Napoleon's vaccine

The Red Star was a pub where all the punks in Starport met. Behind the heavy doors, the light was filtered by the vapours of customers” cigarettes and vapes. The sound of the music competed with the sound of stories told in dozens of voices, which echoed in the worn walls of the place. Each time this world served you for free, a new variety of strange aromas invaded your nostrils: some sweet and fruity, others sharp and sour. From beside the long blue bar, voices rose in a mixture of unknown languages and dialects as bodies mingled and commuted in the stormy dance of the night. The red chairs were spaced far apart, well anchored in the floor to thwart their use in a possible scuffle. But despite the palpable tension in the air, the Red Star had its sinister charm, the place where anything could happen and where anyone could find what they were looking for. Whether it was legal or not, it didn't matter.

In a dark corner, a guy past his prime was resting on a high chair, holding a glass filled with a frothy liquid in his right hand. His sunburnt face and the prominent scar on his forehead gave him a tough and bold air. Despite his warlike gaze, he calmly sipped the drink from the glass, looking around seemingly carelessly. He lowered his blue eyes to look at the white foam, then raised the glass and took a good mouthful of the contents down his throat, when in the room came four scumbags who did not promise anything good. He wiped the remaining lather from his gray beard with his right hand, shaking his head in disappointment. The silence was gone.

“Matei! Come on, make room for us. Who would have thought we'd find you here?” The chubby guy shouted with a big smile. But before he slumped in his chair, he motioned to the bartender for a line

“So tomorrow we're swarming out of here? What the hell are we doing so secretly?”

“Hey! Slower.” And Matei put a finger to his lips, “Are they going to find out all our port business? We're leaving, what we carry is none of our business and I don't care. I don't know back, that I didn't find anything.

“Isn't there some kind of disease on this planet?” One of the four individuals at the table intervened.

“What disease?” And seeing that Matei approves, he resumes, “Then why the hell did you accept?”

“The buyer will pick up the goods in orbit. Can you speak more slowly now?” Matei said irritably, nervously running his hand through his graying hair. “Look, I couldn't refuse this contract, the buyer doesn't accept a refusal. Anyway, this transport is getting us out of the hole. I don't know anything else, I’m not the Oracle of the IA s to know it all.”

“What Oracle, what are you talking about?”

“The Oracle of the IA s. Haven't you heard of him?” Seeing that the four looked at him curiously, he continued, “At the beginning of the colonization era, each ship had an artificial intelligence, permanently connected to an automatic station roaming through space. It is not known how, but the station crashed on a planet. It was searched for a long time, but they didn”t find it. I came across it due to an unfortunate incident. This is how I found out the story of the planet Pacifica, do you want to hear it?”

“No one knew what stood in their way, overpopulation, disasters, curiosity, the unknown? It is certain that, after the colonization of Mars, the problem arose of the first colonists to cross the borders of the solar system. The Vision telescope discovered several planets in the habitable zone. Enormous ships filled with thousands of settlers had been sent to those destinations. They would hibernate for a long time until they reached the orbit of their destination planets. Dreaming of a new world, a new beginning, a better and above all more prosperous life.

Proxima 7 was one of the expeditions, it had 4000 colonists and a kitten on board. A towering specimen of the Felidae family, he had appeared in song at the medical examination, passing it with flying colors despite the stubbornness of some doctors not to allow him to board. Reya Deigh, the furry's mother, was Pilot Shift 1. She was the one who would bring the first shuttle to the ground on Vision 3042B. Bully type of woman, if she got her head around something you had to have some serious arguments to make her change her mind. The piercing sea-blue eyes made you lose yourself in them, forgetting your arguments. The well-tanned skin, the imposing stature, and the vigorous arms showed assiduous work in the gym or life in an arid environment. Indeed, Reya had been born and lived on the farm, she had loved that place. In vain his father had sold the farm to pay for his treatment, lung disease defeated him.

After the loss of his father, he decided to leave, but the arrival of Napoleon confused his plans. After passing all possible tests, Reya presents herself with the cat, for the final acceptance. She was waiting in the long white hall with her kitten in her arms, lost in thought.

