Alternative Views: The Starshine Dilemma

[Jishdefish]

"Everything has manual safety catches, so don't worry, they can get out." Luna must have seen something on the monitors, Raf thought, before we landed. Did some of the hull burn through? "All the same, the furthest out we should check first, I'm afraid this wasn't built for reentry, but we had little choice. "

Already the crew were emerging from their chambers, at least in this section. Raf spotted the boy--Willum if he remembered correctly--from the storage area. "Willum. Is the Quartermaster all right?" The boy shook his head and shivered despite his heavy coat.

"The virus, it claimed him, sir."

"Then you're the new one, I'd get back to the storage area and make sure no one steals anything. Get some of the Adventurers to help you if you must, they're the most trustworthy." Supposedly.

[Pandora]

Ah, well it's good to hear we'll be able to free them when the time comes to do so.Leon answers and then he turns to the crew member from storage, and starts rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

so the virus has taken those from that side of the ship as well? Hmm, that means there's a chance we could all have it. As it seems to be something to do with the stasis cells as that's the only way it could be so vastly spread. I should get samples of fluids, and air supplies used in the stasis cells to see if there really is any connection. We don't know who might be carrying this thing around or how it spreads, or really what it is even. So we need to make sure everyone makes the lest amount of contact with one another as possible. With so many people gathered in the stasis chambers, i just don't see how doing that is going to be possible.He frowns with the thought still puzzling him, and then realizes someone else had been talking to him as well.

Uh, I didn't exactly get the time a needed to count them all to be honest, at any rate the number of suvivers has probably dropped since the landing. You should go check that out while I collect the samples I need, and get one of these other crew members to see how all those in the stasis chambers have been fairing since the landing. I need a small briefing on the number of injuries, and the number of those begining to show symptoms of whatever is spreading around. better yet we better have those showing symptoms separated from the others if we can. ugh give me a second... Leon stopped talking and held his head in his hands for a moment. His head was aching worse the more he spoke. He quickly regathered his composure, and straightened back up as much as he could. Then he blinked a few time as he now noticed his vision was a bit more blurry than it should be. He reasoned the lack of blood flow from his recent enjuries was to blame and did his best to shrug it off.

[Jishdefish]

Raf glanced around. "Well, what are we standing around for, let's get to work." He marched off down the hallway, releasing the catches on the doors, so oddly placed on the outside. He didn't bother to check the condition of those who came out immediately after the door was opened, but peered in concerned when no one came out.

[Pandora]

ooc can someone else post on this please?

[Falconer]

I'm waiting for a way for my character to meet you guys. This is all stalled until Jish arrives.

[Jishdefish]

OOC: You could be interacting with Ethaena. But we'll skip ahead to get this thing rolling again.

IC: The exit airlock, one of many across the outer hull of the ship, scanned the outer air with an incipient buzz. The console winked green at Raf and opened into the confines of an airlock. Rafaelle wondered why the ship had airlocks, seeing as how the ship was not designed to be landed, but only for a moment, as he supposed the creators of the ship had to be able to access it, and a ship of this magnitude could have only been constructed in the vastness of space.

He stepped in the airlock, this one only big enough for one at a time, turned, and smiled to the rest of the crew. "See you on the other side." His smile was quickly replaced by an anxious frown after the door whizzed shut and the door behind him opened.

The raw sunlight blinded him. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust, not that there was much to see. The land was barren and scarred from their landing, charred black soil stretched for miles back down the valley. Raf turned, looking up at the towering almost-alien architecture that had been his home for so long and felt... relief.

He glanced back down as the whoosh of the first of the crew going through the narrow black doorway.

[Falconer]

OCC: Oops, I was actually kinda skimming, didn't realize you were posting as her.

IC: Jason nodded, making several rapid motions. Sarah translated for him, as only about a third of the colonists knew sign language. "He says the Element, if that is what this is, made a hard landing just over a ridge about a three hour walk from here." She glanced back at Jason, who shook his head and repeated one of the signs slower. "My mistake, not a hard landing, a... crash?" He nodded, and continued signing. "In all likelihood the ship's hull integrity has been - slow down, Jason, you're talking too fast - has been compromised, which means that we need to get there soon if we want to rescue the crew."

