I eventually woke up to the sound of the station's Emergency Broadcast System, its piercing tone spiking a terrible headache, like nails being driven into my temples. I was disoriented, so much so that I could barely pull myself up into a sitting position. It felt like the floor was moving... wait, no, the floor was moving. Shaking and vibrating from a rumble that I could feel through the metal panels. The red emergency lighting was on, and this time it was here to stay. The tone from the EBS finally stopped, and a synthesized voice came over the station's PA system. It was the same gentle voice that woke me up with my alarm, this time delivering much more troubling news than 'it's time for work'.
"Attention Hamilton Station personnel. General evacuation orders are underway. Please proceed to your department's designated muster station and await further instructions from your department head."
The tone resumed, and I knew it would be going on a loop for a while. I also knew that if I didn't make it to the muster station then Bhatia would take over the evacuation proceedings for HabEn. If not him, then the person immediately under him, and so on. Thank God for the chain-of-command. Still, I needed to get up. Responsibility or not, I was still sitting on an apparently doomed station. What the hell had happened? It took a moment for me to get my bearings, to see the blown-out equipment, to see the... the bodies. Oh God.
The researchers that had been in R&D with me were scattered in a circle around the stone. Or, more accurately, where the stone had been. The docking clamps holding it in place had been released and the big oblong space rock was just... gone. There was no way that someone just came in here and took it without tending to the scientists, or me for that matter. Right? I used the railing to steady myself and stumbled over to check on the person closest to me. Their protective suit was fried, smoldering and fused to them in places. This couldn't have been because of an electrical discharge. These suits were designed to withstand high voltage, as well as radiation and chemical hazards. Whatever it had been, it looked like it killed the poor bastards outright. All of them were in similar conditions. There wasn't anything I could do for them.
It had been a while since I had seen a dead body up close. It wasn't something that I had expected to see again, nor was it something that I had wanted to see ever. My stomach was doing flip-flops. These people had been alive and talking before I... passed out? What had happened? The more I tried to think of it, the more my head hurt, and the stupid EBS tone wasn't helping. If I focused really hard I could see those dancing colors in the corners of my vision, like fingers creeping around to wrap over my eyes. It hurt too much to linger on it. For all I knew I was suffered some radiation sickness for being too close to that rock without the right protection. The tone reminded me what I should be doing, and the groaning of stressed metal that resonated throughout the pod helped me motivate.
I could still walk, even if I was feeling a little queasy, and I knew exactly where HabEn's muster station was located. Cynthia always took the evacuation drills seriously, something that I was never more thankful for than right at this moment. R&D was located on the opposite side of the station, but it wouldn't take me too long to get there, even at my reduced speed. I stumbled out of the pod, and past the abandoned security checkpoint. It looked like Jeremy didn't want to stick around.
I couldn't blame him.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 7
The pod smelled like ozone, wafting out before I even had the chance to step over the threshold. They must have reorganized everything to make room for the new diagnostic equipment, because it looked drastically different compared to the last time I was there. A lot of machinery had been shoved into the corner, with tarps thrown over them, replaced by all manner of ominous-looking devices circled around...
There it was. The stone, mounted in place by what looked to be modified docking clamps affixed to the floor and ceiling. At first I thought that the light was hitting it in an odd way, causing a dancing refraction off of its colorful crystalline structure, but I soon realized that something inside of it was causing the illumination. Its smooth surface shimmered with intricate patters as the light within pulsed, and as it slowly faded it rumbled, a deep bass that I could feel in my gut. It shook all of the equipment, I could feel it behind my eyes, a pressure in my skull that made me reach for the bulkhead to steady myself. I gripped a railing as another pulse went off, and it seemed that the researchers finally noticed my presence. They were wearing protective gear that I had never seen before, certainly nothing that we carried on the station. A heavy-looking helmet that fully encased their head, a reflective visor that i could see myself in. I... didn't look so great.
"Hey!" one of them shouted, his voice altered by the helmet's built-in speaker. "You can't be in here!"
I swallowed down a lump in my throat and took a step towards them, keen on telling them just where I could and couldn't go, but the rock... that oscillating rumble grew in frequency, causing the researchers to turn back towards it, a couple of them scrambling back to their equipment, examining the hectic-looking read-outs. Maybe it wasn't the gear that was causing the energy fluctuations? I couldn't tell if my sudden bout of nausea was responsible, but I could swear that I saw the air around the rock bend in the most peculiar way. The light inside of it grew in intensity, and the researchers began chattering back and forth.
"No no no, it's happening again," one of them said frantically, moving to peer over the shoulder of one of his colleagues. "The EM field is spiking, it's in the red."
"Getting radio waves!" another masked scientist shouted from the other side of the rock. "Some background radiation and-"
The light fixtures in the ceiling flickered and crackled, and the diagnostic stations around the pod began to flare up, lights blinking erratically, alarms sounding and red emergency lights flashing. I couldn't look at the rock, it was too bright, casting brilliant colors upon the bulkhead. Even with my gaze averted and my eyes closed the colors still played out in front of me, shifting and writhing, burned into my vision. But... no, it wasn't. It disappeared when I opened my eyes, like it knew when I was trying to look away.
"Get the shield up!" a researched yelled.
"I-I can't, it's... The shield isn't responding!" came the response.
It was blinding at this point, the rumbling so loud that I could feel my insides move with every pulse. I was hanging limply onto the railing, arm hooked on to try and keep me somewhat upright. It wasn't long before that deep resonating noise was just a steady tone. I couldn't hear anything else. Couldn't see anything else. I felt weightless. Adrift. My body taken from that undignified position and brought somewhere else.
But where?
There it was. The stone, mounted in place by what looked to be modified docking clamps affixed to the floor and ceiling. At first I thought that the light was hitting it in an odd way, causing a dancing refraction off of its colorful crystalline structure, but I soon realized that something inside of it was causing the illumination. Its smooth surface shimmered with intricate patters as the light within pulsed, and as it slowly faded it rumbled, a deep bass that I could feel in my gut. It shook all of the equipment, I could feel it behind my eyes, a pressure in my skull that made me reach for the bulkhead to steady myself. I gripped a railing as another pulse went off, and it seemed that the researchers finally noticed my presence. They were wearing protective gear that I had never seen before, certainly nothing that we carried on the station. A heavy-looking helmet that fully encased their head, a reflective visor that i could see myself in. I... didn't look so great.
"Hey!" one of them shouted, his voice altered by the helmet's built-in speaker. "You can't be in here!"
I swallowed down a lump in my throat and took a step towards them, keen on telling them just where I could and couldn't go, but the rock... that oscillating rumble grew in frequency, causing the researchers to turn back towards it, a couple of them scrambling back to their equipment, examining the hectic-looking read-outs. Maybe it wasn't the gear that was causing the energy fluctuations? I couldn't tell if my sudden bout of nausea was responsible, but I could swear that I saw the air around the rock bend in the most peculiar way. The light inside of it grew in intensity, and the researchers began chattering back and forth.
"No no no, it's happening again," one of them said frantically, moving to peer over the shoulder of one of his colleagues. "The EM field is spiking, it's in the red."
"Getting radio waves!" another masked scientist shouted from the other side of the rock. "Some background radiation and-"
The light fixtures in the ceiling flickered and crackled, and the diagnostic stations around the pod began to flare up, lights blinking erratically, alarms sounding and red emergency lights flashing. I couldn't look at the rock, it was too bright, casting brilliant colors upon the bulkhead. Even with my gaze averted and my eyes closed the colors still played out in front of me, shifting and writhing, burned into my vision. But... no, it wasn't. It disappeared when I opened my eyes, like it knew when I was trying to look away.
"Get the shield up!" a researched yelled.
"I-I can't, it's... The shield isn't responding!" came the response.
It was blinding at this point, the rumbling so loud that I could feel my insides move with every pulse. I was hanging limply onto the railing, arm hooked on to try and keep me somewhat upright. It wasn't long before that deep resonating noise was just a steady tone. I couldn't hear anything else. Couldn't see anything else. I felt weightless. Adrift. My body taken from that undignified position and brought somewhere else.
But where?
