Stranded - Hostile Environment
12 Jul 2024Kasumi Goto
"Sure, the place wasn't exactly habitable by humans, but as places to crash land on go, I preferred it to a completely frozen rock where nothing lives. And, it turned out, it wasn't so inhospitable to me."
I stretched very generously as my mind slowly and gently returned to consciousness, giving off a noise that could have been likened to the sound of a dying animal, only a lot more comical. I then relaxed my muscles, remaining mostly still in the bed, aside from the rhythmic movement of my chest as I breathed. Once I was ready, I got up and opened the shutter of my cabin window... seemed to be a little more cloudy today, rather than the mostly clear sky I'd experienced the day before. Couldn't tell how long I'd slept, but the sun outside was just barely rising, presenting an interesting light show thanks to being a brown dwarf, really highlighting the red color.
Interestingly, the clouds themselves were white, like I would have expected of one made of water vapor... maybe there were some interesting similarities between an ammonia biosphere and an Earth-like one, even if the biological life likely differed... quite significantly. After enjoying the view for a bit, watching the reflections on the lake's surface, I turned to my morning routine. Without a shower, as I'd only just taken one yesterday, that was pretty much just stuffing some food into myself, and that most important of my reserves had survived. So I offered myself a few toasted bread slices and cereal, the latter made especially easy thanks to actually having some proper gravity to go around, for once. And a good view to go with it, too.
While eating, I remembered I wanted to look at some of the detailed info on the planet I was - for now - stuck on. A bit less mass than Earth, which when combined with a radius that was not that much smaller, resulted in the three quarters of standard gravity. And, as was pretty obvious by now, it was just far enough from its parent star to not be tidally locked, though this world did have a two day rotational period... but I was somewhat used to that already, thanks to my time on Duamta 4, which had a nearly identical day/night cycle with a fifty hour rotational period. The differences ended there, though, the atmosphere being nowhere near as thick on the other planet, and 1.3Gs of gravity. Which I didn't miss too much. Even with its weight reduced by a quarter, my breast was still very heavy. For something that high up on the body, at least. But I liked the sensation - it reminded me I was so big, and with that the reason why I liked this body so much.
This long day-night cycle had its benefits as much as downsides... for one, it told me I'd just straight up passed out for nearly twenty-four hours before waking, but it also meant I had a lot more daytime to work with, if I needed it. And I probably would if I was going to stray further from the ship. Which I'd have to on at least one occasion. Having more time to was only a good thing, particularly when light levels on a world such as this were generally quite a bit lower than on the Earth-like equivalent, matters not helped by the dim brown dwarf being the parent star.
After finishing my - hearty - breakfast, I slipped into my clothes and recounted what I'd gotten done yesterday, in my head. Ran a bypass on the AFMU to get it operational again, fixed the damage to its backup power with some spare bits and pieces, and... replaced the main power conduit leading into the lower ship sections to at least get the material printer working again. Everything else would need an extra touch... or a few, even, judging by the data EDI had gathered through my suit.
I came to the decision to start off with something simpler, today.
"EDI. Did you, fix the reactor?", I inquired, as I walked out of the personal cabin of the ship.
"Yes.", the AI answered. "I was able to recharge the backup power supply of the field-maintenance unit using the remaining functionality, before proceeding with a full shutdown and having the damage to the reactor and power distribution systems repaired, while you were asleep."
"Oh. So, I can... replace, the regulators?"
"Yes. As long as you remember to disengage them and shut down the reactor prior to opening the housings."
"... I, did not survive this, to blow myself up, EDI."
I knew the procedure well enough. Any pilot had to, or so my memory said, in case they needed to perform some basic maintenance on the power plant themselves, or swap out a faulty regulator. And keeping things offline for a minute or two wasn't much of an issue - air certainly was not going to run out in that time. It probably would not even trigger the emergency reserves to be activated.
Wandering over to the reactor chamber, I quickly shut it down - which, thanks to it just being on standby, only powering life support, doors and lights, was quick - and hit the command to isolate and open the regulator housings. I had to have removed the faulty ones already, which I found laying on the ground in a corner. The intact replacements, not far from them. Not exactly 'safe procedure' in case I were to take off, but right now, this ship was thoroughly grounded. I'd move those dead ones to a storage rack later, after I got the thrusters fixed.
For now - I picked up each of the three replacement regulators and carefully slotted them in until there was a distinct metallic 'click' signifying that it was securely in the right spot. The housing descended into the reactor shortly after each one was in, awaiting startup command when I got to the control terminal. I placed the palm of my hand flat on the interface, and a hum started growing louder, until it settled into something steady, and various status displays all lit up green.
