[IC] Into the Dark Blue Under | Sola & HokumPocus

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The Aurora, Planet 4546B
DEEP DOWN IN THE OCEAN BLUE... [ ♫ ]

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It came suddenly like a roaring tsunami--the bright flash that tore the Aurora asunder.

The Aurora, a ship crewed by those employed by the Alterra Corpartion, had two goals set out for them upon their arrival at the ocean world of 4546B. One: begin construction of a phasegate; a massive monolith designed to further space travel for humanity, and two (while mostly unknown to much of the crew): investigate the region for signs of the Degasi, and if possible, rescue any survivors.

Still, no one among the Aurora's crew expected the worst to happen.

As the ship approached Planet 4546B, an energy beam sprung from the planet, tearing a large hole through the Aurora. Forced to make a crash landing, the Aurora hurdled towards the ocean world as the crew scrambled to evacuate the spacecraft. Landing in an endless ocean, a select few survivors are forced to survive in a hostile world, unbeknownst to what horrors may exist.

Will they survive against all odds and return safely home, or will they die a lonely death on an alien world?

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[HokumPocus]

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Nikolai regained consciousness. Around the small escape pod and opposite to his bound body was a steadily growing fire. He panicked and thrashed within the confines of his seat until he managed to slap the right button to release himself. Wheezing, the teenager practically flopped on the ground in search of anything that could help. Of course, members of the Aurora received thorough training on optimal preparation in case of disaster. In the case of Nikolai however, his mind had gone blank from having to deal with danger seconds after waking up from a previous one. He was bewildered over surviving an attack on a ship that played such a vital role in the advancement of humanity, and his mind quickly grew into a jumbled mess of thoughts.

The escape pod´s fire extinguisher rolled in the middle of the mess and gently came to a stop against his knee, nearly becoming unregistered in a sea of much stronger sensory experiences. Fortunately, Nikolai noticed and carried it upwards, his thin frame struggling to stand up while holding something so heavy. He pointed the extinguisher at the scorching hot flames while applying as much pressure as his thin arms could onto the instrument. After what felt like an eternity every last shred of red was snuffed out and replaced by the sight of an extensively damaged escape pod.

The technologically advanced foam had simultaneously vanished without a trace and eliminated the fire´s harmful smoke, so he wasn´t in a hurry to leave the safety of the pod anytime soon and began to investigate his surroundings. The crew member that had managed to enter the same escape pod as him was alive and breathing, making a wave of relief wash over him at the realization not being completely alone. A wave of awkwardness soon followed. Nikolai wasn’t a people person, and being stranded with only one other crew member made him feel nervous. He wasn’t sure what to do with her, and in the end decided to leave her be, tinkering with a lightly damaged PDA in silence.

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While it is true that humanity´s technological advancements had rendered most menial labor obsolete, maintenance grunts were still a necessity among ships that traveled large enough distances. Hugo had earned respect in the Aurora through cheerily doing whatever it is that needed to be done, without caring about what the other crew members thought or whether or not what he was doing was actually safe.

He had lost consciousness almost immediately after the escape pod´s launch, as if he were an amateur during a training course. Regardless, the large man had now been awake for some time and had been completely determined to perform pod maintenance, which at the moment consisted of putting out the various fires that flourished throughout the small confines. The bigger flames received a heavy stream from the fire extinguisher that he held like a ragdoll, while the less urgent fires were heartily and repeatedly stomped on.

He gestured an exaggerated thumbs up at his fellow crew member, who was due to wake up any second. “No problem!” he shouted, sporting an enormous grin. Hugo stopped the gesture to slap away a flame that had clung to his shoulder and repeated it as if nothing had happened.

[Carlyle]

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Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
A CONFUSING AND DARING ESCAPE.

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The sudden and forced departure from the Aurora inside one of the life pods was strong enough to knock Natsumi unconscious.

In the midst of escaping, the life pod had sustained moderate damage as it plummeted from orbit to the ocean surface below, leading to a bumpy ride Natsumi was not ready for by any means. Whilst secured in the seat she sat in, Natsumi was shaken viciously because of the damage inflicted upon the life pod. The emergency craft's dangerous descent tossed and turned the girl, leaving Natsumi a nauseated mess until she ultimately passed out, unbeknownst to the girl that her fellow crew mate had done so just as well.

