I crawled out of the mangled and twisted metal that used to be my emergency egress pod into blinding morning light. A huge spider web of fractures laced my helmet, and with the inner screen bleating alarms and flashing red and yellow lights, I knew the integrity of my suit was compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My left leg had no feeling. I didn\u2019t want to look down. I grimaced and dragged my leg behind me, scanning the rocky landscape for some place to hunker down while I assessed my injuries. I spied a cave in an outcrop of orange and black rocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Planting one glove in front of the other, I made my way to the hollow in the rock. I could feel the gravel through my nano-sensors. I might be breathing toxic fumes, but at least the crushed stones and sharp rocks weren\u2019t cutting my palms. Ha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few feet from the entrance, I gathered a handful of pebbles and tossed them into the opening. I heard them scatter on hard rock, but nothing else. \u201cLet this one thing go right,\u201d I mumbled to myself and crawled inside. My helmet light didn\u2019t work, so I grabbed my utility torch from a pants pocket. I shone it inside. It wasn\u2019t much of a cave, but that was fine. I needed seclusion and a defensible position while I figured out what in the ever-living-hell I was going to do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a final cry, I entered the cave, taking care not to bump my injured leg over the rubble at the entrance. The cave was about four feet deep and five feet high. I wouldn\u2019t be able to stand, but something told me my standing days might be over. I made my way to an inner wall where I could still see my broken ship, but my body was obscured by the rock formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smoke billowed out from one of the engines and sparks rained from where the nosecone used to be. That worried me. I shifted on the ground, took a deep breath, and lowered my eyes to my leg. I hissed at the sight. A twisted piece of black metal jutted out from my thigh. That explained the warmth. Two inches farther and I would be bleeding from my femoral artery. Good night, Amity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cComputer, what\u2019s my location?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour suit\u2019s integrity is compromised. Please return to the EEP for possible emergency treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe EEP is busted,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat\u2019s my location?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnable to comply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about the nanosatellite array?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnable to comply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dammit. <\/em>\u201cComputer, where is your hard drive located?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have redundant hard drives located in the nosecone and the insulated buffer trap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I craned my neck to see the crumpled pod. The smoke cloud had lessened to a gray ribbon. Well, the nosecone was out. \u201cWhere is the insulated buffer trap?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAccess panel to the insulated buffer trap is located on the flight computer\u2019s side panel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The flight computer comprised a set of monitors facing the single occupant\u2019s chair. Said chair was inside the pod, and I recalled climbing straight out from the chair into daylight. Through the flight computer panel, to be exact. The non-existent computer panel. I tracked the scar on the hill where black metal shards peppered the rocks. If my leg wasn\u2019t skewered, it might be worth scavenging, in case the hard drive was salvageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are your capabilities right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am able to assess suit integrity and monitor life support systems. I can also access a large downloaded file found in your helmet\u2019s computer memory. Would you like me to access the file?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I blew out a breath. \u201cNot yet. My IntraVisor screen is busted. Can you read my vitals out loud to me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlood pressure is 120 over 80. Your pulse is 87 bpm and your temperature is 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit. I have monitored your vitals for thirteen hours and seventeen minutes, since you landed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGreat, great,\u201d I murmured while inspecting the metal shrapnel in my leg. \u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019d call that a landing, but whatever. Can you tell me how to safely remove a metal shard from my thigh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cScanning suit, please stand by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So far, I wasn\u2019t feeling woozy. Once I removed the impaled shard, there were no guarantees. Adrenalin from the crash flowed through my veins, and I noticed my vision acuity was amazing. Every detail jumped out at me, from the grain of the rocks, to the particulate swirling in the air from my smoking vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPuncture located two point five inches from your femoral artery. Femoral pressure bladder activated. Please wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt a squeeze build in my leg, exactly like a blood pressure cuff would feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have access to your MDPak?\u201d the computer asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d I said. Tingling began to burn below the wound. I noticed my hands shake when I unzipped the pocket with the MDPak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLocate the green blister packet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, I have it,\u201d I said. My breathing escalated. I examined the inch-square pouch with a small bio-absorbable nozzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is the blood clotting agent. When you have removed the object, you will place it in the wound.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat do I do first?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUse the alcohol wipes to sterilize your gloves or hands, and wipe around the puncture.\u201d The computer\u2019s voice soothed my fraying nerves. The adrenalin must be wearing off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cleaned everything twice. \u201cOkay, computer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you shorten the object?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at my multi-tool. \u201cI don\u2019t have anything that will cut this metal,\u201d I said. \u201cDo I have to shorten it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. Prepare the blister packet and the wound dressing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With heart racing, I forced my shaky hands to unscrew the lid of the nozzle of the blister packet and to cut a length of sterile polymer-infused dressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAdministering a small dose of analgesic. Please be still,\u201d the computer said. I felt a tiny pinch in my arm. \u201cGrasp the object. If the object is straight, pull out in a smooth motion. If the object is bent, you must work it carefully in each direction. Immediately apply blister packet and wind dressing around your thigh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDios mio,\u201d I moaned as I grasped the metal piece. I had no idea how deep this thing was in my leg, or if it was twisted inside. \u201cThree, two, GAAAHHHH!\u201d My vision swam for a second, but the shard was out. I fumbled the packet but stuffed it into my wound with the nozzle side-down. Then I wept as I wound the gauze around and around and secured it. I looked up toward my broken smoking pod, and then fell back onto the hard cave floor. \u201cComputer, I believe I just fainted.