OCC: I'm just using Sarah to translate for now. Jish, how many of the Element's crew speak sign language?

[Corva]

LUna followed Raf through the airlock. "Whoa, did we do this?" she asked after seeing the charred land. She stoped suddenly, realising something. "Our ship was nuclear, right?"

[Jishdefish]

"Very nuclear. In fact..." It was Raf's turn to pale. " We're probably being irradiated as we speak. We were protected within the ship, but now...." Dammit, how could I have been so stupid... Raf stepped back into the airlock, and held out his hand to Luna. "It will be a tight squeeze, but we don't have time to waste."

OOC: 'Speak' sign language? Well, this new crew didn't have near as much time in a simulated computer environment as the Element's crew, so actually most of us will understand you, but very little of the Seed's crew will, so good thing Sarah is a good translator.

*playing Ethaena again*

"Do you think it was within our air containment field?" Surely not, they wouldn't be stupid enough to park that nuclear oven in the middle of the only livable piece of land on this whole planet, but then again, do they have much choice? The rest of the air isn't breathable...

OOC: I'm assuming you lip read, right?

[Pandora]

Leon woozily made his way to the medical lab. He figured now that the ship had landed he should pick up a few medical supplies so that he could start treating what he could of the enjured. While he tried not to let Erin see he was using the wheel chair he was pushing her around in as support as well.

When they made it to the med bay, he stummbled his way into the supply closet and came back out of it with a large assortment of different medical supplies and equipment almost pouring out of his arms. Then he put them all in a bio hazard baggy and placed them in Erin's lap for her to hold.

first we treat what's left of the crew then I'll help you care for your plants, deal?

[Ersska]

Erin had simply just sat in her wheelchair while everyone else buzzed around her. She listened to what they had to say but didn't contribute anything to the conversation. Finally, Raf and Luna left through the airlock. And Erin allowed Leon to wheel her to the med bay.

First we treat what's left of the crew then I'll help you care for your plants, deal?

"Deal." Erin helped with the medical supplies by holding some in her lap. She couldn't help but notice how Leon stumbled a bit as he went back and forth gathering supplies.
"Are you ok?" she finally asked. Erin wasn't one to worry about people, but for some strange reason, she had the urge to ask Leon.

OOC: Sorry about taking so long to post again. I'm going to be gone for the next few days. So I won't be posting again until around Friday.

[Falconer]

OCC: He doesn't have to, he's mute, not deaf.

IC: Jason nodded, and continued. "In all likelihood," Sarah translated, "The leak won't be too significant. If we get there soon, we may be able to either patch it up or, if the engines are still functional, fire them briefly to move the ship a short distance away, outside the field." Sarah added, "I think we'll need to break out HAZ-MAT gear. Do we still have any?"

[Jishdefish]

"Yes, they're in storage, but they won't last long against that kind of radiation. They were tailored just for residual x-ray radiation, not full nuclear radiation." She scratched the back of her neck, thinking, stopped, then spoke. "Unfortunately I'd bet the ship isn't going to be the problem. There are people on board, and it's likely that they are ill-prepared for this particular planet. The planet they were supposed to land on was C, not D. C may have been cold, but it was lighter gravity, and there was plenty of water and air. Here, as we all know, is much different. Everything we have we have had to work for. None of this was here by luck or chance, we made the air here, we brought in the water here. Those are our oxygen and food fields under the lake. We have a difficult decision to make if that ship is a ship and is from our native planet. They have no rights here, their contract is for a now-defunct planet, but at the same time they have nowhere else to go. What do we do with them? Take them in and die of thirst or hunger a few months or years later? Leave them to establish their own community within our air containment field, so they can start a cesspool of criminals and beggars when their small amount of stores run out? This is by no means a simple problem." Ethaena sighed, and sat. When she spoke again her voice was nearly hoarse. "Before we can solve that problem, we need more numbers. Jason you were the one who saw where the ship went down; I want you to assemble a team, with Sarah's help of course. You will infiltrate their ship by whatever means necessary to find out what they have and what they don't. It would help greatly if you review what little the history files in the public database has on them. Take some radios from the armory to report back to me when you're done and take the radiation suits, if you think they will help. If you get caught, ask for diplomatic immunity, and ask their captain anything you haven't found out already. As for the rest of you, who Jason doesn't choose, think hard on a solution for our new problem, for I will be doing the same. Whatever choices or mistakes we make today will likely affect our lives for a long, long time." Her voice ended on a dark note, and most of the community took it as a closing one and started filing out of the room.

