ENTRY I - CRASH LANDINGI decided to write down a journal to document my stranding better, with voice recordings into the PDA. This story begins when I was rushing into an escape pod. The Aurora was crashing, shot down by something unknown.

  As I was making my way into the escape pod, the Aurora's broadcast system was describing the situation, 'Attention, hull failure imminent. All personnel abandon ship.' It had said. I rushed into the escape pod, noticing before entering that it was Lifepod 5. As I sat and locked myself into a seat, my PDA was getting ready for unch.

  "Launch in 3... 2... 1." And I was off. Lifepod 5 was unched, and as the Lifepod was falling, I looked up and saw the Aurora explode. I hope the others are fine. As the Lifepod continued falling, it started shaking and the lights were fshing. The fire extinguisher disconnected itself from the wall.

  I saw the panel covering the wiring of the Lifepod break off and start moving around. The lights started fshing red. 'Well, that can't be good.' was my st thought before the panel knocked me out. Upon waking up, I noticed a crack in my helmet, but I was quickly given a bigger problem. My vision was filled with fire ravaging part of the inside of the lifepod. 'Shitshitshit-' I was panicking. I rushed to get myself out of the chair, smming on the unlock button. 'Come on...!' I had to hit it a few times to get it to open, falling onto the floor.

  Upon regaining movement, I immediately went to put out the fire with the extinguisher ying on the floor, coughing beforehand. When I finished that, I opened my PDA. It was now booting in emergency mode, giving me this message, but not before saying a little jingle, "You have suffered minor head trauma. This is considered an optimal outcome." I wasn't surprised this was an optimal outcome.

  It continued, "This PDA has now rebooted in emergency mode with one directive: to keep you alive on an alien world. Please refer to the databank for detailed survival advice. Good luck." I was already heading to the databank, and I went through the survival package, excluding the more technical things.

  I first went with the entry that said "Start Here." This is what it said:'If you are reading this, then you have survived an emergency evacuation of a capital-css ship equipped with Alterra technology. Congratutions: the hard part is over.

  Your PDA has automatically rebooted in Emergency Mode. This operating system has one directive: to keep you alive on an alien world. If that is not possible, it will alert salvage teams to the locations of your remains.

  It features:

  - Full monitoring of vital signs for timely survival advice- Blueprints for fabricating a range of essential survival equipment, tailored to your environment- Onboard camera, microphone and OCR technology for short-range situational analysis- Cross-compatibility with all Alterra-compliant products

  Your personal and work files have been encrypted and may be retrieved at the ter date by a licensed engineer.'

  I went to the next entry that said, "Survival Checklist." This is what it said:

  '1. Administer first aid if required2. Take inventory of avaible materials and supplies, and decide on rations3. Survey the environments for threats and resources4. Construct necessary survival equipment using the lifepod's fabricator5. Check lifepod for damage, repair as necessary6. Broadcast local distress signal using lifepod's short-range radio7. Locate other survivors using line of sight or the radio8. Find or construct a more permanent habitat9. Maintain physical and psychological health until rescue

  This information is meant as a general guide. In the first instance, you should always follow the advice of your PDA, which has taken your particur circumstances into account.'

  I went to the final entry that said, "WARNING: Blueprint Database Corrupted" which wasn't a good sign. This is what it said:

  `Damage to your PDA's hard drive has corrupted approximately 80% of stored survival blueprints. Blueprints may be reacquired by scanning a salvaged technology using the handheld scanner, or by downloading pns from a ship-board databox. In the circumstances, these assets will most likely be found amongst wreckage from the Aurora.'

  I did briefly check the technical section, which is just some in-depth details about various Alterra technology. After putting away my PDA, I went to the fabricator to see what I could craft. I thought about exiting from the bottom of the lifepod, but I didn't know what would happen when I don't know what kind of pnet I'm on. I grabbed a medical kit from the medical kit fabricator, briefly checked the broken radio, then headed up the dder to the top of the lifepod.

  Upon opening the hatch at the top of the lifepod and stepping out, all I could see was blue. Clear blue water as far as the eye can see. I could also see the crashed Aurora in the distance. My PDA told me, "The Aurora suffered orbital hull failure. Cause: unknown. Zero human life signs detected." So, no one's fine, got it. I went back into the lifepod and looked into the storage container. There were two nutrient blocks, two filtered waters, and two fres.

  I grabbed a nutrient block and a filtered water, gathered my courage, and exited through the bottom of the lifepod. Seeing clean water and a few aquatic faunas pass by, I determined it was safe. I hopped out of the lifepod, and into the ocean. The lifepod seemed to have nded in a deeper area, with various aquatic floras and faunas. There was some sort of kelp a short distance away. I also saw some odd pink blobs attached to a rock.