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
In A Small North American Town, Part 3
She had gotten the scene cleaned up as best she could before leaving for town. Collected some samples, picked up the casings, and did her best to get the fence back into a state that wouldn't be too obvious to anyone walking by. The viscous black residue that was left behind burned up in the sun, sizzling and dissipating into smoke in a dramatic fashion. Hyde was grateful for that; less work on her part. She had to make sure that the samples she took stayed out of direct sunlight. It was a consideration for the science team, since they would be ones that would come back to her with some hard facts about whatever the hell this thing was.
Now came the hard part.
The drive into town was short, and parking was plentiful this early in the morning. The townsfolk were starting to trickle out into the streets, shops opening and getting ready for the day. Produces stands were being set up, the general store sign was flipped to 'OPEN', and Hyde was coming up on the Hammer Hill Police Department. It was an old brick building, built when the town was first established in the 1800s by pioneers on their way west. It had character, but not much in the way of modern policing conveniences, seemingly still running on paper records and having exactly two holding cells for the entire town. Any serious offenses were taken care of by the county, so Hammer Hill PD found themselves with very little actual police work.
Their Chief of Police was also appropriately outdated. Chief Wilson was older, stuffed into his beige uniform with the badge on his chest proudly proclaiming his title. He wore a gun belt that was far too ornate for Hyde to take seriously, the brown leather showing a depiction of a bald eagle, wings spread in majestic flight. The weapon it held finished the old-school look that the town's law enforcement seemed to be aiming for, a blued steel Smith & Wesson revolver that rarely left its holster.
Chief Wilson offered Hyde the level of attention that she had come to expect from this town, which was a tired disinterest with an increasingly flippant attitude. He had made her wait for an inappropriately long time before agreeing to see her, and she was sure that it wasn't because he had any pressing professional matters to attend to. By the time Hyde was walking into his office she was already in a bad mood, and they hadn't even officially met one another yet.
"What agency did you say you were from, again?" he asked from behind his desk, not having bothered getting up to greet Agent Hyde.
"We answer to the Department of Defense," she said, holding her badge out for inspection in case he wanted to confirm it with his own eyes. "You can call our office in D.C. if you'd like, but they're just going to confirm what I'm telling you."
"And you need my officers for...?"
"A search operation." Hyde reached for her phone, to pull up a picture of Strahl for the Chief's edification. "It's urgent, life-or-death. We're looking for-"
"Why wasn't I informed that you were conducting an investigation in my town?" he interrupted.
"We alerted your department of our arrival and, until very recently, that was all the informing that you and your officers needed." she replied in a restrained voice. "Before we proceed, Chief Wilson, I want to make something clear. I'm asking for your cooperation, but I don't need it. I'm not playing this 'jurisdiction' game, I'm not going to kowtow to you because this is 'your town', and I'm not going to let you interrupt me again." Hyde checked her watch. "Two of my colleagues will be here in less than three hours. That's how long you have to get your officers ready. I want them here and I want them ready to work. If you or any of your officers show me or my colleagues even a hint of insubordination, I'll have them detained for obstruction of justice."
Chief Wilson had a hard set to his jaw. Agent Hyde knew it must have been eating him up, and part of her wanted him to go off on her. Explode, throw a tantrum, scream until his face turned red. She'd humiliate him in front of his entire department if she had to. She wasn't going to put up with his ego for a second.
Not while Strahl's life was on the line.
Now came the hard part.
The drive into town was short, and parking was plentiful this early in the morning. The townsfolk were starting to trickle out into the streets, shops opening and getting ready for the day. Produces stands were being set up, the general store sign was flipped to 'OPEN', and Hyde was coming up on the Hammer Hill Police Department. It was an old brick building, built when the town was first established in the 1800s by pioneers on their way west. It had character, but not much in the way of modern policing conveniences, seemingly still running on paper records and having exactly two holding cells for the entire town. Any serious offenses were taken care of by the county, so Hammer Hill PD found themselves with very little actual police work.
Their Chief of Police was also appropriately outdated. Chief Wilson was older, stuffed into his beige uniform with the badge on his chest proudly proclaiming his title. He wore a gun belt that was far too ornate for Hyde to take seriously, the brown leather showing a depiction of a bald eagle, wings spread in majestic flight. The weapon it held finished the old-school look that the town's law enforcement seemed to be aiming for, a blued steel Smith & Wesson revolver that rarely left its holster.
Chief Wilson offered Hyde the level of attention that she had come to expect from this town, which was a tired disinterest with an increasingly flippant attitude. He had made her wait for an inappropriately long time before agreeing to see her, and she was sure that it wasn't because he had any pressing professional matters to attend to. By the time Hyde was walking into his office she was already in a bad mood, and they hadn't even officially met one another yet.
"What agency did you say you were from, again?" he asked from behind his desk, not having bothered getting up to greet Agent Hyde.
"We answer to the Department of Defense," she said, holding her badge out for inspection in case he wanted to confirm it with his own eyes. "You can call our office in D.C. if you'd like, but they're just going to confirm what I'm telling you."
"And you need my officers for...?"
"A search operation." Hyde reached for her phone, to pull up a picture of Strahl for the Chief's edification. "It's urgent, life-or-death. We're looking for-"
"Why wasn't I informed that you were conducting an investigation in my town?" he interrupted.
"We alerted your department of our arrival and, until very recently, that was all the informing that you and your officers needed." she replied in a restrained voice. "Before we proceed, Chief Wilson, I want to make something clear. I'm asking for your cooperation, but I don't need it. I'm not playing this 'jurisdiction' game, I'm not going to kowtow to you because this is 'your town', and I'm not going to let you interrupt me again." Hyde checked her watch. "Two of my colleagues will be here in less than three hours. That's how long you have to get your officers ready. I want them here and I want them ready to work. If you or any of your officers show me or my colleagues even a hint of insubordination, I'll have them detained for obstruction of justice."
Chief Wilson had a hard set to his jaw. Agent Hyde knew it must have been eating him up, and part of her wanted him to go off on her. Explode, throw a tantrum, scream until his face turned red. She'd humiliate him in front of his entire department if she had to. She wasn't going to put up with his ego for a second.
Not while Strahl's life was on the line.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 6
"Excuse me, hold up, I'm going to need to see your identification." The officer held his hand up as I approached, going so far as to place it on my chest to stop me when I ignored his order and continued walking.
"See my ident- You fucking know who I am, Jeremy. We've been on the station together for two years, and in that time I promise that my credentials haven't changed. Now can you let me through? I need to talk to R&D." He still had his hand on my chest, which irked me. I would've done something about it if he wasn't armed and much larger than myself and also had the authority to lock me up.
"You know what the procedure is, Vee." Jeremy pushed me back with a gentle shove, just enough to get some space between us. Bully. "I need to scan your ID to see if you have the proper clearance to proceed which, by the way, I know you don't."
"Oh, you know that I don't?" I crossed my arms, not willing to walk away from this just yet. "Me? The head of an entire department? I can't walk freely around the station to do my job?"
"Look, there's a very short list of people I'm allowed to let through this checkpoint." Jeremy sighed and nodded at the little podium and scanner that Security had set up at the entrance to the R&D pod. "Even if I wanted to wave you through, the Captain will definitely find out, and I'll definitely get reprimanded. Probably fired. So..."
"God, I can't believe this. You know, they give you all just a taste of authority and you take this 'playing cop' thing way too seriously." I had begun pacing back and forth in the hallway. "The station's safety could be compromised because of what they're doing in there! This is more than 'following orders' or 'job security', Jeremy. We're talking about lives."
That at least got Jeremy to pause and consider, or at least I think it did. He looked back at the checkpoint, then to me, and opened his mouth as if to say something. He didn't get much out. There was a vibration through the paneled floor, strong enough for me to feel and strong enough to cause some rattling and groaning in the bulkhead. The lighting fixtures in the hallway flickered, and for a moment the red emergency lighting kicked on before everything went back to normal. Jeremy looked mortified, and I'm sure that I did as well.
"Jeremy..." I started, taking a slow step towards the checkpoint. "The station can't handle this kind of stress. Whatever they're doing in there needs to stop, because the next time something like that happens we could have a serious problem on our hands."
"You... Vee, you don't want to go in there." He sounded genuinely scared. What the hell could be going on behind those doors that would scare an intimidating security officer?
"I have to go in there. No one from HabEn has been in there for weeks. We've had to run remote diagnostics on this entire pod because of it, and we haven't been able to run routine maintenance, let alone check to see if the systems in there can handle the amount of power they're drawing." I didn't actually have to check the systems. I knew that they couldn't handle the amount of power they were drawing.
