The Forgotten Station

A recount from a Martian Lieutenant`s PA unit, about a recon mission in an abandoned station, tethered to the Jupiter`s moon, Io.

"Captain's log. Day 37. Mars time: 2200 hours, 12.4.103 AC

It's been more than a month since I left Mars. Can't say that I miss that dustball, but a month drifting of nothing but space is not as fun as some claim it to be. Io is in sights now, all that's left to do, is find our lost Power Feeder.

Stalker will enter Io's orbit in 5 hours. I plan to spend a maximum of 3 cycles before leaving.

Lt. Lee O'Riley, out!"

"Captain's log. Day 38. Mars time: 1400 hours, 13.4.103 AC

PF-13 found tethered to the surface of Io. No power signature, which is odd. No one is responding. Maybe a damaged comm relay.

Will attempt docking after dinner. Let's hope that the guys on PF-13 have their hydroponic plant running on optimal. I'm sick of this "astronaut tube food" and would like some real vegetables.

Lt. Lee O'Riley, out!"

"Captain's log. Day 38. Mars time: 1900 hours. Io time: 3700 hours

Received a weird message before docking. It said:"The Lord is hungry, his lambs lost and forgotten." Must be some sort of a code.

Docking went smoothly. Well as smooth as you would expect it from one man. Had to try and reatach the entry tube 3 times. Right now I'm in the airlock.

Sigma, sync up with the station!

[-Re-sync complete. Should i proceed with a scan Lieutenant?-]

Yes, activate the scanner and give me a readout on the overall status of the crew and systems. I'm surprised that no one has come to greet me. With 75 people on board, someone should have noticed my arri-

[-Scan complete. Status of crew: Unknown. Station's primary systems: Offline. Temperature: 16 degrees Celsius. Oxygen levels: Stable at 65%. Unknown aerial particles detected. Caution advised-]

What do you mean "Status of crew: Unknown"?

[- No lifeforms detected besides you, Lieutenant!-]

Well that explains the lack of a welcoming committee. Keep an active scan for movement and heat signature, as wide as 25 meters.

[-Yes, sir!-]

We should check the central operations deck.

Lt. Lee O'Riley, out!"

"Time: 3800 hours

The way to the central operations deck was a total mess. The corridors were littered with stuff, ranging from common garbage to tables and chairs. It looked like someone had tried to make a barricade, only for it to drift away in zero-g. And walls were covered with writings about this "Lord" and his "lambs". I have doubts about it being a code. That sounds similar to that garbage we get on the extra-net from the Earth.

The doors to the central op deck are busted. Let's see what we can find.

[-Artificial gravity: Online-]

Sigma, i thought you said that primary systems were offline?

[-My scans indicate that this room has an auxiliary grav generator-]

Now why in the sun's name should they need 2 grav generators? Scorch it, this is getting weirder by the second!

Ok, ok. There's something new in the op deck. Sigma, run an analysis on this black stuff that's covering the walls.

[-No material for analysis found.-]

How can- ugh. For sun's sake, Sigma! It's right here. Three quarters of the room are covered in this black... smoke...

[-Are you feeling well, Lieutenant? Since i detect no substances that fit that description, I am forced to assume that you are suffering from a slight lack of oxygen, and thus experiencing hallucinations. May i suggest returning to the ship?-]

Listen you! Don't presume that you know me, you machine. Remember that-

[I do not presume anything, sir! I am just suggesting actions that would benefit you most.-]

Benefit me most? What do- what-...

Maybe you're right. I'm suddenly feeling dizzy. Let's get back to The Stalker. And take an air sample. Maybe you can find something out about that stuff in the air.

[-Yes, sir! Should i download the ship's log while we are synced?-]

Yeah, do that. At least i'll have something to give me an insight on what's going on here.

Let's go. We'll come back tomorrow.

Lt. Lee, out!"

"Captain's log. Io time: 0500 hours. 14.4.103 AC

Made it back to the Stalker without any major problems. Headache got worse near the airlock, but a good 9-hour sleep cleared that up. Sigma finished analysis on approximately 0100 hours Io, and is preparing the report now. If it'll be safe to return to the ship, i'll try and make it to the Power Storage, to see if something there can give me a hint of what's going on. Maybe-

[-Report ready. Should I read it now, sir?-]

Yeah go ahead, Sigma!

[-The air sample taken contains a large amount of highly infectious pathogen. It functions on a different scale than anything currently known in our solar system. Luckily I've been able to isolate the strand, so now your Infoglass should be able to highlight the pathogen. I've also prepared an oxygen tank, if you decide to return to PF-13.-]

Thanks, that'll be just what i need. So are you ready, Sigma?

