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Simple Unicycle
@Zelosse@Spriggs27@Lucius Cypher@Ryonara@Kalleth
The escape pod let out long drawn out creaks as it began to enter the planet's atmosphere, shaking violently as the re-entry heat began to cover the viewport in an orange glow. Upon passing through the clouds the survivors could see what appeared to be an abandoned mining colony to the east, a large drill beam located at its colony center. To the north stood what appeared to be a tall obelisk structure, quite possibly an ancient ruin but from their point of view it looked to be offline as the iconic glowing trim could not be seen on the structure. After reaching the appropriate altitude, the pod's retrograde thrusters activated, slowing them down before landing on the planet's surface with a harsh thud. Without a moment's hesitation, Irisa put on her helmet and grabbed her rifle before addressing the group. "Helmet's on quick, we need to get out of this pod before that fuel leak ignites", removing the AI chip from the pod terminal the Qari inserted it into her helmet's port. With a flash the AI's projection appeared on her display, "Hello ma'am, would you like me to sync my programming to the rest of your group?"
"Yes, and what is your designation", having to refer to it as AI would become an annoyance.
"I am a fourth generation Bowman Ind. Artificial Intelligence, my records indicate that I was named 'Feynman' by my previous operators. Ma'am, I have synced my systems to your companions and would like to advise we exit the pod immediately", an update of the pod's systems showed that the remaining fuel leaked into the pod and was dangerously close to igniting.
"Alright everyone, we're heading out", Irisa checked one last time to ensure everyone's helmets were on before opening the hatch. The sun was bright here and the low gravity intensified her movements. Once outside the pod, her helmet's display threw a grid overlay on the surrounding terrain. Feynman's voice soon followed, "Ma'am I have scanned the planet and there appears to be a mining colony a few miles east of where we are. North of our location is a structure commonly referred to as an 'ancient ruin'. While both locations are uninhabited, It would be in your best interest to head towards the mining colony as a sandstorm is approaching from the northwest"
"Very well, and have you performed a scan of the planet's lifeforms?", they had shelter, they needed to know what to prepare against.
"Of course, bringing it on-screen now", in an instant there were files detailing the kind of flora and fauna on the planet.
"Why is the file on the apex predator not present?", a look of concern and slight frustration came over the Qari as she attempted to reopen the file in case there was an error.
"Apologies ma'am, but there is such a low population of this species and they are mostly subterranean. I will perform periodical scans in case a specimen surfaces"
"Do that, we need to know what its capable of...of course its subterranean", the thought that at any moment whatever this thing was could just erupt from the ground beneath them did not sit will with her. It was bad enough the planet was scarce in resources but having the constant threat of a surprise attack only added to her list of concerns.
"By the way ma'am, what is your name? Or would you prefer I continue to address you as 'Ma'am'?"
"Just Irisara will do fine. How long do we have before we reach the colony?"
"About two hours"
"And how long until the storm reaches us?"
"Three hours"
"Then we need to get moving", turning her attention to the rest of the survivors she waved for them to follow as she began walking towards the colony. With rifle in hand she kept a firm grip on it as she frequently eyed the surrounding ground. As for Feynman, it continued on to have introductions with the rest of the group. The way to the colony had rocky hills and arid soil scattered between sand dunes as the sky grew an orange brown hue from the encroaching storm. By the time the group arrived, they could see the last bit of the ancient ruin being swallowed by the sands. "Once inside we need to get the power on, the colony's life support system will come on as well as its communication systems", Irisa's voice came through the comm-link slightly scrambled due to the approaching storm. The wind began to pick up, and with it the threat of being carried away should they hang outside for too long. Finally reaching the main entrance, the hatch was wide open yet there was no sign of damage to structure integrity. Irisa hurried inside, waiting for everyone to follow in before continuing further into the facility. The only light came from the viewports that were fading fast as the storm approached but from what could be seen there was what looked to be scratch marks on the walls that were visible. Turning on her helmet light she was greeted by the sight of blood stains on the floor as well as filled body bags. Suddenly, Irisa no longer felt the need to remove her helmet. "Stay alert, we may not be alone here. Feynman, scan for a layout of the colony", Irisa's eyes darted across the room, looking for signs of a present lifeform. After a brief moment of silence, the colony's layout was brought up on her helmet.
"Ma'am the scan also indicated that there is presently only one lifeform in this station. I've marked its location on everyone's map, it is located in the cryo chamber"
"A survivor maybe? Gaz, Odd, go check it out. Stay on comms and update me on what you find. The rest of you are to search the station, we need to clear the facility and get the power back on. Look for something that can tell us what happened here", Irisa didn't wait for any objections, they could either do their job or sit there and let her take care of it. Her first stop was the med bay, hopefully there were medical supplies she could scavenge. The Loading Bay contained everything that would come on and off the colony including food, supplies, weaponry, etc. There was also a good chance that a land vehicle, if not a ship, was docked there. The Living Quarters would probably only contain clothes or personal items of the previous inhabitants but it was worth a look. As for the showers, it would probably be useless to search. The two priority rooms were the comm center and the power core. with those two online, their chances of escaping this world would dramatically increase.
