Spaceman 2018/01/22(Mon)01:08 No. 860395 ID: 4a443f
File 151661212242.png - (548.00KB , 768x328 , shuttle.png )

Pouring yourself a mug, it's hard not to notice... how large the 10-man galley feels. And how quiet it is. You begin to miss Doc's incessant chatter and advice; that helped fend off the loneliness somewhat. But now, all you have to keep you company is a hollow feeling as you stare at the planet's surface. In all your years as a security officer, you've been to some desolate places in your time; backwater mines or fueling outposts in the middle of deep space with hardly a dozen people around at any given time. You thought you were well prepared to handle being alone, but now you're not so sure- perhaps it was better then, at least knowing that there was always another person somewhere.

Now, nothing.

You start doubting if what Doc said was true at all- his promises of meeting new beings, settling down and starting a new life; even in his rosiest scenario you wonder how you'd fit in, how the people below will react to an outsider.

It's a lot to think about. Emptying the dregs of the coffee pot, you leave the galley, and shuffle over to the armory. There's a lot of packing to do- and it's best that you start now and take your mind off of things for a while.
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Spaceman 2018/01/22(Mon)01:36 No. 860398 ID: 4a443f
File 151661376720.png - (458.33KB , 512x432 , weaponslocker.png )

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You browse through the armory, to find it well-stocked with ammunition, weapons, equipment, gear and tools for extended expeditions. The weapons are all H&K and ARMAT branded, thanks to their corporate sponsorship of the Argo's expedition; they're reliable and sturdy guns, but you wish the armory had something with more punch. As a security officer, you learned to appreciate 7.62; the deceivingly boring assignments, especially ones at remote fueling stations, were also the most dangerous. Taking down a perp with a single shot of 7.62 often made the difference between watching bandits and hijackers turn tail, or engaging in long, messy shootouts.

At the same time, it seems reasonable for colonists to utilize small-caliber polymer-case, or caseless munitions. Mining is a labor-intensive process that not all colonies can initially afford to do. However, with enough time and effort, you're certain you can at least get the Haber-Bosch processors and the rest of the machinery that's onboard to manufacture propellants (and agricultural fertilizer). Perhaps then you can start searching for ore veins for copper and lead.

Until then, you realize there's enough ammo to tide you over for a long time. Taking a fuller inventory, you realize that there is also a small stock of 40mm grenades and launchers, along with a few Matebas in .454 Casull and modernized garands, rechambered in .458 WinMag. It seems that the colonists were fully equipped to vanquish large, dangerous xeno wildlife if the need arose.

Planning to stay out in the field for at least two weeks, and perhaps up to a month, you begin packing...
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Spaceman 2018/01/22(Mon)01:52 No. 860400 ID: 4a443f
File 151661475419.png - (3.38MB , 1200x6400 , FULL INVENTORY.png )

**Note from author: picture is huge, imgur link here: https://imgur.com/ZybcZeI

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You pack with an extended trip in mind. With your enhanced body, it's easy to haul heavy loads, far beyond what a normal infantryman is able to carry. You pack for only ten days, but the more you can bolster your supplies in the field, the longer you can stay outside. With landing zones handpicked to give wide berth to suspected population centers, it will be a long march until you can scout out, and perhaps establish first contact, if there's anyone out there.

You know only know a few things for sure about the surface. It has drinkable, liquid water, a breathable atmosphere, biomes / climates capable of supporting plant matter that seems to be nearly identical to that found on Earth, and potential signs of habitation. Packing as experience dictates, you have a little room left in the rucksack.