OOC: Yes, I know most radiation suits are all the same now-a-days, but I tend to think that as specializations continue to develop in people and their studies, their inventions and clothing will follow. It's a future thing.

[Falconer]

OCC: I can't imagine how making a suit less usefull could be a good thing, but oh well... BTW, other than Alondor has anyone else signed up as part of this colony?

IC: Jason nodded. Turning he pointed out Alondor and a few others. "Okay, everyone," Sarah translated, "Alondor, you get the radios. Craig, you fetch the rad suits. I'll pull what data we have from out files."

[Pandora]

Er, well, it, it's nothing i can't work though at any rate. A few minor bruises, and a slight head injury. Ya-you should start thinking about what you are going to do about those plants, and worry less about ma-ma-me. Ch-chances are we'll need to abandon the ship because of the damage from the rough landing we just endured.
Leon answered while still gathering supplies. He was secretly hoping he wrong. If they did have to abandon the ship, it meant he'd need to find some way to remove his equipment from the med bay. In which case a good bit of it was built right into the ship, and would be close to useless without a large power source to run them.

Pushing the thought aside, Leon scooped up the last of the supplies he thought to bring and stared pushing the wheel chair to the first chamber that had been full of mostly healthy people. he only hoped that, this hadn't changed by now.

[Jishdefish]

OOC: Yes, Alondor is the only one, but keeping the group small helps you covertly, at least. I'm giving DragonRider a few days to respond before pulling Luna in the airlock with Raf. Poor Rafaelle, girls are so squeamish about getting in such close quarters with him.

[Ersska]

OOC: TA-DA!!! I have come back! Now all fun-ness shall resume!.

IC: "Abandon ship?! But what about everything?" Erin didn't want to leave the ship. The thought made her nervous. Everything she knew was on the ship. It was her home. Erin did not like the idea of migrating out onto the new (and most likely barren) planet. Her mind shifted instantly back to her plants.
"My plants! What do you think the soil is like? Will they survive?. . .Oh, I hope. . ."

[Pandora]

Leon stopped the wheel chair in it's tracks. Her sudden panic had reminded him of his own personal fears for one reason or the other.uh,ah, i, i, i da-don't na-know. I-i just think you should know it's a possibility we might have to deal with. TH-this ship wasn't built to do any k-kind of crash landings. If the crash damaged the hull, it, it means we're sitting in a nucular da-death trap.Leon told her trying to keep himself calm along with her. From the look on her face he was sure he wasn't helping at all.

Either way, we can't let the other crew members know about this till the captain and the scouting team gives us the news on what we're going to do next. Leon managed to still caution her as they continued on toward the first room.

[Corva]

OOC: I'm getting in the Airlock.

IC: "I'm getting in the Airlock," Luna said. "Being stuck in there with you is way more preferable to being stuck outside in the radiation." She paled. "Are you sure we're still safe in here?"

[Falconer]

OCC: I’m going to just drag dragonmaster’s char along for the ride.
IC: Jason met up with the rest of his group at the edge of town. After checking with each of his five group members, they set out.

[Ersska]

"Nuclear?!" The word only increased Erin's fear. She never liked technology, mainly for reasons like this. Her fear showed on her face, but Erin simply bit her lower lip and stared straight ahead.

