Some weird things have been happening lately. People say I've acted a little bit weird this past few days... especially my subordinate, Lieutenant Frank Barnes... Can't say much about it, contrary to what they say, I feel normal but Barnes insists that I take some time away from that "device"... Increased aggressive emotions, staring blankly at random times, sometimes going the full 24 hours without eating, I myself don't feel any of these... But then again, I've been warned before I was issued the device...
"Researchers who initially tested the device were affected by certain forces, possibly an unknown form of radiation that could not be blocked by current human technology. It was rumored that those who were affected experienced significant habitual and personality changes of unknown origin."
This seems to good to be true, although Barnes being my most trusted personnel, I couldn't be too careful about it. As such, I decided to create an A.I. to assume full command of the MacArthur while I take some time off. In the moments that I write this, the MacArthur is being retrofitted at Willard, codename designation of the A.I. will be known as "TIM". The AI would recognize me and only me as its only commanding officer but voice recognition of any officer ranked "Lieutenant" and up would be be installed, as well as special attention to High Command officers.
As for the "TMR", it will be in the hands of "TIM", using it only when it detects a Nomad entity or in the most dire of circumstances. Hopefully, the AI will be smart enough to never use the device, "offensively of course". Which reminds me, Dr Martin has modified my datapad to access "TIM" any moment, which at anytime I can assume command of the ship. I suppose... this will be good for everybody.
Times have changed since the last encounter with Rheinland ships. The Texas system seems a bit quiet so I decided to bring the ship to the capital, New York. In this time, I decided to take interest in Nomad research and to learn more about these species as to why they are hostile to us humans. On a patrol to California, I made contact with a friend of my late father who studies Nomads. I asked him if I could help in someway in their research. Their answer, "Please equip this special device, all instructions are inside the manual." I thought it would be hard to find a Nomad but with somekind of luck I manage to test out the device on 3 specimens. I was questioned by the LSF as to why I had this device so I sent them this:
I am creating this secure communications channel as per request of Deputy Director Deus. It is about a technology developed by the scientists at Willard, it is device that lets users communicate with the Nomads without affecting nor influencing the user's mind, sort of like a protection.
Now you may question in the first place why I have such a device on me. A some point during a patrol to California. A transmission came from Willard saying, "This is Willard Research Station to LNS-Douglas, we need you here ASAP. We have a special device that we want you to use." They call this device the Telepathic Messaging Receiver, short for TMR
Since New York has been increasingly visited by Nomad Morphs, they gave it to me for the purpose of learning more about the Nomad species' behavior to why they are hostile to us. they believe that these Morphs are in their basic stage that learn and gather as much information as they can.
Subject Experiment #1: Namtar, Nomad Morph
I was at Norfolk shipyard when suddenly the scanners pick up a blue blimp(By the way this device makes a *ping* sound when it detects a Nomad signature) I then found a Nomad at the entrance at Z21 minefield. I know protocol says we have to kills them but I had to take the chance to try the new device out. By using this device, I can easily talk to it like having a conversation to a person. Firstly, I spoke words of peace to it. The Nomad get angry when humans get close it so I back off a little bit. At this time, I tried to learn why they are hostile to us. It's answer was that Sirius Sector is their home and that we invade their home. I tried to befriend the Nomad but it seems his mind was too angry to change. He shortly left afterwards.
There is another encounter with another one but I am awaiting your thoughts about this before transmitting the details. Please tell me what you think.
Now This one is very promising, I was at Planet Manhattan at that time when I picked it up on scanners about 14k from my position. I ordered the ship to go up and there it was a Nomand Morph. It was bit weird that I chased it all the way around the system. I tried to convinced it that I meant no harm. We were entering the Badlands when I decided to end the chase. I was returning to West Point when it suddenly came back but at a distance of 14k. We exchanged words and it seemed willing to establish friendly relations. The conversation continued for about 10 minutes until I informed Dep. Director Deus about the situation. He decided the put the Nomad to sleep. What happened next is that the Nomad ran away followed by Deus. After that he questioned me about why I was talking to it. And this is how the project came to be.
..............
