--that damned thing up! I can't hear myself think.
[Voice detected: Sandy Kroups, Phytology]
Kroups:
Just about--
[Internal klaxon suppressed]
Got it. What did we hit?
Pasani:
Hell if I… That, that makes no sense. Sandy, do you see--
Kroups:
What the… [sotto voce] my God
Pasani:
Steer us closer, and get those shutters down. We should be able
to see this--
Kroups:
Captain, recorder kicked on.
Pasani:
So it did. So it did. Guess this one gets saved for posterity.
We're transmitting from seed ship Melchizedek, serial
aught-two-nine-four, shuttle aught-aught-four, en route from
Beta Hydrii where the primary mission has begun for systematic
exo-panspermia. Today is--what is today
Kroups:
Monday?
Pasani:
[audible sigh] Um, year is 3782 local. Recorder insert date
stamp. [3782-101102-481553293] It's a god-damned Monday.
Kroups:
Sorry
Pasani:
We left the β Hyi system to backtrack our approach route. We're
investigating the loss of crew en route and looking for whatever
caused it. We had a few options for paths. Sandy, can you log
that part?
Kroups:
Oh, sure. Um, the anomaly that killed the doctor happened in
route, but we can't be sure exactly where in space it is now. If
we move backward along our route in absolute space, with
reference to cosmic microwave background radiation, that
position has been drifting by about 360km/s. If we assume the
anomaly is relative to the local galactic system, planetary and
stellar movement still push our target as much as 220km/s off
our original course. There's the risk that it's not stationary
which further complicates--
Pasani:
That's good. It's a shot in the dark. We're out here kicking
over rocks hoping we find a toad.
Kroups:
Some toad.
Pasani:
We chose a galactic-centric pathway and assumed a stationary
anomaly.
[PRESSURE LOSS DETECTED, overriding klaxon suppression]
Kroups:
SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT--
Pasani:
Get [inaudible] offline! KROUPS! KROU--
Kroups:
Got it! Damn [inaudible] snapped.
[Pressure systems stabilized]
Pasani:
I'm kicking on the sensor readouts. [sotto voice] stay on top
[inaudible]. There we go.
Systems voice feedback initialized. Suppressing log annotations.
Kroups:
That's not gonna get annoy--
SysVoc:
Gravity systems offline. Pressure systems report damage.
Pressure stable. Radiation levels above normal. Suggest chemical
intervention. Sonic abnormalities in hull.
Kroups:
Ugh, system, set feedback to change detection only.
SysVoc:
System voice feedback set to change detection only.
Pasani:
Did it say sonic? Like, sound? In space?
Kroups:
The field must be buffeting the hull and causing vibrations.
It's probably not--you want me to energize the shield?
Pasani:
No, no. We don't know how it would react. Let's get eyes on
things first.
Kroups:
The log, captain?
Pasani:
I'm gonna get these shutters down. Fill in the rest while
I work.
Kroups:
Sure thing. Ah, we, um, traveled back along the path, adjusted
for galactic stellar movements, like I said. We didn't encounter
anything unusual after the incident, so on the way back we cut
an angle to meet back up with the point. You know like this.
Pasani:
The damn ship can't see your hand gestures, Sandy.
Kroups:
Right, well, I mean it can, right? Sensors and--never mind. We
are heading back to the point of origin, traveling on
a hypotenuse, if that hypotenuse was also curving as space
continued to shift. Like a curvy triangle.
Pasani:
Reuleaux triangle
Kroups:
Is it? I mean, the sides don't all have the same curve.
Pasani:
Oh screw it. I don't know. Curvy triangle then. Can you release
coupler--yeah that one.
SysVoc:
Stability unit coupler A13 disconnected. Warning, stability unit
failure.
Pasani:
Okay, not that one.
SysVoc:
Stability unit coupler A13 engaged. Stability unit coming
online.
You don't say! Motha[inaudible]. SYSTEM engage filter, high
band. Let's see what's left.
Kroups:
My…God… It's a fucking star. How is, where, why aren't we
picking it up on sensors?
Pasani:
Ship log, we aren't quite back to the original incident point
but we think we've found whatever caused the trouble. Our
shuttle is parked not fifty million kilometers from a star.
Sandy, you know what class that is?
Kroups:
I mean, if it showed up on the fucking SENSORS maybe. It's
a ghost. I'm staring at it, but it's not--where the hell is it?
Pasani:
It's bright as hell, it's knocked out our gravity systems just
like any normal star, but yeah, you're right. I'm not picking up
any heat. Let's widen the net on the sensors. We can see it so
there's electromagnetic energy coming at us. What are the
readings?
SysVoc:
Sensor net set to wide-band electromagnetic spectrum. Storing
readings in one minute poll.
Kroups:
Jerome? Ugh… I think it's moving.
Pasani:
Don't worry. Stars all move.
Kroups:
No… I mean it's changing direction. Look. It's coming closer,
isn't it? Or it's getting bigger. I'm not sure which is worse.
SysVoc:
Sensor reading complete. No energy detected.
Pasani:
What?!
Kroups:
What?! Holy. There's nothing here, Jerome. The sensors don't see
it, only we do.
SysVoc:
Sonic hull abnormalities have increased.
Pasani:
Well the ship sure FEELS something, doesn't it?
Kroups:
I don't like this. I don't like this at all.
Pasani:
No. Not one bit. Look, Sandy. We thought we were off course
because of some drift in the gravity sheer. That's what
triggered the cryo interruption, right? Well, what if it wasn't
us? What if this thing did it all?
Kroups:
I mean, that sounds good and all. Very interesting, but a star
that our ship can't sense is creeping its way toward us. Maybe
we get out of here and talk about it somewhere else?
Pasani:
I came here for answers.
Kroups:
Yeah, and I'd like to deliver those answers to the others while
we're alive.
Captain?
Pasani:
What is it doing here?
Kroups:
Oh come on--
Pasani:
No really. We didn't see this en route. We can't see it from
β Hyi. We didn't even see it when we woke up. But it's here, and
it looks like it sees us, doesn't it? Something in there can
think.
Kroups:
It's a star--
Pasani:
Is it? Look at that. It's hiding from the machines but showing
itself to us.
Kroups:
Hiding?
Pasani:
It's intelligent, Sandy. It's trying to--shit. SHIT. Oh my god.
Sandy, oh god. [inaudible] [sotto voice] pipe it through--
SysVoc:
System reroute: Interpreting hull vibration through ship public
address system.
