《Yet Another RimWorld (Dropped)》 Chapter 1.1: Rude Awakening The starry night sky glistens above the verdant landscape, with countless stars illuminating the land. A sense of beauty could be found in such tranquility. Yet, it will all soon be disrupted, by raging flames descending from the skies above. *WrrrWrrrWrrrr* The first noise that entered Joshua¡¯s ears was the incessant ringing of the alarm, not what he had expected. According to his expectations, he expected warm welcomes either from his fellow companions, or a flock of women eagerly anticipating his awakening, or both. Alas, reality is often disappointing, now he can only adapt to whatever situation as he had no choice but to overcome it, especially when he is still bound to this metal coffin. That was a seemingly lucid, albeit unfitting thought that entered his mind. Because he could hardly recall his location, and his reason to be here at this moment. Aside from his mild disappointment that his expectations failed him, his mind is surged with the sense of nausea and confusion. *Thunk* Joshua shoved the sarcophagus¡¯ lid open, and swiftly crawled out of that nauseating little box, all the while following nothing but his instincts. His feet found purchase on solid ground. Based on the feeling transmitted through his shoeless, yet padded feet, he assumed the floor to be metallic but neutral in temperature. Aside from that, he couldn¡¯t rely on any other way to sense his surroundings, as his hands are grasping onto the grips attached to the metal coffin, while feeling that his eyes were still adjusting to the light, rendering him to be completely blind at the moment. Joshua moaned in confusion. ¡°Ugh¡­ what the¡ªHEURGGGGHH¡ª¡± Before he could form a coherent sentence, however, his conscious mind gave way to the overwhelming surge of nausea, and he emptied his guts soon after, onto the cold, metal floor. ¡°Hey!¡± A voice beamed. ¡°Come with me. Quick!¡± He could hardly compose himself right after the fact that he was whisked away from slumber and placed into the hell on earth that is his body. He felt that everything that could go wrong or sideways in the body had done so, and now he will be whisked away again. How helpless. ¡°Wha-¡± Before Joshua could utter his question, or clean up after himself, he felt a hand grabbing his left arm, and yanked him. He nearly toppled over, but managed to balance himself. Joshua, with his frail body and muddled consciousness, couldn¡¯t even naturally resist what he assumed to be an intrusion, even as his instincts are futilely screaming at him to do so. Regaining his balance on the fly, he had no choice but to walk along the direction of the tugging, while desperately trying to orient his senses to make sense of the mess he was thrust into. The tugging didn¡¯t stop, so he simply followed, suppressing his natural reflex to shrug of the constraint from a fellow human. After pacing around for a short while, his senses, like gears of a newly winded machine kick in one by one. His sense of smell returned first, after the initial sensory confusion, the familiar sensation of smelling and inhaling returned. To his dismay, the air was filled with an overwhelming scent that he would claim to be essentially stale, to the letter. Aside that, an underlying scent of vomit seemed to have permeated every inch of breathable air, especially since this was an enclosed space. Meanwhile, his ears heard an array of noises, which he subconsciously blocked out due to the general range and amount, as it will surely cause a mental toll to his currently semi-disabled mental state. The only remarkable noise he could make out of the range of background noises were distinct popping noises, as if someone was making popcorn and he was buried among the kernels as they explode. Vibrations pulse from random directions when he hears the pop, even,If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then, his vision slightly restored. In his blurry vision, he could make out the general shape and colors of objects. And he remembered that he is currently inside a starship, pacing along the generic, metal walls, embossed with metallic trinkets, or whatever they might be. And, flashes of red. ¡°Fire?¡± Joshua asked. ¡°The ship is burning?¡± ¡°Worse.¡± The person replied. ¡°Not in here though.¡± The person continued, forcefully squeezing in an amused tone. ¡°Dazzling fireworks ¡¯re just outside the window.¡± Before Joshua could resume his queries, however, the entire hull trembled and groaned in agony. *SNAP* Following the chilling sound that reverberated through the entire ship, trembles turned into massive tremors. Joshua could hardly stay balanced; he had to spread his arms around, trying to balance his footing. A strong yank pulled him out of his stance, tugging him forwards ever quicker. ¡°Hurry! Now!¡± The person urged Joshua with a shrill scream.
Between the tremors and sickening sounds of the ship¡¯s hull snapping, Aria felt that they ran for what seemed to be an eternity. Pacing around hallways of various sections of the ship, she knew that she had little time to escape before the entire ship implodes, what¡¯s left of it anyways. She was relieved of suspended animation much earlier than this guy that she decided to save. Not so much out of goodwill, but based on the fact that most of the other cryptosleep caskets didn¡¯t have enough power to activate, or never had the chance to. She knew that every number counts.
She could still remember how exactly she was introduced to this mess: Overcoming cryptosleep sickness, she did the usual song and dance that everyone will undergo after being forcefully brought back from suspended animation. Overcoming the initial blindness and confusion in an admirable speed, she had to bring herself back to pace, quickly. Probably, the battery units were the first to go. Or something went wrong somewhere in between. It is all quite irrelevant anyways; she would be better off escaping the incident in one piece and reminisce about the reasons later. Moreover, the low growl of the alarm was driving her insane, impairing her logical faculties, up until she finally managed to mentally ignore it after taking some time to adjust, and bask in anxiety. Imagine her shock when she tried to make sense of the situation once she got out of her stupor. Only to find herself being the only one standing among rows of dormant caskets; or that some wall fixtures had fell off and squished a few unlucky people with their metal coffins and all into a man-sized meat sandwich. Looking out the window, she saw what seemed to be a large section of the ship strewn out all around her field of view, spewing chunks of debris, as well as the fire and flames from explosions that were quickly snuffed out by the vacuum of space. Just like the countless lives of its hibernating crew. ¡°Thank god for the airlocks.¡± She whispered to herself. As she realized that all it took was a simple addition to the ship¡¯s structure to prevent her demise, via rapid depressurization and implosion. They¡¯ll never see the light of day, dying, unbeknownst to them. Poor bastards. At the moment, though, she took her sweet time savoring the thought of impending doom, while futilely swiping the bile she vomited off her jumpsuit. Taking more presumed valuable time, she scrounged around the still-standing crew lockers for a change of clothes. Only the dead or the still dead-asleep are present, so she decided to disregard her sense of modesty, stripped bare and got into the best fitting clothes and equipment that she could find. She acquired nothing much, really. Just a small pouch of handheld precision tools, and a suit of synthread outerwear alongside the usual standard-issue synthread clothing. Soon, she decided to find a means to escape the still intact hull section that she was enjoying herself in, as she knew a hull breach would be inevitable, given the catastrophe that the ship had endure, and that space debris from its separated carcass are slowly but surely making their way towards this one. Whatever opportunity there was, it wouldn¡¯t be found right here in this room. Had her memory served her