The dull brownish blob that is the exoplanet X-137 slowly fills your spaceship's viewport. As you approach the planet, you review your ship's log one last time. You were hired by Titan Interstellar Solutions to investigate a mysterious signal picked up by a passing freighter. You will also recieve a bonus for documenting any other objects of interest. Analyzing the planet's barren surface, you begin to question if this job will really be worthwhile.
[[//Calibrate the flight computer for final approach.//->Approach]]Your ship shudders as it is hammered by strong winds of the planet's atmosphere, they must have long since scoured the surface of any life. Your ship's tracker is finally able to triangulate a more exact position for the signal's source, it appears to be several kimometers below the planet's surface. You see a large crevice in the planet's surface and seek refuge there.
[[//Extend the landing gear, and begin to prepare your equipment.//->Landing]]As the ship shakes from the impact of landing you head towards the airlock.
According to your sensors the planets atmosphere is breathable. You eye your trusty I5-Scarab exosuit. When you first purchased it, the suit was top of the line, but years of wear and tear have taken its toll. The battery pack now only holds 40% of its charge, and the suit's armor has degraded severely. You can only carry a limited amount of equipment, so what should you bring?
(link: "You eye the new helmet and armor you bought. Originally designed for deep sea mining, it is durable and airtight. You can also mount some surplus armor from the last Great War. You were able to pick it up for a great price after the military demobilized. The extra environmental protection will be important, I'll take the helmet.")[\
(set: $enhancedProtectionEquipment to true)\
(go-to: "Caverns Entrance")\
]
(link: "You begin to attach your suit's wrist mounted grapling hook. The hook connects to a winch on your back containg 500 meters of hight strength wire. The added mobility will be worth the risk, I'll take the grappling hook, and extra supplies.")[\
(set: $enhancedMobilityEquipment to true)\
(go-to: "Caverns Entrance")\
]{
(set: $enhancedProtectionEquipment to false)
(set: $enhancedMobilityEquipment to false)
(set: $Injured to 0)
(set: $ResearchData to 0)
(set: $CameraIntegrity to 5)
}Your ship detected the transmission was coming from a large cavern beneath the planet's surface. You find an entrance in the side of the crevice and enter the cave system. Progress is slow as you attach markings on the side of the wall to find your way back to the ship. Your exosuit's bulk makes navigation through the tight passages difficult. You find a large membrane of organic material blocking your war forward.
[[//Use your knife to cut through the membrane and proceed further into the caverns.//->Finding The Egg]]As you continue forward you find more of a similar organic material covering the cavern's floor. In the center of the room lies a large pulsating egg.
[[//Whatever, that thing is, it would be best to stay away.//->Caverns Exit]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is false)[[//I should investigate the egg, this discovery could pay off enormously!//->Killed By Hatchling]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is true)[[//I should investigate the egg, if I didn't want to take risks I wouldn't have bothered wearing all this armor!//->Saved By Mask?]]You continue on into the cave system. You see a yellowish glow ahead of you.
[[//Head towards the light.//->Large Grassy Cavern Entrance]](set: $counter to 5)
Mask Damaged! Integrity will fail in (css: "color: red; font-size: 250%")[|amount>[$counter]] seconds!
As you approach the egg, the organic material on the floor appears to react to your weight. When you are a meter away from the egg, A black liguid gushes out of the egg obscuring your vision. You hear a large tearing noise, and something pins you to the floor. You manage to regain your vision, and see what looks to be a cross between a crab and some sort of arachnid lunging for your head, it knocks you to the ground but fails to penetrate your helmet! Fluid the color of bile drips from its maw, and a smoke like substance appears as the acid eats away at your armor.
(link: "My only chance is to stab it in the eye!")[\
(set: $enhancedProtectionEquipment to false)\
(go-to: "Survived Hatchling")\
]
(live: 1s)[
(set: $counter to it - 1)
(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Killed By Hatchling")]
(replace: ?amount)[$counter]
]Some unknown liquid gets in your eye blinding you. You feel a large weight on your chest, and something digging into you flesh, all you can feel is intemse pain.
Dead End!You emerge out into a large grassy cavern. Gusts of wind make the azur blue grass look like an ocean in a storm. You see a large gaping hole in the center of the room.
[[//Head towards the large chasm.//->Atrium Top]]
You stab the creature in the eye and it lets out a shriek before collapsing to the cavern floor. You lean against the cavern and try to regain your bearings. You notice your mask is ruined beyond repair. You get out your camera and notebook and begin examining the hatchling, might as well try to salvage something from this disaster. Maybe the creature's acid can be sold to some excavation company. On second, thought a private security firm will probably pay more. You've got to eat to right?
(link: "The mission must continue")[\
(set: $ResearchData to 2)\
(go-to: "Caverns Exit")\
]You can feel the heat rapidly intnsifying as you near the base of the chandelier. The light is blinding as if staring into the sun itself.
