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Sigma 16 - Chapter 40 – Deforestation Mk2
Talia checked the nav point for her CRD-X9 was accurate, then leaned back and closed her eyes. It helped with the lightheadedness.The prospect of protecting herself against an unknown alien race that were armed not just with a dune buggy with a ridiculous plasma cannot bolted to the top, but with mobile anti-aircraft launchers was daunting. She’d have loved to open a dialogue with them, but Neo advised her that all common radio and communicatio...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 39 – Evasive Action
Talia couldn’t breathe because liquid was pouring into her lungs. It didn’t matter that the liquid was rich in oxygen and fully capable of carbon dioxide exchange; the surge was sudden and without warning. Her eyes felt like someone was pressing them into the back of her head as the aircraft corkscrewed violently.[Warning: Multiple Ground-to-Air launches detected. Taking evasive action.]She wanted to shout at Neo questions, but she realized h...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 38 – First Flight
[Notice: While the Seeker-H7 is capable of scanning while landed, range is reduced to a minimum level. Full cruising altitude and speed is required for an effective long-range scan.]“What’s the exact scan range?” Talia asked while playing with the nav map, figuring out how the navigation waypoints worked.They allowed her to select a specific position and altitude if she wanted to set specific waypoints. There were also options for AI mode a...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 37 – Flight Prep
The worry and anxiety of waiting for any sign of activity from their quadcopter scouts had made sleeping nearly impossible. Talia had not slept well when sunrise finally arrived, heralding a new day. She downed a survival ration and quickly got her suit on while Neo informed her that there had been no changes.She headed outside immediately and headed for the spider’s nest. Dusty was still standing guard at the entrance and chittered at her as s...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 36 – Taker Blues
Talia clamped her helmet into place and finished sealing her suit. Despite the air conditioning inside the habitat module, she could still feel the heat radiating from the airlock. Today looked like it would be the hottest day yet, and it was still only morning.“What’s the status, Neo?”[Informative: Seeker-H7 fabrication will be complete in approximately four hours. Alien units designated ‘Dapple’ and ‘Dusky’ have been waiting for U...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 35 – Spiderwork is the new Dreamwork?
The Seeker-H7 had been outside her resource stockpile’s capability to handle. Talia sent both CRD-X9 units on two long-range salvage runs in order to hopefully scrounge up enough advanced alloys. The wait had left her in an odd state of limbo. For the first time, it felt like there wasn’t a driving thing she had to do to dedicate herself to survival.So, she watched the two alien spiders. They cautiously ventured out from their cave to greet h...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 34 – Wing Selection
Talia let out an exasperated sigh as she scrolled through her status sheet. The list of equipment, upgrades, and metrics had grown considerably since she’d crashed on the planet. It was getting harder to keep track of everything. Some things she had thought would be important had never really been relevant.She needed to downsize the list.“Neo,” she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, “We need to fix the status sheet. Can you simplif...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 33 - Guest Spiders
<Insert Artwork of 2 spiders on the roof of Talia's CRD-X9 while they drive toward the base in the distance here.> P.S. If you're an artist looking for sketch commission, message me on discord!Talia sighed as she leaned back in the cockpit of the CRD-X9. Her fingers drummed on the console as she stared at the power level indicator. It was hovering just above 70% and would drop below that in another few minutes. The road she had made had r...
