Hive Mind

"I am in agreement," Muir said with a slight cock of his head. "I will have the crew utilize a contamination suit during their initial encounter, and the bay can be locked down into a quarantine space. I don't like to do it because it adds stress to the colonists being newly evacuated, but it is the safer option for all involved. We shall observe them and take careful note of their health."

The captain sighed and crossed all four arms again. "Due to the make-up of a Grinder's physical body, much of it is very similar to the rocks they love to mine. It is my suspicion that perhaps whatever this toxin in has or can somehow attach itself to them. Perhaps even infect their bodies with or without hurting them. I am truly hoping I am wrong, but it is a fear I have."
 
"I understand." The statement reflected more than just an understanding of the words specifically. Xial shifted an arm slightly, contemplating the crystalline protrusions of the latticework that regulated her body.

"If that is the case, it is possible that I may also be susceptible." Most species tended towards organic rather than silicate. The Grinders had a number of silicate-based physiological traits. If Captain Muir was correct in that the toxin was related to that aspect of their physiology, then there was also an increased probability that it could affect Xial as well. Her enmeshed body was organic - artificially grown as they all were, these days - but her people were crystalline, born directly of their world.

"This is..." A pause. There were many words that did not quite fit. "Unfortunate."
 
Muir did not say anything at first. His top pair of arms remained crossed in front of him, but the bottom pair shifted to rest his hands on his hips. His ears flicked back and forth in thought. This was something that annoyed a lot of crewmen; his long silences as he thought things through and refused to be hurried unless there was a good reason to hurry. He could react like lightning if he wanted or needed to, but if there was no need to rush, then he would take his time.

"We shall take all precautions and ensure that everyone is safe," he finally said. "I will not compromise the safety of anyone, crew or colonist, but if there is a way to get you planetside, you can go. However, I want you to keep a safe distance from the colonists when they come up, and if you need to approach them for any reason, wear a contamination suit. We shall take this one choice and one day at a time."
 
The Captain had lapsed into silence. This was not unusual for him. Xial knew him well enough not to rush his thought process. Truthfully, she found it somewhat relieving. Many individuals had a tendency to speak while they were thinking, rather than speaking once they had thought. She sometimes found it difficult to interpret when the other person was saying something that required her input and when they preferred to be their own input. Muir's silence meant that he was considering several things, and Xial left him to it, pulling toxicity reports from the preliminary scans and starting to sift through them while waiting.

Eventually, he reached his conclusion, and she set the other work aside to pay attention. It was not the statement she would have given, which was always a challenging position to be in, particularly when opposing it would mean arguing against herself. Had she been the Captain, Xial likely would have forbidden someone of her species from going onto the planet at all.

As it was, she responded with a silence of her own, contemplative, and then a nod. If he was willing to extend his trust on the matter, then she would follow that directive. Her responsibility, therefore, was to make sure all safety requirements were strict enough so as not to cause further issue.

"I understand, Captain. I will be particularly cautious."
 
"Good," Muir said in a clipped tone. "You are a valuable asset, First Mate Xial," as well as a friend, if on a more professional level of friendship, "and losing you would be highly disadvantageous. I hope to allow you to visit this planet and will do what I can to assist in that endeavor, but your life and safety will come first. If I feel the risk outweighs the benefits, I will act accordingly. I hope you will understand if that is the case."
 
"I will. I trust your judgment." His judgment was one of the reasons that Muir was the captain of the vessel. That was not a position that could be achieved without being able to make difficult decisions in a way that promoted favorable outcomes. If he wasn't willing to deem her excursion within safety parameters, Xial would have no problem following that directive, especially as it seemed as if he were less cautious in this matter than she would have been.

"Visiting other worlds is only one of the things I would like to do with my life," Xial assured him, "I am not overeager to engage in anything that might threaten my existence." Xial could replace her body if she needed to, so long as her crystalline core was preserved, but if something were to happen to her silicate-self, that was not something that could be fixed. XIal had a strong respect for her own life, and no interest in throwing it away. In necessary, the world could simply be marked as unknown. It was statistically more viable to survive, and continue to explore other worlds, rather than risk everything on this one.
 
