Voranitus

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. The Commonwealths tell that to all the new Venture recruits, whether they be the average Neoterics, or specialized Catalysts like myself. And well, that’s a cautionary warning for sure, but I've learned something a bit more teaching in practice. In the infinite vacuum of the cosmos, when it’s just you and your suit, only you can hear yourself scream…if you’re lucky that is. See, it’s the loneliness that can really kill you…saping the hope right out of you. Like, everyone knows that sound doesn't travel out there, but you can still send out a signal for help, right? And, well...you can scream at the top of your lungs all you want, but there's no guarantee that anyone can hear you outside of your suit. That suit could be literal, such as the advanced Walking Gear we wear, 'walkers' as we call them, or more metaphorical like your ship, or the damn planet you're marooned on. Regardless of the circumstances, there’s also less of a guarantee that when you send out a message, it'll even be received in time to save you. Like this, here? I've been on this planet for about a week now…I think, and I have no idea what’s going on out there.

Thanks to some quick thinking, I killed my life-support systems in time to channel enough fuel to get a distress signal out. Hopefully it’ll reach one of the nearest guilds, but I can't even tell if it successfully left this weird planet's space and gravity at all. Oh yeah, I’m monologuing again huh, so I guess it's time I record another journal entry. If they don't make it in time, they can at least find these little gems.

This is Venture Cat’ 4397, or Aevyn for those who know me. I've been on planet...Voranitus? Yeah...a planet...or, well...it’s actually both a planet and an anomaly at the same time, for about five days now…I think. As reported previously, this planet suffers from both spatial and gravitational dilation, so I don’t know if or when these messages will find anyone. Time dilation may therefore be a factor as well, but…I can’t exactly test that right now. I flew by here on my way to Tyranoscas to conduct a Pre-Contact assessment of that planetary system, when I was caught in the gravitational pull here. It felt like the sort of grip a black hole has, but less intense and more…violently abrupt. It sort of came out of nowhere, and I would have sworn this was just a small moon, until I got caught in its gravity and yanked in. But getting caught off guard wasn’t the issue here, as the pull seemed to…well, influence the new Nova Engine; somehow sapping my reserves and diminishing the fuel it could produce. Rather than waste any more energy and fight the pull, I dressed into my walker and diverted the remaining fuel into a wide-band Dark-Matter distress signal. I even purged my cargo to drop some mass and escape, but it didn't help at all.

Upon crashing, I was able to purge my last residual fuel into several Plasma batteries I had, which seemed to work out. My ship is the first to run a Nova Engine, but since it and Star Cores work off the same basic principles, I recommend not to use any Star Core enabled ships for rescue. Since Plasma Cores are older tech and don’t involve either the energy or byproducts of stars…well not directly…its complicated and I’m rambling again. Anyway, the air here is humid and feels strangely thick…its hard to describe, but it’s safely breathable, so I shut off my walker’s life support systems and diverted the fuel towards gravi-pressure management. The gravity here is far greater than that of most planets I’ve ever encountered, and it’s even higher than the safety-limit available for an unmodified walker. In addition to keeping the air intake unfiltered, I had to do some tweaks to make the suit manage the 23-times earth-gravity on this surface. It’s been quite some work just doing the day to day here, but at least there's both flora and fauna thriving here. Therefore, food is plenty, and luckily I discovered a type of vegetable that has coconut-like pods filled with drinkable water.

So far, I’ve been able to keep the ship’s Encrafter turned off, since I don’t need to waste fuel to make any food, drink, or other supplies...yet. Yesterday however, while expanding my perimeter, I noticed a nearby cave that I plan to investigate for shelter; to further save on fuel expenditure. This planet has three suns by the way, at varying orbits and distances from the planet, and it works out to a strange three-part cycle.

Most of the 'day' is hot and humid from the two primary suns, but then it’s followed by a span of time lasting about five hours where the third sun joins the others. The surface temperature therefore reaches…quite an unbearable point honestly. I refer to this period as the scorch hour, and even the local flora react to it accordingly. Some plants seem to bloom specifically during this span of time, while others shut down during this time. The flora and fauna so far is quite a fascinating sort of mix between rain forest and desert life, but anyway, after this scorch hour, the two initial suns fall below the horizon and allow the night to be gently illuminated by the more distant sun. Describing it, I’d say it feels like a very bright moon, and although its still warm, it’s the coolest part of the daily cycle.

