Let's Play: Shattered Earth

[Force Lord]

"It looks at least intact from the telecopes. Thank goodnes they built it on high ground."

"I'll send a recon team just to make sure. The rest of the first wave will stay in the air until it's confirmed that the spaceport is at least stable."

[Eternal_Freedom]

"Good plan, I'll leave the exact details to you. I'd better go an tell the Captain what's going on. How long until you're ready to fly?"

[Force Lord]

"Recon team can go in a few minutes. The rest will take a bit longer to be ready."

[FaxModem1]

Ensign Woods goes to the Security office to roster men and inform them of the situation. He also makes sure to stop by his quarters first to deposit the kitten back in its cozy box full of cat toys.

[doom3607]

Yet another ensign says "We can't hold out up here until the storms break, that'll take months and our air'll run out in a few days. But Yellowstone blowing up'll mainly just keep North America and the northern bits of South America out of our reach for a good while, we shoudl still be able to land in Istanbul if the landing beacon is still able to guide us down. And if the spare parts storage areas are operating, we ought to be able to fix the station. Actuallly, let me see... yeah, Istanbul was supposed to have three XR-11B heavy lifters assigned permanently to it. They'll be able to lift the parts easily. And Istanbul definitely has the means to refill our air tanks, we just need to bring them down. Here's hoping it all works."
-----------------------------------
OOC: I have no idea who you work for Zixinus, I just know each Lt. has four of the ensigns for minions. Since we don't have all the Lt.s I'll assume you're working for Lt. (name not on records, requires correction). But any of the senior officers will work in the meantime.

[Eternal_Freedom]

"All right then. Icy, send your recon team. Tell the second wae to go as soon as possible. Advance team priority is to secure the XR-11B's, the air tanks and the parts."

Ravensburg turns to a nearby Ensgin.

"You, go down to Engineering, round up some men and perpare to remove the air tanks and take them to the XR-11 docks."

OOC: Domm3606, can we have a "cast list" please?

[Zixinus]

-----------------------------------
OOC: I have no idea who you work for Zixinus, I just know each Lt. has four of the ensigns for minions. Since we don't have all the Lt.s I'll assume you're working for Lt. (name not on records, requires correction). But any of the senior officers will work in the meantime.

Spoiler

Okay, how about this? Can I "raise" myself to a lieutenant? If so, who would I answer to?

[doom3607]

OOC: Sure. Here it is:

Name: James Taylor
Rank: Commander
Age: 29
Position: Station XO
Description: Relatively young for his rank, James has a great desire to prove that he has earned it which can lead to him being a little overbearing at times, as well as perhaps a little too by the book, but how the recent destruction of human civilisation will effect him has yet to be seen. Physically he stands just under average height, with regulation length brown hair and brown eyes, it has been noted that in general he looks pretty average and non-descript and has tended to not stand out at all on any crew photos.

Name: Jacob "Hawk" Prycin
Rank: Captain
Age: 42
Position: Station Dictator Captain
Description: Tired of constantly being passed over for promotion by buffoons, charlatans, and weaklings, Jacob engaged in an extended campaign of misinformation, blackmail, and sabotage of his competition to gain his position as Captain of ISA Orbital Platform #001. It's a good thing, then, that everyone who suspected is now likely dead. He is competent, proud, and not afraid to get his hands dirty to get the job done. His favored underlings enjoy extensive privileges, but in exchange he demands more from them than others. He cannot stand suck-ups and laziness, and remains eminently fair in his judgments as befits an officer of the ISA and likely the commander of the last remnants of the UN. Surprisingly, he holds the ideals of the UN in high regard, though he feels that he does not live up to them.

The Captain was in the main observation room during the impacts, watching them all as they destroyed human civilization.

Name: Jake Grey
Age: 31
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Information and Communications Technician/Range Safety Officer

Bio: Easygoing, slow to anger and not especially ambitious or assertive, British expat Jake is not cut out for high rank in the Service and knows it. When the news of the comet came, he was about to put in a request to be rotated back to planetside duty in order to spend more time with his family.
A frantic phone call assured him that they were safe, at least from the short-term effects, but Jake is desperate to reach the surface as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that take a while; he's a competent technician and a fair shot, but no leader.