"Good," Muir said as he turned away. "I am going to relay instructions for higher cautions and potential contamination protocols to the maintenance and the R&S divisions. If you have need of me, you can reach me by radio." He turned and walked toward the door.

The ship was well underway to reaching their destination, meaning the captain was not needed on deck unless something happened that required his input. Therefore, even though he could just as easily relay his instructions via the com system, he chose to go down and tell them in person. It took longer, but was good exercise.
 
The ship progressed closer to Therrash 7. There was no further clarification on the matter of the toxins or the colony collapse. Xial thought that it was likely that they would not know for certain until they arrived. That meant that the time until they arrived needed to be spent setting up the ship for whatever contingency plans might need to be activated.

She had continued her research when time was available, but had reached a point where she had read over the available information. Without additional sources, there was not much need to go over things again and again, especially when time was better spent preparing for different possibilities than trying to narrow them down.

Xial had made her way down to the engineering department to review potential scenarios with the team there. She tended to like engineers. They were precise, and Xial valued precision. The door opened under her touch, and she called out a non-discriminatory "Good morning."

This was not a value judgment on the morning, but a statement that it was morning and that she was indicating her hope that it was a good one. Xial stepped slightly to one side so as not to block the door, but did not proceed further into the room. Engineers were often occupied with experiments and builds that did not do well with interruption. Xial could be patient, until the timing was appropriate. It was not yet an emergency.
 
Gillian was hanging head first, waist-deep in the internal workings of one of the eighty-seven air filtration systems. There were five others in this room, and the rest were scattered about the ship. All of them were in perfect working order, but this one had been wavering just a little on the scans, and she wanted to find out why. Everything was falling in the acceptable parameters, but the undulation of the readings was unusual. She had just located what she thought might be the trouble - a piece of torn fabric wedged deep in one of the cavities - when she heard the call.

"One moment!" she called back, her voice echoing loudly inside the metallic drum.

Stretching her arm as far as she could, she snagged the edge of the cloth and pulled. It all came out in one piece, but as it unraveled, perhaps a dozen tiny pieces of items she could not easily identify clattered down onto the bottom of the filter. Lovely. A human nest or storage spot by the look of it. She swept what she could reach into a pile close to where she'd found the cloth and left it there. That by itself wouldn't affect the filter, and she saw no reason to try to break her neck farther to dig out what those tiny creatures might see as treasure. Then, with much grunting, groaning, leg-kicking, and tail-whirling, she got herself up and out of the filter and rubbed her abdomen. Maybe she should invest in something like a thick waist belt for times like this!

"Yes, what is needed?" she called distractedly as she tried to brush the lubricant stains off her shoulders while walking toward the door. She stopped short when she saw who it was and came to attention. "First Mate!" she gasped with a salute, taken by surprise. "I am sorry to make you wait!"
 
"If I required your immediate assistance I would say so," Xial assured the engineer. "Engineering is important to the functionality of the ship. Tasks are often time sensitive. I do not request or require apologies."

She considered the filter that was being worked on, and the small amounts of detritus pulled free. "These are human things?" It was not so much a question as a request for confirmation. Xial was familiar with the creatures, perhaps more so than some. "They are surprisingly neurologically complex."

Perhaps she should not comment further on that. Many species did not like it when Xial started discussing relative neurology. She would not do it with a known sentient species, but some found it uncomfortable for her to comment on such things at all.

"We will be taking on a colony of Grinders at Therrush 7." Xial was aware that the engineer likely knew this already, but many species preferred an introduction to the conversation rather than simply addressing the primary issue. "Captain Muir has some concerns about potential contamination. I wanted to discuss this with you and make sure that we are reliably quarantining these colonists so as to make sure there are not effects on our crew."
 
"Um, yes, these are human debris," Gillian said, blinking wetly at the item in her hand as if she'd forgotten about it. Which she mostly had at the surprise of seeing the First Mate here in her workplace. "It is not much, it won't cause any harm now. I.. suppose they are complex. I had not thought about it much outside of pulling their stuff out of the vents and random crevices."

