Chapter 3: A New Nebula
The crew works through various maintenance and operational challenges as Foley disappears after being quarantined. The actual position of most stars in Auriga are discovered to be out of position per the OKULOUS-10 primary database. Sahra Tofleson continues building up farming and food supplies. Uli Boden recovers from his memory loss and depression. Aditya Serinath sets new mission objective for exploring Wasp-12b, a nearby exoplanet orbiting Wasp-12. Several instances of wall panels being torn down threaten the crew’s morale and ability to function.
E5R Log 71: Fluids
I've added more temperature control parts from storage, allowing Tofleson to start animal growth modules. Foley tried escaping the medical bay. She constantly sweats, even though the temperature is 70 degrees and hardly consumes fluids.
E5R LOG 72: Bright
We had no plans to be in Auriga. New navigation and general mission objectives are needed. Cucco, Serinath and myself discussed heading toward Capella, the brightest star here.
E5R LOG 73: Confirmation
Is anyone there? Please. Earth. We need confirmation of our objectives. Are we to continue in Auriga? How did we get here? Was our trajectory incorrect from Earth?
E5R LOG 74: Scattered
Cucco isn’t sure about our location. Some stars match up with what our database, others don’t. He’s confirmed again that we are in Auriga, but not all data points line up.
E5R LOG 75: Mapping
Per our star map, some stars are out of position from where they should be. Others are not there at all. We also see other stars of different brightness, appear to be new, perhaps undiscovered.
E5R LOG 76: Potential
Finally some good news. Tofleson's farming operation shows great potential. Randall Ford, taking on lead maintenance, is constructing additional pods in the farm for more variety in the diet. I need to again adapt our temperature control systems and verify capacity.
E5R LOG 77: Biometrics
We’re all confused as to why there was such a lean crew for Okulous-10. We should have at least 40. Still haven’t explored the entire ship. Many rooms are locked with biometric scanners. There’s a lower level beneath Propulsion, the door won’t open. We’ve scanned all 24 crew. Wonder if Anders was the only one who could open it.
E5R LOG 78: Recovery
Medical Update: Uli Boden seems to be recovering from his previous memory loss and depression symptoms, only he does not remember observing Anders or trying to dismantle the ship from inside the storage rooms. Serinath trying to recover personnel files to assign Boden his objectives. Scott Bismark has not made any recovery.
E5R LOG 79: Serinath
Given no response from Earth via E5R, Serinath will develop a new mission plan. We will continue to broadcast. If this is against protocol, please respond.
E5R LOG 80: Dehydration
Medical Update: Schmidt concerned Foley is dehydrated. She hasn't drunk fluids for six days. Also hasn't eaten, but isn't showing signs of weight loss or lack of nutrition.
E5R Log 81: Leadership
Serinath outlined new mission objectives and aligned crew responsibilities. Most are happy to see his positivity. Cucco will determine our next objective within the Auriga Constellation. Jimmy de Luna to start up regenerative propulsion drives.
E5R LOG 82: Timelines
Mission timeline started incremental adjustments. Current reading is E5R1206:0045:0002. Our original reading prior to our nav systems returning was E5R1205:1346:xxxx. Has something to do with E5R Site. No idea what the rest of it means.
E5R LOG 83: Watch
Foley still under medical watch and quarantined by Schmidt while Mishings takes over other medical duties. Cucco hopes to explore exoplanets, though we’re still unsure of what star is what. We can see stars we know are part of the Auriga constellation, but the others could be anything. Records are still scattered.
E5R LOG 84: Proactive
One of the air supply units serving Tofleson's farm pods failed. I'm working on repairs and writing code for maintenance tracking software. Want to observe trends in repairs and become proactive instead of reactive on failures of ship systems. Still confused between what controls are automated and which are manual.
E5R LOG 85: Limits
De Luna has regenerative propulsion running. Able to harvest sufficient solar energies from Capella to go anywhere we need to. There is no shortage of exploration. Cucco has a list of several exoplanets for us to decide upon later this evening.
E5R LOG 86: Valves
I've spent most of my time the past 48 hours repairing failing water valves. Several showers and bathrooms have been out of use. Cucco would like us to explore Wasp-12b. Meeting tonight to decide.
