Author: Derin

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Alright,” Captain Sands announces, wiping coolant off his arm with a rag as he strolls into Recreation and Medical Ring 1, “the coolant system’s as fixed as it can get. Tal, go turn on the oxygen.” Tal shoves one last piece of pancake into … Continue reading 049: SAFETY

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> The doctors shoo us all out of the room pretty quickly so they can run tests. About an hour later, I’m let back in alone. Keldin is significantly more awake, sitting up in bed and sipping some of that disgusting protein broth that we … Continue reading 048: ADAPTATION

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I glance around at the variously apprehensive, upset, and thoughtful faces of my crew. Nobody looks happy. “Thoughts?” I ask. “What is to say?” Denish throws his hands up. “We need best engineer to not die. He is best engineer. Even if he is … Continue reading 047: HELP

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I leap to my feet. The first stupid, stupid thought to go through my brain is, “Oh no! Zombies!” Which is, of course, ridiculous. It’s not zombies. That’s the alarm for… Um. I’m not actually sure what that alarm is for. It’s not one … Continue reading 046: INTERDEPENDENCE

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> It’s movie night. We’re about four years out from Hylara, and one of the things keeping us all sane is movie night. Tal insisted on the name and it stuck, even though we also share audio, holograms, books, and occasional games. Every six days, … Continue reading 045: ZOMBIES

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I wait for the other shoe to drop. I wait for us to discover some new horrible thing about the stage 2 patients, or for the AI to try to kill us all over something stupid, or for someone to develop some deadly health … Continue reading 044: EARTH

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Artificial intelligences aren’t truly intel – ” “Nope!” Tal raises a finger. “Artificial brains aren’t truly intelligent. Circuits can’t do what neurons can, no matter how you design or program them. But you know what can do the job of neurons? Neurons. You guys … Continue reading 043: OUTSOURCING

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> “Um,” I say. “Yes. It does.” “Nope! The ten per cent category is, so far as I can tell, a zero per cent category. Every single person you’ve tried to revive from that category has gone into fits and either immediately ripped their own … Continue reading 042: DECEPTION

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> I lie back and stare at the ceiling, deep in thought. Tinera stops nibbling on my collarbone and pulls herself up onto her hands to glare down at me. “You’re working.” “What? No, I’m here with you.” “You’re working here.” She taps my skull. … Continue reading 041: TARGET

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Map] .......... Next> .......... Last>> The corpse’s kill switch had been successfully destroyed by the electrostatic shield, so we spend a day carefully lowering everyone under the ship and bringing them back up. We’re really careful about it, taking our time and using a lot of tethers, but it … Continue reading 040: RECAP