Randomness

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓼

Location: I.S.S. Prize

---

Mason wandered around the medical bay preparing for his excursion out into the alien planet along with Elm and his other colleagues. As he was packing, he was speaking the nurse who was on rotation. He was mainly explaining what to do in cased of emergency where she’d need to reach him, and quizzing her on use of the autonomic medical equipment that Mason could remote connect to.

Mason didn’t want to be entirely bogged down with medical supplies, so he just brought his satchel with portable first aid, and a couple of auto syringes of sedatives, just in case. He also packed a quarantine mask. Strapped in boots, and environmentally sealed outfit, he was ready to go. Since the planet had an earth-like atmosphere, his attire wasn’t bulky in the slightest, just had a few less opening than any normal outfit would have. Just as he was about to leave, he paused, and turned to the nurse again.

"Oh, and out idiot friend there. Once he wakes, he’ll be good to go, just send in a report about his tampering with the electrical grid, and then discharge him. Hopefully having that much electricity flowing through his body will make him think twice about doing that again.” And Mason was out.

He met up with the excursion team again in Briefing room 3 where Elm had also recruited a couple of the other scientific departments as well. First was Izumo. Mason hadn’t really gone to know Izumo, but his inclusion on the survey made sense. The other was Henry Jenkins.

“I’ve met Jenkins.” Said Mason coldly. Mason didn’t hate Henry, more so he was a bit annoyed from him. Jenkins was a brilliant biologist, but his arrogance got to Mason. Especially when conversations with him would eventually lead a lecture on anatomy and physiology. Half the time his lectures were condescending. Mason usually avoided him because of them. It didn’t seem like he was the only one. Mason could only guess, but it seemed like Elm might have had a few run ins with the doctor as well.

As Elm explained their plan of attack, Mason slowly nodded. Mason didn’t have much knowledge when it came to running an expedition, so he relied on Elm knowing what she was talking about. Also since Geu’rach would be joining them, he’d trust any concerns he also might have. Mason looked at his datapad with the rough map that the Prize was able to make. The ruins were a bit away, but didn’t look too far as to require a transport.

“I’m sure I’ll have questions eventually, but as of now, everything sounds good to go. I’m prepared for an emergency in case one should occur, but lets try and not injure ourselves, at least not to the point I cannot mend.”

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

An astronomer to map the stars maybe.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓼

Location: I.S.S. Prize

---

Mason hadn’t really spent much time on the space station. While there were many trinkets and attractions, not much of it caught Mason’s eye, nothing really wowed him. Most of the food was too salty or sweet, so he didn’t enjoy much of the cuisine either. In the end though, he was able to actually relax some and get his mind straight. Rod’s death still weighed on him, especially since he was at fault for the mangled corpse the ISA had to collect once the mission was over. He didn’t expect to forget him, but he didn’t need that kind of thought to hinder his performance. He eventually convinced himself that there was nothing he could do, and Rod’s sacrifice was a boon towards the success of the rescue. He had died a hero, and not as a moron who put his face too close to a loaded weapon.

