ISO- Beyond the solar system

by Travis Sande

  Chapter 12

  The Enemy

  The crew awoke in a staggered fashion. The tense feeling still hung over him as Derrick swung his legs off the edge of the bunk. He was surprised at the potency of Sian's meds. There were no dreams or anything and they lasted almost exactly four hours. Checking his CCD, he saw the four-hour timer was about to go off. Everyone was given multiple doses in the event they couldn't get back to sleep. Derrick decided to just return his surplus meds and get up now. Waiting any longer seemed foolish to him, he wanted to deal with the threat.

  With his legs dangling over the edge, he found the floor with his toes. Darkness surrounded him, and for a moment he was lost in peace. Problems always seemed to retreat beyond the darkness. Closing his eyes, he wanted to embrace the safety of his unlit room. It reminded him of mornings before class, detached from the rest of the day. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Still tired but eager to begin, he could feel the weight of exhaustion cling to his face. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes once more.

  "IT'S INSIDE!" A vision of Kim yelling in his face shocked him. Derrick hit his head on the upper section of his bunk as he jumped to his feet.

  "What was that?" He said out loud, still surrounded by the darkness of his room. "Lights!" He yelled out of frustration for the pain throbbing through his forehead.

  The lights slowly warmed and illuminated his surroundings. A small tickle flirted with the skin of his forehead and made its way down his face.

  "Great." Derrick called out. "I'm bleeding." He ran his fingertips over his brow and pulled them away to verify the blood. His suspicions were correct, he was cut.

  Stepping into his shower he turned it on and let the blood wash away. He had forgotten the automated sensor system in the showers. As the water started flowing over his head the alert came on. "Blood detected, automated physician appointment made for, Derrick Rich. Please move to the infirmary within the next fifteen minutes." If Sian wasn't awake, she was now.

  "Sorry, Sian." Derrick whispered to himself as the shower completed. Shaking his head, he stepped back into his room and got dressed. Still wondering why that image of Kim keeps invading his mind.

  The shower did little to help his cut, maybe even making it worse as the blood continued to drip. He grabbed a face cloth from the bathroom and pressed it into his head as he left for the infirmary. The ship was still dark. Each section illuminated as Derrick made his way through the vessel. He must have been the first awake or at least the first to leave his quarters. ‘Sian must still be getting up.’ he thought. Derrick decided to make his way to the infirmary and wait for Sian there.

  As he approached, the doors swung open. The appointment had been approved by Sian and given him automated access. While standing in the entrance he looked to his right and saw the door of the bridge. Sian still wasn't in sight, and Derrick decided to check in on Eilik. The bridge was quiet when Derrick arrived. After the last day, it was strange to see it like this. Only Eilik was there with the glow from the panel highlighting his face.

  "Eilik." Derrick greeted him as he stepped inside.

  "Derrick, are you hurt?" Eilik said in return.

  Derrick had forgotten about the wound he was suppressing for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I just bumped my head while I was getting out of bed." He said as he pulled the cloth away from his face. The bloodstain in the middle was small, reassuring him that the injury was nothing major.

  "You should have the doctor look at it." Eilik suggested.

  "I am, just waiting for Sian and I thought I would check on you." Derrick said. "I am not sure what there could be, but have you discovered anything new?"

  "I have just been ruminating on the fact that we may have abandoned so many Vryl vessels in our past that could have suffered a fate like this." Eilik reflected on their situation.

  This was the first time that Derrick saw true emotion from Eilik. He had always presented a robotic demeanour. The translator usually struggled to demonstrate emotion, but it was evident that he was remorseful.

  "Don't dwell on that which you cannot change. We must stay in the moment and strive for the best outcome. Look forward, not back. I am more than happy to listen to your remorse and regret once we are back home." Derrick didn’t like Eilik feeling responsible for something beyond his control.

  "You are right. I struggle to shake those thoughts at the moment." Eilik said. "My studies played a role in the dismissal of the uniform quantum fluctuations. I feel slightly responsible for it. Even our current situation may have been avoided if more scrutiny would have been put on it."

