This is a second installment for this prompt becuase this was a GREAT one but was a cliffhanger!
@internutter/challenge-02703-g146-gathering-for-time
They'd been on the deathworld for nearly 3 months, their human had lost so much weight his health had begun to deteriorate. The simple sugars extracted from the toxic flora were just barely enough to keep the havenworlders alive, and the human was not getting what he needs. The rescue ship arrived to see the human and havenworlders in very bad shape. But they had to leave quickly because some rather bad news was on the horizon, it wasn't just the plantlife on this place. It was about to start raining and, unfortunately, apparently, in the forest, the rain ended up turning toxic, too.
This world was most definitely not inhabitable for havenworlder or human, but one thing about toxic plants, many of the properties in the past ended up becoming invaluable for medicines in the future. The medics end up finding some very interesting plants for easing pain, deadening nerves, and as sedatives, with a lot of work and processing. -- Anon Guest
Our Human was dying slowly. They knew it and so did we. They said they can make it, but this world is barely habitable. Everything out there is toxic, even to our best Deathworlder.
We can easily synthesise the simple sugars and nutrients we need. We will be relatively healthy by the time help arrives. Even if it is barely so. For our human? It is a more complicated problem. Deathworlders evolve in more complicated environments. They need more than sugar, chlorophyll, and simple nutrient peptides.
Those were what was more easily available. That, and an incredible amount of complicated toxins. If we survived this, all of us, we vowed that we would buy Human Kaat the top-of-the-line livesuit they could not previously afford. As a sign of our gratitude. As a sign that they are a part of our pack. As a sign that we are grateful that they are still with us.
We were doing what we could with what we had. That is the most that we can say. In our labs, we have been working to recreate the nutrients Human Kaat needs whilst watching them wither as they worked. It was frightening.
This morning, Medik Jans announced that our Human was on the cusp of entering a spiral state. Stretching was no longer going to work. It was keep them stable or watch them pass the point of no return.
We had been working on this from day one. Creating an adequate supply. Analysing and re-organising chemistry until we had something -anything- that would help our Human.
Toxins are medicines, in the right amount. We knew this. Medicines can also be toxins, it works both ways. We have some fats, which are essential to Human survival. Some proteins that are a little too complicated for us. Not enough to restore them, but enough to keep them stable.
Hopefully, it's enough to keep them stable for long enough.
Human Kaat explained it on one of their many rest-breaks. You want to fly, but all you can do is glide. So you catch a thermal, and use it to get higher, and you can glide for a little more.
It's all about choosing when and where you hit the ground, and how hard you hit when you get there.
We could not help our Human fly back to a state of full health, but we could give them a 'thermal' in the form of synthesised protein and chemically-created marrow. There wasn't even flavour to add.
We could make it every three days. Enough to help them 'glide further'. Keeping them away from the bad spiral into certain doom for just that little bit longer. The first presentation did not begin very well.
"Aaaw, you shouldn't have."
"We have the capability. You are important enough for us to spend spare hours on this."
"Synthesising our sugars and proteins is automated, now," Jans lied. "We can spare some hours for this. As a bonus, there is an abundance of medicine, too."
"Hooray for medical science. What do we have."
"Extruded protein churros, synthetic marrow, and a form of gelatinous cube made from your replicated blood stocks."
"Yum," said Human Kaat with evident sarcasm. They picked up a protein shape, which wobbled obscenely. They passed judgement as they ate. "Chewy, flavourless, and has a gross mouthfeel. Not exactly five star, but I understand that a lot of work went into getting this far. Thanks, fluffies." The attempt at marrow was, "gritty, but amazingly more-ish," which was the direct result of Kaat's body telling them they didn't know what was good for them. The 'blood jello' as Kaat called it was, "gross, but tellingly great." Followed by speculations as to whether it was vampirism or cannibalism when one was technically devouring their own blood.
"The good news is that we can do this," said Medik Jans, monitoring Kaat's medical indicators post-feast. "The bad news is that we can only do this once every three days. It will be enough to keep you going, at least."
"We're all going to look and feel like shit warmed over by rescue, I knew that," said Human Kaat. "How much further am I gliding?"
"With extant energy-saving tactics? Three days and perhaps two and a half hours."
Human Kaat started singing Wild Blue Yonder during their foraging expeditions. Part sarcasm, part spite, part determination, part motivation. Humans do peculiar things to maintain what passes for their sanity once they're in dire straits.
On our last day together on Planet Hell, we all cheered to see the rescue party land. True to Human Kaat's predictions, we all looked and felt like reheated feces.
Human Kaat took pride in being able to stagger up the ramp of the rescue vehicle. "I'm walking off this shitworld," they kept repeating. "My fluffies can be carried, it's up to them, but I am walking off this shitworld, so help me." It was a statement of Deathworlder defiance, but we took it literally.
Livesuits on, we helped them. One per arm and the third pushing their rump. We survived this together. We were helping each other. We were going to help our Human do one last thing before we let the horrified Mediks take over.
At the top of the ramp, Human Kaat announced. "Now I'm off this shitworld. Take me to medical swaddling, thanks."
Human Kaat, held together with spit and determination and fast running out of spit, was carried into civilisation feet first. So were we.
The great news? All those medical breakthroughs we made on Planet Hell were enough to pay for the new livesuit and more.
That could happen later. That could all happen later. Right now? All we are interested in is relaxation and recuperation. We are record-breakers for survival, out in the unknown. Nice to know, but something we don't really care about.
Human Kaat promised that we would look back on this all and laugh one day.
That day is not today. Today, we are just done.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Shakzu]
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