Through Time, Darkly

[Pryce]

Pryce.Research.N101 (Modified "DL" Series Transport)
Outside Baltimore Shipyard
New York System, Liberty Space


[color=#FFCC33]Equipment room 6, outside main hanger bay.

Now what

Denise Ellis fumbled with the fittings on her hazard suit, a very new, but so far perfectly functional design that incorporated protection measures against most types of cosmic radiation within, and some outside the old GZK limit. The suits had recently come into experimental use by the Institute in its' more dangerous research fields. Doctor Morris had suggested the measure be taken until more could be learned about the nature of their guest.


Denise briefly regretted that the appearance of the suit had an inherently threatening appearance. The suits' form fitting surface was of a very dark bronze colour, combined with the full face helmet, which in order to protect the wearer, didn't actually have a visor, but a rectangular set of photoreceptor cells built into the upper half of the faceplate. The photoreceptors tended to luminesce in indirect light, creating the effect of a faint red glow. There were two modular cylinders clamped to the right side of the helmet; which, depending on the intended use, might house a variety of various detectors or imagers. Today there was a sodium iodide detector, and below that a neutron/tachyon REM meter with bulit-in boron trifluoride counter. The helmet took the "clean" image from the photoreceptors, and whatever additional attached modules, and after washing the information through the processor at the back of the helmet, projected the final image into the goggles within the helmet; a colour image of the outside world, with a computer-generated overlay of the additional module information, in this case the appearance of semi-transparent blue or yellow particles within the image. The whole affair cost over a million credits each, not counting the millions more spent on development. Plus the damn thing was uncomfortably hot to wear even for short periods.



Angela Wight stood beside her, a lithe and slender form in the suit, attaching a small air line to the back of Nickatellis' helmet. Wights features were concealed by her helmet, for which she was glad. She didn't advertise it, but radiation scared her.The idea of.....well, her breathing was already fast, her heart beating faster. Or maybe it was the nature of this....person...on their ship. Under the helmet her eyes were wide. She had experienced less apprehension upon the few times they had encountered Nomads. She fought for focus, winning as she usually did. She finished the connection and tapped Nickatellis' shoulder.



Elias Nickatelli frowned beneath his helmet. He'd asked Captain Wells to check out a plasma rifle from the armoury, when Denise had quickly objected, persuading Wells to deny his request. Stupid woman He frowned again. She manipulated the Captain far too often, and someday it was going to get them killed.It was the same recklessness that had led him to transfer off David Ellis' ship, a decision which had saved his life. This woman had the same lack of concern for their hides shared by her dead husband, though up till now Captain Wells had been calling the shots.



Nickatelli wasn't a scientist. He served as something of an orderly or lab assistant, understanding the operation of various equipment, if not the details of the knowledge the equipment obtained. He was also the closest thing the ship had to a master-at-arms, one of only six on the ship with prior military service. Servce which he had despised. Not that he hadn't learned anything from it. This intruder, without a strong defense deterrent, could, and just might, take the entire vessel by himself.This is why a deterrent must be in place. These bunch of science types never seemed to realize that, even with the number of their colleagues that had been killed, violently, in the last three years.He frowned again.


He didn't believe for a second this man was what he said he was. He was clearly crazy or a liar. Either of which is a damn dangerous thing out in the black. It didn't matter what readings the equipment took. It was coincidental...or faked somehow. He would be watching this man very close. He wished he'd had time to grab his personal pistol from his quarters.


**Comms check, Denise, can you hear us?** Wells, from the bridge.

The response crackled in their earpieces; **This is Denise, we're all ready to go here. How's it going out there?**


The Bridge

Captain Nathan Wells answered. "Our guest has commenced his landing sequence, should settle in any second now. Give him a minute to finish powering down before you go in. I'm watching the hangar from a feed up here. Stand by for clearance to enter the bay.

**Acknowledged**

Wells turned off the comm mic and turned to crewman Nathaniel Keane. "Ready to go Nathan?"


The crewman nodded. "Yes sir. preparing to pressurize the hangar. If the guest is a danger, I can instantly vent the hangar bay of atmo. As long as the team is wearing the suits, they'll still be fine. Wells nodded. "Good. Get me the hanger feed." He sat in the large Captains chair, and swung the suspended monitor panel closer. He trusted Denise's impressions of the situation, but ever a cautious man, he preferred to plan ahead when he could. It wasn't so much the "guest" himself that concerned him, it was more the concept that his presence could be dangerous to the ship somehow, if this story of his origin were true. He didn't really have an opinion in the matter, that was up to the labcoats to decide.


The video feed showed movement. A ship sliding into the hanger. It moved delicately, slowly, setting down with such precision Wells concluded the craft had an autoland A.I. active.


Keane spoke. "He's touched down, closing the bay doors, pressuizing the hangar..........docking procedure complete.

Wells keyed the comm as the pilot was exiting the craft.



Equipment room 6, outside main hanger bay.


**All clear Denise, the hangar is green for entry.**

Denise swallowed, took a breath, and activated the hatch controls.

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