Sixty-four Pixel Colonists

Tom, the Archivist, doesn't want to start a witchhunt. Even amongst trained individuals, with things as tense as they are, he can't risk it. Instead, he seeks help from a friend-- council, at the very least. He wasn't ever trained, nor ever wanted, to be some sort of enforcer, but here he is with sensitive information...

None of this feels right.

Research batteries, so we can store extra power for things like the ansible, or so we can run an algae tank every other turn if we don't have enough power to run it all the time.

With that extra plasticarbon, I propose we build yet another compact algae tank, so we can start getting a whoooole bunch of plasticarbon quickly. Plasticarbon and power are our current bottlenecks, and we have just enough power to run one more algae tank. Once we have two or more algae tanks one plasticarbon full time, we'll be able to build a new solar panel or algae tank every turn.

Once we build a few solar panels and algae tanks, the radio tower, and an extra drone, we should look at making some hallways between the different buildings so it's less cramped and colonists don't have to constantly keep putting on spacesuits.

>Engineer: What the hell is my construction drone doing?

...The biologist goes aone without help or contact and disapear...
...The artist is tampering with the limited food supply to make paint...
... One guy who may have critical information decide to keep it for themselves because hey'd rather confront a potential shady person alone and without support...
...There's someone clearly tampering with the limited food production and we have someone disapeared and people still can't agree to organise...

... Are we sure these are trained professionals and not teenagers on a summer break pretending to be space colonists in those suits ? Because all we need now is one couple to start making out behind a big space rock and we can have someone tape a big hokey mask to their helmet mask and brandish a butcher knife.
(... please don't. even as a prank)

Okay seriously tho:

-I'm all for analysing the mold but who has the competency to do it since our biologis went missing ?
Anyway let's start it if there someone one competent, even if just to learn how to avoid future contamination as soon as possible

-At the slow rate we produce plasticarbon we're not going to be able to make a communal room nor a radar anytime soon.
We have one unused tank, we need to put it on plasticarbon production now.

-However to do that we need to resolve the curent unreliability of our power supply. We're missing 1 plasticarbon to make a new solar pannel, can we recycle materials from the old one to make it this turn ?

.. Also why can't they use the ship as a meeting hall. it brought them all here so y'know it must clearly have the space to hold them all.

Batteries are a fantastic idea, but with all the problems we're having with disorderliness, we ought to have a larger meeting space. Designing hallways between existing structures sounds like it should be quick and simple. But I think designing the lab we were considering earlier might be better for the long term.

We ought to inform the GFP that we're missing the Biologist, and send a message soon. It is still some expensive energy, though.

Code:

BIOLOGIST WENT OUT ALONE, STRUGGLING TO RECOVER THEM. PLEASE SEND SOYBEANS, VEGETABLE SEEDS, DRONES, BATTERIES AND PLASTICARBON.

The rational side of me says this is all I need to talk about if I were in this situation.

But what I really want to know is, what are those red things in the east behind the fog of war?

Send a team to investigate the area where the biologist and drone were last seen. Put Shiva and Tom on it so they can have an alone moment for discussion.

TURN 9

Colony Mood:
Suspicious

Construction Drone: BUILDING COMPACT ALGAE TANK
Compact Scouting Drone: MISSING
Compact Scouting Drone: IDLE

Projects:
Build - ???: Canceled!
Analyze Mold: 1 Turn



Mio is very concerned about the construction drone, which has started building something in the middle of the colony. Mio wasn't informed about any building jobs. They were under the impression that the colony wasn't going to build anything new for a little while, until they had enough plasticarbon to start a larger project. Mio shuts down the construction drone and drives it away from its building site.
The object that is revealed underneath is startling and unexpected:



Jutting up from a circular dais is a thin gray pillar of plasticarbon. The pillar is not solid, but formed from a chaotic lattice of curling tendrils that stretch upward in a series of nested, ever-tighening helices. Mio finds the style unnerving, but strangely familiar, though they can't quite place where they've seen it before. It puts them in mind of an unfurling palm frond, a messy spiderweb, or perhaps a bone's spongy interior.
The other colonists gather around to stare at it - those who haven't joined the expedition to the northeast, at least. There is a sense of muted horror. What is this thing? Why is it here? They check the drone's build order record, and find a blueprint for this very structure entered into its memory, but none have any recollection of setting the order or of designing the blueprint.

Mio has half a mind to tear down the construction drone and analyze all its systems, like the colonists did for algae tank A. They know the colony is still in dire need of resources, however, so they set the drone to build another compact algae tank.
The area around the colony's landing craft is becoming congested. Next thing the colony builds, they'll have to decide which direction to expand in, or else reclaim some of the space they're already using.
New Project: Build Compact Algae Tank (1 Turn)
-10 Plasticarbon

The jury-rigged solar array seems to be holding for the time being, but the colonists all agree that a sudden power failure would be disastrous. They begin working to design a deep-cycle battery array to hold a backup store of power.
New Prokect: Design Deep-Cycle Battery Array (1 Turn)

The colonists debate the value of converting the landing craft into a community meeting area. They could rip out all of the seats and tear off some of the panels separating the passenger compartment from the cargo storage section, but the craft was designed for function, not comfort. Even without the seats, the ceiling is too low to permit anyone to stand. Sure, it would be more resource-efficient than building a new structure, but it would also be painfully uncomfortable, not to mention a lot of effort. On the other hand, aside from a few important electrical components, such as the drone signal antenna, the landing craft isn't good for much as it is. The colonists should probably find something to do with it. Or else just dismantle the dang thing.

Since the colony has enough power for it, they send a message to GFP using the ansible:

BIOLOGIST WENT OUT ALONE, STRUGGLING TO RECOVER THEM. PLEASE SEND SOYBEANS, VEGETABLE SEEDS, DRONES, BATTERIES AND PLASTICARBON.