I didn’t expect to be here for this long, so to further conserve my limited fuel, I hope to find a structure that provides me some shelter during the hottest parts of the day. Additionally, I have yet to encounter any large predatory fauna nearby, and I’d like to avoid damaging my ship any further. A Vector-Rider getting dinged up in a crash-landing is fine, but I’d like to avoid having it draw the attention of anything that can really do some damage to it. I’ve heard of the Rinomoths from Elpsion Gamma, and I’d like to avoid that if possible, so I covered it’s surface in foliage and have only the distress signal pinging…for if you guys even reach me. Anyway this is Aevyn, Venture Cat’ 4397, signing off and going on a little trip today...please find me.

I catch my breath and collect my thoughts, checking my available gear as I start my journey to that little gap in the cliff-side I found yesterday. With each step, I make further note of the fact that I feel…a little bit lighter than I did yesterday, and even more so compared to the day before that. I attribute it to being either me just getting used to this planet’s pull, or maybe the gravity varies from day to day? I’ve seen gravitational variation before with binary planets, and stars with unstable cores, but they’re not like this. This planet is an anomaly however, and until further studies are conducted, anything is possible.

For today’s adventure, I chose to bring a battery as a precaution, noting the fuel I have left in it as I also fully charge my walker’s internal reserves. With the daily allotment I use, just so the planet’s gravity doesn’t crush me, I began with about 20 days’ worth of usage. This suit’s recording system doesn’t require much, and most of my analog gear has been put to good use; so, I’ve been able to manage. However, that could change any day if something unexpected occurs, and when on an alien planet, anything could be unexpected.

While expanding my perimeter day to day, I’ve foraged for any useful food and other useful materials that I could find. I've also made notes in my logs while studying the local fauna. It’s mostly insectoids, and small mammalian and reptilian creatures.

As I reach the cave before me now, I notice that…well, none of the fauna seem to want to approach here. Thick root-like extensions seem to lead within, from the nearby trees, strangely hugging the walls as they climb within. Upon closer inspection now, some fungal growths I’ve never seen before also litter the entrance. I check the ground and see no tracks that I can spot, as I would have assumed that the small fauna had stayed away because…well, maybe the larger fauna could be hiding in here. But I see nothing. Well, no such signs of life yet at least. I then find a spot to leave the battery; a little nook where I can cover it with some foliage just in case. This thing is small but pretty damn heavy, so I’m not too concerned about the surface-level fauna I've seen so far even moving it.

My helmet lights illuminate and guide the way for me as I step further within, leaving my hands free to grip my Polun in anticipation. Normally this is just an analog back-up weapon; a mechanical firearm that uses chemical reactions to create and fire dart-like shards. By sacrificing speed and accuracy, I can increase the size and quantity of the shards, for example. The main limiter is the reservoir of Stem Fluid it holds; but this can last quite a while. It’s not exactly comparable to my energy weapons in combat effectiveness, but with my current circumstances, fuel is life.

I glance at the corner of my helmet’s display and note the current pressure as I continue on, 23.4grav. I take heed of my footing and start feeling the air becoming a little thicker, but rather than simply being more humid, there seems to be a slight breeze wicking the air out of the cave. The sunlight starts fading now as my walker’s lights are all that guide me; but in those moments, I notice something new. I pause and with the crunching of my footsteps now gone, it sounds like…a stream?

I round a corner and come into view of what looks like a source of flowing water, which is absolutely perfect…but this discovery also comes with a caveat. As I saunter to the stream in excitement, I find my first sign of animal life inside this cavern. As my light shines across the water’s surface, my vision falls upon some muddied tracks, and what seem like large hand-like and hoof-like indentations seem to lead up-to and away-from this flowing water. Since I saw no other tracks before coming upon this stream, I would assume that some nocturnal fauna live in here, and only come as far as this water source to drink and return to…well, deeper into the cavern. If I choose this place as shelter, I can’t just assume that I’ll be safe staying near the entrance, and I could maybe use this water for some hydroelectricity. I ponder where this water comes from, as maybe there is water higher up on the cliff that cuts through the rock and ends up here. Either way, it’s exactly what I needed.

The river proves to be quite shallow, and the current is manageable, as I cross it’s cool waters to the other bank. It’s about thirty yards wide, so it takes me a few minutes as I fight the drag of my walker, and the gravity of this planet. As I reach the other side, I notice that this side of the bank is not actually just muddy. There seems to be soil laying upon tightly clustered vines. I look back to where I crossed from, and the ones across the walls decided to travel along the ceiling, reaching over here and joining the myriad of new ones. Practically every inch of the flooring and ceiling and walls seem to be covered in flora over here.

