2034 A.D.

New International Space Station.

Operations Manual

Section 345AC6

Module Descriptions

Communications Hub (CH-01)The heart of the NISS, the station's primary security functions are monitored here. The Hub itself is located at the very center of the station, surrounded by several "rings" that constitute individual chambers and sections of the station added later on.

Has Access To: Equipment Room, Barracks, Armory.

Things of Interest: Hub Computer Mainframe, Long-Wave Communicator, Radar, Security Log, Camera Relay.

Equipment: Emergency Hammer/Pick, Fire Extinguisher.

Equipment Room (ER-02)The second smallest section of the NISS, the Equipment Room stores all space suits, as well as reserve fuel and oxygen supplies. It is commonly used as a staging room for any mission objectives to be carried out by the crew. Designed in conjunction with the proceeding ring attachments, ER-02 uses a hydraulic transport system to grant access to various points in the station itself, allowing for a great deal of maneuverability despite the massive distances between sections. Curiously, a designing oversight left the ER-02 without direct access to the Armory.

Has Access To: Communications Hub, Mess Hall, Ecosphere, Infirmary, Air Lock Chamber.

Things of Interest: Hydro-Lift System, Navi-Comp.

Equipment: E-Suit x 6, fuel + O2 supply.

Air Lock Chamber (AC-03)The largest 'outer ring' of the station, the Air Lock Chamber is the primary docking area for the NISS. Shuttles and automated supply ships can dock with the station via 'link plugs' that create an artificial atmosphere in the small chamber between the station and corresponding vessel.

Has Access To: Equipment Room.

Things of Interest: Primary Docking Bay, Air Seal System.

Equipment: Emergency Hammer/Pick, Fire Extinguisher, Crowbar.

Mess Hall (MH-04)A small dining hall, this chamber boasts both artificially gravity generators and semi-decent food. Most of its culinary delights are stored in the massive freezer unit, but the kitchen area contains several RTE meals in storage as well.

Has Access To: Infirmary, Equipment Room.

Infirmary/Barracks (MD-05)A small medical supply room, the Infirmary has sufficient equipment for standard First Aid and minor surgical procedures. It was integrated into the Barracks wing to conserve space.

Armory (AA-06)The smallest ring on the station, the Armory holds all emergency-only weaponry, sanctioned by PATO (Pan-Atlantic Treaty Organization) for use during high alert hostile encounters. It is accessible only by keycard.

Has Access To: Communications Hub.

Things of Interest: Weapons Rack.

Equipment: Riot gun x 4, Tranquilizer Rifle x 1, Pistol x 3, Thermite Charge x 2.

Ecosphere (ES-07)By far the largest of the sections, the Ecosphere is a massive, 200m by 110m "dome-type" structure connected to the NISS' ring system through the Hydro-Lift's linking tunnel system. It houses over 8000 varieties of plant and insect life, separated by terrestrial region and each with its own climate control system. It also boasts an observatory, where the research crew can monitor individual species' progress through the Bio-Computer module.

Has Access To: Equipment Room.

Things of Interest: Bio-Computer.

Equipment: Microscope, Sample-Scan Module, UV Scanner, centrifuge, test tubes.

02 - 14 - 34

CH-01

"So you what?"

"I just...ha-ha, I told him I'd call him in a week."

"Oh, yeah- with what? Your cell phone?"

"Hahaha. C'mon, Ted, cut me some slack. I didn't wanna let the guy down. I was being nice!"

"That's not being nice, darlin. That's being a tease, and it'll get you more stalkers than drinkin' buddies."

"Right. You would know, huh, Captain?"

Captain Theodore Marsh and co-pilot Lieutenant Kara Yu waited patiently in the Central Communications Hub (CH-01) for the rest of Able Team to arrive from their respective stations. Mission Control had sent Bravo Element to repair the Vosguv defense satellite one and a half clicks from the main station hub. Able Team was expected to report, or so Captain Marsh assumed.

"Houston, how's the weather looking? We going home any time soon, before the storms kick in?"