It might be a turn or two before GFP gets around to responding.

The colonists put together a team to go in search of their wayward biologist. The geologist, who is the only one with first-hand knowledge of the area, and the medic, whose services might be needed, both join the team. The archivist and Shiva also go along. The archivist goes along because they want to talk to Shiva in private. Shiva goes along partly because the biologist was their friend, (or as Shiva insists, "best bud", though nobody else gets the joke,) but mostly because the archivist pressured them into it.
New Project: Rescue the Biologist (??? Turns)


"Shiva," says the archivist, pulling Shiva aside on the second day and touching helmets to speak privately, "I know you were messing around with the algae tanks."

Shiva is annoyed. "I keep telling people the mold has nothing to do with me," they say.

"I put up video cameras," insists the archivist. "I saw you do something to the tanks."

Shiva looks baffled. "When?" they ask. "Three turns ago? I borrowed some plasticarbon for my flag pole. Is that what you're referring to?"

"For your what?"

"My flag pole. For the flag I made. I know everyone was mad after I made that paint, but I used the computers to do some topology optimization so I could design the pole to require as little plasticarbon as possible. Is that a problem? I thought we were planning on building one anyway."

As the archivist knows, the tank that was producing plasticarbon was one of the two Shiva visited.

"Okay, but what about the other tank?" asks the archivist. "What did you do at tank A?"

"The one with the mold? Nothing, I just wanted to look at it," says Shiva. "So sue me, I've never seen alien mold before."

"It's not alien mold."

"It might be alien mold! Look," says Shiva, "Tom, we know each other pretty well by now. I know some of the others have some hang-ups about me, that they think I'm not qualified to be here just because my background's in art more than it's in science. But you, I always thought... y'know, I always thought the two of us got along. I can deal with the way everyone keeps dumbing down their technical explanations when they talk to me, I can deal with whatever those rumors were that I'm a cannibal who's going to kill everyone in their sleep or whatever the heck, and I'm honestly sorry about the paint. I didn't realize GFP sent us out here with so little food. But you, you're suspicious of me too? After all the poetry and word games during the voyage? After being paired together in training? The time we broke into the human centrifuge building in the middle of the night and took turns getting high at 4g? I have to admit, I'm disappointed. I thought you knew me better than that."

Shiva walks away after the medic and the geologist. Tom lingers behind, suddenly regretful. Did they really drag Shiva all the way out here on this expedition over nothing? Did they really think Shiva might be a saboteur? Shiva hasn't really done anything to deserve that kind of suspicion. Aside from helping themself to some algae byproducts that, let's face it, weren't being formally rationed anyway, Shiva hasn't done anything wrong or caused any real trouble. They're totally innocent.


The eerie, organic pillar stands in the center of the colony, marring its skyline, its surface a rash of jagged shadows from the ambient lighting system. The five colonists left behind can't stand to look at it, but can't bring themselves to tear it down. They go about their daily routines with shoulders hunched and gazes averted. They jump at motions in the corners of their eyes. What alien intelligence was responsible for this structure? What does it want from them? How did it compromise their drone? Where is it now? Nobody knows what to do. Nobody sleeps well.
Mood: -Suspicious +Terrified

THE NUMBERS:

SpoilerShow

Supplies:
10 Food (-1/turn)
4 Plasticarbon (+5/turn)

You currently have 2.4 kW of power generated by
Solar Array
Solar Array (Jury-rigged)
Powered:
3 Compact Algae Tanks (1.2 kW)
Ansible (Send Mode: 800 W)
Unpowered:
2 Compact Scouting Drones (Requires 200 W ea)
1 Construction Drone (Requires 200 W)
1 Compact Algae Tank (Requires 400 W)
Unused:
400 W

Algae Tanks are generating:
A: Offline for Maintenance
B: Food (4 units/Turn)
C: Plasticarbon (5 units/Turn)
D: Food (4 units/Turn)

Population:
9/20
Consuming 9 food units/Turn

SpoilerShow

Never mind, forget what I said last time. Above the map reflects what's up at the beginning of the turn, not the end. Except when it doesn't.
Heck, I don't know. I'll keep playing it by ear or something. Maybe it'll be clear from context.

>Tom: Tell Shiva that maybe a bit more communication would be better next time.

>Colonists: Erect a wall/tarp around the perfectly ordinary flagpole mysterious alien obelisk so you don't have to look at it.

> Build biogas powerplant that can turn excess algae & food waste (& other decompostible biomass) into baseload power
>Burn the algae

Well exterior interference is proven and creepy.

Shiva hasn't really done anything to deserve that kind of suspicion.

(Yes, yes he has . It doesn't matter if it was begnin, he could just have /asked/ for the plasticarbon rather than efectively stealing it in the most shadyv and suspicious way possible. Hiding things lead to faulty assumptions and miscomunicatios. Misscomunication leads to paranoia which is litterlay the worst thing that could happen in already tense situation.)

I know some of the others have some hang-ups about me, that they think I'm not qualified to be here just because my background's in art more than it's in science

(Or y'know because he's been acting shady and has been setting production back ?
Hs not some random scapegoat and his background has nothig to do with this, it's about complet lack of discipline and common sense.)

-Anywaaay, power the new tank, plasticarbon production. Next turn we can build another solar pannel which mean we will finaly a stable power production even if the jurry rigged one give out.

If we could get a couple of turns without some random drawback we could back to being somwhat on track. (I wouldn' bet on it but it'd be nice)

-And might as well send someone working on the batteries project, sure. Dunno if we'll be able to build them anytime soon but having the option is good.

-Put a tarp over the damn pillar for now. One person /may/ study it at a time (even if just to know what it's made off, plasticarbon ? If yes then we know where that one missing plasticarbon went) but only for limited shifts.