right, there are quite a number of emergency drop pods scattered around as the ship¡¯s subsections, she could only hope the incident and whatever chain reaction that happened after didn¡¯t compromise her only way out. Just as she had prepared to leave, she heard something, a rather ¡°outstanding¡± sound that stands out from the cacophony that demonstrates her eventual doom through mechanical grinding and vacuum explosions. Walking past several rows of caskets, it was on the other end of this cryptosleep hall. She saw someone. A guy keeling over puking his guts out, while being surrounded by yet more rows of cryptosleep caskets, still dormant. Chapter 1.2: Escape Following the tremor, Aria could swear that the entire ship went upside down for a short second. Whatever that was, it knocked the ship off course. Its pace into a slow and inevitable death was now accelerated drastically. Joshua dropped onto the ground, but he swiftly regained footing and was up and about at no time. For reasons unknown, his visual faculties returned to him after a quick knock. Now that he could finally see clearly, his worst fears that he imagined all the while back had come true. The colony ship that was supposed to bring them over to another chosen planet was now in ruins. And he was in these ruins, probably about to become one with the space debris outside if he couldn¡¯t escape soon. For a split second before, though, Joshua was only focused on marveling his visual restoration. It¡¯s not even a knock to the head, it¡¯s like magic! If he could get it to work again, he would have wanted to knock his head some-more earlier in the past, then his mother would probably had scolded him less¡­ ¡®Whatever, the past is in the past¡¯ Joshua told himself. He looked around only to find most things tumbled about. A multipurpose medical chair was flipped upside down, probably shouldn¡¯t happen naturally unless an external force got involved. Not to mention that they were usually bolted to the floor, and weigh no less than a ton. It¡¯s not even supposed to be here, on the hallway. But seeing the medical room beside with a busted window and otherwise busted fluid tanks probably explains why. He turned his gaze around again, finally landing his eyes on a person groaning right on the floor. ¡°You alright?¡± He asked, stretching a hand out. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Aria answered, grabbing the hand offered by Joshua. She got the wind knocked out of her for a brief moment. She was certain she split her head or broke some ribs too, based on the impact that she felt. Probably as hard as a person trying to embrace a speeding car, she mentally remarked. But otherwise, she was completely fine. After getting back on her feet, she checked herself and found no issues. Not even an ache or sore spot could be identified¡­ weird. Regardless, there is no time to turn over the floorboards and investigate. She had not forgotten the reason they were running about, and she knew of the consequences if she wasted any time. ¡°Hey, miss¡­¡± ¡°Aria.¡± She interjected Joshua, sensing that he would come up with a conversation if she didn¡¯t. Not exactly appropriate considering the time and place. ¡°Oh, hi! I uh¡­ my n¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡± She did it once again. Seemingly cold and brutal in response. Looking at Joshua¡¯s face, he only produced a small nod and an otherwise stoic face. ¡®Good¡¯ Aria thought, she was hoping that Joshua wouldn¡¯t get offended by that. Everyone would, if they were faced with such rudeness in other circumstances. Without a word, both of them started running towards a certain direction. Everyone abroad the ship would¡¯ve known the ship¡¯s layout, and they would know that this would be one of their precious few lifelines if something were to happen during the journey. As they left the scene behind, what they didn¡¯t notice was objects of microscopic proportions had blanketed the small radius of that area. Like an elusive fog, they swirl in patterns mesmerizing to any observer, but were otherwise too tiny to see it with the naked eye. The ¡°fluid tank¡± that Joshua laid eyes on was actually a storage tank for medical nanites. Probably one of the most valuable resource there is that ever existed in the universe, the microscopic swarm, quadrillions of them will now cruise around and dissipate into the air. Until they have spent all the energy in their insignificant robotic selves to carry out their duty. Or die trying of exhaustion, trying to reach them.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°HEAVE!¡± ¡°HO!¡± ¡°ONE MORE!¡± *Clank* As the lumbering sarcophagus was pushed away by the combined effort of four puny humans, their lifeline was revealed in the form a still operational bulkhead. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Aria screamed. ¡°Come! Pull!¡± The four puny humans once again was engaged in a struggle, eight hands pulling the heavy chunk of metal open. Its design was considerably noteworthy, not on every airlock door would somebody find it to be painted in a copious amount of red-green fluorescent paint. For these survivors here, nothing could be better than the equally noteworthy label. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ EMERGENCY DROP PODS ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Wasting no time, none of her companions made anything more than as a celebratory sigh of relief before they ran into the hallway. leaving the half-opened door behind them, leaving it to seperate themselves from that sorry excuse of a starship. Soon, another sense of relief washed over them as they found that all drop pods were still up, and operational. All the modules were fine, and they were ready to be dispatched. The piercing blip of green light on each of the escape pod bays indicates that they were ready to be deployed at an instant. There was no doubt the AI had preemptively activated them following the event of the incident. ¡°Hey, we should check what¡¯s in the pods first.¡± Aria reminded the rest. ¡°We¡¯re stuck with the stuff we chose in this case¡­¡± There was an embedded container in every escape pods that could only hold a select few items, they were never meant to be used to transport supplies. So, not only was the capacity limited, also that they only contained generic items of low value for last resorts only. Moreover, there was no possible avenue for the escapers to open up every pod and take any excess supplies that they could carry, unless they have some time, and a good power saw on their hands. ¡°This one¡¯s a medical pod, I¡¯ll ta¡ª¡± *SNAP* ¡°Ah fuck! We leave. NOW!¡± Jim screamed hysterically. He swiftly balanced himself and hopped into the nearest escape pod, fumbling at the controls. Another quake had coursed through the ship, so rudely interrupting their vetting process. Moreover, this one was worse than the previous major commotion. There¡¯s always a good and bad in any situation, though. In this case, they are in a narrow hallway surrounded by rows of escape pods. Good that they could leave at any moment; not so good if something happened near and the entire subsection would have folded into halves. But, for now, luck remained on their side. ¡°Good luck!¡± ¡°You too!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone jumped into the nearest escape pod and strapped themselves into their seats. It was nothing but a narrow capsule with enough harnesses on the inside and enough boosters with dubious performance on the outside to make planetfall as less-painful as possible. Pressing onto one of the few buttons on the interface, the lid shut off and was thoroughly sealed in place. If only the decoupling charges would work after they landed, one could consider their escape pods effective and now would they be free from danger. If the panels did not break apart, or that the mechanism activated too early or late after ejection, the user would not be able to consider their escape pods to be anything, as they would be dead. Exposed into the vacuum of space, or use up all the oxygen confined within and die of asphyxiation? All the choices we have! ¡°Bye!¡± Joshua yelled through his pod. Despite not be able to hear any voice, being locked up in their own isolated metal cocoons and all; they could see him waving his hand in a comical way, obviously bidding farewell. With his other hand, he pulled the lever at the side of his seat; he disappeared within a blink of an eye, leaving being an empty hatch that once held a spacecraft only with the ability and fuel to manage a single, precarious landing. Everyone else did the same, too. *Poof* Aria could hear her escape pod being dislodged, and after that, only flashes of light. Looking out the window, she could see so clearly. Colors. White and blue¡ªthe stars that she once saw, hanging high up in the sky, now surround her. Red and blue¡ªlike a fleeting memory, the exploded ships narrow infinitely under her gaze, until they were nothing but a small dot in a field of stars. Green¡ªbigger and bigger, and soon it shall contain her. But for how long? Chapter 1.3: Prelude to Inferno
