Capac and Splitsie find out more about their lost memories when Splitsie's health deteriorates.
Mystery Meat Synopsis[]
Main Story[]
RX-39487 flies majestically through space. Capac is in the pilot seat and checks the course, the sensors, and Splitsie's health. The computer is again set to speak in synonym gibberish.
Capac turns to Steve:
Ahh... We could be in trouble Steve.
*Steve looks concerned*
Our supplies are pretty limited, and we aren't exactly doctors.
*Steve looks quizzical*
I'm trying not to think about it.
*Steve sits on the deck patiently*
My mental health is fine Steve, don't worry about it.
*Steve looks suspicious, but doesn't say anything*
It is!
*Steve looks serious*
You never know... maybe he'll sleep it off.
(Dream/Memory? View from inside a cryotube in a large room. Two technicians peering through the glass. Technician 1 gossips about their Chief. They disparage people in cryostasis as "meat puppets". View up from lying on a slab. Technician 2 calls a nurse because a frozen person is waking. Technician 1 asks for a cranial hammer and cracks a lame joke. Splitsie exclaims in surprise. An annoyed Technician 1 refers to the frozen Splitsie as a "talker" and complains about "the joker who packed this guy". Splitsie is cold and confused and asks who they are. They cut him off saying "You've popped early. You'll be packing sardines in no time.")
Splitsie is awake crouching in front of the cryotube with a toolbox. Capac comes over worried because he heard Splitsie yelling in his sleep about cold sardines. Splitsie stammers about having to repair the life support to be able to sleep. To his surprise, he finds a dedicated high-bandwidth bus in the cryopods linked to the computer core. Medical monitoring doesn't need that kind of bandwidth, so who did this and why?
Capac mentions that the computer core was damaged before they woke up. Was the computer connected to their brains when it was damaged, does this explain the memory loss and the strange dreams? Splitsie mumbles desperately about sleep before passing out on the floor again.
Interlude[]
Inside a large ship, two technician quip about their cheaply replicated lunch, before hurrying off to their shift. They chat about crawling through vents and joyriding forklifts. They laugh about the badge of honour of having been sent to the brig for not sticking to the rules. Technician 1 claims to have a cobweb tattoo and a toothbrush shiv. Technician 2 thinks that an excon such as Technician 1 can no longer survive out here in the real world. Technician 1 wants to sleep in a cryopod.
They study candidates' files:
- Technician 1 describes the frozen Capac as an Astrophysicist. Overactive imagination. Optimist. Passions for food and entertainment.
- Technician 2 describes the frozen Splitsie as a "complimentary candidate" who is an Engineer. Slightly neurotic. Realist. Dedicates himself to the job at hand.
They laugh at the thought of these two getting along.
Technician 2 wonders how these candidates end up out here. Technician 1 responds that everyone is here just for the money. They continue gossipping about colleagues and refer to the frozen candidates as ice cubes in a tray. Rumour has it that the bridge crew has spotted "a ghost" through the interplanetary interference -- which was declared impossible by the captain.
Strolling into a room full of cryopods, they describe their work place as "a hulking monstrosity" in comparison to the sardine cans in which the candidates are frozen for years. Technician 2 is unhappy about the replicated food but they enjoy the company of female colleagues, such as the Chief...
(The scene turns into Splitsie's dream/memory about being in a cryotube with technicians gossipping outside, waking him up too early, and telling him to pack Sardines!)
Main Story[]
Back on RX-39487, Splitsie is worried about his brain being fried, while Capac stays calm because he can't do anything about it anyway. Splitsie doesn't trust his perception and wants to have a talk with Capac. Capac does not want to be blamed for not sticking to safety procedures again. No, not that, Splitsie wants to compare odd memories. Capac's oddest memory is a sad clown every time he tries to picture a hardware store.
Splitsie is confused and specifies he'd like to know the "first thing" Capac remembers. For Capac, it's "punching a bear" before waking up in the cryopod. They realise they remember no family, no pets, no pranks in school, no friends, no job, no lovers, no meals... They "know things", like their names, professional skills, and random facts about intellectual property law, but otherwise suffer from complete memory loss.
The rudimentary medical facilities on board, and Splitsie's limited knowledge of first aid, are no help to unscramble their brains. Capac resigns to the fact that their lives are not worth remembering anyway. It pains Splitsie to admit that's a possibility. But Splitsie still wants to figure out who sent them out here and why. Capac speculates about being a fugitive con artist who sells Eiffel Towers to tourists. Splitsie imagines Capac fleeing prosecution for gross negligence -- even though Capac clearly never negligè-ed anything.
Capac wonders if the computer could help, but they still barely understand what it's saying. Splitsie feels hot and cold, and sleepy and irritated, and leaves.
The ship has arrived at the mysterious target location. Capac in the cockpit shows Steve the flight controls while he pilots the ship closer.
Epilog[]
In the Engineering room, Splitsie complains about the temperature regulation being broken and passes out...
Computer dialog[]
| Timestamp | Dialog | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 0:23 | We undergo negative modal verb departed specified starting point the path of travel collection of well defined and distinct objects Italy dialing code Sixty Minutes ago. | ... course set 39 hours ago (??) |
| 0:39 | He is marathon a disco fever of Zirconium Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius. | He is running a fever of 40 Celsius. |
| 0:52 | The end becomes noticeable to be supplied force tract of poor, undulating land near the sea. Receptors suggest as desirable least possible amount indistinct billowing mass putting forward for consideration unspecified agreeable of physical harm. | ? |