by Travis Sande
"I would have been a lot less worried had I known we were on a flying resort. They should have updated us about this." Nicole remarked.
"They did" A voice appeared from the entrance. It was Lorn as he walked through the rec area toward them. "The final memo had the updated specifics."
"They told us it was combined but I wasn't expecting anything like this." Derrick said.
"I was with Derrick when they issued them to us and I had the same sentiment. I apologize, sir." Nik seemed equally embarrassed.
"At ease, no need to apologize. What do you think about it?" Lorn asked
"I love it!" Nik’s excitement was contagious as she nearly broke into a scream while answering.
"I thought you might." He let out a chuckle and looked to Derrick. "And you?"
"I think it's incredible. I had no idea this was even possible. How do they keep the humidity out of all the electronics in here?" Derrick was eager to learn.
"Eilik actually had a hand in this. Believe it or not he took the time to work with our engineers in his free time. They designed a new ventilation system for the whole vessel in the last three months of prep. Everything in here is tightly shielded, and to prevent overheating they used Eilik's system. All electronics onboard are designed with a central chamber that exits into a membrane that surrounds us. I don't know all the details but if you're curious I am sure Eilik or Luke could fill in the gaps." Lorn sounded just as impressed with the achievement. “I only saw concepts and to be honest, this exceeds my expectations as well. They really did an incredible job in here.”
"I remember there being an update to the ventilation and I actually noticed it in my room earlier. I couldn't smell anything. I know that sounds strange but it's like the entire ship lacks a smell." Derrick was glad to have his assumption proven correct. "Except in here, I can smell the flowers and feel the humidity."
"Now that you mention it, I guess you're right." Nik added, laughing slightly as she continued. “Nothing smells like anything, not even Hank.” The three of them shared a small laugh.
"That's not strange at all and actually intentional. The new system scrubs the air at roughly four times the rate we originally intended. This allows us to remove the majority of lingering odor from any compartment of the ship. I know it doesn't make much of a difference now but in six months I am sure we will be glad." Lorn added a quick jab at the end. "Maybe I should go over some of this in the orientation."
"Better safe than sorry. Does that mean the scent selection for our quarters has been totally removed?" Derrick had been excited about that feature since he first heard about it. Who wouldn't want to come home to a nice scent every day?
"You know what, let's just save it for orientation. I will go over all the basic systems as a refresher for everyone." Lorn looked around the room. "This definitely is an impressive room. Enjoy yourselves and see you at orientation" He turned and slowly retreated away from them.
Nik turned to Derrick. "Oops." She whispered softly. “Sir!” Nik nearly interrupted herself, calling for the commander’s attention.
“Yes, Nicole?” The commander stopped and turned his head to face her.
“Why does the decon mist smell like strawberries?” Nicole eagerly inquired about the scent they experienced while transitioning into the room.
“It’s a scent injection. All the decon rooms have it. They are customizable, Jennifer on the engineering team chose strawberry as the default.” Lorn nodded and smiled before turning to exit the room.
Nik turned back to Derrick, slightly concerned, she whispered, “I hope he isn’t annoyed that I am asking all these questions.”
"I wouldn’t worry about it, that's what day zero is for." Derrick grunted as he adjusted in his chair, trying to get comfortable.
"Want to try any of these machines out?" Nik asked as she moved from the comfort of her lounger.
"Actually, I think I am going to try and get a quick nap in before orientation. There's still almost two hours before it starts." Once Derrick had his sights set on rest it was difficult to snap out of it sometimes.
"Not a bad idea, I should probably do the same. Make sure we are fresh for the orientation, sounds like we need it." Nik gave Derrick a smile and patted his shoulder as she walked by.
Derrick remained seated and looked up at the canopy above him. He thought that he might just pass out in the chair, right here in the rec room. Bringing his arm up he said, "Set alarm, twelve thirty." He heard a little beep and looked at the display. The digital readout of '12:30' was flashing on the screen. He said, “Confirm." and the approval tone sounded to lock in the alarm.