¡°Rimworlds, despite being mostly identified as plentiful, resource-rich planets; its occupants tend to not be prosperous but downright miserable, usually. Common knowledge claims that its circumstances made it nearly impossible to form planetary governments, united colonies and whatnot. Anyone and their mothers know that its peculiar state would also know that they are located at god-knows-where and that nobody would spare any effort to colonize it in proper scale. But, my question is: What kind of idiotic humans did that millenniums ago? They think they can terraform these planets, but had they ever stopped and think if they should?¡± - R.W. Herodotus, Grand Historian of Ordo Historia, Terra
Judging by the sudden deceleration after atmospheric reentry, and that her spine remained intact and her bones were not shattered into dust, the drop pod worked flawlessly and she made her way into her destination. "Wow!" Aria exclaimed. Behind a layer of reinforced glass and its heavy stain of soot lies an attractive visage. Barely able to contain herself, seconds felt like hours as she waited for the pod to disengage. *PSSH* Instantly, the panels dislodged and Aria was freed from her tiny prison. What greeted her was an overbearing stench of burnt metal. But that dissipated quick, just as quickly as her sense of dread turned into a sense of awe and wonder. What she saw was a scene of lush greenery¡ªalthough veiled under the covers of darkness and only illuminated by faint moonlight, she could take in every single bit of charm provided by the visage just fine. Tufts of shrubbery swaying along the blowing winds, with the occasional patch of trees scattered around her field of vision. This feeling she comprehended felt like a reward that one would be gifted with once they have overcame their insurmountable odds. Lush greenery run amok along these plains, and the subsequent terrain as far as her eyes could see. Aside from select few spots that had little to no dense vegetation growth, including hers, everywhere else could be considered a forest as far as she is concerned. Looking elsewhere, especially the terrain surrounding her, she concluded that she had landed in the plains. It had quite the variety of plants and shrubbery, growing all over the place, while the trees are greatly outnumbered in quanity, in comparison to the former variants of vegetaion. Flowing in a natural curve, a cascade of lights under the moonlight indicated the existence of a river that flows along the plains. If she listened hard, she could hear the sound of water flowing rapidly; beautiful flickers of light rose high up in the air as the flowing water impacted the large river rocks jutting out of the water surface. *BOOM* A plume of dust rose as quickly as the wind that carried it away. Snapping to attention, Aria located the source of the noise as she could clearly see it. Another drop pod landed nearby, judging by the fluorescent stripes on its outer panels. The orderly fashion of the stripes soon broke apart, some lay buried under the dirt, others remain glowing while laying disorderly around the vicinity. Aria muttered to herself, "Looks like another one escaped unharmed... phew." She continued, "Let''s go find... Wait! The storage compartment!" Reminding herself of the resources each of these drop pods carried, Aria changed her priorities momentarily and now she is looking to recover the precious little amounts of cargo that accompanied her escape. *Clank* "There it is." Aria recovered her prize. From an unassuming metal crate, half buried in dirt embedded into one of the panels, she managed to secure the precious cargo. It included a standard kit for emergency use. A small satchel containing a dyno torch¡ªalso known as a squeeze flashlight that utilized a mini rotary crank and dynamo that allows its users to hand charge the torch. However, it''s pitiful energy capacity means that it''s batteries must be topped up and constantly replenished before and during usage.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Stealth mission operators and handless operators need not apply. Also, the satchel included 3 packs of packaged rations, a water flask, a standard med-kit and a multipurpose knife. "Medkit?" Aria groaned. "You call bandages and antibiotics in a tin-can a medkit?" Despite showing great dissatisfaction, she still pocketed the ¡®tin-can¡¯ greedily. Scrounging further, she only recovered a sealed bottle and a straight saw. Her eyes sparkled as she inspected both items in great detail. Undoubtedly, she knew those were what she needed. Both items were covered with a plastic film, presumably airtight. Despite its glossy and transparent appearance, she knew that she could never warp its shape or even break it using her hands only. Made from algae extract bred for this exact purpose, the material is strong and rigid, only the sharp edge of a blade could slice through the plastic. ¡°Nice!¡± Aria muttered as she finished her inspection. The bottle is filled with an industrial water-based adhesive, or water soluble glue, that is nothing short of a godsend for any survivors. They are to mix with water following a 1/1000 ratio, resulting in a finished product of viscous glue that solidifies instantly when exposed to high temperature. Moreover, they blend well with any surface, and the binding will be as hard as concrete when applied properly. Such a reliable adhesive that comes in a 1 litre bottle will result in 1000 litres of ultra-glue, creating roughly a metric ton of unbreakable, versatile binding for any products. On the other hand, the straight saw was fitted with a vibro-blade, as well as a fully charged battery. At the very least, it would slice through wood and stone effortlessly, as smooth as slicing warm butter, when charged. The fine, serrated, plasteel edge gives it superior durability that could even sustain grinding through lesser metals when the batteries are depleted, when push comes to shove. All-in-all, the cargo Aria recovered will prove to be a great boon and a powerful asset to Aria, or to anyone else that gets to own it. Ah... The wonders of technology. *KrrKrrKrr* Back to her duties at hand, she cranked her flashlight and waved it around the other crashed pod. Sending pulses of light towards that direction, she was signaling to the recipient of her existence. Satchel carried on her back, she slowly navigated through the terrain while steadily broadcasting her position through her flashlight. ¡°If not for the moonlight¡­ God forbid.¡± She muttered under her breath. If not for the generous moonlight that illuminated the contours of the landscape in various shades of dark green and grey, she would have plunged into various shrubs or trees. One does not have many options if they had to cope with a true darkness that made them to not even visually track their fingers. Soon, her visual hails were responded with flashes of light. Obviously from the other landing site, Aria could assume that the survivor had recovered their cargo and was most likely in good health. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re that girl! Aria!¡± Someone shouted across a short distance.