\u201d<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I crawled out of the mangled and twisted metal that used to be my emergency egress pod into blinding morning light. A huge spider web of fractures laced my helmet, and with the inner screen bleating alarms and flashing red and yellow lights, I knew the integrity of my suit was compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My left leg had no feeling. I didn\u2019t want to look down. I grimaced and dragged my leg behind me, scanning the rocky landscape for some place to hunker down while I assessed my injuries. I spied a cave in an outcrop of orange and black rocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planting one glove in front of the other, I made my way to the hollow in the rock. I could feel the gravel through my nano-sensors. I might be breathing toxic fumes, but at least the crushed stones and sharp rocks weren\u2019t cutting my palms. Ha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few feet from the entrance, I gathered a handful of pebbles and tossed them into the opening. I heard them scatter on hard rock, but nothing else. \u201cLet this one thing go right,\u201d I mumbled to myself and crawled inside. My helmet light didn\u2019t work, so I grabbed my utility torch from a pants pocket. I shone it inside. It wasn\u2019t much of a cave, but that was fine. I needed seclusion and a defensible position while I figured out what in the ever-living-hell I was going to do now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a final cry, I entered the cave, taking care not to bump my injured leg over the rubble at the entrance. The cave was about four feet deep and five feet high. I wouldn\u2019t be able to stand, but something told me my standing days might be over. I made my way to an inner wall where I could still see my broken ship, but my body was obscured by the rock formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smoke billowed out from one of the engines and sparks rained from where the nosecone used to be. That worried me. I shifted on the ground, took a deep breath, and lowered my eyes to my leg. I hissed at the sight. A twisted piece of black metal jutted out from my thigh. That explained the warmth. Two inches farther and I would be bleeding from my femoral artery. Good night, Amity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cComputer, what\u2019s my location?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour suit\u2019s integrity is compromised. Please return to the EEP for possible emergency treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe EEP is busted,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat\u2019s my location?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnable to comply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about the nanosatellite array?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnable to comply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dammit. <\/em>\u201cComputer, where is your hard drive located?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have redundant hard drives located in the nosecone and the insulated buffer trap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I craned my neck to see the crumpled pod. The smoke cloud had lessened to a gray ribbon. Well, the nosecone was out. \u201cWhere is the insulated buffer trap?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAccess panel to the insulated buffer trap is located on the flight computer\u2019s side panel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The flight computer comprised a set of monitors facing the single occupant\u2019s chair. Said chair was inside the pod, and I recalled climbing straight out from the chair into daylight. Through the flight computer panel, to be exact. The non-existent computer panel. I tracked the scar on the hill where black metal shards peppered the rocks. If my leg wasn\u2019t skewered, it might be worth scavenging, in case the hard drive was salvageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are your capabilities right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am able to assess suit integrity and monitor life support systems. I can also access a large downloaded file found in your helmet\u2019s computer memory. Would you like me to access the file?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I blew out a breath. \u201cNot yet. My IntraVisor screen is busted. Can you read my vitals out loud to me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlood pressure is 120 over 80. Your pulse is 87 bpm and your temperature is 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit. I have monitored your vitals for thirteen hours and seventeen minutes, since you landed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGreat, great,\u201d I murmured while inspecting the metal shrapnel in my leg. \u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019d call that a landing, but whatever. Can you tell me how to safely remove a metal shard from my thigh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cScanning suit, please stand by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So far, I wasn\u2019t feeling woozy. Once I removed the impaled shard, there were no guarantees. Adrenalin from the crash flowed through my veins, and I noticed my vision acuity was amazing. Every detail jumped out at me, from the grain of the rocks, to the particulate swirling in the air from my smoking vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPuncture located two point five inches from your femoral artery. Femoral pressure bladder activated. Please wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt a squeeze build in my leg, exactly like a blood pressure cuff would feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you have access to your MDPak?\u201d the computer asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d I said. Tingling began to burn below the wound. I noticed my hands shake when I unzipped the pocket with the MDPak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLocate the green blister packet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, I have it,\u201d I said. My breathing escalated. I examined the inch-square pouch with a small bio-absorbable nozzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is the blood clotting agent. When you have removed the object, you will place it in the wound.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d I said. \u201cWhat do I do first?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUse the alcohol wipes to sterilize your gloves or hands, and wipe around the puncture.\u201d The computer\u2019s voice soothed my fraying nerves. The adrenalin must be wearing off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cleaned everything twice. \u201cOkay, computer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you shorten the object?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at my multi-tool. \u201cI don\u2019t have anything that will cut this metal,\u201d I said. \u201cDo I have to shorten it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. Prepare the blister packet and the wound dressing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With heart racing, I forced my shaky hands to unscrew the lid of the nozzle of the blister packet and to cut a length of sterile polymer-infused dressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAdministering a small dose of analgesic. Please be still,\u201d the computer said. I felt a tiny pinch in my arm. \u201cGrasp the object. If the object is straight, pull out in a smooth motion. If the object is bent, you must work it carefully in each direction. Immediately apply blister packet and wind dressing around your thigh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDios mio,\u201d I moaned as I grasped the metal piece. I had no idea how deep this thing was in my leg, or if it was twisted inside. \u201cThree, two, GAAAHHHH!\u201d My vision swam for a second, but the shard was out. I fumbled the packet but stuffed it into my wound with the nozzle side-down. Then I wept as I wound the gauze around and around and secured it. I looked up toward my broken smoking pod, and then fell back onto the hard cave floor. \u201cComputer, I believe I just fainted.\u201d<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[49,4,50,37,38,46,7,9,48,51,47],"yoast_head":"\n