"Are you staying here?" Overhearing the setting of the alarm before she left the room, Nik decided to inquire.
"Standing seems like a chore right now." Derrick had no intentions on moving.
"Either way, I will see you at orientation. Enjoy your nap, Derrick." Nik was preparing to exit.
"You too." Derrick replied, and with that, Nik left the room.
As the door closed behind her, Derrick noticed the soft ambient sound of the room. It was very peaceful. Wind blowing through the trees, a stream nearby, even the sound of distant birds; all of it artificial, all of it calming. The atmosphere in the room made it nearly impossible for Derrick to keep his eyes open.
"Dim ambient lighting by 65%." The room was a little bright for a nap and Derrick remembered that it was equipped to emulate all hours of the day. As he finished the sentence the lighting lowered, and he felt himself drifting into a sleep.
A single image fought its way into his mind over and over. Kim's face on the bridge, illuminated by the panel lighting. Every time he closed his eyes it confronted him. All the details still felt fresh. The freckles on her nose, her eye lashes, the small half-circle scar on her left cheek, and the way her lips were pressed tightly together. He was fixated on it for a reason he couldn't pinpoint.
After a moment, she turned to face him. It all felt familiar, playing out just like before on the bridge. He couldn't make out any colour other than the amber glow that embraced her. Their eyes met, and he noticed her mouth starting to move. He couldn't make out what she was saying but she was clearly trying to tell him something. Her eyes grew large and he could hear her scream through her helmet. The scream was odd and sounded like a buzz, it frightened Derrick as it lacked all humanity. The sound grew louder as Derrick leaned forward, covering his ears. He was trying to get a closer look, or to jostle Kim free of whatever had gripped her.
Derrick could see fear in Kim’s eyes; a passionate expression embraced her face. It was as if she was reaching out for aid but was unable to articulate anything beyond the loud screaming buzz. Derrick stood, moving forward in an attempt to console her. The sound began to fade as Derrick got closer. Kim’s face relaxed and her eyes closed as she slunk back into her chair. Derrick was captivated by the calm, grateful for the freight to retreat from her expression.
Derrick pursued the curious situation, inching closer to Kim’s position. It was an odd sensation; Derrick was fully aware that this was a dream but entirely in control of his faculties. Kim’s newly found relaxed state gave him pause, for a moment he felt compassion for her rest. She looked so peaceful after such a seemingly traumatizing experience. He knew he had to press on, waking her to make sure she was okay, and question her about the experience.
Derrick knelt down beside Kim’s seat. He took a closer look and noticed the intensity of the amber glow had saturated her features. Kim’s eyes darted nervously beneath her eyelids, as if she was trapped in some hellish nightmare. Derrick decided that enough was enough and as he was about to wake her, Kim’s eyes opened wide and affixed themselves directly on him. Her expression was stoic, uninterested or apathetic. Derrick jumped at the sudden occurrence before regaining his composure. He reached out to touch her, hoping to shake her loose from whatever had captured her. As his fingertips met her suit, Kim lunged out of her chair at him.
Chapter 3
Awake<
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“Whaa!” Derrick exclaimed, startled awake.
Taking a moment to recognize his surroundings, Derrick looked at the canopy above. Remembering the rec area jarred him back to reality. He must have fallen asleep while sitting in the chair. His alarm was vibrating within his arm and the distinctive buzz was chiming. He shook his head and rubbed his face to shed the webs of sleep. The alarm signalled that it was time to start heading down to the conference area.
Derrick placed his hands on his knees, pausing briefly before standing. He noticed that his clothes were sweaty. Humidity in the rec area must have been the cause, he thought. Derrick decided that his next nap would be in the safety of his quarters. As he climbed to his feet, Derrick stretched wide with his arms, yawning loudly, he let out a small yell. “Whoooff!” Derrick shook his head, still foggy from the nap.
"Normalize ambient lighting." Derrick called out for the lights to accurately reflect the time of day. He ran his hands over his face and rubbed his eyes once more. His body called out for one more deep breath before he turned and started toward the exit.