You can primarily focus on carrying additional ammunition for your weapons in case of hostile contact with wildlife (or 'people'), or focus more heavily on survival supplies.
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Mandatory:
For the pistol: H&K UCP in 9mm PolyCase
For the PDF: ARMAT/H&K SMG-2000
since their is only 1 choice for assault rifle: ARMAT/H&K G11A2K
Non-Mandatory
ARMAT SPAS-12 for wildlife control and CQB engagements
1x Extra combat first aid kit
2x Daily Rations
2x Emerg. Rations
1x x2 3-Litre Hydration Bladders
370x 9x19mm PolyCase (totalling an overall 1000 rounds)
12x 12 Gauge, 2-3/4" (totalling 100 shotgun shells)
7x 40x46mm HEDP Grenade (totalling 20 GL rounds)
1x Survival Kit (just in case)

For a Non-Mandatory mass total of 47.2
Total weight 260.25 + 47.2 = 307.45

>>860400
lmao the depression-treating rope though

>>860416
This looks good, except I'd swap the shotgun for the garand--that range is nice, and anything we have to kill up close we can kill with the SMG while keeping it quiet, too.

Carry more ammo. After a few clips from a .458 Garand I don't think you'll be aiming too well.

>>860416
Assuming you can come back for the stuff you don’t take with you, I think survival supplies are vastly more important than weapons. I’d lose the grenade launcher and the shotgun in favor of more communications and survival equipment like nvgs, camp kit, or all of the light weight radio and gps modules. I’ll be extremely surprised if we encounter something we don’t have weapons to deal with, even with the minimum loadout. Take all of the 0 weight stuff, of course

Lord only knows what you're attaching to your MP7 to make it weigh as much as a SMG. or why your forgot it's suppressor.

To my mind, a scenario where you are pinned, and need an effective round is more likely than long range hunting. So I favor revolver> rifle.

Nothing portable can outpenetrate a 12 gauge sabot. I like the shotgun as a comfort item, with the expectation you won't use it that much.

Take more food and water than you think you need, in case weather conditions make return impossible.

>>860416
This but Replace the Shotgun with the ARMAT Super Shorty, another Colonist Daily Ration, and another Steel Bottle + Condenser Kit if we do ever get any Crops up here. Raid the Med Cabinet before you leave too and take one of each with you plus one more Anti-Venoms.

>>860643
The Super Shorty is useless. 1/3 the capacity, 1/3 the range. and lower MV.

Your added supplies, plus the magnum, should still keep us under capacity, though.

>>860697
It's a backup weapon. Besides, it comes with more ammo overall.

Spaceman 2018/01/23(Tue)03:00 No. 860881 ID: 4a443f
File 151670521671.png - (3.24MB , 1200x5000 , finalinventory.png )

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Browsing through the armory, you grab the weapons most familiar to you. ARMAT and H&K weapons dominate the selection, and it's evident that the two arms mega-corporations ended up dumping a lot of their old ballistic weapons into the colony's supply chain. Inspecting the weapons and ammunition carefully for flaws or defects, you pick the following...

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-Pistol: ARMAT/H&K VP70A1. Well liked by marines, it has a burst and auto fire mode to compensate for its lack of punch. (+flashlight, +laser)

-Combat Pistol: H&K UCP in 9mm. Easier to handle than its 4.6mm variant, thanks to the use of 9mm ammunition. This also means that the weapon is much quieter when silenced, as it does not give off a telltale supersonic crack. (+flashlight, +laser)

-PDW: ARMAT/H&K SMG-2000. Surprisingly light for its size, on par with the MP7 (although it's helped somewhat by ARMAT needlessly weighing the MP7 down with heavier alloy parts). It takes on after its parent firearm, the MP5; and thus it's reliable & exceptionally quiet when silenced. (+flashlight, +laser)

-Assault Rifle: H&K G11. Commonly found in places dangerous enough to warrant serious firepower (without resorting to man-portable chemrail guns or laser weaponry). The compact grenade launcher underneath enables the shooter to utilize a wide array of lethal, non-lethal and tactical 40mm ammunition. (+flashlight, +laser)

-Shotgun: ARMAT SPAS-12. Improvements to Franchi's semi-automatic shotgun have turned this hollywood-star shotgun into a combat mainstay. A favourite amongst colonial marshals bureaus. (+flashlight, +laser)

-Wildlife Control: Mateba Grifone. To be honest, it's probably just dead weight- but holy shit it fires .454 Casull

IT FIRES .454 CASULL YOU NEED TO PUT A HOLE IN SOMETHING WITH THIS

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With about twenty pounds to spare, you decide to pack four extra days worth of emergency rations and an extra first aid kit. It's evident that there's plenty of water outside, and you opt to carry another condenser kit instead of extra canteens. The rest of the space you utilize for ammunition, carrying an additional 400 rounds of both 9mm and 4.6mm ammo. Measuring in at 326 pounds of gear, you notice it's barely a pound overweight.

