Resources Survey [https://i.postimg.cc/PfCYZrNT/cygnus-resources.png]

Maximilian surveyed the harsh landscape of the crater. The terrain stretched wide and uneven, a jagged bowl of cracked rock and silicate dust carved out by an ancient impact. He knelt down and struck the rocks with his small pickaxe. Sprinkled throughout the white stone and cracked round boulders, metallic ore gleamed under the thin light filtering through the alien sky. Patches of strange red fungi dotted the rim, their fibrous stalks swaying subtly as if attuned to an unseen rhythm. A shallow stream, crystalline and cold, meandered through the crater’s basin—its source unmistakably tied to the alien mushroom-like plants.

A mechanical whir drew his attention as one of ARI’s quadruped drones clambered over the rocks beside him. Its articulated limbs moved with precision on the uneven terrain, sensors scanning and data being constantly evaluated.

“Resource survey complete,” ARI’s voice came through the earpiece embedded in Maximilian’s helmet. “Iron, copper, silicon, nickel and essential trace elements detected. High concentrations of nitrates and carbonates also confirmed in the northeastern quadrant.”

Maximilian’s gaze swept across the scene with a calculated frown. The resources were promising, but doubt gnawed at him. He felt the weight of command—Elisa had often been indecisive, and when decisions were made, he felt she had not throught it through at all. His thoughts shifted as he keyed a private channel to ARI.

“ARI, what are the procedures for a command transfer?” he asked, keeping his voice low and steady.

"I fail to see the necessity for initiating such a disruptive procedure," ARI reprimanded him.

"I am speaking entirely hypothetically, of course," Maximilian added.

There followed a brief pause before ARI responded flatly. “Company procedures state that such transfers can only be initiated under two conditions,” it began without hesitation or judgment despite the clear implications behind Maximilian's query.

"First condition: If the current commander is deemed medically unfit for duty by a certified medical doctor—none of which are currently available." ARI paused briefly before continuing, "Second condition: A two-thirds majority vote of no confidence among the officers."

Maximilian's eyes narrowed as he mentally tallied up those who could be counted on for support in this endeavor— He could likely sway Reverend Ervin Sekhon, who could be trusted with descretion in the matter. Otto was likely malleable enough to sway with proper persuasion and evidence presented logically. However, Otto would confide with Sigrid. And Sigrid would prove a harder nut to crack given her obvious loyalty to Elisa...

"Understood," Maximilian muttered, more to himself than ARI as he considered the best way forward from here without raising suspicions too early in this delicate political game being played out light-years away from home.

For now, he would bide his time.

===

The hum of low conversations and the clatter of workboots echoed within the makeshift headquarters, a hastily erected prefab shelter nestled at the heart of the rocky basin, which had become the reluctant home for the group of colonists who had crash-landed on this alien world.

At the center of the cramped space, an interactive holo-map flickered to life, illuminating the faces of the team. Otto, a seasoned scientist with sharp eyes and a perpetual frown, stood beside ARI, their sentient AI companion integrated into a basic robotic shell. The two were surrounded by Maximilian, the pragmatic security chief with a towering frame, and Elisa, noticably smaller than the others. In the corner, Sigrid, their field biologist, lay on a makeshift cot, wincing as she adjusted her injured leg.

"Alright, let’s review what we know," Otto began, gesturing at the glowing display. The map highlighted pockets of resources scattered within the crater—iron ore veins, silicate-rich rock formations, and smaller, glittering deposits suspected to be rare minerals essential for advanced fabrication. "It's not very rich, but with proper extraction, we’ll have enough to start constructing shelters, power cells, and basic processing facilities that can feed raw material to our fabricators. We have deployed nearly half the solar arrays on the northern ridge, with more being deployed as soon we have the masts erected to hoist them up."

"Then there is the issue of the plants," Sigrid said.

"What issue," Elisa asked.

Sigrid tapped on the monitor and brought up a graphical representation of the plants genetic structure.

"This is what the plants have for DNA," Sigrid explained. "That is not a natural genetic code, this is an order of magnitude more complex than any life that evolved on Earth. All of the plants have exactly the same DNA sequence. There are no instances of errors or genetic drift."

"Then what does that mean?" Elisa asked, still confused by the idea.

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"It means the plants did not evolve, and we don't know how they got their DNA," ARI answered with certainty.

Elisa was perplexed. "What do you think happened? How did it get here?"

"There are two possible options," Otto explained. "Either the plants were brought here from another world, one that has advanced biotechnology and genetic engineering techniques far beyond what we currently know about or can even imagine today. Or, the plants are the survivor of a highly advanced civilization on this world, that has disappeared long ago.They could even be a remnant of genetic experiments gone wrong."

"Which one do you think it is?" Elisa asked.