"No, seriously Vee, they..." Jeremy's voice got low, like he was worried that someone might overhear us. "They've been doing some weird stuff in there. Those new scientists from Earth, they aren't with our company. I think they might be from the Federation and..."
"Feds don't have jurisdiction out here," I said plainly, as if that would help explain the situation.
"...but some of the noises we've been hearing through the doors they..." He seemed at a loss for words, grasping for the right descriptors. "The doctors in the infirmary say that we're just stressed because we've been pulling extra shifts, Vee, but-"
The vibrations came back, a steady metallic thup-thup-thup-thup that was resonating louder and louder. It ended quickly, but I wasn't about to wait around for the next one.
"Jeremy. Let me in. Now."
He nodded once, then a few more times, as if convincing himself that it was the right thing to do. Jeremy left the checkpoint, walking up to the large metallic door that read "RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT" in large block letters. I followed close behind, my heart in my throat. I hadn't really worked out what I was going to say once I got in there, but I would figure it out along the way. If they wouldn't listen to me, well... I'd make them listen. Jeremy held his badge up to the scanner, and it gave a little chime, blinked green, and the locks on the door clicked. I exhaled; I didn't even realize that I had been holding my breath. The door opened, sliding into the bulkhead.
Here I go.
"See my ident- You fucking know who I am, Jeremy. We've been on the station together for two years, and in that time I promise that my credentials haven't changed. Now can you let me through? I need to talk to R&D." He still had his hand on my chest, which irked me. I would've done something about it if he wasn't armed and much larger than myself and also had the authority to lock me up.
"You know what the procedure is, Vee." Jeremy pushed me back with a gentle shove, just enough to get some space between us. Bully. "I need to scan your ID to see if you have the proper clearance to proceed which, by the way, I know you don't."
"Oh, you know that I don't?" I crossed my arms, not willing to walk away from this just yet. "Me? The head of an entire department? I can't walk freely around the station to do my job?"
"Look, there's a very short list of people I'm allowed to let through this checkpoint." Jeremy sighed and nodded at the little podium and scanner that Security had set up at the entrance to the R&D pod. "Even if I wanted to wave you through, the Captain will definitely find out, and I'll definitely get reprimanded. Probably fired. So..."
"God, I can't believe this. You know, they give you all just a taste of authority and you take this 'playing cop' thing way too seriously." I had begun pacing back and forth in the hallway. "The station's safety could be compromised because of what they're doing in there! This is more than 'following orders' or 'job security', Jeremy. We're talking about lives."
That at least got Jeremy to pause and consider, or at least I think it did. He looked back at the checkpoint, then to me, and opened his mouth as if to say something. He didn't get much out. There was a vibration through the paneled floor, strong enough for me to feel and strong enough to cause some rattling and groaning in the bulkhead. The lighting fixtures in the hallway flickered, and for a moment the red emergency lighting kicked on before everything went back to normal. Jeremy looked mortified, and I'm sure that I did as well.
"Jeremy..." I started, taking a slow step towards the checkpoint. "The station can't handle this kind of stress. Whatever they're doing in there needs to stop, because the next time something like that happens we could have a serious problem on our hands."
"You... Vee, you don't want to go in there." He sounded genuinely scared. What the hell could be going on behind those doors that would scare an intimidating security officer?
"I have to go in there. No one from HabEn has been in there for weeks. We've had to run remote diagnostics on this entire pod because of it, and we haven't been able to run routine maintenance, let alone check to see if the systems in there can handle the amount of power they're drawing." I didn't actually have to check the systems. I knew that they couldn't handle the amount of power they were drawing.
"No, seriously Vee, they..." Jeremy's voice got low, like he was worried that someone might overhear us. "They've been doing some weird stuff in there. Those new scientists from Earth, they aren't with our company. I think they might be from the Federation and..."
"Feds don't have jurisdiction out here," I said plainly, as if that would help explain the situation.
"...but some of the noises we've been hearing through the doors they..." He seemed at a loss for words, grasping for the right descriptors. "The doctors in the infirmary say that we're just stressed because we've been pulling extra shifts, Vee, but-"
The vibrations came back, a steady metallic thup-thup-thup-thup that was resonating louder and louder. It ended quickly, but I wasn't about to wait around for the next one.
"Jeremy. Let me in. Now."
He nodded once, then a few more times, as if convincing himself that it was the right thing to do. Jeremy left the checkpoint, walking up to the large metallic door that read "RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT" in large block letters. I followed close behind, my heart in my throat. I hadn't really worked out what I was going to say once I got in there, but I would figure it out along the way. If they wouldn't listen to me, well... I'd make them listen. Jeremy held his badge up to the scanner, and it gave a little chime, blinked green, and the locks on the door clicked. I exhaled; I didn't even realize that I had been holding my breath. The door opened, sliding into the bulkhead.
Here I go.
Saturday, February 2, 2019
In A Small North American Town, Part 2
Agent Hyde and Agent Strahl had met a year ago, during a training seminar in Little Rock. Things between them had started off on the wrong foot, and the two didn't mesh well for a number of reasons. Hyde had always considered herself a professional; being in this line of work for the better part of a decade meant that she was committed both to her job and to their agency's core values. Strahl was young, and had been recruited from Homeland Security after barely serving with their Intelligence office for more than six months. He was enthusiastic but generally inexperienced, and it showed. He was fast-tracked to be a field agent because of an excellent "on-the-spot interview". Hyde had managed to get her hands on the report filed regarding the incident, and if it went down like the supervising agent had said then, yeah, maybe Strahl had a place in the field after another year or so of training and logistical work. Instead, she found herself partnered up with him which, sure, made sense. Pair him up with a veteran agent to help him keep his head above water, show him the ropes, and make sure he stayed alive. Hyde didn't think that the last part would be so difficult.
It was time for one of her least favorite parts of the job, besides having her partner get snatched up by a winged night-creature. She had to make the dreaded phone call to her handler, to give him the bad news. She hadn't moved from his last location, this was too urgent. There was no telling where that thing had flown off to, and there wasn't much she could do when she was down a partner. Calling it in was the best bet for his survival.
"This is Control speaking," said the cool, calm voice on the other end of her cellphone.
"This is Agent Hyde, identification 26-077-153. I have an agent missing outside the town of Hammer Hill. Agent Thomas Strahl." Her voice was shaky due to the adrenaline and the cold. She still had her pistol clutched in her other hand.
There was a pause before the response came.
"We have you, Agent Hyde. Confirm your last; Agent Strahl is missing?"
"Correct. We made contact with the, uh... our target on a farm near Hammer Hill. Humanoid body, wingspan of about... twelve feet? I didn't manage to get an accurate measurement. It was airborne, spotted Strahl on the ground, and made a move for him. I lost sight of both them for a moment, heard Strahl open fire, and couldn't reacquire the target. I found Strahl's weapon, some of the target's blood, but no sign of either of them."
Another pause, longer this time. Hyde was shifting back and forth to try and keep warm.
"We're shifting priority for this case, Agent Hyde. This is now search and rescue. You're on a tight timetable if what information we have about the target is true. We've dispatched backup, they should be in your area in approximately four hours. Until then, continue searching for the target. Tap local law enforcement if you have to, but don't share any details. Confirm?"
"Confirmed." Hyde hated worked with the locals, but this was an emergency. She supposed she could stand talking to the local PD if it meant saving Strahl.
"Be careful out there, Hyde. Good luck."
The call ended, her phone beeping shortly after with a text alert regarding her backup. Agents Hurowitz and Stuart were on their way. They were probably the two closest that weren't currently tied up with a case. Hyde was grateful for the help; she didn't trust the locals to be of much use.
It was time for one of her least favorite parts of the job, besides having her partner get snatched up by a winged night-creature. She had to make the dreaded phone call to her handler, to give him the bad news. She hadn't moved from his last location, this was too urgent. There was no telling where that thing had flown off to, and there wasn't much she could do when she was down a partner. Calling it in was the best bet for his survival.
"This is Control speaking," said the cool, calm voice on the other end of her cellphone.
"This is Agent Hyde, identification 26-077-153. I have an agent missing outside the town of Hammer Hill. Agent Thomas Strahl." Her voice was shaky due to the adrenaline and the cold. She still had her pistol clutched in her other hand.
There was a pause before the response came.
"We have you, Agent Hyde. Confirm your last; Agent Strahl is missing?"
