Dokeosphere part II

Suddenly, a voice that sounded as if it was constructed purely of static, like a box of vibrating pins and needles found its way over the radio. At first, the astronaut ignored this voice, thinking it only one of the ten radio checks he'd receive that day. But when it persisted, he began to notice an unfamiliar quality not present in his standard calls from earth: desperation. The Pins and needles voice on the other end was asking for help, crying out to anyone who would listen. The astronaut listened in with voyeuristic curiosity so common among humans. He desired to reach over and press the button in order to respond to the distress call, but something inside of him caused him to hesitate. It was his sense of duty creeping up on him, mentally reprimanding him for being so distracted by such an inconsequential happenstance. So he forced himself away from the help, and back to his makeshift laboratory in a side room on the upper deck. The only sound there was the clinking of test tubes against one another, and the gentle hum of the engines filtered out any excess noise that could possibly distract him.