  "Eilik! Focus. Thinking about that stuff will only hamper your ability to help now. Let's not add to our regrets by losing sight of our current situation and overlooking something. Now, can you tell me anything new about the object?" Derrick said, trying to get Eilik back to his former productive self.

  "I apologize. Yes, I have discovered something. I have been going over your density scan that first diagnosed the anomaly. Although the material is unknown, I believe it would be possible for some of our tools to penetrate it. One possible course of action would be to explore Henry's suggestion." Eilik surprised Derrick by suggesting such a drastic option, one suggested by Hank nonetheless.

  "To physically attempt to destroy it? What are the implications of that?" Derrick felt empowered by the option to face the threat head on but wasn’t sure what the logistics of that would be.

  "You can destroy things after I have a look at you." Sian’s voice entered from behind Derrick. He was still standing in the entrance of the bridge, preventing the door from closing. He turned and saw her walking toward the infirmary.

  "I'll be right there." Derrick called down the corridor. "Hold that thought, Eilik. I will be right back."

  "See you soon." Eilik continued working on the panel in front of him. Derrick wasn’t sure what data he was going over but appreciated his constant efforts.

  Derrick exited the bridge and followed Sian into the infirmary. The lights were just flickering on as he moved in and sat on the exam table. Sian had her back to him as she moved to the counter adjacent the table.

  "What is it this time?" Sian sounded groggy, she must have been forced awake by the sudden appointment.

  "Sorry for waking you up, I hit my head getting out of bed this morning. Stood up too fast I guess." Derrick removed the cloth to show Sian the wound.

  "Oh yeah, not a bad sized cut. You got this from your bunk? The underside interface doesn't extend the full width of the bunk. Ideally you would avoid this kind of injury." Sian mocked Derrick’s clumsiness.

  "Thanks, Sian. I will keep that in mind. I am not sure exactly where I hit my head. I was sitting in bed and leaning my head back with my eyes closed. I jumped up out of bed and remember distinctly hitting my head. The blood pouring from my face was also an indicator." Derrick joked.

  "You will need a couple stitches. It's right at the hairline so I will need to shave your head." Sian said as she turned back to the side table.

  "What, really?" Derrick asked, surprised.

  Sian had a smile as she turned back around with a needle of local anaesthetic. Her deadpan delivery had sold Derrick on it. It was still difficult getting used to hearing Sian joke around.

  "Very funny." Derrick said. "What changed with you?"

  "What do you mean?" Sian had a puzzled look on her face as she answered.

  "You used to be all formality and proper. Now you're cracking jokes with everyone." Derrick asked as Sian began injecting his forehead with the anaesthetic.

  "Survival.” Sian let her words linger before continuing. “Living in my grandmother's shadow meant I had to earn everything twice. Even if I was qualified on paper there was this added pressure. Like everyone was waiting for the screw-up granddaughter to say something stupid. Everyone had this idea that I didn't earn anything, and it was all handed to me. They were all looking for an excuse to justify their prejudice, I refused to give it to them." She finished with the ana
esthetic. "Can you feel this?" She was pressing around the wound.

  "I can feel pressure from you pushing on me with your fingers, yeah." Derrick answered.

  "I was actually still using the needle, so we are ready." Sian said. Turning her back once more, she gathered supplies from the side table.

  "So, you trust us enough to lower your guard and let the screw-up shine through?" Derrick smiled at his own joke.

  "That, and it seems like we are going to be dead soon anyway so why not." Sian turned back to face Derrick.

  "Not sure if I like this new you." Derrick enjoyed dark humour, but not necessarily from the ship’s physician.

  "Try to stay still, I am going to put two stitches in, it's really not too bad. Just bled a lot due to the location of the cut." Sian said.

  Derrick stayed quiet as Sian moved in close and started closing the wound. He could feel the tug of the stitch as she pulled it taut. It was a welcome change having Sian open up like this. Derrick had always felt like she was needlessly distant and never considered that it was a façade. He was glad she was able to let herself shine through.

