STATUS REPORT 004

[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 2525 [click to expand]

CAP_O_Drake [Quarantined]
ENG_V_Saverem [Active]
MED_A_Hilbert [Active]
MED_B_0 [Active] [New]
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 1/1/2525, 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 unidentified spacecraft located on December 16th has been successfully transported to the hangar using H3.RM3-class mobile drones. The vessel is currently under strict quarantine protocols. Sterilization procedures have been completed, with no detectable signs of living organisms aboard.

Personnel entering the hangar are required to wear full UR-A9A spacesuits or TR-PSI-C0R3 masks (Extended Shield configuration). All entrants will be subjected to a mandatory 24-hour quarantine period following exposure.

Additionally, long-range scans have identified a potentially viable planet. The Mnemosyne is scheduled to make its first planetary stop later this month to conduct sample collection and preliminary analysis. Further updates will follow when we get closer to the planet.

Happy New Year, crew.

Now a message from CAP_O_Drake:

---

I gotta say... you guys are spoiling an old man. I haven't felt this g-good in a long while. Makes it almost bearable.

[ He coughs, but it's not as horribly wet as it usually is. ]

I heard we've found a planet to check out. A possible place for settlers. I don't know how difficult that will be with our small crew, but I can't... I can't help being excited in a way. This was the dream, after all.

Good luck.

---

Queries?

Comments

[itdoesntlikeyou]

Agent Massani, maybe you should grab the crowbar for efficiency.

[In other words, they don't have high hopes.

Once they're released into the hangar, Rin steps forward, approaching the ship towards the most promising angle by the tail - the first thing they do is start tapping a fist along the edges of the panels, listening here and there for the sound of something hollow, testing a seam here and there.]

[anesthetic_rage]

[He nodded quickly and went to grab one of the crowbars that was available, along with a few other tools. There was no telling what they were going to be dealing with on this old tug. It wasn't big, but there were still plenty of potential problems that could crop up.

Once he had what he needed he made his way back, watching as Rin started tapping, searching for an option for entrance.]

Wonder if we'll even have a way to get a frame of reference on the damned language in this thing.

[They had alien species' laanguages to fall back on, so possibly? He had no clue.]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

According to historical data [Someone watched a bunch of documentaries on the First Contact after sticking their foot in their mouth with Makima, in other words] Establishing mutual understanding was difficult but not impossible. We may be able to apply L3TH3's processing power to doing so. If not, there is a simulation space in the fourth deck that I have been testing and reconfiguring for use.

[All that, of course, is useless unless they can actually get inside! Rin finds what they think might be the edge of a panel, testing fingers against it, then bouncing a fist lightly off the metal for some percussive maintenance, just to test.]

[anesthetic_rage]

Well, one thing we do know. Nothing inside this is alive as far as we understand things to be alive, so neither of us is going to be saying Ba Weep Granny Weep Ninny Ban just to give the universal sign of peace.

[The fudge did he get that from? Apparently he had a thing for old sci fi in his spare time. Don't tell anyone.]

I'm ready in case you need the bar. Maybe it still has power...

[itdoesntlikeyou]

Those lifeforms were non-organic. They may still be waiting for us inside.

[They know your references, Zaeed. Old toy commercials scifi isn't about to slip past Rin, though they didn't look delighted by it, just noting it down. For later use.

In the meantime they smack the edge of the panel again, then gesture to it.]

This one looks like it hides some circuitry.

[anesthetic_rage]

[He wasn't getting judged. He would take it, not to mention a tiny smirk that someone caught that old reference.]

The thought had dawned on me. I don't think that damned line will actually work on them.

[He brought his gun down, setting himself and nodding over at the other, just in case. He went with non-lethal settings as always, but it was still a good idea, just to be sure that they weren't caught unprepared.]

Do it. If that fails, we'll get out old mister crowbar.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Rin nods, discussion of transforming robots and their universal greetings or lack thereof discarded as they prod at the outline of the ship. With the suit, it comes through tinny and muffled when they make a satisfied sound as something almost certainly gives under their hand.]

This one is cracked.

[They gesture to the line of it, highlighting it for Zaeed, but nevertheless start digging fingers in to attempt to pry, leaving space for Security to lend a hand and get things moving metaphorically speaking - or, hopefully, literally.]

[anesthetic_rage]

Right. on it.

[At this point, he holstered the piece, moving to take the crowbar and lend a hand in where Rin needed it. A crack was the kind of point that they needed to get this sucker open, and from there Rin could do anything else needed, or they'd flat out have access.

At the end of the day, the tech might have varied, but the concept of hydraulics, electronics? Those didn't change. Physics was blessedly an immutable thing, and with it was torsion and leverage, the two applications he was putting his back into right then.]

Give you old bastard!

[mnemosynecrew]

[ The crack helps to loosen the seal on the door, and with some help of the crowbar and Zaeed's sweat, it pops open. Almost immediately the whole thing falls completely off, clanging loudly in the hangar.