-For now space isn't that much a concern, might as well pick any dirrection. West as good as any.

When, WHEN, we have decent plasticarbon production (by which I mean at least 20 a turn minimum) AND astable power to spare (so that mean not a new pannel but also replacing the jury riged one at least) we might consider replacing compact tanks with small ones which for the size on one building offer a better production. But since for now they offer less than the production of two compact tanks for the same cost in platicarbon, they just aren't feasible right now

-I will ask aagan, what is the rate we can expect to recycle plasticarbon from older construction if we wanted to use it to build new ones ?

-Also, hmm what are the people in the expedition going to eat. Have they taken some rations or half rains with them because then shouldn't our food reserve have diminished by a whooping 5 rather than 1 this turn ?

> Build biogas powerplant that can turn excess algae & food waste (& other decompostible biomass) into baseload power

While that's a good idea, it's not one for now.
We don't have that much excess food to spare. In fact we are losing food slowly. We're barely suficient on food, plasticarbon and energy alike. So for now we'd better stick to solar pannels since there's plenty of sunlight to go aaround that cost us nothing.

(Also seeing as fuel power plant is alreay a potential blueprint, I think a structure /add on that transform excess organic matter into biofuel that can be used on top of tank grown said power plant would be more convenient.)

>Future building projects should expand west.
Unfortunately, much of it will be near the edge for now, especially until we can properly scout. Let's stay wary and think about a fence at a later date. Our colonists are generally trained enough not to fall off in some random mishap, but in the event of a struggle, I can honestly see it happening.

>Tom: Shiva isn't out here for nothing. As they said, they're not exactly an idiot.
Even if you're going to make sure you emphasize communication as key, apologize. Shiva's still your friend. You just... aren't always good at talking to people. Most folks seem to have a knack for casual conversation, but the memo always missed you.

>Medic: Find something troubling and confusing.

TURN 10

Colony Mood:
Terrified

Construction Drone: IDLE
Compact Scouting Drone: MISSING
Compact Scouting Drone: IDLE

Projects:
Analyze Mold: Complete!
Build Compact Algae Tank: Complete!
Design Deep-Cycle Battery Array: Complete!
Rescue the Biologist: ??? Turns

SpoilerShow

DEEP-CYCLE BATTERY ARRAY
(20 Plasticarbon, 5 Post-transition Metals)
A cluster of batteries that will charge from the colony's power grid. They can later be deliberately drained for a temporary power boost, either to increase power capacity for a short while, or to buy time in case of an emergency power failure.
Charge time: 2 Turns
Discharge time: 1 Turn
Capacity: 1.2 kW

The lights flicker and go dark. A moment later, they brighten up again. The colonists, already on edge, are severely spooked for a moment before they realize it's just the jury-rigged solar array faulting out, but thanks in part to Tom's meditation training, they keep their calm and focus well enough to avoid any accidents - this time. The solar panel, for its part, resumes functioning - for now.

Mio, tired of all the colonists' jumpiness, throws a tarp over the alien construction. That hardly makes it go away or anything, but at least they don't have to look at its bizarre, unearthly form whenever they step outside, which helps a little bit. They should probably decide what else to do about it, though, and soon.
Mood: -Terrified, +Unsettled

The colonists finish their analysis of the mold as best they can without the biologist. What they find unnerves them: The mold doesn't resemble any sort of Earth mold they have on catalogue. Its structure, examined up close, is angular and complex, its individual strands forking and weaving together into a tiered, self-similar network. The strands shimmer with a metallic sheen. The colonists are forced to examine it in the tank where it presumably grew, because none of their efforts can break it or shift it from its position. They can't even take a sample for chemical analysis. They might be able to learn more if they had a proper lab to work from, or if a specialist with subject matter expertise took a look.

It seems tank A will have to remain offline for the forseeable future. Unless the colonists have any clever ideas for dealing with this mysterious problem.

Fortunately, the construction drone has just finished building Compact Algae Tank E as a replacement. The colonists set the new tank to generate plasticarbon for the moment.

There's room for one more compact algae tank next to the newly-built one, or another storage crate. There's also room next to Compact Storage Crate A. The colonists resolve to start their next non-compact build project to the west, although there isn't much space next to the big mound of rocks there. Too bad they don't have a way to clear away those rocks. They also discuss the merits of recycling unused buildings for plasticarbon and space. If they want to do that, they'll need to design and build some kind of equipment for it.

The ansible crackles to life!

MESSAGE RECEIVED. DROP POD EN ROUTE.
ETA: 5 TURNS

The rescue party finds something: While walking around a dune of regolith, the medic stubs their toe on what proves to be the missing scouting drone. The drone shows heavy signs of damage, but appears to be in the process of returning to the colony, though it was half-buried in asteroid dust and several of its wheels had jammed. Strapped to its back is a wrapped bundle of cloth cut from a colony spacesuit. Closer inspection reveals this to be an entire sleeve, roughly hewn from its suit just above the elbow, with a glove still attached at the cuff.

After helping the geologist clean the vomit from their helmet in a hastily-errected pressure tent, the rescue party cuts open the frozen cloth to find - instead of the dismembered arm they expected - several harvested ice stalks shoved into it. The rescue party doesn't have the equipment to thaw the stalks.

The medic pulls Tom and Shiva aside while the geologist is recovering from their shock and quietly points out to them the obvious: If they weren't already expecting the worst, they should now. Whatever compelled the biologist to cut off their own arm, they can't have survived for long after that.

"This expedition is pointless," they say. "We should stop now before anyone else gets hurt."

Tom asks why the medic is pulling them aside like this and not talking to the geologist, too.

"They're taking the loss very hard," the medic says of the geologist. "Harder than they're showing. This is a very personal matter for them. I'm not sure they're capable of applying good judgement. I'll need your help to persuade them to give up on-"

"Who says we're giving up?" asks Shiva.