"Correct. We made contact with the, uh... our target on a farm near Hammer Hill. Humanoid body, wingspan of about... twelve feet? I didn't manage to get an accurate measurement. It was airborne, spotted Strahl on the ground, and made a move for him. I lost sight of both them for a moment, heard Strahl open fire, and couldn't reacquire the target. I found Strahl's weapon, some of the target's blood, but no sign of either of them."
Another pause, longer this time. Hyde was shifting back and forth to try and keep warm.
"We're shifting priority for this case, Agent Hyde. This is now search and rescue. You're on a tight timetable if what information we have about the target is true. We've dispatched backup, they should be in your area in approximately four hours. Until then, continue searching for the target. Tap local law enforcement if you have to, but don't share any details. Confirm?"
"Confirmed." Hyde hated worked with the locals, but this was an emergency. She supposed she could stand talking to the local PD if it meant saving Strahl.
"Be careful out there, Hyde. Good luck."
The call ended, her phone beeping shortly after with a text alert regarding her backup. Agents Hurowitz and Stuart were on their way. They were probably the two closest that weren't currently tied up with a case. Hyde was grateful for the help; she didn't trust the locals to be of much use.
Friday, February 1, 2019
In A Small North American Town, Part 1
Agent Hyde stared into her cup of coffee, watching the steam rise from the dark liquid, feeling the heat on her hands through the styrofoam. Her job had her awake at all different hours. It was so hard to maintain a consistent schedule that she mostly relied on caffeine to stay functioning when she was on-duty. Traveling didn't help. Sometimes she forgot what it was like not being jet-lagged and running on a few hours of sleep. Still, she managed. She had to, right? It wasn't like anyone else was going to do her job for her. It was thankless but important work, and it had to be. Agent Hyde wouldn't put up with these conditions if it wasn't.
The one upside to her job was that she got to see all sorts of interesting places. At least that's what she told herself in an effort to keep from getting too jaded. The town of Hammer Hill was a familiar sight, not that she had ever visited it before. But Agent Hyde had been to enough towns similar to it that it felt familiar enough. The population was in the four-digit range, she was pretty sure that were more livestock than people, and what few people there were certainly didn't trust her being there. It wasn't like she put too much effort into blending in. Jeans and flannel weren't really her style, and she knew that she stuck out in her grey business attire. The locals reacted even worse when she showed them the badge. They probably thought she was with some kind of shadowy government agency and had a license to kill, that if they saw something that they shouldn't she would swoop in and make them disappear.
Instead, she was standing in the middle of a field, watching the sun just begin to creep over the horizon with not a soul in sight. Well, there were cows. Maybe they counted.
"See anything, Hyde?"
The voice was coming from her earpiece, a subtle wire that ran behind her ear. Her hair was too short to obscure it entirely, but it wasn't obvious to anyone unless they were looking for it.
"Nothing yet. Just cattle. How is it on your end? Over." She took a sip from her coffee. Hopefully things would start warming up soon.
"All quiet. The window is closing, if we don't see anything soon then we should pack it up and try again tonight."
Hyde sighed. This was starting to turn into a wild goose chase. What had started out as a solid lead with some very compelling evidence was quickly revealing itself to be, well, this. Standing in the cold, waiting for something interesting to happen. There was a lot of that in this job. Sunlight was beginning to glint off of the morning frost. Tonight was a bust, but there was always-
"Hyde! Eyes up, I've got movement. In the air, your ten o'clock."
Her eyes snapped up, scanning the morning sky. There it was, she spotted it gliding away from their position.
"I see it. Pretty big wingspan, humanoid body."
"Think it made us?"
"It's not going for the cows, but it might have found a meal somewhere else. I'm moving to follow. Keep with it, Strahl."
Agent Hyde dropped her coffee, the cup emptying all over the grass. She moved towards the herd of cows, which seemed nonplussed by her presence, using them as cover. This was supposed to be a surveillance gig, and nothing ruined a good surveillance gig like getting spotted. She could see it, light shining through its membranous wings, veins spider-webbing across them, its skin a mottled grey. It flapped its bat-like appendages, hovering in place.
"I think it saw me." Strahl sounded scared. His voice wavered like he was out of breath. "I think... I think it knows I'm following it."
"Are you sure? Strahl, just stay low and-"
It opened its mouth, far wider than Hyde would have expected. A piercing screech filled the air, sharp and painful to her ears, enough to make her wince and to make the cows stir and shuffle. It brought its wings close to its grotesque body and swooped low. Hyde tried to move through the panicking cattle, her pistol already out of its holster and in her hand. She heard a burst of gunshots, a rapid 'pop pop pop pop!' of frantic fire. By the time she cleared the cows it was gone. Hyde was breathing hard, cold air filling her lungs. No sign of it. No sign of Strahl.
"Strahl! Are you okay?" No response came from her earpiece. She sprinted in the direction she saw it last. "Strahl! Strahl, come on, if you're there, say something!"
Agent Hyde stood at the edge of field, near a messy tear in the barbed wire fence. She could see that the frost was disturbed, that bits of fur and cloth were snagged on the fence, thick black blood splattered about the ground. Empty casings were nearby, and her partner's pistol lay discarded in the grass. But no Strahl.
The one upside to her job was that she got to see all sorts of interesting places. At least that's what she told herself in an effort to keep from getting too jaded. The town of Hammer Hill was a familiar sight, not that she had ever visited it before. But Agent Hyde had been to enough towns similar to it that it felt familiar enough. The population was in the four-digit range, she was pretty sure that were more livestock than people, and what few people there were certainly didn't trust her being there. It wasn't like she put too much effort into blending in. Jeans and flannel weren't really her style, and she knew that she stuck out in her grey business attire. The locals reacted even worse when she showed them the badge. They probably thought she was with some kind of shadowy government agency and had a license to kill, that if they saw something that they shouldn't she would swoop in and make them disappear.
Instead, she was standing in the middle of a field, watching the sun just begin to creep over the horizon with not a soul in sight. Well, there were cows. Maybe they counted.
"See anything, Hyde?"
The voice was coming from her earpiece, a subtle wire that ran behind her ear. Her hair was too short to obscure it entirely, but it wasn't obvious to anyone unless they were looking for it.
"Nothing yet. Just cattle. How is it on your end? Over." She took a sip from her coffee. Hopefully things would start warming up soon.
"All quiet. The window is closing, if we don't see anything soon then we should pack it up and try again tonight."
Hyde sighed. This was starting to turn into a wild goose chase. What had started out as a solid lead with some very compelling evidence was quickly revealing itself to be, well, this. Standing in the cold, waiting for something interesting to happen. There was a lot of that in this job. Sunlight was beginning to glint off of the morning frost. Tonight was a bust, but there was always-
"Hyde! Eyes up, I've got movement. In the air, your ten o'clock."
Her eyes snapped up, scanning the morning sky. There it was, she spotted it gliding away from their position.
"I see it. Pretty big wingspan, humanoid body."
"Think it made us?"
"It's not going for the cows, but it might have found a meal somewhere else. I'm moving to follow. Keep with it, Strahl."
Agent Hyde dropped her coffee, the cup emptying all over the grass. She moved towards the herd of cows, which seemed nonplussed by her presence, using them as cover. This was supposed to be a surveillance gig, and nothing ruined a good surveillance gig like getting spotted. She could see it, light shining through its membranous wings, veins spider-webbing across them, its skin a mottled grey. It flapped its bat-like appendages, hovering in place.
"I think it saw me." Strahl sounded scared. His voice wavered like he was out of breath. "I think... I think it knows I'm following it."
"Are you sure? Strahl, just stay low and-"
It opened its mouth, far wider than Hyde would have expected. A piercing screech filled the air, sharp and painful to her ears, enough to make her wince and to make the cows stir and shuffle. It brought its wings close to its grotesque body and swooped low. Hyde tried to move through the panicking cattle, her pistol already out of its holster and in her hand. She heard a burst of gunshots, a rapid 'pop pop pop pop!' of frantic fire. By the time she cleared the cows it was gone. Hyde was breathing hard, cold air filling her lungs. No sign of it. No sign of Strahl.
"Strahl! Are you okay?" No response came from her earpiece. She sprinted in the direction she saw it last. "Strahl! Strahl, come on, if you're there, say something!"