There's no light inside, but the two can see some hints of room. If they go inside, it's a small cargo hold, barely big enough to hold a few crates and a cot.

On the other side is a door that must go to the cockpit. ]

[lastdecember]

[ Back in the hanger, well away from the ship and any contaminants that might come pouring out of it -- he's seen what space dust can do and he's not interested in getting sanitized today, thanks -- Wolfwood's watching through a view screen and chomping at the proverbial bit. He's kept himself off the comms until now, but there's only so far his patience can be stretched. ]

What's taking so long?!

[ This would have gone so much faster with drones! ]

You find anything yet?

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Rin was expecting some sort of weird electronic lock, not full ship access - the realization that this panel was enough to get them fully inside... Something about it is unsettling. Was it a display panel? Or was the ship not pressurized?

They hang back for just a moment, giving Zaeed the chance to make any Security sweeps he deems necessary, but their head is already moving as they scan everything inside, their attention lingering on the crates, and the cot. It's... very oddly familiar. Legible as to its purpose.

They don't jump as Wolfwood's voice spears through the comms, though they definitely froze up for a half-second, visible even through those monitors.]

We have gained access. Evidence suggests ship was crewed.

[anesthetic_rage]

We're in. Nothing much yet. We can start getting info from inside now hopefully. Damn, have a bit of patience back there.

[He barked a laugh over the com, confident and pleased with the situation. As he started to step into the cargo bay, his eyes began scanning the incredibly confined space (relative to their own ship) and frowned once. Something felt ... off.]

(OOC: Because of the small scale of the ship, permission requested to have Zaeed have his little 'flashback' in the cargo hold?)

go for it!

[mnemosynecrew]

[ The ship was definitely not pressurized - no hiss as the door opened and no resistance when the door was broken. Whoever was in here died quickly.

When Zaeed steps into the cargo hold, it suddenly seems a lot bigger - to him - than it was on the outside. ]

[lastdecember]

[ Another time he'd have enjoyed seeing Rin startled -- look, nobody (other than the idiot in Engineering) ever accused him of being a nice guy -- but it's dangerous to be jumpy on an expedition like this. That wasn't his intent at all -- he's just feeling impatient. ]

To hell with your patience, old man. Hurry it up in there.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[The science uniform is host to a whole extra set of sensors and can calibrate for monitoring, so that's what Rin focuses on as they follow Zaeed inside the ship. With the two of them in the gap of the doorway, the light plays in odd flickers over the walls.]

I don't see a body.

[Then again, maybe it got vaporized in the catastrophic decompression and they're walking through desiccated dead alien right now. They take a few steps further in, reluctantly playing eyes and sensors over the cot to look for any hints about the occupant.

They're presuming that Zaeed will take to exploring on his own, only paying peripheral attention to what he's doing.]

CW: Body Horror references (Sorry for the wait there)

[anesthetic_rage]

[Suddenly, Zaeed wasn't here. Well, he was, but he wasn't. Medical would get a critical response as his adrenaline spiked and his heart rate went through the roof. He wasn't in cardiac arrest, but his pulse matched a man at the height of a marathon, and everything in the neurological category was showing alarming signs of cognitive dissonance.

He could see it. The walls looked dark, almost murky, and yet familiar. What he was seeing wasn't this place, but another alien structure of metal and wires.]

Commander?

[That was the first indication to the two of them that something was wrong. There was no 'commander' here. He bum-rushed to one of the walls of the ship, brushing against it, almost as if he was staring through the wall. In his mind, he had a flashback to brushing the moisture off of the glass tube and just watching as the settler...

His head tore around and he shouted at Rin.]

YOU HEARD THE GOD-DAMNED COMMANDER! SEAL THAT BULKHEAD BEFORE THEY COME THROUGH! GET THESE THINGS OPEN! NOW!

[lastdecember]

[ The video underlines Rin's statement -- there's no corpse in that cot, no signs of anything that used to be alive. Frustrated with the lack of information -- he just wants a clean answer about who was on that ship and where they came from -- Wolfwood turns from the display, scanning over the outside of the ship again, looking for anything he might have missed the first ten times. The ship saw combat, he's sure of that, and given how small and sleek it is it has to have been a fighter itself. They must have...

But then Massani's shout interrupts everything, the panic in his voice plain. Wolfwood's moving before he knows it, grabbing the nearest blunt object at hand and bolting for the ship at top speed. Hold on, he's coming! ]



[[ooc: Wolfwood doesn't have a spacesuit or mask on -- he's just out here in his regular uniform, ready to beat down some aliens with (checks notes) a laser level.]]

[anesthetic_rage]

[Thankfully the vision that Zaeed experienced had the last vestiges of his team plunging in, so when Wolfwood came in, he did not immediately get a gun pointed at his face. Instead, it was pointed just beyond him, into the main hangar. The man's eyes were wild and he had dropped into a crouched position, ready to let loose strafing fire.

...