Napoleon defecated unhindered, purring into the protective arms of his mistress. He raised his head and looked at her for a few seconds, meowing weakly, unable to distract her from his thoughts. He stood up on his hind paws and touched the girl with his paw, seeking her attention. His attempt was successful, Reya turned her gaze to him and whispered words of comfort, running her hand through the copper fur she kissed his head. A typical feline response came from the male cat.

”It will all be fine, we will make it.”

In the face of the evidence, the council had abdicated its authority, shifting all responsibility to the expeditionary command. A typical bureaucratic move. The mission commander welcomed her into his office, muttering about what a busy day he was having. He listened to her a little amused, then said

”I have nothing against the cat. I'll accept it just to get in the way of these bureaucrats. Do you realize it takes a medic, a crew scientist, and gives me a technician.? Who knows whose file this Read is, Benny Read.” Then remembering the cat. ”He has no business in the ship unattended. Understand?”

Proxima 7 puts its crew to sleep as it sets off, guided and permanently monitored by the Oracle station. In the belly of the ship, the colonists were dreaming, someone was chasing mice and the woman next to him was dreaming of a big farm with grass and many animals.

Decades have passed, but Proxima 7 was working as it did on day one. Decelerating, entering orbit above final destination Vision 3042B. He began his routine operations, a multitude of gauges and screens came to life. Dozens of automated probes are launched, depending on whether the data collected will awaken Exchange 1 or not. Twelve pioneers, and twelve researchers will sit in a cockpit, completely isolated on a possibly hostile planet to conduct tests. If all was well, Exchange 2 will be awakened. They will decide whether or not Proxima 7 will land on Vision 3042B, then it will be the settlers” turn. Only then will chaos set in. Human nature could not be changed, greed, avarice, and perfidy cannot be treated by any specialist. When there is a possible win on the horizon, unity, and good manners will give way to mistrust and selfishness. Settlers, although educated, intellectual people, were no better. When the doors of the ship open to the new world, they will rush in and take, even by force, everything they think is theirs. There will be misunderstandings, there will be arguments, and maybe even fights. The commander hoped that things would not get worse. He didn't want the situation to get out of hand, because it was very easy to happen. That’s why he had requested and received security drones on board. He hoped he wouldn't need them, but the greed and unpredictability of the masses were one of the problem's expedition commander Galay Stone had not found a solution to. The ex-soldier was still dreaming in his cryogenic caisson waiting for the first data from the probes, only then would he wake up.

Data began to flow into the ship's computers, the probes found no anomalies, Dozens of lights and alarms began to sound, and Proxima 7 decided it was time to wake up those in Exchange 1.

So far it has been a success, thought the expedition commander after glancing at the onboard screens and discovering an amount of information that banished some of his worries. He could send the probes to mine the planet's soil, then if everything was in order he would send the first team. Meanwhile, the science team inspects and re-checks their equipment, preparing for the first descent to the surface of the planet Vision 3042B.

”Reya, you see that your furry has started to walk again.”

”I saw him! Leave him, he has nowhere to go, he comes back.”

”Yes, that is, if he doesn't get back on deck. The Boss will defile you again if he sees him over there.”

”Ha, ha, he's not getting there, the doors to the command deck are closed. Don't worry, Sola, he returns.”

”Aha!” The nurse raised her eyebrows in disbelief and pursed her plump lips. Sola had done the training with Reya and the male cat. He loved Napoleon, but he knew how impetuous and impetuous he was. He puffed out his prominent chest and made a face. ”That’s it, I told you!” She thought to herself as she caught the strands of curly black hair that had fallen out of her ponytail tied back, then set about checking what was left of the Medical Lab. Next to her, a wiry guy with a reddish mustache and particularly lively brown eyes was controlling the machines in the area. It was Dr. Bertz, Class A Researcher, and Specialist in General Medicine. One of the brilliant minds aboard Proxima 7. She watched him for a few moments as he ticked off each device he examined on the control sheet. In his white coat he looked like a student in a high school lab, but when he spoke, most of the people on the ship listened. He would be the leader of the first team to descend to the ground.

Reya motioned to the technician controlling one of the door-closing displays. He looked at her questioningly, then joined her against a section of one of the walls. He aimed his scanner at the devices and wires within that sector, imitating Reya.