  "Annnd, you're done." Sian said.

  "How's it look?" Derrick asked.

  "I will consult with Kim, she should be able to help you cope with being disfigured." Sian said. "It looks fine. There was some glass debris in the wound that I had to remove. I would make sure to clean up any mess in your quarters. Hopefully the interface survived.”

  "Thanks, Sian. Sorry again for being a clumsy oaf this early in the morning." Derrick felt bad that he interrupted the rare chance at rest for Sian.

  "That's okay, I was debating getting up or going back to sleep anyway. This was my second choice so it's not that bad." Sian continued joking about the morning.

  Derrick smiled at her as he got up. "Making up for lost time with all the sarcasm?”

  “Honestly, as bad as it sounds, this whole situation has been liberating. I was jealous of the way you were all bonding and enjoying your time here. It wasn’t until this starting happening that it gave me perspective. I spent my life trying to prove a point and never stopped to just enjoy the moments as they happened. Confronted with our potential death has forced me to face that. So yeah, you could say I am making up for lost time. Just wish I started earlier. Would have spent less time on the outside looking in” Her words were impactful and surprised Derrick.

  “You aren’t and never were on the outside, Sian. You’re part of the group, one hundred percent.” Derrick tried to express his sincere feelings, he disliked the way Sian framed herself.

  “I could have done more. I’m just thinking out loud, sorry. This whole situation has me evaluating things. I am glad I could get you stitched up.” Sian said, changing the subject.

  “It feels good, thank you. I better go find out what Eilik meant earlier. I think he wants to blow this thing up." Derrick obliged her effort to dodge the heavier subject.

  "Ambitious, isn't he." Sian summed up Derrick’s thoughts pretty well.

  Derrick started to leave infirmary and return to the bridge. “I hope he is on to something.”

  “Me too.” Sian said as Derrick walked out.

  Luke, Lorn, and Hank had all arrived during Derrick’s visit to the doctor. The four-hour minimum rest appears to have been about as much as anyone could handle. The three of them turned to Derrick as he entered.

  "What happened to you now?" Lorn asked in a comedic tone that cracked up the other two.

  "My bed attacked me." Derrick tried to shrug off the incident with a joke.

  "Should we put a helmet on him or something?" Hank chimed in with his familiar humour.

  "We might have to." Lorn agreed as Derrick approached.

  "Eilik, before I left, you were saying something about potentially attacking this thing?" Derrick tried to refocus the discussion to the more pertinent task.

  "Yeah, we were just discussing that." Luke said. "I alerted Ben and Yanna also."

  "Seems like no one is going to make it more than four hours." Derrick yawned lightly at the discussion of sleep. He was still tired but felt much more alert now.

  "I doubt it, with you and Sian up, I think that's everyone. Nik and Kim were sharing breakfast when I went through to come here." Hank turned back to face Eilik as he mentioned his morning commute.

  "Why Ben and Yanna?" Derrick asked.

  "I believe if we can devise a biological weapon and administer it through the hull of the vessel. The vessel itself could remain attached, just empty, or dead." Eilik’s theory seemed oddly specific to Derrick.

  "We have no idea what type of physiology that thing has or even if it's organic at all. It could be a completely automated device." Derrick questioned the logic of their plan.

  "You and Luke are going to go back there to drill into it. Once you break through the outer hull we might be able to collect samples of some kind." Lorn highlighted their plan.

  Derrick was still very unsure about the whole idea. If there really was something alive attached to the hull, there wasn’t much chance it would sit idle while they proceeded to cut it open. "I hope Hank is coming, this thing isn't just going to let us burrow into it." Derrick tried to voice his concern.

  "Yes, I will be going with you." Hank confirmed, helping to calm Derrick slightly.

  "This seems dangerous to me, breaching the hull like this?” Derrick continued to question the idea.

  "All we have left are long shots so it's time we start crossing them off the list." Lorn said. "The longer we wait the worse it will be. Luke, tell him."