Still, the emergency departure was not enough to directly kill Natsumi. As Natsumi awoke, her eyes settled on a boy--likely around her age and with purple hair--tinkering with a damaged PDA. Fidgeting with the buttons to her seat, Natsumi freed herself from her binds, and dizzily stumbled to her feet. There was no direct sign of a fire, but Natsumi swore she could've smelt burned wires and the distinct smell of a fire extinguisher within the pod. Apparently the boy must've taken care of it before they went up in flames.

Taking a second to get her bearings and ensuring herself that she had no injuries needing immediate treatment, Natsumi decided it would be best to speak with her fellow survivor. If anything, he might have some information, and there was a chance he was the only other human for miles. As such a thought crossed her head, Natsumi wondered worriedly in regards to her childhood friend, Amari. Did she manage to survive the Aurora's destruction? Natsumi certainly hoped so.

"W-what... what happened?" Perhaps it was a rather stupid question. Something destroyed the Aurora, but maybe the boy was able to see what hit the spacecraft. "Did anyone else make it? Did you see any other life pods?" Natsumi questioned (mainly for the safety of her own friend) as she reached for her own PDA. Whilst it had suffered some damage and was forced to boot up in emergency mode, there was a possibility it could provide some insight into what happened.

It was a tool meant to help Alterra employees survive in the event of a disaster, after all.

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Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
LIKE SALAD, A WOUND MUST ALSO BE DRESSED.

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The velocity of the descent knocked Amari unconscious; her stomach curling with enough force to make her want to vomit.

By the time Amari found herself awake, she was greeted with the face of an man much older than herself. Whilst Amari struggled to remember a name, she could have sworn that she had seen him before at least once or twice. Occasionally, a repair man would visit Amari's department on the Aurora, assisting with any technical difficulties that they have had. Perhaps Amari had a stroke of luck in her escape, with the handiman quickly taking care of the fire before they died of carbon dioxide and their bodies were engulfed in flames.

"No problem!" The man spoke with a rather heavy accent, brushing off a flame that clung to him like a mosquito. "No problem!" The engineer replied once again, worrying Amari. Her fellow survivor brushed away the fire like it was nothing, leaving Amari with her own concerns. She wasn't a medical professional, but her job training required Amari to learn minor first aid. Studying wild animals, after all, was a dangerous job. It only took a second for an animal to suddenly and unexpectedly lash out at someone.

"Are you sure?" Amari asked, giving the man an once over. She didn't see anything that was also on fire, yet Amari decided to grab the first aid kit anyway. Opening the medical box, Amari was greeted with an despairing sight. The life pods were only minimally supplied, capable of lasting only a few treatments of whatever injury they might have. If anything, Amari could gather some seaweed from beneath the ocean surface to craft bandages. Certainly this planet had some sort of vegetation, right?

Taking a roll of bandage-like material in one hand and ointment in the other, Amari found her mind wandering as she hesitated. Her childhood friend, Natsumi, worked on the Aurora just as Amari did, but they worked in different departments. Did Natsumi manage to escape alive? Was there someone to help her, or was Natsumi alone in the endless ocean? Amari considered all possible options other than death. Whilst she couldn't do anything to help her friend's situation, Amari didn't want to think Natsumi could have been dead.

"Mind if I take a look?" Amari insisted once she snapped back to reality, gesturing with the medical supplies to the man's shoulder.

[HokumPocus]

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Nikolai sat on the floor in a slouched position that couldn´t have possibly been comfortable for anyone but himself, nervously tapping away at the plethora of options his emergency mode PDA now displayed. Blueprint tabs and survival advice swam around his head with no attempt to be memorized. As a former construction overseer, his job was based on calculating the specifics behind the creation of larger structures that couldn´t be built by anybody with a tablet and piles of raw material lying around. This was, in a way, a smaller scale version of the kind of work he was in charge of, so he wasn´t overly worried. He was, however, still coming to terms with the events that had unfolded.

“W-what… what happened?” asked a voice from within the pod.

“Ehh…” said Nikolai, gesturing vaguely with the PDA and trying to show her the screen despite him being on the ground. She looked to be as young as he was, and displayed concern in her voice. Nikolai was still trying to come to terms with the recent events and replied to her questions with an uncharacteristically clueless tone in his voice. His sheltered mind was used to comfort and knowledge and not floating on an escape pod in the middle of an alien planet, understandably.

“Erm… I just woke up, so I´m not sure.” He replied. The girl reached for her own PDA and asked him if he saw any other life pods. He turned his attention to the porthole on the ground and pursed his lips. “I haven´t actually gone outside yet.” Nikolai never understood what people enjoyed about beaches, preferring to just stay at home instead of getting burnt by the sun and frozen by the water, all while covered head to toe in invasive, rough sand. Unfortunately his only escape route was a porthole on the ground that led straight into the ocean, so he´d have to set aside all of his squeamish thoughts if he really wanted to survive.