[[//If I continue any further I'll be fried!.//->Atrium Top]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is true)
[(link: "My suit and tinted mask will provide enough protection to get closer and record some data.")[\
(set: $ResearchData to $ResearchData + 1)\
]
]As you continue forward you see a large chasm. The signal must be coming from the bottom. The cave is lit by a large mass of luminescent rock hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier. In the middle of the cathedral like ceiling you see another hole that must lead back to the planet's surface. The wind must be coming from there. Along the sides of the entrance the rock is black as if it had been charred by something.
(if: $enhancedMobilityEquipment is true)[[//I may be able to get a good look at my surroundings from that ledge!//->Grassy Cavern Ledge]]
(if: $enhancedMobilityEquipment is true)[[//I may be able to use my ropes to rapel down the side of the chasm.//->Atrium Suspended]]
[[//It looks like I can see some fragments of the luminous mineral growing near the base of the chandelier. I should try to collect some of it//->Chandelier Base]]
[[//It looks like near the edge of the cavern the terrain starts to slope downwards//->Atrium Middle Outskirts]]
You look down at the floor of the cavern. Peering into the central chasm, you can see what looks like a swamp on a lower level. This cave system must be like an upside down wedding cake, with different layers. Returning to the top level, you see a way you may be able to climb closer to the minerals illuminating the room. Closer to the walls, on the cave's oppisite side you notice a ramp-like structure leading further down.
(link: "It looks like I can get a good picture of the chandelier from here.")[\
(set: $ResearchData to $ResearchData + 1)\
]
[[//Looks like it's time to head back to the cavern floor.//->Atrium Top]]As you descend further into the chasm, the strong gusts of wind threaten to smash you into the walls.
[[//I think I see an opening in the side of the chasm. It's only halfway to the bottom, but it's better than nothing//->Atrium Middle]]
{
(if: (random: 1, 10) <= 4)[[[//The wind is strong but I think I can make it to the bottom.//->Atrium Bottom]]]
(else:)[[[//I've come this far, lets try to reach the bottom.//->Atrium Descent Failed]]]
}The bottom of the chasm is a flat barren expanse of a black rock similar to obsidean.
To the south west, across the barren expanse, you can barely make out a small structure.
To the east the slab of rock begin to thin out and slope downward. Past this slope lie a flat plain of cracked earth. The skeletons of various animals littered the plain and air has a sickly appearence.
[[//Head towards the structure//->Abyssal Hunter]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is false)[[//You decide to head down the slope towards the plain//->Death From Gas]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is true)[[//You examine your equipment than slowly head towards the plain//->Dead Wastes]](link: "A strong gust of wind slams you into the wall, just as you crawl off a ledge to continue descending. You manage to reach the next opening in the wall of the cavern, but you're injured")[\
(set: $Injured to Injured + 2)\
(go-to: "Atrium Middle")\
]You arrive into a large expanse of rock and dirt. Large red ferns grow out of the walls. You see more of the luminous materials on the bottom of the upper level that must be illuminating this layer. A stream of water pours out of the wall far above you. It forms a river that enters into a descending canyon. The water must have cut a way down to the bottom levels.
[[//Follow the river down the canyon//->Middle Gorge]]Descending further down, you arrive at a level similar to the upper level. Azur grass is blown about by the wind. However, you notice small bat like creatures flying through the sky.
[[//It looks like there is an entrance to another cave system//->Atrium Middle Caverns]]Dead End!(print: $enhancedProtectionEquipment)
(print: $enhancedMobilityEquipment)
(print: $Injured)
(print: $ResearchData)
(print: $CameraIntegrity)As you slowly move through the cave you come to a junction. One path gently slopes upward. The other path descends downward, and you can see a small bat like creature lying on the floor. The bat appears uninjured, but shows no signs of life.
[[//You can hear the roar of wind and proceed on the upward path//->Atrium Middle]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is false)[[//You decide to take the downward path//->Death From Gas]]
(if: $enhancedProtectionEquipment is true)[[//The bat may have died from some sort of toxic gas. Check the seals on your mask and proceed further into the cavern//->Poison Gas Caverns]]You notice the caverns are illuminated by green mushrooms. As you push forward, you brush against one and notice it release its spores into the air. As you continue descending through the cavern you enter a large room. On the other side of the room you can see shades of a sickly green light
[[//You head towards the light//->Dead Wastes]]You enter into a mire with willow like trees growing out of it. The trees have large, bright orange protrusions that look like mangos. The water in the swamp looks like orange soda. The mango like objects must fall into the water at some point. You wonder if this is how the trees reproduce.
