|Viraliv|[20-14]Sliue-Ececs|Ora’s Eye|Tepi|Tepi-3|

11,163,955,738cy

Terraformer Station ‘Favala’, Low Tepi-3 Orbit

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#Point of View of Random Explorative Crewmember

Wheels turn, gravel spits, and the hum of the engine thrumms louder as we draw further away from the safe serviced outpost paths and into the wilderness. The sun-scorched, dry, and wavy deserts that are a common sight for most of this planet seem to blend together until you lose your bearings on time. This barren wasteland has become a common sight for the various exploration teams since we first got here. Although this is just the scenery on the journey, the destination is an altogether different story.

Instead of seeing the sun-marred bright sand and jutting rock above. Down here, in the rifts, you’ll find darker stone and shadows. Stone with something important, sedimentary layers. These multi-colored rocks tell a story of this planet’s past, one of liquid water. The teams that came before us didn’t explore the rifts in detail; for good reason due to their size. They are massive, wide and long, one would be able to see them as massive scars if looking from orbit. I can only imagine the massive amounts of water that was once funneled through the worn canyon walls. Sadly, through all of these layers, no fossils were found, meaning no life was present on this planet; or at least if it was it certainly wasn’t here.

The team I was assigned to was lucky enough to be one of many to explore these behemoth mazes. And mazes they are, often intertwining with other tunnels, some go into the depths, and some carry on for over three thousand miles. This is no small project and part of the reasons why the teams assigned to it catch the envy of the other teams that weren’t so lucky. At the very least we will be in a footnote of history, even if this just becomes a tourist spot we’ll be on some plaque somewhere. Though it’s the ultimate hope of everyone that the rifts eventually get water flowing through them again. That’s the real goal of our exploration, mapping it out in its entirety is just the first step.

It’s very likely that we won’t be alive to see the water that’s supposed to submerge all of this but it’s exciting nonetheless. My own personal interest is the water but, not it filling the rifts but rather where it all went and why. Large tunnels, the kind that could have possibly been a result of glaciers, dig far into the ground. Perhaps farther than even the caverns of the colony. Could there be water sitting in some gigantic reservoir deep into this planet’s crust? Maybe life would exist there, deep in the warmth of the crust. I’d like to find out but my personal inquiries are apparently not important to the mission at hand, not yet at least. And it’s unlikely that I live long enough to reach the stage where the brains start caring about where the water went.

It’s a bit like trying to find out why water keeps disappearing out of the tub without having taken a look at it. I understand it like that but it’s irksome nonetheless. I have idle thoughts of stealing the Nomac and driving it into the depths anyway but I know it’d be futile. I’d starve to death, even if I filled the rover to the brim with supplies, before I even got a few percentages deep into the tunnels below.

Oh well, I'll do what I can now. I quickly suit up to catch up with the others, our work has just begun on this little barren rock.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

#Point of View of Random Coalition Soldier

The warning lights and abrupt noises make it hard to concentrate. It's been like that ever since a TFS destroyer shot one of its light cannons into our bow hitting some of our vitals. Blew out a huge patch of our ship too. Luckily, we were able to escape but we're separated from our fleet and venting vital resources.. A sudden spark brings my attention back to the crackling panel below me, my torch is at the ready and I begin working away. Most of the ship is doing the same, even those not trained. The light cannon of that destroyer was enough to gouge out a large chunk off of our compressed space-tub. No-one can rest until it's cordoned off. Not that we would want to rest in the ship in its current state.

At least once we get back to a port somewhere, it might be better to say if, then we'll be able to have a little vacation whilst the ship is being repaired. Given that command doesn't just scrap it for parts and assign us somewhere else. That’s an unlikely scenario though, command has been pulling together anything and everything to use for the war effort. Even civilian-grade hulls are becoming an increasingly common sight, military modifications are made to them of course but there’s no beating an actual warship with those.

It’s all part of the guerilla grand war plan, a straight confrontation with the TFS forces was quickly becoming too costly and unwinnable so the tactics switched. It’s an effort to buy time, nobody knows for what though, and to bleed the enemy before we lose all of our holdouts. I'm all for it, after we lost Tellthos I’d do anything to see the twisted faces of those Tarmon bastards through the portholes as we lance one of their ships through. Though in reality I wouldn’t see anything through any portholes, I’d be too busy running through the ratways of the ship fixing one component at a time. Still, It’s the thought that counts, the Captain is very particular about revenge. Almost everyone in the crew was someone from a planet now lost, makes us more aggressive and useful, she says, more willing to prove our worth for the empire; even if it comes at the cost of our death.

She’s one of the rare nobles that cares about us peasants, part of the reason why someone as courageous as her is captioning this compact patrol craft. The Captain seems happy regardless of what ship she governs. Her past is a common topic of discussion amongst the crew, this hate for the TFS has to come from somewhere. She’s tight-lipped though, and it’s rare enough that peasants get to informally talk to nobles to begin with. A zip brings my attention back to the panel, in my absentmindedness I fixed most of it. It may be a bit arrogant but I do have to say, I must be one of the best engineers in our sub-ordo at the very least.

Ahh, wonder when we’ll get to the nearest port; maybe a few months if we’re lucky.

#Point of View of Random Security Personnel, Stationed in the Central Government Complex

With nothing to do I jimmy my rifle around, checking it for any miniscule amount of dust that might have landed on it that would provide me some change in this otherwise boring station. At least I’ve got my own head to crawl into but, it’s not much when most days just grind away at my sanity. I won’t say it was better in the near past, with all of the riots and such, but it sure was more exciting then. Now, all I do is watch people move up a queue to get access to the party booths. Political parties, that is, I wouldn’t mind an actual party right about now. It’s all of those corrupt-politicians-to-be field day as they hurry to get signed up for a party, or to create their own. And if they’re lucky enough to get an important position, they’ll probably be my future bosses as well. Which means now is the best time to see what they’re about, and if anyone does anything suspicious, well, I’ll be watching closely.

It is about the only thing I can do to pass the time, and what they pay me to do. Can’t have some terrorists blowing up the boothes afterall, not when the peace is so fragile at this moment in time. I hear that most of those orgs that would resort to such extremes have been dismantled; probably only a few remain.

Still, I’ll keep my eyes open. And my mind melted, have to play the role they pay me to afterall.