He slowly stood up and looked around their environment while trying to find the right thing to say. “No matter what we decide to do, our only option is entering the ocean.” Part of him wanted to mention blueprints and materials, but she was browsing her own PDA and was most likely just as aware as he was. Nikolai stopped himself from saying anything redundant and turned to her. “So…” he continued quietly, “What should we do first?” He stared down at his PDA and added, “There´s a survival checklist, but a lot of this stuff is organized pretty badly.”

For a brief moment Nikolai began to sound like his usual quiet and confident self. “I think we should repair any major damage on the lifepod first, personally. Just about anyone can do maintenance with no problem.” His heart rate quickened at the idea of entering a deep, blue, alien ocean. He hoped to postpone it a bit.

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“No problem!!!” shouted Hugo as the final flame on the lifepod was snuffed out. His crew member was now awake, and after some time had begun to speak to him.

“Are you sure?” she asked, examining him. This made Hugo a bit nervous, but like most negative emotions it wasn´t something that he was going to let other people notice. The girl was one of the ship´s younger members, looking at him with a pair of concerned golden eyes. “Mind if I take a look?” she insisted.

Hugo´s rough style of maintenance had only damaged his clothing, which was such a regular part of his job that having it brought up seemed strange to him, especially with the pod around him in a state of heavy deterioration. “Do not worry, I am fine!” he said. The man set one hand on his hip and another under his chin, looking around the lifepod as unsubtly as possible. “The only thing that needs help here is this pod, Ahaha!”

He took several loud steps towards the pod´s fabricator and began toying with the settings with a now very serious facial expression. On one hand he tightly held a PDA, unsure of how things would play out in the future. He recalled the last words he had said to his brother, and the deal they had struck on that fateful day.

“I will board the ship instead of you.”

Hugo was determined to not let this be the end. He was going to survive and return to a brother who had fully recovered from injury with plenty of money for the both of them. There was no other option. He shut off the fabricator and spoke to the girl again with an unmistakeable tinge of satisfaction. “The fabricator is working good, so we will survive.” He smiled a wide smile. It was common for crew members to see Hugo as background noise so only a handful of people ever got to know about him in detail, something that he had come to appreciate. He extended a large hand towards his crew member. “My name is Rafael, what is yours?”

[Carlyle]

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Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
DO WE HAVE A PLAN?

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The boy struggled to give an answer to Natsumi, seemingly confused as much as she was.

Fiddling with her PDA, Natsumi tapped the screen once it finished booting in emergency mode. Rather than displaying job-specific functions like it had done so beforehand, the PDA adapted itself into a handy survival guide. Multiple tabs were easily accessible, from various blueprints to what Natsumi had on hand. Whilst technological marvels were commonplace this day and age, Natsumi still found herself bewildered at how advanced it had become.

Returning her focus to her fellow survivor, whom was now standing on his feet, Natsumi soon found herself deep in thought upon his hearing his concerns. Natsumi was a communication specialist, and certainly not prepared for a life stranded on an alien planet, yet she attempted to think of a clear and rational response. "Our life pod is likely our only source of dry land for miles. Without it, we're likely floating ducks in an endless sea."

Moving her gaze towards the watery void beneath the life pod for a split second, Natsumi made her way over towards the storage locker. Putting aside a few miscellaneous tools that sat within, Natsumi pulled out one of the sets of diving gear. "I'll... I'll check out our surroundings. Before we repair any damage, we're going to have to collect materials to make the tools." Natsumi responded, inspecting the gear for any damage attained during the emergency descent.

Frankly, the girl was scared. Natsumi had no fear of water (or deep water, for that matter), yet she was scared for her life. This world was likely hostile, and one mistake could mean their death. Still, in the end, it was something Natsumi had to stomach, or else they weren't going to get anywhere. "Here, help me get into this. If we set our radios to the right frequency, we should be able to stay in contact while we search for what we need." Natsumi replied, already beginning to affix the gear to her person.

Maybe, just maybe, they would find themselves lucky in their search before any bigger problems appeared.

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Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
BIG GUY, WARM SMILES.

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Once again, the man announced it was not an issue, brushing away Amari's concerns like he had done with the fire.