Naps were hit or miss for Derrick. Sometimes he would wake up feeling refreshed and other times it would feel like he was just hit by a truck. Sadly, today proved to be the latter. With only thirty minutes to orientation and a need to change, he picked up the pace and exited the rec room.
His clothes felt heavy as he entered the upper corridor and moved to the stairwell. Sweat had all but soaked through his entire outfit. The steel handrail felt cool to the touch, a welcome sensation that travelled through his hand. It seemed to help lift the fog as he descended the stairs. At the bottom, he opened the door and was greeted by the rest of the crew enjoying lunch. Everyone was present, including the commander.
"Morning, sunshine." Hank was the first to welcome Derrick.
"You look like shit." Luke said with surprise. "Why are you so sweaty?"
Derrick grabbed his shirt and pulled it off his chest. "Yeah I guess it's a little humid up there for a nap." Derrick continued towards the starboard corridor. "I should probably go wash up and change before the meeting." He still felt sluggish, as if he was wading through water. He grabbed his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He could feel how sweaty he was as his hair slicked back with the motion.
"I would like Sian to check you out, head to the infirmary before you change." Lorn’s command stopped him in his tracks. Derrick knew he didn't look perfect, but he was surprised at the request.
"You can head in, I will be right there." Sian added, standing from her meal.
"Wow, even in space there's a waiting room." Hank chuckled.
"The waiting room precedes the examination room, Hank." Sian stood and began rinsing her dishes from lunch. The room shared a laugh at her remarks. Every now and then her deadpan delivery would crack everyone up.
Derrick smiled as he started down the bridge hall to the infirmary. It was clear something wasn’t right. He ditched the smile as he turned to enter the main bridge corridor. His breathing felt slightly laboured as he moved through, only lifting his head to ensure he didn’t miss the entrance of the infirmary.
Derrick came upon the entrance and noticed Kim’s office beside it to the left. ‘Ruth Haggenfjord Ph.D.’ was written across the top of the door. ‘Kim must have loved the use of her full name.’ Derrick thought, funny that he hadn’t noticed it until now. Turning his attention back to the infirmary door, Derrick waved his CCD over the entry panel and was granted access. Sian must have already scheduled the appointment, giving him access.
Derrick could hear Sian’s footsteps starting down the corridor behind him. Not wanting to linger in the entrance, he moved inside. The infirmary had a familiar sterility that persisted throughout the ship. Everything was immaculate, and the same matte finish was coating all apparatus inside. He wondered if it was an attempt to limit distractions in the room as he hopped up on the exam table. ‘At least this aesthetic makes sense in here.’ He thought.
The table itself was very simple and in its current state was merely a slab of metal protruding from the floor. He could see several seam lines that ran the length of it. These must have been compartments or attachments of some kind depending on the procedure needed. The room was an odd shape as two of the four walls had unique architecture. The outside wall was rounded to follow the contour of the ship and the wall attached to the bridge was at an obtuse angle from the corridor wall.
Derrick noticed the lamp above him provided focused light onto the exam table. It was dim now, nothing to examine, yet. Cabinets ran the length of the wall separating Kim's office and the infirmary. A counter top broke them at the middle and housed several attached containers. In the corner where the outside wall met the bridge he noticed what looked like a quarantine chamber.
“Better safe than sorry” Derrick whispered to himself as he tried to resist speculation about the use of the quarantine system. Just as his curiosity finished circling the room and returned to the doorway, Sian stepped inside. The door closed behind her and she approached the table. Derrick tried to decipher her mood but failed. Her stoic presence always made her impossible to read.
"How are you feeling?" Sian asked as she came upon him at the table.
"A little off if I am being completely honest. I tried to take a nap in the rec room and didn't get much rest. I’m sure I’ll be fine after I finish waking up." Derrick appreciated the concern.
"I am sure it's nothing, but I will just take a few readings from your CCD to be sure." Sian walked to the cabinets nearby and opened a drawer. Inside, she grabbed a small rectangular device with what appeared to be a screen. Walking back over to Derrick, she synced it to his CCD.