Name: John Ravensburg
Age: 27
Rank: Liuetenant Commander
Position: Operations Officer/Second Officer

Bio: Tall, lean, with dark hair, John Ravensburg is the classical epitome of the British officer. Fast-tracked for promotion, with a determination and drive to reach the top spot. Originally considered as a candidate for early promotion and Station CO, but his prospects were (unknown to John) sabotaged by then-Commander Prycin. Consequently has an intense dislike for his CO, whom he perceives to be a born fool and a neandthal thug, but restrains it behind his sense of duty. Most commonly sticks up for junior officers facing the Captains wrath, and is never afraid to speak his mind.

A born leader, a fast thinker and a very capable officer and leader, these traits come at the expense of a family. A few brief flings back on Earth never went anywhere, and he remains completely focused on doing his job.

Name: Andrew McNair
Age: 31
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Logistics Officer
Description: McNair (or "Andy" as he prefers) is a laid-back lanky man in charge of the station's supplies. He butts heads with Ravensburg on occasion, but though he is no particular stickler he always manages to get the job done, which tends to moderate their conflict. He tries to avoid having to meet with the Captain. Has a semi-notorious skill at scrounging and jury-rigging; whatever someone needs, McNair can usually get it for them.

Name: Rafael Negrón
Age: 30
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Security Officer
Description: Rafael, known better as "Icy Ralph", is in charge of Station Security. His cold personality and aloofness has created not insignificant friction with the station's personnel, and he is known for his efficiency in dealing with what he determines to be threats to the station's functioning. Despite his harsh exterior, he still has a heart, though he is reluctant to show it. He fears for his family's safety, making him even more withdrawn.

Name: Charles 'Chuck' Woods
Age: 22
Rank: Ensign
Position: Security personnel

Chuck is a kid who was serving his tour, waiting for the the years to end so he could go get a business degree. He is known for having a big heart which is in stark contrast to the head of security. Unknown to the rest of the station, Chuck was able to smuggle in a kitten with the last supply drop. With his kitten, he was planning on touring the Earth in one of those old vintage trucks once his service was up. Looks like his plans are now forever changed.

DESIGNATION: Project 69

AGE: 5

POSITION: Special scientific project.

69 is a snarky, sarcastic artificial intelligence constructed as part of the station's ongoing research. It had gained sentience kinda accidentally due to a programming glitch and scared the bejeesus out of his creators. Deemed to valuable to disassemble, he was instead confined to a clumsy, shambling robot body constructed to poor specifications, which made him hate his lot in life.

He is treated like a cross between a pet and a robot butler.

Name: Bruke Orswik
Age: 33
RanK: Engisn Lieutenant
Position: Geologist / EVA mechanic

Bruke comes from a little-known, poor country where he earned a degree in geology, specilising in satellite picture-analysis and
mineral radiology desite the suggestion of his teachers. He lived in a reality where a person with his training manages to get a job at a construction company. However, partly due to desperation, some hardly-earned brilliance and great deal of luck, he joined the ISA. After that, with hard work and faith, he managed to qualify for astronaut training and even earned an EVA certificate. This was part of the period where he was considered third in line of backup for a Mars mission and wound up on the station. He has found himself in a dream situation that his countrymen, rather than be proud of, resent him for. Despite this, he has a bitter love for his country.

The meteor strike has destroyed his country. He has been out of it, grieving and coping, until now.
However, when he heard the hits, he wiped his tears, washed his face and started the EVA pre-breathing procedure because he just knew that something needs fixing out there.

OOC: Holy crap that's a long list. And yes Zix, you can raise yourself, I've edited you on the list. You'd report to the senior four officers. And all this list for only nine people... *is horified at the thought of when/if the entire crew gets players*

OOC EDIT: Let's see... Positions left: 4 Lieutenant, 27 Ensign. Unless our final Ensign, that's you FaxModem, wants to be 'promoted' retroactively, too. Then it's 3 and 28.

