ISO- Beyond the solar system

by Travis Sande

  "I hope we can still play Shirt-Ball.” Luke said with a chuckle.

  "There should be an AR or VR replacement for that. I think we will retire Shirt-Ball to a trophy case. Maybe get a plaque for you and Hank." Lorn said. “I am still amazed by the originality you all had when you named it.” The commander was starting to lighten up with the conclusion of the morning’s task.

  “Wait, what’s wrong with the name?” Luke asked. “I thought we all agreed on it?”

  “For starters, I’m pretty sure there was a pair of pants in that ball.” Lorn said, still over comms from outside the rec area.

  “Shirty-Pant-Ball just doesn’t roll off the tongue.” Derrick felt a sense of ease overcome him as the conversation lost its formality.

  “Well it’s more accurate and the plaque is going to say Shirty-Pant-Ball now.” Lorn joked. His lighter side was always a gift that signified a stable situation.

  "As long as I am in the hall of fame, that’s fine with me." Luke packed the instruments and tools up.

  "Leading scorer has to be in it." Derrick said as he hit Luke in the shoulder. "Can we get out of these suits now?"

  "Yes, we should be clear. Sian, run a diagnostic of the area." Lorn could be seen opening the main rec area door and entering.

  "No trace of the bacteria is present." Sian replied. "It appears we have eradicated the infection. I will need to monitor the upper deck for three hours before I can confidently give the all-clear." Sian didn’t want to take any chances with the situation finally under control.

  "Let's get out of the rec area, meet me in the bio lab with Ben, you two." Lorn called to Derrick and Luke before leaving the rec area.

  Derrick followed Luke out into the corridor. They moved into the bio-lab decon chamber together and awaited the cycle. They could see Ben was still standing over the container housing the membrane. Lorn was just to his left clearly discussing the situation with him. He appeared animated and wasn't on group comms. Once through the decon procedure they moved in to meet them.

  "Everything okay?" Derrick was concerned at the abrupt change in body language.

  "Yes, it's fine, Ben has a bit more work to do." Lorn said. "As a result of Sian requiring three hours of data, we must all remain here. The upper deck has been quarantined now that the vent is active again. It will be lifted once we have that all clear. There is no decon procedure in the deck access and I refuse to take any chances."

  "Well I guess we better make the best of it." Luke said as he immediately started heading back to the rec area.

  "Why is this thing still alive in here?" Derrick asked, referring to the membrane still in the containment unit.

  "Earth requested some data samples from Ben. He was forced to take several more samples for comparison. They have attempted to infect healthy membrane on Earth with the mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. They have been unsuccessful in replicating the results we saw here." Lorn continued. "They want to have a stable sample on Earth before we destroy this. Ben has assured me that it is completely contained."

  Derrick shook his head, clearly frustrated by the revelation that his infected partner would remain alive. He thought better of causing a confrontation about it and put his faith in Ben's ability to deal with it. The situation wasn't entirely behind him and it would continue to weigh on him until the membrane was destroyed.

  "I have already provided Eilik with the samples they requested. We are just waiting to hear back. I am hoping to have this all complete before the upper deck quarantine is lifted." Ben knew Derrick’s apprehension to the whole situation and made a specific effort to comfort him.

  "I trust you to get it done, Ben. Not really a fan of that thing." Derrick appreciated Ben’s efforts to reassure him and gave him a nod of confidence.

  "None of us are." Lorn chimed in.

  "Well Sian seemed pretty excited about it." Derrick made a point to highlight the way Sian had reacted earlier.

  "She just doesn't want to waste a potential genetic discovery. Trust me, she wants it gone just as much as the rest of us." Ben jumped in to defend Sian.

  "Yeah, hopefully her curiosity knows its limits." Derrick didn’t back down from his point.

  "I know its limits, which will be enough." Lorn asserted. Derrick knew he was right. Sian's penchant for duty and orders would supersede nearly all other impulses.

  "She knows, Derrick. I know her words earlier sounded troubling, but I've spent the last few days with her. Her curiosity would never sacrifice safety. She may seem analytical and cold to you, but trust me, that’s not who she is deep down." Ben once again took it upon himself to calm Derrick.