"Everything looks good, your blood pressure is a little elevated but nothing to be concerned about. Given the circumstances surrounding this impromptu exam it's likely you're experiencing an anxiety related spike. Just to be safe I would like to see you again tomorrow, so we can re-evaluate it." Sian adjusted a few settings on the device as she spoke.
“Is that it then, can I go? I really need to get changed for the meeting.” Derrick said as he slid off the table and back onto his feet.
“Just one more thing.” Sian held the device up to Derrick’s mouth. "Exhale please." She said. Derrick took a breath and blew it across the front of her device. "Odd, it appears you have the start of a respiratory infection. It’s nothing serious, I will prepare a targeted anti-microbial inhaler for you."
Hearing Sian say the word ‘odd’ was very troubling. Derrick was immediately concerned, and curious how he could have got such an infection so early on. The entire ship was to be sterile, preventing this possibility. He must have contracted it prior to launch and it went undetected.
Sian moved to the cabinet area and began working on an interface secured to the countertop. After a couple inputs, a small rotator within started moving. The device whirred and spun before ejecting a small vial. Sian reached into a drawer, grabbed an inhaler and secured the ejected vial to it. "Press the button located at the top, inhale deeply, hold for three seconds, and release." Sian handed him the inhaler and Derrick followed the instructions.
As the inhaler emptied its contents he could feel a weight lift. Derrick hadn't noticed the extent of the burden, but it became quite evident when he exhaled after three seconds. With an audible sigh, he was far more comfortable already.
"Wow, I didn't even notice there was a problem, seems obvious now." He said as he handed the device back to Sian.
"I included an anti-inflammatory in the substance you inhaled. The immediate comfort will be a result of that and any lingering bacteria should be destroyed before it will return." Sian always made sure to give a detailed explanation of her treatments.
"Lorn and Nik both accompanied me in the rec room, are they also at risk? Are all of you at risk from contact with me?" Concerned that he was contagious, Derrick looked for a professional opinion.
"The particular strain you were infected with is not an air
borne contagion. I would like to see Nik and Lorn though. However unlikely, it may have been transmissible through the added humidity present within the rec room. You should go get changed and prepare for orientation." Sian dismissed him.
"Thank you, Sian." Derrick headed for the exit.
"Inform me of any changes in your status. I have set an alert for eleven tomorrow morning for a follow up." Sian never left anything to chance.
"Understood." Derrick left the infirmary and moved back into the galley. Wanting to clean himself up he increased pace towards the crew corridor.
"Everything alright?" Lorn was standing in the galley awaiting Derrick’s return.
"Yeah, Sian fixed me up. She mentioned wanting to look at you and Nik." Derrick turned and started down the corridor to his room.
"Derrick had the start of a respiratory infection. Although not capable of airborne transmission, I wanted to test anyone that was present in the humid environment of the rec area with him." Derrick heard Sian's voice behind him. He didn't expect her to be following so close. Her voice faded as he moved through the corridor. "I would also like to quarantine the area and conduct tests to ensure the ventilation membrane is free from any such bacteria." Derrick could hear Sian faintly discussing the operation of the membrane scrubbers before entering his room.
Once inside his quarters, Derrick was able to relax. Sian’s voice faded way, the door closed, and it was silent. Derrick sat down in the chair and began removing his shoes. He was excited to get cleaned up and changed. Removing his sweaty clothes proved to be a struggle as they clung to his body. Fighting with every pull, if was a relief to finally be free. Derrick looked down at the sweaty pile of clothes before quickly turning his attention to the shower.
The shower was a confined area that was equipped with power nozzles every foot moving down the wall. Five rows of two nozzles were on both sides and behind Derrick. He closed the entrance door and initiated the shower. Every shower was on a cycle that limited overuse of water. Once engaged, the nozzles would move in circular patterns. He knew it would be a two-minute cycle. One minute on the back, one minute on the front. Just then, the halfway tone sounded, and Derrick turned to face the back wall. Once the cycle completed, the automated drying sequence engaged; powerful blowers blasted his skin free of moisture.