Agent Hyde stood at the edge of field, near a messy tear in the barbed wire fence. She could see that the frost was disturbed, that bits of fur and cloth were snagged on the fence, thick black blood splattered about the ground. Empty casings were nearby, and her partner's pistol lay discarded in the grass. But no Strahl.
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 5
Visitors to Hamilton weren't uncommon, but people still tended to get excited when word of a docking shuttle made the rounds. More often than not it was just a crew making a pit stop, looking to stretch their legs before they continued on to one of the stations above Venus or Mercury, or refueling before they continued the flight home to Earth or Mars. None of them stayed for longer than a few days. It wasn't like there was a lot to do aboard Hamilton, but at least we had a few recreational facilities that made their stay a little less dull. The cantina was a pretty standard bar and lounge. They had a decent selection, places to sit, music, and some synced lights so your senses could remain engaged as you pounded back drinks. We even managed to get a live band once, some classic rock cover group that were in the middle of some kind of station-tour. I can never remember their name, but it was a welcome distraction.
HabEn had gotten the alert about a shuttle coming in from Earth the day before it was scheduled to dock. It was more of a formality than anything else. A handful of people wasn't enough to put any kind of strain on our systems. It would take a full HabPod worth of additional bodies before we would have to start making adjustments. Still, news of a shuttle making a direct flight from Earth to Hamilton got me curious. I knew that this had to do with the stone. Everything had to do with it recently. It got brought up in our morning reports, I overheard people talking about it in the halls, the entire HabEn department was complaining about it daily, and Gus had told me that it had become a real point of contention for Security. They had started cutting down the length of guard shifts around R&D because the officers were getting antsy. Restless.
Speaking of R&D, I hadn't seen any of the scientists from their department ever since they had brought the stone in. From what I had heard they were pulling all-nighters to try and glean any bit of information they could from it, but part of me wondered how much of that was scientific curiosity and how much of it was being mandated by Administration. Cynthia hadn't spoken to me much since our exchange regarding the station's power levels. Even worse, she had canceled the upcoming Safety Council meeting where I had hoped to air my concerns a bit more publicly. After checking the shuttle schedule, it became obvious why. It was supposed to dock on the same day as the meeting. It had to be carrying someone important, right? Maybe it was bringing a team to move the rock somewhere with a more extensive research facility. Maybe not. At this point in my career I had gotten pretty good at identifying wishful thinking.
I took the tablet and braced myself for the worst. More bad news that I could nothing about, no doubt. The charts he had displayed were concerning, routine power spikes from R&D that were increasing in magnitude. They were almost consuming as much power as three other departments combined, and if the trend continued they would be trying to draw more power than the station had on-hand. Even with the solar banks and the emergency fuel cells going, Hamilton would be a floating brick if this went on much longer.
"Christ, how are we supposed to manage this?" I muttered, swiping through reports. "So the spikes started picking up in intensity-"
"After the shuttle dropped off those new researchers, yes." Bhatia sounded breathless. I was very familiar with the amount of stress he was under. "They brought cases of new equipment, Vee, high-end stuff that we just can't compensate for. We have to-"
"I'll talk to them," I said, handing the tablet back. "Not to Cynthia, and to not anyone in Admin. I'll go to R&D and talk to them directly. Maybe a little face-to-face with the people they're throwing under the bus can convince them to dial it back to 'dangerous' levels and not 'station-ruining' like they seem so fucking keen on reaching."
"They won't let you in, Vee," Bhatia said with a tinge of concern in his voice. "Security isn't allowing anyone not directly participating-"
"I know! I know. Look I'll..." I trailed off, unsure of what my plan actually was. "I'll be convincing. Maybe I'll get loud."
Maybe they'll throw me in the brig.
HabEn had gotten the alert about a shuttle coming in from Earth the day before it was scheduled to dock. It was more of a formality than anything else. A handful of people wasn't enough to put any kind of strain on our systems. It would take a full HabPod worth of additional bodies before we would have to start making adjustments. Still, news of a shuttle making a direct flight from Earth to Hamilton got me curious. I knew that this had to do with the stone. Everything had to do with it recently. It got brought up in our morning reports, I overheard people talking about it in the halls, the entire HabEn department was complaining about it daily, and Gus had told me that it had become a real point of contention for Security. They had started cutting down the length of guard shifts around R&D because the officers were getting antsy. Restless.
Speaking of R&D, I hadn't seen any of the scientists from their department ever since they had brought the stone in. From what I had heard they were pulling all-nighters to try and glean any bit of information they could from it, but part of me wondered how much of that was scientific curiosity and how much of it was being mandated by Administration. Cynthia hadn't spoken to me much since our exchange regarding the station's power levels. Even worse, she had canceled the upcoming Safety Council meeting where I had hoped to air my concerns a bit more publicly. After checking the shuttle schedule, it became obvious why. It was supposed to dock on the same day as the meeting. It had to be carrying someone important, right? Maybe it was bringing a team to move the rock somewhere with a more extensive research facility. Maybe not. At this point in my career I had gotten pretty good at identifying wishful thinking.
I took the tablet and braced myself for the worst. More bad news that I could nothing about, no doubt. The charts he had displayed were concerning, routine power spikes from R&D that were increasing in magnitude. They were almost consuming as much power as three other departments combined, and if the trend continued they would be trying to draw more power than the station had on-hand. Even with the solar banks and the emergency fuel cells going, Hamilton would be a floating brick if this went on much longer.
"Christ, how are we supposed to manage this?" I muttered, swiping through reports. "So the spikes started picking up in intensity-"
"After the shuttle dropped off those new researchers, yes." Bhatia sounded breathless. I was very familiar with the amount of stress he was under. "They brought cases of new equipment, Vee, high-end stuff that we just can't compensate for. We have to-"
"I'll talk to them," I said, handing the tablet back. "Not to Cynthia, and to not anyone in Admin. I'll go to R&D and talk to them directly. Maybe a little face-to-face with the people they're throwing under the bus can convince them to dial it back to 'dangerous' levels and not 'station-ruining' like they seem so fucking keen on reaching."
"They won't let you in, Vee," Bhatia said with a tinge of concern in his voice. "Security isn't allowing anyone not directly participating-"
"I know! I know. Look I'll..." I trailed off, unsure of what my plan actually was. "I'll be convincing. Maybe I'll get loud."
Maybe they'll throw me in the brig.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 4
"Request denied, Vee."
I had shown Cynthia the projections that Bhatia had drawn up for me, that R&D would either have to cut their power consumption or we would be forced to make concessions in other departments. Sure, some systems could take a hit, but it wouldn't be sustainable for any extended period of time. I was sure that she would compromise with me, yet here I was getting slapped with a rejection.
"No one even informed my staff before doing this. This is completely out of line, we could've-"
"Request. Denied." Cynthia wasn't messing around. She gave me a look that could stop a train. "You don't get to say what's out of line, Vee. I was contacted by bosses that I didn't even know I had. We're under an incredible amount of scrutiny and sitting on top of what could be the biggest xenoscience discovery in the past twenty years. So not only am I ordering you as your superior, I'm also asking you as a colleague: Make it work."
That floored me. She never spoke that candidly before, at least not to me. I couldn't imagine the pressure she must have been under, but I didn't want to have to go back to my staff and tell them that I hadn't managed to solve a single one of their problems. I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there with my mouth open like a dolt, searching for the right combination of words.
"We... can make it work." I felt the knot in my stomach tighten. "For now, Cynthia. But within a week we're going to have people asking why the lights are flickering, or why their showers are cold, or why their water tastes funny."
"I just need you to do your job. If I want any more input from HabEn, I'll ask for it. You're dismissed."
She didn't have to tell me twice, I was already turning towards the lift by the time she finished her sentence. I had my concerns heard, and had already filed an official complaint with the station's Safety Council. It didn't help that Cynthia was the head of that council, but at least this way my ass would be covered if anything catastrophic happened.
I had shown Cynthia the projections that Bhatia had drawn up for me, that R&D would either have to cut their power consumption or we would be forced to make concessions in other departments. Sure, some systems could take a hit, but it wouldn't be sustainable for any extended period of time. I was sure that she would compromise with me, yet here I was getting slapped with a rejection.
"No one even informed my staff before doing this. This is completely out of line, we could've-"
"Request. Denied." Cynthia wasn't messing around. She gave me a look that could stop a train. "You don't get to say what's out of line, Vee. I was contacted by bosses that I didn't even know I had. We're under an incredible amount of scrutiny and sitting on top of what could be the biggest xenoscience discovery in the past twenty years. So not only am I ordering you as your superior, I'm also asking you as a colleague: Make it work."
