Lieutenant JG Nera Ay - Reflections in the Afterglow
Jonathan
((Nera’s Quarters, Deck 5, USS Thor))
The first thing Ay did when he at last returned to his quarters from a very extended mission on Selene was deposit his cold and far too stiff uniform in a heap in a corner, and treat himself to a much-needed sonic shower. Not a quick one, a good long sonic shower, to scrub away every bit of dirt, and relax himself properly.
No sonic shower was complete without some heavy rock being played too loudly in the background, for Ay to belt his heart out to at the same time, of course.
When he eventually stepped out, turning the music down to a more public-friendly level, he then made his way to the rooms replicator, bundled up in enough towels to look like he’d joined a monastic order.
Next on the itinerary, a hot drink.
Nera: Computer, one large caramel machiatto, hot. Add a shot of vanilla syrup…oh! And cream on top.
The drink appeared on the pad a moment later, in a lovely double-walled glass mug, vaguely resembling a tankard. He stared at the liquid in the mug for a moment before his eyes drifted to the pile of swirled cream on top, and the golden lines of caramel syrup crisscrossing it.
He indulged in an entirely manly (definitely not) giggle, as he scooped the drink up and settled in at his desk.
Nera: Computer, begin Log
Medical Officers Log
Star Date 240210.09
First official mission aboard the Thor done and dusted. Survey a forested moon, in a region inhabited by two pockets of humans who arrived under mysterious means. Simple, right?
Of course it wasn’t simple, because the Prophets like to keep life interesting.
We found signs early on of potential genetic modifications made to everything living there; animals with strange physical traits, plants that shouldn’t be able to exist together. It was all too perfect and fantastical. Then we met Raeyen, who introduced herself with her gun, and the rest of the Gem inhabitants. A whole outpost of Nova Terrans that didn’t register on the shuttle sensors, who practising cloning to survive, all altered at some genetic level by a microbe that infests Selene.
Then there were the old labs. A group of Nova Terrans and New Gaians had been operating a weapon factory there, with captured science staff from Gem. No containment measures, no regard for the health of those involved whatsoever.
We found one man still standing in the old labs, Hamish Gill. I don’t think I’ve met someone in as poor condition as he was. And the rest of the lab staff? Stasis pods.
They’re in sickbay now, all forty-seven of them. The official breakdown is as follows:
25 Selenians
10 New Gaians
12 Nova Terrans
All those people, so sick that their choice was either to go into stasis until help arrived or stay aware until the chemical exposure eventually became too much. As for Hamish, I don’t know if I respect him for keeping watch and putting himself at further risk, or if I want to damn him for putting everyone at risk in the first place.
Duty calls though, and he’ll get the same treatment as everyone else.
The Selenians will take longer to treat than everyone else I think; just from speaking with Raeyen, Hayashi, and Zhao, once you build up too much of the microbe in your system, you almost become a part of the moon in a way. It’s symbiotic; they’re tied to it, and it's tied to them. I’m fairly certain even being contained within the Old Labs for an extended period was bad for them.
I’ll have to talk to Dr Saa at some stage, to see what we can do for them. With enough study and some genetic work, maybe we can start to undo the changes. I hope so, at least.
Nera: Computer, end log
Pushing away from the little workstation in his quarters, he swivelled around and around in his chair slowly, taking in the shambles that was the rest of the room. He’d gotten so caught up in getting to know new people and working across departments to try and mitigate any effects from the Tangle and long-term slipstream usage, his unpacking had taken a bit of a backseat.
He’d have to make it a priority, so it didn’t look like he was squatting in someone else’s quarters temporarily, at least put out a few of the fruit bowls.
This was, however, a later job. For the moment, there was mandated shoreleave coming up, which Ay was never one to turn down, and some more reading to be done. In this case, old ship records he’d come across when he couldn’t sleep.
Ay had indulged himself in being thoroughly nosey and had poked through some of the Thor’s old logs, to get a feel for the ship's history and those who’d walked the halls before himself. He’d quickly found himself engrossed in tales of chaos and shenanigans, all kicked off by one Wes Greaves, and the unofficial organisation it had sparked.
Perhaps, he thought to himself, wiping the cream moustache off his upper lip, it was time for the shennanigans to make a comeback.
Fin
Lieutenant JG Nera Ay
Medical Officer
USS Thor
G240106NA2
He/Him/His (Player/Character)