The door to the command deck barely opened, enough for him to enter with an acrobatic leap that would have made any feline jealous. Still unseen, he began to roam the room, inspecting every dark nook and cranny. Regardless of the sounds and commotion around him, he sneaked unaware among the legs and appliances near him, his scent was unmistakable, and there was not a single mouse in the area. Bored, he went and reclined under the chair of one of his acquaintances. Started to wash and spin.

Galay had fine hearing, the soldier in him alerted him to a noise that was different from the usual sounds in the command room. He allowed himself a small smile then leaned under the chair and picked up a ball of copper fur from which two yellow-green eyes looked up at him. Napoleon greeted him with a “meow” barely sketched by his long whiskers, then began to purr quietly again.

”Napoleon, are you still here? Second-In-Command! Take this intruder and have Pilot Deigh report to retrieve him. Remind him I’m mad, he didn't keep his promise.”

”Pilot Deigh is urgently needed in the control room, he has something to retrieve.”

Sola turned her eyes from the speakers to Reya.

”Oh, he came back.”

The pilot gave her a look that made her shut up and burst out laughing. Reya strode past her, muttering.

”Benny, you take over until I get back.” Then she said angrily to herself, ”I'll kill him.”

The first human mission on Vision 3042 took off, within minutes Reya put the shuttle in the middle of a field. A dark forest could be seen in the distance, with whitish trunks, around the ship the grass was tall, reminiscent of the swampy areas on Earth.

For 240 hours a lot of tests had been done, most of them within normal limits with small exceptions that could not endanger the human colony. Vision 3042B was indeed a great planet, they were lucky. When the doctor announces the results, everyone present is extremely excited. Napoleon stood up on his front paws and looked at them with sleepy eyes as if to say.

What happened? Why did you wake me up

Dr. Bertz comes with the big news after the meeting with the commander

”Leaving the cabin is for the morning. The commander wants to make some more checks. Everyone to sleep, tomorrow morning we inspect the equipment, and after approval we will go out.”

A shrill alarm startles Napoleon, causing him to jump out of bed along with Reya. Something hit her in the head and rolled down her neck. It was the protective mask.

”What happened? Only a biological contamination alert would have activated this protocol.” Reya said to herself as she put on her mask and sealed Napoleon in a cage. She pressed the button to open the door but noticed it was locked. Another standard protocol.

Everyone had gathered in the medical laboratory, it was the only room where the whole crew could fit. Dr. Bertz looked at them for a few seconds, then addressed them in a serious voice.

”The security of our habitat has been compromised. The cargo hold hatch was accessed last night. It remained open, indefinitely, until those on Proxima detected the problem by setting off the alarm and emergency hatch closure.”

A series of shouts went up from the crew.

”I don't know much for now. The log shows that Technician Read voluntarily opened the hatch and exited the habitat, leaving it open. I desire to minimize the possible consequences. Wear respirators permanently until we know what level of contamination we were exposed to. Any anomaly of any kind must be investigated. I am not imposing a quarantine because there would be no point. We were exposed, I don't know how badly. Therefore, please treat this situation with utmost care. I want the whole tech team in the control room, we need to see how the tech got the hatch open. The rest focus on the risk of biological contamination, I want to know how serious the situation is.”

”I found a terminal in Benny's bunk, it seems he connected to the shuttle's central brain from there. He bypassed and abolished a series of protocols, facilitating his clear path to the exit of the habitat. Still, I don't understand why he went out risking so much. Tomorrow we would all be out and he didn't need this whole charade.”

”I was as surprised as you were. But the Chief of Security gave me the information. Read is wanted for murder, it appears he boarded illegally. I don't know more details. How are you doing?”

”So far I haven't found anything to worry about, all my people are working on it. Let's hope there are no serious consequences.”

”Okay, if there is any news, contact me urgently. Send a probe to find Benny. If he appears in the meantime, I want him isolated under arrest.”

Benny, fresh out of the habitat, moved as fast as his protective suit would allow him. Then, at some distance from the ship, he started the jet sky rising into the air. Although it was night, he could see trees in the distance.

”If I get there, I can get rid of the suit, Then rid of it I’m free. They can monitor the suit all they want, I'll be away.”

