Alien Disclosure Day

Navigation, confirm approach window.

Reentry corridor locked.

Time to interface 10 minutes, 12 seconds.

All vectors normal.

Engineering?

Primary reactor is steady.

Shield integrity is at 100%.

Thermal margins are within tolerance.

I'm picking up a little bit of enhanced solar activity,

but shouldn't interfere with reentry.

Jennings, adjust around the flares.

Setting updated parameters.

Course deviation less than 0.2 degrees.

Auto correction engaged.

Good. Begin final approach checklist.

Gyros aligned.

Internal dampener is green.

Atmospheric sensors calibrated.

Big plans for your anniversary?

Ha!

Ten years, that's not nothing.

What's your secret, Jennings?

I could use the advice.

It's no secret. I mean, I love my wife.

And that's why I took this job.

You know, the hazard pay.

Me and Alice are saving for a house.

So romantic.

What is 10 years anyway? Is that silver? Gold?

It's tin.

So a roll of aluminum foil.

I think she would murder you if you showed up with that.

You know, it's too bad that we can't snag

a bit of this quasicrystal we're hauling.

Then she would really murder you if you got arrested,

or worse, on site once you got to Earth.

True. That's true.

But I am the last person to tell

anyone how to run their relationship.

My ex-fiancé Draven.

This story again?

Hey, what's the ETA to Earth?

All right. Storytime is over.

Everyone focus.

Yes, Captain.

All stations, we're entering descent interface.

Expect turbulence during reentry.

Lock in. No movement until we're through.

Reentry window opens in one minute.

Copy navigation. Hold corridor.

Engineering, monitor structural stress.

Call out anything that spikes.

Captain, can we get a check on my retirement?

Make sure that's still secure.

Please? We had to move fast to meet this deadline.

Just wanted to make sure.

Cargo bay, Cayce. Confirm you're secured.

Locking the bay down now.

I'll strap in as soon as I verify containment.

You have less than one minute.

64 seconds, actually.

Cargo lock securing.

Hard seal engaged.

Computer, terminate music.

Warning. Radiation spike detected.

High energy particle surge coming off the star.

It's a solar flare. We're in the stream.

We're about to get hit from all sides.

All hands, solar turbulence incoming.

Sit down and strap in.

Radiation shields at 30%.

Radiation shields maximum output.

Reroute all non-essential power.

Shields are up. Power transfer in progress.

All hands, brace for impact. This is not a drill.

Captain, the shields are saturating.

We're losing margin.

Jennings, full system diagnostics. Verify trajectory.

Running now.

-Dyson, comm status. -Comms are down, Captain.

Some readings aren't reconciling yet.

Bypass the main antenna.

Give me telemetry and voice channel and nothing else.

All sections, this is the Captain.

Report damage status immediately.

Standing by to re-route.

Reactor stable. Central power at 85%.

Life support, HVAC, and emergency backups are green.

Trajectory deviation minus 12 degrees.

Auto correction is engaging.

Okay, okay.

Pressure, not fracture.

Elevated heart rate detected.

Alerting Captain Vega.

Cayce, report.

I think the flare has malfunctioned the--

I couldn't understand that. Repeat.

I wasn't strapped into my seat.

Are you injured?

Lower extremities pinned.

Mobility... Compromised.

Fracture is unknown.

Okay. Hang on. I'm sending medical.

Crap.

Computer, scan M-009 for organic life.

Report on headset.

Scanning.

Computer?

Organic life detected.

Computer, open the channel to Captain Vega.

Priority.

Computer.

Dyson, get Origen on the line. Status of the array?

Trying to uplink the array, but it's not responding.

Reroute auxiliary power sources in the mainframe.

Hopefully it gives us a boost.

Do it. Strip to telemetry and voice only.

Jennings, damage report?

All sections are reporting green, Captain,

except for cargo.

Cayce never misses protocol.

Check with medical.

Audio is down ship-wide. I can't raise them.

Solar flare scrambled the internal bus.

Give it five minutes, I'll try and punch a hole through.

Captain, the re-entry window has recalculated.

We have 7 minutes and 42 seconds.

We have to commit or abort.

Copy. Begin preliminary sequence.

I want us ready.

I'm going cargo. Dyson, you're with me.

-Yes, Captain. -Yes, Captain.

Computer, status?

Officer Cayce, respond?

Cayce.

Cayce?

Run!

Open the bridge! Open the bridge!

I got the computer to work.

Captain, what happened?

-Alien. -What?

Lock down the ship. Internal doors, bulkheads,

pressure zones, full containment now.

We cannot let these aliens get back to Earth.

Initiating internal lockdown.

Get Origen on the line. Priority override.

If the array won't carry it, route to any surviving channels.

You said the computers working?

Yes, Captain.

Computer, initiate emergency protocol.

Prep Prometheus. Do not execute without my authorization.

Emergency protocols queued.

It followed us!

Dyson, sit down, focus.

Computer, switch to all access.

All stations, this is the Captain.

We have a hostile lifeform on board.

Please remain at your stations.

Do not move unless instructed.

Captain?

Stay focused on the emergency protocols.

Yes, Captain.

Execute Prometheus.

No, what about the cargo?

Prometheus requires a Captain-level code.

Alpha Victor India Lima Alpha.

Code confirmed.

Emergency lockdown initiated.

Prometheus protocol active.

All right.

Now we keep the crew alive until reinforcements come.

What is it, Captain?

I don't hear anything.

Captain, take a look at this.

Put it on the main.

That alien just duplicated.

Captain, how bad is this?

Did you find Cayce?

No.

We cannot let this get to Earth.

If it keeps duplicating, it will take over Earth

in a week or sooner.

No, no.

That's not an option.

It's the only option if containment fails.

How are we supposed to contain that?

It splits and reorganizes.

Listen to me. We signal Origen.

They send a rescue vehicle. We hold position.

They're going to take over this ship before we get help.

Jennings is right.

We should try to kill the aliens now.

What?

I've never met our benefactor.

He could be the nicest trillionaire in the galaxy,

but we are up here mining his minerals.

If he sends a ship, it's coming to save the cargo, not us.

And how do you suppose we kill this alien? Hmm?

We radio out, send for backup.

Again, I don't think anyone is going to arrive in time.