"Let''s look around first... I guess." Aria said. Navigating through the terrain with three seperate origins of light¡ªfrom the all-encompassing moonlight and two flashlight beams, Aria continued exploring the plains with another companion in tow. "Good thing you''re doing fine!" He said. "Yeah... Thank goodness we didn''t die up there." Aria replied. "Yup. Also¡ª" He continued. "What have you got there?" She pointed to the bag he''s carrying. Unlike the small satchel that Aria was carrying, the burden on his back was noticebly bulkier. Strapped between his shoulders, as tall as half of his height, was a bulky backpack of some sort. "Oh! Aside from the standard kit that I threw in there..." he gestured to the backpack, "There''s a small crate of rations wrapped in the bag." "Rations?" Aria responded. "Rations!" He exclaimed in response. "20 packs of travel rations!" "Holy ss¡ªAwesome!" She spoke joyously. "Heh... They''re heavy as hell though." He replied with a bittersweet expression. Aria could only chuckle in reply. She also approved, however, that the entire predicament she encountered until now is quite the bittersweet experience. She''s off to a new life - she almost died - she escaped - she now finds advantage. Before her train of thought could continue, she was interrupted. "Also... thanks for saving me back there." He spoke meekly. "Hey! No problem." She replied sincerely. "Also... I''m Joshua. Nice to meet you!" Joshua continued, albeit in an unnecessarily hushed tone. "Ah, Joshua." Aria affirmed with a melancholic tone. "Not very nice to meet under these circumstances... but okay." "..." God knows what Joshua felt judging by his stoic expression. But it''s definitely not a pleasant one. Chapter 1.4: Enter to Inferno
"Since the advent of the space age, humans had took to the skies in search of prospects, and answers. And indeed, they returned, with even greater answers to science. In particular, the advancement of material science had gone ahead leaps and bounds since the space age. Introduction of new materials harnessed from other worlds had improved our knowledge of material processing and refinement. Of course, the material goods and items we now enjoy would be so very expensive and difficult, usually downright impossible to make without this fact. Like the polymer or aircrete we use for cheap furnitures nowadays¡ªthey cost nothing to produce and yet those cutthroats could sell it for a premium! Look... my cousin''s neighbour''s brother''s friend owns the [Redacted] factory. Those [Redacted] tables cost 2 credits and they sell it for 1000 credits! My God! Well I never..." - R.W. Herodotus, Grand Historian of Ordo Historia, Terra
After stepping foot on solid ground, the man quickly gathered himself and counted his options. After orienting himself with the aid of the moon¡¯s generosity, he could at least observe the terrain, which helped him on making his decisions. Firstly, he recovered the precious cargo that the drop pod carried. Other than the usual satchel of standard items that he could sling onto his shoulders, he found something else that made his eyes glisten. ¡°Yes!¡± He muttered in joy. His drop pod also contained what he assumed to be a defense kit. He pulled out a polymer helmet, body armor and footwear. Aside that, he could see the outline of a rifle and a box of ammunition underneath. Just as described, the helmet was a solid piece with appropriate padding and straps, covered by protective-grade polymer. Similar material was used for the body armor and footwear. Essentially a vest and pair of shoes of woven synthread embedded with polymer pieces, its design closely resemble lamellar armor of the ancient ages. With an adequate amount of straps on both items, they were designed with the ¡®one-size-fits-all¡¯ concept in mind. Yet, these items are considered crude and simple in design. They could hardly withstand any ballistic attacks or any actual modern weaponry. At least they are cheap and easily manufactured. They would perform splendidly against sharp sticks, animal tusks and antlers. ¡°At least it works¡­¡± He spoke with a hint of disappointment as he inspected his weapon. A simple glance indicates that he had come to possess a ballistic bolt-action rifle. Incredibly crude and incredibly simple in design, this ancient thing would not hold a candle to any sort of modern weaponry. It could only be hand loaded, while it holds 5 rounds in the internal magazine and another 1 in the chamber. Without any attachments whatsoever, he could only work with the embedded iron sights and eyeball the targets. Seeing the sleek polymer frame and machined steel parts, he lightly celebrated, ¡°at least it ain¡¯t some decrepit, millennium old thing¡­¡± *Bang* Looking around, he saw another drop pod landing. It was nearby, too. Quickly packing the small box of 7.62 ammunition with 100 cartridges into the standard satchel, he made his way to the adjacent crash site.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Soon, what he saw was the survivor still strapped to the seat, motionless.
They found the remaining two survivors some distance away. ¡°One, two, three, four!¡± The man grunted. ¡°Come on!¡± Illumination under the flashlights revealed a tragic scene that shocked the both of them. Right beside the remnants of the escape pod, a person sat while another was laying down. The man was performing CPR on the other survivor. She could immediately spot a few glaring errors on his part. For instance, the chest compressions were not done on the chestbone, but on an approximate location way above on the sternum, between the breasts. Also, the body was strewn about with her head not angled upwards. This minor oversight could cause a person to suffocate to death in bad cases even if the resuscitation was successful. Obviously, he was nothing but an amateur that performed it out of desperation. ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s you people!¡± He screamed after seeing their approach. ¡°Help me out!¡± Both Aria and Joshua heard the man¡¯s haggard breathing before they could see him properly in the dark. He had most definitely overextended himself and will soon succumb to exhaustion if he carried on. Without a word, Joshua broke into a sprint and positioned himself on the opposite of the man, intending to take over to perform chest compressions. ¡°Stop¡­¡± Aria continued her stride slowly, while fixing her gaze onto the body. ¡°What?¡±-¡°What the fuck!¡± Both Joshua and the man responded instantly in shock. Ignoring her hail, the man continued administering CPR. Aria had to run up to the scene and physically hold him back. ¡°What are you doing? There¡¯s still a¡ª¡± The man protested in anger. ¡°There¡¯s no chance!¡± She retorted. ¡°You hadn¡¯t even checked her body!¡± He struggled. ¡°There¡¯s no pulse but there¡¯s still¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to.¡± She replied concisely. ¡°!!!¡± Both men could not respond, obviously taken aback by her answer. ¡°Sigh.¡± Aria responded calmly, while shrugging helplessly. ¡°Just¡­ look here.¡± She pointed her flashlight at the body¡¯s bloody face. While the gazes of both men followed it intently. ¡°Something went wrong with the reverse thrusters, or shock absorbers¡­ or something¡­¡± She explained. Both men answered with a glare that seems to be urging her to ¡®get to the point¡¯. They could obviously see blood slightly smudged on the face, especially by the orifices. Trails of fresh blood could be seen flowing down her face. She bent down and slowly stretched open the body¡¯s closed eyelids while both men watched keenly. To their shock, the eyeballs are completely red, swollen and bloody - as if both eyeballs are removed and were replaced with two balls of blood. ¡°Look at her face, no bruises or anything but the orifices are stained with blood. And the blood vessels of her eyes had burst¡­ completely.¡± She calmly explained. ¡°No open wounds, but the back of the neck is bruised too¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ she¡¯s gone?¡± Joshua asked sheepishly. ¡°Sometime, during the landing, somehow, she hit her head¡­ hard.¡± In a calm voice, Aria announced her verdict. ¡°She died instantly.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± The man loosen his posture and sank into the ground after hearing Aria¡¯s verdict. ¡°Never even knew her name¡­¡± The others stayed silent. The trio sat around the corpse for a moment, all silently mourning. Each of them carried a somber expression on their faces, suffering in silence. Soon, Joshua stood up and slowly walked towards the drop pod nearby. Aria followed suit soon enough, intent on recovering the cargo on this drop pod. Before leaving, the man adjusted the body and made it lay with a straight posture, with both hands clasped laying on the chest. With a defeated expression, he looked up to the skies. Expecting to find clarity in his thoughts, what he saw with his eyes only served to worsen his state.