[Jishdefish]

"Yes, the ship acts as a distributor, even if the coolant tanks are breached. More walls, less radiation breaching them. Well, not some types, but you get the idea. Better than direct radiation out there." Raf, in the closeness of the chamber noticed Luna's cheeks were red. He hoped it was more embarrassment than any kind of heat from the radiation. The door opened and cool air rushed in. He hadn't noticed such a temperature difference before, but none-the-less the conditioned air was welcome.

He turned to one of the closest rooms, a pod room that, like most of them, was empty, and pulled one of the laptops from beneath the bench. A map buzzed onto the screen and he pushed the talk button on his radio. "Everyone must exit at air-locks starting with C-1 through C-12. There is a risk of radiation poisoning at all other exits, the more towards the aft of the ship, the greater the risk. I'd also like Erin and Leon to meet me at Airlock C-8 before exiting. After evacuation, everyone assemble 300 yards away from the ship, parallel from Airlock C-6."

[Pandora]

With that the two ventured into the first chamber to find most of it's occupants where still strapped in their cells as he'd instructed them to before the crash. Leon had almost started to suspect the worst, until suddenly the room began to fill with chatter.

Just as suddenly as the chatter began, the man from before walked up to them.

I take it by the fact we arn't all dead, that the landing was successful. What do we do now doc? His gravely voice boomed calmly.

Well I'm mainly here just to check up on the crew in here, and make sure n-no one n-needs medical attention. Leon answered as calmly as he could himself. Since he met him, this man made him almost as nervous as the opposite sex did.

Sorry doc, you don't have any work in here. I've already looked everyone over, and they are all as fit as a fiddle. Will we be leaving this room soon? Many of the people here are in need of food and water, among other things.He told Leon rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Leon sighed and glanced off at the ceiling for a moment. While digging in his pocket for something.

Th-there is an emergancy r-rest room in the back of every ch-chamber. The head of each chamber has a key to it in case it needs to be used. S-since t-the ke-keys are all the same you can use mine. S-since i don't see your chamber leader around at the moment. You can have them all get water, clean up, and take care of personal needs in there. I'll have someone from the storage bay bring by rations later. M-meanwhile just have everyone stay put for as long as possible. What is your position on the ship b-by the way? If I may ask? Leon asked getting ready to leave the chamber for the next one with live patients in it, as he handed him a small key off of a key ring full of keys and door cards.

I'm second in command in ship security, officer Abern Oxford at your service ,Doc. The man reported with a grin, grasping the key firmly in one if his large hands.

Leon looked back at him with wide eyes. That explained at lest why the crew members in the chamber seemed to obey him so well. No one on the ship really wanted to mess with someone who was trained to know over one hundred different ways to kill a man. It made Leon very glad the man hadn't had any problems with being locked up before.

Well, I'm glad you are here to help us control the current situation Mr. Oxford. It was the only thing Leon could think of to say.

Just doing my job Doc. Abern reported back, still grinning from Leon's reaction.

Then suddenly Raf's voice came up over his wrist com.
But captain, what about our supplies, more importaintly the plants, and medical equipment. Are we really going to leave it all behind? Leon quickly replied after adjusting the signal on his wrist com.

[Falconer]

Poking his head over a hill, Jason looked over the crashed starcraft. That's an Earth ship, all right, he signed to his group. Alondor, you take Sarah and Devin, find out the extent of the Radiation leak. I will take Jonas to look inside the ship.
Jonas, a former military scout, followed behind Jason as they made their way from cover to cover towards the ship, their radiation suits hampering their progress. Upon reaching the hull, he boosted Jason up so the mechanic could reach the airlock. Jason entered a military access code, universal to all starships, and the outer doors opened. Both men climbed inside, and as Jason sealed the outer dors and opened the inner ones, they shed their rad suits. Cracking the door open, they slipped inside.

[Jishdefish]

OOC: Great job getting in Falconer.

IC: Raf tapped his foot as he waited for Erin and the doctor, members of the ship rushing passed nodding towards him as they went. "The gear on the ship for the most part was all supposed to be left behind. I know it seems odd to have so much heavy-duty equipment for use in such a small amount of time, but we were supposed to be in space for longer, if we would have taken the measured approach. As of now, we have little choice. Take what you can carry, ditch what you can't."