A4 - Chapter 186 – Ties
USD: The next dayLocation: Meltisar, just outside Fort Glisson.The technical thumped as they hit a bump and Elis raised her arm to the handhold by her head. A heater roared away, filling the cabin with warmth, but the driver had cracked his window like he was used to the frosty conditions. The young man was silent, his focus on navigating the icy road taking them to Fort Glisson.She glanced back out the window, watching the straw-colored fields t...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 32 – Taker, Maker
Talia swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. Either she was about to make contact with an alien species or become spider chow.“Neo,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rush in her ears. “Can you translate?”[Informative: Attempting to decode alien vocalizations. A proprietary Cortex Inc. Linguistics model has offered to support translation for a surcharge of 50 Scan Credits and an unrestricted global li...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 31 – Heavy Expedition
The CRD-X9 hummed to life as Talia activated the main engine. The dozen screens lit up, showing their boot-up sequences while her HUD confirmed suit integration with the vehicle as successful. She shifted and checked the small compartment behind her seat.A collection of fifteen extra fusion cells stared back at her, along with her NCS cannister pack that she’d stuffed a small amount of materials into just in case there was a need for repairs.He...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 30 – Maintenance and Progress
As Talia emerged from the tunnel, the sky was a welcoming blue, with tiny puffs of white clouds in the far distance. If someone had told her there had been a raging sandstorm less than an hour earlier, she would have found it hard to believe them if she hadn’t seen the terrain before the storm.Everything was changed.The hill of sand that the bootstrap module had crashed into was half as tall as it used to be. The valley between the dunes had fi...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 29 – Unearthed
Talia found herself drawn to the window, watching as the storm outside raged on. Each gust of wind carried with it a torrent of sand that battered against the glass in a repeating cycle. She sat there for what felt like an eternity, trying to find a pattern in the sandy swirls.Eventually, she tore her gaze away and stood up. “Okay, Neo. I can’t wait any longer. This is too much.”[Notice: A duration of 14 minutes has elapsed since User went ...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 28 – Sandstorm
Talia’s suit hissed as she unsealed her helmet, pulling it off with a tired sigh. The decontamination sequence had just finished, the light hum of atmospheric machinery and the faint smell of sterilization chemicals dissipating into the air as she stepped out of her suit.There was an ache in her muscles that spoke volumes about how long she’d been monitoring the new resource drone. She’d spent hours tracking its progress and watching for an...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 27 – Stripping for Profit
As the resource drone continued to fabricate, Talia delved into the maps and reports generated by her two QCD-2P quadcopters. They had catalogued a trail of wreckage sprawled out for miles to the northeast and southwest, marking the passage of her ship’s dramatic descent from orbit. The debris thinned rapidly past the immediate area around the Bootstrap Module.The map also showed that there was a cluster of wreckage around where her escape pod ...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 26 – Automation Get
Talia leaned into the soft synthetic fabric of her bed. It was a simple futon style that laid directly on the floor, with a set of silky sheets. The fabric provided a welcoming change compared to the hard floor or her suit. The sensation of her skinsuit was soft on her skin, and she rolled over onto her back and stretched and cracked her back while enjoying the feeling of not being constrained.The habitat module provided a sense of sanctuary from...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 25 – Unwelcoming
Her rifle tracked the shadow until it disappeared completely into the dense jungle foliage. The adrenaline spike sent her heart racing, but she kept her calm.[Recommendation: This unit advises User to evacuate towards base due to native fauna aggression.]“Yeah.” Talia murmured, lowering her PAR from her shoulder and moving briskly back to the stream. It wasn’t ideal from an ambush perspective, the thick growth would block her view, but her ...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 24 – Scan Credit Gathering
With the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon, Talia confirmed her suit and equipment were good to go while exchanging the fusion cell in her RSU-7S. The base was in great shape and her gear was working as good as it was supposed to be, as long as the readout could be believed. So far, Neo had done an excellent job of keeping all the reports and lists updated for her, and more importantly, accurate.She knew that going back into the jungle ...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 23 – Defenses
Talia let out a deep breath, the morning air bringing a bare hint of rare humidity for the desert landscape. The sun rose slowly over the horizon, turning the color of the sand and rocks into various shades of yellow and brown while tinging the sky a mix of lavenders and pinks. She ran her fingers over the surface of her new Legion MKIV PAR.She loaded one of her rapidly dwindling fusion cells into the weapon before slapping in one of the ninety r...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 22 – Advanced Defense Schematics
She didn’t want to get into a snark contest with her AI. It was nearly akin to talking to oneself, so she turned and began to fetch the materials. A few minutes later, the machine was humming away and producing the repair schematic.It was almost anti-climactic. “That’s it? Once it is done, do I just drop it in the main fab and activate it?”[Affirmative: Repair schematic cube will fully repair the damaged module it was designed for.]“Gre...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 21 – Repairs
The damage to the Bootstrap Module was extensive, but superficial. The creature had left deep gouges in the outer shell and torn away most of the scaffolding she’d erected. There were several large dents where it had slammed its body against the structure, and a few deep punctures where its horns had penetrated. Despite all that, nothing of real importance had been damaged.Her decontamination unit and habitat had remained safely sealed. That wa...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 20 – Unwanted Guest
[Warning: An unidentified creature is attacking Bootstrap Module. Sentinel Turret appears to be ineffective.]A roar vibrated through the structure. Whatever made it sounded angry.Talia knew why. “The turret is just pissing it off!”She was lucky most of the suit prep was automated and it was waiting for her to pull on. Despite taking about as much time as it had when she’d been escaping her crashing ship, things continued to escalate outside...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 19 – Decontamination
Talia woke to a stiff body and dry mouth. She’d been too tired to eat one of her survival rations before falling asleep, and she regretted it now. Her stomach was empty, and her throat felt like sandpaper. Her exosuit had gone into power-saving mode while she slept, and the internal temperature was slightly chilly. It was still well above freezing, but a chill had settled deep in her bones.And she couldn’t rub her arms or do anything about it...
