Lost In Space: A Venomous Encounter
15 Nov 2023Silvia Sharpe
"WARNING! Core system malfunction detected."'Venus. What the hell did you do?'
"Silvia, I do not think it was anything Venus did. This seems to be a direct result of the damages sustained during the crash landing."
"WARNING! Core systems damaged. Powerplant overload detected."
"WARNING! Temperature levels rising! Immediate Shut down required, detonation imminent!"
'Gah fuck! June shut it all down!'
Venus hurls her wrench at the engineering bay wall as the powerplant shuts down. The wrench echoes with a clang and clatter, bouncing off the wall. She folds her arms across her chest, pinching the bridge of her nose with her right hand. After a deep breath, she runs her hand down the back of her neck and places one hand on her hip as she walks out of the engineering bay. Cautiously, I follow her down the dimly lit corridors.
In the galley, bathed in the warm red glow of emergency lighting, Venus takes a seat. I join her shortly after, heading to the kitchen to grab a cup and pour some juice. Settling down next to Venus, I take a sip of the apple-flavored drink and gently hold her left hand with my right. Locking eyes with her, a concerned expression on my face.
'What happened down there?'
'I wish I could say for sure. I thought I had enough of the powerplant wired and repaired. We just need to get that damned powerplant to handle all core systems. It is taking significantly more resources to repair than initially thought. June is reporting the powerplant to be at 60% health and it can barely handle life support and thrusters. The moment FSD is turned on it overloads and goes into melt down. Good thing is the limpet drones have sealed the major hull breaches.'
'I'm sorry dear. I wish I could be of more help to you. I have made and interesting discovery about the plant life based on the samples you brought me from the last trip out.'
'Haha. You certainly know how to lighten the mood Silv. What did you find out?'
'Bioluminescence!'
'What?'
'Sorry. The plants use Bioluminescence for a light source the ground here contains extreme levels of nutrients. Likely due to the nearby volcano leeching nutrients into the ground through the plant ash. In other words this planet is completely biologically self sustaining. There are a few magma pools nearby that likely erupt and burn down some of the plant.......'
I am interrupted by June mid sentence catching both myself and Venus off guard.
"Sorry to interrupt your explanation. But I have managed to finish decoding the jump scrambler you found. The information contained within is disturbing. I do believe you two should come take a look."
Venus gazes at me, lifting her glass. Taking a sip, she rises and extends her hand. Amidst the chaos, this notification from June serves as a welcome diversion. Perhaps, at last, we might glean some answers about our unexpected presence here, or even uncover the identity of those behind this setup. I stand, albeit slowly, wincing as my stomach muscles contract, aggravating my stomach wound. Venus and I slowly make our way to the briefing room nearby to see what June had managed to uncover.
****
The familiar hum of the power plant reverberates through the ship as June successfully restores its functionality. Lights flicker back to life as Venus and I step into the briefing room, the air instantly growing cooler as the recirculation system kicks in. In the middle of the room, the holo projector springs to life, casting an eerie glow as June transfers an unusual display. The projected information reveals telemetry data depicting a hyperspace jump, ending in a precarious location.
'June why is this jump data showing the exit point inside of a star? Typically one would exit near the star not inside of it.'
The look on Venus face is of pure concern, then after a brief moment utter relief as she realizes the jump data was meant to drop us in a star during a hyperspace jump with our FSD at below 40% integrity which is 5% below where it sat prior to our randomized jump.
"You are correct in that thinking Venus. This jump was supposed to drop us into the middle of a star. Thankfully the severity of the malfunction we had experienced was lessened due to bad coding on the installers part. When we attempted to activate supercruise the jump scrambler malfunctioned and sent us on an unregistered and technically unauthorized jump into hyperspace."
'Unauthorized? What exactly do you mean by that?'
I catch myself interrupting June's explanation, immediately feeling a sense of embarrassment as the words come out.
"Unauthorized meaning it is against pilots federation regulations. The jump was initiated without a destination plotted, meaning we could have ended up anywhere. That being said we had probably the best case scenario for this jump. We exited near a planetary body versus inside of something."
