Marooned on Giri Minor
During the course of organizing the cargo hold, Dr. Munro tells you she has collected a total of fifteen NutriRation packs. So far as anybody knows this is all the food that exists in camp.
"It is little more than one pack per person," she says. "I thought of suggesting that we ration these, but how do you ration such a meager supply?"
"I agree," you say. Andrade better get here soon with good news.
To celebrate the successful completion of the pump, someone has gone around and collected a large pile of firewood. No trees grow here now, but they did before the planet shifted its position, and two centuries later much of the ancient wood still dots the desert. And so nearly a full day after crash landing in this desolate place, all of the survivors come together for a meal of NutriRations and water, thankful to still be alive despite the circumstances.
You offer this further toast: "By this time tomorrow, may we be nowhere near Giri Minor."
As the sun sets you sit around the campfire on various found objects, at times looking in the direction on Andrade's footsteps to see if there are any lights on the horizon. Except for the pale light cast by two of Giri Minor's remaining moons in the dusty sky, everything is dark in all directions. You are able to keep the fire going for a couple hours, despite what seemed like a generously large wood pile. The stuff just burns too quickly.
As the light of the fire fades, you become aware of an odd sound. It is not loud, but it is coming from everywhere, like the scurrying of thousands of tiny feet across the desert surface.
"Does anybody else here that?" you ask.
"I was wondering the same thing," Dr. Munro replies.
"It's coming from over here," Ensign Arcy says.
"I swear something just crawled across my boot," Ibanz says.
"Give me a light," Munro says. She shines the handlight behind where she was sitting, and then behind you. In all directions the ground is covered with tiny crawling creatures, none of them more than a few centimeters long, emerging from the dry soil and marching towards your camp.
"Get the kids inside the cargo hold," you say; fortunately they were playing with some toys they had found in their luggage and hadn't seen this yet. Dr. Munro steps closer with the light, and the critters skitter away. But in the shadows they advance closer.
"I think we all need to get in the hold," she says. Everybody agrees.
The floor of the cargo hold is elevated a meter off the ground, so you feel reasonably secure here. But as you look around you notice one person is missing. "Where is Ibanz?" you ask.
Munro shines the handlight around the campsite, and although the little creatures shy away from the beam, there is no sign of the engineering chief. "What is going on?" Dr. Munro asks.
Then you hear Ibanz out in the desert. He is shouting, but not towards you. "Commander Andrade, we were worried about you!" he says. "You can tell them to land the shuttle right over there. Everyone is in camp waiting for you."
Munro looks at you, puzzled, because the only voice you've heard has been Ibanz's. He can't possibly be talking to Commander Andrade, right?
He sounds like he is about 200 meters out from camp, but all you see out there are shadows.
"It is little more than one pack per person," she says. "I thought of suggesting that we ration these, but how do you ration such a meager supply?"
"I agree," you say. Andrade better get here soon with good news.
To celebrate the successful completion of the pump, someone has gone around and collected a large pile of firewood. No trees grow here now, but they did before the planet shifted its position, and two centuries later much of the ancient wood still dots the desert. And so nearly a full day after crash landing in this desolate place, all of the survivors come together for a meal of NutriRations and water, thankful to still be alive despite the circumstances.
You offer this further toast: "By this time tomorrow, may we be nowhere near Giri Minor."
As the sun sets you sit around the campfire on various found objects, at times looking in the direction on Andrade's footsteps to see if there are any lights on the horizon. Except for the pale light cast by two of Giri Minor's remaining moons in the dusty sky, everything is dark in all directions. You are able to keep the fire going for a couple hours, despite what seemed like a generously large wood pile. The stuff just burns too quickly.
As the light of the fire fades, you become aware of an odd sound. It is not loud, but it is coming from everywhere, like the scurrying of thousands of tiny feet across the desert surface.
"Does anybody else here that?" you ask.
"I was wondering the same thing," Dr. Munro replies.
"It's coming from over here," Ensign Arcy says.
"I swear something just crawled across my boot," Ibanz says.
"Give me a light," Munro says. She shines the handlight behind where she was sitting, and then behind you. In all directions the ground is covered with tiny crawling creatures, none of them more than a few centimeters long, emerging from the dry soil and marching towards your camp.
"Get the kids inside the cargo hold," you say; fortunately they were playing with some toys they had found in their luggage and hadn't seen this yet. Dr. Munro steps closer with the light, and the critters skitter away. But in the shadows they advance closer.
"I think we all need to get in the hold," she says. Everybody agrees.
The floor of the cargo hold is elevated a meter off the ground, so you feel reasonably secure here. But as you look around you notice one person is missing. "Where is Ibanz?" you ask.
Munro shines the handlight around the campsite, and although the little creatures shy away from the beam, there is no sign of the engineering chief. "What is going on?" Dr. Munro asks.
Then you hear Ibanz out in the desert. He is shouting, but not towards you. "Commander Andrade, we were worried about you!" he says. "You can tell them to land the shuttle right over there. Everyone is in camp waiting for you."
Munro looks at you, puzzled, because the only voice you've heard has been Ibanz's. He can't possibly be talking to Commander Andrade, right?
He sounds like he is about 200 meters out from camp, but all you see out there are shadows.