Outshining the glistening stars, a rain of brighter flames now slowly descends from the skies. Above the verdant landscape, with countless drops of flame growing ever larger in size and scale, an omen of disaster could be seen clearly. Chapter 1.5: Rain
I find myself seeing a whole new world, as it embraces me and showered me with love and care. This new fantastic point of view sure did a number on my perception¡ªI learnt that the world has more to offer than the doom and gloom that persisted in the dying husk of this civilization. A world of new beginnings, untainted by authoritarian rulings and the disgraceful devils in human skin that feed off of the system. I¡¯ll tell you this in certainty¡ªescaping this industrialized hell-scape and living in a rimworld will be the best decision that you¡¯ll ever make. If only I could do so¡ªI will certainly share with you my wondrous journeys and beautiful vibes that I will experience in this blissful paradise. -An excerpt from ¡°Why We Should Emigrate to a Rimworld¡± by Sary Mue
The heavens fell. The serene night was torn asunder as fireballs descend from the skies in varying intensity. Miniature debris that was peppered across the skies of this world will catch fire and eventually perish into nothingness in the atmosphere. The grand spectacle would be observed by many across continents, becoming the source of many legends in the foreseeable future. Small chunks of metal showered all around the vicinity. Their impacts would leave behind craters of varying sizes while the carcass itself would forever persist, embedded onto the ground until it blends in with the scenery when nature reclaims her territory. Massive chunks of debris split the very earth apart as they land. Most would bring flames along as they descend onto the soil, each of these chunks resemble the inferno itself. The terrifying heat they produce will scorch themselves into dust, along with anything and everything that surrounds them. In the midst of the growing turmoil, three survivors faced the scorn of the heavens, as the oncoming inferno will surely give them a hell of a reckoning.
¡°Goodness¡­¡± Aria muttered under her breath. Her face paled while her eyes filled with anxiety. Like an unending meteor rain, a lightshow was on display for the entire world to see, courtesy of a certain wrecked spacecraft. Unlike the average meteor rain, however, this one caused a tremendous impact on just about anything as long as it reaches the surface. Debris from the shattered ship crash-landed on the surface with the force comparable to a scattered orbital strike. Of course, the surface of the planet closest to the shipwreck will have to face the brunt of its impact¡ªcourtesy to gravity. Place your bets. Obviously, this meant that the plains and its immediate surroundings will suffer the most damage, its intensity matching a concentrated artillery barrage. Coincidentally, it was the location that the trio was situated in. Bingo. ¡°Oh god!¡± Joshua shrieked as he pointed his finger at an incoming chunk. ¡°Look out!¡± Everyone else ducked on reflex and covered their heads. This action had been practiced in repetition over and over again since some time ago. The small chunk of charred metal landed not far from the trio, spewing out tiny fragments of rock and metal as it impacted onto the dirt. Luckily for the lot of them, this only amounted to racking up another layer of dirt onto their clothing. Thus far, they had fared well considering the circumstances that they now were mired into. Jim had his bare arms nicked with a few skin-cut wounds from the metal fragments flying all around. He was simply unlucky and lucky at the same time. The former meant that he took a couple explosions and high-velocity fragments head on, while the rest of his companions are spared from its wrath; while the latter was indicated as most of the close-calls he encountered ended up with his protective equipment blocking the otherwise lethal fragments. Now, he wears his suit of armor with metal fragments as long as human fingers jutting out from various odd angles like a medal of honor, although unwillingly. ¡°Aria, can¡¯t you heal my wounds?¡± Jim gestured to his arms. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to stop and bandage you!¡± She replied loudly while prancing about with her palms covering her ears. The loud impacts had done a number on her precious eardrums. They had to scream at each other at first under the incessant rumbling until they got used to it. But Aria, on the contrary, had not adjusted yet. ¡°No!¡± Jim replied while gesturing at the other satchel she¡¯s carrying. ¡°Use that and it¡¯ll heal instantly!¡± ¡°No, Jim!¡± Aria screamed once again, tension lingering in her tone. ¡°We can¡¯t use that on your minor wounds! It¡¯s a waste!¡±Stolen story; please report. Indeed. It would not do it justice if such an important asset was used to remedy mere flesh wounds. ¡°Arrgh¡­ fine. Whatever.¡± Jim groaned in frustration and dismissed it with a hand motion. Deep down, he too knew of the importance of that resource. But he could not help it but to associate it to Aria¡¯s stinginess, although he chose not to act on it for now. *BANG* Another tremor rumbled beneath their feet. They knew another large chunk had crashed somewhere around here. Not exactly a common occurrence around these parts. Most debris would have broken apart into infinitely smaller pieces once they started combusting as they entered atmosphere. It would be rare to have a large, bulky ship hull to maintain integrity after undertaking such an arduous journey to visit this planet. The large chunk impacted quite a distance away from the trio. This didn¡¯t stop Joshua and his keen eyes to be able to identify the contents of its embedded cargo. ¡°Look! I remember those metal lockers!¡± Joshua screamed in excitement as he raised his head from his hunched body. ¡°It¡¯s from the armory!¡± He concluded. Before anyone could put a word in, he broke formation and made his way towards that particular debris. At the very least, he exhibited due diligence and looked above properly before taking the step forward. The other two had no choice but to catch up with him. Some distance ahead, a sense of dread washed over Jim, urging him as to not take another step forward. Just as he felt during those close-calls at previous occasions, he knew not to question his gut instincts. ¡°Josh! Hey! Slow down!¡± Jim screamed. He held his arm forward trying to get a hold on Joshua that¡¯s pacing in front of him. ¡°I said, wait!¡± Screaming louder, he suddenly panicked when he spotted the source of his premonition. ¡°Wait¡ªIT¡¯S ON FIRE!¡± At plain sight, it was hidden by the multiple layers of obstruction. But he saw the flickers clearly, fire danced inside the debris. Given that the crashed ship hull was part of the armory, more weapon lockers would be held under the crashed debris, not visible to the outside glance. Moreover, a spark of green flame soon erupted from the debris, the column of fire gushed out with incredible ferocity until it was snuffed out thereafter. The last thing Jim saw as he threw himself onto the ground was another dozen sparks of green flames¡ªlike embryos of destruction, undergoing accelerated growth. *BAAAAANG* An incredible shockwave rushed over Jim. He could¡¯ve sworn that his helmet was melted by the incredible heat. Once the explosive rumble instantly regressed into a far echo of its former self, Jim picked himself back up. Snap back to reality, Jim checked himself and found himself to be relatively unharmed. Unlike his expectations¡ªhis helmet was still solid, and his skin felt no sort of burning sensation. All-in-all, he was completely fine. Walking over to that idiot, he inspected Joshua¡ªwho threw himself onto the ground with similar fashion. He flipped him over with a little too much force as he grabbed his arm and yanked it outwards. Stares were exchanged in place of the usual salutations. Specifically¡ªit was Jim¡¯s cold stare clashing with Joshua¡¯s pair of dead fish eyes. Disregarding his dazed companion, Jim extended his hand once again and pulled Joshua up onto his feet. As he was dusting off himself, he saw Joshua¡¯s panicked expression as Joshua sped off towards his back. ¡°Wha¡ªSHIT!