Generation Ship - Lycaon
09 Oct 2017Robert Phillips
Having just found the Generation Ship Hyperion, I decided to follow up on some others.My next lead took me to a Listening Post in orbit of LHS 1047 2. I scanned it and it transmitted the following data:
ANOMALOUS SIGNAL DATA
…Transponder Signal LYC-182-A Detected…
Matching Signal Detected. Alaunus. Time Stamp Predates Parameters.
…Alaunus… We are lost…two days ago..10…cure for…ship’s population…98%…round the clock…space…22…towar…Horae…quickly…do my job…For
now…
…Signal Lost…
This data packet had several clues: "Alaunus" (a star system), "10", and "22…towar…Horae…".
Piecing these together suggested the following: The ship was in Alaunus, most likely at Alaunus 10, and was heading towards Horae. The '22' mentioned could be the number of LS away from Alaunus 10 at the point of transmission - but was that 22LS, 220LS, 2,200LS, 22,000LS, etc...?
I decided to find out the old fashioned way - by retracing those steps.
I navigated my way to Alaunus 10 and targeted Horae. I checked my navigation panel as I flew in a straight line towards Horae. Since my Navigation sensors would pick up any signal within 1,000LS, I could see immediately there were no contacts at either 22LS or 220LS.
Nothing at 2,200LS either.
Then, at 22,000LS, I detected a signal - Generation Ship Lycaon!
I locked it in, dropped out of SuperCruise, and saw this:
This far away from any star makes ambient light levels extremely low, so it was very difficult to get a good look at the vessel.
The ship had 5 ship log uplink points. I scanned them with my Data Link Scanner to receive the following logs:
CONTAGION 1/5
Physician’s Log 2379/2
Nothing out of the ordinary to report. Minor injuries, aches and pains from the more vulnerable crew members and the usual bout of influenza you’d expect with so many people living in such close confines. It seems the current strain of influenza is becoming resistant to the vaccines we’ve developed on board.
Only thing of note was a minor injury to one of the survey team. Gottleib sustained a minor laceration. He was taking a mineral sample on a nearby asteroid. The suit got breached but he managed to apply an emergency seal before anything serious happened. I only hope the sample he took was worth the scar it’s gonna leave.
CONTAGION 2/5
Physician’s Log 2381/8
We have an emergency. The strain of influenza infecting the ship has become completely resistant to any vaccines or treatment we can find. 13% of the ship’s population has now succumbed to the infection and so far eight have died. I’ve initiated emergency measures and quarantined the infected. The epidemiologist, Doctor Munroe, is working round the clock to find a solution – I’m sure she’ll come up with a cure before long.
CONTAGION 3/5
Physician’s Log 2463/5
Doctor Munroe made a discovery that has filled me with dread. This contagion doesn’t derive from the influenza epidemic – it’s altogether more alien than that. The contaminant has no human origin – it comes from Gottleib, the scientist who was injured a few days ago. Whatever mineral he was taking a sample of must have got into his blood. It’s mutated into some kind of virulent pathogen. Munroe is unable to isolate the microorganism that’s causing it. It spreads… fast. Quarantine hasn’t worked and people are starting to panic. We’re doing our best to come up with a counteragent but I’m not sure we have the resources…
CONTAGION 4/5
Physician’s Log 2499/9
We are lost. Munroe died two days ago and any chance we had of finding a cure for this epidemic died with her. Half the ship’s population is already dead and 98% of those remaining are infected. Teams are working round the clock to vent the bodies into space but they’re piling up so quickly… The riots haven’t helped. People are panicking, angry, don’t know what to do. When you see your family die I guess you just get desperate.
I don’t know what to do. Suppose I should do my job but it’s no use. At least I’ve avoided infection. For now…
CONTAGION 5/5
Physician’s Log 2501/7
I knew I wasn’t going to avoid contracting this thing forever… I’m one of… one of the last. This place is so quiet now. It used to teem with life and now… now there’s just silence along the empty corridors. I should probably go for one last walk… while I still can…
All hands lost - no survivors. I left to pursue my next lead...