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Source Melchizedek.0294

Approach β Hyi

Ascension 00h 25m 45.07037s

Declination –77° 15′ 15.2860″

Distance 24.34ly

Equinox J2000.0 SOL

Year 3782, QEC adjusted

[Autotranslator enabled...]

[Voice recording initialize...ON]

[Crew autodetection...ON]

[Narrative mode...ON]

[Autodisconnect after 5 minute silence...ON]

:::

[Voice detected: Moussa Idjani, Ship's Physician]

Idjani:

Testing, one-two. Testing. Very good.

I'm transmitting from seed ship Melchizedek, serial 0294, en

route to Beta Hydrii for systematic exo-panspermia. Today is

mission date 24.54202, uh, 5 or 6. The ship is in deceleration

at approximately 1.2G. This recording is being made in

fore-botany. Doctor Moussa Idjani recording.

[sotto voce] Where is that [unintelligible]

As requested by command, this review of the arabidopsis anomaly

specimen six is being recorded to QEC for transmission home.

Perhaps our research can help the colonists avoid similar

issues.

Number six is a from our voucher herbarium specimen. This

cutting has been treated in a pH 2.0 solution and removed from

visible light for twelve cycles. I am preparing the sample with

Eosin Y stain in an attempt to isolate the cytoplasic growths

and abnormal cyclosis. Past attempts at isolation failed with

a normal pH, so we are attempting a shift in the culture.

I honestly have no idea if that's the right thing to do. We

should have woken Kroups.

[Voice detected: Prezzi Adeyemi, Seriph Rhetorical Ecclesia]

Adeyemi:

Doc, you have a minute?

Idjani:

Just... getting... the slides up. There we go. What's up,

Seriph?

Adeyemi:

No luck on Kroups or Xavier?

Idjani:

He's adamant. No thaw. We're on our own, at least until I can

get us more food.

Adeyemi:

Likely? That stuff freaks me out.

Idjani:

Oh, probably. Here, have a look. Through here--

This is arabidopsis from fore. I've got our normal batch here

for reference. Look closely at the cells, the pink areas.

Adeyemi:

Is it... spinning? What is that?

Idjani:

That's the cytoplasm, the goo inside the cell. Or it should be,

but this stuff is acting totally foreign. It should be giving

the cell its strength and shape but it's acting

like--[censored]. It's like if a glass of water rose up out of

the cup and grabbed your hand. There's no explanation I can

figure out.

Adeyemi:

Jerome doesn't think it's dangerous?

Idjani:

Jerome thinks another mouth to feed is more dangerous than some

bad spinach. He's not wrong, either. We need to salvage the

greens for ourselves if we're going to make it to landfall.

Adeyemi:

I'm not eating your magic water plants, Moussa. Figure something

else out. Can't we tap into rear-botany reserves? We don't need

much.

Idjani:

Ugh, that would make things easier. No-- The captain sealed it

up until we can figure out what happened here. If we risk

exposure to the reserves--

Adeyemi:

No food for anyone.

Idjani:

No go. So I've got to figure this out, but I--

[sotto voce] I've got no clue what I'm doing, Prezzi. This is

not my field. You've got more background than me on this. And

we've got a crew full of experts sitting in ice cubes just 30

meters behind me.

[Voice detected: Jerome Somerset Pasani, Warrant Master, via COMM]

Pasani COMM:

Prezzi, can you swing by and check on Doc before flex?

Adeyemi:

Already on it, sir. He's getting to the bottom of this. He's

walking me through the slides now.

Pasani COMM:

Very-well. Keep me informed when it's cracked. Pasani out.

Idjani:

When?

Adeyemi:

You'll get this, Moussa.

What are you looking at now? The pink parts?

Idjani:

That spinning pulse, the cyclosis. There's a pattern to it.

I thought it might give us a clue. Is it environmental? Is it

related to the protein sequences coming from the DNA patch? This

one matches Simms. Is that important?

Adeyemi:

So you'll record it?

Idjani:

No, I did that already and ran it through the limited data we

have on file without any matches. I think it's because I'm

looking too small. I mean, we can only see the cytoplasm when

looking at individual cells under a microscope, but they're all

doing this. Every cell in this thing is doing a dance we can't

see, all at once, and all in sync. If I could figure out a way

to see the whole picture--

Adeyemi:

So, what then. Take a bunch of samples and look at them apart

and try to piece it together? That'll take forever.

Idjani:

I was thinking I'd try the other way. If they're all in sync,

does that mean that the cytoplasm is communicating? If I can

change it here, give it a shove, what happens to the other

cells? There's no way for this stuff to communicate. It's mostly

just water and proteins with some microtubules and filaments in

there.

Adeyemi:

Where's the logic? If there's nothing to communicate then the

behavior must be inherent in all of it.

Regardless, does this mean it's inedible? Not that I want it.

But if it's not going to hurt us then I don't see the risk in

eating from the other bay.

Idjani:

Don't need to convince me.

I'll get back to it.

Adeyemi:

The path is walked by steps, Moussa. Blessings.

Idjani:

Blessings, Seriph.

[Detected exit of Prezzi Adeymei from botany bay]

[sotto voce] Back to [unintelligible]

Now, where were we, my lovely little thing. Yes, that's right.

This is Doctor Moussa Idjani, beginning investigation. Dye

markers are set and I've got a good contrast showing on the

display. Alright, I'm attempting to instigate a change in

cyclosis through ultrasonic induction of the sample.

[sotto voce] That's strange.

I'll just touch the lead to [unintelligible]

[SYSTEM ALERT INITIATED - BIOLOGICAL CONTAINMENT BREACH]

[sotto voce] My stars--It knows

Comm, initiate call--

[COMM QUERY ACTIVATED]

Idjani COMM:

All hands, we [unintelligible]

[static recorded for 3:15]

[soto voce] we grow [unintelligible]

[static recorded for 1:11]

[Voice detected: Eva Hämäläinen, Navigation Specialist]

Hämäläinen:

Doct--[unintelligible screaming]

[Voice recording terminated]