[Eternal_Freedom]

OOC: I was thinking more like this:

CO: Captian Jake Prycin (Hawkwings)
XO: Commander James Taylor (OmegaChif)
Ops Officer: Lt. Com. John Ravensburg (Eternal_Freedom)
Logistics Officer: Lt. Com. Andrew Macnair (Scottish Ninja)
Security Officer: Lt. Rafael "Icy" Negron (Force Lord)
ICT/Range Safety: Lt. Jake Grey (Zaune)
Geologist/EVA: Lt. Bruke Orswik (Zixinus)
Security: Ensign Charles "Chuck" Woods (FaxModem 1)
Robobutler: Project 69 (PeZook)

We need one more Lt., presumably the Chief Engineer.

[doom3607]

OOC: Yeah, all further lists will be in that format. And we have room for three Lt.s, but yeah an engineer would be good. Also, on the Yellowstone subject: Basically, if for any reason you want to go to North America, you have about a week before it becomes effectively lifeless. And unreachable. However, I get the feeling Istanbul is about to become the bastion of whatever successor to the UN or whatever you try to build. Also, comment: Istanbul also has three XR-11Cs, which are the "tug" variant of the XR-11, just like the 11B is the heavy lifter variant. It swaps out basically all cargo and passenger room for engines and fuel, and is designed to tug deep space vessels, any type, back into Earth orbit from their flyby trajectories if they don't have the fuel to insert themselves. If you can get those ready to go, you can rescue all the DSVs, not just the ones with the fuel to get back alone. The combat ships, in particular, would be incredibly worth saving. 'Combat' as in asteroid-smashing, sure, but a mass driver is a mass driver. Would help to have orbital bombard ability available. And the ore the mining ships have would also be incredibly worth getting. Earth itself is basically mined out down to a depth of several miles.

[Zixinus]

Spoiler

I think we should have needed a "warming up" period before you threw in a screwball, so we all get familiar with our situations,ranks, etc. But too late for that I guess.

Burke calls Captain Prycin and ask permission to go out with an EVA team to assess and repair damage to the station.

[Force Lord]

"All right then. Icy, send your recon team. Tell the second wae to go as soon as possible. Advance team priority is to secure the XR-11B's, the air tanks and the parts."

"The first wave will leave in earnest."

A few minutes later...

The shuttles of the recon team were warming up their engines. As the pilots made their final checks, a message appeared on their computers:

Code: Select all

PRIORITY MESSAGE

This is Lieutenant Rafael Negrón.

Your Primary Mission is to fly to Istanbul Spaceport and asess its condition. If it's stable, you will inform us that it's safe to land. I will come with the first wave. The second wave is still not ready. Meanwhile, you will check if the XR-11B's are in flying condition and find the locations of the spare air tanks and parts we need to repair the station. You must also attempt to access the Spaceport's radar and comms center to see if we can contact anyone else. In case of emergency you will sound the evac beacon to prevent us from landing.

I believe I've been clear enough. Now go do your jobs!

The shuttles of the recon teams activated their engines and left the hangar. Behind them, the first wave was powering up their engines. The second wave was still getting ready.

Rafael boarded a shuttle, a pistol on his belt, and seated himself.

Hopefully things don't get worse when we get down there...

[Eternal_Freedom]

After watching the shuttles depart, Ravensburg returns to the Ops Centre. He calls out to Macnair:

"Andy, hows that supply inventory coming?"

[Hawkwings]

"EVA operations are approved, Lieutenant Orswik. Once you have a list of parts send it to Lieutenant Negrón to pass on to the ground teams."

Looking over to the robotic project that was interjected, the Captain said "Oh, you, what are you doing here anyways? Modifications? What are you going on about? We have far more important things to do right now! Damn AI thinking, we'll never get it right..." Waving over the officer in charge of the science lab, Captain Prycin instructed him to take the robo-project down to the shuttle loading bay and see if it could be put to some sort of use.

