Colony: Book One

[Sarah Penguin]

Oooh more science fictional fun! And it was a good boom yay!

[Personalias]

keep it up.

[PeculiarChangeling]

The landing wasn't exactly smooth, but it wouldn't be described as a crash either. At least the landing gear still worked, and they were able to come to a stop in the clearing.

"Okay, let's get set up, Jesse go ahead and get the Ansible set up so we can communication with Earth. Samantha and I will get tents ready, Tosh and Dobson work on fixing the ship, Sarah, make sure we have a medical station set up. If you didn't hear your name called, that means you are on break."

Sarah blushed. "Permission to shower and get changed first?" She asked, not wanting to have to wear a messy diaper for a decibel longer than she had too. It was embarrassing enough as it was without squishing around in it for an hour while she got a hospital set up.

"Granted," David replied, smelling her 'accident' and deciding that it qualified for a short reprieve. "But don't take long."

"Thanks," Sarah said, and hurrying off to cut through the back room to grab some clothes before heading through through the sleeping room to get to the shower/bathroom. As the door slid open, she bumped into someone, her still weak legs falling backwards and landing with a painfull splut.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't look where I was..." Sarah said, stopping when she saw who it was. "Don?"

"Sarah?" Don asked.

"I thought you were back on the ship! How'd you..."

"I followed Victor. He was acting strange, so I investigated. Apologies for leaving my post, ma'am." He smiled.

"No problem, I'm glad you are alive," Sarah said, standing up. "I think I'll need a good orderly with all the injuries going around.

Smiling, Don paused when he smelled something. "Did you...?"

"I may have almost died, gotten drunk, and then been drugged to keep me from thrashing around. That doesn't work well togeyher when you are scared easily and on a crashing space shuttle," Sarah said with a blush. "Um, I've got to get cleaned up and set up a medical tent," she added.

"Oh, I can get the tent set up, you take a break," Don said, ever the preservering type.

"You always were my favorite orderly," Sarah said, "Thanks."

[Sarah Penguin]

Yay they landed and now we've got nice orderlies!

[PeculiarChangeling]

After a long, hot shower Sarah was feeling significantly better about life. Her optimism only multiplied when she put on normal, clean underwear on underneath her jumpsuit, and was able to walk with stability outside.

Don had already set up a medical station and was reorganizing the drugs by usage instead of alphabetically when Sarah showed up. Those still unconscious (Victor and the girl) were both on beds, strapped (and in Victors case, locked) down so they wouldn't fall out of bed. Personel tents were also being assembled, and on top of the ship Jesse was wiring up the Ansible transmitter.

"Wanna get physical?" She joked to Don, walking into the tent.

"Sure," Don replied, grinning. "It's always easier when you knock them out and tie 'em up first." Walking to the sleeping patients, they gave them both routine checkups. Don had to replacing the bandages and sterilize Victors leg wounds, Sarah gave the girl some pills in case she had internal bleeding, but for the most part it was quick and easy. The most unusually part was, of course, te fact that they gave the patients both a diaper change afterwards, but seeing as bedpans weren't an option due to their lack of equipment, they decided to stick with the medium of choice for waste management.

"You want to finish writing the reports while I go round up everyone else for checkups?" Sarah asked.

"Sure," Don replied.

Sarah was just a foot from the tent flap when the sleeping girl woke up. Even Don wouldn't have noticed, since she couldn't move much and didn't open her eyes, but it was hard to miss the screaming.

[Sarah Penguin]

Eep I hope she's ok too.

[BulkLover]

Sarah gave the girl some pills in case she had international bleeding

Internal bleeding is the word you're looking for here International = between countries.

[Personalias]

Keep this going...but yeah...fix up the typos...especially the one's that change the meaning of the word like internal and international.

[PeculiarChangeling]

Sorry, autocorrect issues.

Big chapter later today, I'm gonna be stuck sitting with nothing to do for four hours.

[Sarah Penguin]

Yay!

[PeculiarChangeling]

Sarah turned, surprised, sprinting to the girl's side. "Shhh, its okay," she said, taking the girls hand and holding her, calming the girl down. "I'm here, you are safe."

"I... Where am I?" She asked, looking around frantically. "That man, is he..." She yelped in terror upon seeing Victor in the bed next to her.

