Supernova Blitz

Chapter 40: Cultural Exchange

Dr. Levine Lopez is said to be the smartest human being alive, possessing at twenty five more formal education than anyone else on the ship. Her hobbies are also S.T.E.M.-related, with heavy experience in computer programming, programmable logic, and some dabbling in chemistry. There hasn't been a problem yet she couldn't solve given enough time, and enough time for her is typically not long at all.

And, she hates it. A lot of pressure comes with that reputation. When she was just one of Mr. Right's employees, everything she worked on would be checked ten times, tested five, and monitored in practice. Now, she all-too-regularly makes decisions and implements actions that hold humanity's fate in the balance. And, most of them are during crises and make or break moments. As such, people celebrate her as a war hero, a super hero, and a genius.

She liked her quiet lab. She LIKED being the youngest in the room –no one thought she knew anything since she was younger than them-. And, she liked the apathy of being alone.

She wouldn't trade Rex for anything, of course. His friendship is the biggest reason she's made it this far. He DOESN'T remind her that the fate of everyone is on her shoulders. He's always right beside her, doing what he can to hold some of the weight.

So, while today isn't a crisis, she nevertheless checks her right side to make sure he's still there. He's standing patiently, inspecting a Grodrrn autoinjector containing some kind of antivenom or antitoxin that supposedly works like a chelating agent to bind with harmful molecules and deposit them as plaque in the patient's blood vessels. The Grodrrn shocktrooper explaining it is making idle talk with Hancock, and the shocktroopers are allowed to discuss a list of equipment known to have been seized by the humans, which is almost everything. It's a sign of good faith that the Grodrrns, at least those on Khla's battleship, are not enemies of the humans.

The autoinjector looks more like the Grodrrn sidearm than a human autoinjector. Lopez already knows that it uses some kind of ionic osmosis to create an electrical path for the serum through the skin and into the blood stream without a needle to break, nor risk of an embolism, or air bubble in the blood stream. Hancock asks a few questions, passing the time and respectfully engaging with their Grodrrn escort.

"So, why plaque? Wouldn't it be better to send it to the body's waste system?"

The Grodrrn replies, "Plaque eez foster. Saffer. Liss leekly to trovol."

"Wouldn't it clog your arteries over time, though?"

The trooper nods, replying, "Eez bittor thon deeing painfool deeth immidly. Ond, con be treated oftor."

Hancock nods in agreement. He asks, "No way to make it less painful? A shock seems... overkill."

The Grodrrn scoffs, retorting, "No sooch theeng. Ond, ozz sid. Steel bittor thon deeth immidly."

Hancock chuckles, replying, "Fair point." He hands the injector back, noticing Lopez watching him. He says, "Hey! What's up?"

She squeaks and returns to her task, replying, "Nothing! I just... checking..."

Hancock chuckles.

She doesn't understand how he can be so calm and casual. They are in a mid-deck space, almost as far away from the shuttle as possible, in a room being held together by fabric currently, and on the Grodrrn battleship of Baskylla Jardzen Khla. He's armed, but only with his hybrid rifle, which isn't much better, presumably, at defeating the Grodrrns than the powder-fired assault rifles they started with. He's told her stories of Earth when he was fighting to escape, not to mention how much punishment Dzor took, surviving even after falling off of the upper deck of the massive Grodrrn hangar. They aren't the only humans on the ship, as evidenced by the grinding, hammering, welding, and all kinds of other powered work going on to restore the ship. The Grodrrns are working as well, but the Providence is vastly quicker. And, even though the Grodrrns still outnumber humans on the ship, Rex is chatting like this shocktrooper is just another human.