That floored me. She never spoke that candidly before, at least not to me. I couldn't imagine the pressure she must have been under, but I didn't want to have to go back to my staff and tell them that I hadn't managed to solve a single one of their problems. I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there with my mouth open like a dolt, searching for the right combination of words.
"We... can make it work." I felt the knot in my stomach tighten. "For now, Cynthia. But within a week we're going to have people asking why the lights are flickering, or why their showers are cold, or why their water tastes funny."
"I just need you to do your job. If I want any more input from HabEn, I'll ask for it. You're dismissed."
She didn't have to tell me twice, I was already turning towards the lift by the time she finished her sentence. I had my concerns heard, and had already filed an official complaint with the station's Safety Council. It didn't help that Cynthia was the head of that council, but at least this way my ass would be covered if anything catastrophic happened.
"Well why can't they just, I dunno, move it somewhere else?" Gus was always full of insightful ideas when he had a drink in his hand.
I needed a drink after my meeting with Cynthia, and was happy to find Gus already at the cantina throwing back whiskey like he had somewhere to be. I needed to vent, and the HabEn staff had heard enough of it from me.
"Beats me. God knows there are better facilities for studying something like this. But from what she was saying, I think some people way above her pay grade are calling the shots here." I sighed and gave the heaviest shrug of my life.
"Beats me. God knows there are better facilities for studying something like this. But from what she was saying, I think some people way above her pay grade are calling the shots here." I sighed and gave the heaviest shrug of my life.
"Yeah, but you can't trust anyone from Admin to give you, like, a one-hundred-percent straight no-bullshit answer on anything. Talking around the point is part of their job requirement, y'know?"
"Cyn is usually alright. Just, uh, keep an eye out for any power outages on your patrols, will you?"
"Pff, sure." Gus half-chuckled and took a big gulp from his glass. "I'm just glad they pulled me off of guard duty. Some of the other officers stuck watching that rock were getting on my nerves."
"What, is it boring watching a piece of space debris all day?" I asked with my normal charming sarcastic touch.
"Nah, it's not that. They were just..." Gus trailed off, making a little circular motion with his glass. "So this one guy, Larkin, right? I've talked to him plenty of times, he's been with Security for, what, like four years? Career, used to working on a station, really easy to get along with. I go to relieve him at the end of his shift and I swear, I had to practically scream his name to get his attention. He was standin' as far away from me as you are right now. Then after he snaps out of it he gets all pissy, tells me that I shouldn't catch him off guard like that, like suddenly he's real irritable. As if he didn't hear me open the door, walk up to him, and call him name three fuckin' times before he looked at me."
"That's pretty weird." Fatigue? Long stints on a station can lead to a number of psychological side-effects for someone who isn't acclimated to it. But that wouldn't make sense if he was a career officer. "What was he doing when you walked in?"
"I dunno, just staring at that stupid rock." Gus finished his drink and sighed. "Not like the thing is going anywhere, right?"
"Cyn is usually alright. Just, uh, keep an eye out for any power outages on your patrols, will you?"
"Pff, sure." Gus half-chuckled and took a big gulp from his glass. "I'm just glad they pulled me off of guard duty. Some of the other officers stuck watching that rock were getting on my nerves."
"What, is it boring watching a piece of space debris all day?" I asked with my normal charming sarcastic touch.
"Nah, it's not that. They were just..." Gus trailed off, making a little circular motion with his glass. "So this one guy, Larkin, right? I've talked to him plenty of times, he's been with Security for, what, like four years? Career, used to working on a station, really easy to get along with. I go to relieve him at the end of his shift and I swear, I had to practically scream his name to get his attention. He was standin' as far away from me as you are right now. Then after he snaps out of it he gets all pissy, tells me that I shouldn't catch him off guard like that, like suddenly he's real irritable. As if he didn't hear me open the door, walk up to him, and call him name three fuckin' times before he looked at me."
"That's pretty weird." Fatigue? Long stints on a station can lead to a number of psychological side-effects for someone who isn't acclimated to it. But that wouldn't make sense if he was a career officer. "What was he doing when you walked in?"
"I dunno, just staring at that stupid rock." Gus finished his drink and sighed. "Not like the thing is going anywhere, right?"
Friday, August 24, 2018
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 3
Habitat Engineering's responsibilities encompassed the bulk of the high-priority maintenance duties aboard the Hamilton. While we did have a Maintenance department, they handled custodial duties and non-critical electrical and plumbing systems. If you spotted someone working on an exposed bulkhead, it was probably Maintenance. If you spotted someone head-first in the fire-suppression system, keeping the panel propped open with a wedged-in screwdriver, then it was probably someone from HabEn. There was a lot of crossover between our departments. A lot of HabEn's personnel had worked in Maintenance at some point in their career, and vice-versa. It was for the best that we got along, since we tended to work with each other more than any other two departments, except for maybe Security and Administration.
When we weren't putting out fires both literal and figurative, HabEn personnel tended to be fairly easy to get along with. As long as you were good at your job and didn't mind a little bit of gallows humor, you could fit right in. I didn't have any experience working on stations when I got the job on Hamilton. I had started in the Martian shipyards, back when engineers were in high demand because of the fighting around Ganymede and Europa. We had a lot of people coming from the colonies to find work, and it was the first time I had been around anyone that wasn't from my rock. By the time I transferred to the Hamilton I knew my way around an Olympus-class battleship like it was the back of my hand. Work around a station had a completely different dynamic, almost entirely due to the enclosed atmosphere. Since you were also living with the people you worked with, you either built camaraderie with your co-workers or you seriously floundered. I've met a few outcasts and loners on the Hamilton, and they were some of the saddest sacks in the solar system. This wasn't a position where you could afford to be antisocial.
As the ranking HabEn staff member I had a handful of additional responsibilities stacked atop my normal duties. Half of my time was spent supervising the other engineers and sending reports up to Admin, and the other half was spent making sure that the station didn't explode in a spectacular fashion. I'm exaggerating a little, but not by much. The incident with the space rock was atypical; my job normally doesn't get as interesting as that. I was back to making my rounds in no time.
"Bhatia, is this duty report accurate?" I looked up from my tablet and, judging by Bhatia's amused reaction, I probably looked more than a little surprised.
"Have I ever submitted an inaccurate report?" he replied. Smart ass.
"How the hell is R&D pulling this much power? The solar banks won't-"
"I know, it's ridiculous. They've tripled their consumption in the past week. Tripled, Vee." He looked as annoyed as I felt. "When I went down there to ask about it I was turned away by the officer at the door. They said that access to the labs is restricted, and that Admin said that HabEn is only allowed in if we're specifically requested or if there's an emergency."
"That's unacceptable. They're directly interfering with our job and with station safety. If we're not allowed to go in to service the labs..." I trailed off once I realized that I was ranting. Bhatia knew exactly why this was a big deal, he was an engineer. "Just keep things from blowing for the time being. This kind of output isn't sustainable, and I'm going to make sure that both Admin and R&D understand that."
"Good luck, Vee. We're not the only department they've been stonewalling. Priorities have shifted to that stupid rock, and I don't think they're changing any time soon."
"Cynthia will listen to me." I hoped. I wasn't exactly in a position to be making demands of her. "She's a stickler for protocol. I'm sure if I start citing regulations to her she'll buckle."
"I'm surprised she's made as many concessions as she already has. You think she'd be the first to bring violations up."
"Yeah, unless someone higher up is telling her to ignore them." I let out an exasperated sigh. This wasn't going to be a fun conversation. "I'll talk to her and at the very least figure out why their energy consumption is triple that of any other department."
"I appreciate it. You know us, Vee. We'll make things work until then."
"I know you will." I approved the report on my tablet, having had flagged it as 'urgent'. That way I knew that Admin would have to look at it. "I'm not going to endanger the station because of a souvenir we found."
