[center][h3]Dr. Simon Brewer
PCMS [i]Tartarus[/i]
In orbit above Baelzarus IV[/h3][/center]
[indent]"Doc?"

[color=lightblue]"One second."[/color]

The tall, brown haired man leaned over a display and tapped a pad. On the large monitor ahead of him a patch of cells zoomed in and focused, details on chemical and biological makeup slowly filtering in on the side monitors. The man scribbled onto the holopad in his hands, even as the door to his lab swished quietly open to admit another younger man in a uniform.

"Doc -"

[color=lightblue]"Ah, Jenkins, excellent. Tell me, what do you see here?"[/color]

"A bunch of cells but -"

[color=lightblue]"No not just cells, Jenkins. These are the basis for a new lifeform! All solely on its ability to thrive in harsh conditions and adapt to any environment! Watch."[/color]

The man tapped on his holopad and the display lit up, heat beginning to rise from the lab table ahead of him. On the display the cells squirmed and some died as they were suddenly subjected to the extreme heat, but within moments they had changed their entire makeup to match those of a stronger, hardier cell, those that adorned scales of reptile scales. With another tap, he changed the environment to extreme cold, and the cells again suffered, but within the span of a minute they had clumped together, sharing mass to conserve energy and to maximise efficiency. With an eager grin he turned back to the young man.

[color=lightblue]"I call it the Theria strain. One day this discovery will change modern medicine forever!"[/color]

"Yeah that's cool doc but you're needed on the bridge. Full regalia. Captain's orders."

The man's face fell.

[color=lightblue]"Oh, is it time?"[/color]

Jenkins nodded.

" 'M afraid so, doc."

He sighed and powered off the display, before advancing to the table to stow his samples.

[color=lightblue]"Tell captain Hughes I'll be a few minutes. I need to get dressed."[/color]
[hr]
[color=lightblue]"Captain."[/color]

"Doctor Brewer."

The two men stood on the bridge of an impressive looking starship. Clad in armour, stark white, with a red cross painted on the bow, the [i]Tartarus[/i] was a stunning example of human craftsmanship. The ship itself was an aid vessel, designed and crafted with one goal in mind: to heal. The red cross on the bow exemplified this goal; an ancient human custom, known once as the Geneva Convention, now evolved into something intergalactic. The Galactic Medical Rights Act now served as the law by which most corporations, planets and governments recognised the importance of battlefield healthcare and, if faced with such troops during a war, a declaration and promise that no harm would befall those marked with the red cross. Such a ship, in this part of the galaxy, attracted much attention, as evidence by Captain Hughes' reluctance to stay in orbit.

"We got you far enough, Doctor Brewer."

[color=lightblue]"And I am ever grateful, captain."[/color]

As the two men stared at the planet's surface, the captain gave him a glance.

"Are you sure you're ready for your new assignment?"

Simon returned the glance and smiled, giving the captain a pat on the shoulder.

[color=lightblue]"Relax, Hughes. I'll be fine. Not the first time I'm serving aboard another vessel."[/color]

"Yeah but the last vessel you were on tried to kill you, remember?"

Simon grimaced. The [i]Staedtler[/i]. That ship.

His mind flew back to that deployment. PharmCo had told him that the [i]Staedtler[/i] was a Duchy colony vessel found adrift out in deep space out in the Kyrus sector of Andromeda, and had dispatched him there alongside a full deployment of Duchy troops. What they hadn't told him was that the ship was also part of a fleet of black ops science vessels, isolated in that area of deep space purely for isolation reasons, so that what twisted, depraved experiments they came up with wouldn't spread to other, more populated areas of the galaxy. The only reason why they were sending him to the [i]Staedtler[/i] was purely for research reasons, and to assist the troopers there in containing any threats, for the ship was slowly drifting towards a colony planet. When they breached its hull and ventured into its depths, they found only death. Death in the form of a hostile flesh-eating bacterial plague. It had lain dormant since before their arrival, but upon discovering new victims, the vicious flesh-eating plague had gone to work devouring his team underneath their armour and suits like it was a trivial matter. On final extraction, lost and rapidly losing men, Simon had requested a complete and total destruction of the [i]Staedtler[/i], which had gone through. He still doubted the ship remained in one piece after the bombardment it suffered. PharmCo had claimed ownership of the wreckage from the Duchy, and to this date they were still processing and sterilising every piece of ship they got, in the hopes that pathogen containment would successfully eradicate all traces of the plague before it settled on any colony world.

[color=lightblue]"Yes well last I heard one hundred percent containment was still a possibility."[/color]

"A possibility, doc. Nothing more."

Simon sighed and nodded in mute agreement. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, before the captain spoke again.

"Your shuttle's already prepped and ready to go, doc. We'll be holding here in orbit until you've confirmed your attachment to the Outlander crew, at which point we'll bug out and leave you to it. Your long range transmission capabilities are functional, yes?"

[color=lightblue]"Of course, captain."[/color]

He nodded.

"Good, then head to the shuttle bay, doctor. Remember to keep in touch with us. Luck be with you."

Simon nodded in return.

[color=lightblue]"I'll see you soon, captain."[/color]

"Hopefully sooner and not later, doc."
[hr]
In transit, Simon sat. The shuttle was cruising down towards the planet's surface, heading for the city's main "spaceport", if one could call a rusted, broken junkyard a spaceport. The shuttle didn't even have space to land; he was due for a very low altitude drop. The shuttle would bug out and Simon would be in for the long haul.

As the shuttle dropped slowly towards the surface of Baelzarus IV, the doctor performed a final check on his gear. His battle rifle slash medigun laid on his lap, and the rest of his kit was harnessed or clipped onto his combat rigging on the exterior of his armour. His helmet, attached to the collar of his armour, was folded and stowed in its compartments; at any time he could simply tap a button on his wrist and the helmet would unfold and form around his head. Amazing how much technology had advanced in the past few centuries, and yet places like these were still fetid dumps.

"Alright we're on approach. Two minutes."

The pilot spoke up from the cockpit. They were close. Through the shuttle windows, he could stare out at the city beneath; a squalid dump, comprised mostly of slums and streets. Simon grimaced; he'd been in worse, but the condition of the city simply [i]appalled[/i] him. He was doubtful the place even had a [i]hospice[/i], much less a functioning, clean hospital.

[color=lightblue][i]Well, a far cry from [/i]civilisation[i] but at least it's still a city, right? Couldn't be that bad.[/i][/color]

The shuttle slowed in its descent as the city loomed up around it. The bay door opened, its lip a short distance away from the ground. Simon gripped his rifle and stood. 

"We're here, doctor. Luck be with you, stay safe."

[color=lightblue]"Thank you. I'll be in touch soon."[/color]

With that he walked to the edge and hopped out, boots impacting the rusted metal of the dock. Above him the shuttle's engines roared to life as it hovered and then flew away. He shielded his eyes from the backwash, even as the muggy cool air of the city settled in around him. Then Simon made his way off dockside to the waiting area below, nervous but also a little excited at the journey to come.

Here, in the mottled browns and grays, his stark white armour stood out the most, the red cross on his shoulders the most recognisable out of anything. If this...Captain Horrigan had personnel dossiers on his new crew, he'd be able to spot the doctor. Was like trying to find a flower amidst a sea of shite, which meant easily enough.
[/indent]