Do we have like a hazmat suit or something? I want to play with the puppies but also not die. Also request a book on veterinary medicine since we have a pretty small breeding stock as is.
Envirosuit is best hazmat suit around here. Too bad those don't have electric insulation. You could make a rubber suit, but that would be rather uncomfortable. Or you could request engineers to integrate a faraday cage into envirosuit. That would take a while anyway.
Book requested. Remind me about it on next turn.
And now Mk3 pups join The Mind. You explain them in great detail why they shouldn't be shocking others. You are not sure if they understood it correctly, but at least they have now access to knowledge of Assholium Rectumas about controlling electricity.
Name the snakes, Andrew`s Anormal Snakes and the rat can be called a Spaceus Rattus. Also, continue researching the Crimson Birds, Snake, and Rat recording any sounds they make and showing them various pictures and videos of earth animals to see their reactions.
(Unless someone contacts me, I`m going to keep playing like I have no idea what is happening outside the lab.)
Names entered into databases. You'll be famous at this rate. For naming animals you had nothing do with.
You set up camera recording, flip open and expand your wrist computer and start playing the few videos you got. Animals observe what you are showing, but make no sounds. They have been remarkably quit for a while now.
Research the snakes.
Helios has made a mess out of snakes. Their organs look weird and are in odd places. Bone plates are as durable as one would expect from bone blates; good, but nothing special. However true difference comes from its cell structure and dna. It is still carbon and water based like everything else, but that's about all what is common between snakes and rest of life forms here.
Even on Earth all life forms adhere same basic system all over the globe, and even on this planet things follow similar if not identical system, but this snake has complete unique system. It makes you wonder if it is truly native life form to this planet... Considering you got an alien structure of similar shape as your ship makes it very realistic possibility.
Wait for my out of body experience to end.
...Fine.
You dodge an adventure about to hit you on face and wake up on infirmary bed. Your forehead itches.
Once the other members of the team finish examining the pillar, propose the team head upwards into the construct. Assuming more standard methods of ascension don't work, send a crew member up on the floating tool platform to get a rope anchored up there.
"Oh...Oh wow. So BAQ-3 was The Mind? Or was it merely an unrelated bacteria? Regardless, once I get to base, I should be able to isolate the bacterium causing The Mind, create an infectious sample of it, and administer it to the staff claiming it's a mandatory vaccination."
Also, check if The Mind knows anything about the construct.
"Yes, I believe BAQ-3 might be my true nature. It's unconfirmed, but matches with spread pattern. I suppose a vaccine created by chief doctor wouldn't cause any opposition. Being authorative figure and all...
As for this construct, I know nothing. Granted, my memories span only few tens of thousands years and is mostly all about what non sapient animals care about; annual weather patterns, where's plenty of food and drinkable water, what is edible and what not.
I'm currently looking through the globe for hints of additional discoveries of similar nature."
As soon as archeologists switch their tools you mention the gap above. They look up and grunt. "I'm not going to fit through that hole" one says, and true enough, three of them are too big. Not fat, just too big. They pull number of shaped metal rods from their pile of tools and start constructing ladders. The ground being covered in pieces of ex-stone ceiling makes it slightly hard to place the ladder in stable position. Two guys have support it while others climb.
Study the way in visually then when the others are ready start climbing.
The pillar is smooth and so is the ceiling. There won't be any spots for you to grab a hold.
Ladder is up so you climb up and look into the gap. It seems to continue upwards in exactly same shape about three meters and the pillar even further. You wriggle into the gap that's barely wide enough for you. From there you pull your grappling hook into better position and launch it into darkness above. It makes loud metallic clang when it hits on something, another clang a moment later and third one when you pull the rope tight. It feels secure enough so you drag yourself up and out of the gap.
You find yourself in a room. Floor here is covered by about 5 cm thick layer of easily crumbling stone. The pillar continues up into hole in ceiling in four or five meters above your head. The hole is only marginally larger than the pillar within it. A massive mechanical arm only meter above the floor is squeezing the pillar, and another one on opposite side of the pillar is laying on ground, its large "fingers" wide open. Your impression is that those things would be used to pull the pillar up.
Your grappling hook was caught on a... walkway on northern wall. It is nothing but a metal mesh raised about two meters above floor, reinforced along outer edge with long continuous strip of metal. On side of open room is a pipe nicely on waist height to provide something to hold on. On western end of walkway is simple ladder where you can climb up onto this walkway. On opposite end is a door.
You give few experimental tugs to the machine holding the pillar. It feels like welded on place, so it is good spot to tie a rope on. With that done you tell the people to climb up and climb yourself onto the walkway. The mesh it is made of is much sturdier than it looks. You walk to the door and study the panel on left side. It has two buttons, both corroded. Each button has series of symbols engraved on it, made fuzzier due corrosion, but still readable.
Pendle, Cromwell, Briana, Nevaeh and two archeologists climb up into the room.
What about Arrow? Will you have her lifted up here? Or...?
Meh. Get suited up and go join the expedition.
Perhaps you want to bring something else as well?
Anyway, distance and traveling times can go where sun doesn't shine this time. You are with the expedition group now, gawking at exactly same thing they are.
Geo 2 crew:
Cole Schultz
Micah Mays
Hanna Castaneda
Briana Molina
Nevaeh Brock
Erick Gordon
Bio 2 crew:
Jonathan Pendle
Mark Redtail
Cromwell Jackson
Arrow
5 archeologists
Currently we have following samples on ship:
* Large four eyed birds. (7 dead) (Studied)
*
Aquatic creature. (1 dead) (Studied)
*
Biggus Dickus (2 dead). (One studied)
** Possibly contaminated blood samples.
** Additional set of blood and tissue samples from female Biggus Dickus.
* Grasshopper-type insect (1 dead). (Studied)
*
Green/pink flashing insects. (3 dead) (Studied)
*
Assholium Rectumas. (6 dead) (Studied)
*
Helios Crimson Attack Birds (2/3 alive) (Partially studied)
*
Andrew`s Anormal Snakes (1/3 alive) (Partially studied.)
*
Spaceus Rattus (1 alive) (Studied)
Author
Topic: The Mind: Day 4 - Finale (Read 112531 times)