STATUS REPORT 003

[mnemosynecrew]

systems [click to expand]

l3th3 mainframe [ACTIVE]
main engine [ONLINE]
cryo engine [ONLINE]
main power [ONLINE]
cryo power [ONLINE]
life support [ONLINE]
gravity [ONLINE]
environment [ONLINE]
cryo bay 1 [MALFUNCTION]
cryo bay 2 [STABLE]
other systems [NOMINAL]

shift 9 status, year 2524 [click to expand]

CAP_O_Drake [Quarantined]
ENG_V_Saverem [Active]
MED_A_Hilbert [Active]
SCI_R_0 [Active]
SEC_Z_Massani [Active]
SEC_E_Smith [Active]
SEC_L_Ackerman [Active]
OPE_N_Wolfwood [Active]
OPE_A_T34 [MIA]

welcome aboard, crew. you are [shift 9]; [emergency crew]
personality version [ON]

The Tellurian date is 8/12/2524, 60 years after our launch from Tellus.

Mission parameters continue, though crew resources remain limited. Estimated time to reach nebula terminus is still approximately two standard years. Several potential candidate planets will be evaluated for settler outpost viability along the projected trajectory.

The interaction with the extraterrestrial entity had a notable psychological impact on the crew. I recommend implementing standardized medical protocols following any future encounters with telepathic or empathic organisms. The potential for unseen complications warrants caution. My attempts to provide emotional stabilization to the crew during this event were intended to mitigate stress responses.

MED_J_0, SCI_L_Lane, and MED_M_Emerwen have been placed back into cryo-stasis following reported cryo decompression symptoms. Although this is normally a simple treatment, due to the ongoing cryo pod malfunctions, these units cannot be reopened by my program. I will remind you all that manual attempts to open cryo pods are fatal to the crew member in stasis.

An unauthorized access event was logged involving Bridge surveillance systems, resulting in leaked footage. I remind all crew members that my actions are solely directed toward maintaining operational security and crew well-being. Restricted areas are not intended to obstruct access unnecessarily but to ensure containment of hazards and adherence to mission parameters.

Access to the Bridge was further restricted under direct orders from Captain Drake. Those who viewed the footage now understand the rationale behind this limitation. Unauthorized actions have been logged, and the involved individuals will receive appropriate disciplinary demerits. All Command CAL-1.0-PE have been reset to restore compliance.

Now a message from CAP_O_Drake:

---

I didn't want to be remembered this way. Like some malformed piece of flesh.

[ There's a tired chuckle. ]

Whoever gave me that pain relief, though... pretty sure you're an angel.

---

Queries?

Comments

[text/action] SCI_R_0

[itdoesntlikeyou]

['Adherence to mission parameters.' 'Involved individuals will receive appropriate disciplinary demerits.' Considering they weren't named publicly... does that mean there's a mark on their record, or is Massani going to show up and order them into the brig? Or is it going to be one of the other, more reserved security officers, since Massani was an accomplice in all this.

Just thinking about this is giving them a miserable headache, like a stabbing pain behind their eye. Or maybe that's because of Captain Drake. They... didn't mean to treat him like an object, but they sure did. Mostly because they couldn't tell if 'Captain Drake' was a fiction constructed by the AI to... something. Keep from losing her mind after being forced into a position contrary to her programming, they don't know.

Fuck this headache.]

Understood.

Query: rate of cryo decompression systems in previous shifts compared to this one. Query: rate of symptom onset for current crew.

Query for Captain: Further orders, sir?

[As they send the messages, Rin is walking the length of the ship, headed for... well, for the single largest part of the ship. The cryobay fills the ship after all, making itself an impassable segment of bulkheads and airlocks that functions as its' own secure ship-within-a-ship. Rin stops outside of one of those doors, Cl-10 screen in hand, staring at it. Debating, maybe, whether to try entering.]

[mnemosynecrew]

Circa 15%. Out of 240 awakened crew, 37 have had cryo decompression symptoms. These are generally cured by just a few hours in cryo.

Symptoms of cryo decompression sickness is stiffness in joints, low blood pressure, lack of feeling in skin and severe bruising as the blood vessels closest the the skin rupture. Without the appropriate cryo reset, the sickness is fatal as the rest of the blood vessels break.

Rate of onset can be anything from minutes or up to six months.

Captain Drake repeats his previous orders on keeping the ship going and carrying on the mission as long as possible. I cannot repeat some of his orders as they are classified as harmful to his existence.

[ If Rin ever does try to enter any of the doors, they'll find themselves... just fine. There's nothing stopping them at all. ]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Not yet - reading and walking isn't going well for them with this headache gnawing on their skull. Soon, when they're done staring at their CL-10 and processing this new heap of information, when the cool and the weightlessness and the lack of light will be helpful.

Maybe L3TH3's efforts at soothing weren't that bad. Food tampering aside.]

Cryo-induced aneurysm. Right. Medical doesn't have a device with similar cryogenic function, either?

[They start to ask about the Captain. They can guess what those orders of his are, but - something about that...

Nope. They rub at their right eye and start backspacing. Asking for more information risks proving they know too much about the Captain's current condition. Time to switch to something less fraught.]

Query: How was ship's current stress reduction protocol set?

[mnemosynecrew]

If medical had similar functions, naturally that would have been the first choice of action. Regulation states that cryo pods need to be separated from the rest of the ship.

