Legacy

You are Maintainer Halley Wildner, of the Worldship "Dauntless". You and a handful of other Maintainers and Cultivators are assigned to the Agronomy Sector on Ring Alpha, Deck 2. If this was your average workday, you'd be walking through a towering chrome forest of Algae Vats right now; checking for leaks, broken systems, filtration problems, and stuff like that. If you found an issue, you'd either fix it yourself, or log the problem with your supervisor so someone else could.

Of course, you don't really want to think about work right now. You're kind of in the middle of a... coffee break? A friendly lunch date? Possibly even a... Date date?

You really should've cleared that up earlier. You're too embarrassed to ask, now. But, since this is a maybe-date, naturally you decided to start talking about the big news in Politics. More specifically, the Lord Commander's public address, from earlier this morning...

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]I still can't believe it. The reports said this planet was perfect...[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]...almost perfect.[/box] [|] [/2x1]

A young woman with a dark security uniform and an athletic build sits opposite you at the Mess Hall table. Meridy, your... good friend? She sips with deliberate calm at a cobalt-blue glass mug of coffee, before returning it to the mismatched green saucer it was resting on.

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]That's just how the Stargazers word things. They're scientists, you know? They don't want to exaggerate.

But that's why, when their report also said this might be the best Candidate World we've seen in a century, you know they mean it. And now, Lord Stoyer wants us to forget about it? Just in case we can find somewhere just a little more perfect?[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]I'll admit, the footage from the surface looked awfully nice... but I'm sure the Lord Commander has reasons. Have a little faith. He's got the fate of everyone on the Worldship riding on his decision.[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Don't get me wrong, Meridy. I want to believe he's made the right choice here. But I swear, it's like the Royal Family are only going to be satisfied if the New Gaia is exactly like the old one.

...which, might I add, is statistically impossible.[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Spoken like a true egghead. Maybe you should've been a Stargazer, hon.[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]...what, and spend the 5 years I get to be out of Cryosleep crunching the math on raw astrometric data? I'll pass.

Besides, it feels good to do stuff with my hands.[/box][/2x1]

A wry smile creeps into Meridy's expression, and she looks like she's about to crack a joke. You wave your hands to cut her off, as your face starts to flush red.

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Whatever you were about to say, don't say it!

I like being a Maintainer. Doing little repairs, and solving little problems. It feels good to make things on the ship a bit better. That's what I meant![/box][/2x1]

Your face still feels warm, and you can tell you're still blushing a bit. Meridy pretends not to notice and takes another sip at her coffee, giving you a moment to compose yourself.

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Anyway Halley, I'm sorry this is how things worked out.

I know how excited you've been since we got to this star system, and the survey footage started coming in. But you know we can't be hasty here. We've got to wait for the right planet to come along, before we commit to making it our new homeworld.[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Sure, but we've been patient, haven't we? We've been hunting for a place to settle for at least a couple hundred years now.[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]And we're lucky we get to spend most of the trip in Cryosleep, if you ask me.

The Royal Family have had to stay awake all these years, responding to emergencies, keeping the Sleepers safe, and considering planets to settle on. If the current Lord Commander is willing to spend his life waiting for a better world for the rest of us to settle, don't you think we can afford to be patient for a few years?[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]I get all that. And I'm grateful to the Royals. And... I mean, patience is all good and fine too. But the problem is, we can't just keep going forever.

The Worldship is getting to be in really rough shape. We apparently used to be able to charge a star jump in hours, but these days it takes weeks. And it didn't used to fry any vital ship systems in the process either...[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Is this about that Life Support failure again? That wasn't even that bad. We just had to wear spacesuits for a few days.

I thought it was kinda fun.[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]...don't forget, we had to sleep in spacesuits. Which I'm pretty sure nobody found fun, except maybe you.

I mean, we're doing everything we can just to keep things running. It seems like every month we've got to scrap one subsystem to repair another. The ship's problems are only going to keep getting worse at this rate. And who knows how many more star jumps we've got left, until we get stranded somewhere?[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Halley...[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]My point is, too much patience could hurt everyone just as easy as too much haste. And I'm not sure we can afford to keep waiting for a planet perfect enough to be deigned worthy of the Royal Go-Ahead. You know?

There's a planet out there, right now. It may not be perfect, but by all accounts from people who know better than me, it's Good Enough. And with the way things are, this might be our last best option. Sometimes, you've got to settle on Good Enough.[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]I know you probably see a problem here, and want to fix it. I admire that.

But deciding where everyone should settle isn't our job, or our place. Your job is to keep the ship running, and mine is to keep the peace. That's the best way for us to keep everyone safe right now, don't you think?[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]I don't know if I agree with that, Meridy.[/box][/2x1]

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]...hmm?[/box] [|] [/2x1]

[2x1] [|] [box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Well, I don't disagree that our job is to keep everyone safe. And we obviously should all do our best to make sure the mission succeeds, in whatever ways we can. But, given the circumstances...

...don't you think there's more we should be doing?[/box][/2x1]

Meridy's coffee cup makes it halfway to her lips before she pauses, holding it in both hands. She gives you a look that's equal parts concerned and curious.

[2x1][box=https://solifuge.github.io/legacy/ui/text.png border=16]Oh? And just what do you think we should be doing here, hypothetically speaking?[/box] [|] [/2x1]

I mean, if you're just being hypothetical, a few things come to mind...

[2x1] [|] [box=#F96 size=full border=4]> Diplomacy. You could spread information to the crew about the state of the ship, and about this planet. If you build enough popular support, the Commander would surely change his mind about settling the planet, right?

> Subterfuge. It's desperate, but you could always just sabotage the Jump Drive. With no means to leave the system, you'd have no choice left but to settle in this system. Besides, with the way it's falling apart, it's a ticking time bomb anyway.

> Rebellion. If confidence in the Lord Commander's leadership is low enough, you could rally the Enforcers and the rest of the crew for a mutiny. Once you take command of the Worldship for yourselves, settling the planet would be easy.

> Independence. If the Royals refuse to settle here, but the crew want to... what's stopping you all from just leaving? If you gather enough supplies, volunteers, and transport shuttles, you could go ahead and settle the planet on your own.

> Maybe there's something else you could do, too...[/box][/2x1]