Ad Astra

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Jun 2, 2021 12:18 pm
OOC:
Certainly a reasonable guess on first observation. The Grel'lix are less crystaline in structure while the victim suffered fast-forming spindles.
Bruce catches the implications in the air.

Et's about time fer yer meetin' with tha captain. Let'er know that if th'antimony was contaminated after tha fact, it was expertly done. Emitters trace through it like mold in cheese. Far more likely it'd always been there.

Leaving that hanging over your heads, she nods into the hallway.

When you reach the secondary med bay, the meeting has already begun. High Admiral Orion Hamilton is a stoic, angular figure. It's clear he's less than thrilled to be called in on his daughter's first mission. Whether he's concerned for her health or not, you can't say.

Everyone who was exposed has been dosed with anti-rad and is under observation, your captain explains. She continues gesturing with her hands despite the needlepoint scanner attached to her palm where the rash formed. While we have yet to learn more about these emitters, initial tests appear to show that we can at least keep their effects at bay if we catch them soon enough.

And the stowaway?

About to be examined. They appear cooperative.

Interrogate it as well. Find out why the Redjuice was worth threatening a Treaty flagship.

Yes, High Admiral. She glances to you and nods. My planetside team has returned from decontamination. They are not showing symptoms, but may have more to add.
Jun 3, 2021 8:45 am
Jonh looks at the "En-cu", the stowaway Grel'lix. He doesn't say much, but wonders what may come out of an interrogation...
Jun 3, 2021 10:16 pm
The Grel'lix stands puzzled, "What's an Encu? Is that some kind of off-world slang?"

However, the inquisitive look is quickly turned defensive after the admiral's accusations. "Now you listen here, sir. I've been very patient with your sideways assertions about my motivations, but this has gone on long enough. I've not threatened a single soul on this ship, nor did I board with any intention to do any of you harm." The Grel'lix's voice raises, fists clenched in loathing anger, "But I swear on the mountains of Grel that if any of you refer to me as 'it' ever again, it will be the last thing you utter before your tongue is liberated from your mouth."

Having gotten the attention of most if not all of the crew with such a violent threat, the Grel'lix speaks once again in a lowered tone, "Now if someone would be so kind as to show me to the medical wing, I would love to pass my preliminary screen before beginning data collection on your captain's condition. I need not remind anyone that the clock is ticking, and the infection is relentless."
Jun 4, 2021 8:10 am
Jonh looks at the Grel'lix and tries to pronounce its... his... eerr... their (?) name a little better, afraid to trigger another outburst. "ya-ku?"
[ +- ] "it" or "Thing" who knows 😂
Jun 4, 2021 12:11 pm
You are in the medical wing, the captain enunciates stiffly, hoping to take control of the situation before her father feels the need to step in remotely.

You are the stowaway here. Meaning either you're trying to hide from us, or from your people. Neither of which makes a promising first impression. You have no right to discuss the nature of our assumptions when you continually refuse to explain why you are here. Now that you have openly threatened my crew, you may consider any sanctuary you may have claimed moot, and your person formally detained.

She doesn't notice that during this time, the High Admiral cut his line. With a glance to the screen her face flushes briefly. Then she cringes in pain and clasps her infected hand.

With a deep breath she looks to the others. What has Bruce told you? And has the Grel'lix Yen'kos told you anything of note yet?

The medical officers, meanwhile, start poking, prodding, and scanning the stowaway.
Jun 4, 2021 1:20 pm
"Well..." Jonh starts "It looks like the Anti-m is alright, but there are some rad-emitters contamination it. We think it was already in the Anti-m supply, because all sec-systems were top-notch". he looks at Yen'kos. "Ya-kuz here says the Grel'lix are resistant to this emitted phi-rad naturally so I have to give it to err.. him... It looks like Grel's Anti-m may be, let's say ... unprocessed. The question is now if the Grel'lix are aware of the... associated complications". He looks at the sisters looking for a medical insight on this. "...cause I don't think we were"
Last edited June 4, 2021 1:21 pm
Jun 4, 2021 2:30 pm
Modwen ignores protocols and checklists, and takes the scanner toward the antimony. Her first calibrates it, examining a few inert substances, like crewman Belares' elbow. Oh really, you're a Sagittarius? I pegged you for a Libra. I'm a Leo with a bad moon rising.

Duly calibrated, he approaches the tanks and begins to set up a grid search. "I'll need a suit to examine the exterior hatches, too," he tells no one and everyone in engineering.
Jun 4, 2021 3:16 pm
"It was not our intention to deny your personhood, Yen'kos," the Sisters say calmly, perfectly pronouncing the alien name that Jonh is struggling with. "But you do understand why caution is advisable around an uninvited stowaway." They look him over. "We also need to know everything you know that might help with this radiation poisoning. You mentioned something about your species' young. Please elaborate."
Jun 6, 2021 7:19 pm
Yen'kos sighs at Jonh's continued butchering of a rather simple name, "It's Yen'kos. Yen. Kos. And I'm not a 'him', though I can hardly blame you on that one." She continues addressing the matter at hand, "Indeed, Grel'lix are naturally resistant to phi-radiation. We're native to Grel, and in order to survive its harsh conditions we as a species have evolved to survive. Much like the planet possesses a rocky crust in order to protect its molten core, so too do the Grel'lix have a dense outer layer that shields our internal organs against all threats from radiation to blunt force. I'm not sure what this has to do with Anti-m, though."

