Post by happy on May 14, 2017 11:39:49 GMT -4
Not too long ago, a new prion disease began to gain attention. It originated from Saudi Arabia, spreading through contact of almost every kind between two mammals. It could also strangely survive in Earth's harsh environments without any harm done, which gave it an even farther head start. Before a month had passed, it was well on it's way into the U.S, and had infected a quarter of the globe's population. As any other disease would, this initiated panic and grief worldwide, and although this made it much more difficult, scientists consistently worked towards properly curing and quarantining the disease.
Prions mainly alter the structure of brains in mammals, and of course, this was no exception. It almost eliminated the amygdala and the motor cortex, the two portions of the brain which control reactions to different things and control basic movements consecutively. The amygdala was the most important target, as it pioneers your Fight, Flight, or Freeze system. If you were taken by the disease, you basically became a vegetable. You didn't listen to anyone who spoke, you couldn't move properly, and you didn't have emotion. It kept you alive as normal, but made you spend the rest of your life without a higher level of consciousness. As mentioned before, it could also affect other mammals, so they found whole households full of people, cats, and dogs that were just aimlessly walking around with no real goal in mind.
Two years after the infection started, half the population of Earth was gone, but the numbers were going up much slower, thanks to quarantine zones. An epidemiologist working in a Vancouver quarantine zone had discovered that the prion was sensitive to the body's macrophages and they could kill them easily, but the prion was able to hijack the body's temporal lobe and apparently force it into producing a lower amount of cells in the immune system, making the body vulnerable. The scientist immediately knew that if he administered a stimulus injection of some kind to basically 'wake up' the temporal lobe, the body could produce the defensive macrophages, as well as other cells which had the ability to defend or attack the prion without risking death.
Soon enough, other doctors could confirm that the cure worked, and they started using it across the world. Therefore, all infected people who weren't fully converted yet (the infection was gradual, taking up to a week to essentially make someone into a vegetable) were immune to the disease, which was passed on in family and in kids. This essentially saved the world, stopping the prion's ability to infect any more people. However, the already fully infected people were still infected, and there was no known cure for that yet. However, it was still good enough having a way to prevent it.
It was four months later. The tattered billboard-style sign outside of a small warehouse read 'Zak Bros. Storage', with a caption underneath stating 'Helping to store your uneeded crap since 1992!'. The large door was completely open, and inside two brothers were stacking boxes full of cogs and gears on top of more boxes. While stacking, the oldest caught a glimpse of a large metal object hidden behind a pile of cardboard. When he uncovered it, he stared at it, wondering what it was. It was, however, safe to assume that it was a sort of engine, judging by the rubbery nozzle at the back and the wires sticking out every which way.
The two knew that nobody had checked anything of the like in before. After lugging it into their van and driving it to a metallurgist in Moncton, they discovered that it was, in fact, an anomaly, and a concerning anomaly at that.
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"Just yesterday at 2:10 PM, an incredibly loud sonic boom was emitted from the Scale-Brunns factory in downton Aplasn. Investigators are unable to determine the cause of the noise, but sound decibel detectory (SDD) stations nearby identified that the sound emanated at a remarkable 675 decibels, which was enough to blast the entire factory apart and damage many of the nearby buildings. Over 1,200 people were killed and a further 3,000 were injured. At least 2,000 are permanently deaf from the blasZZzt----"
The man dropped the remote on the ground in an agitated sense.
"Okay, so this is a problem, right?"
"Uh, yes? It killed people, and injured more."
"More then that. I've got reporters, the mayor, investigators, and even acoustic scientists breathing down my neck to determine the cause of the sound. I haven't told them what it is yet."
"Do you know the source?"
"Yes. I checked the radio source emitter out of curiosity, and judging by the evidence, the sound is a shockwave from some sort of deep-space anomaly. It somehow was able to target the factory, because random chance would make it near impossible for it, of all places, to hit anywhere near the city."
"'Deep-space'?"
"It's from a galaxy over. The old Sol galaxy."
"The Milky Way?"
"Yes."
Her face became branded with concern, before abruptly getting up and gathering her coat.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to gather the crew."
"You don't have a crew!"
"Well, then get one for me!"
She slammed the door, causing the whole room to shake. The man immediately picked up the phone, struggled with the buttons, and then pressed it hard to his ear.
"Is this the Briefing? Yes? Okay. I need to gather a crew for...Captain Elie. You hear me? Yes, I'll come over. Okay."
The man paused, put the phone down, and left the room, leaving it in darkness.
"J...net,...y ar...you s...cra...y...abou.....ission?"
"Be...caus...e o..p...--------"
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archive/videos/sagittariusMission/invitationFINAL
/run
...
We need you!
Who is 'we'?
Starman! We're sending the newest, most modern spaceship in all of our fleet out into space, all the way to the fabled Milky Way! Where in the Milky Way? Sagittarius A, near the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy. We're bent on discovering the source of the Scale-Brunns sound blast, as RSEs show that the suggested source is in that area!
We're looking for the most diligent cosmonauts to work with Captain Janet Elie in the brand new S-Orbiter spacecraft.
Are YOU good enough?
Let's see now!
First off, we'll need your name:
Secondly, how would you describe yourself acting in any precarious situation?:
Aditionally, how long have you been working as a cosmonaut?:
Finally, why do you particularly want to work with Starman?:
Remember, it's dangerous out there, so always think twice!
You'll get mail on the answer to your application within a week!
/end