themnemosyne | STATUS REPORT 004

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🪐 status report

STATUS REPORT 004

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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.

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?)

[ 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. ]

[ 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.

[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.]

[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!

[ 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.]]

[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!

[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?

[ 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? ]

[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.]

[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?

[ 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.

[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.]

[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.

[ He'd meant for all of them to get off the damn ship, not just Massani, and it's a relief that Rin follows Massani out, even if neither of them get far enough away from the ship for Wolfwood's liking. He's right behind Rin, putting plenty of space between himself and the small craft -- and whatever self-defense mechanism they just set off -- as he can.

They need to seal the ship up. They need to dump it back out into space where it belongs, before whatever other defenses are sitting idle decide to power back up. They shouldn't have brought the damn thing on board in the first place!

...And god dammit, he shouldn't be in here without a goddamn helmet! ]

Get him the fuck out of here!

[ --he snarls back at Rin, heading at a quick walk -- no running around the nervous guy with the gun -- towards the lockers and the protective equipment. Did he really come in here without any gear at all, with a fucking level as a weapon? He's as crazy as Massani is, wow. ]

....

[He kind of looked like he wanted to punch Wolfwood for about five seconds. His glare was murderous, and then it calmed and he nodded. No, no, he had a point. Taking his gun off and shoving the hard-light assault rifle at Rin, he grunted.]

He's got a point, assuming I'm a risk. Take my weapon for the moment. I'm compromised, even if I don't have another god-damned episode. We can't risk me shooting something and setting it off.

[He watched Wolfwood storm off to get suited up and held back a smirk. Well, hopefully he hadn't just gotten the paranoid bastard killed. Right. Ok... he'd been asked a question. Breathing, he focused and closed his eyes before citing the correct date according to their record.]

Designation is Zaeed Massani. Security officer, Mnemosyne. We're in the hangar, checking a craft out. Not sure what I just saw... but it's gone. For now. Keep my piece until we're out of the hangar. I don't trust myself right now.

[For just a moment their attention swings towards Wolfwood, the comm in their helm clicking on for just a second as though they're going to make some response to that -

And now there's a gun in their hands.

Rin automatically takes it, barrel pointed down and hands holding it steady. The gun won't fire for them anyway, but they automatically keep their finger away from the trigger. It's only when they've settled the gun that they seem to realize they've done so, glancing down at their own hands with a slight slackening of their jaw.

Strange, how familiar a gun feels in their arms.]

Right. And you know who you're with?

[Harder with their helmet faceplate on, but well. They're checking his lucidity, might as well not make it easier on Zaeed.]

[ Back at the far wall of the hanger, Wolfwood yanks a suit off the wall and struggles into it, quietly cursing himself the whole time. If he did just get himself killed through exposure to some alien virus because he was running to Massani's aid, of all people, then goddamn he's never going to forgive himself. The only thing more embarrassing would have been trying to help Hilbert, fuck.

What the hell possessed him to come charging in like that?! He should have just sealed the doors and activated quarantine procedure! Stupid, stupid.

Massani, if he dies from this, he's haunting you! He'll be back out your way in a moment -- the suit takes a minute to get on. ]

A pair of ass-hats I have the pleasure of getting stuck on this ship with because our pods malfunctioned.

[Ok, his sense of 'humor' had clearly returned. He barked out a guttural laugh, dragging his hand through his hair. That wasn't what Rin requested, so he needed to get the information right. Confirm he wasn't crazy.]

Rin, and ass-hat two who's probably going to try and punch me in the face in a hot second's Wolfwood. Everyone's got a turn on the "Getting everyone killed" train it seems. God-damn... that was too real.

The hell did I just see?

Answer registered.

[They'll remember that, Massani.

Even if they do count as an asshat, by most metrics of the word. Takes one to know one, or some shit. With the gun in their arms they can't hold their CL-10 screen or scanner up to double-check the particulars of the readings, but given what readings they were getting...]

Ship wasn't registering unusual readings or high chemical deviation in air quality. If it's from the ship, it's an unknown vector. [Pause.] Or Specialist Wolfwood should react shortly. [Or them, considering Zaeed is just as suited up as them, but still.]

... ngh. I don't think it's from the ship. Seen her before. Nobody else mentioned her. God-damned, hell of a time for a flashback to some shit I don't remember.

[He was starting to properly calm down, looking at his hands. They were shaking very slightly. His vitals, however, were coming into normal ranges, but that had him spooked.]

Might be like PTSD. Triggered by the ship's interior. Only damned thing I can think of. What I saw... that was a hell of a sight.

[ He can just barely hear his name a few times as he wrestles the hemlet on, but by the time he's heading back over to the other two, Massani's last statement is loud and clear. ]

So what the fuck did you see?

[ With Rin's hands full, that means Wolfwood should be the one to scan their hallucinating security guard, huh? He doens't know what the hell he's doing, but he can at least use his CL-10 to run an initial interference scan, checking for electrical irregularities, and then there's probably a basic medical program in there as part of general first aid that he can pull up next. ]

Fucked up alien vessel. We were on some sort of infiltration mission. Didn't look a god-damned thing like this other than dark, foreign metal, alien tech and we had to force the door open.

Thing is... I don't fucking remember those people. [He shook his head.] Keep your heads on, in case there's something in there but you look ... normal for now.

[Hands-free connection to the CL-10 means that a few helpful settings suggestions pop up in Wolfwood's messages when he starts scanning, for spectral and chemical analyses to run - Rin isn't even looking in his direction. They're keeping a sidelong eye on Zaeed.]

Circumstances have some overlap.

STATUS REPORT 004

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go for it!

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

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