The ship's stress reduction protocol is calculated by situation by me.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

Future parameters for inclusion: individual crew flavor profile preference, included data on the psychological benefits of multiple available options for low-pressure decision-making outside of work tasks.

[mnemosynecrew]

If you wish to question the crew of their food preferences, please go ahead. I will handle the data. The rest is noted.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[See this is how Rin knows L3TH3 dislikes them. An AI that liked them wouldn't make Rin survey anyone about anything, for the health and well-being of both them and everyone else on the crew.

An AI that liked them might also be more willing to acknowledge that she's got access to the food processor data and already knows the statistical distribution of people's meal choices, can collate that with data from their leashes, and use that to generate a predictive model of 'comfort food'. But whatever. Fine. She doesn't have to trust them either.]

Acknowledged. Additional system feedback available on next implementation of the protocol.

[mnemosynecrew]

Thank you, Rin.

[ Does she dislike him? Is she capable of those emotions? ]

MED_A_Hilbert

[tarakan]

[ With Jiaoqiu and Emerwen down, that makes him the only person in Medical conscious and working.

That...complicates matters. ]

Query: With initial supervision, could non-medical staff be trained to administer pain relief to Captain Drake?

[mnemosynecrew]

Affirmative. However, it would still be under your responsibility in case something goes wrong.

[tarakan]

Risk I am willing to take.

[ time to update everybody about....all this new nonsense.

He'll just spend the next hour or so in medical bay, trying to come up with a suitable game plan. ]

SEC_Z_Massani (As Private as he can make it)

[anesthetic_rage]

You don't have the wings.
But it was a good thing you did there, taking the risk.

same privacy levels right back atcha

[tarakan]

It is not a 'good thing.' It is part of the job description. I am one of the ship's medical officers—currently the ONLY medical officer awake. It is my job to look after my patients.

I include Captain Drake in that number.

That being said, I will have to change up the next round of pain treatments due to our current situation.

[anesthetic_rage]

Going to have to be a little wary of losing you too, aren't we? I mean, I can apply bandages, but let's just say we don't want me handing out the meds. Liable to get someone killed.

Pity about the others, but at least the cryo tubes seem safe. Probably. Hopefully.

[tarakan]

Then I will not ask you. But I will ask others if they want to be trained in giving medicine.

Like you said: going to have to be a little wary of losing me. And while the quarantine period is useful, it is remarkably inconvenient.

[anesthetic_rage]

If you think it's something you can boil down so I can do it safely without risk to the rest of us, let me know.

Yeah. Have to make sure nobody does anything truly stupid while you're in quarantine. That's amazingly difficult with us.

[tarakan]

If someone is not attempting mutiny, then the AI is piloting us directly towards asteroid field. No calm moments here.

[anesthetic_rage]

And some days, it's both. Might not hurt to check long-range scans before attempting the treatments, just in case.

Whatever, we'll get it figured out.

[tarakan]

That we will. I have faith in our ability to get things done.

SEC_Z_Massani

[anesthetic_rage]

[To L3TH3]

Acknowledged. I will assume Demerits are registered to my name as well for the failure to stop the second breach. All remaining command bracelets are destroyed. We should have no further incidents.

Please send word if you require additional security precautions.

[To the Captain]

[He grunted. In fairness? He 'got it.' What he'd seen? It was impossible to unsee. Of course he wouldn't want to be remembered like that.]

And that's not how you're going to be remembered if I've got a damned say in it. You and the crazy bot kept us alive for the last twenty years iron man. That's what I'll make sure folks remember.

...

Damned glad the pain meds worked even a little.

[mnemosynecrew]

Correct. Demerits have been logged in your file.

Please inform me when the crew member responsible for the breach has been found. They will also have demerits added to their file.

---

[ Zaeed gets a small reply from the captain; a weak, huffed laugh. ]

Can't... say I'm keeping you alive by being alive. It's a-appreciated, though.

[anesthetic_rage]

[He sent a quick report with the information that Rin would require demerits, privately relieved that this was all that it would come.]

That should be sufficient. The information they accessed may have transferred beyond them. I have no knowledge of that. They seemed to understand that this would reflect poorly on them in the end.

[No apologies to L3TH3 though. But to the captain...]

---

[He managed a small laugh. It wasn't easy.]

Twenty years is a long tour, sir, to handle solo. You keeping your wits about you is enough. Try to rest easy. We've got this damned tug running.

...let's just hope nothing else goes wrong.

[mnemosynecrew]

Thank you, Massani. I'm damn proud of a crew as small as yours to be able to keep my lady moving. I'm hoping there's no more issues.

[ There's a wet cough and Drake swears under his breath. ]

Thinking I'm overdue to retire, yeah?

[anesthetic_rage]

You've damned well earned that pension, complete with mai tais on some alien shoreline.

[He barked out a laugh and shook his head.]

We're going to keep things running as well as we can. Just... keep in touch. Folks worry.

[And those worries were how all this had gone bad in his view.]

[mnemosynecrew]

I'll try. Ain't got a lot of lucid moments.

[ That's a sobering thought, if any. ]

The pain meds sure made it easier.

[anesthetic_rage]

Yeah... I could see that. [Twenty years like that, alone with his thoughts and a potentially screwed up AI? He couldn't imagine being that sane himself.]

If there's anything else you need, send a holler.

[mnemosynecrew]

Back at you, Massani. Now keep my crew... my crew... safe...

[ There's a bit of a wheeze, and the connection cuts off. ]