  "Eilik detected a reduction in our speed. It's small, only two-point five percent, but a reduction all the same. We believe that it might be a landing procedure of sorts and that our destination is closer than we know. We are awaiting another decrease in speed to possibly extrapolate a timeline, until then we don't know." Luke had a deep concern in his voice as he relayed the troubling news to Derrick.

  "The RIP bubble itself has also decreased in size. It would appear they have the ability to slow down gradually and bleed off energy from the bubble. This might eliminate the need for a diffusion array all together." Eilik said. "It’s intriguing technology."

  Derrick was confronted with an alarming sense of urgency as the crew listed off everything they knew. The possibility that they were being kidnapped and taken somewhere unknown was terrifying. He appreciated the sobering reminder of just how dire their situation potentially was.

  "Well, I guess we should go kill this thing so Eilik can satisfy his curiosity." Derrick tried to remain focused and calm.

  "My thoughts exactly." Hank agreed, nodding at Derrick.

  Lorn stepped up to address the group. "You will need to wear full rad suits, we have no idea what the environment inside that vessel is. I also have no desire to contaminate the ship. You will seal the engineering section before you begin. If a contaminant is discovered, you will seal the hole immediately. We will do our best to decontaminate the section in order to retrieve you. I don't have to elaborate on the risks involved here."

  "You're saying it could be a one-way trip for all three of us?" Derrick attempted to clarify the dire phrasing the commander just laid out.

  "Luke has volunteered to breach the object solo. You and Hank will wait outside while he does it. If there are no contaminants, you and Hank will re-enter and assist him. If any hazardous substances are detected, you will remain outside. Once the environment is clear we can extract Luke and any samples he is able to take. From there we will have Ben, Yanna, and Sian attempt to devise a bio weapon and delivery vehicle." Lorn went over specific details of their plan. “Eilik believes that we can drill in, deliver the bio weapon, and disable the entity. We are hoping his insight is accurate.”

  “What if we compromise the integrity of the hull, won’t the RIP energy tear us apart?” Derrick inquired, worried about the endeavour.

  “Eilik has assured us that the vessel has made a molecular fusion to our hull. The hole will be free from any
stored energy.” Lorn’s words were both haunting and reassuring. They would be free to drill but hearing that this thing was attached so completely was difficult to grasp.

  "A lot of moving parts in this. What do we expect for resistance once we breach the hull?" Derrick was still struggling with the idea that the being would just wait for them to breach its hull.

  "Honestly, we have no idea. We will be reacting in the moment. It's not ideal, but it's the best we have right now. I don't want to be a prisoner to this... thing anymore." Hank had an anger in his voice, forfeiting his freedom was not something he took lightly.

  Lorn looked down at his CCD briefly, receiving a message. "You can begin whenever you are ready, Ben and Yanna have replied and are on their way."

  Luke, Hank, and Derrick all looked around at each other. Derrick started shaking his head as Luke stood from his seat. "No time like the present." Luke said as he led the way off the bridge. "All my equipment should still be in there from the attempt we made with the camera."

  "I am just going to grab a couple rifles." Hank said.

  "We have rifles on the ISO, isn't this a peaceful mission?" Derrick was surprised at how much information was on a need to know basis even on a mission like this. In this case, he was grateful for the unannounced addition.

  "One of the members of the Triumvirate insisted on having some form of self-defence onboard, Firk, I think." Hank followed Luke toward the exit.

  "Glad he did." Luke said. "Grab three."

  Derrick jumped up and followed the two of them off the bridge. They quickly transitioned through the main bridge corridor and into the galley. It felt odd moving through the ship with the explicit intention of drilling through the only layer of defense protecting them from the energy stored with in the RIP bubble.

  "On it." Hank replied as he turned to go down the starboard corridor. The weapons must have been stored in the security section of his quarters.

  Luke and Derrick continued to the engineering section. Passing both Nik and Kim as they were finishing their breakfasts.