Under manned, under equipped, and on our own for three months. This is not what we had expected when we signed up for a colonization supply run. We survived the alien attack, but now we needed to survive in an unexplored system.
We had three choices, an ocean world, a moon, or an asteroid. None of them were particularly appealing, we might as well be wearing red shirts.
Image from Pixabay
Eliza, our lead research officer, advocated for the ocean world. Even if it was almost completely submerged it was habitable. Our Exploration Officer was intrigued by the alien ruins on the moon. For a more pragmatic approach, our secondary research officer favored the asteroid as it would allow us to collect supplies for the main colony.
As a scientist myself I was torn. A mostly habitable planet would certainly be easiest but truthfully we are poorly equipped for the lack of land. We could have made do with a Salazar for island hopping, but exploring under the water was another story.
The strangeness, and harsh conditions, of the asteroid were also a problem. We would be just as blind exploring that as the deep ocean, our scans unable to pierce the surface. For all we know, there could be an active mining colony underground. Though its unlikely, I'd rather send a military team to explore there.
That left the moon, which was a compromise between the two. There's no atmosphere so we'd need to be suited, but at least there's gravity making ground travel possible. It was inhabited at some point, but unless they moved underground then they are long gone. We might be able to discover supplies, or at least learn why these aliens vanished.
While our officers are focused on more scientific endeavors, I have long since learned to have a practical crew. Anything, and everything, can happen. If tools break down, you need Maintenance to fix it. If weapons are drawn, you need someone who can do more than point and shoot. Though she is disguised as a normal researcher, I pulled some strings to recruit a Special Infiltration Agent. Hopefully her unique skills won't be required, but even if her talent for warfare isn't needed her base charisma and popularity will help keep things flowing smoothly.
To further round out our ship, we have two passengers. I haven't seen her performance first hand, but I am hopeful our science student will be able to lend us a hand. I also hope the tech expert will be able to offer a little support to our maintenance staff.
For equipment we don't have a choice. Without an adequate supply of Research Suits half our team would be effectively useless outside of the habitat. Fortunately we have plenty of research suits.
Fortunately our officers and crew were granted more flexibility in their personal gear. For the sake of simplicity, and the ability to share gear, we kept things are universal as possible. Everyone who can shoot receives a Karper Heavy and Auto-guided Ammo. Everyone received some type of suit as well.
That brings us to cargo, what I'm least happy about. Four slots to keep us alive for 90 days is cutting it awefully tight. It was almost enough to make me leave people behind, but that would have been the same as killing them myself. Hopefully we will be able to utilize the ruins somehow, but we won't know until we land.
We need shelter, energy, food and water. The biggest habitat we could bring was a Happy Five and we should be able to use the ships atmosphere to make it livable. Its not big enough, but provided we work in shifts we can manage. In the worst case scenario we can take cover in the ship as well. We packed as much food and water as we could, and have a foodie to supplement it. Its still not enough, but we have no other choice. If we brought two foodie's instead of stockpiling we'd simply run out of water first.
It wouldn't be so bad if we hadn't traveled to the edge of our ship's range. We drained the fuel tank, and then used even more energy to land close to the ruins. We need to make up for that somehow. A WHC Unit doesn't cut it, it won't last us a month, and it won't power our habitat either. Our only choice is a top of the line generator.
We have a rough time ahead of us. I just hope the ruins prove worth the risk and at least someone survives to reach the colony.
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If you are a new player and you buy a starter using my referral code 984a3c4 we both will receive two booster packs and as soon as mine arrive I'll send you a Baldie so you can enter. If you are an existing player, there are a handful of Baldies on the market for $0.40.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, good luck!