  I started looking around, hoping to find something that could help with my survival. A few seconds into searching, I encountered an odd fish that spat multiple of some sort of gas orb upon getting close. I decided to stay away from the gas orbs, and upon hearing them explode, I knew I made the right decision. I briefly went back into the lifepod for some air, checked the radio, then went back out through the bottom again.

  I saw some sort of odd, blue fish with a single eye. I tried chasing it, but it appears I didn't have the necessary equipment to catch up to it. Upon giving up, I went into a nearby cave and found a white crystal. I picked it up and went into a small branch of the cave leading back outside, finding a yellow outcrop. Breaking it, I acquired some orange material.

  My PDA gave me some information, "Copper is an essential component of all powered equipment. Your probability of survival has just increased to: unlikely, but pusible." Was that humor or just an honest statement? Likely an honest one considering it's an AI. As I was listening to the PDA, I gathered a few purple mushrooms, also briefly passing over some sort of creature egg. I disregarded it since I doubted I could use it in any way.

  I headed up to the surface for oxygen, with my PDA giving me a reminder. I went back down and immediately saw another yellow outcrop, this time gaining a dark material. I saw some odd fish walking on the sandy ground nearby, so I decided to take a closer look. When I got really close to one, it jumped, scaring me a little. Those guys unnerve me.

  I left the creatures to their business, finding another yellow outcrop. Copper was obtained from this one. Upon heading a bit further up, I found some metal salvage. I picked it up, thinking it could be useful. I went to the surface for oxygen with another reminder from my PDA. I decided to head back to my lifepod, before immediately disregarding that and going into the cave where the walking fish were.

  I saw a fish with a purple membrane, a blue and bck wide fish, and some sort of... container? I went for the nearby yellow outcrop, gaining one of those dark materials, when I heard an odd noise. Turning around I saw a red fish with a singur eye coming out of that container, making some sort of noise. Being brave, I grabbed the yellow dust inside the fish's container, then ran from the screeching fish that came out of said container, which was now following me.

  I tried moving around it, but then it suddenly blew up, causing me a decent bit of pain. That wasn't pleasant. I don't want to deal with those guys again. I headed into a branch of the cave, finding a dark yellow outcrop this time inside of a giant coral tube. Breaking it, I acquired a gray and blocky material. I went for another dark yellow outcrop, this time my PDA giving me information, "Silver-based wiring kits are an essential component of many habitat modules." I am a bit annoyed that it sometimes doesn't give me information.

  I grabbed another white crystal on the way back up to the surface. My PDA decided to give me information on the yellow dust I had picked up, "Detecting sulfur deposits in the local cave systems. Sulfur is an essential component of the repair tool." An oxygen reminder was overyed with the message, but I'm gd to know it's useful, but I would've liked to be given that information earlier, instead of when I'm leaving the cave.

  I got back into the lifepod and went to use the fabricator. I crafted up some more of the dark material from some metal salvage, which I now know as titanium. Before crafting the next thing, I passed over the blueprints for gss, letting me know the white crystal was called quartz. Next, I crafted a battery using two purple mushrooms (which I now know as acid mushrooms), and a piece of copper, gaining a blueprint for a power cell after crafting it.

  Then I crafted a standard o2 tank using 3 titanium. I now had 75 seconds of oxygen, instead of 45. I looked over the blueprint for the high-capacity o2 tank. It required a standard o2 tank, 2 gss, 4 titanium, and 1 silver. Totally doable. I next went to make a scanner, which requires 1 titanium and 1 battery. My PDA decided to give me information this time, "The scanner can be used to synthesize blueprints from salvaged technology, and to record alien biological data." This should help a ton.

  I then looked over a few other blueprints, to which I needed things like fiber mesh and silicone rubber. I decided to aim for the high-capacity o2 tank next, making gss first. With the quartz I had, I was only able to make 1 gss, though. I went into my PDA and equipped the scanner. I also checked the medical kit fabricator in the meantime. It's at 40%. I exited through the bottom of the lifepod and went on a scanning spree.

  I went to scan the blue and bck wide fish, but I couldn't keep up with it. I went into a cave and broke another yellow outcrop, forgetting I can now scan it. I obtained copper from it. I grabbed a piece of quartz and broke another yellow outcrop, giving me titanium. I went above the cave and started scanning various flora, starting with the acid mushroom, grabbing them after I did so.

  Then, I scanned a purple fan flora that looks like it has veins. It's called a veined nettle. Next, I scanned some coral. It's called a coral shell pte. Next, I scanned some purple weeds with light green tips, getting a 30 second oxygen reminder while doing so. It's called writhing weed. Finally, I scanned some dark pink coral hanging off of the side of the terrain. It's called table coral.

  I went through my PDA, transferring the nutrient block and filtered water into me. I went to scan the blue fish with a single eye. This time being able to stay near it long enough to scan it, getting another oxygen reminder while doing so. It's called a peeper. I noticed that my scanner said "normal" after scanning it. I wonder what that's about.