"Salvation can take a couple snowflakes, Ted. You'll do fine."

"Never been a fan of the snow." Pastore said, the Chief Engineer for the station having just arrived at the Central Communications Hub in time to catch the tail end of the conversation. The man held his diagnostic pad firmly in his hands as he entered the hub, smiling at his comrades as he did.

"How are things up here, you two?" he asked.

Doctor Simon entered the room shortly behind Pastore. What he was to engineering, she was to botany, and was there to keep an eye on the ecosphere's plant life-thus the kit she held in one hand. The other held a professional 50mm camera, the strap looped around her wrist; it was needed for her duties, but photography was one of her hobbies anyhow, and the camera was full of pictures she'd taken even outside the course of her Pastore, she didn't announce her entrance; she didn't see any need to speak for the time being.

ER-02

Nikolai Andropov was there as 'maintenance' personnel. He knew how to make a machine work, and he knew how to clean everything. He was the janitor in name, but he was a prestigious one. For he was the first janitor in space! No American ever held the title, so Nikolai felt as if he had appeased the Russian Bear with his was supposed to show up with the Abe team, but he didn't care; he was tinkering with a bio-scanner he'd found, having seen it work before, and making sure how to make it work now. He was near the entrance to module where they were supposed to converge, but merely procrastinated as he finally got the damn thing to turn on.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, his accent fading beneath years of voice coaching.

MH-04

Long-distance flights were boring. Space was also very boring. And getting trapped in a space station to fix things up was even more boring. So boring that he was getting hungry. And since he was getting hungry, Daniel Brownings just slapped on his comm. headset and made his way down to the Mess Hall. Of course, he'd been the slowest to adapt to living here, and was basically just wandering through the hydraulic lift tunnels, ears sharply tuned to the slightest disturbance on the communication lines.

It was quiet, save for the buzzing of Brownings' comm. headset and the occasional gust of fresh air from the life support vents on the ceiling. The stretch of wood-grain cabinets along the kitchen area were intended to give the crew a more homely feeling, but the sterile air and chill of the freezer unit made it...unnatural. In fact, the air seemed to be getting colder. The life support vents were acting up, now, flapping on and off in seconds. Large gusts of semi-filtered air rushed into the room, but carried something else as well. With the last great rush of air, a tiny, yellowing piece of paper popped from the vent, fluttering in Brownings' view before finally falling to the ground. It was rolled up...like a tiny scroll. A message?

i

God damn, what the hell was wrong with this cookie-cutter station?

CH-01

"We're just on of edge of our seats, here."

Captain Marsh replied with a sigh, floating up above his bolted-down commander's chair as his co-pilot continued to monitor communications.

"Bravo team's in phase two of redeployment, and Houston's being weird about who listens in on the report. I think something might be up."

"Yeah," Kara added, "they're probably only sending half of us back this shift."

"Not like Bravo doesn't need the alone time. Who wants some coffee?"

"Houston to NISS, Priority Red." buzzed the long wave communicator, prompting Marsh to 'swim' back towards his chair as Kara answered the call.

"Houston, this is NISS, Able team. What's the situation? Has it started snowing yet?" she asked with a smile, receiving several seconds of silence in return. Whoever was at the other end seemed to be having difficulty saying something. Captain Marsh landed in his chair and gave the crew a concerned look-over before calling again.

"Houston. Do you read? This is Marsh."

"Able team...as of this moment, you are on Level 3 alert."

"What...? Houston? Houston, say again. I think we may have misheard you."

"I repeat, Able Element, as of now you are on Level 3 alert.

"Bravo Element's last communication confirmed intelligence suggesting the Zvezda-Molnya recon satellite is in fact an armed, nuclear strike-capable attack unit. It is also believed to be housing a specialized synthetic defense organism."

"What? You mean like a...virus?"

"Negative. The Zvezda Spore has been confirmed by New Moscow's research branch as an experimental neural controller. The organism roots itself to a target's nervous system through a pollination process- as of now, no further intelligence has been gathered, but we have reason to believe Bravo Element has been exposed to the Spore."