  "I know." Derrick said, surprised by Ben’s passionate defense of Sian "I didn’t mean to sound offensive, I just hate this thing. I am going to meet Luke in the rec area and try to get some rest. I didn't sleep much last night."

  "That’s a good idea. Great work today, we should be back to normal before lunch." Lorn turned his attention back to Ben.

  "Alert me once the samples are accepted, I want to be here when you destroy this thing." Derrick angrily pointed at the containment unit, frustratingly accepting that the membrane still existed within.

  "I will make sure you are here." Ben said. “Don’t worry.”

  Derrick exited the bio lab and moved back into the rec area. When the doors opened he noticed the lights were already in night mode. Luke must have had a similar desire for sleep. It was strange to be walking through the rec area again. He had become so accustomed to its absence that the availability felt abnormal. Glancing around the room he saw multiple issues that would require his attention. Tending to the garden had really opened his eyes to a new world. None of the plants appeared beyond saving. He saw Luke in the hammock as he approached the shaded lounging area.

  "They kill that thing?" Luke awkwardly attempted to sit up and face Derrick.

  "No, they have to wait for Earth to give the okay." Derrick replied. "How did you get into the hammock while wearing the decon suit?"

  "I overestimated the flexibility of these things. I am sure it was a treat to behold. I fell twice. Maybe Hank can pull some security footage for everyone." Luke laughed as he adjusted himself to get comfortable. “This is a nightmare.”

  "Oh yeah, I guess power is back on in here. I will make sure to ask him." Derrick laughed.

  "If you’re planning on sleeping, I have to warn you about my snoring." Luke could be heard still struggling with his hammock position.

  "It's ok, I will just mute your comms." Derrick didn’t know how sound proof the suits were in close proximity.

  "I honestly don't know if that will save you. I fell asleep next to Eilik one time and he said I was speaking an ancient Vryl dialect. The vibration I was able to produce rekindled his hope to teach man the Vryl language." Luke chuckled again, making it more difficult for him to keep adjusting himself.

  "Thanks for picking the hammock, should limit the vibration if you're floating." Derrick climbed into one of the loungers he had used on day zero.

  "That's why I'm an engineer.” Luke seemed to finally get into a comfortable position. “There we go, that’s the sweet spot.”

  Derrick stretched out in the chair he had chosen. It felt good to lift his legs up and extend them. His muscles were sore and ready for some rest. The helmet was uncomfortable at first, but he quickly accepted it due to exhaustion. It wasn't long before Derrick could hear Luke snoring. "You weren’t lying, buddy." He whispered to himself as Luke’s snoring escaped his suit with an alarming volume. Luckily the rhythm of it was consistent enough to allow him to fall asleep. For the first time in the last two weeks Derrick felt stress free. He was thankful for all the efforts of the morning as sleep slowly embraced him.

  Chapter 7

  Rest and Incineration

  Light entered back into Derrick's world as Kim woke him from his sleep. She was also wearing a suit, which struck him as odd. If the quarantine was lifted to allow her entry, she wouldn't need a suit. Her face was illum
inated by a dim amber light. It was as if the light source was coming from within her helmet. "Am I dreaming?" Derrick said out loud. Everything felt foggy and slightly off in some way. Trying to sit up, he realized he couldn't. The tell-tale signs of panic began to burn into his stomach. Kim reached down and helped him to the upright position.

  The room was dark, quiet, and dead. It became clear that he was dreaming, but it felt so vivid. He returned his focus to Kim as she leaned in toward him. She didn't look directly at him. It was very unsettling as she began to speak to him while focusing behind him.

  "It's outside." She said. Derrick was confused but could not find his voice to inquire. "It's outside, Derrick." He had no idea what she was talking about. There was an odd calm about her as she said it.

  Before he could evaluate the situation further, Kim suddenly vanished, revealing the dimly lit canopy above the lounging spot in the rec area. Derrick was suddenly jolted awake by an alarm going off on his CCD. He sat up quickly, still in a haze. Looking over in the hammock's direction, he noticed Luke was in a similar state of confused rousing.

