Something From Below

Stardate 2042

Date Sept. 2042

Somewhere near the Helix Nebula

My shift was to last for a year for 2042-2043, from which I would then wake another crewmember from cryosleep to begin their watch. The days had seemed long at first. But eventually the steady hum drum of routine would take hold and the days would become decidedly less long. More often they were short, shorter then you would need to get everything done, or at least feel like such. There was much to do to maintain the starship Magellan in its warpdrive to the Helix Nebula, or somewhere outside it.

Our mission was to study the Nebula, to look into the origins of our galaxy by studying the dying star of another, to see how its demise might contribute to our knowledge of the formation of such bodies. We'd be able to take all sort of readings with the ships various scientific instruments, mostly laser based.

And with that knowledge we would return to earth, hopefully hailed as interstellar heroes, astronauts of tremendous importance. That was what was supposed to happen. Things didn't quite go as planned. I write you now from the chambers of my room, which are locked, from the other crew members, some of which were automatically wakened by the ships onboard computer. For some reason the computer has malfunctioned and has begun doing things at random. It's not hostile, nor is the computer very smart anymore, which could amount to some sort of damaged component or loss of memory leading to bottlenecks. I haven't been able to check.

The crew has become hostile since being awakened, due to some unknown sickness that seems to affect those awakening from cryosleep. Its made them violent and brutish, a sort of a ghoulish type of figure, and prone to outbursts and anger. I think their frontal lobes are being inhibited somehow, and I've been unable to adminster the usual set of meds that are given to awakees to help stave off these sort of effects (which haven't been completely observed in the lab) and which help bolster the subjects immune system as cryosleep can weaken it.

Date Sept 10 2042

Somewhere near the Helix Nebula

Today has gotten even stranger. I'm still stuck in my quarters, but I've been able to bring supplies into my room through the air vent, sneaking out at night while the rest of the crew falls asleep. They seem to remain in their primitive state of aggression, and there doesn't seem to be anyway to alleviate it. I may have to resort to violence and have considered raiding the ships armoury for security measures.

I might set off tomorrow, or the next day, and try this, as I'm getting very nervous when taking my trips through the air vents to the supply closet. I may also be able to starve the rest of the awakened crew, totaling 5 members, as they don't seem to be eating and are becoming more emaciated by the day.

However I loathe to think of what might happen if I'm caught by one of them. I've done my best to avoid them, and our crew suits are made of a stronger weave then normal cotton fabrics.

So I remain in my cabin, doing nothing in particular, mostly staring at the wall, thinking of what I could do, and wondering whats on television on the earth right now. How I miss televsion.

Sept 15 2042

Somewhere near the Helix Nebula

I've managed to get to the armoury and obtain a pistol along with ammunition. I'm not sure if I know how to work the thing beyond a point and shoot approach. I think this idea might carry me further then I realize. Now the goal is to secure the rest of the ship, and disable the computers auto-assist function that enables it to control or mess with so many areas of the ship. Last I checked the computer had stopped doing things for awhile, and was simply remaining dormant, but it could very easily mess with oxygen saturation or other variables that could lead to a crisis for the ship.