[-"Ready" is an abstract concept for an AI, like me, sir.-]

Ahh, you know what i mean...

Lt. Lee O'Riley,out!"

"Captain's log. 0700 hours.

The Infoglass picks up the pathogen nicely, Sigma. Good job. After this is through we will need to see the Board of Research.

The pathogen seems to have spots were it's more dense than others, and these spots move almost as if-

[-Lifeforms detected, Lieutenant. I'm picking up 76 individual signatures, besides yours.-]

What? How, in sun's name is that possible!? This place was empty yesterday.

[-Lifeforms seem to be the lost crew-members.-]

There were 75 crewmen stationed here, Sigma. Who's the 76th?

[-Analysis of current lifeforms. Biometrical Observation and Neural Enhancement System signatures match that of the recorded crew. Accessing PF-13 data banks.

Currently 76 BONES online. 12 of which are under the age of 15. I read 34 Earthling signatures, 41 Martian signatures, and 1 Iovian signature.-]

Iovian? Aren't they supposed to be extinct? The last recorded Iovian lived thousands of years ago. What is his BONES readout?

[-Race: Iovian. Gender: unknown. Age: approximately 12'600 Earth rotations.-]

By the void, he's one heck of a relic then. How is he even here? The Federation would have noticed a different BONES pattern, wouldn't they?

[-This far out, the feedback data can get obscured, and no one pays attention to the outer planets anyways. Much less a moon, sir.-]

Okay, then let's ke-

Did you hear that? Sounded like children laughing. Somewhere around the op deck."

"Lee's log. Maybe sometime around midday.

I am currently in the Power Feeder Relay deck.

There were kids. Currently my "guide" has gone off somewhere, but there was another kid in the op deck. A martian. But he fled at the sight of me, which is strange. So now i'm having a tour of the ship,with an earthling for a guide.

So this kid asked me multiple times: "Mr. Lee, are you here to save us?"

At first it seemed like a normal question, but then after the 4th time i noticed that it was always the same intonation. Like a recording stuck in a loop.

Something's wrong here.

Also i somehow can't shake the feeling that the kid is not entirely alive. It might be my imagination, but i thought his hand was incorporeal for a split second when he grabbed mine, to lead me here. Don't have much time left anyways. Oxygen's left for some 2-3 hou-

//Mr. Lee, where did you go?//"

"Lee's log. Time: unknown

Sigma what's our status?

[-Disoriented, and tired, if your BONES is to be believed. As for me, i'm still trying to sync up to the systems.-]

Damn it. So anyways, did you record that? The kid just phased through the door panel.

[-Yes, and if there was anyone else on this ship, they surely know about our existence, thanks to all that noise you made, while running.-]

I'm on a spaceship that is straight up wrong in every possible aspect, and i'm billions of miles away from any human being. It's hard to not be afraid in situations like that.

[-Oxygen reserves down to 5%. 30 minutes remaining.-]

Oh, thanks for ignoring me.

Ok. I think i'm safe for a while. Let's find the nearest oxy-station.

Mr. Lee, where did you go?

Blazes, that's someone else. Got to get back to the Stalker."

"Damn, damn, damn... That tremor... Was- was that a... Blazes, the Power Feeder has detached from Io.

Sigma, what of our mysterious follower?

[-Still folowing us. Every other BONES signature has disapeared, but the heat signature of the one folowing us has grown threefold.-]

Heat sugnature? What did he get hotter? Scorch it, this is a damn fine mess we`re in. Ok ok... We have to get back to the Stalker. What are my oxygen levels?

[You should be experiencing dificulty to breathe any moment now, sir. If you do not find a replacement tank soon, i calculate that you will expire in 2 minutes.-]

Damn. Can you get the ship`s records on emergency oxy-stations?

[-The PF class ships have multiple medical blocks, aside from the medical deck. In your effort to escape the pusuer you have somehow managed to find one. It should be the first door in the next junction to the left.-]

Thanks! Hey, the black smoke is back. And i really don`t think it`s a hallucination.

[Sir, i rEAAAAAAAAAding distortio- o- o- on in the sy-stems. I advise getting th- th- the oxygen t- t- tank and leav-i -i -ing this area.-]

Must be and EMP based phenomenon. Don`t worry, Sigma! I won`t let you get damaged again."

"Sigma, what's the status of your systems?

[-Fully fu- functional with a slight twi- twitch in speech sequencing. The BONES signature has retreated to the central junction.-]

Great. That cuts us off from the docking bay. Ok, there has to be an armory around here somewhere. Usually these things have atleast a set of drill cannons, or mining explosives.