"Fusion plant capabilities restored.", EDI announced.
I merely nodded, feeling satisfied... at a, relatively, simple maintenance task, technically. It wasn't as if I'd had to repair the fusion chamber itself... that would have been more complicated, or just been something I would have left to the field-repair unit. The hum of the reactor grew quieter again as it returned to low-power mode, in order to preserve fuel. It wouldn't have done to get everything in order, and then realize I was out of the hydrogen I needed to make a jump out of the system, to the nearest main sequence star.
My next task - or, rather, desire to check up on things - led me back down to the lower level. Wanted to see how the printer was getting on... and I found a couple pieces there waiting for me, already. Things with which to repair the thruster fuel and coolant pipes, mostly - as the exhaust nozzles themselves looked to be intact - but also a few additional power conduits. More or less everything from the task I had assigned to the machine, before falling apart on the bed.
I grabbed some of the power conduits and placed them at various spots marked for repair by holo-displays, then returned to the printer and, with a few trips, carried over the stuff needed to fix the engines. Tools as well as parts. Would also need to get rid of all that excess fluid... probably just needed to place a temporary pump to get it back into the nearby tanks. There would be an access point... somewhere... in here. And the stuff needed to clean this back up, because that fluid wasn't something I wanted sloshing around in flight - too much risk of it getting somewhere it was not supposed to.
I decided to set that up right now, after putting on some liquid-proof boots. Would make my repair task a lot more pleasant, once I got to it. Grab the pump from a closed compartment, attach one tube to the outlet, another to the inlet, and... where was the access point? Submerged, of course. Right at the deepest point, where I'd dropped the inlet tube into.
"EDI, is there, an alternative to this?", I decided to ask. "Do not... really, want to stick my hands into - " I gestured at the leaked coolant. " - this."
"Yes.", she answered. "You may find another connection point just behind yourself, to the left of where you entered."
"Ok. Thanks."
Definitely a better alternative. I made sure the battery of the device was charged, then attached the outlet tube to the access point and switched it on. Hopefully, by tomorrow, this would be cleaned out. Didn't really feel like doing much more work right now, anyway, and... I'd gotten an idea. One that, maybe, was strange, but it seemed worth trying in my mind, as I turned around and began walking back to my cabin, where I'd left my Artemis suit... after ensuring the pump did in fact work, and in the direction I intended.
"EDI, do you think, I could breathe, out there?"
"Possibly.", she told me. "There are references in the Aegis research saved to the ship's computer, that indicates the adaptations to your body would allow you to survive in a cold ammonia-based environment, at least limitedly, following a short conversion period. The nature of the test was limited, so as to reduce the risks to a minimum."
"Hm ..." I put my hand to my chin as I gave off that thoughtful sound. "So, maybe. Worth a try?"
"I can only discourage you from it, in case there are unexpected consequences. While your body may well be adapted to handle the higher pressure, I am not certain it will be able to utilize the hydrogen you breathe in. Additionally, the ship's life support system is set up to support human conditions, though that is a problem solved by replacing the air within the ship with the outside atmosphere." The AI briefly paused. "However, knowing you, you may have made your mind up already."
She was... kind of right about that. I was kind of driven by curiosity more than logic or rationale at this point, but I was... mostly... sure, I'd be fine, vaguely remembering that Aegis experiment to figure out what some funny organ not usually in the human body did. Its purpose seeming to be... replace the water in my blood with ammonia. Which worked, oddly well, given that the necessary hydrogen was already present in the body, and there was a large abundance of nitrogen in the air outside...
I wandered to the back airlock after putting on the suit and, this time, bringing a semi-open helmet with a retractable visor. Best option for this little test. I kept it open as the pressure equalized... really not noticing much of a change. Then I hit the button to open up the outer door, and was quickly met with a frigid breeze.
"Brr! Cold!"
I shut the visor. Not too pleasant. But it quickly began to feel a bit warm in there, and I noticed that funny sensation somewhere in the lower section of my waist, eventually opening the visor back up. Within a minute, it began to feel a lot less cold, and, even... quite nice. On the face, at least. After a few minutes, it was as if I stood in the open air of a nice day in late spring, even though it was at least fifty degrees below zero. Probably even lower. But the rest of the body wasn't so nice... for a few more seconds, before it stopped.
"EDI, did you, turn off the... suit, keeping me warm?", I asked. "I think, it was, trying to."