Having completed your preparations, you reward yourself with a quick nap. It doesn't feel appropriate, especially after all that's happened so far- but your body is desperate for some real rest.

Shuffling back to the captain's cabin, you fall face-first into a soft bed...
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Spaceman 2018/01/23(Tue)03:42 No. 860889 ID: 4a443f
File 151670776360.jpg - (38.31KB , 660x545 , space.jpg )

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"Do you ever wonder... if there's someone out there? Someone that's not us?"

You flip through your newspaper, not paying much attention to Marshal Stevens. He's thinking out loud once again, and while that would have annoyed you not too long ago, you've learned to tolerate it. Derelict station postings often made Marshals go a little crazy, and everyone had to find a way to keep themselves sane. Stevens' thing was talking out aloud, and yours was having a few beers on the job.

"I mean, you know. Aliens that can think and speak, just like us. It's a big universe out there man- think about it! There must be millions, no, billions of stars out there, and at least some of em has to support life-"

You put the newspaper down for a moment to grab another can of Aspen Lager, but this time you see Stevens getting out of his chair. Obviously mesmerized by something, the heavyset marshal slowly walks over to the windows.

You try saying something to him, but no words come out of your mouth. The confusion turns to panic, and you try again- shouting at him that it's not real, to get away from the window- but you see it as clear as day, just as he does. A feminine figure, shapeless yet humanoid, places a delicate, wispy limb- almost resembling a hand, against the glass.

Stevens freezes in his shoes- then begins to reciprocate the gesture. You try yelling for help, but this time your lips are sealed shut. An urge to step closer to the window begins to take control, and you try to struggle against it. But like a puppet on strings, you don't control your body- and you find yourself before the wispy figure on the other side of the glass.

Stevens whispers. "She wants to talk... to you."

This time, you're in control of your body. You reach for the glass, pressing an open hand against its cold surface. The ghostly intruder seems to reach through the foot-thick window, locking warm, weightless fingers around yours; pleasant whispers, melodic and soothing, repeat alien syllables in your head again and again.

Every time you have this dream, you try to make sense of what she's saying. But you never could. Until now. She whispers and you listen carefully, afraid to miss a single word.

“Will- you find-”

The pain wells up in your chest- a deep and lasting heartache, a yearning for something. But for what?

“Love...?”
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Spaceman 2018/01/23(Tue)03:54 No. 860896 ID: 4a443f
File 151670848064.png - (352.00KB , 850x537 , landing1.png )

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You wake up. Clenched tightly in your hand is the blanket that was once neatly tucked away on the bed- and you feel a heavy turbulence rocking the shuttle to and fro.

"Landing procedure is underway. All personnel must wear seatbelts until landing & all-clear. Please be cautious during periods of turbulence."

You get up, only to fall down as a sudden bump seems to throw the craft into the air. You crawl the rest of the way to the auxiliary piloting station and buckle yourself into the chair, being jostled several times in the process. inspecting the screens all around you. It seems that there's a violent storm outside- nothing of concern to a vessel of this size, but enough to make the home stretch of the journey uncomfortable. The instruments seem to indicate extremely heavy rainfall and hurricane-force winds, along with a near-freezing temperature. You begin to regret your choice of landing zone A.

Spaceman 2018/01/23(Tue)04:09 No. 860900 ID: 4a443f
File 151670938699.png - (799.03KB , 828x563 , landing2.png )

The winds let up as the craft approaches land. Sheets of rain batter against the craft, and in the screen arrays you can see the sights unfolding all around you- even if it appears to be somewhat dreary. Manually taking the controls on the last stretch of the journey, you gently touch down the craft on the shallow shoreline of a freshwater lake. The landing gears extend, and with a gentle thump the ship finally settles on land.