Turning to his XO, the captain said "We'd better get everything ready for evacuation in case this repair doesn't go well. Ideally we would be able to keep the station operational, but if we can't, we're going to need to find a good location and bring everything down that we can."

[Zaune]

"Oh, crap..." Lt. Grey sat back heavily in his chair, minimising the window showing the seismic and thermal readings from Yellowstone, and tried to think.
His own family was safe enough for now, at least. The house had over a thousand miles and the Rocky Mountains between it and Yellowstone, so the blast-effects wouldn't be too bad, but the ash...
Actually, might that not be beneficial in the long run? Rain happened when water vapour mingled with atmospheric dust, clinging to it until it formed droplets too heavy to be held up by convection, and the massively elevated humidity on the surface was probably going to be a major problem in the long run. A colossal explosion that turned the state of Wyoming into an inland sea probably wasn't the ideal method of cutting it down, but...

But does it have to be? Grey wondered. A controlled release over an extended period... Well, if nothing else it would save lives in the short to medium term, and maybe buy enough time to mitigate the long-term effects. But could it be done? There had to be one functioning US Air Force base with a few bunker-busters heavy enough for the job, or else some drilling equipment. Even a mass-driver shot from orbit might work.

It had to be worth a shot, anyway. Grey picked up the intercom handset. "Commander Ravensburg? I think I might have an idea..."

[Eternal_Freedom]

"OK, Lt, let me see if I've got this straight. Just to be sure. You want to touch off Yellowstone prematurely?"

[PeZook]

Looking over to the robotic project that was interjected, the Captain said "Oh, you, what are you doing here anyways? Modifications? What are you going on about? We have far more important things to do right now! Damn AI thinking, we'll never get it right..." Waving over the officer in charge of the science lab, Captain Prycin instructed him to take the robo-project down to the shuttle loading bay and see if it could be put to some sort of use.

"Why by all means waste time and effort with squishy crewmen in EVA suits who can't work for an hour without becoming winded, sir. Why not, your biology holds up so well to insufficient oxygen, after all, doesn't it? Why you can afford to lose a ton or two while you carefully suit up to protect your delicate breathing mechanisms!"

Somehow managing to project an aura of smug superiority despite his clumsy body, Project 69 wandered off towards the shuttle loading bay, scoffing at the science officer as he did so.

"Organics!", he spat along the way, slowly shuffling forward.

[OmegaChief]

Taylor watched the robot go before speaking.

"Perhaps if it's so happy to work for us we can leave it on the station when we get planetside, which currently the best bet for our landing seems to be Istanbul, or at least is until we get a report in."

He turned to a pair of Engsins.

"You and you, go through every intact airfield we can land our brids on, find out which are nearest secure locations like bunkers as well as good supply points"

Once more taylor turned to face his CO.

"I've already been working on a plan to load up everything we can and take it planetside, it's going to have to happen eventually, without planet side industry all it'll take is one more accident and we're doomed up here"

[Zaune]

"OK, Lt, let me see if I've got this straight. Just to be sure. You want to touch off Yellowstone prematurely?"

"Not exactly, sir. I want to drill a hole in it and let the pressure out in a controlled fashion; a long "parp" instead of a bang, if you will. I'm sure any half-decent geologist or geophysicist could name a hundred different ways this could go wrong, but what have we got to lose by trying?"

[Eternal_Freedom]

"All right Lt., you're the geologist, I'll take your word for it. I'll give you an hour to flesh out this idea and then you and I are taking this to the CO."

[Force Lord]

In the air, the first wave waited for the news that the Istanbul Spaceport was safe to land on.

A message finally arrived.

Code: Select all

SPACEPORT OPERATIONAL. LANDING TO BE DONE IMMEDIATELY.

That was all that Negrón needed.

"Land the landing force!"

The shuttles landed at the Spaceport. The scene was one of eerie calm. Signs of an earlier chaos were present.

"What the hell happened here?", said someone.

"Chaos," the Lieutenant simply said. "Now let's look up what's still usable here."

[Zixinus]

Lieutenant Orswik inspected the now-suited team before the airlock is cycled.