Sarah shook her head. "He's restrained, don't worry. He won't be able to hurt you any more."

"I... Are you sure?" The girl asked, nervously.

"I'm sure. What's your name, sweetie?" Sarah asked, calming the younger girl down.

"Anita..." The girl said. "I... I came here with my fiance, Nick. Is he..."

Sarah shook her head. "I'm sorry, he didn't make it out," she said. "You were lucky to be on that shuttle, otherwise..." She stopped herself, realizing she might have just been rather insensitive. "I'm sorry, do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" Anita asked. "A would-be rapist saved my life and the man I love is dead. What is there to talk about?" Would be. That was good. So he hadn't done anything yet.

"Are you sure? I can..." Sarah pressed on.

"Just leave me alone," the girl said, sitting up. "Okay?"

"The ship will be empty a while if you want somewhere private," Sarah said, not stopping her. "If you want food, just come find me."

Anita just pushed past her silently, her face unreadable. She didn't comment on the diaper around her waist, or the alien landscapes, or thank anyone for their help, she just ran into the ship.

------------

"You think those trees are good for anything?" Tosh commented to Jesse as they worked together on wiring up a transmitter. The trees were a dark reddish green, like rotting meat, and smelled like chocolate. They had no leaves, but instead there was a mushrooms like cap on top, each one of exactly the same height. The entire canopy around them was level on top, and you could probably run from one cap to another, ten feet up, assuming they would hold your weight.

"I dunno. They look a little too soft for construction," Jesse said with a shrug. "But who knows. I'll let you know once I start doing my botany research, how about?"

"Might as well. You think there will be anything edible in here?" Tosh asked, making conversation.

"It's entirely possible. The flora and fauna look different, but on an environmental scale this planet is nearly identical to Earth, so the plants should be similar too." He shrugged. Then, looking surprised, he said, "Holy crap, did that one just move?" Pointing at a tree.

"What?" Tosh said, whipping around to look at it as Jesse gripped the wire he was holding tightly, anxiously.

"Right there. I was sure it just turned q few feet clockwise," Jesse said, pointing. Tosh turned to look.

"Are you sure? It looks the same to me..." Tosh said, walking closer to examines it. Bending down, he reached out and gave it a gentle nudge, seeing if it would move again. "Nothing, Jesse. Are you sure it Ow!" He yelped, his back straightening as Jesse shocked him with the wire, laughing.

Giving an annoyed but amuses smile, Tosh stood up and turned around. "Very funny, Je- shit."

The tree didn't move, but everything else had.

[Sarah Penguin]

Oooooh mysteries!

[PeculiarChangeling]

Also, due to the recent thing about criticism, I'm going to add this here: please, at the slightest mistakes, point it out. I would preferred criticism, so I can did it it make it better.

[Personalias]

As usual I like the character interactions. They feel very natural, and even though we barely know this crew, it feels like they've known each other for a while...or at least have been in the same working environment. The description of the terrain is original as far as I'm concerned, "red like rotting meet and smells like chocolate". Strange enough to seem alien but it feels familiar and it's easier to imagine thanks to your descriptors. Nice cliffhanger ending.

@ livingbylies: As for criticisms: I have a few notes that you might be able to make use of. Private message me and we'll workshop it. I think I can handle a decent amount of criticisms myself...and if I can't, it's not gonna stop me from writing.

[PeculiarChangeling]

"The... Hell?" Tosh said, looking around, startled. Everyone was gone, except the trees. Lots and lots of trees, all identical, all surrounding him. Growing, shrinking blowing in the breeze. They were so... Pretty. So nice. He wanted to go up, to just... Touch one of them.

----------

"Uh, Sarah?" Jesse asked, popping his head in the medical tent a couple minutes later. "Tosh just went nuts and is humping a tree."

(Aaaughhh! Sorry, super short update but I'm tired, can't sleep, and I figured a comical but accurately explanations would be in order.)

[Sarah Penguin]

Silly

[PeculiarChangeling]

Sarah paused, cocking her head and sitting up in her chair. "What?" She asked, quickly running to the flap. Now Tosh was yelling something unintelligible and running in circles, the exposed parts of his skin that had touched the tree now inflamed and a... Dark blue? That wasn't good.