"But-"

"I'll help you keep an eye on them, but I won't help you to talk them into turning back. I know things look grim. I realize this expedition is also dangerous for the four of us. But if there's the slightest chance..."

Tom nods agreement. The medic looks frustrated. "Fine," they say, "but when someone else goes space-crazy and starts removing limbs, don't come running to me."

"Well," points out Shiva, "given that you're the medic, I should think that if I did lose a limb, you're the one who-"

The medic rolls their eyes and turns away. "Can it," they say. "Just help me figure out what to do with this thing." They indicate the broken drone. "We shouldn't leave it here, but we can't very well bring it with us, and we don't have the tools we need to repair it."


Tom wants to apologize to Shiva, or maybe just chew them out for being a bad communicator, but they still haven't found the right moment. You have to find the right moment for these sorts of things. Can't just open your mouth and start saying stuff, that never goes well.

THE NUMBERS:

SpoilerShow

Supplies:
9 Food (-1/turn)
9 Plasticarbon (+5/turn)

You currently have 2.4 kW of power generated by
Solar Array
Solar Array (Jury-rigged)
Powered:
4 Compact Algae Tanks (1.6 kW)
Unpowered:
Ansible (Send Mode requires 800 W)
2 Compact Scouting Drones (Requires 200 W ea)
1 Construction Drone (Requires 200 W)
1 Compact Algae Tank (Requires 400 W)
Unused:
800 W

Algae Tanks are generating:
A: Offline for Maintenance
B: Food (4 units/Turn)
C: Plasticarbon (5 units/Turn)
D: Food (4 units/Turn)
E: Plasticarbon (5 units/Turn)

Population:
9/20
Consuming 9 food units/Turn

>Izvor, the biologist: Don't be dead.

>Tom: Continue waiting for a good moment.
It'll come. It'll come. It always comes eventually. You discovered after years of anxiety that you're allowed to wait, and you don't need to stress over it.
Besides: the biologist is of higher priority.

As Archivist, you start a small journal, trying to sum up what's been going on so far as you expedite:

Entry 1Show

None of this was thought out well.

A decade's training and so much stress and hardship-- thought it would prepare me, thought it would remove the stress from this part. But it just gets worse. Whether a collective decision or one person in particular, coming here now with the resources we had was a mistake. Not only is morale being shaken, but even I, clued-out extraordinaire, feel the tension. We barely got food production to manageable levels. We barely got power production to manageable levels.

Sometimes I feel like the only person not qualified to be here. OK-- maybe Shiva, too. Sorry. But I meant mentally, and at least he seems to have some emotional hold over the situation. I'm having trouble figuring out if what I'm doing cycle-to-cycle is wrong. We're on a search for the biologist, lost on the asteroid, and came across Izvor's arm, or... something near to it. Ice instead of flesh in a suit's arm. Shiva resisted call for us to head back, and I went along with it. Seemed right at the time. Why's he got so much more drive than me?

It's selfish to think, 'is this my fault?', instead of, 'can I fix this?' Every other trained person here seems to have the latter. I feel trending towards the former sometimes. I wish I could call my therapist. I wish I could stop brooding and feeling terrible. I wish I could apologize to Shiva for accusing him of whatever terrible thing I thought he did, but there's this mental block... physical, mental, all manners of painful to try and push past.

Pray tell I'm still alive for the next entry. The way things are out here, I have this nagging worry. Fight or flight response. I'm not a fighter. I'm not a fighter...

>Non-specialist colonist at base named Reman: Have a nightmare.

Hmm... so the mold has a bizarre, angular structure, a series of strands twisting together into a cohesive, self-similar whole... hmm, doesn't that sound an awful lot like the alien obelisk that appeared around the exact same time?!!?

That arm makes no sense. Whether they cut off their arm or just the sleeve, what was the point of sending it back to the base full of ordinary icicles? And again, whether they cut the arm or the sleeve, would they risk depressurization and loss of temperature control by doing so?

Also, the biologist is not named Izvor. Seriously.

(One plasticarbpn away from making a new solar aray which would let us make a new solar pannel which wouldlet us make support more tanks, 1.
But because we're one short we're going to have to wait one more turn of haf rations and the risk our jurry rigged solar will give on us. Bit frustrating.)

>Next turn spend 10 plasticarbon for a new solar pannel
(btw shouldn't that be +10 plasticarbon per turn in the numbers now ?)

(then the turn after that, build another compact algae tank which will be put on plasticarbon, then same for the turn after and then one more solar array (to replace the broken one), two more anks on food duty (finally decent rations for everyone) and we will have a funtcional colony as well as enouh plasticarbon to get started on more expensive projct like the bateries, the radar, the common room and so on....)

>Well, well that mold might actaly be genuinely alien, this is... actualy kind of great.
Tank A needs to stay on alien mold duty but should be moved away from other tanks to avoid further contamination.

>Without giving up, the group, or one or two members of it at least, should go back to camp with the broken drone, see if there's any images that can be salvaged from it's memory banks and then knowing what to expect, go again but better equiped (like say with extra rations and a tool to taw ice)

That arm makes no sense. Whether they cut off their arm or just the sleeve, what was the point of sending it back to the base full of ordinary icicles?

"Ordinary icicles" are kind of important since they mean there's water on the asteroid we're on (good for the long term, wter recycling systems no matter hhow advanced will only last for so ong and otherwise we'd have to hope we could ever make our ship work and go mine some other asteroids which is alot of ifs for something so vital). And maybe there's more to this. Maybe there's something IN the water they wanted to warn/show us about.

Hence why the importance of geting those samples back to camp alongside the drone

(... Although the fact these icicles didn't boil into vapor then freeze back intoa cloud of ice crystals as it would in space sort of make me wonder what the temperature and pression conditions are on this words suface exactly...