Arriving near the trees, he looked around circumspectly, wondering if it was a good idea to take off his overalls. He remembered Doctor Bertz” s words, the planet could be colonized, so it was safe, tomorrow they would all be out of the cabin. He couldn't risk waiting any longer, he had to put as many miles as possible between him and the ship, tomorrow was too late. The commander would have woken shift 2 and the security officer would have discovered who it was.

The planet was extraordinary, the vegetation lush, in the distance you could see some kind of deer-like herbivores only with long heads ending in some kind of trunk. Possible carnivores kept at bay. The wind was blowing gently waving the blades of grass, flowers of different colors and sizes completed the view near the ship.

”Don't go too far, form teams, don't go alone. Don't forget that we are on a planet that we still don't know much about. She is possibly hostile.”

”Come on, Dr. I did a bunch of tests that came out fine. It's the most peaceful planet I know.” Sola said.

”Yeah,” Reya laughed, then added sarcastically,” And you only know one planet. The earth! You are worthy of belief. You can compare.”

”Shut up, too.” Sola jokingly attacked her by pushing her.

”Our objective is the trees in front. We're getting a signal from there, I think it’s Benny's overalls. Be careful, people, it's dangerous. He killed once, if you see him, sound the alarm.”

Although the planet was a peaceful one, as Sola had put it, Commander Galay had insisted that any movement outside the cockpit be watched by sentries. He was cautious, experience told him better safe than sorry. Especially since Benny turned out to be a dangerous criminal.

Apart from the discovery of the jumpsuit, the day passed without incident, the walk outside the shuttle was good for everyone. Everyone was more relaxed, joking, and making plans for the future. Vision 3042B moved harder like old Terra, being more massive and having less rotation, showing more time to the sun on one side. At the end of the first day outside, they all collapsed from exhaustion.

The signs of the disease appeared on the morning of the second day. Napoleon sneezed all night, and by morning he was breathing hard, as if someone was squeezing his fragile neck in an iron glove. He was dizzy, meowing thickly, seemed distraught, and barely moved, bumping into everything in his path as if something had clouded his vision.

Reya took him in her arms caressing him, massaged his chest and abdomen, and synthesized milk, but the male cat didn't even touch him. He lay down on his stomach in a corner and, looking chaotic, stretched his neck trying to breathe better. His attempts met with only a dry cough, then another wheezing of heavy breathing.

”Let’s not panic, but pay attention to the protective measures.” Said the doctor who came to call the pilot.

He takes a machine and scans it, watching the results on the monitor. His eyes narrowed, he nodded in amazement, then took the kitten and placed it in a machine that scanned it completely. The information on the computer screen amazes him even more.

”What symptoms did he have? Have you seen anything unusual about him lately? Malaise, heavy breathing, sleepy, unsteady gait? Has he had any symptoms since the recent incident?”

”No, none of that! I isolated him immediately after the alarm went off, and then I brought him into this room. Why? What’s up, doctor?”

”Furry has goblet lungs, I've only seen this disease in humans. I pray this disease has been eradicated long ago, I read and learnt about it in medical classes. From the information received from the scans and the symptoms, pulmonary fibrosis is suspected.”

”Pulmonary fibrosis… How can something like this happen?” And his thoughts flew to his father.

”Fibrosis occurs when the walls of the lung alveoli become…”

”Rigid and has the effect of not properly transmitting oxygen from the lungs to the blood. I know what Pulmonary Fibrosis is, but how did it happen to my Napoleon?”

”I don't know how it occurs in his species, I have no information to support that cats can get such a disease. In humans, the disease advances in years, but the disease has been eradicated. Hopefully, it's not a local pathogen.” The doctor said, then squeezed her shoulder as he resumed.

”He will be fine. You'll see.”

On the third day, however, things got worse, the old man was breathing harder and harder, he couldn't stand up, he couldn't use his senses. The pilot was holding him in his arms, caressing him, but Napoleon seemed to feel nothing any more, meowing continuously in a muffled voice. Reya seemed to see her father on a hospital bed, struggling to breathe with the help of a mask. Crystalline tears ran down his cheeks.

”Don't you leave me too! Do you understand?” She muttered to herself.

”I’m sorry I got your hopes up.” The doctor said, putting his hand on the kitten's head. ”I tried the treatment that cured the disease for humans, I synthesized it giving him an effective absorption, for his species level, but it doesn't work. I will continue to look for a solution, we are not giving up.”