"I did.", she replied. "As it appears the temperature is not having a negative effect on your body, I opted to disable the mechanism, for the time being. I will also work on adapting the software and bio monitoring to function with both 'modes' you appear capable of operating in."
"Will, I... need to switch, it, manually?"
"No. The activation of the blood conversion organ creates a distinct signature within your vital signs which can be detected, and function as the trigger. However, I need to warn you - returning to human ambient temperature will require significantly longer, to eliminate the excess nitrogen from your blood as its solvent is converted back to water. I will continue to monitor to learn more."
"Hm. Ok." Seeing as I didn't need it now, I took off the helmet, but... didn't immediately put it aside, completely. "Any, recommendations, for out there, EDI?"
"You may wish to keep the helmet with you, for the event that radiation from the neutron star reaches this planet. I have been analyzing sensor data, and there appears to be some instability within the stellar remnant, occasionally sending out intense waves of energy. In such an event, it would be best to seek shelter within a cave, the ship, or, once you are able to set it free, the Scorpion."
"Hm. WIll I, have, much warning?"
"I am afraid not. While I have performed basic repairs to external sensors already, the radiation travels at the speed of light, and will follow any sign of an event almost immediately. Your suit should, however, provide adequate protection until you can reach a safe spot, if sealed off with a helmet."
"I will, keep it in mind."
"You may also wish to keep an eye out for rainfall. It may not be harmful to you, but can corrode a vehicle, or the suit. For the ship itself, I may be able to prevent most of the damage through heat emissions to vaporize the ammonia away from the hull. The cave on the other side of the lake should be spacious enough to provide adequate cover, too, once thruster repairs are complete."
"A lot to remember. But... thanks."
"I am here to help you, Kira."
"And, I am glad, you are. But... maybe, make some notes for this. Or a list. In case, I forget."
"Of course."
This definitely changed things. Would make poking around a bit here quite a bit easier. I grabbed the bio scanner and attached it to my hip belt, as I did the helmet, lowering the rear ladder to safely get down to the surface.
Almost safely. It didn't quite reach thanks to the ship not being level with the ground, and I felt a gap underneath my feet instead of ground, when I reached the lowest rung. Except my brain was a bit slow at realizing this and so, the impulse to let go went through first, resulting in me landing on the ground backside first.
'At least it offers a good cushion for falls.', I thought to myself, a bit annoyed and embarrassed, as I stood up and knocked off dust from the suit. Nothing corrosive on it, luckily. Also a good thing there wasn't anybody else around to watch me smack on my big rear... again. I hadn't forgotten that little mishap of failing to take correct posture when I fired my railgun for the first time after my rescue from the Thargoids, on Duamta 4. There, I hadn't been alone, and it would not have surprised me if I, eventually, ended up finding that as a vid on the - human - galactic network. Both because of the nature of the incident, and my excessively oversized form.
My feet carried me over to the lake first... to appreciate the view, maybe. It certainly was one, with the mountains in the background, and sunlight coming over them in a deep purple-red shade. I decided to access the ship's external camera system... and found myself surprised when one of the drones responded, letting me guide it over to a good spot for a shot. EDI's handiwork, probably. Might as well use it. Once I had everything neatly lined up, with the - sort of - landed ship and lake in the foreground, and me if anybody looked closely enough, snow-topped mountains, clouds and colors of the sunrise in the background. 'Sunrise on an ammonia world'... one for the keeps.
Movement on the lake itself caught my attention. A weird... fish-like creature with brown-ish skin briefly emerged, maybe half my height, in its length. Then it went under the surface again, preventing me from making out more details about the alien fish. Maybe I wouldn't go for a swim in the deeper areas of that lake, if I did at all. But it was kind of tempting.
Not for now, though. I walked through the grass a little before I pulled the bio scanner out to get some data on it. Its storage container was... probably made to be resistant to corrosion, if not the entire thing itself, so I wasn't overly concerned about it getting melted in my hand. What it did do was provide some quite interesting data, which... it also transmitted back to the ship. My comms earpiece buzzed.
"Kira. I was able to reactivate short-range communications.", EDI informed me.
"Oh. Great. What, do you... make, of this, data?"
"It is curious, but may also hold some insight on the local flora and fauna. Please, scan another specimen. One of the trees within the nearby forest should suffice."
I was all too happy to oblige - partly because I was going to go over there, anyway. The most outlier trees were a couple hundred meters off, just a few minutes' walk. One of them had fruits, even, with the same brown or black-looking skin. The bark of the tree was really dark, too, much more than any I had ever seen. Similarly for the leaves. I gave it a scan, which EDI didn't waste time commenting on.