In fat that might be a good thing to know in general for futue planning purposes. can we get an answer on this, chief?)

Also googling it, Izvor is a totaly legit serbo croatian word for souce/spring. Not much used as a name as far as I can tell.

My thoughts:

SpoilerShow

On the potential power crisis:
We don't necessarily need to build batteries right away. They require additional resources that, from what I can tell, we don't know how to get, and the GFP is probably sending us at least one. It will take a lot more work to build a battery than just wait for one to arrive, and in that time, we can just fix the solar array proper.

On gathering additional resources:
To build a battery, we need post-transition metals. According to the regolith analysis on turn 2, we have Andalusite, which contains Aluminum, which is a post-transition metal. So we need to build some sort of refinery to get those resources. An oscillator crystal for the radar tower, like quartz for example, could theoretically be made from silicon and oxygen. Both of these elements can also be found in the regolith. There is a chance we can get all that through mining as well.

On building space:
We just gots to tear out those rocks to the west, unless we just want to build plain on top of them, which won't be easy. We can probably build a bulldozer of some sort to clear away rocks quickly, or we can start the perhaps slower process of mining and get some resources to boot. We COULD recycle old buildings, but it may be worth expanding the buildings we already have. Building the radar tower on top of one of the domes, for example, would save plasticarbon. And we mustn't forget about a52's hallway idea; I think it's a really good one.

On the mold in Algae Tank A:
That mold needs to be contained. Cut out a piece of the tank if we must; we can recycle the rest of the tank for more resources, or simply rebuild it. We need to know how this mold spreads if at all, how it grows, how it affects what it grows on, how toxic it might be, its chemical makeup, if it's safe to bring indoors, and so forth. Someone ought to look at the blueprint for more details, and get that shit contained.

On the Biologist:
He's gone, my dudes. Whatever did that to him and the scouting drone can do it to the rest of the expeditioners also. We need to cut our losses now and go home before we lose someone else. We can hope that he'll show up again later, but finding the rest of him now is NOT worth more casualties. Come back to the base immediately. Keep watch on that ice, also - I have a very strong suspicion that whatever is in these icicles is more of that mold, and we ought to keep our distance until we know more.

On building a lab:
Just convert one of the habitation domes to a lab. We have the space for living, and we need to analyze this mold proper ASAP. If anything is an emergency right now, it's this.

On the alien spire:
This should be destroyed and recycled for resources. We have the blueprints, and we don't need a physical structure to analyze it, probably.

On storage space:
The radar tower will take a whopping 35 plasticarbon to build, and we only have storage capacity for 30 units. We need more storage crates, for plasticarbon, food, AND the stuff we will probably mine soon. Although we are close to building some other structures we may want, at 10 plasticarbon per turn, we will have enough in the long term.

My suggested course of action, from most to least important:
- Build a mining drone if we can. If not, just fix the damn solar array.
- Design a lab, to occupy one of the prefab shelters.
- Have the other drone aid in pushing the busted one back to base with possible help from the expeditioners as they return. Prioritize getting everyone back to base safely, while keeping the busted drone within sight.
- Design a bulldozer for clearing away land quickly.
- Build a storage crate.
- Design a refinery for rapidly extracting resources from regolith and rubble.
- Design ways to combine buildings.

SpoilerShow

I'm having loooots of fun reading this. The strange events have been excellently timed and written.

Design suggestion: If you put the headers in the numbers tab in bold, it would be much easier to read and distinguish powered from unpowered devices.

That arm makes no sense. Whether they cut off their arm or just the sleeve, what was the point of sending it back to the base full of ordinary icicles?

"Ordinary icicles" are kind of important since they mean there's water on the asteroid we're on (good for the long term, wter recycling systems no matter hhow advanced will only last for so ong and otherwise we'd have to hope we could ever make our ship work and go mine some other asteroids which is alot of ifs for something so vital). And maybe there's more to this. Maybe there's something IN the water they wanted to warn/show us about.

It could just be frozen methane or CO₂, although whatever it is, you're right in that it's a bit strange it could form the liquid necessary to make icicle-like structures.

Seawyrm, for the battery storage, I think you meant something like 1.2 kW turns. kW are a measure of energy/time, so a battery can't really store that.

Seawyrm:
For now the only thing that require another sourcethe metal that drone would be used to get that plasticarbon is the batteries.
The batteries cost 20 plasticarbon and 5 metals to o10 plasticarbon or a sollar pannl
The batteries can only store power whch we still need genrator to produce in the first place.
The drone would need power to operate.

However you look at it, right now building the batteries (which we can't anyway due to not having the metals) and the mining drone is a lower priority as building two more solar pannels would fix our power crisis in chaper and more efficient manner.

Also I don't think we can even build drones by ourselves. We'd need to ask them from Earth and we jsut already send them a request. Might beagood idea not to be to needy.

I agre it will be necessary laater tho.
But for now I think the best build order is:

Right now with two aquariums onplasticarbon production (at last) we produce 10 per turn so

-Next turn t+1)=
Bbuild a solar array immediatly
(-10 plasticarbon, 9 remains, +10 next turn.
+1.2 kW
Even if the jurry rigged solar pannel give up , we're breaking equal)

Turn T+2:
Build new tank.
(-10 plasticarbon)
Now the most efficient thing to do would be to put it on platicarbon production but morale has been pretty low and we are slowly loosing one food per trun so we might ave to put it on food imediatly to avoid a food/morale crisis
Build some new storage crate (-5 plasticarbon, 4 remaining)
Augment storage for our plasticrbon production

T+3: Another compact tank but on plasticarbon/food, the opposit the last one (we're now at +15 per turn)

-T+4:
Build another solar array
(-10 plasticarbon, 9 remains, +10 next turn
+1.2 kW
We finaly have spare power hurray. If the jurry rigged solar array hasn't given up yet, recycle it we don't need anymore)
Build another storage crate becuse we never know when we'll need some more storage space and it cost almost nothing.