As cheerful as the man was, his attitude worried Amari. They were stranded on a watery alien planet with no idea where they were and if anyone else was still alive, yet the man still had a jolly outlook filled with laughter and confidence. Amari didn't want to give in to despair, for she had her own concerns, but she wondered how he could continually look forward with cheer. After all, there was no more early morning coffee or comfy beds to sleep in... just surviving.

With her attempt at dressing his wound turned away, Amari returned the medical supplies to the emergency medkit. Meanwhile, the man walked over to the fabricator, now with a serious expression on his face. Amari wasn't a repairman, and therefore she had little of an idea to what the man could be thinking. Likely, the man was checking if the fabricator still worked, but with a man who would freely turn down treatment for a possible burn, Amari wasn't nearly as sure.

In the end, Amari's guess had been right. According to him, the fabricator still worked despite the extensive damage to the emergency craft. Allowing herself a sigh of relief, Amari nodded in return to the now smiling man. It was certain death without the fabricator, especially with how dependent humanity was on such machines in the current age. As long as you had the materials, you could build even a house with such a simple machine.

Introducing himself as Rafael, the man extended his hand to Amari. "It's nice to meet you, Rafael. I'm Amari." Amari replied after a short-lived glance towards Rafael's extended hand. Shaking his hand, Amari noticed how large it was compared to her own. Whereas Amari was graceful and likely built for speed, Rafael was large and likely had a lot of muscle. Size had meant a lot in the animal kingdom, and Amari began to wonder if his presence would scare off any predators that wanted a piece of them.

"So, Rafael. What should we do first? I don't think we'll be going anywhere any time soon." Amari continued, returning a smile.

[HokumPocus]

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"I'll... I'll check out our surroundings. Before we repair any damage, we're going to have to collect materials to make the tools." Even though the way the girl´s eyes settled on the diving equipment clued Nikolai on what she was going to say, he still felt anxious when she confirmed their course of action. He stared at another set of gear and sighed quietly in resignation. Anything related to water outside of hot baths implied great discomfort, either through salt and seaweed or chlorine and body fluids. The fact that being underwater was going to be a constant activity in his new life as a disaster survivor made him get over his petty discomfort, and so Nikolai walked over to the girl’s side saying nothing other than a calm “Sure”.

Helping his crew member get into her diving gear was a little tougher than he expected. His mind jumped from excuse to excuse as to why he struggled but the task ultimately ended up taking nothing more than common sense. Now it was his turn. The girl explicitly mentioned staying in contact via radio while both of them searched, so she obviously meant that he would join in on exploration.

A quick look at the crackling devices that decorated their humble pod reassured him that staying in the pod was just as risky as swimming outside of it. Probably. Maybe. He confirmed that his crew member was suited up and ready to dive before trying to equip his own gear, which looked alright for something that survived a crash landing. Or at least it would have if it was worn properly. Stumbling around with it placed incorrectly, he quickly realized why the girl had asked for assistance.

Nikolai swallowed the last bits of his pride and spoke in a quieter tone of voice. “I´d like some help as well, uh…” The realization that neither knew each other´s names put the sentence on a pregnant pause.

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“Well…” said Hugo, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. His enormous fingers were skittering across the fabricator´s digital display faster than anyone with hands his size had any right to be. The simple smile that had been on his face had disappeared and had been replaced by a frown. His dark eyes met Amari´s. “I wanted to repair this escape pod, but I do not have the tools to do it,” he said, with his hands still testing out as much of the machine as possible. “There is the option to make a repair tool for general use, but I do not have the materials.”

Hugo slouched to get a better view of the fabricator´s screen and began to point and read aloud. “It says… silicone rubber… cave sulfur… and titanium!” He named the three materials with heavy emphasis and determination, with his accent applying enthusiasm to the wrong vowels.

The next few seconds consisted of Hugo turning his head around to scout the pod. He was used to having an assortment of tools with either ridiculously niche or overly general uses at his disposal, so his mood dampened a bit from the frustration of being unable to help.

Having exhausted this option, he resumed sifting through the menus before coming to an abrupt halt. A frown once again began to form on his usually smiling face. "This fabricator is not in a good condition. A lot of the blueprints are missing." He stared at the screen rather than at his crew member, a strange action for somebody so polite, and a reminder of the gravity of the situation that they now found themselves in.

Hugo knew that the PDA he was clutching had rebooted itself in emergency mode complete with plenty of information on survival. He didn´t care for reading all of it, having been a hands on person for his entire life. Right now, his plan was to start searching their pod for anything that could help. As a former maintenance worker he had a pretty good idea as to what materials the emergency pod had, but he wanted to scour through it regardless. "We should search and see what we can work with first." declared Hugo. He was very clearly thinking hard over everything that had happened so far, and yet he spoke without a trace of negativity.