"It is as I suspected.", the AI started, clearly getting ready to throw more information at me... which I was eager to absorb like a sponge would water. "The local flora appears to have developed protective, yet flexible exoskeletons which protect them from the intense radiation emissions of the neutron star. It is likely fauna have developed this trait as well, allowing them to survive, though the planet's magnetic field likely supports the existence of complex life on this world, as well."
"And, speaking of, fauna ..." I'd spotted some odd-looking thing not too far, which just looked a tiny bit too uncanny to be grass, or a bush. Some of which were nearby, but that one... almost felt like it was looking at me. "I, do not think, that's a bush."
"I would not recommend getting close to what you are looking at, if you suspect it to be a predator. An environment such as this will be much harsher than a biosphere as the one humans evolved in. Due to the significantly colder temperatures, any movement is likely to incur more significant energy costs, and you may find ambush predators to be much more widespread."
As if on cue, the 'bush' made a sudden movement forward, followed by the squeaking of some unfortunate creature caught by it. I preferred not to look further, in case the outcome was as gruesome as my imagination made it out.
"Ok... definitely, not going close, to that." I moved off to another, further away tree, one that was fruit bearing. "Hm. EDI, do you think, these could be, edible?"
"The scanner may tell you, though, given the lack of information on what Thargoids eat, I can only provide a reasonable guess based on the information.", I got as my answer. So, I went ahead and gave the fruit a scan. "Analyzing... based on the modifications to your body Aegis has analyzed, it may be possible you can ingest ammonia-based foods, and the fruit does not appear to contain any noxious compounds. You may still wish to be cautious - some native foods may simply be indigestible due to the lack of bacteria which can disseminate them into their nutrients."
"Well... I, guess, the implant, can handle... if, it is not, good."
I plucked the fruit off - it came loose without resistance, so it was probably ripe. Kind of looked a bit like a mix between a peach and an apple when it came to the shape. Even had a slightly sweet smell. I bit into it, meeting some resistance, and chewed on something that had a bit of 'crunch' to it, like an apple that was just mature, but not overripe yet. A lightly bitter, but also sweet, taste. Not like any fruit I'd tried before... now to hope I wouldn't end up spending an extended amount of time in the bathroom because of this. Or worse.
I took the decision to go back to the ship, for now. Witnessing that bush-pretending thing maul a poor creature hadn't exactly encouraged me to venture further into the forest, especially when I didn't carry a weapon for self-defense right now - where there was one of those, there'd almost certainly be more of them. And this was still an alien planet I had very little knowledge of - remaining careful was the rule, not the exception, if I wanted to survive it. My life certainly was made easier by having intact food and material reserves, though. And a body that saved me from the otherwise lethal environment... as well as the horrid smell it would have if I hadn't been immune to the toxic effects of ammonia.
I'd get started on replacing some of the damaged power conduits in the lower section. Would be enough to keep me busy for the rest of the day, anyway - it wasn't quick work, and I had a lot of them to go through, but it was kind of necessary. Both to get systems operational again, and for EDI to get access to internal sensors and cameras there again, for a better idea of how bad it was.
"I am, coming back now, EDI.", I announced to her.
"Very well. To simplify matters, I would, however, suggest not remaining within the functionality that allows you to survive the outside environment."
"I... guess. Do I, need to wait, in the airlock?"
"No. The suit, if you wear the helmet, can replicate the conditions while your body transitions back, gradually adapting conditions as the change occurs. Brief exposure to the different conditions should be enough to trigger the process."
"O-k ..."
It all seemed rather complicated, but probably for the better. Especially since my treasured milk for cereal would just be frozen, at the temperatures in which this biosphere operated. I kept my helmet on as I reached the airlock, raising the ladder behind me... just in case, and that helmet stayed on until I was back at 'normal' again, working on the power conduit replacements as it happened. So I didn't need to sit around for hours in an airlock, doing a grand total of nothing, while bored to death.
I'd definitely pick up a few samples of that fruit, though. And soil, get everything together in some corrosion-resistant planting pots, or at least in cryogenic storage. Maybe even add a little bit to the carrier in a spinning section, and grow a bit of that stuff. Might take too many years... I was still stuck here, anyway, not back 'home' and safe. But the idea of a cold space to hang around in in my 'cold' mode did seem quite interesting. Perhaps because it allowed the Thargoid implants to work at their 'ideal' temperature, rather than needing to ensure compatibility with the human biology of my hybrid body.
Those were all considerations for once I was out of here, though. And I still had a lot of work ahead of me before I could leave.