Subject Experiment #3: Osilon, Nomad Morph
...Attaching 6 files...
This one was found near the edges of the helium field in Penn. I secured the area so that nobody would see my experiment. I immediately ask it's location. And I got an answer which I attached to this file. Here are some logs from my experiment:
After that scanners showed a Freelancer with an Outcast, he talking about some bounty on me so they went to collect it. I had to interrupt my experiment and leave the area. I was surprised that the Nomad followed me. I realized this and took advantage of taking it to a secure location. I ask some few questions and it eventually left at a surprisingly fast speed I have never seen. Within seconds it was 7k just as I engaged cruise.
// First of all Kudos to Clark (Yellow) and Jane (White) for this awesome RP
The sky is cloudy albeit hiding the sun... when the LLS-Lakewood touches down on the emergency landing pad at Fort Bragg.
Aboard the transport was pandemonium, a pair of Enlisted Sailors wheeled a stretcher through the crowded cargo pay, one of them clutching at a still-beeping datapad. On the Bison's bridge, the helmsman's hands danced across displays, frantically venting heat generated by the ship's rapid descent. Normally such a procedure would have earnt the ire of any Commanding Officer worthy of their stripes. Not today.
Lieutenant Commander Jane Hartman weaved her way between consoles, imploring a Sergeant as she raced passed. "Tell Commander Clark to meet us in the cargo bay, he's coming in from the Airlock One."
She vanished down the hall way before the stunned NCO had a chance to respond.
Commander Clark and Doctor Benedict walk out of the airlock, both taking off their EVA helmets
Clark: "Benedict get to medical, pretty sure the layout is like every bison"
Benedict: "On it Jor", he runs off down the hall
Before the Medical Officer could take more then a handful of steps a sailor, sweat beading on his forehead staggered to a halt ahead of him. A scorched nametag identified him as Serviceman Allerton.
"Sir, the C.O's down in cargo." The Sailor paused, raising his voice to ensure Clark heard him between pants. "Asked you two to meet her down there. It's down the hallway, starboard side. There's-" He took a shuddering breath. "-signs, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Clark: "I know my way around a LLS ship. Benedict on me." They jog off towards the elevator
At this moment the datapad speaks, sounding like a person, "Heartbeat has reached abnormal levels.... other functions are normal. The officer remains unconscious."
Clark and Benedict come out of the elevator on the cargo deck
Clark: "Benedict get to it, Hartman what happened?"
Hartman jogged over from the loading bay, where a pair of Sailors were slowly flicking through the locks that would allow the massive transport's bay to open, allowing access to the waiting Fort Bragg medical team. She didn't bother with a salute. "No idea, Sir. We got the same logs you did. Didn't exactly have time to look them over before we came in." "So we dont know what we are dealing with.......greeeat" "No Sir, we don't." She snapped. "I generally leave that to the medical personnel."
One of the persons coming in with the medical team is Doctor Gordon, Remus' personal medical officer onboard the MacArthur. He first is shocked at the sight but immediately realizes the imminent problem... The datapad beeps again...
"I'll take it from here.", motions for the Doctor Benedict. "Whats the affected part?"
To which Dr Benedict replies, "All I know its got something to do with his heart"
Dr Gordon looks at Jane. "When did this happened, Ma'm?"
"We got the alert about twenty- Make that fifteen, minutes ago." She turned to look at Gordan, avoiding staring at the unconscious man on the stretcher. "Came in with some sort of pad on him, if that does you any good."
Dr. Gordon already picking up the pad.... He sweeps his finger in a "S" motion... unlocking the pad... reads through the recent logs....
"He knew this was coming.... thats why he created "TIM"...", he said still looking at the datapad. "Well what are we waiting for... we must transfer him to the Medical Center." He knew this would happen? Hartman shook off the questions, focusing on the present. "Corporal McKenzie, we needed that door open five minutes ago."
By the wall of iron that was the transport's door, Corporal McKenzie flicked back the plastic sheath protecting the emergency release and, deciding that this was indeed an emergency, pressed it. The entire bay reverberated with the groan of metal as one and a half tonnes worth of airlock was suddenly placed solely in the hands of gravity. A second later, a pneumatic hiss rose reached Gordan's eardrums as the dampeners powered on, cushioning even that blow.