The last remnants of Yen'kos's earlier aggression is assuaged as the Fused correctly name her. At least one, er two, of them are not explicitly trying to provoke a reaction. [b]"I understand that my sudden appearance here is cause for concern, but I assure you I mean no harm. Take all the precaution you need. Whatever..." the Grel'lix pauses and considers only briefly "...keeps your team safe."


At the mention of the species young, Yen'kos shies away, "Unfortunately, our young are of no use to your search. They are not resistant to phi-radiation the way that mature Grel'lix are."
Jun 6, 2021 7:29 pm
"That is precisely why we are asking about them. We are curious to learn what the difference between your young and your matures is," the Sisters explain.
Jun 6, 2021 9:02 pm
OOC:
Engineering
Bruce watches Modwen suit up with some concern. Ya cannae jes' run in an' outta tha containment chamber whenever ya like. Ah've got a feelin yeh won't find anythin' new this soon. But I suppose it'll be a good way ta test tha anti-rad medication. See how long et holds up.

She runs the scanner while he steps in.
OOC:
Please roll to find....what are you looking for, again?

OOC:
Secondary Medbay
Captain! Captain!

The med-tech who prodded Yen'kos chirps excitedly as the computer prints a read-out.

It appears that the Grel'lix retain a certain number of unprotected cells that are transferred when they mate. See, look. They show a picture of what you assume is a cell. Look. The centriolic diodes here. In a young cell, they display an S-enantiomer. But in the adult cell, the same location is an R-enantiomer. Not only does the iodinal isotope bond to the diodes, but the chirality of the remaining changes entirely as a result. They then act as a plug of sorts.

Captain Hamilton breathes evenly while she waits for the short version. The med tech blushes.

The Redjuice is what gives them resistance. But I don't know if it would work on other lifeforms.

Hamilton nods and looks to Yen'kos, her hand still curled up over the scanner.

So this treaty was to get nutrients for your children. But nobody thought to mention the harm your planet would do to us.

The tech, meanwhile, looks at another output and shows it to Jonh, speaking quietly.

lavtodd sent a note to CESN
Jun 6, 2021 11:38 pm
Modwen sets the scanners up and finishes suiting to go where the bad stuff might be. He is looking to find where the antimony became contaminated. It could be that it arrived that way, but he wants to first eliminate the possibility that sabotage occurred on board before accusing a foreign government of negligence or even crimes.

He looks for non-antimony contamination outside the internal access to the storage holds, and then goes outside the ship to examine the external loading hatches -- of the contaminants got into the antimony on the ship, the contaminants had to enter one way or the other. He intends to find traces or at least be one step closer to eliminating sabotage as an explanation.

Rolls

Booksmart(d6,2+), Advantage - (1d6, 1d6)

1d6 : (6) = 6

1d6 : (5) = 5

Jun 7, 2021 7:45 am
Jonh looks at Yen'kos and then at the sisters... This is getting too alien for him to keep up. "Captain Hamilton" he tries to get her attention "It seems there may be some patterns arising from the delta-rad we need to study a bit more" he looks around and then back at her "Have you been checked already. I would suggest taking a little break, do a little med-check and a drink a coffee. We need to be fresh and prepared for... " he stops to think how to put it. "any problems during the travel. While we analyse the data, I mean."
Last edited June 7, 2021 7:46 am
Jun 8, 2021 3:15 pm
The med tech was right, and there was no use hiding it. "Yes, you're right, the redjuice protects our young from the radiation long enough to reach maturity when they're natural biology takes over. Without redjuice, our entire race could go extinct. I'm not sure how redjuice affects other biologies, but for the sake of the already limited supply, I pray we find an alternative solution to phi-rad before we find out if it works on anyone else."

The captain seems less amiable about the situation. "All due respect sir, but the Grel'lix have continued to take every precaution against the spread of phi-radiation since before we even knew you existed. A conference on our moon was deemed unlikely to pose a significant threat to any species, Grel'lix or otherwise. As I mentioned, we don't need any more competition for redjuice than there already is, so there is no reason for my people to endanger you - we would only be endangering ourselves in the process."
Jul 8, 2021 8:53 pm
OOC:
Engineering
Scanning......scanning.....

Oh.

The good news is, it's not sabotage. The bad news is...it's everywhere. The Phi-radiation emitters are completely integrated with every atom of Antimony. One too many strange quarks in the subatomic makeup, and everything's a mess.

Lt. Commander Bruce reads your scans as you continue.

Well, shet. Lemme see what ah can find.

By the time you're out and decontaminated, she's found an old old article. Is that newsprint archived digitally? Dang.