After that we can finaly get cooking on new stuff which will be nice.

If we want to be /really/ secure for power we could go for a compact tank to grow fuel and then a fuel generator that way even if for some reason the solar pannels were disabled, we'd still have power from that.
Then the mining drone and the batteries for extra security

If we want to go for better morale, we can finaly go on hydroponics and the meeting room.

If we want to upgrade production maybe start looking into making small tanks to replace our compact tanks and the mining drones.

If we want to go for research, the radar and take more interest into that mold.
etc, etc...

But anyway all that need at least 4 to 5 borring turns of building power and prodution. and that's assuming no drawbacks

If there are no threats out there, I would agree that that is a good plan. But, if something attacks us (and I would not be surprised if we were), then suddenly we need to work on defense in addition to resource management, and that means getting the radar tower up right away.

That, and all those buildings are going to take up a lot of space - and I am NOT comfortable having buildings anywhere near that ice field.

I have a sinking feeling that we're not going to be seeing stability any time soon. Besides, that keeps things interesting.

Well the thing is, even if we wanted to build the radar now, at 35 plasticarbon to build and 1.2 kW to run, it would still take an extra solar power and four turn atleast of economising resource ( three turn at +10 for the radar itself and 1 turn for the extra solar array that'd be needed) to have the plasticarbon and power to build and run it anyway
... So, unless we get some extra free plasticarbon somehow (what, sometime random stuff can be good, I hope. And there's alway recycling), we might as well build production and hope for the best. When we get at 20 plasticarbon production and +2.4 kW we will be able to build most project in one, two turn tops.

As of thing likely not going more peacefull, well.... there's is a lot that can go wrong even if there is nothing outside:
-More contamination from that mold, set back prodction
-Another asteroid fall way too close and crush things (or worse people)
-Someone else does something incredibly stupid.
-More likely the declining food supply and morale and serious risk of someone getting cuckoo...

But theres not much we can really do to prevent any of this with the limited options we have right now so we'll have to deal with any of these situation when/if they happen.
Let's hope things don't get too interesting too fast, is all :p

Food will be an issue.

This adventure is thrilling. It has suspense and unidentified somethings!

Regarding the MoldShow

What if the mold is not a mold, but rather, just a really strange mineral. The geologist could have more insight on this subject. Since we're without a lab at the moment, we could start guessing what it may have by the data and observations we currently have. First of all, the color of stuff is a great indication of its composition.

SpoilerShow

Stuff with iron are often red, with copper are green, blue or teal, and chromium is with probably lots of color but I confidently know that it makes vibrant reds. If we consider organic chemicals, that would may have been dissolved by the growth from the algae tank which I think is made of plasticarbon, which is clearly an organic material, then we can add on a multiplitude of organic pigments that the lumps may have, more especially if the growth is a living organism, which may or may not be true and it could be just a product or corrosion.

Don't take my word too deep at heart for I am not an expert in this field at all and I'm just blindly rambling. It is, however, not to be dismissed and should be taken to account. Until confirmed, observed, and identified in a lab and a qualified person, we can only guess for now. Maybe we should archive our finding of this strange thing as "Algae Tank Anomaly #1."

Yeah we should start designing some labs, especially since we have that chunk of dubious ice. We may also need to design a medbay (do we have that or not?). Food seems to be problematically declining. We'll need to fix that. We may need to start producing tools and chemicals like antibiotics, proteins, and vitamins soon. Our colonists can't possibly be living on algae mush forever.

As for the obelisk of plasticarbon... I'm compelled to say to keep it for now. I'm not sure if the blueprints on itself will be indicative of what's it's supposed to be. But the structure is unfinished, unsettles the colonists, and has no apparent benefit or effect, and therefore, it would probably be best to scrap it. I fear that it may be of malicious nature.

Mold could be part mineral, yes which would explain it's hardness but that wouldn't explain it's sudden growth.
Also as of the color, there are red vegetal pigments.

When we have a lab we can anayse it in more details. In fact if it can grow, is hard and has no adverse effect on human biology.. it could make an interesting building material on top of plasticarbon.

Problem is, right now building a lab is like the radar, even if we had the resource to build it, we'd lack the power to run it. e can still get someone on designing the plans for it, tho.

As for the obelisk of plasticarbon... I'm compelled to say to keep it for now. I'm not sure if the blueprints on itself will be indicative of what's it's supposed to be. But the structure is unfinished, unsettles the colonists, and has no apparent benefit or effect, and therefore, it would probably be best to scrap it. I fear that it may be of malicious nature.

(Couldn't it just be Shiva flagpole in truth. ?

As he mentioned he built it without authorisation ( he took the plastocarbon from the tank as caught by camera and programed the construction drone) and used topological repport to make sure it would use as little plasticarbon as it can which explain the strange architecture.

But of course only Shiva and Tom know that and because they are both idiots bad comunicants, our other colonist at home are panicking over nothing. If that's the case that is.

If it genuinely alien, I'd rather keep it for futher study. I mean i's a first contact artifact, it's value is just.. incredible.)

(Couldn't it just be Shiva flagpole in truth. ?

As he mentioned he built it without authorisation ( he took the plastocarbon from the tank as caught by camera and programed the construction drone) and used topological repport to make sure it would use as little plasticarbon as it can which explain the strange architecture.

But of course only Shiva and Tom know that and because they are both idiots bad comunicants, our other colonist at home are panicking over nothing. If that's the case that is.

If it genuinely alien, I'd rather keep it for futher study. I mean i's a first contact artifact, it's value is just.. incredible.)

