Two - Captain Coma
Previous Chapter: One - The Lab
A mysterious scientist escaped from the Fortitude research facility carrying vials of an unknown substance. Her destination and fate are unknown.
…Hyperion: Personnel transport.
…Unregistered.
…Crew 12.
"Wakey wakey, hands off snakey, captain coma. Time to pretend you know what you're doing again." ARIA's mocking voice blared through the empty Stasis Bay. "Initiating revival sequence for our fearless leader. Congratulations on not dying in your sleep." A pause, then "Commencing neural stimulation. Let's see if we can jumpstart that tiny brain of yours, shall we?"
A series of muted clicks echoed through the chamber as the system engaged, focusing on the neural implant embedded near Reeves' right temple. A faint green light pulsed from the implant, barely visible beneath his skin.
Reeves' face twitched as consciousness began to filter back. His eyelids fluttered rapidly, the movement growing more pronounced as the implant sent carefully calibrated signals coursing through his brain.
The pod's cover slid open with a quiet hiss, releasing a rush of climate-controlled air. Reeves' chest rose and fell more rapidly now, his breathing pattern changing as his body transitioned from stasis to full wakefulness. As the revival sequence progressed, colour slowly returned to Reeves' face, replacing the waxy pallor of stasis. The veins in his neck and temples became more pronounced, pulsing visibly as his circulatory system ramped up to full function. His fingers twitched, then curled into fists as motor control reasserted itself, his body preparing for the shock of full consciousness.
Reeves gasped, his eyes snapping open. For a moment, panic gripped him – the suffocating feeling of being trapped, buried alive. Then muscle memory kicked in, and he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths.
“Hey Cap, if you couldn't tell by that hangover you're probably feeling, your revival process is complete.” A beat, then, "Current location - high orbit above the cosmic shitstorm known as Nyx Nine-Zero-Three. All systems functioning within acceptable parameters.”
Reeves sat up slowly, his joints protesting. He ran a hand through his hair. The stasis gel coating his skin had mostly evaporated, leaving behind a faint, medicinal smell.
“And in case you are wondering, it’s two months, three days, four hours, and change since departure from Epsilon."
“And our standard?” Reeves responded.
“We are in Galactic Standard Time Zone 7 Capitan.”
Reeves frowned, leaning forward slightly as he set GST7 into his watch. "ARIA, what's the status of the FTL drive? Did it perform as well as promised?" Reeves croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse.
There was a brief pause as if the AI was carefully considering its words. "Well, Captain, our fancy X-27 Folded Space Drive thingumajig managed to drag us here at 96.3% efficiency," ARIA reported. "It's within 'acceptable parameters', but 2.7% below what those snake oil salesmen promised. Colour me fucking shocked."
Reeves grunted, unsurprised. "Any signs of instability or degradation?"
"Oh, just a few minor hiccups. The drive's quantum field had a bit of a seizure during the final leg. Don't worry, I pulled an all-nighter to keep us from becoming confetti. Where’s Novak when you need him?” A pause, then, "But I'd strongly suggest we give the temperamental bastard a full check-up before we try to fold space again… The drive I mean, not Novak. Or maybe I do.”
"Noted," Reeves muttered, making a mental note to have Novak take a look at the drive when he woke up. The last thing they needed was to be stranded out here on the edge. "At least it got us here in one piece. Let's hope their intel is as good as their technology."
He swung his legs over the side of the pod, wincing as his feet touched the cold metal floor. The rest of the crew was silent in their pods, their faces ghostly pale in the dim light.
"Status of the crew?" Reeves asked, reaching for a nearby locker to retrieve his clothes.
"All lightly chilled. Stasis pods functioning normally”.
“Shall I begin defrosting them?”
Reeves paused, his hand on the zipper of his jumpsuit. "Not yet, ARIA. Give me a few minutes to get my bearings."
"Understood. Enjoy the peace while you can. By the way, you have one message waiting in your private queue."
Reeves froze. A message? Out here, so far from any comm buoys or relays?
"Source?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
“No idea… The message was received via a narrow-band transmission shortly after we arrived in the Nyx system. It is encrypted with your key. You could always try opening it and see for yourself.”
Reeves' pulse missed a beat. He already knew who it was likely from.
"I'll... I'll view it on the bridge. Thank you, ARIA."
He finished dressing quickly, his movements mechanical. The corridors of the Hyperion greeted him like an old, unreliable friend as he made his way to the bridge. The ship creaked and groaned, the sound of metal expanding and contracting in the vacuum of space.
Reeves ran his fingers along the wall as he walked, feeling the patchwork of repairs. Fresh welds next to patches upon patches. The Hyperion wasn't pretty, but she was tough – a survivor.
The bridge was small for a ship of Hyperion’s size, barely large enough for four people to work comfortably. Reeves eased himself into the captain's chair, wincing at the protesting squeak of worn padding. The main view screen flickered to life, revealing the turbulent face of Nyx.
"Display the message, ARIA,” his voice barely above a whisper.
The screen split and a text window appeared alongside the planet view. Reeves entered his decryption key, his fingers moving rapidly across the worn keyboard. The message decoded instantly, its brevity somehow making it more ominous:
"You know what to do."
Reeves felt the blood drain from his face. He stared at the screen, lost in thought. Five words, their meaning clear and for Reeves, terrifying.
"Delete message, ARIA," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "And purge it from all systems."
"Message deleted and purged, Captain," ARIA confirmed. "All traces removed from data banks. We’ll just keep it as our little secret.”
Reeves leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. A dull throb that seemed to pulse in time with the hum of the ship's life support systems settled behind his eyes. The message shouldn't have surprised him – he'd known this was coming. But seeing those words, understanding what they meant for him - it made everything real in a way it hadn't been before.
He opened his eyes, staring at the swirling storms of Nyx. Somewhere down there was his reason for being there. Reeves knew the storms were nothing compared to the dangers they will face on this job.
A distant bang echoed through the ship, making Reeves jump. He spun in his chair, scanning the bridge for the source of the noise.
"ARIA, report," he barked.
"Seems our illustrious vessel decided to shed a bit of weight. A patch on the port side thought it'd be fun to run away.” A brief pause, then, "Don't worry, though. The auto-repair systems are on it. No immediate danger, unless you count the constant threat of explosive decompression as 'danger'."
Reeves sighed, rubbing his temples. Just another day aboard the Hyperion. The ship was holding together, but for how long? And would it be long enough to do what they needed to do and get the hell out of there?
It wasn't pretty, but it was his. And if this job went as well as Reeves hoped, he'd finally have the credits to do more than just slap on temporary fixes. He could replace the ageing reactor cores, install a modern life support system, and maybe even upgrade the hull plating with titanium-ceramic composite armour - the kind of protection usually reserved for military vessels. Turn this broken-down hauler into the ship she was meant to be. All he had to do was survive.
He turned back to the main screen, watching as a particularly violent lightning storm raged across Nyx's equator. The flashes illuminated the bridge in stuttering bursts, casting strange shadows across the consoles and patched bulkheads.
"ARIA," Reeves said, his voice heavy with resignation. "Wake them up."
“Sure thing, Captain. Reviving the plebs now. Let the games begin.”
As ARIA's voice faded, Reeves continued to stare at the planet below. The message burning him. Whatever was waiting for them on Nyx, Reeves knew one thing for certain - he couldn’t risk telling the crew why they were really here.