You lean back, unbuckle yourself, and sigh. Finally. The hum of the engines die down, and the rudimentary flight instruments before you flicker, before shutting off. You're not particularly religious, but it seems only appropriate to thank whoever's out there- if anyone, for getting you through.

Moving over to the main briefing room, you turn on a large planning interface. With a few swift keystrokes, the shuttle begins its automatic survey routine, assessing the surrounding air, water and dirt for dangers. It seems like an eternity, but soon enough you have the sheet in your hands. The results are nothing short of remarkable; aside from slightly thinner air, the environment around you is safe, and nearly identical to that of earth.

Check the topological stability of the landing zone under heavy rain conditions. It always sucks when your spacecraft gets swallowed up by the earth!

I really like your writing. This is a good quest. Thank you!

Can we scan for a good place to start setting up? How's this spot?

Huh quite lucky, see if the ground is safe for long-term landing. If it isn't then pick a spot that is or just wait out the rains before attempting to leave as we don't know what alien bacteria is here also the fact that there may be animals in that lake that might not like us that have a better time in rain then us.

We should set the ship to scan for biological matter in the air so any bacteria can be scanned and you can be immunised. Best that in the long term you don't die from an illness that is non-lethal to the natives but lethal to you (plus if we make vaccines we can trade them with the local population and get good will towards us from curing their ill).

Spaceman 2018/01/25(Thu)02:24 No. 861644 ID: 4a443f
File 151687585069.png - (386.81KB , 594x345 , landing3.png )

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Mood Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GkB7YUVFj0
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>>860944
>>860946
>>861062
>>861258

You quickly run through the landing checklist- something you should have done prior to the survey. The lander's perched on an extremely shallow portion of a freshwater lake- it's not the best place to unload cargo and equipment, but the layer of rocks and dense substrate underneath should bear the shuttle's considerable weight without sinking or collapsing.

It only takes minutes to turn the shuttle from a spacefaring vessel to the start of a small, self-sustaining colony. The engines seal off intake and exhaust ports to protect the parts from the elements, while the nuclear reactors run at a low hum, now providing electrical power instead of propulsion. Drogues drop into the shallow water below, pumping water through an on-board filtration plant and most importantly, a hydrogen fuel generator- a critical component in producing the fuel needed for atmospheric flight. Not that you'll be flying anytime soon, though- that'll take days, if not weeks of digging and cleaning hardened foam out of the now-sealed up cockpit/bridge.

The environment seems to be quite suited to life, including yours. The air is a little bit thin and the temperatures rather cold, but you assume that might be a good thing to help stop or slow down microbial growth. While alien diseases certainly pose a risk, you know that generally it is difficult for pathogens and viruses of any sort to cross species barriers. Such cases are the exception, not the norm- and being an extraterrestrial organism, you believe that the locals have much more to worry. Still, you take the precaution of adding an array of powerful antibiotics and other medications to your pack, just in case. With some luck, they may also work on alien diseases and infections as well.

With all of your preliminary research and preparation done, you head over to the main airlock, where your prepared equipment is waiting.
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Spaceman 2018/01/25(Thu)02:39 No. 861645 ID: 4a443f
File 151687676573.png - (255.97KB , 501x276 , LZ.png )

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Author's note: I'll slowly start producing my own art, starting with this post; but expect quality / color to vary.
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You stand in front of the door for a brief moment. It's not your first time stepping out into an alien world; but you feel anxious, even afraid of doing so.

Just breathe, you think to yourself. The air wheezes through the filters on your gas mask. With a gloved hand, you firmly grip the door control panel's red release switch, and pull it down without further hesitation.