”I’m convinced, doctor, that you did everything possible.” Then she leaned her head against the window of the room where the kitten was. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

”It’s all she has left, the only thing that reminds her of her family.” Sola said glaring at Reya

An assistant comes through the lab door shouting.

”Benny’s in front of the ship. He looks sick.”

”Pilot Deigh, good to see you, how are you? Do you have a medical problem to report?” Dr. Bertz asked, eyeing her circumspectly.

”What’s the matter, Fred?” The doctor had never spoken to him informally. ”What had happened? Why did you call me?”

”We are in direct contact with the mothership and Captain Stone. Please answer my question. Pilot Deigh do you have a medical issue to report?”

”Nothing sir. What happened?”

The screen in front of her animates to show the face of the captain and head of security, Lieutenant Corby. The captain looked at her for a few seconds, then spoke.

”I received, in the last few hours, some not-so-good news from Dr. Bertz. As you well know, Benny is sick. We found out that your kitten had breathing issues too. How is he?”

Reya looked at him suspiciously, the Captain of the ship to take an interest in an official video conference about Napoleon. Something had to do with her fur, but she didn't know what. She decided to be cautious.

”The last time I saw him, he wasn't in a very good condition.”

”We seem to have a medical problem, meaning 6 of the 12 crew members have symptoms similar to your kitten.”

”Symptoms… similar… What? So you're assuming my cat infected them?”

”Same symptoms, the only logical deduction would be that. Somehow, Napoleon infected them. Benny was found only after Napoleon fell ill. Was he exposed to anything?”

”Maybe he contaminated the other members. Think, if Napoleon was to blame, I was the first to show symptoms.”

”You'll be kept under observation, we still don't know what we're dealing with. As for Napoleon, I didn't want to upset you, but the latest tests confirmed that the kitten is very serious. His lungs are very stiff, over 95 percent and does not respond to treatment. I am sorry.”

”No, it's not possible.” Reya dropped to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. In the last few days, she had known that he would lose the furry one, but she had still hoped. Now the doctor had completely shattered this hope.

”Doctor Bertz, wouldn't it be good to set up a quarantine?”

”Quarantine? I don't know what that would do. You suspect that the disease was transmitted from the kittens, which is unlikely in my opinion. The person with whom he was in contact shows no signs of the disease, so the assumption does not stand. The only explanation is an outside pathogen, unknown to us. It meant we were all exposed to it when the hatch was open”

”We have no evidence of any danger to the mission. I have seen the data collected, reviewed the data recently, and found nothing unusual.”

” He facts prove otherwise. Two beings in different locations exhibit the same symptoms. What do they both have in common? They were exposed to the atmosphere on this planet. I need time to prove it, I will do some tests.”

”OK, if something new appears…”

”As soon as I find out something, I will inform you.”

”Okay, Stone, done.”

The doctor looked at Reya for a few moments, then sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

”Shh, don't cry, it'll be fine, we'll be by your side, you're not alone. Good? Now come on and help me out a little. Is that alright?”

Reya looked at him with teary eyes and then nodded.

”OK, come on. I'll help you up. So, we go to the lab to do some tests.”

”You said the symptoms were the same as my male cat.”

The doctor confirms with a nod.

”Yes, the alveoli in the lungs lose their elasticity, and the walls become rigid, but we have an enigma. Fibrosis set in very quickly, and does not respond to treatment. As with the male cat.”

”It must be something from here. A virus or whatever you call it.”

”Pathogenic agent.”

”Something local, something our probes didn't detect.”

”That’s what I was afraid of, an unknown pathogen. Something we have never met before, something we have no idea where to look for.”

”Shouldn't we be re-examining the information gathered by the probes? Let's send new ones.”

”Other probes will fail to collect new data.”

”Please, send a probe to see if it collects the same data.”

”I can not. I have to get approval from the high-ups.” Said the doctor, pointing at the ceiling of the shuttle with his finger. He was of course thinking of the ship in orbit and the agreement given by Captain Stone.”

”Doctor, do you have the impression that this is about rules? If you don't find a cure, no one will get off and no one will leave the Pacifica. Understand?”