Running back in, Sarah grabbed a pair of synthetic gloves, calling to Don, "Grab me ninety CCs of tetrachlorohydrate," and running out to Tosh.

Grabbing him, she found that he was weak and cold, his flailing easy to restrain. Don, close behind, tossed her a hypodermic needle and tossed it to her, which she quickly jabbed into his neck. His eyes rolled back, hands unclenched, and bladder released as his body went slack and he nearly slipped out of her arms.

"Nobody touch the trees," She said, propping up the body and trying to keep from touching his skin as she dragged him to the tent.

[Sarah Penguin]

Poor Tosh, he's gunna turn into a smurf!

[Personalias]

Even the plants are poisonous and predatory...crikey! Very clever...but seriously, I'm routing for Tosh to make a recovery, he doesn't deserve to go out like that...at least have him go out with a blaster in his hand or one arm being eaten as he drops the plasma grenade down the monster's throat. Dang this story makes me go all fanboy.

@Sarah penguin- Tosh could also be turning into a giant blueberry ala Willy Wonka.

[PeculiarChangeling]

Don't worry, he'll not die. Okay? Well, that's relative.

[PeculiarChangeling]

Tosh woke up a couple hours later, his eyes on fire and his limbs screaming at him. He couldn't move, he couldn't even sit up. Everywhere that the rash had spread was blackened like it had been torched, and the rest of him was a light pink, like sunburn.

He couldn't open his mouth to scream. He couldn't even beg for water, or ask for help. All he could do was stare, and nobody else was there to do anything.

----------

(Five minutes earlier.)

"His condition is stabilizing. I don't know how his nervous system is making it, but he'll not die from organ failure," Sarah said, turning away from Tosh's body for a moment. "Any word on what caused the reaction?"

"No. It's something that would work on any of us, but I can't seem to detect why of how. A defense mechanism, maybe, but it functioned more like an allergic reaction." Don shrugged. "In other words, I've got no clue. But I'll keep looki-" a voice came from out of the tent, cutting her off.

"What the hell?" It was David.

Rushing out, Sarah and Don quickly found the source of his surprise. Standing about forty feet into the treeline, there was a creature watching them. Three feet tall and shaped like a bandicoot, golden scales lining its body. Another two of them around it, almost identical, were dismissed by the pack leader.

"Interesting... Some kind of tribal..." Don said, being interrupted by David again.

"Shut up Don, watch," he said, pointing. Another few animals, somewhere else. They looked like congealed fat with fins, somehow rotating their torsos to swim through the dirt. Again, the pack leader dismissed the rest.

Another group, this time the bats. Dismissed by the leader. And another. And another. Soon, a couple dozen distinctions animals were surrounding them, all on their own, all just staying, watching, staring.

That is, until one of them moved. It was shaped like a dolphins, but with two front legs and a third in the rear, and covered in brown fur. Apparently the strong hind leg helped it leap at incredible speed to grab prey, because it did.

At Sarah.

[Sarah Penguin]

Eeeek! *hides so she doesn't get eaten*

[PeculiarChangeling]

Using its front legs, the land Dolphins grabbing Sarah around the waist and then kicked its hind legs to propel onto a tree, bouncing on the caps and away, out of reach. David, Don, and Jesse tried to go after her, only to be swarmed and blocked by bodies of alien creatures. Not attacked, not hurt, just... Stopped. Not allowed to proceed. Each alien was different, but they all seemed to be working together in harmony, one single unit. One single pack.

Sarah had passed out of the first leap as she was held upside down and the blood shot to her head when they sprung up, therefore missing where they went to.

"Shit!" David yelled. "Jesse. Would it be breaching protocol to fire on alien lifeforms?"

"Yes sir," Jesse said, "Definitely."

"Then I didn't ask." David aimed his pistol, firing a dozen rounds into the pack of beasts. They scattered momentarily as several fell wounded to the ground, limping away or helped away by their colleagues. One, a larger beast, which rather resembled a bear crossed with a crocodile, almost jumped at David to attack but was held back by several more creatures.

"What the hell?" David said for the second time in as many minutes.

[Sarah Penguin]

Yay I didn't get nommed!

[nini_diaper]

((The primary buffer panal I liked that part on page 3, reminds me of the opening scene from serenity))