Mouthwashing | Exodus

This story takes place in the Mouthwashing universe, 4 months after the death of the crew.

It is the year 2263. The Tulpar's stranding became a publicized event across multiple worlds, and eventually an expedition was planned for its retrieval and rescue, a large military vessel from the nation of Canaris docks the ship and investigates the interior for clues on what occurred. Finding the mummified bodies of the crew, they quickly whisk them onto the carrier and haul them aboard.

They eventually find Curly, frozen in a cryo pod, and extract him onto the vessel and jettison the derelict freighter. While on a journey to their home planet, Curly undergoes a long-lasting surgery under anesthetics. He wakes up to find himself completely repaired, and is soon updated by the Captain of the vessel. He asks solemnly what will happen to the bodies of the crew, and to his shock the Captain responds, "They'll be taken in for revivification."

Curly, uncomprehending of the Captain's words, stares simply. The Captain replies, "You've missed a world of events in the last 4 months. I guess I'll start at the top of the list. A month after your crew bit dust, a child in Janma City had come back to life after being brutally stabbed to death. And it only happened after his mother prayed for hours over the body. This was recorded on city surveillance. We have documented proof of life returning from death. And now we have a whole system for it."

He leaned forward on the table, taking a videotape out of his coat pocket and tapping it on the table tauntingly. "And when we review these records from the Tulpar, we're gonna find out who's responsible for this mess. The perpetrators won't be able to escape, even in death."