Shoot for Earth: MedSci Missions 3

Chapter 1

Deep space ship Chiron blasted rubble to clear its path through littered blackness. Suddenly, crystalline chunks pulsed and grew strangely plump as minerals were energized and matter was morphed.

“Stop Engines!” first officer Dr. Heather McTavish called out. “Captain, something very peculiar. A dozen crystal chunks we auto-blasted to clear the path are coming to life.”

Captain Walsh looked up from his astronomy logs. The large central holographic screen somewhat resembling a giant ship’s wheel showed a sharp image of what looked like spaced creatures struggling to breathe.

“Suction!” Walsh ordered. “It’s the only way to get those things into the aux hangar bay before they suffocate.” He ran his finger through the holo control. “Medical to Aux Hangar Bay. We have space-exposed aliens in need of aid. We had to suction them in, not ideal I know.” He switched his com. “Woon, get a security team down there, too. Seal off the bay until we see if these beings are dangerous.” He knew the S6 force head was following the action from his office below the mobile balcony bridge. His finger flicked an alert button to notify the on-board Ambassador to Earth of the potential first contact.

“Aye, Captain,” the nav and weapons officer said.

Dr. Atland showed up at the bay with Emergency Medical Assistant Jasper Grass. They watched with strange calm as what had looked like rock chunks were unfolding into biped forms. As crystals continued to take on moisture and energy, shockingly disfigured faces formed. Features were oddly lopsided, with one eye higher than the other, and the nose starting one shape on the left and finishing off as another on the right. There was one ear at the back of the head and one on the forehead, usually off-center.

With death imminent for the gasping aliens, EMT Jasper worked rapidly. After a quick test to see what chemicals floated in their blood, he experimented with levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen to find a mix that settled the aliens into infrequent but deep regular breaths. Unknown to everyone but Jasper, the EMT was involuntarily emanating a sedative that had hypnotic properties for humans from his pores. It relaxed him and the other humans in the room as expected, but he couldn’t be sure how it was affecting the aliens. A flick of a menu allowed him to record the composition of the aerosolised sedative they were being exposed to. He’d figure out later how to explain why it was in the air. Revealing his secret secretions was not something he wanted to do, but he didn’t want to compromise the patients.

“I don’t know what it means for this race, but glucose level is 40.”

The emergency doctor nodded. “It’s possible their bodies have a different percentage water than ours when in a functional organic state, so I don’t know if that’s normal for them.”

“Right. I’ve got a BP of 20 over 10 but increasing steadily. Pulse 5 but increasing. Should I humidify the room or apply water spray to speed up de-crystallisation so they can respire and metabolise? Another option would be to try to get them back to crystalline form, which could preserve them like when they were in space.”

“We’ll observe for ten minutes to see what they naturally do once introduced to an atmosphere. The S6 have to be satisfied these beings won’t eat us before they’ll let them out here, so collect data on any motions and body chemistry that indicate their probable metabolic energy collection mechanism.