¡± Jim turned around and also responded in similar fashion. Running towards Aria that laid face up on the ground, they could only see her struggling with her hands clutching her throat. ¡°Krrr¡ªErrk¡­¡± Producing only a guttural sound, intense panic was evident in her eyes. ¡°Fuckfuckfuckfuck¡ª¡± Joshua trembled as he scrounged Aria¡¯s other satchel in a near-panicked state. Meanwhile, Jon straddled Aria as to restrain her body from flailing around as her higher-order thinking had been concealed by the shadow of death. He then forcefully tore Aria¡¯s arms from covering her throat and had it restrained. What he saw was another grueling scene in itself. A tiny, precise cut had made its way on her throat, where it chipped away a tiny shred of flesh. Instantly, he deduced that one of the fragments was carried by the explosion and made its way towards Aria¡ªslicing off some flesh and a small part of her windpipe. ¡°Krrrkkk¡­¡± Aria¡¯s eyes staring deep into Jim¡¯s eyes, as if broadcasting the fact that her death was imminent. Jim could only hope that the precious medicine would be able to save her from her demise. Right on cue, Joshua emerged with a small metallic box in hand and a dyno-torch in the other. Under the intense glare of Jim, he clumsily opened the latch and pulled out a small syringe of polymorphic gel. Not bothered to attach a needle, he pulled off the sealing tape and unloaded all its contents onto Aria¡¯s wound. As the excessive amount of gel spilled all over Aria¡¯s throat, Jim swiftly wiped away the excess while using all his might to keep his trembling hands gentle when it touches the wound. Meanwhile, Joshua pulled out another metallic applicator that was nicely fit into the medical kit. Pressing the first button¡ªthe power button, a small screen lit up, indicating the amount of its remaining content. Pressing the second button while aiming the device¡¯s nozzle as close as possible towards the wound, the digital gauge indicates that it went from ¡®full¡¯ to ¡®empty¡¯ with just a single, hard press of the dispensing button. Several droplets of liquid, glistening like emeralds under the light flowed into the wound. Under illumination of a flashlight, they could see the act of miracle happening in its full glory. Then it happened right before their eyes¡ªthe medical nanites restructuring the affected areas with the polymorphic gel as material. Within a blink of an eye, Aria¡¯s wound seemed to close itself right in front of both men¡¯s heated stare. Under intense scrutiny, it would seem like no injuries had ever been located there before, let alone a single flaw on the skin tissue. Aria sat up and caressed her throat as Jim cancelled his restraint. She took a deep breath as she wiped the tears that had welled up in her eyes, unknowingly. ¡°Goodness gracious¡­¡± Aria said as she lightly patted her thighs as she stood up. Both men also sighed deeply as relief took over their overwhelming surge of panic when they witnessed the ordeal. Aria¡¯s ability to speak meant that the medical kit had done its duties flawlessly. All of them went on their way again, carefully navigating¡ªwatching the skies while avoiding any areas that were occupied by open flames. None of them chose to comment on the previous ordeal as they continued their journey in silence. As each of them had unknowingly come to a consensus to set that memory aside, permanently. Later, Joshua tossed the empty container of the miracle medicine randomly after he got fed up of fidgeting with it. With that casual flick of his hand, this object will now join the space debris that had littered the landscape¡ªforever bounded on this planet henceforth. Chapter 1.6: Enduring the Flames
¡°Please get me out of here! Oh god¡­ why did I think this was a good idea? Everything is so filthy and weird in this place! There are criminals trotting all over the place¡­ There¡¯s Tribals¡ªsavages! They killed my friends! Oh god¡­ please, I beg you! Get me out of this godforsaken hellhole!¡± -Transmission of an unknown survivor stranded in a rimworld, circa 5500
Trekking ever forwards on a journey to find safety, they swiftly made their way across the plains while navigating themselves using the moonlight. Enduring the hail of fire and stone along the way, they soon made it to relative safety under the canopies of leaves inside a dense woodland patch. Only when they made some distance from ground zero of the crash-landings and impacts did the intensity of the orbital barrage lessen. Looking at the stalwart oak trees which surround them while leaving a comfortable distance between each other, the tension of fear that aims to suffocate the air out of their thoughts becomes ever lesser. It was relatively lesser anyway¡ªat the very least, it served to unnerve the trio. Not that they were conscious of the fact that a rigid tree trunk would do little to shield them against the fury of scorched metal that were descending from the skies. A small chunk of debris would weigh at least 1 ton, not to mention those larger chunks that caused the earth to rumble ever so often. To only viable shelter that they could preserve themselves would be below a hollowed mountain or under the covers of a reinforced bunker¡ªboth were non-existent in their location. Still, humans would follow their natural instincts to seek shelter¡ªfind something, anything to hide under¡ªregardless of how logical would their choices seem when they are filled with desperation to survive. Moving anywhere else is better than not moving at all. The barrage still continued even around these oak woodlands, although lessened in both intensity and density. The trio could finally catch a breath and make better judgment as they¡¯ve composed themselves. Through their stroke of exceptional luck, and careful navigation¡ªthey suffered minimal damage throughout the journey. Aside from a few light bruise on their bodies, the most severe of injuries were skin-cuts by metal fragments on Jim¡¯s arms. On a side note, Jim was quite distraught over the fact that his bolt-action rifle was ¡®wrecked¡¯. Just as he said, a few light cuts were now present on the weapon¡¯s polymer frame. To be fair, the shallow cuts did scratch off the dark paint¡ªexposing a glaring, grey color of the polymer material underneath. ¡°We best get out of this place soon.¡± Aria told her companions anxiously. Despite their previous antics, both men had sufficient reasons to be labeled with different perks, but ¡®blindness¡¯ was not one of them. ¡°Our best hope is to find a river or something.¡± Jim replied while surveying the dimly lit landscape. ¡°True.¡± Joshua replied absentmindedly. Just as the hail of fire had begun to subside, the mark of the inferno had deeply scorched into the surface of these lands. It was fire. Under the cover of the dark, piercing, red light flickered all around. The raging fire had surely spread, and now the entire area is at risk of to receive its mark. Shrubs, trees, plants of any kind were getting on fire from multiple, sporadic sources.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Not all of them were idiots, they knew the fire will spread due to the abundance of vegetation. And nothing will stop it. They quickened their pace until they found a river bisecting the landscape. If they were to cross the river, the fires would hardly spread to the opposite end, thus gaining them finally a moment of respite. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s too risky.¡± Jim spoke as he knelt by the riverbank. *Swooosh* Judging by the noise and the light reflected off the water, it was certain that what they encountered was no mere river, but a grand river. The water is somewhat turbulent, to say the least. Not to mention that crossing the river would take approximately more than 30 paces. Such a width would also mean that the depths in the middle would be simply dangerous for any human to traverse unassisted. Meanwhile, they saw it clearly with their eyes¡ªthe fire grows ever larger in their field of vision. Blips of light across the horizon soon merged and expanded, into a line of sizzling flames that will surely leave nothing but scorched earth once the inferno had taken its due. ¡°Not an option to cross the rapids¡­¡± Aria spoke as she paced around. Unknowingly, she had already torn off a few strands of hair off her head with her fidgeting hands. ¡°What then?¡± Jim finished Aria¡¯s sentence, also fidgeting with his fingers with unease. ¡°Hey, look.