Land and farm 83%
After their last experience on the surface of Zerzura, Twilight half-expected some kind of mounted gun to emerge from the soil to shoot the Prospector to pieces, or maybe a gigantic metal deer would emerge from the trees and trample them. But nothing like that happened, and the prospector descended slowly and calmly on the largest bare patch of ground in the area they were calling the “safe zone.”
“So this is the map,” Twilight said, passing out printouts about an hour after the landing. It wasn’t a formal meeting, not with so few crew and Applejack wrapped in layers of blankets and barely awake. The flu was no illness to ignore, but it also wasn’t likely to kill her so long as they kept an eye on things. “This is the area we’re going to restrict ourselves. It’s mostly… wilderness, overgrown. But there’s a large structure about three kilometers from here. I put us down a good distance away, in case it has any active defenses.” Or if it’s the den of another giant ship-eating worm.
“I don’t mean to be confrontational—” Applejack began. “But this ain’t no wilderness. Okay, let me rephrase. Baring this being an alien world and nothin’ I know bein’ true about it, this wouldn’t be a wilderness if it were Equestria.” She squinted down at the map, before breaking down into hacking coughs.
“You can go back to bed,” Fluttershy whispered from beside her. “Really. We can plough where you want, the way you want, while you rest.”
Applejack glared at her, though she didn’t have the voice to argue for a few more seconds. So far nopony else in the crew had come down with the illness, but Twilight feared it was only a matter of time. Maybe that’s for the best. If we all get infected at the same time, it might burn itself out. Or maybe it would only cripple her crew for a few weeks, while nopony accomplished anything productive.
“It’s just…” Applejack began again. “There ain’t no debris spread everywhere. No big rocks, and the trees are all… small. They strike me more like a field that went wild, got overgrown. Maybe this place was always used fer growin’.”
They all looked to the side, where Node rested connected to the power supply port. Node had remained fairly non-responsible during the trip down, though it hadn’t actually told them not to land. It told them nothing now, not without prompting.
“Node, I want to ask you something. What is this place, do you know?”
Does Node know? No.
At least the robot moved a little, rising and approaching the table. “I am not aware of it. It seems… significant. Vital, perhaps. Was not damaged when so much else was destroyed. The secret is probably inside the building. I will go with one of you there, and we will discover it together.”
Twilight stuck out a wing to block his path. “Not yet, Node. We haven’t decided on our priorities yet. We don’t just wander off and do things without carefully deciding on our options.”
“I could go then,” Node argued, walking around her towards the airlock. Of course it wouldn’t open for it, not without it bypassing the security somehow.
“No,” Twilight raised her voice, just a little. “Node, if you want to stay with this crew, you will obey my orders. There are real risks to investigating that building, like the chance we might provoke a response that will make this area unsafe.” She concentrated, and vanished from the table, reappearing a few inches in front of Node. She wasn’t nearly as tall as the robot, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t look menacing. At least, she hoped her magic was intimidating. “If you leave without my permission, we will not take you back. Understand?”
Node retreated one step from Twilight’s glare. There was no expression to read, though she thought she could hear the cooling fans inside its torso spinning up as they considered her. Then it answered. “Very well. Structured command is one form of government. Not my preference. But I will comply.”
“Good,” Twilight gestured to the table. “Then join our meeting. You can have a voice at our table, you can be one of us. But you don’t get to put all of us in danger.”
The robot retreated, then joined the table where she had instructed. Twilight glanced once at the crew—Applejack looked thrilled, Fluttershy frightened, and Pinkie’s expression was still unreadable. “Now, obviously we’re here to farm. That’s the first priority, and that’s what everypony here will be doing. Unless those tissue samples have changed in the last few hours…”
Fluttershy shook her head. “They’re all clean. Applejack’s results too. I wouldn’t have decided to test things this way, but… we’re about as sure as we can be without eating what we grow.”
“Then consider the biohazard restrictions lifted,” Twilight said. “At least until we see any sign of danger. We still don’t know a great deal about this planet—where the air came from, what happened to the ponies who lived here. We haven’t seen a single body.”