Now, the wormhole beckoned, and Mason was prepared to see what lay on the other side. No one could know, and the new found motivation he had when he first joined the mission returned. The Prize would be repaired shortly, and Mason was ready to go.

~~~~~~~~

Mason remained in the medical bay throughout most of the travel through the wormhole. He did watch the spectacular light show through his computer monitor. He had to deal with some idiot who tried to break into Greenhouse 7 shortly before they departed for the wormhole. Apparently, it had been locked and the dufus tried to bypass it by messing with the wiring, which backfired spectacularly. The kid wasn’t a part of Elm’s collection of botanists that Mason could tell, but he didn’t bother to ask much about it. He just treated the burns and monitored the kid as he recovered in one of the beds. There wasn’t any lasting damage, but the kid was out cold. Mason technically didn’t have to stay in the medical bay, having opting one of the few nurses to keep an eye on him, but he hadn’t anything better to do, so opted to do it himself. The camera’s quality was enough to satisfy his curiosity.

Shortly after exit, Mason found himself in the situation room with everyone else. Surprisingly, they already had an encounter with another alien species capable of space travel. They had hailed the Prize and had led them to the nearby planet. Mason was no astrophysicist, but the system had three suns. It intrigued Mason about how the planet had not burned to a crisp. He decided to leave the answer to space magic.

Mason could not help but roll his eyes when Denise spoke. It was hard enough dealing with her when he first joined the Prize. Thankfully, since then he hadn't really had to interact since then. Now there seemed to be an entity which, and Mason could not believe he was thinking this, Denise would actually prove useful. He was most asured that chakras had nothing to do with why the planet was like it was. Mason just ignored her mostly, and listened to everyone else voice their thoughts. Mason didn't have any of his own, mainly thinking to don't do anything stupid to get yourself killed. His attention was peaked when Elm began to speak, however.

“If it’s alright with you, Captain, I’d like to join Elm on her endeavor. I admit it’s outside my level of expertise, but I’m more than capable of providing technical support when it comes to the treatment of living tissue. Of course, I understand if you’d have me stay on the ship.” Commented Mason. If allowed, it would also be a good opportunity to study the physiology of both the Auval’kotor and Lavathulin. Not only that, but the odd color scheme, and structure of the plant-life surrounding the Prize greatly fascinated him. A medical doctor he may be, but to explore the displays of the different planet was not an opportunity he’d want to miss.

"A question, though. What is the average temperature and atmosphere concentrations of the planet? I presume we'll need oxygen suits to manage if it's toxic."

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

So that it's easy to read at a glance, this is what everyone has chosen to do, correct?

Holy Vei:
Denise (Zanavy)
Carabello (Tortoise)
Francesca (IceHeart)
Beatrice (Xandrya)
Astrid (Starlance)

Surveying the area:
M’elme (Raylah)
Geu’rach (ShiningSector)
Mason (Randomness)
Robin (MST3K 4ever)

Staying on Ship:
Korax (Flamelord)

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

As for interplanetary communication, we can give the Prize a broad range receiver that recognizes a large range of patterns within the light spectrum. When it detects one that is directed it could focus on that range and send back messages using the same signal frequency received.

For a translator, space magic.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

I might need to edit my post with Mason. I assumed Robin would be still in the ship.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Oh my word. So help me Mason is so locking her out if the medical lab lest she completely destroy it for her own healing methods.

Actually, since she has been there longer than Mason, he might have already had to repurpose the lab to its intended purpose.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓼

Location: I.S.S. Prize, Deep Solar 3

---

Once it was all said and done, Mason was lying in his bed tired. He had been questioned about the mission, the death of Rod, and about the condition of the hostages. That on top of the medical reports he had to fill and the checkups he had to do for each of them before they were back on their way. It wasn’t too bad since the ISA wasn’t dumb enough to not send Mason with a medical staff, he could rely on for some of the more mundane checks and tasks. He wasn’t physically tired, but mentally exhausted. The stop at Deep Solar 3 might have the respite he needed before their mission resumed.

Sitting up from his bed, he took a look over the medical notes he had collected. As he went over them, he had a list of out of the ordinary conditions that he should have to keep a list of. For example, he needed to make sure that Robin’s implant was not causing her any undo harm as well as make sure that her quarterly hibernations went swimmingly. Speaking of which…

Mason walked down the halls in an effort to find where Robin would be hibernating. Well, it wasn’t a hibernation, but what else were they going to call it? He eventually found her. She was already strapped in, face down, the system doing its work. It looked painful, but as Robin was in suspended animation, he would never know. Everything looked in order, so he left her to it and continued on his way. As he walked, he read over his tablet.

“Let’s see.” Mumbled Mason to himself, “For the most part everyone is perfectly healthy.” Of course, most people have to be to be a part of a mission such as this, “That makes things easy. Boring, but easy.” He continued to scroll into his notes. It wasn’t a long list, just things to keep in mind and on hand as needed. There were some prescription lenses for Geu’rach and medication for Francesca. His neck started to get stiff as he looked down on his tablet. The tablet was much like a bar that displayed a holographic screen, so when he put it away, the screen just disappeared, and the bar could fit easily within his pocket.

Mason stretched out his arms and let out a heavy sigh to see where he had wandered. He found himself next to the green houses, so he had wandered around the science labs. Since he was here, he might as well visit the medical lab one more time and double heck the supply inventory. Not like the ISA would leave the ship undersupplied, but he wanted to make sure everything was in order. Especially their high-end equipment. Once he was done with that, he’d probably leave the ship just before construction started and see what the space station had to offer. Get some lunch, find an arcade or something.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Mason medical note: Fithagian species has a filtered red purity system capable of removing toxins from its air well just before entering the blood. This makes them suited to withstand most airborne hazards and contagions. This filtering system of multiple layers of epithelium can be overrun before the epithelium can break down the hazards or replace itself from damage allowing for exposure of the toxins.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓼

Location: Pirate Ship

---