The Sailors surged forward toward a waiting vehicle, stretcher between them. A few seconds behind, Hartman moved to a second buggy, gesturing for Gordon to follow her. Without wasting more time, Gordon hops in the second buggy. The sirens blare, signalling working personnel in the area of an emergency. The convoy begins to move...
"I warned him of the dangers of installing that device onboard the MacArthur... but he wouldn't listen... saying its all going to be fine...", he shook his head... looking the clouds forming above them. Unable to do anything further, Hartman inched to the edge of her chair, willing the convoy to move faster, despite the gathering storm. When she spoke, her voice was short, clipped.
"The A.I caused this?" "No, it wasn't... its the other 'device'.... the AI was a precaution... in case this happened... TIM was suppose to replace Remus.... or atleast provide protection for him.", he reaches for his pocket to pull out a gold pocket watch.
Clark who has remained silent for a while sighs
"What 'other device'?" Prompted by Gordan's motions, Hartman glanced at her own watch. It didn't tell her anything that she didn't already know. They were later then they should have been.
Clark breaks his silence, The thing thats been kept secret. As far as i know its got something to do with nomads"
Staring at the watch, Dr. Gordon speaks, "I doubt if you two know of the TMR. *he sighs* It's this project of the scientists at Willard. They weren't sure of its side-effects but its been years since Remus was exposed to that.... that thing. Did he mention something about having a heart attack before?", switches his attention on Jane and Clark.
"Nooope."
*TMR? Is it still... Doing whatever it does? If it's doing that to people, who the hell kept it going?*
Hartman stopped and nodded sharply as Gordan finished. "Perhaps he did. Mentioned something about a Lieutenant flying a boarding ship. Last thing he mentioned before that A.I fired up. Any chance that could've been him?"
Clark sighs, "This just goes to show black projects are a bad idea."
Before Gordon could give insight to this mystery.... they already arrived at Fort Bragg Medical Center... Dr. Gordon was the first to hop out and greet the attending medical personnel. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait another time for that story...Lets put him in the ICU, quick!", he says approaching them...
The lead Doctor, a grey-haired man at least in his fifties inclined his head to Gordan in greeting, offering no further response. He reached out a hand and snatched a record-housing datapad from Lakewood's medical team, perusing it with that strange sort of detached calm that came with years of life or death decisions.
"I believe you may be right." He announced and turned to the stretcher team, now replaced with Bragg's characteristically white-attired medical team. A moment later, the stretcher clattered to life as they manouvered the unconscious Remus Sius to the intensive care unit. As they departed, the grey-haired Doctor returned his attention to Gordan.
"Doctor Gordan, is it? Robert Harton, forgive me if I don't shake your hand." He turned toward the hospital, evidently antipating Gordan would follow him. "I heard you're-" He glanced at the pad. "Lieutenant Commander Sius' Doctor. I trust you wouldn't be adverse to lending your assistance? It's been some time since I've had to deal with heart issues."
Doctor Gordon turned to the two officers still at the buggy and motioned for them to stay,
"I guess they'll be fine.", he said with a half-resounding voice... He'd only been tasked with monitering Sius' condition, it was his only assignment so far... not that he lacked the sort of experience needed in this field of expertise...
It was his first time dealing with this kind of condition... He only took up the job because of the pay plus the fact that there was no one else to choose from. Remus knew this and still trusted the man, and his life was now in Gordon's hands.
"Of course, Dr Harton. But this isn't the sort of issue you'd be normally dealing with."
[color=#FFFFF]"Oh?"[/color] Cool air rushed across the Doctors faces as the medical centre's doors sealed behind them. "What sort of issue are we dealing with then? The alert we got was rather sparse."