“Inquiry,” Node said, raising one of its manipulating limbs to get her attention. Not that Starlight Glimmer’s voice wouldn’t have done that all on its own. “Ponies? Ponies have not lived on Zerzura until your arrival.”
“It’s a way we speak,” Applejack said. “Don’t you got a translation program in there? Or is that too abstract for an AI?”
There’s obviously something, we’re talking right now. But she didn’t speak for Node, and rob them of a chance to learn more about it.
“Cultural idiom, understood. Translation is… imprecise. Cultural biases of my creators does not parody your… mind configuration. Communication in this form is lossy.”
“So, here’s what we need to decide…”
1. Remain as isolated as possible. Clear the minimum possible land, do not explore beyond the farm, leave the ship as little as possible. The Prospector might not be roomy, but it’s safe.
2. Shore Leave. We can use this landing as a mental-health break for the crew. So long as they aren’t doing anything too dangerous, they can do their own thing. They really need it.
3. We’re Explorers. As soon as the seeds are in the ground, we get a team into that building and find out why it’s still here. Obviously this place is safe if life can survive here. Maybe there are intact alien machines inside.
The crew needs to plant. A few hours to shake it out might be in order, but the best "shore leave" in this situation would be to work towards an important and obtainable goal. Food won't last forever without some sort of replicator technology, which the crew doesn't seem to have. But, once planted, crops take time to grow. Exploring after planting would fit the mission profile, and if one can keep clear of mechanical worms, or other fatal objects, it should keep the crew engaged with the mission, and boredom at a minimum.
By the way, water can run out too, and is also needed to grow crops, is there any near by? Should they dig a well?
R and freakin' R. These ponies need to decompress in the worst way, and a chance to sit and soak in the alien sunshine is just what the doctor ordered. It leaves the option of exploration open, but it also lets them catch their breath. And in Pinkie's case, put her mind back together. A party, or as much of one as she can throw given the circumstances and available resources, could do more for her than the rest of the crew put together.
Though I have to wonder, what is Node's preferred form of governance?
I don't have any experience with Mythic specifically, but I do know a little about solo-adventuring or choose-your-own-adventure stories.
Now, I also admit that this is a completely meta look at what is happening by thinking about it as a story that is partially ran by a program, but the way I've been guessing how the events are decided are by modified rolls. The crew likely all have individual stats that are used by Mythic to influence the outcome. I'll use this chapter's choices as an example.
The first option would likely give them a bonus to their "safety roll," sort of like a random encounter in systems like D&D. Mythic rolls a die, and the crew possibly get into danger based on the number rolled. This choice will also likely either do nothing, or possibly lower, their morale score.
The second option should raise morale, but have slightly more of a risk regarding the random encounter.
The final option is probably what has the highest chance of getting them in trouble. To me, it feels like the options that sometimes show up in CYOAs to get the characters back into the action to advance the plot (whether that is a good idea at the time or not).
Yes they need to relax, but I say explore first and make sure it is safe.
Option Three. If they wanted to play it safe, they would have stayed in Equestria. But, planting first would be a good idea before traipsing off. Plants don't grow in minutes, nor do they need to be watched the whole time, either.
We wanted to raise morale, right? I say shore leave. It's a good compromise between complete caution and complete curiosity. I don't think the crew is in a great place to explore ruins right now anyway
I say 2, but staying an the safe side, raise some food , R&R and wait/check with Spike for the main ship to be repaired, then, when they recovered a little, and maybe woke up the other ponies, they can proceed with the exploration.
At the moment, AJ is sick and the others will probably be soon, and Pinkie is not fully recovered yet. They need time to go back on their hooves more than anything else before they can go forward in their mission.
9421733
I back this, whole heartedly.
And Node's prefired forme of governance is most likely "theocratic", the divine leds all.
joke aside he propably a meritocracy stile of goverment.