  "It was fun while it lasted." Luke said as he turned to face Derrick.

  "Hopefully they have good news." Derrick said before opening global comms to the other active suits. "We are up, what's the status?" Derrick asked for a report since neither he nor Luke could access their CCD within the suit.

  "Quarantine has been lifted and the commander called a meeting for the conference room." Ben's voice pushed through the fog.

  "Thanks, Ben. We better get going, Luke." Derrick stood from his chair, his legs still ached slightly from overuse the last couple days.

  "After you." Luke said as he struggled to roll out of the hammock. "Actually, come get me first."

  Derrick moved over and helped Luke out of the hammock. Luke was laughing the entire time, which made it more difficult for Derrick to help. Finally, he was able to pull him off the side and get Luke to his feet.

  "I honestly don't know if that was the hammock, my suit, or just my own fault." Luke said, still laughing.

  "It looked like your fault from my angle." Derrick said. The two of them left the rec area laughing. Derrick decided to ask about the suits before they left the upper deck. "Is it safe to ditch the suits, Ben?"

  "Yes, Sian gave the all clear just before the meeting was scheduled by Lorn. He has already moved down below." Ben confirmed their hopes.

  Derrick and Luke moved into the bio lab to get rid of their suits. “Another meeting.” Derrick said through the fog as he began removing the bio-suit.

  “Lorn’s favourite thing. We should have a meeting about how many meetings we are having.” Luke laughed as he finished removing his suit. “There, now no hammock can stop me, I’m free!” He exclaimed. “Strange how easy it is to hate those things when you’re forced to stay in them.”

  “My money is still on the hammock.” Derrick looked at Luke and waited for his response.

  Luke finished hanging his suit on the wall and slowly turned to face Derrick. Derrick could hardly contain his smile as Luke’s eyes met his. Luke’s demeanor broke before he could follow through with his attempt at seeming offended. “Safe bet.” Luke laughed.

  The inner door to the lab clicked and the mist faded. Derrick noticed Ben still in the lab.

  "Are you coming, Ben?" Derrick asked through the interior glass before taking his suit off.

  "No, the commander briefed me in here before he left. I am still standing by to destroy the specimen once Earth approves it." Ben said. "He left me in charge of this thing until its destruction and I am not going to let it out of my sight."

  "They still haven't approved it?" Luke responded with surprise in his voice.

  "No, they can't seem to replicate the DNA cloning process we had occur here. There's something missing which would explain why it was contained to this one membrane section even here.” Ben paused for a moment, also frustrated, he sighed before continuing. “What was different about this section? That's a question they want to understand before we destroy it. The implications of losing this data before we understand it could put future missions at risk. We are stuck until they tell us otherwise."

  Ben’s words held a truth about them that Derrick finally understood. They had to fully understand the variables that led to this infection. It could save lives in future missions. Leaving any question unanswered would be foolish.

  "Will we ever put this whole thing behind us?" Derrick said. "I guess if it's going to help future missions I should accept its presence here."

  "You want to name it?" Luke’s voice came from behind Derrick. He had already shed the bio-suit.

  "I wouldn't go that far." Derrick shrugged off the idea and started taking his suit off.

  "I may have already done that with Sian." Ben laughed.

  "Are you kidding me, Ben?" Derrick broke into a smile even through all the confusion. The thought of naming it was absurd to him.

  "We decided on Deena, Short for DNA." Ben was still laughing, fully recognizing how weird it was that they named it.

  "That's fitting, as long as it doesn't bother you to incinerate Deena." Derrick finished hanging his suit and got ready to leave the lab.

  "It's my mother in-law's name." Ben chuckled as he finished his fit of laughter.

  "That's dark, Ben. I like it." Luke started nodding in approval. “I was skeptical at first, I underestimated you.”

  "She's actually really nice and we get along great." Ben returned to a normal tone.

  "Your mother in-law or the membrane?" Luke couldn’t help making another joke.

  "OK, we have to go, Luke." Derrick interrupted. “We are delaying the meeting as it is.”