The doctor's brows furrowed, he thought for a few seconds then looked at Reya and said,

”You're right, we have to find a solution. I’m going to calibrate a probe right away.”

Reya woke up in the morning with a dry cough, something was blocking her airways, she turned on her side but nothing changed, she sat up looking for a more convenient position. As if she could breathe easier, she closed his eyes, cursing in thought. She had contracted the disease, she got out of bed going to the bathroom to do her daily shower. Curiously, she felt tired, she had never tired so quickly. As if she had run a few kilometers, she sat down on the bed again to calm down. The cough hit her again, draining her strength even more. She got up awkwardly and headed for the medical lab. She needed a few stops to get there, tired and wheezing, she leaned against the wall, grimacing at the doctor who had come out to meet her.

”So he took you too. I expected. You are OK? Calm down a bit, and then let me show you who is to blame for this whole mess. The probe we sent picked up the same data and some more. Spores.”

On the computer screen, there was a picture of a huge gray-to-brown mushroom full of white threads at the top, which waved in the wind and when it blew harder filled the air with a white powder.

”Kingdom of Fungi, appears similar to Xularia Polymorpha a parasitic sporophyte fungus. It is essential in the natural recycling of vegetation on this planet. Nothing special, except that this species has spores with a strong invasive effect. It has formed a mechanism that gives wind-borne spores an extra chance to find a good place to quickly spawn. The spore carries with it a bag of a compound that hardens the soil around the spore, preventing anything else from growing or living in the vicinity.”

”And we pulled these spores into our lungs?” Reya frowned, shaking her head.

”Yes, they invaded the ship once the hatch was opened.”

A series of white bags appeared on the monitor, thin threads sticking out of them, with a dark oblong ball at the top.

”The spore is the tip, and the bag contains that substance, that bag breaks on contact with a suitable moist surface, that is, the walls of the lungs.”

”Well, we discovered the source of the disease, what do we do? We're already infected, can we reduce the number of spores we inhale?”

”It’s a bit late, everywhere on the ship we have dozens, maybe millions of spores, our lungs are oversaturated, some have stuck to the walls of the lungs, others to the airways. We have received several notifications from patients that they would have eye irritation, others claim problems with the oral mucosa. Lie down here, let's see how you feel.” The doctor helped her by placing a device in her chest area. The machine hovered over the pilot's chest for a few seconds and then stopped.

”You're in better shape than most of the other patients. The bad news is you're infected too. Do you want to see them? I have four in the lab and two in my bunks. They are conscious, somehow”

”Somehow?” Reya frowned.

”Yes, still. I told you Napoleon had little chance of recovery, so it will happen to us if we don't find a cure. Our alveoli will no longer synthesize oxygen and transfer it to the blood. The back of the medical lab had been remodelled, and the noise in the room was roughly similar to that of an ancient forge that used foals to keep the fire burning.”

”I'd like to get Napoleon out a bit, I don't want him to die in a cage. I'd rather hold him.”

Now that they had discovered the cause of the problem, it was too late to worry about security. He sits by the door of the shuttle, leaning against the outer wall. Then he placed Napoleon in a comfortable position. The sun of this planet began to set, Reya looked at him for a few minutes fascinated by the silver light of this sunset, then petting the furry one, she began to speak to him.

”Here we'll have a big farm, I'll build a house the way I want it, with an attic and a big terrace in front where we'll both sit and watch the sun go down. A diamond sunset, on a new planet. Napoleon began to purr again in response to her words. Sleep.

Sola wakes up Reya. She got up stumbling, it was dark outside, and he had fallen asleep there. The ship's door was still open, a sign that it wasn't too late. He took a few steps and then suddenly stopped. Napoleon! The kitten was gone. She had held him, fallen asleep with him in her arms, and now he was gone.

”Napoleon, where are you? Come on cat! Come on, where are you, baby?”

She could see nothing around the entrance, no sign of kittens.

”Maybe he got into the ship.” Sola agreed.

”What is the situation? How do patients feel? Is anyone showing signs of improvement?”

The nurse tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then tugged at the mask that covered her nose and mouth, she said.

”Do we need this mask? We know how to take this disease, it has no effect.”

”Yes. It's true, it has no effect on you, but patients perceive it as a medical act, something that protects them. If we tell them that nothing protects them, that we have no solution to this disease, how would they react?”