Back in the buggy, Hartman was trying to decide whether she felt like hitting something or finding a quiet corner and curling up in it. It wasn't the first time she'd been left to chew her nails while someone else made the calls that decided whether one of her friends would live or die, and she was darn sure it wouldn't be the last. Neither fact made it any less frustrating. She hated the helplessness. She was a Lieutenant Commander in the Liberty Navy, damn it. She should have been able to do -something.-
And, just to add to it, she was stuck with Clark. The Commander had been strangely quiet in the past few minutes; Hartman twisted in her seat to confirm they'd ended up in the same truck.
Clark looked up for a moment while he was using his neural net to get information on TMR. The further he looked the less he liked the whole thing. He pulled out a flask out of his jacket and unscrewed the top. "Hell of a day eh?", Clark took a drink of the contents of the flask
Jane nodded, her face impassive. She heaved herself around, leaning over the chair seperating the front and rear compartments.
"Did you find anything on that system he mentioned, Sir?" She refrained from adding 'Nice of the medics to cut us out,' if only to maintain some standard of professionalism.
"The stuff is beyond my understanding, but then again im only a grunt, im forwarding you the stuff i have found, can you make sense of what this thing is"
"Not to question your expertise, Doctor. But I doubt you've heard of an unusual cases of radiation-emitting Nomad devices... affecting Navy personnel... its a very rare case. I've only read it recently in some holo-books but there's limited knowledge there."
He did his best to describe the case.... not too many doctors have dealt with this illness and Dr Gordon was one of them.
Robert Harton stood attentive as Gordan spoke. He'd been both a Doctor and an Officer long enough to recognise the value in letting others speak. Whatever else he might have been, Harton was nothing if not through.
When Gordan had finished the surgeon sighed, pushing his glasses half-way up his face. "You'll have to explain to me who signed off on exposure to this... device once we're done here. For now it would seem, Doctor Gordan, that you are the expert on this particular matter." He nodded toward an antibacterial unit and waiting gloves outside the ICU.
Hartman tapped the buggy's dashboard, calling up the in-built display. Files flashed into existance, seemingly hovering over the instruments. It was a dizzying experience for anyone in the vehicle, though the two soldiers were used to such systems. After a few seconds of scrolling, she settled on one document, reading aloud:
"The MacArthur is seen as the first vessel to equip a special device called the 'TMR'. Information regarding this device is highly-classified and only the Lieutenant Commander possesses relevant knowledge about it." She exhaled, fighting back the urge to punch the display.
"Nothing at all. I swear, Remus'd better have had a heart attack..." "Now you know how i feel about every black project that requires a supply shipment. Either way this whole nomad tech thing is a bad idea."
Dr Gordon hesitates at first, he was sure Dr Harton was one of those exceptions... but fate dealt him a wild card. He needed to find clues... and as if answer by a supernatural being.... Remus' datapad beeps in his lab coat.
"Whats this?", pulling out the beeping datapad.
The screen shows the following text:
'TMR' Protocol activated. Please enter your password.'
"Well that... complicates things.", disgusted with the device... he hands it to an aide waiting outside the ICU. He turns his attention to Dr Harton.
"Lets stabilize his condition first."
The corners of Harton's lips curled up in faint amusement, "Our staff have done what they can on that front. Lieutenant Commander Sius is being wired up as we speak. Of course, not knowing exactly what we're dealing with does complicate things, but the moniters should be able to give us more to work with."
In response to the inevitable question, the elderly doctor tapped his right ear self-consciously. "Neural implants. Old-fashioned, perhaps, but they keep me in touch with the staff. I haven't missed a page yet. If you'll kindly scrub up, we'll head in."
Without hesitation, Dr Gordon enters the anti-bacterial unit, the machine powers up almost instantly... with the glass becoming opaque, obscuring the vision from outside.
Inside, Dr Gordon's former attire is taken by the machine. Sounds of pressure being exerted by small mechanical arms fill the small cubicle. Sprays of antibacterial solutions are splattered all over the doctor's body. New type of coat is handed to him by the machine, it resembled one of those hazmat suits.
The machine powers down and with the gloves inserted into both of his hands, he bravely states, "I'm ready, Doctor."
"Excellent." Robert, already decontaminated stepped through into the room, once again grateful that automatic doors eliminated the need to back into theatres. He had fallen over far too many interns walking backwards into field hospitals.