"That's impossible. The suits- how could it haven gotten through?"

"Marsh...details are hazy at the moment, but Bravo Commander's last check-in reported a leak in their head engineer's life support. We believe this to be the source of the infection. As it stands, you are on quarantine until we can safely return you to Earth aboard the Atlantis."

"The Atlantis? How the Hell are we supposed to fly back on a museum piece? It'll break up on launch!"

"Bravo Element currently holds the Salvation. The Atlantis is our only available solution. We've arranged for a Godfrey-class freighter from the Lunar Expedition team to provide food and supplies. Under no circumstances are you to communicate with Bravo Element. You are under orders to deny any and all dock attempts by the Salvation while the Godfrey makes its approach."

The Captain let it sink in. Bravo Team was as good as dead, as far as they were concerned. Now all that was left to do was abandoned the Space Station for Earth. Their chances of success seemed fairly good, though the still-armed defense satellite might post a problem in the future. And Bravo...was Mission Control so willing to just let them die? It was no longer their problem, however. Their mission was now one of survival- and Captain Marsh had never failed to accomplish a mission. He didn't plan on it now.

"Understood, Mission Control. Preparing to receive freighter." he replied, before again rising from his seat, this time going straight for the connecting passageway, towards Nikolai.

"You heard him, people. We've got visitors coming. Everyone, back to your posts. Simon, get me readouts on the ecosphere. I want atmo levels: oxygen, nitrogen. Pastore, head down to the air locks and get ready to open up for the Godfrey. Nikolai, you assist. Kara, find Brownings and get him back up here."

Nikolai had come in to here more or less the brunt of everything - and furrowed his eyebrows when he heard about New Moscow. Damn! Things could not have been stacked worse for the Russian Space Janitor, who clutched the bio-scanner as he was ordered to assist Pastore. He didn't even wait for any stereotypical cold war comments as he looked as Pastore, gripping the flashlight in his pocket as if it was a comfort.

"What are you waiting for? Let's Go!"

Simon's blood ran cold as soon as "Level 3 Alert" came over the comm., and her grip on the camera tightened, the only visible sign of her reaction to the news. That the satellite was nuclear-armed was bad enough, but the synthetic "spore"... She'd heard of parasitic organisms that controlled lower beings such as crabs and spiders, but those were insects, which somewhat limited the speed at which it spread, and it was done for a very specific reason-specifically reproduction (and killed the host shortly afterwards, though she didn't particularly want to think about that, either). This... there was no telling what this might be capable of, or what exactly it was intended to do. Bravo Team returning would definitely not be a good sign in that particular short, the concept of a "neural controller" that spread via pollination and was complex enough to effect humans was a downright terrifying thought, and Simon shuddered at the thought of what Bravo Team must be going through. And if it reached them...As soon as Marsh gave the order, she nodded, saluted stiffly, and kicked off into the hallway. However, the ecosphere wasn't her first destination-no, she was going to get her suit, now. She had no intention of taking any chances with something this potentially nasty.

Mike Nesmith came into the room just after everything was said. There was an uneasy silence, as if he had just missed something really, really important.

Oh, damn. Again.

He didn't even really know why he was here, or what his job was. He had a soldering iron and a laser pointer. What the Hell was he going to really do with those? He felt like he was the outcast in some shitty horror movie who was going to die the moment he laid his eyes on the evil bad guy...or the questionably clever guy who managed to take everything useful to him and outlasts everyone else out of his own greed to live. Greed? Will...Besides, he had a family back on Earth. He sure fucking hoped nothing was going wrong, and it was just some shit blowing over.

"Uh, sorry I'm late..."

Pastore, on the other hand, had no qualms about his job. He knew this station inside and out. That was his job, after all. And it was time for him to get to work. He disassociated rather quickly, saying nothing to the Russian janitor and heading straight for the airlock as fast as possible. He queued up all applicable channels on his headset, and prayed to God nothing was wrong with the lock.