On Earth-Prime, in their year 1995, one of the first Terran photographic telescopes caught images of the blast from a massive nova. With some quick calculations, even their scientists were able to determine that the blast itself was several thousand years old, several dozen light years across. The "pillars" as the humans called them, were long gone, but the impact remained.

The image was one of the prime examples of the space organization's progress, but as it because more just, a background on a computer, it was largely forgotten. Several centuries ago, the Relik discovered what should have been a neutron star in the center of the original nova, but it was made entirely of strange matter. Luckily in the vacuum of space, very little was around to be affected and then absorbed.

But the planet Grel is in a reasonable shockwave distance for a nova that size.

No wonder they're a minin' planet, Bruce muses. Anythin' too close would'a been vaporized. Anything too small'd've been consumed entirely. You realize what this means? Grel could'a been a multi-core planet, stripped by tha nova, an' changed ta have all these emitters!
OOC:
Secondary Medbay
While Yen'kos speaks, Captain Hamilton gets a cup of a bluish fluid from a replicator in the wall. She's a little clumsy, clearly holding her exposed hand tightly shut.

I trust that all issues aside, you are not a prime mover in them, Yen'kos. Thank you for your feedback. Perhaps, she calls to the techs in the room if Terran and adjacent biology cannot be directly benefitted by redjuice, the antidote could be boosted, in a way? Or the antimony could be neutralized directly.

Altok Leya passes this information on a data pad to central command on Earth-Beryllium as the medics in the room start feverishly researching the captain's suggestions.

Yen'kos, there must be a reason you were sent to live on the moon instead of among your people. Would you please expand on that?

The Grel'lix nods soberly and concedes. My team was sent to search for more redjuice stores, far closer to the core than any of our kind have traveled before. While there, we found creatures not unlike your security officer. As we traveled, we realized that their number, and a few remaining features, closely matched a mining team that had been lost in an elevator collapse. This was how we learned the phi-radiation emitters are not atmospheric, but geological.

Captain Hamilton leans forward, her demeanor far closer to when the ship disembarked - though still uneasy. Your people know the mines expertly well. Why did your leaders not listen?

Yen'kos blinks, twitching a little with the repressed memory. I was the only one who survived, Sir. My findings were written off as PTSD, then heresy. Our people worship the core, the soil. To think it is the source of our trouble is unthinkable for most Grel'lix.

Hamilton acknowledges the report with solemnity. Lieutenants, process Yen'kos as a materials expert seeking sanctuary on a Treaty ship. It'll be messy, but I think it's our best bet right now. She sighs and sets her drink back in the replicator to re-adjust it to something else. Most of you were assigned to be a diplomatic envoy for negotiations. Now it seems we have a larger problem on our hands. Will you help with this, too?
Jul 9, 2021 6:13 am
"Do we have a choice?", the Sisters ask, spreading their hands in a rhetoric gesture. "We all are stuck on this vessel for now. It would be unwise for any of us to not help out as it is our own lives at risk." They look over the other crew members to get a read on their reactions to this situation, then they say: "But aside from an autopsy on the affected crewmember, which is unlikely to reveal much the Grel'lix have not yet discovered, we are unsure how we can be of help."
Jul 9, 2021 9:10 am
Jonh focuses, trying to follow Lt. Commander Bruce as she reports the conclusions. Phi-radiation on every atom? Is this some sort of enriched Antimony? "So, that would suggest this nova of weird matter washed away the Grel's planet, and left only the contaminated core?" he considers what that could mean, but the sheer magnitude and age of such event is difficult even start to understand... "So did Grel'lix evolve before or after that nova?" Jonh thinks aloud for a moment and then breaks out of it. "We need to check what the Relik know and why they described this matter they found out as ... weird"
Jul 15, 2021 9:34 pm
Bruce nods and taps at her datapad. Up, Down, Top, Bottom, Strange, and Charm are ancient Terran classifications of tha quarks in subatomic matter. Intergalactically they're classed I through VI but tha concept stayed. An' once ah finish drafrin' this, ah'll be able ta get in contact with tha Relik. Ah've got tha clearance fer it.

In the medbay Captain Hamilton nods soberly at the Sisters' observation. I cannot force this assignment on you. Though I suppose I also can't promise you any more safety one way or the other. All this said... she sighs and opens her palm. There are notable spikes growing under her sensor. The radiation appears to react to stress. Because you were exposed to an affected crew member, and we don't know much about transfer from these creatures, I would allow you to quarantine if you prefer.

A sensor starts beeping furiously and the med tech perks up with worry. Captain! Someone has lifted the patient's stasis field! Primary Medbay is being compromised!

Hamilton snaps back into captain mode. So if you're going, do it now. Warn engineering on your way. Authorization granted to set phasers to "kill."
Jul 16, 2021 8:43 am
Jonh nods as Bruce updates the situation. Unaware of the situation in the medbay, he waits for contact to be made with the Relik, helping out with technical set up as much as he can.
Jul 16, 2021 4:32 pm
"We will assist in whatever way we can," the Sisters say. "Will it be of most help for us to help contain the patient or should we find out who and why has sabotaged their confinement in the first place?"

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