When we weren't putting out fires both literal and figurative, HabEn personnel tended to be fairly easy to get along with. As long as you were good at your job and didn't mind a little bit of gallows humor, you could fit right in. I didn't have any experience working on stations when I got the job on Hamilton. I had started in the Martian shipyards, back when engineers were in high demand because of the fighting around Ganymede and Europa. We had a lot of people coming from the colonies to find work, and it was the first time I had been around anyone that wasn't from my rock. By the time I transferred to the Hamilton I knew my way around an Olympus-class battleship like it was the back of my hand. Work around a station had a completely different dynamic, almost entirely due to the enclosed atmosphere. Since you were also living with the people you worked with, you either built camaraderie with your co-workers or you seriously floundered. I've met a few outcasts and loners on the Hamilton, and they were some of the saddest sacks in the solar system. This wasn't a position where you could afford to be antisocial.
As the ranking HabEn staff member I had a handful of additional responsibilities stacked atop my normal duties. Half of my time was spent supervising the other engineers and sending reports up to Admin, and the other half was spent making sure that the station didn't explode in a spectacular fashion. I'm exaggerating a little, but not by much. The incident with the space rock was atypical; my job normally doesn't get as interesting as that. I was back to making my rounds in no time.
"Bhatia, is this duty report accurate?" I looked up from my tablet and, judging by Bhatia's amused reaction, I probably looked more than a little surprised.
"Have I ever submitted an inaccurate report?" he replied. Smart ass.
"How the hell is R&D pulling this much power? The solar banks won't-"
"I know, it's ridiculous. They've tripled their consumption in the past week. Tripled, Vee." He looked as annoyed as I felt. "When I went down there to ask about it I was turned away by the officer at the door. They said that access to the labs is restricted, and that Admin said that HabEn is only allowed in if we're specifically requested or if there's an emergency."
"That's unacceptable. They're directly interfering with our job and with station safety. If we're not allowed to go in to service the labs..." I trailed off once I realized that I was ranting. Bhatia knew exactly why this was a big deal, he was an engineer. "Just keep things from blowing for the time being. This kind of output isn't sustainable, and I'm going to make sure that both Admin and R&D understand that."
"Good luck, Vee. We're not the only department they've been stonewalling. Priorities have shifted to that stupid rock, and I don't think they're changing any time soon."
"Cynthia will listen to me." I hoped. I wasn't exactly in a position to be making demands of her. "She's a stickler for protocol. I'm sure if I start citing regulations to her she'll buckle."
"I'm surprised she's made as many concessions as she already has. You think she'd be the first to bring violations up."
"Yeah, unless someone higher up is telling her to ignore them." I let out an exasperated sigh. This wasn't going to be a fun conversation. "I'll talk to her and at the very least figure out why their energy consumption is triple that of any other department."
"I appreciate it. You know us, Vee. We'll make things work until then."
"I know you will." I approved the report on my tablet, having had flagged it as 'urgent'. That way I knew that Admin would have to look at it. "I'm not going to endanger the station because of a souvenir we found."
Monday, August 20, 2018
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 2
The cantina was starting to get busy, the shifts having just rotated. About a quarter of the station was clocking out at the same time, which meant a lot of people with some time to kill and some extra money burning a hole in their pockets. I knew that some of the crew sent portions of their paycheck back home to their families, and others saved up for when their contract was over and they decided that the spacer life wasn't for them. The career crew, though? They were the ones who partied the hardest. There were only a few places to spend money on the station, and if you didn't intend to drop cash in the commissary or the cantina that usually meant that you were looking forward to some kind of extended leave. I once saw someone blow through three months of pay after spending a week in the Jovians. Those casinos were downright predatory, but I was never one to lecture people on how they spent their cash.
I had considered a transfer to Titan once upon a time. The hydrocarbon mines are always hiring, and it would be nice to feel solid ground under my feet again. I had opted to stay on Hamilton because I didn't want to put any more distance between myself and Earth. Things were rocky back then, but we thought we could make it work.
"What'cha drinkin', Vee?"
Agustin had sat down across from me and I hadn't even noticed. Wow, maybe Cynthia was right about me being inattentive?
"Oh, uh..." I raised my glass so that he could see for himself. "Orange juice."
"Orange juice?"
"Yeah, they keep it on hand for like, screwdrivers and mimosas and-"
"No no no, I get why they have it." Gus pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Why are you drinkin' it?"
Normally I'd get nervous if a security officer was confronting me, but since it was Gus and it was over my choice of beverage, I felt no need to be especially polite.
"What, am I not allowed to drink juice like a grown man? Who are you, the Juice Police?"
"If I was, I'd put you away for a long time. I'd probably get a promotion." He reached for his own drink. "They'd make me Juice Detective."
"I fear for the safety of the public, Gus. It's bad enough that they let you carry a gun and a badge here."
He laughed and sipped from his glass. Gus was probably the least uptight security officer on the station, something that I'm sure has kept him from getting a promotion. Not that he seemed to care. From what I've learned about him during our time together it's that if Gus had another option, he would have taken it by now.
"Hey, at least Security has somethin' to do now, thanks to that weird space rock that Salvage brought in." Gus was drinking every time he took a pause. I guess he had big plans for tonight. "They're keepin' it locked up tight. The goin' bet right now is that it's Martian."
"It's not Martian," I said, maybe a little too quickly. Gus raised a brow.
"You get a good look at it?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I saw it. They had to clear it with HabEn before they could bring it into the station." I wasn't sure how much of this I should be sharing. Probably none of it. This sort of talk would just fuel wild speculation, and word travels fast on stations. "But, uh, it didn't look Martian, that's for sure. No angles, just... smooth. Not Venusian either. It's a xenoarchaeologist's dream, not that I would know much about that."
"Well whatever it is, they've got two officers watchin' the door to the labs, plus a couple of checkpoints set up at the pod entrances. Full containment procedures in place, and the captain has been overseeing every step of it. Probably the most work I've done in months. They're takin' it serious. This thing isn't gonna give us some space disease, is it?"
"We ran it through decon and it's not putting off anything that would make R&D concerned. It didn't set off any alarms, and even if the station's sensors sniffed something out it would let us know immediately. It's safe, Gus." I finished my orange juice. "I cleared it myself."
I had considered a transfer to Titan once upon a time. The hydrocarbon mines are always hiring, and it would be nice to feel solid ground under my feet again. I had opted to stay on Hamilton because I didn't want to put any more distance between myself and Earth. Things were rocky back then, but we thought we could make it work.
"What'cha drinkin', Vee?"
Agustin had sat down across from me and I hadn't even noticed. Wow, maybe Cynthia was right about me being inattentive?
"Oh, uh..." I raised my glass so that he could see for himself. "Orange juice."
"Orange juice?"
"Yeah, they keep it on hand for like, screwdrivers and mimosas and-"
"No no no, I get why they have it." Gus pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Why are you drinkin' it?"
Normally I'd get nervous if a security officer was confronting me, but since it was Gus and it was over my choice of beverage, I felt no need to be especially polite.
"What, am I not allowed to drink juice like a grown man? Who are you, the Juice Police?"
"If I was, I'd put you away for a long time. I'd probably get a promotion." He reached for his own drink. "They'd make me Juice Detective."
"I fear for the safety of the public, Gus. It's bad enough that they let you carry a gun and a badge here."
He laughed and sipped from his glass. Gus was probably the least uptight security officer on the station, something that I'm sure has kept him from getting a promotion. Not that he seemed to care. From what I've learned about him during our time together it's that if Gus had another option, he would have taken it by now.
"Hey, at least Security has somethin' to do now, thanks to that weird space rock that Salvage brought in." Gus was drinking every time he took a pause. I guess he had big plans for tonight. "They're keepin' it locked up tight. The goin' bet right now is that it's Martian."
"It's not Martian," I said, maybe a little too quickly. Gus raised a brow.
"You get a good look at it?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I saw it. They had to clear it with HabEn before they could bring it into the station." I wasn't sure how much of this I should be sharing. Probably none of it. This sort of talk would just fuel wild speculation, and word travels fast on stations. "But, uh, it didn't look Martian, that's for sure. No angles, just... smooth. Not Venusian either. It's a xenoarchaeologist's dream, not that I would know much about that."
"Well whatever it is, they've got two officers watchin' the door to the labs, plus a couple of checkpoints set up at the pod entrances. Full containment procedures in place, and the captain has been overseeing every step of it. Probably the most work I've done in months. They're takin' it serious. This thing isn't gonna give us some space disease, is it?"
"We ran it through decon and it's not putting off anything that would make R&D concerned. It didn't set off any alarms, and even if the station's sensors sniffed something out it would let us know immediately. It's safe, Gus." I finished my orange juice. "I cleared it myself."