  "Yeah yeah, talk to you later, Ben." Luke laughed. “Great job today.”

  "Bye, guys." Ben gave a thumbs up through the interior glass of the lab. “You too, everyone did well today.” Ben waved to them as they exited the lab.

  Now that they were out of their suits, Derrick and Luke felt the freedom they had lacked for the last several hours. The conference room awaited their arrival as they made their way down. Descending the stairway to the galley was a rewarding experience. It was a symbol of the isolation being lifted as the doors opened and welcomed them to the lower deck.

  Derrick and Luke moved quickly through the ship and made their way to the conference room. Once inside, the entire crew greeted them. It was nice to see Eilik present now that Derrick understood why he was absent for so long.

  "Have a seat, gentlemen." Lorn was clearly eager to get started and as soon as they found open seats, he began. "As you all know, the upper deck of the ship has been an issue since our departure. The rec area has been off limits as we struggled to deal with an infection that invaded the ventilation membrane. As of this morning, Luke and Derrick were able to remove the infected membrane and replace it with a metal venting section. The infected membrane is currently secure in the bio lab. Bio lab access will be restricted to Ben, Derrick, Sian, and myself going forward. Any questions so far?”

  “If the section has been replaced, is the rec area open for use?” Nik didn’t hesitate to ask.

  “The process exposed the entire upper deck to potential contamination. Sian has been monitoring the air quality levels for the last three hours and has given the all clear. Immediately following this meeting, the upper deck will be released from quarantine. This includes the rec area. It's been a difficult first two weeks of the journey, but we should return to a sense of normality going forward. If anyone has any questions, now is the time." Lorn opened the floor up to questions from the crew.

  "You said the membrane is secure in the bio lab, what exactly does that mean?" Yanna always paid close attention to detail and if anyone on the ship hated the infected membrane as much as Derrick, it was her.

  "Sian, you can answer that." Lorn delegated the question.

  "The membrane is of scientific importance to future missions. We have been instructed by Earth to keep the specimen ali
ve until they are able to replicate the situation for further study." Sian stood to address the matter.

  "So that thing is still alive up there, isn't that a risk?" Yanna pressed the issue.

  "It's been secured by Ben in the bio lab, he is personally responsible for it." Lorn said. "Eilik has been monitoring communication from Earth closely. The moment we receive approval, Ben has authority to neutralize the specimen. Obviously, there is some risk which is why the bio lab access has been restricted to essential personnel. I know this isn't ideal, but we are at the mercy of the Triumvirate here. The data that can come from a discovery like this will aid in all future missions and that's a risk they have deemed worthy." Lorn finished. “We might be on our own out here, but chain of command still exists.”

  "Understood." Yanna accepted the response and retreated from her questioning.

  "You'll notice Eilik has joined us again." The commander continued his briefing after a brief silence for possible questions to arise. "The infection was believed to attack Vryl physiology and as a precaution he was forced to wear a flight suit at all times. It's good to have you back."

  "My pleasure." Derrick was sure that if Eilik’s translator could show emotion, it would have been enthusiastic at this moment. Having only spent a few hours in a bio suit, he couldn’t imagine what Eilik went through.

  "I apologize for the delay, Yanna. I know you had several experiments to gather data from today. I have cleared Nik's schedule to help you catch up. Other than that, we are back to functioning normally. The rec area is now open to everyone during downtime. Derrick, if you could get up there and put that botany course to work and save some of those plants…" Lorn trailed off.

  "Yes, sir." Derrick replied, excited to get up there and see what he can do.

  "Eilik, I hate to say it, but I need you back on the bridge awaiting commands from the Triumvirate." Lorn regretfully announced.

  "Understood." Eilik accepted the order with no hesitation.

  "Sian will be monitoring the ship's air quality closely for the next several days. If anyone feels any discomfort of any kind that could be related to illness, please visit her immediately. This is a no tolerance situation. Sian’s schedule has been totally wiped clean. If you sneeze, I want you to see her." Lorn said. "That's it for today, if there are no questions, you are dismissed."