Then we should move it somewhere where it is not the first thing the colonists see when they wake up in the morning if we wish to keep it. They find it creepy. While I have no doubts that moving it away from instant sight will alleviate the mood of the colonists, but I do not believe that the unsettlement will truly go away, but I can see everything getting better.

>Martha: Live damnit live

>Archivist Tom: Admit personal feelings of suspicion, as they were unfounded. copying the structure of the mold and using it for a flagpole to conserve resources is actually really clever. You just worried that if the truth was grim, it would have been better to have privacy and work on how to bring it up with others.
>Medic Sedna: Ok Ok we get it everyone has personal memories and wants this all to go well. Was it not obvious from the get-go that Shiva wouldn't be growing space weed the first chance we got? They're the exact person who would find a time to put weed in an asteroid's hydroponic bay. Think of the selling rate of weed grown on an asteroid.

>Other colonists: Connect the mold to the flag pole in structure. Maybe consider what would happen if you tried to rig algae to take on the properties of biopaint and remain edible. The mold must have been a bioengineering project between the biologist and the artist to have excess rations be usable as biopaint. Examining it should still be done, but the truth is probably just mundane.
>Also can we put forth the motion to upgrade the landing pod with wheels so it can be moved like a mobile walker? Extending drone radius by day, and coming back later. Like the early step of turning it into a mobile drone hub. Next step would be it's own dedicated micro-solar sourcing so that cables aren't necessary. Then changing it's shape just a bit for drone storage.

>Next turn spend 10 plasticarbon for a new solar pannel
(btw shouldn't that be +10 plasticarbon per turn in the numbers now ?)

(then the turn after that, build another compact algae tank which will be put on plasticarbon, then same for the turn after and then one more solar array (to replace the broken one), two more anks on food duty (finally decent rations for everyone) and we will have a funtcional colony as well as enouh plasticarbon to get started on more expensive projct like the bateries, the radar, the common room and so on....)

>Well, well that mold might actaly be genuinely alien, this is... actualy kind of great.
Tank A needs to stay on alien mold duty but should be moved away from other tanks to avoid further contamination.

>Without giving up, the group, or one or two members of it at least, should go back to camp with the broken drone, see if there's any images that can be salvaged from it's memory banks and then knowing what to expect, go again but better equiped (like say with extra rations and a tool to taw ice)

>More or less agreed
>Geologist, try to rig up the broken drone to transmit a message back to base. Set a rendezvous where a drone send out with resupply, and the broken drone is taken back for repairs. Another rendezvouz at the same site is guaranteed in the next period they are needed. Two members split off for pickup, and come back to the group. Assume that the arm is being sent back, and possibly exchanged for tools.

My thoughts:

SpoilerShow

On the potential power crisis:
We don't necessarily need to build batteries right away. They require additional resources that, from what I can tell, we don't know how to get, and the GFP is probably sending us at least one. It will take a lot more work to build a battery than just wait for one to arrive, and in that time, we can just fix the solar array proper.

On gathering additional resources:
To build a battery, we need post-transition metals. According to the regolith analysis on turn 2, we have Andalusite, which contains Aluminum, which is a post-transition metal. So we need to build some sort of refinery to get those resources. An oscillator crystal for the radar tower, like quartz for example, could theoretically be made from silicon and oxygen. Both of these elements can also be found in the regolith. There is a chance we can get all that through mining as well.

On building space:
We just gots to tear out those rocks to the west, unless we just want to build plain on top of them, which won't be easy. We can probably build a bulldozer of some sort to clear away rocks quickly, or we can start the perhaps slower process of mining and get some resources to boot. We COULD recycle old buildings, but it may be worth expanding the buildings we already have. Building the radar tower on top of one of the domes, for example, would save plasticarbon. And we mustn't forget about a52's hallway idea; I think it's a really good one.

On the mold in Algae Tank A:
That mold needs to be contained. Cut out a piece of the tank if we must; we can recycle the rest of the tank for more resources, or simply rebuild it. We need to know how this mold spreads if at all, how it grows, how it affects what it grows on, how toxic it might be, its chemical makeup, if it's safe to bring indoors, and so forth. Someone ought to look at the blueprint for more details, and get that shit contained.

On the Biologist:
He's gone, my dudes. Whatever did that to him and the scouting drone can do it to the rest of the expeditioners also. We need to cut our losses now and go home before we lose someone else. We can hope that he'll show up again later, but finding the rest of him now is NOT worth more casualties. Come back to the base immediately. Keep watch on that ice, also - I have a very strong suspicion that whatever is in these icicles is more of that mold, and we ought to keep our distance until we know more.

On building a lab:
Just convert one of the habitation domes to a lab. We have the space for living, and we need to analyze this mold proper ASAP. If anything is an emergency right now, it's this.

On the alien spire:
This should be destroyed and recycled for resources. We have the blueprints, and we don't need a physical structure to analyze it, probably.

On storage space:
The radar tower will take a whopping 35 plasticarbon to build, and we only have storage capacity for 30 units. We need more storage crates, for plasticarbon, food, AND the stuff we will probably mine soon. Although we are close to building some other structures we may want, at 10 plasticarbon per turn, we will have enough in the long term.

My suggested course of action, from most to least important:
- Build a mining drone if we can. If not, just fix the damn solar array.
- Design a lab, to occupy one of the prefab shelters.
- Have the other drone aid in pushing the busted one back to base with possible help from the expeditioners as they return. Prioritize getting everyone back to base safely, while keeping the busted drone within sight.
- Design a bulldozer for clearing away land quickly.
- Build a storage crate.
- Design a refinery for rapidly extracting resources from regolith and rubble.
- Design ways to combine buildings.

SpoilerShow

I'm having loooots of fun reading this. The strange events have been excellently timed and written.

Design suggestion: If you put the headers in the numbers tab in bold, it would be much easier to read and distinguish powered from unpowered devices.