A smell I hadn’t noticed before then enters my vents, as I stay wary of my surroundings. The cave has also opened a lot more on this side, as I notice much more fungal life and some small pod-like growths as well. My steps now squelch carefully across the cavern floor, which is covered in scatterings of different tracks, coming from and going towards different directions. I then come upon a short ledge; stepping down from the current layer and into an area of the cavern filled with even more muddied vines. The vines before were thick and the fungal life small and sparse, but as I step further, it seems that in addition to some younger vines, there are older ones that also accompany larger and more colorful fungal life.

The breeze from before is still somewhat present, but the deeper I go, the temperature has begun to rise considerably. It’s much more humid now, which fits considering all the plant life present here. Experience would tell me that proceeding further would only yield hotter temperatures, and the immediate tracks seem faint enough that traffic is low here. There’s likely a large ecosystem underground, which is indeed fascinating, but I’m more interested in starting a camp near the entrance and testing the stream’s water for any pathogens. As I turn around however, a small bit of my curiosity is piqued.

I think about my experiences in other caves I’ve been to, and decide to turn my lights off. My suspicions were correct, as much of the fungal life proves to be bio-luminescent, which brings forth an idea. It’s just enough to provide low-light, which means that the fauna is likely not entirely blind. Just enough light might prove quite uncomfortable, maybe a reason why they avoid crossing the river towards sunlight. So, I think I have an idea to solve my initial security issue…but wait a minute…what…what was that!?

I then hear a sort of moist undulation, like something slithering across a surface. I turn to the direction of the sound, polun aimed and ready, but before I can turn my lights back on…something whips forth in blinding speed and grabs my leg. It yanks me over as I begin shooting in the direction that I’m being pulled in. I’m rolling around as my aim is haphazard; the shards seemingly missing their targets as I magnetize the polun to my chest and reach for the saw-blade on my waist. I begin to feel like I’m sinking suddenly, as I’m apparently being pulled down a shaft in this cave's system. The sensation is less like falling through the air, and more like being pulled deeper into an ocean, fighting a current as pressure builds.

I try to act fast and aim my saw-blade upon the vine that’s enraptured my leg, trying to cut into it as a purple luminescent liquid spews forth. The fibrous nature of this plant makes it hard to chew through with the saw teeth, but I get enough work done for it to finally let go. The falling sensation then halts, as I slam the ground hard, finding myself disoriented. In that moment, the first thing I do is turn my lights back on; the second thing I do, is attach the saw-blade to my polun and change it from manual to fully-automatic. The saw-blade uses fuel and activates via trigger-pull, but even an analog polun can use it as an active under-barrel attachment. Doing that however, seemed to severely strain every muscle in my body. Shuffling sounds emanate from above me now, as I look up and see an ocean of vines condensing upon itself to seal the shaft I just fell in from…dammit!

I look around in a frenzy, hearing other sounds around me as that scent I noted earlier seems even stronger here. I didn’t want to waste any fuel, but it’s life or death, so I turn my air purification back on and attempt to stand. Surprisingly, its actually much harder to move down here than I expected, and my breathing is somewhat restricted. I glance upon my heads-up display, as the plant’s viscera is cleared from my visor now. The tracker is displaying…well that can’t be right…28.3grav? How is that…oh…well, that’s entirely possible now isn’t it? If I think about it, this anomalous planet’s gravity is probably even stronger the deeper you go. Traveling underground likely means that…well, I might be screwed if I don’t act quickly enough.

I struggle to sit up and aim my weapon true, panting as I check my surroundings. A myriad of sounds scratch against the shadows, but it seems like my lights are keeping them at bay. A bio-luminescent trail of fluids leads away from me and towards an opening out of this chamber, as I ponder my options quickly. My joints groan as I call up my control system to hack my walker even further. I withhold the proficiency of my air purifier, having it only screen out spores and pollen. I then further override the compensators and push it from the 21grav I had it at on the surface, to 26.5grav. Messing with what this walker should handle is already a gamble to begin with, as I’m straining it’s very design. If the internal mechanisms suddenly falter, I'll be pulled down by the full brunt of this planet’s gravity; or the abdominal manifold that assists my breathing under these circumstances could potentially crush my chest. I can’t think on that too much though, as I increase the intensity of my lights and notice that with the current performance settings enabled…I have maybe 3 hours to reach my battery.