Then the First Mate brought up the Grinders and Therrush 7, and Gillian brightened. Now this was something she knew! "Oh, yes! I received the orders, and my team and I have been working at creating a full contamination unit for every individual as well as a few family units. They are pod-like structures developed from microfibers and nanobots that will sound an alert if there's any leaks. We have been in communication with the medical bays for this project, and they urge that every individual be in quarantine to begin with, but we were able to develop walls that can either be transparent or opaque, thereby creating privacy or visual between units as desired. I am not certain how much Grinders need physical touch or similar stimuli, but hopefully being able to see each other will be enough for a temporary situation."
 
“This is interesting.” Xial considered the concept of pods, and the difficulties that engineering was currently having. “How are your structures ventilated? Also: will they keep out any human presence?”

Humans tended to be curious. Their tiny size made it easy for them to get into places, as exemplified by the venting issue. If they were to take an interest in the newcomers, Xial was concerned about the potential for them to become a contamination vector.

“Has the captain indicated how long he expects the quarantine to last, or does engineering have any insight on this matter?”
 
"We're still working on the human aspect," Gillian admitted. "Theoretically, what we currently have should be able to withstand them, but they are... is resourceful the right word? Yes, I believe it is. They are very good at finding ways into places either by slipping through unimaginably small spaces or ripping or cutting or..." She gave a little sigh. "We have reinforced the material, tested multiple types, and have been conducting experiments to ensure its security, but they are good at defying all expectations. We are considering trapping a couple and putting them inside a prototype unit to see what they do."

She considered the first mate's question about quarantine. "The medical unit would have a better idea for that, but I was led to believe seven cycles should be enough."
 
"I will check with the medical unit, but I wanted an engineer's analysis as well." Sometimes differing departments would have very different theories, and it was very important to find out why. Engineer Gillian had not reported a difference of opinion, so that was acceptable for the time being.

"Humans have been known to show even more resourcefulness at getting out of places than getting into them," Xial stated. There were some very interesting studies about that, in which human test subjects had been provided with the same items both in the capture group and control group. "Perhaps you should consider putting up tiny drawings indicating that they should not go in there."

Xial was not generally known for having a sense of humor. Rumors tended towards the opposite, in fact. Xial thought this was due to her desire for precision. This did not mean, however, that she did not find things amusing. The idea of keeping humans out of something by using small signs was one of those things, apparently.

She had commented that they were more neurologically complex than they were usually considered to be. It was unlikely that they could read a sign, but she wondered if they could be taught.

In all likelihood, they would simply steal the drawings and repurpose them for something else.
 
Gillian stared at Xial as she tried to decide if the other was joking or not. It didn't seem like she was, but, then again, maybe she did find humans funny? But she was not commonly a crewman known for levity. Oh dear, now Gillian had let the silence stretch too long. Now what? She needed to salvage this moment. Maybe a neutral statement that could be taken in many ways. That could work!

"Signs are something we could consider," she said in as neutral a tone as she could manage. "We are still working on several theories, and I will be certain to update you with our discoveries as we go."
 
"I would be curious to know more," Xial admitted. "Humans are everywhere, yet we know very little about them. It occurs to me to wonder if Therrash 7 has a human colony. If that is the case, that could potentially be another transmission vector. Perhaps it would be wise to attempt to engineer something that humans cannot get out of, after all."

Of course, how to get the theoretical humans from Therrash inside was another problem. If they slipped inside the transport ships and then into the rescue ship proper, they could possibly spread a toxin unknowingly, even if the Grinders themselves had been quarantined effectively.
 
"I had not taken that into consideration. This is indeed a potential for disaster," Gillian moaned.

How could she have missed something so obvious?! Humans tended to get everywhere! Even in places where there was absolutely no chance for survival, they somehow managed to survive. How? Sheer willpower and stubbornness mixed with a bewildering amount of resourcefulness? There was a possibility that they were not on Therrash 7, especially with Grinders. Grinders were not known for being particularly tolerant of none mineral-based lifeforms (like what Xial was), and the ones that at least attempted to be tolerant and open-minded usually ended up unintentionally hurting the less armored, more squishy fellows. There was a possibility they exterminated humans from their ship before traveling, but what if they failed? This could be an issue.