Mason ducked back behind the alcove as laser fire filled the hall. Their spooked ally didn’t seem to have been hit as he join Rod and the others in the battle. Mason Stayed behind the alcove, following the team forward as they moved up to close the distance between them. It wasn’t a long fight, but it felt like it lasted ages. Once the gunfire had ended, Mason cautiously looked in either direction down the hall. So far it was clear. But his quick assessment was soon proven false. Not soon after, another figure, a pirate came up and took a shot at Rod. Mason was not sure where he came from, perhaps hiding in another alcove much like the one the trash chute was stationed. What followed was a rollercoaster of dangers. First was the shot, which missed, but released the incendiary grenade Rod had stashed in his pack, which wasn’t damaged.

“Bad is right.” Said Mason, “I know Astrid mentioned a grenade, but I can see almost no reason why you would actually bring one.” Mason shook his head, but soon his calm lecture turned into a startle. With the pirate’s death, he seemed to be able to fire his rifle one last time. Rod was in the perfect position to take the shot head on. Mason acted quickly. The pirate was indeed dead, so that was the last the rifle would fire. The helmet was designed to help deflect oncoming fire, but not even it could completely withstand a pointblank shot from a high charged energy weapon. Mason was not equipped to deal with such trauma, and even if Rod was still alive, he’d be dead by the time he could bring him to the emergency medical kit back on the shuttle.

Things were going from bad to worse. The pirates were more than likely alerted about the fire fight. Undoubtedly reinforcements were on their way. This gave the team very little time. They’d need a distraction in order to give the team enough time to get the hostages registered with the teleporter. Mason noticed just to the side of the two bodies was incendiary grenade.

“That might work.” Mason grabbed the grenade. He removed his mask and put it over Rod’s damaged helmet. While the damage could still be seen through the faint blue light the mask emitted it worked well enough to hide any obvious trauma at a glance. It would look like an enemy soldier was sitting against the wall to any pirate who rounded the corner. The pirate might then immediately engage without noticing it’s a dead body. He then rested the grenade under the man’s thump and primed it.

“Sorry Rod.” Said Mason, “We thank you for your service” He then led the rest of Alpha team down the rest of the hall towards the cargo hold. Just his luck, there weren’t any guards. If there were, they were probably the ones that engaged them earlier. The door was locked, however, but nothing that one of his team couldn’t handle.

“Give me a second.” Spoke one of the lesser crew who join team Alpha on this mission. He started working on the keypad that was next to the door. It was a six by six grid without any discernable markings. As the man worked, different symbols appeared over each of the buttons. As he worked, Mason could hear footsteps coming from down the hall. A loud voice accompanied them.

“Damnit Winky. I will not stand if you killed any of the…” the voice trailed, “We have an intruder! Find them! Secure our bargaining chip!” the voice was loud and held an air of authority. Was that Du-Vos? It didn’t matter, their time was running out fast. Mason was really counting on that nerve gas now. If it would not make them drowsy, at least he hoped it’d throw off their aim just a bit.

“Got it.” Spoke their lock picking friend. The doors opened, and the team quickly entered the room. Huddled in a corner were a large group of men and women, the passengers from the Moray. Perfect. Most if not all of them were sitting on the ground, laying against each other. Some were dozing off to sleep. The nerve gas had done its job well with the hostages at least. They were groggy, and a bit sluggish in their movements, but seemed fine for the most part.

“Quickly, register them and then get them out of here.” Commanded Mason. He heard some laser fire from out the door, which the team had sealed behind them. It was only a couple shots, but if they had shot Rod’s body then…

A loud boom echoed through the hall. By disrupting Rod’s body, the pirates had fully armed the grenade, and it had gone off. Hopefully the blast would block that path with debris and flames. Mason only spared a couple seconds to pay attention to the sounds coming from the hall. The foot steps resumed. Damnit, these squid people were a resilient bunch. He urged everyone to work as quickly as they could. As each team from alpha registered a hostage, they immediately teleported them to the shuttle. Hopefully Robin and the pilot would help sort them so they weren’t tripping over each other.

Mason walked up to one of the older gentlemen who seemed more awake than the other, “Quickly now, is this everyone?” questioned Mason, “We know the little boy was returned, but was anyone else taken?” The man seemed groggily unaware of the question, taking painfully too long to realized what the question was. Once he snapped out of it, he confirmed that no one else was removed, and that everyone who was taken hostage was here in the cargo hold. Mason sighed with relief and then got the man out of there.

When the team was about halfway finished with the evacuation, the hold was filled with the sound of banging as someone very large was bashing the door. This Du-Vos character. His size really complimented his strength as the door began to cave. One more good hit, and the lock would be useless and the door could open freely. Mason waited with baited breath, grabbing a hold of one of the team’s laser rifles and took cover behind one of the larger metal crates prepared to fire at the intruder. The chance didn’t come as soon the whole room shook. That wasn’t another incendiary grenade. Mason paused, as did the force banging the door. Soon the room shook again. The lights dimmed and an alarm blared throughout the ship. A voice spoke over the intercom. “W-We’re under attack! The Prize has opened fire. The Moray has also opened fire.” The hall was then filled with expletives as heavy footsteps quickly rushed away.

“It looks like team Beta had done what they needed to and were now attacking the pirate’s vessel.” Shouted Mason, “We don’t have much time left, lets go.” Mason dropped the gun and went to help get the other hostages. His coms were blowing up with communications from Captain Carabello urging they hurry with their mission. Mason didn’t pay it much mind as he was doing just that. Sparks flew as the pirate’s ship took damage. Loud booms of impact could be heard within the cargo hold as it continued to be attacked. Energy being diverted and fire from the pirate’s own weaponry could also be heard, a proper battle between ships was well underway.

Once the last person was registered and teleported, Mason and his crew left as well. Back on the shuttle, Mason found himself crowded with everyone almost shoulder to shoulder. All the seats were occupied, and the rest stood in the center of the cabin. Mason pushed his way to the front where the pilot and presumably Robin were.

“That’s everyone.” He stated almost out of breath, “We should go now. As you can see, beta and the Captain are engaging now. I don’t want to be caught in the crossfire. I’m going to look after the hostages to see if any of them need medical attention.” Mason left the front before any of those who weren’t present on the actual pirate ship could ask about Rod. It’d be brought up if the captain held a debriefing, but for now they should just get out of harms way.