89 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
89 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
Message Incoming...
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Source Melchizedek.0294
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Approach β Hyi
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Ascension 00h 25m 45.07036s
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Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″
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Distance 24.33ly
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Equinox J2000.0 SOL
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Year 3781, QEC adjusted
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[Autotranslator enabled...]
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Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master
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:::
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I can report with some satisfaction that all conscious crew have
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regained enough muscle mass to return to full duty. This is no
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small feat so soon after abbreviated cryo and it reflects the
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excellent personal character of each of our officers. Adeyemi, in
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particular, deserves special acknowledgement. I previously
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remarked that her own specialty does not provide appropriate
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experience for our present circumstance; which, as it seems, only
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belies my own ignorance of her training. Prezzi Adeyemi is an
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accomplished chef--a byproduct of her training for the Rhetorical
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Ecclesia--which has helped us to identify our fungal infestation
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in the cryo bay. Having a fully trained exo-mycologist could not
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have helped us any more.
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The stow-away is a form of acrasidae, a slime mold. Our best guess
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is that a few spores found their way through decontamination
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procedures at launch. The lengthy darkness, ambient heat, and
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condensation on the surface of the pods created a fertile
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environment for it to flourish. The best news of all is that the
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slime is harmless and should be easily cleaned away in short
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order. Adeyemi is consulting our database to see if there's any
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use for the biomass before we eject it. Perhaps we can salvage it
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for nutrient use in our hydroponics.
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Speaking of hydroponics, here Dr. Idjani has more concerning news.
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Our systems are automated and the harvesting of organic matter
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from the botany systems should be relatively straight forward.
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These systems have been used commercially planet-side and in
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long-distance relativistic travel for centuries even prior to our
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own launch. What we're experiencing is, to use the doctor's words,
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"unique."
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Of our dominant crops, arabidopsis and radishles (a fruiting
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hybrid) have both shown unexpected mutation. There is an abundance
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of nitrogen in our atmosphere as a result of whatever processes
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they have undergone; we haven't pinned down exactly what that is
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yet. The ventilation systems need to be purged and oxygen recycled
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back in a more appropriate mix. I had failed to mention the crew's
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experience of headaches in my last message having assumed it
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related to early thawing from cryo, but now it seems suspect.
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We're all taking in extra oxygen during rest to avoid additional
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issues. The doctor says it's good that the full crew were not
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brought out at once. The oxygen levels would have been dangerous
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for that many conscious crew at once. We got lucky.
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The food that arabidopsis and radishles would normally produce is
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suspect as well. We're on rations already since we shouldn't be
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awake yet, but this will be an added complication and something to
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address. Finally, the mutation was not caused by replication error
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as in normal mutation. It seems that several specific protein
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readers were adjusted in similar ways across the genome of both
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plants. We've also found similar markers affecting four other
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species which did not result in a visible mutation. Whatever
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happened to our greens was done en mass and with precision. We
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haven't ruled out human interference, possibly by some saboteur
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before launch. Honestly, I hope that's the cause. I don't want to
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think of what it could mean otherwise.
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In terms of navigation, Hämäläinen and Janssen have plotted
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a gentle course correction that will have us back on track over
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the next three weeks with only minimal impact on our energy
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reserves. The reserves are precise; however, and the energy must
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be balanced elsewhere. As much as it pains me, I've placed orders
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across the ship that habitat lighting and heating be kept to
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a minimum. We will have to use personal heating and lighting
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equipment for the next three weeks. Solar lamp time is mandatory
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for all five of us to avoid psychological impact, and Idjani has
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distributed a vitamin mix to help augment our diet.
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The cold and dark are nothing new, but such an extended period may
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cause feelings of isolation and depression. The crew is paired up
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for the duration at my order: Hämäläinen & Janssen, Idjani
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& Adeyemi. As warrant officer, I'll be treating the QEC as my own
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confidant. May the stars see us through this safely.
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.
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