As soon as you do so, the small airlock room is bathed in red light, and with a few metallic thuds, the door finally begins its opening sequence. Orange warning lights begin to flash, and sirens begin to blare out a final airlock open warning. Finally, all the noise and flashing lights stop; air begins to hiss through the gaps as the doors swing wide open.

There's... Light. The sight makes you hold your breath for a moment. The rain and the overcast weather paints everything in a washed-out, gloomy shade, but it's not difficult to appreciate the beauty of the landscape around you. Evergreen trees stand tall, their tips shrouded in a low-hanging fog; crystal clear waters lap away at the rocky shores, and snow-capped mountains are barely visible through the grey clouds. Imposingly steep mountains and cliffs seem to surround the lake on all sides as well, framing the scene before in such a way that it makes you feel small, almost insignificant in front of all of it.

A chill runs down your spine. Taking a deep breath, you step down the boarding ramp, and wade into the icy, knee-deep water. Taking quick notes of your location and paths of travel, you realize that trying to walk around the lake's shores to the other end will be impossible with such steep mountains on either side. Still, you go through your options on which direction to explore in first...
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2) A RIVER VALLEY to the [SOUTH] that feeds into the lake. It may yield some sources of food, or at least a few interesting specimens to bring back for analysis. The valley seems to lead to two large mountains, far off in the distance.

3) A DENSE FOREST to the [SOUTH-EAST] that seems to stretch as far as the eye can see. As long as you look carefully, it's sure to yield sources of food, biological specimens and perhaps animals as well.

4) A SMALL, ROCKY MOUNTAIN to the [SOUTH-WEST]. If you scale up this mountain, it may be possible to look for ways in getting to the far northern side of the lake. At least it will allow you to observe the area surrounding you from a vantage point.
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2. All great civilizations began by a river, and yours will be no exception.

4. First thing you gotta do is get an eye in the sky and scout it out.

Go rough it on the mountain.

>>861645
Holy shit, I love your writing and your art and your use of these pics. Amazing job. Keep up the great work.

4. We need to get a vantage point and scout out the area better. For all we know there could be an alien settlement right on the other side of these mountains.

4, Information Gathering of our surroundings will be very important.

4. go scout your new domain from the mountain

Spaceman 2018/01/26(Fri)01:23 No. 861965 ID: 4a443f
File 151695860792.png - (0.96MB , 800x533 , mrange1.png )

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The Mood Music Continues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GkB7YUVFj0
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It takes several hours to climb up the mountain. Trying to find a trail through the jagged rocks takes up most of your time.

Arriving at a small lake, you see your final destination not too far ahead. You're fairly confident that you can make it up before it gets completely dark, so you begin picking up your pace.

You consume 2L of water, leaving 8L.

Finally, you arrive at the peak as the sun begins to fall. As you crest the ridge to see on the other side of the mountain, something strange catches your eye...
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Spaceman 2018/01/26(Fri)01:59 No. 861969 ID: 4a443f
File 151696079775.png - (831.13KB , 1189x452 , nightencounter.png )

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A fire.

You can't believe your eyes at first; on the other side of the peak, there's a small campfire, burning brightly in the falling darkness of night. To make things even more nerve-wracking, there's a makeshift shelter of some sort, and a figure, covered in what seems to be a cape, cloak or a blanket of some sort, warming itself by the fire (or so it seems.)

You quickly drop down and crawl over the jagged rocks. The alien's campsite isn't too far down from where you are, and you stick to the shadows, attempting to get closer for a clearer visual inspection. It's an agonizing, slow crawl down, but the creature seems to be too preoccupied with warming up to notice you at the moment.

Hiding behind an outcropping of rocks, you utilize your binoculars to take a closer look at the thing...
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Spaceman 2018/01/26(Fri)02:14 No. 861971 ID: 4a443f
File 151696166848.png - (345.36KB , 820x720 , encounter1.png )

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What

What the fuck is that?

You're fairly certain you've seen a fuzzy animal-person out of a cartoon, sitting rather sullenly by a fire. You do a double-take, this time shaking your head in the hopes of dispelling some rather silly hallucinations.