>Agreed on Power
>Consider adaptations to the construction drone be used for mining, or at least carving and transporting blocks


>Designate an ansible message in ascii format of the base
~~XXXXXI
RRXXXX~~
RRXXXX~~
~XXXX~~~
This is an approximated map of the base
~ empty,Xoccupiedbase,I-icefield,R-rock
Use any designated ~ space for drops
Please coordinate from last drop metrics

>Observe how the mold functions in the vacuum, aka cut out parts of the tank to leave it outside

Personally I think the ice-cicles are just the rod-protrusions from the ice patch, and it may be a europa-like scenario. chemical reactions ongoing in the core of the asteroid, and water sits as the outer layer, rarely causing venting blasts which compromise spikes after vents end.
I think they're being sent back as samples for study. What if the biologist wanted to prove their claim and decided they could work with just 1 active arm, and the other contained in a sealed suit. Inefficient, but possible. Unless they cannibalized.

>Yeah everyone left at the base can just stay in one or two habitation modules. Let's retrofit it to function as a lab.

>The spire should not be deconstructed for now. It should be considered that the highly similar nature of both results in materials imitating life. It should be melted down more or less before reuse.

Furthermore the 'alien' nature of the mold if it's not a byproduct should be considered as something that exists from microspores in asteroid rings. Clinging to ice vents like this and forming where it can. It could have clung to a suit passing from habitat and into the algae and found our source of high liquid.
If that's an issue we should probably consider a sort of cleaning drone for the algael pools. Melts off and melts down the mold.


edit:

>I fucking love smuchmuch's blueprint

So for now, our missing bioogist and resource production are the more importnt issue but in case the building space becomes an issue in the future, assuming we manage to get some decent plasticarbon production and/or mining going, I have to ask:

Besides the 2D pixal graphic art and the incresed resource costs is there a reason we couldn't build buildings with multiple floors ?
(I would assume gravity is likely inferior to earth considering, weight is likely less of an issue and Shiva use of the moss topology actualy give us a clever idea to create biger building for lesser resource costs)

Somethng like thatShow

Going for the basis that a full on one story habitat cost twenty plasticarbon. I'm gonna say 30 to 40 plasticarbon seems a reasonable estimation for the basic infrastructure
Adding 1*
0 for the solar power array and 10 for the compact tank, I think the whole thing could cost like between 50 to 60 plasticarbon (not counting the actual modules in each floors)
Expensive but seeing as we'd get basicaly the utility of 4 buildings for the surface place of one/one and a half, that'd be a way to save space.

My thoughts:

SpoilerShow

On the potential power crisis:
We don't necessarily need to build batteries right away. They require additional resources that, from what I can tell, we don't know how to get, and the GFP is probably sending us at least one. It will take a lot more work to build a battery than just wait for one to arrive, and in that time, we can just fix the solar array proper.

On gathering additional resources:
To build a battery, we need post-transition metals. According to the regolith analysis on turn 2, we have Andalusite, which contains Aluminum, which is a post-transition metal. So we need to build some sort of refinery to get those resources. An oscillator crystal for the radar tower, like quartz for example, could theoretically be made from silicon and oxygen. Both of these elements can also be found in the regolith. There is a chance we can get all that through mining as well.

On building space:
We just gots to tear out those rocks to the west, unless we just want to build plain on top of them, which won't be easy. We can probably build a bulldozer of some sort to clear away rocks quickly, or we can start the perhaps slower process of mining and get some resources to boot. We COULD recycle old buildings, but it may be worth expanding the buildings we already have. Building the radar tower on top of one of the domes, for example, would save plasticarbon. And we mustn't forget about a52's hallway idea; I think it's a really good one.

On the mold in Algae Tank A:
That mold needs to be contained. Cut out a piece of the tank if we must; we can recycle the rest of the tank for more resources, or simply rebuild it. We need to know how this mold spreads if at all, how it grows, how it affects what it grows on, how toxic it might be, its chemical makeup, if it's safe to bring indoors, and so forth. Someone ought to look at the blueprint for more details, and get that shit contained.

On the Biologist:
He's gone, my dudes. Whatever did that to him and the scouting drone can do it to the rest of the expeditioners also. We need to cut our losses now and go home before we lose someone else. We can hope that he'll show up again later, but finding the rest of him now is NOT worth more casualties. Come back to the base immediately. Keep watch on that ice, also - I have a very strong suspicion that whatever is in these icicles is more of that mold, and we ought to keep our distance until we know more.

On building a lab:
Just convert one of the habitation domes to a lab. We have the space for living, and we need to analyze this mold proper ASAP. If anything is an emergency right now, it's this.

On the alien spire:
This should be destroyed and recycled for resources. We have the blueprints, and we don't need a physical structure to analyze it, probably.

On storage space:
The radar tower will take a whopping 35 plasticarbon to build, and we only have storage capacity for 30 units. We need more storage crates, for plasticarbon, food, AND the stuff we will probably mine soon. Although we are close to building some other structures we may want, at 10 plasticarbon per turn, we will have enough in the long term.

My suggested course of action, from most to least important:
- Build a mining drone if we can. If not, just fix the damn solar array.
- Design a lab, to occupy one of the prefab shelters.
- Have the other drone aid in pushing the busted one back to base with possible help from the expeditioners as they return. Prioritize getting everyone back to base safely, while keeping the busted drone within sight.
- Design a bulldozer for clearing away land quickly.
- Build a storage crate.
- Design a refinery for rapidly extracting resources from regolith and rubble.
- Design ways to combine buildings.

SpoilerShow

I'm having loooots of fun reading this. The strange events have been excellently timed and written.

Design suggestion: If you put the headers in the numbers tab in bold, it would be much easier to read and distinguish powered from unpowered devices.

Seconding all of this.