A4 - Chapter 185 – Ideology
USD: The next dayLocation: Meltisar, Mil-1A, Naval Academy, Instructor Housing BLKA, Alex’s RoomThe meeting had left Alex feeling stressed and worn out. That didn’t mute her enthusiasm when she and Elis had returned to her apartment and her sister had cooked cheesy potatoes for dinner. But she did spend most of the evening in her room, looking up laws and other information to the best of her ability. Nameless was a source of more reading mate...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 18 – Building a Home
The materials required for the turret took her an hour to collect. While there was plenty of Durasteel lying around, the more advanced resources took a bit of selective recycling from loose and broken things inside the module.That was ultimately fine; there was way too much scattered junk, and it doubled as cleaning. Neo even helpfully highlighted items that contained the resources she was looking for specifically, which sped things up.[Sentinel ...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 17 – Space Chocolate
The holo-display flickered, trying to project a readout on the shattered console. It failed, and her visor HUD acted as backup, relaying the information. The text covered her entire view, and Talia squinted against the sudden brightness. Neo automatically adjusted it for her.| Bootstrap Module: Emergency State || Rebooting… |She watched as lines of code scrolled past too fast for her to read. After a moment, the scrolling stopped, and a new mes...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 16 – Establishment Phase One
[Notice: User survival chance has declined due to potential conflict with native technological species.]“Thanks for that thrilling revelation,” Talia muttered. “Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse.” She shook her head, wishing for the thousandth time she could take her helmet off and fix her hair. The RSU-7S dipped in a depression and she had to carefully maneuver not to unbalance the machine or tip it over.She was nearly ...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 15 – New Encounters
The sensation of speed was exhilarating as Talia navigated her way across the rugged terrain, the RSU-7S handling everything with ease. She loved the feeling the wind made against her suit. The only thing better would have been to feel it against her skin. Driving across an unexplored and untamed world gave her a feeling of freedom that she never knew she had wanted.[Observation: Current speed is 45 km/h. Estimated arrival at Bootstrap Module loc...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 14 – Setting Out
Talia raced around the desert, her heart pounding with excitement as she put the RSU-7S through its paces. The vehicle was fast and responsive, easily handling any obstacles or rough terrain it encountered. She couldn’t help but laugh aloud as she accelerated over a small dune, the thrill of speed and freedom temporarily pushing aside her survival concerns. Sand kicked up behind her as she made a huge circle around her hill, the particles lazil...
Sigma 16 - Chapter 13 – Catch a Ride
It only took a few minutes to haul the fabricator out of the escape pod and set it up. She moved fast despite feeling slightly fatigued. Once again, she used the crate as a makeshift seat while the fabricator provided a workspace and tabletop. The quick pace left her waiting for the sun to come up.Five minutes of waiting proved too much for her restlessness and she set about retracting the solar panels, removing the antenna, and detaching the mod...