  I went back into the lifepod and went to the fabricator. I didn't see anything I needed, so I stopped looking through it. I went back out through the bottom of the lifepod, going down to scan the giant coral tube. It is, in fact, a giant coral tube. I went back into the cave with the walking fish, finding out they are called shuttlebugs.

  I finally remembered to scan the yellow outcrop, finding out it's called a limestone outcrop. I had the right idea. I broke it and gained a piece of copper, also breaking another one nearby to gain titanium. I checked to see if I could scan the quartz I just found on the ground, but my scanner didn't register anything. I picked up the quartz and moved on.

  I went to scan a yellow and blue fish that looks like a boomerang. It's called a... boomerang. Very clever. While breaking another limestone outcrop and gaining a piece of copper, my PDA interrupted with a message. Two, actually. It interrupted itself. The first message was, "Be advised: a common complication for cave divers is loss of orientation, followed by eventual asphyxiation." Ominous. The second was just a 30 second oxygen reminder. I might turn those off, if possible.

  While my PDA was bombarding me with two messages at once, I scanned the dark yellow outcrop. It's called a sandstone outcrop. Different outcrops seem to produce different resources. I got silver from that outcrop, confirming my suspicions. I went back to the lifepod, grabbing a limestone outcrop that had titanium on the way out. I also had been given another oxygen reminder.

  Coughing after making it back into the lifepod, I started looking through the fabricator, seeing a wiring kit. That wasn't my main goal, but it was nice to see. I made some gss and took off my oxygen tank. I made the high-capacity o2 tank. While looking over some blueprints, I noticed I now have 135 seconds of oxygen. Good.

  I started looking around after exiting the lifepod from the bottom, remembering I had seen some sort of box. I found it, but not before scanning the creature that spat out gas orbs. It's called a gasopod. I went to the box, but I took a hit from a gas orb. It smells. Or, judging by the creature's name, are they gas pods? Regardless, I made my way over the box, finding a fragment of something called a seaglide. I scanned it, but it seems I don't have enough salvage to recover the blueprint.

  I decided to head to the area with a lot of kelp looking pnts, but I first gave a quick check into where I found the exploding fish. Upon getting to the edge of the forest (I'm going to call it a forest now), I found a green and purple fish with some sort of purple stripes, little jagged parts on the creature's back (also purple), and a long mouth with sharp teeth.

  I went near the creature, but it started yelling, then went in a different direction. Deciding to ignore that, I grabbed some white cluster off of the ground, assuming it could be useful. Scanning the vines, I learnt they are called creepvine. Next, I scanned the clusters attached to the vine, learning they are called creepvine seed clusters. I decided to take a few, hoping they might be useful.

  Getting copper from a limestone outcrop, I went to scan the creature with the long mouth. I scanned it, and learned it was called a stalker. I could see why, as it attacked a boomerang fish. It surprisingly didn't attack me. Its yelling is annoying, though. As I was going back to the pod, I zily tried to grab a peeper but failed. As I was close to entering the pod, I noticed it was turning nighttime.

  I decided to craft some silicone rubber from the seed clusters I had picked up from the kelp forest (I'm calling it the kelp forest now). I used that silicone rubber to make some fins. Maybe this can help me catch up to that blue and bck wide fish. As I was making the fins, my PDA gave me a message, "Detecting increased local radiation levels." Well, that can't be good.

  I continued crafting, making some more silicone rubber, as the PDA continued, "Trend is consistent with damage to the Aurora's drive core, sustained during pnetfall." As I was mulling over that, I made a repair tool. My PDA decided now of all times it would give me an overview of the fabricator, "The fabricator draws from avaible data to provide environment-appropriate equipment, using locally avaible materials." It's not like I haven't been using it, but thanks anyway.

  I gnced over the blueprint for bleach, learning the white cluster I picked up was salt. Of course. I made some lubricant as my PDA gave another message, "For your safety this setting cannot be overridden." Why would I want to do that in the first pce? It then gave me some information on lubricant, "Lubricant is essential in construction of vehicles and power pnts."

  I started putting everything except the scanner, fire extinguisher, repair tool, and medical kit into the storage container that is inside the lifepod. As I was doing so, I learned that the gray and blocky material is called lead. I went to use the repair tool to fix the lifepod where the panel broke off. It's like telekinesis.

  After I did so, my PDA gave me another message, "Lifepod secondary systems online. Running full environment diagnostic and outputting results to databank." The lifepod also had the lights turn back on. Did I mention that the lights were off? I didn't, did I? As I finished repairing the radio next, I got the databank entry for the environmental scan.

  As the radio whirred back to life, it put out a message, "Radio online. Broadcasting emergency distress signal." There are no other humans, though, so this doesn't matter. I climbed up the lifepod dder to get a look outside. It's fully nighttime now, the Aurora glowing in the distance, ravaged by fire. I'll just have to make the most of this.

  ENTRY I - CRASH LANDING: END

  Word Count: 3,093 (Video)