[Carlyle]

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Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
GLUB GlUB, GOES THE HUMAN.

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"I´d like some help as well, uh…"

Natsumi stared back at her fellow survivor; her face mostly hidden behind the mask that had been connected to the oxygen tank hoisted on Natsumi's back. They had been so caught up in the fact that they were now forced to survive on an alien world that they had yet to learn each other's name. "Natsumi, what about you?" Natsumi asked, approaching the boy to help him with his gear. As with any survival gear, it was important that you were wearing it correctly, lest a dangerous mistake happened.

Affixing the various belts and attachments to their proper place, Natsumi made sure to do a double take with some of the more important features. Twisting the valve that controlled the oxygen flow open, Natsumi waited until the boy gave her the all clear that it was working before helping him pull the rebreather over his face so that he would be able to breathe when they dived. Once Natsumi had the all clear, she stepped back, and took a good look at herself and him.

With the gear on, they looked more like machines, rather than humans (or so Natsumi thought). She figured it mainly had to do with their size, being that both of them were more lean-looking than bulky, but Natsumi decided it would be best not to say anything. The boy seemed to be afraid of having to enter the water, and Natsumi wasn't keen on frightening the only living human likely for miles if she wanted to eventually escape this watery planet.

"So, are we ready?" Natsumi asked, her voice muffled behind the rebreather, as she knelt downwards to open the hatch below.

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Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
SHALL WE?

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"There is the option to make a repair tool for general use, but I do not have the materials."

Rafael spoke with an almost dreading tone, as if he was bothered by this simple fact. Amari, too, was just as easily bothered by this--likely having to venture out deep into the great blue to find materials--yet she was just as confused by her comrade's sudden shift in tone. One moment Rafael would be frowning, and then the next moment, smiling. With the constant mood shift, Amari felt herself unable to help, unsure of what to do. Should she get ready to collect materials? Search the lifepod for anything to help them?

Thankfully, Rafael answered her own question for Amari. Looking around the small lifepod for anything that could possibly help their situation, Amari found an emergency locker nearby, and begun searching. "Let's see... diving gear, medkit... flares... Two sets of meals and water for us, perhaps more if we ration it." Amari spoke, turning her attention back to Rafael. "No repair tool or anything else. We'll have to make them ourselves."

Standing back up from the locker, Amari grabbed one of the sets of diving gear. If they were going to do anything, it might as well be now. The nutrient blocks and their bottled water wasn't going to last them forever, therefore they should at least see what they could find nearby. "So, we should probably get to searching, huh?" Amari smiled rather innocently, despite the grim situation the two were now forced in to by having to survive on a hostile alien world.

It wasn't like they were on the top of the food chain anymore, that is.

[HokumPocus]

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“Nikolai.” he said, as she helped him with equipping his diving gear. He thought about the clumsiness of putting on the gear and wondered how many times they´d repeat the process, gradually becoming a monotonous task propelled by sheer muscle memory alone. Assuming we survive that long.

The sight of Natsumi wearing a rebreather reminded him of all of the training manuals that he was exposed to throughout his time as a recruit. All of the diagrams would always show typical drawings of men and women in rebreathers doing whatever the text was explaining, all in perfect form. It made him feel more professional. "So, are we ready?"

“Right, we´re both ready.” Nikolai kneeled beside Natsumi and watched the hatch open itself after a simple turn of the handle. And from this, he witnessed the bottomless ocean.

It was blue. Impossibly blue. There was no discernible end to the color. It was a powerful entity, neither human nor animal, with an incomprehensible size and depth. It had the power to take both of their lives a thousand times over without ever acknowledging it.

A small fish flittered past the circle of ocean that was visible to Nikolai, piquing his interest. A couple more followed like black streaks. Questions over how common fauna was in this planet came to his mind, buzzing with anticipation as he recognized the easiest way to get answers. The curious, thinking part of him quashed the slightly clueless and even somewhat nervous side of him from earlier. He edged closer and closer to the exit. A muffled “I´m going in.” was all that could be heard from his mask. He recalled every diving tip he was given and entered the dark blue under. (AYY).

---

Hector fiddled around with some of their supplies with no real goal in mind. He already knew the ins and outs of these materials, but inspected them regardless, a mixture of old habits and keeping his hands occupied. The man organized all of their materials into neat piles on the floor after being satisfied with their findings. It was all done while displaying the same surprising dexterity as with navigating the fabricator earlier.

