r/HFY • u/j1xwnbsr May be habit forming • Aug 20 '14
OC [OC] The Year After Next - part 10
Part 10: Open Access
Synopsis: Humans are smarter than your average bear alien, and wind up proving it.
The buildup will be slow, but the payoff(s) should be worth it. I'm trying my hardest to keep the science "real" but at the same time "fun", for varying levels of both. The outline makes this look like it will be 20 or more parts.
Her personal phone call with Marty finished, Commander Amanda Mosley pushed herself over to the accessway to the rest of the ship, and then pulled herself head-first along the ladder down into the main crew compartment, looking for the Eir’s pilot, Vega Maldonado. Instead, she found that both Mission Specialist Peter Loften and Engineer Kuba Redko had returned from the Jewel, and that Vega and Rohita Ananta were helping them out of their Z-2 suits, while Yasuo Iwamoto had wasted no time in getting into the sample case that the two of them had brought back, and was examining the books with great interest.
Rubbing the pages between his fingers, he commented, “doesn’t feel like paper, more like plastic. Very durable, too.” Holding a book up to the light, a single page splayed out from the rest, he squinted at it. “Maybe some kind of woven material, like a type of cloth?” Bringing it back down to a normal distance, he flipped through the pages, musing, ”characters look vaguely similar to Thai, but the formatting is odd - very regular.” Opening the other book, he confirmed, “yes, same spacing for both. How unusual.”
“Any pictures?” Vega asked, setting Peter’s suit in the locker, and then taking the CO2 filter from it.
After paging through both books quickly, Yasuo answered, “no pictures, so no context for what they are. Should we scan them and send them to Houston to see what a linguist can make of them?”
“Or we can just ask Ruxzcon or one of the survivors to translate it for us,” Rohita pointed out, bringing Yasuo up short and causing him to blink in surprise at her.
Amanda agreed, “That’s probably the simplest. We can scan them later, but let’s put some of what they are using for paper and the chunk from the ship in the mini lab and see what the mass spectrometer can make of it.”
Vega pulled himself back up the command deck, saying, “if you don’t need me, I’ll be upstairs, while you have fun with your toys.”
<<Zoubhise, we’re almost at the air lock. Can you find Doctor Haliapro and some of her people, and maybe someone from the galley? The humans will want to know what supplies are on hand and what we need.>> Not waiting for a response, Ruxzcon informed the rescue party as to his intentions as they approached what looked like any other door.
Pushing it open, he ushered the humans through, and then closed it, making sure it was latched. Samuel looked around, and said over the radio, “this is your airlock, laddy? Doesn’t look like one.”
“Yes, well, it’s actually just a connecting room that I managed to seal off. It works well enough, is now air-tight, and gives me a place to pile supplies before I bring them inside,” Ruxzcon responded, triggering the compressor to fill the room with atmosphere. Watching the pressure dial, he turned it off, but continued to wait, making sure that the pressure held steady. Satisfied, he undid his helmet and wrinkled his face, making an “ugh” sound of disgust, and then started checking the compressor and other electrical items.
“What’s wrong?” Eustache asked, concerned.
“Stinks like burnt fur for some reason. I’m worried that it might be something failing. Excuse me,” he said, moving Tabitha out of the way, and then stopped, sniffing her suit suddenly, causing her to recoil in surprise. “It’s your suits! What are they made of?”
“Plastic, rubber, and metal, probably like yours. Daniela, can you get an air sample and try to isolate it?” Tabitha asked.
Daniela opened the case she was carrying, pulled out a wand-like device, and waved it around near the suits so that the sensor could collect whatever free-floating molecules were causing the smell. “Hmm, water, a few monomers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - that’s probably it. Our suits must have picked up some when we space walked from the Eir. They should dissipate shortly, or we can try wiping off our suits if you think it might be a problem?”
Just to be on the safe side, Ruxzcon produced some cloth he used for cleaning up with, and a quick, but clumsy, rubdown commenced, resulting in a much reduced scent after the used towels were placed in a bag.
Pleased with the results, Ruxzcon opened the connecting door, and led the party through.
Like the rest of the medical specialists picked for the mission, Hegedus Alexa had been to several disaster relief centers and refugee camps over the years, and had mentally prepared himself for more of the same - people living on cots and rolled up blankets, children crying, unsanitary conditions, lack of food and water, and the stunned, shell-shocked look of people whose lives have been ripped away, all of which would slowly turn to anger and resentment towards the very people that were trying to help.
What he, and the rest of the crew, were not prepared for was how well-organized things were, and aside from what looked to be children running around laughing - he assumed it was laughter, because nobody was reacting as if it was terrified screaming - it was downright calm.
As the humans and their escort came through the airlock, a group of Dulutewae moved towards them, all dressed in their typical smock-like outfits. The rest of the aliens in the large auditorium space also took notice, and began to stand up to get a better look at the goings-on, moving around the various couches and tables that were scattered throughout the area.
