Records of the Observer

[Taneru]

[OORP Segment]
Rated R: Contains potentially disturbing descriptions
[/OORP Segment]

:System Online:
>_ access.video.files
:Accessing video files:
:Files Encrypted. Access Code Required:
>_******
:Code Accepted:
>_ access.log.327
:Accessing Data Log 327:
:File Includes Anotations. Display?:
>_ yes
:Commencing Playback:

Static flickered across the screen, and a blinking red circle appeared in the lower right corner, accompanied by the letters REC. The picture resolved into the image of the interior of a dimly lit medical laboratory. The walls and floor were clean, but they also showed signs of age. The only visible door into the room was of an older design, popular in the later 790's, but much of the equipment within the room looked much more recent in design, and many bore the symbol of the Cambridge Research Institute's latest designs. The center of the room was dominated by a large surgical table, fitted with what appeared to be arm and leg restraints. At the moment, this table was occupied by the only person in the room.

The camera suddenly moved forward, focusing on the table's occupant. The man appeared in his early 30s, with short brown hair and a thin goatee. His clothes were well worn and appeared to have been repaired many times over, though the entire left sleeve was missing right up to the shoulder. The man's eyes were wide with fear, and he struggled against the restraints holding him, to no avail.
Here, a small segment of text flashed up at the bottom of the screen.

Subject is Male, calculated to be 34 years of age and in good health. Subject was extracted from a damaged ship, type CTE 1440AV Starblazer, in the Omega-11 system. Vessel bore no markings of affiliation, nor IFF transponder, thus it is likely his disappearence will not create much attention. Subject's name is irrelevent.

The camera panned in closer to the table, and the whirr of machinery could be heard. The man's head whipped around to focus on something out of view of the camera, and his struggling intensified. More text flashed up on the screen.

Subject is displaying large amounts of fear at his situation. Not unexpected, but could be disruptive to the experiment. A moderate sedative will be administered, though subject must remain conscious.

The object that had drawn the man's attention, a medical android, moved into view of the camera. The android stepped up to the table and clamped one hand down on the man's bare left arm. With the other hand, it picked up a syringe from off of its equipment tray and, without a word, injected the contents into the man's arm. Within moments, the man's struggling lessened, and then stopped all together, though his eyes still watched the android. More lines of text appeared.

The fragment, though incomplete, still contains enough information to be useful. However, it frequently references a 'body' or 'shell' which this one believe to be a certain kind of vessel. Without such a vessel, an alternative method of the procedure must be devised. If the fragment was still whole, engineering a more precise method would be a simple task, but lacking the neccessary data, experimentation is the only way results might be attained.

The android lifted another syringe off its equipment tray, this one filled with a strange metallic blue liquid. The man made no attempt to struggle as the android held his arm down again, and wordlessly injected the liquid into him. There was no immediate reaction, but within moments, the man began convulsing on the table, his eyes rolling back in his head. More text appeared.

Subject's immune system is reacting violently to the test solution. Sedative appears to have no effect on him. Observation continues.

The man continued to convulse against the table, hyperventilating and frothing at the mouth. At the point where he was injected, the skin of his arm began to darken and blood began welling up at the center. Another few lines of text appeared.

Subject's body is rejecting the nanites, and the cardamine is having no effect. The bacteria is multiplying at an accelerated rate, and subject's immune system seems incapable of combating the infection. Observation will continue.

The affected area began to spread quickly up the man's arm, and at the point where he was injected, his flesh began to seemingly rot away, disintegrating as an odd greenish film began to cover the open wound. As blood began to seep out from the wound, the man screamed, bucking wildly against his restraints. The gruesome spectacle continued without pause for minutes, until all that remained of the man was his clothing and a bleached white skeleton, coated in the same thin greenish film. The camera suddenly flickered off, leaving a black screen and lines of text.

Experiment was a failure. The bacteria adapted too rapidly to the what few alterations the nanites managed to the subject's immune system. Cardamine appeared to have no effect on the bacteria's growth. Liquid form of Cardamine may prove more effective, as might testing solution on a subject with a longer period of exposure to Cardamine. End of Log.

---

Characters
Alan Markson: The Hellfire Legion's Lord Commander
The Perihelion: Freeport Four's guardian, and yet much more. Missing and assumed Lost with all hands.
Eric Dresmund: Junker, smuggler, thief. Last seen drunk on Beaumont
Vayrn Wyard: IMG Recon pilot turned Neo-Terran Captain. Last location unknown