"So, we should probably get to searching, huh?" said Amari. “Yes, of course!”, replied Hector. He mirrored her and also picked up some diving gear, glad that both of them were on the same page. He was taller and bulkier than most, but wasn´t a freak of nature, so the odds of the gear being a poor fit for him were low. It was a worry that didn´t even come to mind to the jolly man.

He walked over to Amari and her gear. “Let me help.”, he said kindly. A regular middle aged man might have been hesitant to help a teenage girl with the task, but Hector came from an enormous family with no boundaries, and like most things, didn´t even register how it could be misinterpreted. None of the gear was difficult to wear properly, but he struggled with it initially. He was critical on the details like a fussy parent would be.

At long last, Amari was ready for the most part. She´d have to move some things around here and there to adjust for personal comfort, but the fundamentals were over with. Hector was satisfied with this and congratulated her. “Yes, like that! Good!” He had a bad habit of slapping people in the back enthusiastically a little too hard, but Amari´s gear saved her from it. For now. He settled on a peppy thumbs up.

[Carlyle]

---

Safe Shallows, Planet 4546B
FARTING SEA COWS.

---

As they descended into the ocean water, Natsumi was fascinated by her surroundings. The ocean floor was beautiful, with several species and various plants that Natsumi knew were not native to Earth in any way, shape or form. A few small fish circled nearby, from those that looked like boomerangs, to airsack-like fish, and even fish with large eyes on each side of their body. It was an amazing sight, enough to take one's breath away, but thankfully Natsumi remembered to regulate her breathing before she was gagging for air and affected by the surrounding pressure.

Taking her PDA in her hands, the place they were currently at was being registered as "Safe Shallows." Natsumi wasn't sure exactly how safe these shallows were, but for now, she would have to trust her PDA scanning the area for any data it could find.

Mooooo!

A cow-like sound to the left of Natsumi caused her to jerk in place, twisting in the direction of the sound. It caught her off guard, as if whatever creature had made it spooked Natsumi. "A-Aha, it's just... just a sea cow... creature." Natsumi spoke through the radio that was affixed to their diving gear. It was a handy tool, although it only worked up to a certain range, but Natsumi was sure with a bit of tinkering, she could expand said distance in case either of them were separated from the other.

Watching the creature fart what was likely a toxic gas from its bulb-like tail, similar to the ancient Ankylosaurus that once lived on Earth, Natsumi then turned to her new companion once more after she had calmed herself. "It might take us some time to gather the needed materials to repair the lifepod. I think we should explore the area and gather what we can, for now. The locker had some nutrient blocks and filtered water, but I doubt it will last us long. What do you think?"

---

Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
BUDDY CHECK 101.

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Amari tried her best not to complain as Rafael helped her with the diving gear.

Rafael was overbearing, like a fussy parent that wanted to ensure their child's safety. Whether it was Rafael's natural instinct as a mechanic or not, he had been incredibly critical of every little detail, but what was done was done. The diving gear was affixed to Amari, the belts tightened and the oxygen tank checked. It was clear Rafael wasn't going for comfort versus practicality, but Amari could always adjust certain things later after they had dived into the water.

"Yes, like that! Good!" Rafael spoke, congratulating Amari with a rather peppy thumbs up. Returning the thumbs up with one of her own, Amari smiled, although it was hard to see behind the bulky mask that hid her youthful features.

Turning her attention to the remaining set of diving gear, Amari began to speak. "I can make sure each feature is working as intended for you, but do you... ah, need help putting it on?" Amari asked, not sure if Rafael would require help or not. A part of Amari was somewhat worried for Rafael, seeing as he shrugged off medical aid after being burnt moments ago, and she had a slight gut feeling he might turn down her assistance once again.

[HokumPocus]

---

Nikolai began to swim around and establish a consistent rhythm with his body movements. This wasn´t like overseeing construction at all. His old job involved hard numbers and no room for mistakes, but diving? There was a certain degree of looseness that you had to adopt, something that quickly began to incite curiosity within him in its novelty. You couldn´t move around by just kicking like a brute, but rather, you had to adapt to nature. It was the total opposite of what he had spent the last several years getting paid to do.