E5R LOG 87: Servos
After further analysis, the water valves I replaced had bad servo motors. I plan to replace the remaining valves before they fail. I will need to learn to fabricate more of our own parts with materials on hand.
E5R LOG 88: Wasp-12b
We will pursue an exploratory course to WASP-12 and its exoplanet, WASP-12b. I need to work through engine upgrades with da Luna to allow us to get there within sufficient time. Serinath and Cucco have set our course for Wasp-12b.
E5R LOG 89: Shumaka
Tofleson's animal growth cells have started expanding, thanks to additional input from one of the staff scientists, Shumaka Odie.
E5R LOG 90: Ghoul
Foley is missing. Door sealing medical bay where she was quarantined is destroyed from the inside. Suspecting she damaged our communications relays. COMMAND, have you received any recent communications not from me? Our logs have been erased.
E5R LOG 91: Searching
Searching the entire ship. No sign of Foley. No idea where she's gone or what happened. How can someone disappear inside a ship? Held an all-hands meeting with the crew. No one else is missing. No one saw or heard Foley break out.
E5R LOG 92: Continue
Serinath directed us to continue our objectives, even while Foley is missing. Finding her is still the first priority, the search is continuous during each shift.
E5R LOG 93: Speaking
Bismark and Boden were the only two who had direct contact with Foley besides Schmidt and Mishings. They both confirmed Foley never spoke with them during their quarantine period.
E5R LOG 94: Quiet
The quiet hasn't bothered me until now. Knowing that Foley is in the ship somewhere is unsettling. Our search has delayed De Luna’s propulsion upgrades for us to travel faster to Wasp-12b.
E5R LOG 95: Workshop
I started to gather all spare parts in the engine space and built a workshop for repairs. Hoping to increase maintenance productivity.
E5R LOG 96: Hidden
I have been directed to focus on engine upgrades with de Luna to shorten our journey to Wasp-12b. Nervous about working in propulsion. De Luna pointed out it’s the best place for someone to hide if they wanted to stay hidden.
E5R LOG 97: Missing
Foley missing for one week. She would have died of dehydration by now. Tofleson confirmed no food stores are missing, meaning Foley isn't eating either.
E5R LOG 98: Consumption
Our water consumption rates haven't changed since Foley’s disappearance. Need a few more days to finish regenerative propulsion upgrade.
E5R LOG 99: Walls
More wall panels taken down in storage, though on the opposing wall. Mishings has gotten a bit intense in questioning of crew members about disappearance, bringing down morale.
E5R LOG 100: Belonging
Cucco searched through individual crew storage, never found Foley's belongings.
E5R LOG 101: Utility
More ship utility systems are not at full efficiency. Our control monitoring needs calibration. I may have to find each sensor and confirm power readings.
E5R LOG 102: Supplements
Tofleson concerned about future protein supplement supply. While we have plenty left for 250 years, she worries that we do not have a sustainable solution beyond that. Potential development efforts of this type would take longer than the food supplies we have available. More research is required.
E5R LOG 103: Increase
Engine systems updated. We are receiving enough light from Capella that we can increase energy output to just shy of speeds that would impact our human bodies. Should reach Wasp-12b in another 37 Earth days.
E5R LOG 104: Security
We’ve checked the security logs for any unauthorized access. Everyone is accounted for, and there is no access point open without having logged the correct crew member. If Foley is getting around the shop, she isn’t getting into anything that requires specialized access.
[NOT LOGGED]
E5R, Jexter-045 signal packet sent with encrypted data. Confirm receipt via Ordinal Transfer. Do not log.
Encrypt: *LLA ROF DNA ECNO SEIRETSYM REH LAEVER TON SEOD ERUTAN*
E5R Log Cleared. Reset Protocol 01 to 104.
Ordinal Transfer initiated.
E5R Site Disconnect.
Reconnecting....
E5R connection established. Receiving enabled. Broadcast disabled.
E5R LOG 105: Caecus
Several panels were taken down in the corridor leading to Propulsion. There’s not enough crew to monitor all areas of the ship. Crew morale has gone down significantly. Serniath is concerned about what to do when we find her. I'm concerned about what we will do if we don't.