"Ok, people, last-minute group check: radio!"
Each of the four ensigns under him give a positive response by telling their their names in the order Orswik pointed at them.
"Next: suit pressure."
They all give him the same number as his was. It was not the same as the airlock room's pressure.
"Oxygen tank pressure."
The same result."
"Battery?"
All batteries were above 95% charge.
Couplings, tethers, gear, computer connections were all tested in a similar manner.
"OK. A final reminder, I know you were told this every time because I heard it every time too: stick to your buddy, tie yourself up to the taxi and keep strict communication discipline. The plan is simple: I'll pilot the taxi. The taxi has it's own oxygen tank, to which you will all attach yourselves. We will fly around and inspect the damaged areas. We will try to repair whatever damage we can, which mostly means patching things up. That's where the laser strobes and the foam sprays come in. You report whatever action you do to me BEFORE you do it. If you get your tether severed, spinning like a twister and start drifting off, don't immedeatly reach for your SAFER. Release your magnet-anchor and let me try and grapple you first with the taxi. Questions?"

An Ensign raised his hand.

"Sir, why did you give us all red-laser pointers? How are we supposed to find a leak that way? Aren't the foam-sprays enough?"
"Simple Ensign: you will only see the laser in dust or debris, which has likely mixed with the escaping air. There is nothing red out there, so the red laser should stand out if you point it around. That way, we will know where to look and perhaps where to look for avoiding a spark."
The ensign asked "Why did you give us these? Isn't the foam enough?"
Bruke answered "Normally yes, but they were designed to find small holes and are likely looking at tremendous damage."

Another Ensign raised his arm:
"Sir, we'll be working in pairs, but you're the odd-man out. What you'll be doing? Aside driving the taxi that is?"
"The taxi has tools for detecting damage: an IR camera, a laser strobe and the foam-cannon. I'll operate those as well as pass tools around. Aside that, I'll be coordinating between you guys and the team inside. They've already tried to shut off whatever they can to prevent more leaking."

No more questions came.

"Alright then. Finally, just a note: don't look planetside. We all had a lot down there, but right now, we need to focus on the job. Everyone ready?"

Through the plexi glass of the helmets, nods could be seen before mouth moved to form the words 'ready'.

"I'm beginning depressurization. The taxi is parked right outside. I'll climb inside first and don't "
Spoiler

Doomy: what exactly was damaged? The oxygen-cooling lines or what?

[Zaune]

"All right Lt., you're the geologist, I'll take your word for it. I'll give you an hour to flesh out this idea and then you and I are taking this to the CO."

Lt. Grey swallowed nervously, but decided not to contradict his superior officer at this juncture. "Yes sir. Grey out." He turned off the intercom and massaged his temples, trying desperately to think. "Okay," he said to himself, "We have seven days, so that gives us time to gather equipment and formulate a more detailed plan that "knock a hole in it and hope". That means accurate geological maps of the caldera, and preferably a qualified geologist or vulcanologist or whatever to interpret them. Easiest place to find them is...? Well, Yellowstone itself would probably be a start. Then we need to decide whether to use a drilling rig or a bomber; neither of those should be too hard, there's plenty of oilfields and a few dozen airbases in the US alone... Okay. Okay."
Over the next forty-five minutes, he pulled the plan into something that was at least coherent, with plenty of suggestions for where to obtain any necessary equipment. Then he allowed himself a further ten minutes to steady his nerves with another cup of tea, pointedly not thinking about why the Second Officer had taken it into his head that a glorified sysadmin with a keen layman's interest in the sciences was an actual geologist.

[Eternal_Freedom]

OOC: Oh shit, you're not the geologist, the guy int he spacesuit outside is. Ummmm...... ok, just imagine the response was "flesh it out, I'll support you when we present it to the actual geologist. Oops! Sorry Lieutenant.

[Zaune]

OOC: Fair enough, though I like the comic pathos of the original. Is there anyone here with sufficient real-life knowledge of geology to say whether my character's plan is actually feasible, by the way?