The first thing I decided to do was to go to the cabin to grab my electronic notepad. There was no way I could remember all the readings from the sensors and pass that information to Neight, especially since I didn’t even understand the meaning of all those terms. It would be better to write them down.
Predictably, the cabin was a mess. Everything was scattered all over the place. A pillow was lying on the floor right by the entrance. The blanket had caught on the bunk, so it hadn’t flown far and was just hanging over the edge. My other belongings were strewn everywhere. And in all this chaos, I had to find one poor little notepad.
Let’s just hope it didn’t break. That would be a shame after all the notes I’ve taken.
I looked around, trying to spot the compact grey device. But while searching, another thought crossed my mind.
Once I get the readings, I really need to clean this up. And I’ll make Neight set up his bed on the lower bunk too... He’s not sleeping in the lab anymore, and he’d better not argue with me! What did the capsule say? He needs rest and proper conditions.
I still felt guilty for not caring about the conditions he’d been living in. It wasn’t hard to guess that on such a small ship there’d only be one cabin. And Neight was much better than me at surviving on this unknown planet. It seemed like I would’ve been better off getting such a serious injury instead of him...
That’s unfair, right? He would’ve handled it better… I should be the one lying in that capsule right now.
After searching through the stuff on the floor, I still couldn’t find the notepad. There was only one place left to check. I got down on all fours, groaning and cursing as my legs ached, and peeked under the bunk.
Of course, it’s there.
Lying right against the wall was my electronic notepad, apparently having rolled there during the shaking.
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"And why doesn’t this thing have a camera?" I grumbled while copying down the incomprehensible terms and numbers from the control panel screens. The only thing I understood for sure was that the diagnostics were complete and something was definitely broken.
Well, Neight will deal with the consequences. I don’t get any of this anyway.
Having finished my mission, I hobbled back to the lab. As soon as I entered, Neight started bombarding me with questions.
"So, what did the diagnostics show?"
Still feeling awkward, I tried not to look in his direction, standing sideways to the capsule and staring at the notepad. As I read the data out loud, Neight listened silently until I got to the first failed test.
"The 'NVS' check failed with error 3004," I said.
"That was expected, but it’s not critical," Neight sighed. "What else?"
I have no idea what any of this means. He could at least explain some of it… Well, if he says it’s not a big deal, I guess it’s not.
"All the other checks seem to have passed successfully, except for something called 'CCWSS.' It also has errors, and a lot of them."
"Now that’s serious. That system is responsible for the ship’s water supply… We’ve got a problem."
"So, we’re out of water?!"
"We should have enough for a day or two, but after that… We need to act quickly. I need to think…"
Things just keep getting worse! That news didn’t make me feel any better. We won’t last long without water, and Neight is seriously injured and can’t do anything. Panic started creeping in as I ran through every possible option in my mind.
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"M-maybe I can fix the system somehow, if you tell me what to do?"
"I’m afraid you overestimate my knowledge. I don’t know all the details of how the ship works either, and I don’t even know where to start. We’d just waste time and might make things worse," he concluded.
"T-then there’s only one option left. We need to find a water source outside."
"I’m not in the condition to go…"
"I’ll go," I interrupted him firmly.
"No way!" Neight snapped. "That’s way too dangerous."
Pfft! Here he goes again, being stubborn!
"We don’t have another choice. You’re right, you can’t go right now, but I can. I’m in pretty decent shape. Plus, there was just a heavy rainstorm, and it’s still raining outside. If the water’s drinkable, this is our chance to at least replenish the supplies a little! I won’t even have to go far," I argued, trying to reason with him.
"No. It’s too dangerous out there for someone unprepared. Especially now, we’re in a new area, and the animals here might not fear us yet. It would only take a couple of minutes for them to finish you off."
I understood his concerns, but the situation demanded we take risks.
"And still, it’s our only option," I concluded. "I have to do something, or we might die! Or do you have a better idea?"
"I’m not granting you access outside, and that’s final," he stated firmly, his tone commanding.
What the hell?! Why is he being so stubborn? He’s supposed to be rational, but he’s acting like this… Does he not trust me at all?
"Fine," I said, offended. "If that’s how it is, I’ll find a way out myself! I have access to the main control panel now. I’m sure I can figure out how to give myself all the necessary permissions. And, by the way, you won’t be able to stop me!"
Fuming with anger, I turned sharply toward the exit and was about to leave when I suddenly heard:
"Wait!"
His voice trembled, sounding scared. It seemed like he didn’t expect me to take such drastic measures. I paused and was about to turn back to him, but I stopped myself just in time.
"You win…" he continued, clearly subdued. "But I have just one request."
"And what’s that?"
"Wait at least half a day… I’ll be able to recover a little, and I can teach you how to use a weapon. It might come in handy when you go…"
On one hand, I felt triumphant that I had won the argument, but on the other, the upcoming mission still terrified me. Neight was right that the area was unfamiliar to us, and who knew what was waiting out there beyond the ship. But there was no turning back. I had made up my mind—I had to act.
"All right. I agree to your terms."
I didn’t refuse Neight’s offer. I figured he wouldn’t go for any other option, and I wasn’t particularly eager to mess around with the control panel. Who knows what I might’ve broken if I pushed the wrong buttons. Plus, it would give me a chance to recover a little myself. Like it or not, my body was still aching.
And so, we reached a compromise.
"By the way," I said confidently, still feeling like I had the upper hand in this situation, "from now on, you’re sleeping in the cabin too. No objections."
In response, I only heard a frustrated sigh. Surprisingly, Neight didn’t argue with me. Maybe he was completely exhausted or perhaps he realized he couldn’t convince me right now.
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Grabbing the bedding scattered on the floor, I headed to the cabin. The chaos of thrown-around belongings still reigned there. Despite the annoying mess, I decided to leave the cleaning for later. Right now, I only wanted one thing—to crash onto the bed and rest, which is exactly what I did.
There were about two hours left before the alarm. Neight was still recovering in the capsule, so I spent the last night in the cabin alone. My whole body felt exhausted, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Too many factors were at play, from the physical pain to the overwhelming sense of responsibility that had fallen on my shoulders. And I couldn’t figure out which was worse.
At one point, I even thought maybe I should’ve listened to Neight and used the capsule to ease my condition. But the moment I remembered being put into it on my last day on Earth, a crushing wave of fear hit me, making me break out in a sweat. Maybe rationally, I understood that this was a completely different situation, under different conditions, and that I’d feel better if I could just shake off this entirely irrational fear. But emotionally, I just wasn’t ready for that.
On top of everything, my mind was racing with thoughts about what had happened and what might still be awaiting us. The future looked uncertain and unclear. It felt like just when I had started to adapt to these new realities—surviving on an unknown planet with an unfamiliar person—this stupid storm had to happen... All I could do was hope that we’d get through it and somehow move forward...
A flood of unconscious thoughts washed over me, slowly dissolving into the silence and darkness, letting me relax and slowly drift into sleep. But a moment later, the annoying beeping sounded, signaling the start of a new half of the day.
"Aaagghrr! I hate this alarm! I wish it had broken instead of that water supply system!" I growled in frustration, covering my face with my hands.
But despite the urge to just give up, I gathered my willpower and got up to prepare breakfast. After all, there was no one else who could do it right now.