I press on with both caution and haste, finding that my steps still fall upon an assortment of roots and vines, but none seem to be like the one that grabbed me. With my light’s new intensity, I note that the opening in which the trail leads to is the only way out of here. I also barely catch the quick scurrying of hoof-like hind-legs, as I go ahead and enter the shaft with my polun held steady. Disappointingly, it looks like this shaft slants downward. I guess I’ll have to go a tad deeper before I can go up again…reminds me of an underwater cave I almost drowned in on Renanta.

I make note of what seem like pulsating flower buds, along with a far more varied assortment of mushrooms littering this zigzagging path. I begin to ponder another possibility about this planet, while finally reaching the end of this shaft. I now step into quite a gargantuan cavern, and start to notice an air current. It’s not like I can feel it in the suit, but the new fauna I see before me sways in response. I’ve apparently found a subterranean forest, filling my sight with sparse trees and flowering brushes of all sizes. There’s also some grass-like substance on the ground as well, with fresh hoof-like tracks nearby. This is both great news and bad news; there being an air current might mean that there’s an open way up, but the lack of ultraviolet light down here means…well, these plants need to feed on something.

I absorb as much of my surroundings as possible with every step I take, feeling the increase in pressure, but feeling it get a little easier. The display now reads 29.7grav, but I’m more focused on trying to avoid any plant that looks hungry for meat, or any moving vines. There’s active rustling around me, and I’m sure some of it is from the breeze upon the flora, but the bite marks on nearby brushes tell me that maybe the creature with hooves is a herbivore.

It’s not long before I reach a small clearing, where I feel the breeze even stronger than before as everything dances to its rhythm. I take my attention upward, as I better notice the hole where this air is funneling in from. The light of my helmet escapes into a yawning void upon the ceiling, with the area surrounding the shaft clustered with the vines and root’s I’ve become familiar with. With this discovery I ponder a few options, but not before I notice something I really don’t like.

There is a harsh clatter of thuds and yelps around me, emanating in all directions, which is followed by an ominous silence. I know what that means, as I’ve seen animals scatter all the time and its never good. I take a stance and read my surroundings, expending some energy to send a quick radar ping…which catches something approaching me from behind. My training tells me to turn slowly and face the creatures, while my experience tells me to immediately engage without pause. There’s no time for guesses, but there’s just enough distance for me to turn and take aim first. I can just barely see the two things approaching me, and realize that my lights aren’t going to help here; these things have no eyes. Whether it’s by scent or sound or bio-electricity, these things can spot me just fine without sight.

Approaching me are two medium-sized faunae; mouths agape with jagged and broken teeth, and large nostrils where their eyes should probably be. I’d compare their physique to that of mountain lions from old Earth, but with hands instead of paws that have razored talons on each finger, and rather than fur, these things seem to have a tough hide. I would describe the one on the right as beefy and brown, with the left one more slender and reddish.

I rev my saw in an attempt at intimidation, as muscles on their heads seem to flex and quake in response. The red one momentarily pauses in hesitation, as it sniffs the air in the direction of the brown one. It must be the more experienced of the two, and I assume that they speak by scent, as the brown one quietly exhales in a pattern and starts coming at me. The red one inhales, then does the same as both now break into a full sprint at me.

I switch my polun to its wide-gauge semi-auto setting and fire a few shots at the red one, before peppering the brown one with much more. The red one take a couple hits and quickly stumbles, while the brown one zigzags and only takes one good hit to its side. As I expected, the red one is filled with hesitation, while the brown one has none to spare. Its close now and lunges unto me, while I move as best as I can to avoid its claws and teeth; feeling my movements hindered as I struggle against the pressure. I refocus my aim and open fire into it, as it takes two swipes at me before leaping backwards. The red one seems to have regained its composure, as the moment the other one moved back, it decided to close the gap and lunge at me. I deter my attention to it, revving the saw as I try to parry it’s strikes.

I catch one of its hands in the teeth of the saw, it’s yelp signaling the brown one to regain its composure and try again. It circles around to catch sight of my back, wasting no time in lunging at me while I’m sawing into the red one’s arm. With a quick press of a button, I eject the saw attachment and swing my polun around to fire off at the brown one yet again. It’s far too close to react and dodge, taking all the shots to the head, but not before it successfully landed a swipe across my chest. It’s claws tear into my walker as it damages my abdominal manifold. My breathing instantly tightens again, as I take aim upon the last one standing, and I notice it’s lost a lot of blood while in its panic.