”The technician, he can't breathe much longer. Blood saturation is below 75-80%.”

”I think it's time to prepare a cryotube.”

”Are you going to hibernate him? Do you think it's worth it? The man is a criminal. Besides that, he exposed us on purpose when he opened the hatch.”

”I understand you perfectly as a human being, but as a doctor, I cannot make decisions that endanger the life of a human being, be it a criminal. I don't want the conscience.”

”So this is the solution?”

”I don't have a better alternative for now. If I can't help him. I'll keep him alive until I have a cure for this disease.”

”You know that doesn't help? If we don't find a cure, do we? Are you putting us all to sleep?”

”And what do you want me to do, Reya? Letting people die? It's a last resort, mind you.”

”Not good, the Captain will leave us here, mark the spot with a beacon, and leave us directing the ship to another target planet or home. We're going to be left here at the mercy of some bureaucrats, who may or may not send a rescue ship after 12 people. That is, if someone is going to find a cure for the disease. But since no one will know what we are facing here, no one will risk their skin for us. Our only salvation is ourselves. Otherwise, we will sleep here forever.”

”You're right, but I estimate that in two or three days we will stay awake quite a bit.”

In the morning 4 more cryotubes received a patient, Benny was not among them. He went into cardiorespiratory arrest and they couldn't save him. The beds in the lab were filled with other patients. The pilot supervised the patients with Sola. At the other end of the lab, the Doctor, and some technicians were trying to discover the cure. He had dissected a growth prevailing over the substance in the bag. A very unusual compound that did not exist in its natural state. They tried solutions that could dissolve or remove it, but were nowhere near a result.

The doctor stood up stretching his back which cracked loudly, drawing a sigh. He was tired, they were all exhausted, but they could not afford the luxury of rest. They did not have the necessary time, they were in a race against time. Something scuttled between his legs, rubbing against his pants.

”Napoleon, let me go. I don't feel like it now, I’m ti…”

The doctor stopped in bewilderment in mid-sentence, looking down at a copper mutt that began to purr, twirling merrily at his feet.

”Damn it,” said the doctor, picking him up, ”How did you recover?”

”After we put most of the crew in cryotubes,” Reya was comforted, ”Napoleon, who was lying on the table in the lab doing his business, showed up; when I heard the pilot's remark;”

”You're wet.'

Then I realized that it wasn't morning, so the dew hadn't wet his fur, it hadn't rained, so where did he come from to wet the lion? I took a sample from his hair and saw the miracle.

”Explain to me that I don't understand, how did that substance get on his fur?”

”I’m going to give you a little biology lesson. A plant has developed several mechanisms, one of them being induced resistance. So the plant secretes some compounds that make it less attractive to other plants or insects or animals. These plants, in our case the grass, have formed a defense system. So that when the spore is recognized near the plant, it goes on alert by eliminating a liquid that counteracts the effect of the compound in the spore sac. This is where our cat comes in, he crept through the grass in search of rodents, and this substance stuck onto his fur. Doing his business, he swallowed this compound, which led to the elimination of the barriers in the lungs and implicitly to his recovery. Based on this, we made a vaccine administered to all those who will descend on the planet.”

”So in the end we owe our lives to a cat.”

”We could say that, or that we owe our lives to an animal lover. If it wasn't for her, Napoleon wouldn't have arrived here.”

”Well done, Doctor. Congratulations Reya! We could name this planet after Napoleon. After his breed, Felinae Silvestris. Silvestris sounds good, how about the pilot?”

“ Better to call her Pacifica. Napoleon already has enough attention from the crew, he doesn't need anything else.” Reya said petting the cat.

“Pacifica it shall be, then.”

Matei took a mouthful of the dubious liquor in front of him, then glanced at his comrades saying

“And that’s the story of the Pacifica colony.”

The four looked at him as if awakened from a trance, then copied his gesture by sipping from their own glasses

The dumbest of them slammed the empty glass on the table, saying with a frown.

“I’m gonna” get a cat.”

A cascade of laughter arose, his colleagues tasted his words as a joke, but he was seriously thinking about getting a cat.

Marius Dichisan

@MDMarius

LONDON

Napoleon Vaccine

MDMarius