#the pda

PDA: oxygen

Ryley:

"OH FU-!!!!!"

Chapter 16/??

Ascension

Summary:

The downing of the Aurora was one tragedy among many in the long history of Planet 4546B, but it is, perhaps, one you can survive.

Once a young boy stood on a sterile, white sand shore, dreaming of the stars.

After the fetters of broken dreams rain down with the thousands of red-hot meteors that scatter across an endless ocean with no hint of land in sight–maybe this tragedy will set you free.

Preview:

The Aurora didn’t stop being a hazardous deathtrap just because you found the flimsiest of silver liningings.

The higher up the wreckage you go, the more certain you are that this is the bridge. It’s collapsed onto and through at least four floors by your count now, judging by the signs dotting the gutted wrecks of hallways you pass that have been crushed by the much thicker, shielded room.

It hasn’t just been a straight shot either, the path almost seems to curve, abandoning the open sky for the shadow of the grave instead, ending up under the overhang of an upper deck and a smouldering hull fragment that results in the occasional burning chunk of metal and debris coming loose with the shifting of the ship and smashing into the metal flooring around you.

The very picture of an ancient hellscape. All you’re missing is the rivers of magma that would seem more at home on planet 1531, may you never have to return there again. That particular warp-gate was recently serviced, however, so the demand for on the spot fabrication wasn’t likely unless something catastrophic happened and then it wasn’t your fucking problem.

Not that...it’ll ever be your problem again.

Chapter 12/??

Everlasting Jawbreaker

Summary:

The downing of the Aurora was one tragedy among many in the long history of Planet 4546B, but it is, perhaps, one you can survive.

Once a young boy stood on a sterile, white sand shore, dreaming of the stars.

After the fetters of broken dreams rain down with the thousands of red-hot meteors that scatter across an endless ocean with no hint of land in sight--maybe this tragedy will set you free.

Preview:

You find what remains of life pod 3 on the edge of a cliff. A chunk of metal, a squashed sphere, exactly like your own, overlooking what seems to be another section of the kel--Creepvine Forests to the north. Bits of mechanical parts and debris lay scattered around the shallow plateau--plenty of parts, indeed. Mechanical bits and bobs your hand-held scanner identifies as discarded Seaglide parts. As you’d expect from someone who had to take a minute to tinker with an uncooperative device.

The problem is, that cliff is some 50m+ under water.

Chapter 17/??

Dirk > Descend

Summary:

The downing of the Aurora was one tragedy among many in the long history of Planet 4546B, but it is, perhaps, one you can survive.

Once a young boy stood on a sterile, white sand shore, dreaming of the stars.

After the fetters of broken dreams rain down with the thousands of red-hot meteors that scatter across an endless ocean with no hint of land in sight–maybe this tragedy will set you free.

Preview:

Luckily, the fall seems to have broken the crawlers, or else you might have never come to. Succumbing to the fate of your fellow crew members as they finally worked their way through an already over-tasked dive suit to the waiting flesh inside.

As it turns out, they’re just. There. Legs twisted and snapped by the force of the impact--you should be too--Shells shattered and lifeless--christ can you even move? Maybe you are. Maybe something snapped and now you can’t feel anything but pain--slowly sinking into the depths, still quite visible in the bright early evening sun-filtering in through the surface above.

The depths.

Your eyes sluggishly open, something’s missing. You can feel it. Even as you float there, the timer on your O2 meter ticking down and down as the muffled rumble of the collapsing earth and the wail of the damned echo through you.

The display flickers. Again and again. Fuzzing. As if a signal is just out of range.

Chapter 11/??

Summary:

The downing of the Aurora was one tragedy among many in the long history of Planet 4546B, but it is, perhaps, one you can survive.

Once a young boy stood on a sterile, white sand shore, dreaming of the stars.

After the fetters of broken dreams rain down with the thousands of red-hot meteors that scatter across an endless ocean with no hint of land in sight--maybe this tragedy will set you free.

Preview:

The PDA is on the floor when you finally tear your eyes away from the glowing husk on the horizon and descend. Undamaged, of course, despite the evident truth that it had landed on the cold metal flooring.

It’s still burned into your mind. The way the struts marking the outline of the Aurora’s nose blaze against the dark sky, haunting negative space allowing the occasional star to glare through the spaces in the smoke plumes.