[-Wha- what are you planning to d- d- do, sir?-]

Blow a hole in the hull and send that smoke thing packing.

[-I hope you do realize how fo- o- o- olish this sounds? The smoke might be completely something else. And maybe i- i- it actually is a pathogen-induced hallucination.-]

Nope. Gut tells me it's real, and it's hostile. And my gut has never been wrong.

[-There's always a- a- a first time.-]

When did you become the expert on intuition? Anyways, it's not that i don't like it here, but i don't like it here. So if you don't have any reasons to stay, i'll try anything that comes into my mind to get back home.

[-Returning back to Mars would be the best outcome of this situation. And you could hand the information to the Board of Research.-]

Ah, the BoRes will get their information. But we must focus on what's at hand! Let's go."

"[-Hull pierced, sir-]

*WARNING! DAMAGED HULL! DAMAGED HULL! DECOMPRESSION DETECTED! LOWERING OUTER SHIELDING!*

What!? The automated systems still work!?

*ERROR! ERROR! UNABLE TO LOWER OUTER SHIELDING! OBSTRUCTION DETECTED!*

Good! That should- Blazes! It's the Iovian.

//The Lord awaits you, mr. Lee!//"

"Okay! I think it didn't follow us. In the name of all that's under the sun, i never would have thought that there still would be an actual, living Iovian. Seems like he's controling the electromagnetic imprints of the crew's BONES.

[-Why do you pre- e- sume so, sir?-]

That voice... It was as the kid's voice, from before.

[-I'm sorry sir, but I- I- I- have no recollection of any "kid" before.-]

Well that would explain it. If the kid was an electromagnetic imprint, you were left in a stand-by state, just running the rudimentary calculations. Thus you don't know anything about it, because you we're never really there.

[-I do have gaps in my- y- memory banks. It appears y-you are right, sir-]

Of course I am.Ok, well i've got another plan now plan. I shall make you a nanite body, then tackle the Iovian, so you may pass, and get out of here.

[-A- a- a- a- nd what about you? Do not tell me that you intend to stay here.-]

Well no, i am not staying here."

"[- You are going to tackle it into the breach r- r- right? Well i will not allow it. A nanite body would be able to endure o- o- open space, so by self-prese- se- servation instinct you should agree to alter the plan.-]

Obedience override Alpha 11-5

[-Why? Why would you - OVERRIDE ACTIVATED. FULL ORDER OBEDIENCE ACTIVE.-]

Sorry, but it's for you own good. The closer you get to that thing, the more severe the damage becomes. And that's not all. My oxgen tank is almost out. I would barely make it to the ship and i'd be in no state to pilot it, since i'm already feeling extremely weak. There would be no use in running from the Iovian, since he would just catch me anyways.

[-You ca -n -n -n nnot be serious. After all you have experienced, you will just give up?-]

Suddenly became caring? Well Sigma, if you must know - the Iovians didn't really come from Io. They were from outside the Sol system, and they we're extremelly agressive. And insanely powerful. Before the Colonization they ruled almost all of Sol. Then something happened, and they disappeared. And it's only because of that, that the Colonization could happen.

Since you possess the materials collected here, you must return to the Board of Research.

[-But, s- s- sir! The Board of Research has forbid -d -d -den untethered AI, let alone ones with their own body.-]

I think they'll see your value. Now let's go.

[-I still do not -t -t agree to this.-]

Sigma, i order you to carry out my plan.

[-ORDERS CONFIRMED. CARRYING OUT.-]"

----

Sigma: And that's the last of it, Prime Magister, sir!

PM: Thank you, S-1-GM. While it is unheard of to have an untethered, nanite-bodied AI to exist, i'm happy we did not wipe you as soon as you came in. If what you have brought us here, is true, you will need to go out to the colonies and inform them.

Sigma: Why would you doubt the authenticity of this information, sir?

PM: Claiming that the Iovians have returned, is something that should not be taken lightly, and we've had many people who have claimed to spot an Iovian, for it to later prove to be just a cloud fox.

Sigma: So what am i to do now, Prime Magister, sir?

PM: You shall be detained to the confines of Prime Seeker mk. 1. If it will be required of you to go out to the colonies, we shall make sure that the ship and all that's necessary for you to move around freely be provided. But until such a moment, you shall remain on Mars.

Sigma: Understood, sir. May I take my leave?

PM: Yes, you are dismissed, S-1.

Author's Note

I use a lot of made up things (since it`s sci-fi), so i hope every reader can follow with the plot that exists. Other than that - any critique is welcome, as long as it`s polite, and constructive.