The sense of wonder drained from his body as soon as he saw his diving partner´s PDA. Right, I forgot. His subtle expression of sheepishness was obscured by both his gear and their distance. For a brief moment in time he was starting to get used to this instead of prioritizing escape, which caused a bit of internal scolding. The diver spoke to his partner, eyes zoned in completely on the rapid bursts of information his PDA was spitting out in the flora tabs.

“The plant life here seems diverse enough to probably host a couple of edible materials, so…” Nikolai´s observation was cut off by Natsumi´s encounter with a strange sea creature. It was significantly larger than the schools of skittish fish and had a very bloated, almost diseased appearance. Even more surprising was the distance that now lay between both divers. Nikolai realized just how easy it was for them to lose sight of each other should they decide to hand too much control over to the currents. These were the “safe shallows” so splitting up would presumably be alright, but what about when they’d set foot into another area? Nikolai wanted to bite his lip, feeling both determination and goosebumps hit his body in waves. We´ll get better equipment.

Nikolai swam towards Natsumi and the creature in calm yet forced movements, like a rusted machine. He was aware of this but didn´t care, as he´d get used to swimming around with enough time and experience. There I go again, getting used to this. Natsumi spoke through a radio, and luckily they were close enough for her voice to go through so cleanly. "It might take us some time to gather the needed materials to repair the lifepod. I think we should explore the area and gather what we can, for now. The locker had some nutrient blocks and filtered water, but I doubt it will last us long. What do you think?" Nikolai awkwardly swiveled his body to face her as she spoke. None of the standard rules surrounding conversation really applied when underwater and facing the constant threat of danger, but he did it anyways.

“Having a reliable water supply should be the first priority if we want to live, so that, probably.” replied Nikolai. He was lost in his thoughts and his last words came out listlessly. It was a bad habit of his. The bookworm was in his own world now, the world of numbers and charts and graphs. Different crafting recipes entered his mind and were looked at from angle to angle before being discarded and replaced by others. Anything that caught his eye required tools and materials that they didn´t have.

---

Hugo paused as Amari asked to help him with gearing up. He reflexively began to decline the offer while one of his arms reached around his back. With his bulkier build he had a bit of trouble and blurted out a sheepish “That would help!” before turning around.

The man thought about the current state of affairs for a while. He was stranded with one other person, so was there really a need to continue using his brother´s name? His brother… He thought about what the real Rafael was thinking back at home. His injured brother who had allowed Hugo to swap places with him, now assuming that he had died along with the rest of the crew. He let out a large sigh and tried not to let it affect him too much.

Amari looked trustworthy enough and no one was really around, but he didn´t feel comfortable enough yet. There were more important things to worry about at the moment, such as not even having a space to live in. Sure, the escape pod technically counted, but the mechanic spirit within him was itching to repair every last crackling piece of machinery and fix it from the ground up. Even the littlest of the bumps and smudges that unevenly decorated the pod´s cramped walls found a way to annoy him and were registered in his repair hit list.

Hugo rolled his shoulders and stared at a particularly damaged piece of hardware. “You know… back when I worked as a regular employee in this place, even the tiniest mistake would be bad. Most of the work is left to machines, but they don´t make mistakes, so having them as coworkers was hard.” A large grin began to spread across his rough face. “What I am trying to say is, look at this place! Ahaha! Could you imagine calling something like this home?” he asked, laughing heartily. “First thing I have to do after exploring around is clean this place.” The average person would´ve used a word like “dump” to describe the escape pod, but Hugo was the overly respectful type and settled on the ever so neutral “place” to describe what now separated them from a million miles and more of dark blue.

[Carlyle]

---

Safe Shallows, Planet 4546B
TITANIUM COLLECTING.

---

"Having a reliable water supply should be the first priority if we want to live, so that, probably."

The "sea cow" floated away as Nikolai continued to speak to Natsumi, delegating their first goal in order to survive. Nonetheless, even Natsumi knew it would be difficult to establish reliable water supply right away. They needed to build a habit builder, and the ruined escape pod was in no condition to support a water filtration system along with the fabricator. Natsumi had tinkered with wiring within radios in the past, so she at least had an idea on what they needed to begin.

"We'll need some silver and copper to build the wiring for a builder in order to begin creating a habit for us and our filtration system. I'll need a knife to break loose ore from the outcrops, but I'm not sure where to find the remaining items for the rest of the parts." Natsumi shrugged. "Maybe the local wildlife around here can work as a substitute, I suppose."

Keeping a close eye on Nikolai, Natsumi swam towards the ocean floor. At this point, the water level wasn't really deep, so it was no wonder to Natsumi why this location was considered the "Safe Shallows."

