Slightly improved on, but close enough for a first try. So captivated with it, trying to take in everything she could for later use, she simply forgot she still had talking to do.

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince sat rather impatiently through all of the tests until he had finally had enough. "Doc, I've had a bug stick it's talon inside my gut, lost a good portion of blood, and still am waiting on stitches to be finished, let alone these damned tests of yours. I'm not saying they aren't important. Hell, I want to know what's going on inside me myself, but I'm rather tired and not in the mood to be held much longer. So, is there anyway I might be able to get this work finished and find a bed at a decent hour?"

 

[Tarmagon]

Rae frowned to herself as the two left. The male the belligerent female had been speaking to seemed disinclined to speak, so she made her way back to her tent. It had been simple to set up, years of practice had seen to that, and her unique temperature requirements made finding anyone willing to share it, difficult. Settling on to a folding chair, she pulled down a modified tablet and typed in a request for all non classified audio and video from the ship. While she waited to see what her request would bring, she opened up several memory files and began to review them.


"Clearly this ship and its company are not the human norms, " she mused aloud as the images began to play on the inside of her eyes. "It would seem that before I can study this world's past, I must analyze my present. "


One hand moved of its own accord, pulling a protective case from under her cot and stripping the case away from an old friend. Moments later ghostly strains began to drift from Rae's tent as her fingers plucked out an old travelers lament while her mind worried away at the problem that was her shipmates.

 

[Marianne]

Saundary hadn’t focused on the communications terminal. She was too busy trying to prove a much more valuable worth in her tent through the ecological studies of Othid. Its weather patterns consistently transitioning, almost as if it was trying to regenerate itself and determine where it will officially stand as Odian’s orbital moon. In the process of checking the Doppler radar, Sandy calculated how soon the high pressure system would reach their location. In doing so, she also calculated the numerous times a storm, which was days out, would rage as lightning patterns in a metallic yellow flickered on her monitor. It would pause, and she could only assume that there was thunder before another bolt would flicker across her radar. "Seeing as you’re a week’s walk? You’re possibly two to three days away, especially since you’re traveling at around . . . twenty to thirty miles per hour." Inching a tad bit closer to her screen, she ran her hand through her short indigo locks and sighed. "Interesting, you’re somewhat slower than the one from before. I wonder why that is," Saundary leaned back in her chair. Nothing was making sense, seeing as the storm that was headed their way was half the diameter of a Hurricane. It could so easily be classified as a tropical storm, but she wanted to see it for herself -- to examine it. Biting down on her bottom lip, Saundary stood up and stretched her legs and arms before she turned to open the metallic case at the foot of her bed. Inside, delicately protected by jet, foam material, was a barometer. The glass protecting its dials lacked grime and smudge; she was proud.

Tentatively, Saundary plucked it from its case as well as the hammer she brought with her, and a screw. She wasn't sure where she was going to put it outside, but it needed to go somewhere. Looking around her room restlessly, she wrecked her brain to think of what she could use. Drawing another sigh, she placed the barometer on her bed as she plucked her thermal gauntlet and tugged them onto her petite hands. After she had done so she checked out her protective gear, making sure nothing was missing and everything was functioning correctly before she slid her helmet on. It clicked, and she felt as though she was a warrior with such a ridiculous thing on. However, it was meant to protect her, to keep her safe, so she wasn't going to criticize it any further. With her cloak strapped onto her, she felt ready for just about anything now that she was set in her gear. In just a couple of strides, she tapped in her security code in order to lock her door once she had left before it slid open and displayed the frigid air before her tent.