Only, the only people in here were he and Rin. There was nothing here. The sight of bug-like humanoid aliens trying to assault him were just... not there.]

Keep that god-damned door secure or they'll be on us in a second!

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[If anyone was still paying attention to the cameras they would see Rin jump, filtered through their suit camera, whirling away from the cot to stare at Zaeed as the man practically charged the one wall.]

Agent Massani -

[They don't manage to get any other words in before Zaeed is bellowing orders. It's the orders that seem to register first. In a sudden burst of motion Rin is by the pried-open plating, reaching one hand out as though to pry it closed again --

then stops. They step back away from the bulkhead, helmet camera jumping wildly as they look outside of the shuttle, then around the room, scanning for any sign of life or movement and coming up only with the same plain walls and materials as before, then refocusing on the imposing, yelling Security officer.]

Agent Massani, please report.

[Their voice has gone flat, inflection abandoned in favor of urgency, still standing in the gap of the strange shuttle's impromptu entrance, one hand in the air.] What is the threat?

[lastdecember]

[ Pointed at him or pointed past him into the hanger beyond, Wolfwood still leaps through the ship's doorway to find Massani standing there, frantically waving a gun in his direction. His hands raise before Massini's words fully register, because there's nobody there. The hanger's empty... which means, what? Massini's seeing things now? While he's awake?

Wolfwood swallows hard, and his attention flicks from Massani -- or rather, from the gun in Massani's hand -- to Rin, and he shakes his head minutely. If Massani's lost it, they're going to have a hell of a time getting him under control. Got anything to knock him out with, pal? Before he starts shooting? ]

[anesthetic_rage]

[What was it that got through? Something got through. There was a moment where his eyes were locked on the doorway, the gun still pointed as his hands shook. He looked frozen in ... not fear, but battle-readiness. Maybe it was the orders. 'Agent Massani.'

Command structure. Someone was issuing commands. It wasn't her. Nobody else would issue commands but her, not in this situation. He could hear the pods being cracked open, hear that crazy witch shouting that she was ready to open up a path through... fuck, that was a whole room full of those god-damned bugs.

And his eyes went focused again. Hand shook and he started lowering his gun.]

Agent Massani reporting. No hostiles. Room clear.

...

What the god-damned hell? Did you two see any of that?

[The fact that he was willing to say that at all said how shaken up he was, even if he didn't show it.]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Geared up for quarantine procedures, Rin's currently hard to make eye contact with, even more so than their usual - the helmet doesn't help, more so when they're focused in on Massani. Though the answer to Wolfwood's unspoken question is pretty obvious - unless they want to take him out with a tablet, they're not going to have much luck.

If they need to. When the gun goes down, Rin's attention remains on that, even though they don't reach for it, don't take a single step closer to Zaeed.]

Room clear.

[The words are flat, nearly robotic, coming out of Rin's mouth at the moment.]

Scanners and visual confirm no movement. See what?

[lastdecember]

[ If he thought he could manage it without getting shot in the process, Wolfwood would go for that gun. But if he thinks he's under attack, then there's no way that'll work. He'll have to trust that Massani's got his shit together for the moment, because what other choice does he have? Run back to the hanger entrance and seal the place off, trapping the other two in here?

No. ...No, that's not the answer here.

Rin's already handling the questions, so Wolfwood tears his attention away from Massani and his gun and looks past the two instead, scanning over the ceiling of the little ship, the walls... If it was gas, enough to get through Massani's helmet, then Wolfwood should be seeing things too, and he's not. What else could cause that kind of hallucination? Something in the lights? Did Massani's brain get microwaved?

Whatever it is, he's not interested in a repeat performance. He takes a step back, letting his boot scrape audibly on the decking. ]

I'm thinkin' we should have this conversation outside.

[anesthetic_rage]

[He considered Wolfwood's words for a moment. Part of him was still coming down and seriously concerned that they might be in danger. Part of him acknowledged that there was clearly no motion, no obvious threat. They were safe here. He finally nodded.]

God-damned battles coming back to haunt him. I swear. Just...

[He grunted, his eyes looking around the room. The vision was gone, but it lingered and the damned commander was in it again.]

You're right. I'm waiting outside the bay. Shout at me if you need a gun.

[He wasn't just volunteering what he'd just seen exactly, at least not in here where it could come back again, but he wasn't going to stop either of them asking. Stepping into the hanger, he holstered his weapon and leaned against the craft, getting his breath under control.]

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[Oh, no, he's not getting away that easily.

Not that Rin looks eager for additional questioning, but they do step out of the ship. Moving very deliberately as they do, maintaining a clear personal bubble both for themself and for Zaeed.]

Please establish current date and location.

[Their helmet is angled towards him, some of the sensors as well, though their CL-10 isn't visible so they're not doing anything with any ambient readings they might be getting from it. They're just... observing Zaeed, now, leaving space for Wolfwood to exit the vessel. and Speaking of - ]

Specialist Wolfwood, you should retrieve a spare mask.