But what you see is the same. A... mammalian animal of some sort. You're not quite sure what it is, but it seems frightened, lonely, rather cold and generally miserable. It's evident that whatever that thing is, it's poorly equipped for the nighttime cold; it shivers and tries to pull its large, baggy cloak around its rather thin, frail-looking body.

You make sure to flick the G-11's safety switch to the off position, but you don't point the gun at it just yet. You need to think this through carefully...

What do you do?

1) Attempt to make peaceful contact.
2) Observe it further and wait.
3) Attempt to detain it.
4) Approach and open fire on the first sign of aggression.
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It's alone, and we have 100 pounds of armaments handy.

Peaceful contact, and leveraging our food towards information.
We need to know what it knows, and where it's from.
A for now.

Attempt to detain the entity. Notice how she's wearing a low-profile cloak and has no apparent weapons. Her most likely designation is scout; capture her alive, explain the misunderstanding later.

Who do you think you are asking? Of course we want to be friendly to the furry!

Eventually you will want to approach, but before that take a look at the surrounding area. This creature will no doubt feel threatened by you, so better make sure it's alone. If this doesn't work out you better be capable of defending yourself against a single hostile, otherwise this will be a hard life.
Keep you weapon at hand, or at least in reach, but don't point at that thing. If they have similar technology the gesture will be understood, otherwise it won't matter.
The bigger problem will be the language barrier. Make yourself noticed at a distance it will feel somewhat safe and move your hand slowly an a generic wave, hopefully the gesture will be understand since it's a humanoid.
If everything work well put a trinket on the ground and give that thing space to take it. Preferable the object shouldn't be particularly useful and can't be a consumable (it could be poisonous to the alien) but it have be distinctly extraplanetary.

A. Best we do A.

>>861978
Oh carp, I mean 1.

1. This is not a scout. Judging by the facial expression and circumstances, this is a loner who feels vulnerable, and thus is probably unarmed or lightly-armed.

Also, please take off your mask when you talk. You'll look scary otherwise.

>>862005
Please don't take off your mask. You will look alien and scary.

2. If nothing happens, 1.

>>862011
Hard disagree. Our minds can make sense of this guy's alien face, so I'm sure the alien will be able to make sense of our face. It'll facilitate better communication and is kind of a necessity for diplomatic relations. The mask is way more intimidating--I suspect its martial nature will be recognizable across species lines.

2. Regret not landing on the plains instead.

By the way, for the first contact attempt, I suggest imitating the alien: start a campfire where they can see it, so they'll see you're civilized before they see you.

>>862037
Or you could be seen as a mad arsonist desecrating their sacred woods. Don't do that.

>>861971
2. Be very cautious. There may be more close by. This maybe the first contact for them with anyone beyond their planet's skies. We cant mess this up.
If there doesn't seem to be more, and we're sure they're not hostile, then it would be prudent to attempt peaceful first contact.
Approach in a non-threatening manner (lowered weapon/show of free hands) and attempt a friendly gesture.

Your art is looking amazing, by the way. You're doing great work. Good job.

2, and 4. We do not know what these creatures are capable of or what they are. This could be a trap of some kind, we must remain vigilant in these times.

Lets go with option 2 for now. Once you feel confident that you understand the situation, you can approach and make first contact. It's kind of strange for someone to be all alone at night in the wilderness. Don't shoot them unless you absolutely can't avoid it.

>>862084
That's madness. We don't have the resources to go to war--we need all the help we can get.

>>862193
We don't know if it's friendly first off. For all we know it could be a Bandit or a Vagrant. Secondly, Who knows if their Societal Organization has gone far enough to even make something like that and even if we did have to kill it we could just bury it or something.

2. Exercise caution.

2 then 1
Watch it to make sue there is no one else around than walk to within view wave and say hello. Once it notices you go and put a hand on your chest then point that hand to the fire in a gesture of may I join you by the fire, followed by a slow walk to the fire and sitting down showing you don't mean them any harm. Once they have calmed down you can take off your helmet as both a sign of trusting and respect.