Stepping further out, she looked around as the blatant white of her tent camouflaged with the glazed precinct. Turning around she examined the wall of her tent, trying to decide where she will place the barometer. "Ah, I don't know where I would," her voice trailed off as she subconsciously stepped back some more in order to find, and make, a supplementary decision. Her eyes jumped from camouflaged wall to camouflaged wall, and she thought to herself, finishing her sentence as she said, "go." It wasn't long before her foot slipped on a patch of ice, a small hill resting behind her as she fell backwards; that simple word escaping her parted lips in a whisper.​

 

[InsanEleven]

Saami

​

It was purely coincidental that he had gone out to obtain some extra nutrient packs from the main tent (to make sure he wouldn't run out in the middle of the night), only to come back and find a familiar stature contemplating where to put a fragile looking device. Had he not been a mind composed of pure reason, he could have believed it was a little more than coincidence he was there to catch Saundary just as she took her misstep. Switching the pack he had been carrying to his other shoulder, he positioned and braced to compensate for her weight when he caught her by placing his arms below her shoulders. Just to be sure she didn't drop it out of surprise, he also took the other end of the barometer in his hand, knowing she'd be in quite a bit of trouble if she broke equipment. They probably had a spare, but that didn't mean they could break this one fresh out of the package.


"Good afternoon Miss Etrasmus." He said with his usual monotone voice, even though he was still holding her, and staring at her upside down. "Regulations state that you should wear the provided snowshoes when going outside with important equipment. You are also not allowed to go outside alone, so with your permission I shall escort you for the duration of your task." Carefully he put her on her feet again, and though he doubted she liked him reprimanding her, it wasn't like he could do much different. Though for a moment he wondered if he was within his rights to ground her for the violation of code... because then she wouldn't have to go down there. Until he realised how incredibly selfish it was of him to deny her that chance. No, he'd just be a good robot and do what he was supposed to in the first place, to keep those he could alive and safe, no matter what he would have to do for that. If he did his job well, then she would be safe, and him reprimanding her was part of him doing his job well.


Besides, now he could spend some time with her, which he was sure would be nicer than the chores waiting for him back inside.

Doc

​

She looked up slightly surprised at Woods' outburst, though she quickly realised he was right. She'd let herself slip into enthralment, which was something that rarely happened to her, and she hated when it did. She had taken more than enough samples to keep her busy for days anyway, so she didn't even have a reason to continue as far as she had. Put in her place she nodded. "Of course, the stitches won't take long. But please try not to put my head on a pike." About halfway through the sentence she had already regained her bearings, and she had never been the one to fall into endless self reflect. Meaning that within the moment she was back to her usual doctor self, finishing the stitches with the same precision and speed as always.

 

[BookWyrm]

Vince visibly relaxed at Doc's recognition of her suddenly having become consumed with his arm. "Thank you." His tone was calmer for certain, but he still kept a wary eye on the other medical staff. Once Doc had finished up with the last of the stitches Vince sighed and asked for some medical wrap, which he used on his arm, almost mummifying the pink, new flesh. He didn't want any more people than necessary to see it right now, and with it being new and still developing tissue he didn't feel like getting it sunburned.


Once his arm was wrapped and he had got to his feet Vince looked at each and every member of the medical staff present before turning back to Chrice. Though he was technically talking to Doc he made sure that his voice and intentions were loud enough to be clearly understood by the entire medical staff. "I'll respect your professionalism in keeping this matter quiet, but if I hear tell of rumors being spread around I can guarantee you that I'll personally pay an unofficial visit to the source." Vince let the silence hang in the air to prove a point before adding, "I'll also have you know that that wasn't a threat. Threats are generally bluffs, and, well, I was never really good at poker." Vince left, heading towards his private tent, before anything else could be said.

 

[Dragongal]

Adira chuckled as Vince walked out. The situation wasn't funny, but his threat was. She had said something similar earlier, though she doubted that that had had the same effect. She pulled on her helmet and nodded to Doc before walking out into the alien air. Without hesitation, she switched to her channel with Vince. "Well, you ran out of there fast-like, didn't you?" While there was no reason to hesitate for speaking through the comm system, she had to pull out her tablet and feign interest before slowly meandering over to Vince's private tent. She knocked on the door; while she had an access card, she wasn't going to force herself in on him, but his earlier actions had her worried.