The station administrator's office...
27 Nov 2020Synthya Wylder
He was torn between feeling exasperated with yet another complication in his already too-busy daily schedule, & his boredom with his usual routine leaving him starved for anything which might rescue him from it.He re-read the summary from his datapad of the development yesterday in the morgue. He thought, Well, this certainly qualifies! A frozen corpse found in an ancient life pod, suddenly coming back to life; & if that wasn't novel enough, speaking in some unknown language! He punched in the comms code... what was it again? Oh... there it was... & the last 3 digits entered with extra force.
"Morgue. Admin. I need to see you in my office right away." The face on the screen was half-covered in sterile medical garb, but her mouth moved with her reply. "Right away, Sir. A moment while I deconn." He nodded curtly, & then disconnected & leaned back in his chair. Despite it moving to conform to his body, his back ached, & his ass was sore from sitting. He thought, I really do need to get out more... & he considered the advantages of moving his office farther towards the core with its reduced 'gravity'.
Presently, his door chimed & he tapped the 'entry' key on his desk, & the medical practician strode in, the paleness of her face only surpassed by her hair, disheveled & nearly perfectly white from the frequent trips through the deconn chamber.
"So. Tell me, what's all this here?" He waved to this datapad. "Something more than what I've got here."
She drew a deep breath, then replied in her usual cool, professional clinical manner. "Apparently, some pilot managed to pick up what he thought was salvage, an ancient life pod. The design & form was unknown, nothing like what we use today, so he assumed that it was either damaged or at least, so old, that if it had anything inside, it would only be a frozen corpse." She paused for breath, then continued. "The dockmaster called Medical & they sent down a couple of orderlies, managed to get the pod open, & pulled the body out, & placed it in a bodybag, & brought it to me for examination & identification, so the next of kin could be determined & notified if possible, you know, the usual routine. We get them from time to time..." Her voice trailed off & she glanced down, averting her gaze.
He paused briefly out of the tradition of respect for those lost in The Black, then continued, spurring her on. "But, then things took an unusual turn...?"
"Yes," she replied, & drew in another deep breath. He could sense her distress, & stood up. "Would you like anything? Coffee? Tea? Something other than stims, perhaps...?" He gave a friendly chuckle.
Her face brightened with the thought. "Yes, yes I would, thank you. Something with caffeine, strong. It's been quite a day." He stepped over to his personal chef off to the side & tapped the keys selecting something special. Within moments, the exotic aroma began filling the room. He brought 2 large steaming Hutton mugs & placed 1 on his desk & handed the 2nd to her, which she welcomed with both hands, noticeably glancing at the rare mug. She inhaled the aroma & then sipped.
"Oooh! Void Extract coffee! In a Hutton Mug, no less!" She took a deeper draught, then continued. "So. What's the occasion?" She braced herself, expecting something significant.
"I have a special project for you. Are you as bored with your usual routine as I?" Looking over the top of his own mug, his eyes focused on her studiously, scrutinizing every subtlety in her expression. He wasn't the head Admin of the staton without good reason.