The Nautican Gambit
The Nautican Gambit
"I can't believe they live like this!" Watt complained. "It's so... wet!"
"Yeah," Core replied. "Most water is."
Protected by their suits, at least until their air ran out, Core and Watt looked around the room. They were in a cage that was clearly designed for water-breathing creatures and there were two particularly hideous Nauticans swimming in circles just on the other side of the bars. They were swimming around a giant glass container, like a ten foot tall terrarium. It appeared as though they were making some final adjustments to it.
"Well, human scum..." one of the Nauticans addressed them. "Seeing as we need to keep you alive long enough to get certain information... and since your primitive human lungs can't breath liquids... we'll fill this tank with any two gases of your choosing. So... what is it that you humans breathe?"
Watt looked at Core with desperate eyes. He would not be the one to make this call. When it was time to punch their way out of the tank, he would be the one to do it. But in the meantime, it was up to Core to know the correct ratio of gasesOne liter of Earth's atmosphere contains approximately 0.78 liters of Nitrogen gas and 0.21 liters of Oxygen gas, in addition to 0.01 liters of Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and other trace gases. for simulating Earth's atmosphere.
"Okay..." Core said, looking nervously at Watt. "We need and ..."
"Blechh..." the Nautican said in disgust. "That's what you humans breath?"
One of the other creatures opened their cage and dragged the brothers across the brig, sealing them up in their new, empty, glass case.
"I believe that the tank you're in holds liters," the Nautican scientist explained to them. "So... how many liters each of the _________ and _________ do you want? Oh, and we're only going to fill it once. So you'd better request as much as you can."
Core thought about it for a moment and then yelled, "We want liters of _________, and liters of _________!"
"Okay, human scum..." the Nautican smiled. "For your sake, I hope you chose wisely. Here's your _________ liters of _________ and _________ liters of _________."
The Nautican interrogator laughed quietly as he swam away and out of sight. They could hear and feel the room being pressurized with air, and it couldn't have come a moment sooner. No more than three or four minutes after the Nautican left, their space suits began to beep with the alert that they had run out of air.
With no other options, Core pressed the button on his wrist. His visor and helmet retracted and disappeared... Core looked at his brother and took a deep breath...