'Like a star.'
"Yes or inside of another ship. The point being we could have ended up in a terrible position. The moment that jump was initiated everyone and everything within Memento Mori's jump range was a threat to us, and we were a threat to them."
The tension in the air becomes palpable, the weight of the information bearing down on us. The idea of being an unseen, unwitting nuclear weapon is deeply disturbing. I take a seat, leaning back and placing a hand over my face. A heavy sigh escapes me as I contemplate the myriad possible outcomes, each one more ominous than the last.
Venus takes charge, selecting the next segment of the data. Anomalous trajectory information and a gravity spike just before exiting witchspace unfold on the display. Sensor malfunction readings and diagnostic failures vividly depict the exact moment Memento Mori emerged into this enigmatic location.
"WARNING! Perimeter breach detected. Unknown Lifeforms approaching."
The warning breaks the silence and bringing the meeting to an abrupt end. Venus looks at me briefly before rushing out of the room.
****
Melli stands defiantly at the top of the boarding ramp, growling and puffing up as four calf-sized creatures approach the ship. These creatures exhibit sleek, jet-black exoskeletons that shimmer with an otherworldly luminescence, casting an eerie glow in the subterranean darkness. Their bodies, reminiscent of insects, are streamlined and agile, equipped with six spider-like legs facilitating swift and silent movement through the caverns. Menacing arachnid fangs protrude, capable of injecting potent venom into their prey. Bioluminescent patterns on their exoskeletons create a mesmerizing display, serving both for communication within the pack and as a means of intimidation.
Venus makes it to the top of the boarding ramp just as the first creature plants one of its long spider-like limbs on the bottom. Melli emits an aggressive, threatening growl and bares her teeth. The first creature flashes vibrantly, prompting the other three to dart off to the sides of the ship. Venus raises her rifle, aiming at the creature's venom-dripping mouth. As the creature lurches forward, Venus unleashes a barrage of rounds into it. The beast screams in pain and anger, rushing towards her. Melli leaps into the air to get onto the creature's back, only to be met by another creature's long, spindly leg striking out.
Melli is sent flying and crashes beside the boarding ramp. Another creature rushes towards her, but the fluffy ball turns to face the new aggressor, leaping into its face with teeth bared and claws outstretched. Melli clamps down with powerful jaws, shaking her head violently to tear off a chunk of the creature's tough exoskeleton. Seizing the opportunity, she bites repeatedly, tearing the hole wider. The beast screams in pain, attempting to rid itself of this ferocious furred assailant.
Venus fires at the first creature again, pausing to reload her rifle, giving the creatures an opportunity to close in on her. The second one crawls along the belly of Memento Mori, dropping down behind Venus just as she peeks around a crate for another shot. The creature bites onto Venus's shoulder, only to find her prey has a strong, external armor-like hide. Confused, it releases the bite and tries again. Venus pulls away, her arm caught at the elbow, tearing off the armor plating. As she breaks free, she tosses a grenade at the creature, leaping off the boarding ramp to avoid the explosion. The blast tears the armored enemy into pieces, causing the remaining creatures to panic and flee. The creature Melli had been attacking drops suddenly, a large gaping hole in its head. Worried about the little fox, Venus cries out for her.
'Melli! Mellita! Where are y.....'
The little fluff ball pops her head out of the hole, every strand of her beautiful white coat now covered in gore and viscera. Melli squirms out of the opening she had created and proudly sits on the creature's head, her gore-soaked tail wagging happily. Not a moment too soon, the ship's defensive turrets activate and fire into the distance, accompanied by screams and screeches, a volley of violet tracers illuminating the scene. A tingling sensation courses through Venus's right arm as she and Melli cautiously ascend the boarding ramp. Her vision blurs upon entering the airlock. Venus hurries to the emergency bay, swiftly removing her armor and sublayer, revealing a necrotic puncture wound already present.
'Shit! June I need a toxicology report ASAP. Inserting a sample now.'
Venus swabs the oozing liquid and places it into an analyzer. She rushes to the washing station, pouring soap on the wound, diligently scrubbing and carefully rinsing intermittently.