"We have some additional data that may shed some light on the possible purpose of these plants," Otto said. "The elemental composition appears to indicate the plants are hyperaccumulators, meaning they extract metals, carbonates, nitrates and other resources from the subsurface and express these in the fruiting bodies. They do so far more effectively than any of the plants we brought. And as we saw, they also pump large quantities of water to the surface, but the water we tested is free from metallic contaminants..."

"Hyperaccumulators?", Elisa repeated.

Otto nodded, then continued: "This means the plants must have some kind of a root system that allows them to access deep resources, and pump water up through their roots. They would also need to be able to extract metals from deeper in the ground."

"So, will this help us with gathering basic resources?" Elisa asked. "Can we harvest them? How quickly do they replenish? We could just as easily have a symbiotic relationship with these things, and it would be an extremely beneficial one."

Otto nodded. "We would have to run further tests, but that is definitely an an avenue worth exploring. Judging from the chemical composition we know so far, there are large concentrations of nitrates and carbonates that will be critical for sustaining agriculture and creating rudimentary pharmaceuticals"

"I understand your point, but let me tell you something," Sigrid said quietly. "When I first came to the planet and saw those plants for myself... The way it looked to me made my skin crawl."

"What do you mean?" Elisa asked, while already knowing the answer deep down.

Sigrid took a deep breath and explained the strange sensations she had felt: "When I saw those plants, something inside of me told me to look away. Something in my body went cold when I looked at them, and then there was this feeling of dread. It's like something is watching me when those plants are present."

Maximilian, tall and imperious, adjusted his coat with an air of skepticism. "That is a well-known psychological effect, Sigrid. The plants look distinctly alien in appearance, so you are projecting some kind of fear response. I am sure Reverend Sekhon can attest."

"It's not just a fear response," Sigrid said. "I can feel something, some kind of... presence."

"We have already run scans on the plants," Ervin Sekhon explained, "They are literally just plants... They do not posess a nervous system, or anything remarkable beyond their function as a resource."

Elisa and Sigrid exchanged glances, but Elisa looked away, not wanting to admit in front of the others that she had felt the same as Sigrid.

With the tension in the room palpable, the group shifted gears to the practical aspects of their survival.

Otto brought up a schematic overlay of their proposed base. "We need to prioritize building the initial structures," he said. "The core of the base will include a power distribution station and a refinery for processing minerals. We’ll need a small fabrication plant for essential tools and construction materials and a few hundred square meters of duracrete foundation."

"We should fortify the perimeter with deployable barriers,” Maximilian suggested. “We can fill them with sand from the crater for additional protection against potential threats."

Elisa shook her head. "Not yet. We need to focus on building an infirmary first. Sigrid’s injury needs attention, and we found dozens of drop pods with colonists. If we are to revive them, we’ll need medical facilities immediately. We also need more energy, thus we need to focus on the construction of the ramps. So I rather task the dozers with that."

Maximilian opened his mouth to argue, but Otto cut him off. “Elisa is right. Securing the health of our colonists takes precedence. Once we have an infirmary up and running, we can turn our attention to fortifications.”

"ARI," Elisa said. "How long before we can get those antennas up?"

"They are scheduled to go up sometime tomorrow morning," ARI answered.

Elisa grumbled. They had only been on the planet for five days, but she was already itching to explore the vast territory beyond the crater walls. No matter the fact that the crater had more open space than she had seen in a lifetime, its tall steep walls still felt confining, oppressive.

"I cannot lift the mast sections with my flying drones, so we need the crew to go up there, set up a pulley, and then we will be able to pull the sections up with the dozer," ARI explained, going over the details of the setup it had coordinated with Otto. "I also need to install foundations for the guy lines, we still need to produce a ball hinge and winch system so we can lower the mast during storms, and we are missing the power couplings. Repeat this process for the five masts that we have planned. Do you want me to reprioritize?"

"No, I’m sure you have thought of all the dependencies," Elisa said.

"With the masts up, not only will we be able to use our comm systems inside the crater, we will also be able to locate our pods further afield.

Elisa pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the glowing topography. "What about ARI's long-range exploration drones? Can we deploy them past the perimeter once the antennas are operational?"

ARI confirmed. "Yes, and they’ll be essential for mapping out resources and identifying safe routes beyond the crater."

The conversation was interrupted by a sudden, low rumble that made the prefab walls shudder. A faint, almost electric sound followed, crackling like static before fading into silence. The team exchanged wary glances.

"What the hell was that?" Maximilian demanded, reaching instinctively for the small pistol holstered at his side.

ARI's blue glow shifted to a deep amber, signaling an alert. "Seismic activity detected. Origin: unknown. Magnitude: low. No immediate threat, but anomalous energy readings have been detected in conjunction."

Elisa's heart quickened as she looked to Sigrid. The biologist's face had turned pale, and her hands clutched the cot's edge with white knuckles.

"It’s them," Sigrid whispered. "I know it is."

Silence cloaked the room as everyone processed her words. Otto's frown deepened, and he exhaled sharply. "Then we need to figure out what they are, and fast."