"I shall personally oversee the installation and adjustment of new scanners aboard the retrieval pods," she decided. "I will tune them to human-specific frequencies to look for any that stow away, and if any do, I shall create a container to quarantine them just like the Grinders before letting them go. The human populace on this ship is relatively small. There should be enough space for a few more without inviting territorial squabbles. I do know of a few styles of containers that can hold them courtesy of some human relocation specialists. Keeping them inside will not be a problem as long as the other humans do not try to take them out."
 
"Thank you. I am sure your work will be satisfactory." Engineer Gillian was good at her job. Once she had decided to build something, Xial was confident that it would be as well done as possible under the circumstances.

The particular circumstances involved relatively little time, however, which was something of a point of concern. It seemed as if Gillian already had some designs in mind, however, so that would minimize the time needed for that aspect of the process.

"If there is nothing else, I will leave you to it."
 
Gillian saluted the first mate properly. "I have nothing else to report, and I will double down on my efforts to get the quarantine units ready!"

Including human-sized ones. She remembered seeing examples of some relocation units. Part of what helped make them work was their simplicity and their lack of cracks and crevices, but one must not forget to include pieces of enrichment. Preferable soft things that could not break the container. She walked back toward the main lab where five other engineers were already working on assembling the first prototype quarantine chamber. They had work to do!
 
Gillian spent most of her time testing, re-designing, and retesting the quarantine units for both humans and Grinders. Grinders were easy at the beginning since most of them should not be trying to sneak their way out or destroying the quarantine units, but then she remembered that the tiny humans might try to get in. Most humans gave people a wide berth and tried to stay out of their way, but now and then one or two let their curiosity lead the way and got daringly close. Finally, though, she felt she had the units properly secured against human invasion. The human quarantine boxes were far more difficult to design, but the day before they reached Therrash 7, she placed three humans inside one box, placed treats outside the box, and left the room. Four hours later, they were still in the box. She dared to give them water and food to last them at least a day and left the room again to watch them on the surveillance screen. Twelve hours later, they were still in the box. A couple of humans had even come to investigate, but they couldn't get them out either. She allowed herself a small celebration before opening the box and placing a small climbing ladder inside and outside the box so they could get out in their own time and get the treats remaining on the table. Success at last! Hopefully, the treats would appease them enough that they would not cause mischief.



Meanwhile, Captain Muir had his own problems. He was able to learn a little bit more about the potential dangers of Therrash 7, but he still felt somewhat underprepared. The security team had orders to go first and ensure the safety of the rest of the crew before anyone else set foot on the planet. In between his other usual obligations and responsibilities, he refreshed himself on Grinder etiquette so that, hopefully, they could reduce the number of misunderstandings. Grinders were literalist people who had even less of a grasp of idioms, similes, and sarcasm than Xial had. They were not liars, but they were known to not be entirely forthcoming and essentially lie by omission if need be. The weakest of them received food first before anyone else, but it was the leader who distributed the food based on who they believed needed it first. Those who offended a Grinder would be challenged to a fight, and considering Grinders were basically sentient stones and nearly everyone on board the ship was far more prone to squishing, Muir decided it would be best to try to head off any accidental incidents. He asked one of his younger crewmen to put together a pamphlet of basic points the medical crew and anyone else who would come into regular contact with the Grinders would need.

Therresh 7 rose up on the visual screens, a reddish, highly sedimentary planet with little water and no greenery to speak of. The atmosphere held enough oxygen for the majority of species to survive on, but there was also a couple of other gasses that were poisonous to some. The security team went through a quick screening to ensure none of the chosen team were sensitive to those gasses, but they were required to wear masks anyway. Then it was time to send them down. Muir stood on the bridge, pacing from screen to screen to window as he watched over them as best he could. He wanted desperately to be a part of the landing team, but as captain, his job was to make decisions to ensure the safety of all. It was difficult to make decisions when one was in trouble or dead.



Gillian made one last check, herself, of the security team's landing pod and checked the human sensors she'd installed. "The pods are ready to go, sir!" she reported to the security team leader. He then passed it by Muir, who gave permission to go planet side.
 
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