“Alright, chamber G-12,” you say, leading Sophia to the next assigned cryochamber, the entire area here bathed in crimson emergency lighting, looking eerie and bloody.
“It must have been bad,” Sophia says softly, still coming to grips with the massive loss of life. Chamber G-12 comes into view, and Dr. Patel snaps out of her reverie to get to work. Being the more practiced hand at such a medically sensitive procedure, you allow her to activate the wake-up sequence. You simply watch as the defrosting process for Maya Jensen proceeds, much as Sophia’s had.
Maya's body is curvy and full, her figure accentuated by the tight blue unitard she is wearing. Her curves are more pronounced and voluptuous compared to the petite figure of Dr. Patel standing next to her. Maya's chest strains against the fabric of her unitard, hinting at her generous assets. As she begins to defrost, her curves and voluptuous figure become more defined, accentuated by the tight blue unitard she wears, clinging tightly to her alluring body.
Maya Jensen's copper-brown eyelids twitch just moments before she awakens from cryosleep, her short straight dark hair cut trim in a bob style that only drapes down to her chin accentuates her Mayan wide cheekbones
Time passes slowly, and finally Sophia’s chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm. She nods in satisfaction, her eyes scanning the chamber before turning back to Maya. The hissing sound of the lid opening fills the air as Maya sits up, her body seeming to remember its purpose after so many years in cryosleep. Her eyes adjust to the dim light, widening in surprise as she takes in her surroundings. Suddenly, her gaze locks onto you.
“What... what's happening, Captain?” Her voice trembles with confusion and a hint of fear. She rubs her arms, trying to dispel the lingering chill from the cryochamber.
“I will brief everyone soon, but first, are you alright?” Maya nods, still looking disoriented but managing a small smile.
“Yeah, I think so. Just feeling a bit out of sorts from cryosleep.” She stands, brushing off imaginary frost and dust from her body before starting to survey her surroundings. “Alright, I’m ready Captain.”
Walking along the rows of hundreds of tubes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as we passed by many that were still dimly glowing with living occupants. However, nearly half of them were dark and foreboding, containing nothing but dust and bones now. But then we round a corner and come face to face with a dozen open chambers, and just as many piles of bones littering the floor in intact skeletons immacutely wrapped in still intact uniforms.
“What happened here?” you gasp at the grisly sight bathed in the blood red emergency lighting.
“If I had to guess,” Dr. Patel said clinically surveying the scene, “I think Aphrodite may have awoken several others before this area lost primary power.”
“You mean?” Maya gasped in recognition. Your gut turned over again, realizing that you completely dismissed the warnings Aphrodite might have given you eighty years ago. These poor souls likely awoke at the time of the impact, same as you, but they didn’t have the luxury of a pod to return too.
“What I don’t understand is why did they remain here?” Sophia comments, looking around.
“Aphrodite informed me she did some emergency procedures to ensure the survival of the rest of the crew,” you expin, not that you know enough of what happened either. “We can come back ter and give them a proper burial.”
Grimly, the other two follow as you make your way to Ivanova's chamber without any other such grim discoveries, though you do overhear the hushed whispers between Sophia and Maya. You give them some privacy to discuss the situation among themselves until you arrive at Lena’s pod.
Finally, you arrive at Ivanova's chamber, one of the few brightly lit rooms still running on normal power. As Sophia awakens Lena from her pod, her body stirs as she reanimates. Her tall and sturdy frame is cd in a bright yellow unitard of the engineering department, exuding confidence and strength compared to the other two scientists. Blinking away her cryosleep much faster than either of the other two, Lena quickly sits up, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead.
“Did I miss the party?” she jokes, gncing between Maya and yourself before settling her gaze on Sophia. Concern creases her brow. “Is everything alright, Captain? Have we reached Cygnus already?”
“Pns have changed, but with your help I’m sure the ship will still make it there,” you reply, smiling reassuringly. “Come, we have a lot to discuss. Aphrodite has prepared some quarters for you to freshen up and change into fresh uniforms. We're approximately sixty-six days and...” you check your link for the countdown timer to your arrival, “call it fifteen hours until we arrive at your new pnet. We’ll meet in the briefing room for a full debrief while you have breakfast.” Lena nods, already starting to gather her thoughts.
“I understand. Let's go,” she says simply, her mind already racing with preparations for the mission ahead. You warn her against the grisly scene of a dozen skeletal remains of a dozen men that you have to pass on your way back to the command section of the ship, and she sheds some light on the ship's likely emergency procedures. “The AI likely depressurized this area briefly for a multitude of reasons. That’s why they were all still here by their tubes. They likely didn’t survive more than a few minutes after waking up.”
“Well, at least they didn’t suffer long,” Sophia whispers. With nothing more to say, we got moving and away from this terrible scene.