¡± Joshua gestured with his finger, pointed towards a location some distance away. A rock hill was protruding out of the surface while being adjacent to the grand river. A portion of its corner seemed smooth, obviously polished by the rapid currents throughout the ages as it stood. The surroundings of the rock hill matched the river banks¡ªcomposed mainly of rocks and sand with little vegetation growing. ¡°We could hunker there until everything else burns out.¡± He explained. ¡°Looks like the safest place there is¡­ if we could climb it or¡ª¡± ¡°Yes! Yes we can.¡± Aria interjected with a chirpy tone. ¡°We¡­ have this¡­¡± Both men looked on as Aria scrounged her satchel with expectant eyes. Surpassing their expectations, however, was when she pulled out a vibro-saw and powered it up. ¡°We don¡¯t need to climb anywhere.¡± She spoke as she walked towards the raised terrain. ¡°When we can carve a room inside.¡± With the soft hum of the vibro-saw, the granite chunks of the small rock hill gave way like a knife slicing warm butter. Simply resting the edge of the blade on the surface and it will soon sink into the stone. Being far desirable than their other option to climb the giant boulder with bare hands, they made short work. With the help of two men as labourers and a deft-handed lady with a miracle tool, they quickly accomplished their current goal. A tiny room, encased in cold stone was carved out from the solid mass of stone that is the rock hill adjoining the grand river. The tiny room, carved within the giant boulder was acceptable at best. It could hardly leave out some extra space after fitting in 3 people while also accommodating to their leg room, so that they could lie down and rest after their harrowing journey. In fear of suffocation of fumes, they also ¡®drilled¡¯ a few straight holes from the upper walls towards the outside of the stone hill. The stone chunks they extracted were subsequently dumped outside while arranged in a semicircle as a way to hinder the incoming inferno, just in case if the fires would ever spread this close into their temporary dwelling. Select few chunks were crudely carved into bricks and were stacked up to the narrow entrance, to keep the elements out from invading their haven. Whether it be in the form of a gust of wind, searing fumes or the ashes of the burnt. Only when the last brick was piled and the entrance was sealed, they finally got to enjoy their long awaited respite. Lying side by side rather unwilling, with their shoulders touching¡ªthey all relaxed themselves and enjoyed the moment in silence. As they closed their eyes, they finally felt their own bodies¡ªtheir flesh felt sore and tired inside and out; while their bones groaned in exhaustion. They lie in wait, until then. But what happens next? Chapter 1.7: First time Aria POV *** ¡°Goodness.¡± I grumbled. ¡°Everything is just¡­ ugh.¡± As if almost dying at every possible moment isn¡¯t enough, now we are stuck here, trying to contend with impending doom and hope the fire doesn¡¯t send all of us to our demise. ¡°Accommodations not up to your standards, your highness?¡± Jim retorted. ¡°Hah.¡± That¡¯s all I managed to say. Honestly, I could neither affirm nor dismiss that statement. Although, I would be much more content to die up there in blissful slumber if I had knew this would happen to me. Well, nothing I can do about it now. For now, however, I can do this. Looking over the guy that¡¯s peeking his head out the tiny, open gap of our ¡®brick-barricaded¡¯ entrance. I called him: ¡°Hey, Joshua.¡± I enquired. ¡°How¡¯s it out there?¡± ¡°The fires still rage far away.¡± He spoke. ¡°The winds favor us, we won¡¯t choke to death, for now.¡± Gee. That¡¯s unpleasant to hear. He¡¯s a passive person, somewhat. He doesn¡¯t speak much or make much assertions of his own, even during our brief R&R right here. Maybe that¡¯s how he acts under stress, I wouldn¡¯t know for sure but I¡¯ll definitely keep that in mind¡ªsince god knows how long will I be stuck with these 2 guys. ¡°I¡¯d rather die up there, with blissful ignorance.¡± Jim replied casually. ¡°If I knew I¡¯d be doing this here.¡± Well now, seems like I¡¯m not the only one who held that opinion. I couldn¡¯t do anything but shrug when I heard what he said. Joshua seemed to give a noncommittal nod too¡ªI guess that means that we all are agreed on that. Jim is quite a¡­ normal guy when compared to Joshua. Not much to say about him, he¡¯s all normal and stuff, and a bit of an oaf, maybe. Actually, both of them are stellar when it comes to their composure, or behavior as of current. They didn¡¯t panic and run like chicks when we are getting all odds stacked against us; and also that they both behave and act¡­ civil. Nonetheless, I¡¯m grateful to have them around. They saved my life¡­ and they did good, and we all perform well together. I wouldn¡¯t say the same if they weren¡¯t the ones who escaped with me. At least some people are more headstrong than others, and some others are either cowards or morons. If I got stuck with any of those people instead, I couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen. All in all, I¡¯m grateful to be around with these guys. If it were to be other men¡­ I don¡¯t know. I am definitely not comfortable to be alone with two men that I hardly knew, under any circumstances. After all, I¡¯m a girl¡ªI know what men are capable of doing, if they really want to.
*Grrrr* ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Jim asked. He looked around only to find nothing besides the three of us and our possessions. *Grrrr*This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ah. It¡¯s my¡­ stomach. ¡°I feel quite hungry.¡± I grumbled. Hunched over on another corner was Joshua, he also patted his stomach when he heard what I said. Then, he dragged over his backpack and started scrounging. ¡°We all are Henry¡ªI mean, hungry.¡± Jim replied unenthusiastically. Of course we are. After napping for a few hours at most when we first entombed ourselves, the fires still hadn¡¯t stopped. So we decided to stay here for a while longer, or at least until the fire dwindled and became sparse. So that we could leave without getting burned or worse¡ªgetting suffocated and buried in waves of floating ash. At least we could wait safely here as we aren¡¯t facing problems with the fumes or ash invading our shelter, as Joshua said. But¡­ but god knows when will it end? ¡°Well.¡± Joshua spoke calmly, interrupting my anxious thoughts. ¡°We do have food with us, you know?¡± He reminded us with a gentle voice, probably intending to not cause angst despite that choice of words that he used. ¡°Well.¡± I retorted imitating his tone. ¡°We can¡¯t get kindling to heat said food, you know?¡± Of course we can¡¯t cook anything here. We can¡¯t possibly hope to get some kindling or sticks without going out there. And, right now, the air outside is blanketed with thick grey ash. No one wants to die trying to get a few sticks if they could, instead, starve for a while until the ash is settled. Alright, I admit it was childish of me to respond in mockery. It didn¡¯t contribute much except to piss him off. Luckily, contrary to my expectations, his face turned into a kind expression, not an angry one. ¡°Actually, all packaged meals are ready to be consumed.¡± He responded calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t need to cook it, at all.¡± Ah. Oh right. I forgot. It was a terribly obvious fact that all packaged rations should be ready to eat. I somehow forgot at the heat of the moment. Moreover¡­ wait. So that explains his expression after what I said. He wasn¡¯t angry at the time, but he was already making fun of me! I had to restrain all my facial muscles to maintain a nonchalant, poker-face in order to respond. Then, I couldn¡¯t find the words to say, so I just gave a light nod. Gosh darn, I almost lost it right there. ¡°Also, this includes a self-heating mechanism.¡± He spoke as he showed me a pack of travel rations that he pulled out from his bag. ¡°We can have warm meals with this.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± I gave an affirming grunt. Deep down inside I¡¯m pissed by his attitude, but okay. I couldn¡¯t understand how someone could be completely calm and sincere while still acting as if they¡¯re purposely mocking someone else. But¡­ okay, fine. Looking over to the usually chatty Jim, he remained still, lounging on his ass with a smirk on his face¡ªso he knew it all along! Argh. Whatever. ¡°Gimme one.¡± I told Joshua. ¡®You better appease me this time, or else.¡¯¡ªwas what I¡¯m trying to imply here. ¡°One for me too.¡± Jim spoke as he sat up. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ve found only 2 choices in here.¡± Joshua explained as he dug around the bag. ¡°Roasted pork or cheese steak?¡±