(link: "You pick one of the mangos and document it for your research. You are starving and almost decide to try it. You suddenly rembember when you were exploring an unkwon planet about a decade ago. One of your fellow explorers found a delectable looking fruit and bit into it. Twenty minutes later he collapsed on his back in intense pain. The highly acidic fruit had melted through him and liquid was pooling on the floor underneath him. You toss the mango back into the swamp.")[\
(set: $ResearchData to $ResearchData + 1)\
]
[[//As you trudge thorugh the waist deep muck you notice that the terrain is starting to dry out//->Atrium Bottom]]You enter a large depression. Along the chasm massive green mushrooms are growing and releasing millions of spores. The mixture of spores and the air must be incredibly toxic. The skeletons of various animals line the cavern floor. You notice a steep slope in front of you. The dense poison gas must have settled in this depression.
[[//Climb the slope//->Atrium Bottom]]
(link: "Might as well examine some of these skeletons while I'm here")[\
(set: $ResearchData to $ResearchData + 1)\
][[//As you continue along the river you reach a marsh that the river is draining into//->Atrium Mire]]
(if: $enhancedMobilityEquipment is true)[[//A small batlike creature catches your eye. You see it land on a small outcrop jutting out of the side of the canyon. You may be able to grapple up to the outcrop.//->Gorge Outcrop]]As you progress forward, you find that it is becoming progressively harder to breath. You collapse to the floor and begin to retch up blood.
Dead End!(link: "You see the creature eating part of one one of the ferns. You debate if it is worth taking a picture. Who knows, someone might think that it's cute. However, you think the poor creature looks disgusting. Eh, either way I climbed all the way up here, might as well take the picture.")[\
(set: $ResearchData to $ResearchData + 1)\
]
[[//Head back to the river.//->Middle Gorge]]As you near the structure, you notice its haphazard construction. It appears to have been constructed from an escape pod, and wood from some sort of trees. You manage to pry the door open and notice a few human skeletons. In the middle of the room you notice a large transmitter, a freezer, and a data recorder. You look at the skeletons. A ship must have been destroyed and the crew had escaped to this planet. The skeletons appear to be severly disfigured, and a reddish stain on the floor leads to the entrance. The crew must have been attacked by the creature outside, fled to the pod, and succumbed to their injuries. This data recorder must hold whatever information they found before they died. You manage to power up the transmitter.
(link: "Examine the data recorder")[\
(set: $ResearchData to $ResearchData + 4)\
]
(if: $ResearchData > 2)[[//Transmit your all of your data. You have collected a lot so this might take a while. I don't know if that creatue is still out there.//->Good Ending]]
(if: $ResearchData > 1)[[//Transmit your data, this could take a fair amount of time you may not have!//->Normal Ending]]
(if: $ResearchData < 10)[[//Transmit just what you collected from the data recorder, you don't know if the creature will be able to breach the pod!//->Bad Ending]]You manage to reach a nearby frieghter that is able to reroute your transmission to your company. The company representative promises to send a ship to pick you up after it finishes dropping off its cargo. You open the freezer and find dozens of mango like fruit. You should be able to survive off the fruit until help arrives. (Normal Ending)You manage to reach a nearby frieghter that is able to reroute your transmission to your company. The company representative critisizes the amount of data you transmitted. The representative states that sending a ship to rescue you would be "unprofitable". As you being to protest, you hear a large scraping noise coming from the other side of the pod's door. (Bad Ending)You manage to reach a nearby frieghter that is able to reroute your transmission to your company. The company representative praises the amount of data you collected and promises to send a ship to pick you up soon. You open the freezer and find dozens of mango like fruit. You should be able to survive off the fruit until help arrives. (Good Ending)As you head across the barren expanse you notice the corpse of a large cow-like creature. The body looks fresh and the creature's flank seems to be carved open. Your morbid curiosity gets the better of you and you approach the corpse. You notice the corpse is almost a shell of itself, and several of the internal organs are missing. You immediately lay flat on the ground and slowly scan your surroundings. You notice a protrusion extending from the obsidean. The protrusion is slowly approaching! It must be some sort of predator, the creature's dark hide having helped it blend in with the rock.
(if: $Injured < 1)[[//My only hope is to try to slowly sneak towards the struture!//->Bottom Ruins]]
(if: $Injured > 0)[[//I have to try to sneak away!//->Caught By The Hunter]]As you try to slowly crawl away from the creature, you knock over a rock alerting it. You try to run to the structure, but your rapid movement reopens the wounds you recieved from descending the cavern. Distracted from the pain of your injuries, you trip on an obsidean outcrop. A huge mass impacts the back of your skull. You feel a surge of pain and then nothing.
Dead End!
↶↷The dull brownish blob that is the exoplanet X-137 slowly fills your spaceship's viewport. As you approach the planet, you review your ship's log one last time. You were hired by Titan Interstellar Solutions to investigate a mysterious signal picked up by a passing freighter. You will also recieve a bonus for documenting any other objects of interest. Analyzing the planet's barren surface, you begin to question if this job will really be worthwhile.
Calibrate the flight computer for final approach.