Ponica Pellets – Lecture 3

Posted on Fri Oct 13th, 2017 @ 1:41am by

Mission: A Day in the Life
Location: Academy Centre - lecture centre
Timeline: Current

Narcotic Ingestible Lectures - Ponica Pellets – Lecture 3
By Science Instructor Canioba Li

“Okay people find a seat around one of the transparent isolation chambers. Everyone will be seeing the same thing.” Canioba climbed the stairs to the podium and the largest of all transparent isolation chambers. Standing on the podium, she was able to view everyone who was in one of the largest lecture rooms. Cadets, Science Officers, Medical Officers, Marines, Operation Officers, Engineers, Damage Control Engineers, Paramedics and the list continued. She had a fair idea that some of them were using the Ponica Pellets, while others were there for the other uses of the pellets.

Dipping her gloved hand into the metal bucket which hung from the dais, and picked up one of the inch long and half and inch wide white pellets. “This lecture is the first in the Narcotic Ingestible Lectures. This is a Ponica Pellet, as I'm sure some of you know, Ponica Pellets are the current number one illegal narcotic which is consumed by people from twelve to eighty. Personally I've never used it or any other drugs, whether it's swallow able, sniff able or injectable. That doesn't mean I'm unfamiliar with this darling. I want you to open the hatch on your isolation chamber and take out one. Keep it in your gloved hand. Why?”

Changing the temperature within the chamber where she stood, the single pellet in the tray at the bottom, began to smoke, the chamber filling with a white coloured smoke. “Leave it in your hand for too long and it will start to degrade, and you'll get extremely high, as the temperature rises. Most people who elect to use the Ponica Pellets as a drug, can't swallow the pellet, so they either place it in a metal dish and apply heat and cover their head with a seal-able container which encloses the heated dish and go to a world of their own, most overdose and die because they can't remove themselves from the seal-able container. More than eighty nine percent of users die, and more than fifty six percent are younger than sixteen.” Using a remote, she whisked the smoke away. “If you take a look at the bottom of your chambers, you'll see two lonely pellets, now we're adding a detonator, this is simply a igniter, watch what your number one most popular drug does, when the igniter fires.”

Coming up around the pellets was two metal blocks. Firing all the igniters at the same time, the two pellets exploded, the blocks shattering and being flung upwards to the top of the chambers, and smashing against the walls. “Ponica Pellets are officially an explosive element that are used by the military, that means our 14th Battalion and security.” Waiting until the chambers cleared, Canioba raised two more pellets into each chamber. “You'll notice we again have ten pellets at the bottom. I said apply heat and they'll smoke. Well if you quick heat the pellets, they'll melt and can be sprayed. If you take a look at the temperature gauge, it should be between minus seven and minus thirteen. We're now going to quick heat the pellets, without me telling you the temperature, and watch your pellets.”

Everyone was glued to their chambers, one second the pellets were in their capsule shape, next they burst, turning into a marshmallow like gel which slowly continued to swell and fill the chamber. “What you're seeing is what is now used to insulate Space going vessels, starbases, and colonies which are in environmental conditions where insulation is needed to make conditions more comfortable. This mix is blended with an ingredient which will keep it into this state, and, if you watch your chambers, we're going to use the igniter again.” Canioba hit the remote, and the igniters flamed, a larger than previous blue purple flame shooting up, then instantly dying. “With the combination of the marshmallow and the mystery item, the marshmallow mix will remain in it's current state, and stop fire spreading. It is a popular item used by the Engineering Corps, and the Hostile Environmental Vessel Base and Colony Construction Corps.”

Another press of the remote and Canioba watched the chambers empty, their isolation mix being zapped upwards, and a whirl of a clear liquid swirling around the chamber, before the chambers were temperate dropped. “People who use the pellets to get high, rarely know that they'll kill you, the user by another method. If you watch the bottom of the chambers, you'll see five pellets in a bowl. Spraying downward from the top of the chamber, is a collection of different liquids. We have water, urine, faeces, wine, tea, retardant, fuel, cider and blood. Anything that has a certain portion of moisture will cause the pellets to start to swell. Five pellets are enough to swell and fill all of the chambers, if you're in an area where the pellets are swelling, unless you have an isolation suit with a fully secured face mask attached to a bonded air tank, you're dead, The swollen pellets stop transporter beaming, you're stuck glued in place until a rescue and recovery team digs you out.”

“You're saying the pellets I use to get high are that dangerous?” A male in a science uniform asked.

“Four months ago a merchant vessel carting Ponica Pellets had a temperature leak, and the pellets started to swell. When the ship went dark, Starfleet sent out a few ships to investigate, with instructions not to board unless they were wearing full isolation suits. All members of the crew were found dead buried in the pellets.” Canioba stated. “Starfleet have deemed that the Ponica Pellets are classified and unless they are being used in construction or used by the military, they are illegal.”

“Where do you stand on the use of drugs?”

“These lectures are to share information, that hopefully will open your eyes and make you aware of the dangers of using the drugs which are part of this collection of lectures. Part two will take place in one of the Academy Holodecks. You're going to get to experience the wet Ponica Pellets, and you're going to try to escape on your own, and then we're going to go through a variety of situations, where you get to experience rescuing those who are held hostage by the pellets. I would suggest that anyone involved in Rescue, Recovery, Medical, Paramedics, Maintenance, Damage Control Engineering, or like minded individuals consider signing up for Rescue Recovery.”