Just as Joshua instructed, I simply pull a small tab embedded on the side of my ration box to trigger an exothermic reaction. Then, let it sit upright for 3 minutes¡ªand it will be ready to eat. Soon, I opened the lid to find a big block of mushy, heated goodness for me to enjoy. Holding the ration box that¡¯s a wide as a data tablet and as thick as a medkit, I¡¯ve got to enjoy my first meal to commemorate my arrival to this world. Beside me, two other people are faced with the same situation. I could tell that all of us are genuinely enjoying this moment, enjoying ourselves, despite the firestorm that¡¯s brewing outside. Being stuck in a narrow, stone room while being stranded in the middle of a brushfire do make you reflect on¡­ things, in life. With the reflection I¡¯ve made while enjoying my meal, I managed to make some conclusions on my current predicament. Firstly, there¡¯s no cheese and steak in the ¡®cheese steak¡¯ travel ration pack. It¡¯s a gooey, plant-based meal that¡¯s been injected with the flavor. It does smell the part after it¡¯s heated up, though, so I can¡¯t complain much. Secondly, these two guys are handy and good to be around with. But something tells me that I should be cautious around them¡ªunless I¡¯d like my blood pressure high, and my brain vessels burst. Lastly, I hope there are actual cows in this world. This is my first time... eating in this world. I hope it will not be my last. Chapter 1.8: Search
¡°Terraforming a planet will require great amounts of exquisite tools, as well as chemical concoctions so large and so lethal it could turn a planet inside out if done wrongly. Overall, every planet has different circumstances and characteristics one must consider when terraforming said planet. Therefore, it will never be a simple task that everyone could fulfill. Usually, mega-corporations will undertake such a task to make use of mineral-rich planets, or to expand their influence through terraforming, and its subsequent colonization. They technically have no sovereignty to govern any states, but they would simply claim to ¡®build mining stations¡¯ and whatever, while ruling over trillions of people in said colonized planet. Yes, well, I know of your concerns. My fellow humanitarians. As far as I know, galactic police doesn¡¯t exist. Besides, no governing authority would travel 200 years to those places just to write them a citation.¡± -R. W. Herodotus, Grand Historian of Ordo Historia, Terra
The lands were speckled with ash. Half the region was scorched beyond recognition. Within a night, the flames had ravaged across the landscape¡ªleaving nothing but charred remains of flora and fauna alike in its wake. Waves of ash and dust had arrived into many other regions of the world, turning the skies into a monochromatic grey while spreading the dark skies ever larger, carried by the wind. The brushfire was finally settled by a timely intervention¡ªa heavy rain had doused the flames raging across the region. The flames were removed from existence, as quickly as they came through the descending husks of a spacecraft.
Under the charred remains of a once-vibrant forest, the survivors walked. During their temporary rest and their current journey, they had discussed many things. Many topics were exchanged, but no concrete plans were made. All of those would have to wait their turn, only after they finish their debate and make their decision. As they walked through the damp soil laden with layers of ash, they continued speaking loudly. The seemingly simple argument had reached its critical point, whereby all the options will be flatly laid out and a decision must be made, shortly after. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Jim asked in a defeated tone. ¡°Yes.¡± Aria replied indignantly. ¡°I meant what I said.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not our objective.¡± Jim insisted ¡°That¡¯s not what we¡¯re meant¡ª¡± ¡°We are supposed to build a colony.¡± Aria interjected. ¡°And that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing now.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We?¡± Jim moaned in frustration. ¡°Just the three of us?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± Aria replied. ¡°In this whatever-planet?¡± Jim argued. ¡°We know nothing of this place!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aria insisted indignantly. ¡°But¡­¡± Jim also insisted. ¡°We have no resources, or our ship, or¡­ How are we supposed to¡ª¡± ¡°Jim.¡± Aria interjected firmly. ¡°Look around you, there¡¯s no other options to have¡­¡± Jim came to his senses after her words. His thinking revolved around how improbable it is to start a colony while having no resources, and isolated with no information on the planet. But, he forgot to consider the options they could afford to follow through. That is¡ªthey had no other choice. ¡°We have no other choice.¡± Aria spoke gently. Silence. They continued walking along the grand river. Aside from a few green shrubberies dotting along the riverside, the rest of the landscape was either charred or scorched into emptiness. Only grey ash and greyer dust were present above the moist soil, which had them encapsulated by the recent downpour. The air was mostly breathable. But the aftermath still plagues the area¡ªwith floating particles, obscuring their vision ever so slightly with a minor haze. Being breathable does not mean that the air was pleasant to breathe in. Every breath they take, they could sense an underlying scent of char permeating from any source of air. Yet, this unpleasant experience they must make do with was a far cry from what they would encounter had they walked the open fields prior to the rain that somewhat cleansed the air. The trio trudged along the ash and dirt somewhat soullessly, as if they were travelling with no destination in mind. Their recent debate also did contribute to their current demeanor. To say the least, none of them enjoyed this moment at all. Only after some time did Jim came to terms and agreed to Aria¡¯s proposition. ¡°Right.¡± Jim spoke in resignation, accepting reality. ¡°We have no other choice.¡± Drooping his shoulders as he continued walking, rifle in hand, he could only hope that he would not be walking into his eventual demise. No one faulted Jim for his concerns, though. The points he raised were valid, but the circumstances they were facing demanded otherwise. ¡°Uhh.¡± Aria spoke in realization. ¡°Joshua?¡± Joshua was walking ahead of the two of them, never had he participated nor asserted himself within the debate. He reacted to her hail and looked around at her, with a questioning glance. ¡°What do you think?¡± She asked confusingly. She was even worried that he didn¡¯t follow the conversation at all. Thankfully, he dispelled the assumption instantly. ¡°Yeah.¡± Joshua replied. ¡°I guess¡­ we should do that.¡± ¡°Uh, but¡­¡± Aria questioned. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to say?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we have no choice.¡± Joshua shrugged while replying calmly. ¡°Not that we could leave this place anytime soon, anyway.¡± Jim chimed in. ¡°And we shouldn¡¯t join up with anyone else, even if there are other humans living here.¡± Aria continued, serving up her wisdom. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t trust a complete stranger, or any organization and join their fold. At least for now.¡± Both men nodded unanimously, agreeing to her statement. ¡°I prefer founding a kingdom.¡± Jim spoke. ¡°What?¡± Aria was visibly confused. ¡°I would love to carve a dynasty out of these wild lands.¡± Jim spoke in a straight face. ¡°I want to be crowned God-Emperor, you know?¡± ¡°¡°Hahahaha¡ª¡±¡± Laughter erupted from the other two survivors. Evidently, this timely joked had eased the tension shared between the trio. They continued trekking through the wastes, along the river. They planned to cross the river at some point, or not. As long as their journey led them to a convenient spot that allowed them to set up a colony. So they continued walking under the rays of light, produced by the sunrise appearing off the horizon. In search of their new home.