Author: Derin

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Aspen, can I see you a moment?” I look up from the book I’m reading. It’s about an hour until Celi’s scheduled operation; a corner of the medbay has been completely sterilised and blocked off with long sheets of plastic, a solid steel bench … Continue reading 069: TRANSPLANT

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Sands gestures his companions forward to explain. Sunset, eyes glittering, drops a stack of identical computer printouts on the table. We all take one. “The chronostasis pods we sampled can be divided into three groups,” she explains. “The position where Rynn-Hatson died and … Continue reading 068: RATE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> Captain Sands had said ten minutes, but I really want to get to the bottom of this mess, so I go to grab supplies from Laboratory Ring 2 immediately. I’m pulling a box of sample containers off a high shelf when I hear Renn … Continue reading 067: CYCLE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Okay.” Captain Sands claps his hands together and surveys the crew. “Let’s talk about progress. Anything to report?” It’s the morning after I found the bacteria. We’re all in Network and Engineering Ring 1 for this meeting, abandoning the usual Recreation and Medical Ring … Continue reading 066: PROGRESS

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Lina!” Lina looks up from fiddling with Zale’s life support. “What?” “The chronostasis fluid. How are you studying it?” “The fluorescent element is really easy to concentrate. I just don’t know enough molecular chemistry to get a better idea of what it is.” “Did … Continue reading 065: VECTOR

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> The condenser is a large rectangular block about twice the size of me, lying flat against the outer wall of the pressure vessel above. It’s the same non-reflective grey-white as the wall to which it’s bolted, and several black tubes lead into it, all … Continue reading 064: SABOTAGE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> With all our recently acquired information and the full help of a more widely experienced crew than we’re used to, investigation on the brain hijacking phenomenon progresses rapidly. Lina’s further scans for luminescence give her the results she expects; whatever the fluorescent chemical is, … Continue reading 063: INVESTIGATE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Aspen!” Tal calls from behind the computer terminal as I enter the medbay. “Come check this out!” I head over. Tal has one of kes own x-ray scans up on the screen. Ke’s standing in the image, arms raised slightly. Ke skips to the … Continue reading 062: LUMINSCENCE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I follow Captain Sands into Storage Ring 2. He leads us a little away from the path between airlocks, to a spot where nobody’s likely to interrupt us accidentally while moving about the ship, and fixes me with one of his usual easy smiles. … Continue reading 061: NEGOTIATION

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I’ve done a lot of jobs on this spaceship. Technically, I’ve done all the jobs on this spaceship. I’ve been pretty bad at most of them. I’m an okay gardener, but I broke several bones playing engineer, avoided being the psychologist as much as … Continue reading 060: INFORMATION