Once Natsumi reached the bottom, she extended a hand towards a piece of wreckage from the Aurora. Without a knife, there was no way she was going to get break free the titanium required to build the habit builder, then the habit itself and a filtration system. Thankfully, the grand majority of Alterra products were made from titanium, which was obviously in abundance now with the wreckage.

"If we can gather enough pieces of the wreckage, we can have the fabricator break it down into what is still usable. I'm not sure where we can get silicon rubber, though; maybe you can find out for us?"

---

Unknown Location, Planet 4546B
HOW AND WHAT DO WE BUILD?

---

Amari cracked another smile behind the rubbery mask as Rafael spoke.

Still, Amari knew nothing of how to fix things. Of course, she had her PDA, but Amari was a biologist; not a repairman! Fiddling with her hands, Amari wasn't sure how they should approach the future. Should she leave the building up to Rafael, while Amari went and collected samples and kept their food and water supply in check? For now, it seemed the likely scenario to Amari, and the best out of all of them she could think of.

"I'm not sure on what we might need to repair the life pod, or even what we would need to build things. My friend... Natsumi. She was always the knowledgeable one with this sort of stuff; not me."

Once again, Amari thought back to her childhood friend. They had been together for years, but now, Amari was (figuratively) shaking in her boots. Did Natsumi make it out? Was she still alive and breathing? What if she was alone out there?

Amari shook her head. Who was she to doubt that her friend wasn't alive?! Of course Natsumi was still alive!

"Well, in any case, I think we should get ready to dive in before we use up all the O₂ in our tanks. If you need any help collecting materials, then I'd be glad to help, but I think I'd be better fit to figure out what we can and can not eat before any of us get sick or have an allergic reaction. Is that okay with you?"

Kneeling down to the hatch on the floor, Amari pried it open and stuck her feet in, ready to dive as she waited for Rafael's answer.

[HokumPocus]

---

“...alright, silicone rubber…” muttered Nikolai. Reading a tablet underwater tended to twist the body into strange positions. His legs slowly thumped to a steady rhythm as he attempted to jog his memory on the construction material known as silicone rubber. He felt mildly ashamed at not knowing the origins of the materials he was so proficient in using. Ores gave metal, that was obvious. But rubber? How would they manage to extract that?

His mumbles reached a crescendo and then stopped. “Oh, I understand now. I can get that from plant matter. Creepvines.”

Nikolai wasn´t the sort of person to get invested in the natural world. When his PDA informed him that silicone rubber was obtainable through the harvesting of creepvines, he simply cocked his head in confusion. None of the plants around him gave the impression of appearing appropriate enough to receive the strange name. Everything in the safe shallows was, well, safe. He wasn´t one for vacations, but he begrudgingly admitted that it would make for a beautiful place to relax in. That is, if someone consented to arrive.

He swam towards bursts of plant life that lay scattered around the pristine sands and repeatedly shook his head at the device in his hands. None of them were suitable for extraction, much to his disappointment. He spoke to Natsumi again, this time without even bothering to turn around. The communication technology in their suits didn´t care if they weren´t facing each other and he was slowly slipping into his workaholic tendencies again.

“I´m going to have to venture outside of this area to find the plants I need.” he said with a small sigh of frustration. Among the plethora of now insignificant plants there were the occasional clusters of creepvines, yet he knew that they would provide very little use to a couple of physically active humans. In the distance, more of them could be seen. Their untamed strands of green were a stark contrast to the tranquil atmosphere the shallows possessed. “Technically, there are mature specimens around here that could be used, but I want to explore even further.” He began to gently swim towards the marine forest without waiting for a response, once again propelled by curiosity.

---

Hugo was able to trust Amari more after hearing her open up. He realized that he wasn´t the only one who was thinking about the fate of his friends. Her situation was surprisingly even worse than his, with her friend having been on board the ship at the time of the disaster. Hugo gained some respect for the girl at seeing her so visibly unaffected by the whole ordeal. She even went as far as putting a basic plan together with one person dedicated to food and the other for repairs.

Putting the escape pod back together was what he had originally wished for, so he had no complaints. Hugo gave a thumbs up and exclaimed a loud “Okay!” at his companion, waiting for her to dive in before doing so himself. A quick look at his PDA would have informed him that they were currently located above an area called the kelp forest, but he had no desire to sit on the floor and read when the opportunity to get a more direct answer hanged in front of him so readily. The large man squatted in silence. Despite his rugged appearance, his job had led him to develop a high level of flexibility.