Friday, August 17, 2018
Aboard Hamilton Station, Part 1
"Good afternoon Vernon. The time is 0700. Your shift begins in one hour."
I cracked a bleary eye to spot the blinking red alert-light on my bedside console. It was part of the automated wake-up call, something to make sure that I didn't sleep in after partying too hard the night before or... whatever. Bluh. This was actually the least intrusive setting, too. I know some other people in Habitat Engineering have their consoles blast music to get up-and-at-'em. That sounded like a good way to end up having to explain a broken console to Maintenance. I was never a morning person.
"You have one urgent message from Cynthia Ballesteros. Would you like to listen?"
Starting the day off with an emergency? Well, if it was an actual emergency they wouldn't have let me sleep until my alarm. Hell, Cynthia probably would've sent Security to haul my ass wherever she needed me to be. I kind of had a tendency to drag my feet.
"Yeah, go ahead."
No sense wasting any more time. I swung my legs over the side of my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, spotting my discarded grey jumpsuit crumpled on the floor. Cynthia was going to give me shit for having a wrinkled uniform, I just knew it. Her voice came on over my console as I was zipping myself up.
"Vee, I need you to haul over to Receiving once you're awake. Something just arrived and we need to take a look at it before it's handed off to R&D."
Huh. What could've been brought in that HabEn needed to examine? The closest thing on our schedule wasn't for another week or so, when the new HabPods were supposed to arrive. But that would be a pretty cut-and-dry installation, nothing that I needed to trek down to Receiving for. Well, at least it wasn't a fire. Could be worse.
There was the jab at my appearance that I was waiting for. Whatever, if she actually cared about the grooming standard she would've reported me a while ago.
"Oh, you know me. A real... party animal."
That at least managed to get a hint of a smile. I could really turn on the charm when I wanted to. Or at least that's what I liked to tell myself.
"By the way, I heard about what happened with-" Cynthia started, but I didn't let her get very far.
"No, it's-... I'm fine." I cut her off. I already had something prepared for this. "It was a long time coming. Long-distance things never work out, y'know?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Still doesn't make it any easier."
"No it, uh, it doesn't." I cleared my throat a little. Talking about my personal life with my direct superior wasn't something I wanted to be doing.
"Well, I have something that should take your mind off of things for a little bit." She walked over to the door and tapped her hand against the lock panel, which caused it to open.
I followed her into the hangar-like accommodations - tall ceilings, fueling stations, cargo haulers, a dozen or so personnel buzzing around. In the center of all this were a handful of people from R&D, I could tell from the diagnostic equipment and the way they handled themselves. They were gathered around... something. It was large, a couple of heads taller than I was, oblong and reflective, shimmering wherever the light hit it. I must've been staring for longer than I realized, because Cynthia decided that she had to grab my attention again.
"Pretty, isn't it?" she said, managing to sound as unimpressed as ever.
"What is it?" I finally managed to say. I was awestruck. I had never seen or heard of anything like this.
"One of our salvage teams brought it in last night. They said it was just sort of floating in empty space, they stumbled upon it out of pure happenstance. R&D have been all over it since then. Results have been inconclusive, but as far as they can tell it's pretty inert. Some background EM fields, but its so weak that it shouldn't even interfere with your personal electronics."
She handed me the tablet she was holding, which was displaying all of the preliminary data that the scientists had gathered. It all looked pretty innocuous, if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't answer just what the hell this thing was.
"So, you need someone from HabEn to give the all clear before we bring it into the station?" I said, glancing up from the tablet to look at the... thing, again.
"You got it, Vee." She gestured to the team working around the object. "R&D are dying to get a closer look at it. They're thinking it's not a natural phenomenon."
"Alien in origin?" I'm sure she could detect the incredulity in my voice.
"Potentially. We won't know until they get it into their lab and run more tests. What do you say?"
I looked back at the tablet, at the rows of diagnostic data, the spectral analysis, researchers notes. This could be a big find. I was feeling a lot less sleepy that I was an hour ago.
"Yeah... yeah, just make sure that they follow the proper decon procedures and take the necessary precautions before they introduce it to any of our systems. I don't need it shorting anything out or, I dunno.. exploding."
"They'll be careful, Vee. Salvage teams bring stuff in all the time."
I handed the tablet back to Cynthia.
"Not like this."
I cracked a bleary eye to spot the blinking red alert-light on my bedside console. It was part of the automated wake-up call, something to make sure that I didn't sleep in after partying too hard the night before or... whatever. Bluh. This was actually the least intrusive setting, too. I know some other people in Habitat Engineering have their consoles blast music to get up-and-at-'em. That sounded like a good way to end up having to explain a broken console to Maintenance. I was never a morning person.
"You have one urgent message from Cynthia Ballesteros. Would you like to listen?"
Starting the day off with an emergency? Well, if it was an actual emergency they wouldn't have let me sleep until my alarm. Hell, Cynthia probably would've sent Security to haul my ass wherever she needed me to be. I kind of had a tendency to drag my feet.
"Yeah, go ahead."
No sense wasting any more time. I swung my legs over the side of my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, spotting my discarded grey jumpsuit crumpled on the floor. Cynthia was going to give me shit for having a wrinkled uniform, I just knew it. Her voice came on over my console as I was zipping myself up.
"Vee, I need you to haul over to Receiving once you're awake. Something just arrived and we need to take a look at it before it's handed off to R&D."
Huh. What could've been brought in that HabEn needed to examine? The closest thing on our schedule wasn't for another week or so, when the new HabPods were supposed to arrive. But that would be a pretty cut-and-dry installation, nothing that I needed to trek down to Receiving for. Well, at least it wasn't a fire. Could be worse.
There was the jab at my appearance that I was waiting for. Whatever, if she actually cared about the grooming standard she would've reported me a while ago.
"Oh, you know me. A real... party animal."
That at least managed to get a hint of a smile. I could really turn on the charm when I wanted to. Or at least that's what I liked to tell myself.
"By the way, I heard about what happened with-" Cynthia started, but I didn't let her get very far.
"No, it's-... I'm fine." I cut her off. I already had something prepared for this. "It was a long time coming. Long-distance things never work out, y'know?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Still doesn't make it any easier."
"No it, uh, it doesn't." I cleared my throat a little. Talking about my personal life with my direct superior wasn't something I wanted to be doing.
"Well, I have something that should take your mind off of things for a little bit." She walked over to the door and tapped her hand against the lock panel, which caused it to open.
I followed her into the hangar-like accommodations - tall ceilings, fueling stations, cargo haulers, a dozen or so personnel buzzing around. In the center of all this were a handful of people from R&D, I could tell from the diagnostic equipment and the way they handled themselves. They were gathered around... something. It was large, a couple of heads taller than I was, oblong and reflective, shimmering wherever the light hit it. I must've been staring for longer than I realized, because Cynthia decided that she had to grab my attention again.
"Pretty, isn't it?" she said, managing to sound as unimpressed as ever.
"What is it?" I finally managed to say. I was awestruck. I had never seen or heard of anything like this.
"One of our salvage teams brought it in last night. They said it was just sort of floating in empty space, they stumbled upon it out of pure happenstance. R&D have been all over it since then. Results have been inconclusive, but as far as they can tell it's pretty inert. Some background EM fields, but its so weak that it shouldn't even interfere with your personal electronics."
She handed me the tablet she was holding, which was displaying all of the preliminary data that the scientists had gathered. It all looked pretty innocuous, if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't answer just what the hell this thing was.
"So, you need someone from HabEn to give the all clear before we bring it into the station?" I said, glancing up from the tablet to look at the... thing, again.
"You got it, Vee." She gestured to the team working around the object. "R&D are dying to get a closer look at it. They're thinking it's not a natural phenomenon."
"Alien in origin?" I'm sure she could detect the incredulity in my voice.
"Potentially. We won't know until they get it into their lab and run more tests. What do you say?"
I looked back at the tablet, at the rows of diagnostic data, the spectral analysis, researchers notes. This could be a big find. I was feeling a lot less sleepy that I was an hour ago.
"Yeah... yeah, just make sure that they follow the proper decon procedures and take the necessary precautions before they introduce it to any of our systems. I don't need it shorting anything out or, I dunno.. exploding."
"They'll be careful, Vee. Salvage teams bring stuff in all the time."
I handed the tablet back to Cynthia.
"Not like this."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)