I notice the brown one trying to move again, but it falls under its own weight and exhales deeply. In that moment, the red one sniffs the air and apparently receives a message. It reacts by clawing at its arm in a frenzy, successfully relieving my saw from itself as it rushes hurriedly into the distance. I leave it alone as I rush to my saw and re-attach it to my polun. While doing so, I hear rustling in the direction that it ran, followed by a thud and a yelp. A dragging sound follows soon after, and then a wet slurping sound that…seems to accompany what I can only describe as something closing shut. I had guessed earlier that perhaps some of the plant life here could be carnivorous, and hopefully that sound was one of those doing me a favor.

I glance again upon the brown one, it’s body still motionless as I take that moment to attend to my walker. Its inner layer protected me from injury, but a lot of unfiltered air is getting in as my vision starts getting hazy. My display reads 29.99grav, but my compensation is down to 24.75grav and dropping fast. I calm myself and retreat to the motionless creature with ache in every step; my body screaming as I crouch with my back against it. I reach for my pack and find the tool I’m looking for, the Flash-Encrafter. I slam it against the damaged section of my chest, holding the button down as it syncs with my walker’s systems and performs a scan. My helmet displays just what I was afraid of, but it has to be done. Upon releasing the button, it sap’s the energy it needs from my walker and reconstitutes itself to fix the affected area. It replaces what the walker felt were the most damaged components, to restore functionality to the abdominal manifold, while patching the shredded surface. My breathing gets easier as my vision clears, the pain in my joints alleviating as the system displays a stable 26.1grav compensation. I check my energy reserves, and…I’m down to only an hour already.

I take my polun in hand again, taking a deep breath to consider what I need to do next. I got too comfortable with the thought of these lights deterring everything down here, that I let my guard down. I have very limited time now, and I’ve only found the shaft above me as a way out. I don’t have the time to consider other options anymore; I need to go up. I look upon the creature beside me, marveling at its massive claws and pondering the vines and roots along the walls. I then search through my pack at the tools available, and come to a decision I really don’t like at all.

Between what’s available in my exploration pack and what I scavenge from both the brown creature and my surroundings; I fashion some climbing equipment that’ll have to do. I then find myself facing the cave wall, its surface covered in the same fauna that I’ve become too familiar with. I brush aside concerns and begin to climb, ignoring the pain in my joins as I make my way up. Did I mention that I’m afraid of heights? It’s funny really, considering that I’m a pilot and all, but the military taught me how to act despite the fear. So, make no mistake, I feel the anxiety from these actions, but some things need to get done. It’s in moments like these that I ponder why I joined the Venture’s Commonwealth; was it just to piss him off, or because I got tired with all the politics. Here I go rambling again, huh…but that’s fine.

I allow myself to get lost in my thoughts; feeling a gust of air pushing me down just as the pull of gravity was beginning to let up. As I’ve now entered the gap in the ceiling, my grip begs to falter with every hold I take. This actually reminds me of one of my first missions, where we still used pressurized canisters of air for breathing. These new walkers are instead capable of processing air and liquids from our surroundings into a breathable air, thanks to some help from stem fluids. I sort of understand how it works; Killian Manufacturing makes the Encrafters and Walking Gear that can utilize stem fluid made by Gwunsinjer Dynamics. Rensler Industries were able to work with both companies in reverse engineering the stem fluid creation process, and actually translate most other molecules into that of stem fluid; which is then further used to create other atoms, like the alchemists of old Earth.

I see my energy reserves starting to run dry, as I pull back on the gravity and pressure compensators and shut the air purifiers off. I don’t feel much of an increase in weight, as I’ve bought myself an additional 15 minutes. My vision starts hazing again, like before, but I need to keep trudging on. Where was I? Ah yes, I’m actually talking about teamwork here. Paupere Energy Solutions developed the successful Star Core and experimental Nova Engine technologies, after their Plasma Cores became obsolete. The power that these things create, what we simply call fuel, is interchangeably used in everything the other companies make. Everyone works together, like a team that works towards each other’s successes. In that mission I was talking about, my canister got hit and I was quickly running out of air, suffocating in the water. My team was there to save me; giving me, the rookie, a spare to use so I could help them complete the mission. Just as I find myself crawling out of this damn hole now, I enter a room where several lights begin shining upon me. The haze in my air system causes me to lose consciousness apparently, my body relaxing after the flooding of adrenaline helped me get here. I can’t really hear what they’re saying, but its moments like these that I’m reminded…even if we work alone, we’re all still part of a team.