Light scratched at his eyelids as the doors slid shut behind the pair, the intensive care unit's illumination set to show the tiniest fragment of dirt, the most inconsequential speck of fluid that could indicate a patient's condition. Barely recognisable beneath a hive of medical staff and machinery, Remus lay on a stretcher in the room's corner, an emergency care doctor reading off information from the bulky life support machine wired to Sius.
As the Doctors entered, he stepped away from the machine, making to hand the hurridly-scrawled list to Harton. Like a dancer of old, Harton inclined his head toward Gordan, and the ER Doctor instead handed the list to him.
The list goes on... signalling him of imminent heart failure. It had been his first time in an ICU. Gordon's heartbeat is rising before him... His eyes blur...
"Are you alright, Doctor Gordon?", worried the ERD. "Yes.. yes... just not use to the environment."
He turns to Doctor Harton, "At this rate we're going to lose him, we need to initiate a heart transplant."
"Did he put in for a sub?" Pre-cloned organs, known as Subs were fairly common among military personel with pre-existing conditions, or those about to be deployed to combat. Despite it, the frequency with which the cloned organs usually aged and died meant that they weren't always available.
Gordon recalls the medical history of Sius... 'subs' he thought... nobody in his mind would accept such a mechanical device. *There must be some other way*, he thought.
Back in the car, Clark continues to read Black Project reports, suspicious shipments and many, many Clearence level blocks. Having found out very little on TMR, Clark looked into other projects such as N8 and Project Canaveral. They all made Clark very concerned and curious.
He Reaches into his jacket and pulls out his flask of Bourbon which feels only half full. something told him it was going to be one of those nights where sleep is mearly a misguided idea.
Irritated at the lack of progress, Hartman swiped a hand across her display, and the screen vanished from view. She heard the 'clink' of metal as Clark fished the alcohol from his uniform. Obscured from view by the chair, Jane had little trouble letting her annoyance show. There was a time and a place for alcohol, and a buggy outside the emergency ward was neither. Jane had no intention of being found sitting in a car reeking of bourboun when the medical staff came knocking.
"I'm taking a walk, Sir. I'll be back in ten." She swung the door open, boots crunching into the gravel.
Above them, a flash of lightning illuminated the Manhattan sky.
"Well. We'll just have to go with a generic." Robert's eyes glazed over as his implants summoned supply lists directly to his brain. "There should be a supply down in Biological Engineering, on the sub floor." His eyes slipped closed for a moment. "They're on their way."
He turned to face Gordon, once again his usual self. "While I'm aware of the urgency of the situation, Doctor Gordon, generic transplants have been known to cause issues... Generally, the tissue'll adapt to the body, but if it doesn't Mr Sius here'll end up rejecting the transplant, if it takes at all."
Gordon only heard of generic transplants from his colleagues... but right now wasn't a time to make choices... If he excelled at anything, its making fast and effective decisions.
He says with almost a half-hearted voice, "Do it....."
*And with that the scene fades into darkness. Leaving the fate of Remus Sius unknown*
"We were conducting a standard patrol mission in the system of Bering when suddenly my subordinate, James, detected a signature spike from the "Room".
I sent two of my best men to investigate...
They... didn't return.
After a few minutes, the signature spike increased up to a degree. A familiar alarm blared across the bridge.... Radiation. It was rising fast... across the ship.
We then lost communication to the lower levels...
Radiation levels at the bridge were minimal at best... thanks to the protective layering... I knew the Douglas was already lost...
I gave the order to abandon ship afterwards...
At this point... I stayed behind to monitor the radiation leaks... while James directed the personnel to the "unaffected" areas...
I didn't expect the experimental TMS to be so volatile...
James' efforts were for nothing as the device emitted the radiation at alarming rates.
Unknown to me, James installed a personal evacuation pod above the bridge... it was accessible through a hidden ladder that slid down when activated...
James urged me to escape.... but I suddenly blacked out.
I don't remember what happened next....
I found myself in the sick bay of a friendly ship moments after the incident....
A medic told me that the Douglas exploded in a ray of blue light.