9421733
I'm kinda at a loss, they really need to do all three. They need a food source since I'm guessing all their grown food on the ship will be contaminated by the raidiation. They need shore leave cause Pinkie is becoming emotionally unstable and they're all going to get sick pretty soon. And they should really check that building specifically to figure out what this green patch is for before they put down any roots in unknown soil, but if their actions in the building wake something up they could lose this potential harbor in the storm so to speak and have to leave early.
Knowledge is power. We need to find out as much as possible about that building ASAP.
"Baring this" should be "Considerin' this", not "Barring this" (opposite meaning!)
"non-responsible" should be "non-responsive"
I say Shore Leave. Get that morale as high as possible while we have the chance. That way, when shit hits the fan and we don't get a chance to replenish morale for a while, we can get through without everyone going insane.
We're back from R&R and I feel great!
Twi?
We have so much to do!
Twilight dear?
Let's get to the ship!
TWILIGHT!
OUCH!
Someone jacked our ride!
I like rocks
I worry about this considering the fact I know Star likes Subnautica.
AJ's sick with a cough and there's a structure nearby... It's only a matter of 2 rolls to turn that into a gun and potentially Spike into the Sunbeam
A couple of typos leading to uncertain meaning:
It's conceivable that you intend for Applejack to be misspeaking here, or that there's a plain correct meaning that I am failing to grasp, but I would be surprised. I see two main possibilities:
—"barring"—has the advantage of being the most simple error, but I don't see how it makes sense when "barring" it being an alien world doesn't seem to me to go very well with "nothing Applejack knows being true about it"
—"bearing in mind"—makes perfect sense to me, but needs a larger correction.
If read as written, I have no idea what I am supposed to understand about the situation, and yet it's not nonsensical so it could be that I just don't get it. However, I suspect you mean "non-responsive".
I sort of wish there was an option between #1 and #2, like "don't go very far, but no restrictions within a small approved area", but in the absence of that, #1 seems like a terrible idea and #3 like a moderately bad idea, so #2 it is.
But heck, maybe I'm just not giving the "nothing too dangerous" modifier enough credit.
Hmm... I want to farm right away, but considering all that they've been through...
Well, I guess it's time for some well deserved rest. However, I think they need to set a "do not go outside this point" perimeter, and, though this goes without saying, have comms at all times: we want to stay safe, after all.
tl;dr Shore leave, with safety precautions.
9422283
Really? Seeing as I know Subnautica, this doesn't bode well...
Especially the mystery illness. If it's actually that...
Morale!!
We really need it.
I'm sort of iffy about exploring the building. It could be something really good. But fooling around with stuff seems to be why the worm appeared in the first place. Probably be safer to explore and pilfer just before their set to leave. That way they'll be long gone by the time a worm comes to eat the place.
And while playing safe and staying in the lander sounds good at first. They've already been through a lot both on planet and because of what happened whatever Pinkie dealt with and Cozy Glows machinations. Being in this tight ship probably won't be to healthy of living arrangements.
Yeah, R an R probably isn't to bad a course. They might even get a bit of farming in the side. Maybe even find a few clues around the area outside the building before they mess around in a area the Node even doesn't know anything about.
Stabilize first. We've seen no real indication or need to rush things, time to de-stress for a bit. Well, except Spike, we suppose.
No reason not to spread out and cultivate either, whose going to enforce any land laws?
I have to vote for the Star Trek reference, let's boldly go into that building.
People are voting too cautiously. Wee need stuff to happen! Be a little adventurous!
I voted shore leave.
Few chapters back I said I was worried about morale and would take the next option that would improve it. And there it is.
I like a mix of 2 and 3.
Relax for a couple days and get some food planted then explore.
Getting their hooves back on to solid ground with the feeling of grass and dirt under their frogs will be the best medical care they will ever get.
9423880
I would have voted for shore leave as well, but mostly because it was a compromise between letting the crew rest and getting crops.
Exploring the building would be likely useful, but with this place being the one place left standing I wouldn't want to provoke anything.