"Venus, there are five insectotoxins: α, β, γ, δ, and ε-LIT, with respective molecular masses of 420, 440, 420, 410, and 410 kDa, one latrocrustatoxin, α-LCT (420 kDa), and one vertebrate toxin, α-LTX (430 kDa) present in the sample you provided."
'June, what the hell does that mean? I'm not a biologist.'
"Black widow venom. You need something to counteract Black widow venom. Resources also show you should take a mild painkiller."
Venus rushes to the medicine cabinet, a wave of crippling pain washing over her from the venom, finally overcoming her adrenaline. She collapses, shelves and pill bottles tumbling down onto her. I enter the med bay, witnessing her collapse, and gasp.
"Venus! June?"
"She appears to have been bitten by something with similar venom compounds to a black widow. Though the concentration is much higher."
'Shit, okay.'
I rush over to the venom cabinet, shifting around to find a vial of black widow antivenom.
"Normal dose of antivenom will not work for this concentration. We will need a sample of the creature's venom to create a proper counter."
Melli's ears perk up at the mention of a venom sample, and she darts out of the lab. She rushes to the lifeless creature, halting in front of its open jaw. Fixing her gaze on the dripping fangs, she seizes one of the large fangs with her mouth. With determined vigor, she tugs and pulls until the fang finally yields, bringing forth a small sac brimming with venom. Confident that she has what's needed, Melli races back to the medical bay on board the Memento Mori, taking care not to prick herself with the sharp, venom-filled fang. I glance down as Melli scurries back in, dropping the fang on my boot. Squatting to retrieve it, I examine it closely and swiftly grab a syringe to extract a venom sample while it's still fresh.
The yellowish liquid fills the syringe, swirling and appearing to boil vigorously. Venus, managing to overcome a wave of pain, clambers onto the operating table. I insert the venom-filled syringe into the lab synthesizer, anxiously awaiting the creation of the antivenom sample. Venus writhes in pain, the venom coursing through her veins, her wound ablaze with intense agony. Each passing minute feels like an eternity. While the venom may not be immediately fatal, the urgency is clear—delay could result in Venus losing her arm if the antivenom isn't administered promptly. Her potentially losing a limb out here would not only hinder our repairs but also leave us vulnerable to further attacks from those insectoid creatures.
****
"Silvia the serum creation is completed. Please insert a second sample to verify the effectiveness of the antivenin."
June's voice breaks through Venus's pained groans, alerting us to the completion of the antivenom creation process. Thanks to the lab synthesizer, the once time-consuming task of producing antivenom has become significantly streamlined, taking mere minutes instead of weeks. Gone are the days of subjecting animals to venom injections to induce the necessary antibodies for countering various types of venom. I insert a second sample of venom into the synthesizer and await the results. After a few tense seconds, the display shows a remarkable 99.9% effectiveness against the UNKNOWN venom. Relief washes over us, knowing we have a potent defense against the mysterious threat that lurks in these caverns.
'Oh thank god! OK June please get onto creating 40 more vials of the serum. I am going to use these initial 10 vials on Venus.'
I swiftly gather the vials of antivenom and the necessary supplies to initiate the IV. After attaching a heart rate monitor to Venus's left index finger, I begin the process of setting up the IV. Applying a rubber tourniquet, I clean the insertion site with a sterile alcohol wipe and carefully wipe the needle with a sterile cloth. With precision, I insert the needle into a suitable vein, placing my left thumb over the inserted needle and withdrawing the steel part, leaving the IV catheter in place.
Connecting the IV line to the IV bag, I bleed the air out of the line and secure the valve. Placing the IV bag on the IV tree, I take the end of the line and attach it to the catheter connector. After opening the valve and bleeding the air from the catheter, I ensure the IV drip is calibrated correctly. Grabbing one of the vials of antivenom, I fill a syringe with the solution and inject it into the IV line. The milky liquid blends into the flow of the IV fluid, entering Venus's veins.
Now, all that remains is to wait for the antivenom to take effect against the venom coursing through Venus's system.