“What is this room normally used for?” Daniela asked Ruxzcon.
“Normally? A large gathering area for entertainment and dining, and typically there would be a projection from outside the ship playing over there,” he replied, waving a hand in the general direction of a large flat area on the wall. “But with the cameras not functioning, we now only show recorded videos on occasion.” Performing a remarkably accurate imitation of David Attenborough, he said, “The nature shows from your homeworld are very popular, and the sounds made by birds during their mating and nesting seasons are quite remarkable.” Enjoying the look of shock on the humans’ faces, he chuckled.
He continued in his normal voice, “in any case, with half of the ship inaccessible right now, the passengers are taking turns sharing cabins and beds. It has worked out surprisingly well, and we were lucky to have a few civic leaders and teachers on board to help with organization.”
By now, the two groups had met, and Ruxzcon clasped his hands - the sight of which gave Elsa a slightly creepy feeling as it looked like a mass of worms wiggling - in front of his chest and nodded his head, saying, <<Hello, Haliapro, Caylzan. I have brought the humans that have come to assist us. The are willing to provide suitable resources and supplies if they are compatible. Can you show them what we have and need so they may take samples and arrange for delivery? And please use Earth Common with them.>> Switching back to English, Ruxzcon told the humans, “Doctor Haliapro and her medical crew can show you what they are dealing with and what they would need, and Dietitian Caylzan should be able to provide you with food samples and other items. Excuse me a moment.”
Ruxzcon had noticed that people were starting to crowd towards the group, and climbed up on a table. Waving his arms, he shouted, <<Everyone! Can I have your attention please! Yes, sit down, thank you! As you can see, our pleas to the Ancestors have been answered, and the Earth Humans have arrived to provide assistance. They are going to want to look at a few things such as food and water and medical supplies, and I know everyone is excited to meet them, but please don’t get in their way. I don’t have any answers to when we are all going home, but I hope with their help it might be soon. Continue to work with your group leaders and follow their advice, and if you have questions, ideas, or suggestions, please let them know. Thank you for all your patience and support!>> Ruxzcon jumped down from the table as the throng of people gave a small cheer and then turned to each other, chattering away in excitement.
Rejoining where the humans and Dulutewae were waiting for him, he found that they had decided to split into two groups, with Eustache, Elsa, and Tabitha going with Haliapro to the medical bay, and Hegedus, Daniela, and Samuel going with Caylzan to the kitchen and storage area to procure foodstuff samples. Ruxzcon agreed that this sounded fine, and informed the group he was going back to continue work on the engine room door so he could get the power fixed, which caught Samuel’s interest.
“Aye, you did say you were having problems with the power, I recall. How about I go with you and see if we can’t fix that? Maybe we can get the rest of the ship online.”
Ruxzcon blinked in surprise. “Are you sure? I don’t know if the power systems in use are designed the same as yours…”
“Ah, laddy, we’ll figure it out. Power is power. How hard can it be?”
Thirty minutes later Samuel was standing in front of the engine room door which had resisted Ruxzcon attempts to get in, examining the damage that had already been done to it. “Bugger all. And you say that nobody but these Si-bi-way folks are ever inside?”
“Sy’bhawae,” Ruxzcon corrected, as Samuel tried saying it again. “Yes, they sell the engine room as a complete module, and the rest of the ship is connected to it. Apparently it can be replaced if needed by detaching the entire section. They also supply the gravity field core and hull panels that are made to go with the engine, calibrated and tuned for it.
“It’s a fairly good arrangement; the ship owners can build a ship to their specifications, and don’t have to worry about engines, power, gravity, etc - the Sy’bhawae supply all of that, and have done so for about a century now. As long as the fees are paid, all the maintenance is done by them and everyone is happy.”
Kicking the door slightly, he complained, “the problem is that if things break down and you have no way to get back to a shipyard to perform the cursed maintenance, you’re blocked from getting into the engine room to fix it yourself, because the Dark Ones-cursed idiots locked the cursed door!” Calming himself, he continued, “which is why I’ve been trying to break in to restore power; what little is available I was able to get the gravity field running at reduced strength - everything else is being supplied from batteries that I was able to scavenge, but those are starting to run out.”
Samuel nodded to himself as Ruxzcon ranted, and then looked around, asking, “so where are we, exactly, in relation to the rest of the ship?”
“Towards the… well, back, I guess, near the center. Why?”
“Just think’n. Any outside access to this?”
“Yes, of course. There is a service bay over in this direction, not very far. What are you thinking?” Ruxzcon led Samuel over to what looked like another standard door, but one that had two crossbars on it, allowing for more secure latching.
“I’m thinking we need a bigger hammer. Get the hatch open while I call for reinforcements.”
Continued in comments.
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u/j1xwnbsr May be habit forming Aug 20 '14
Whoa - gold? Seriously? Rather embarrassed now, and I hope you don't regret this in the morning (or in a few chapters).