The next morning, Ellie woke up to the sound of the ship's alarm blaring. She quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to the control room, where she found the rest of the crew gathered around the communication console.

"What's going on?" she asked, breathless.

"We're receiving a distress signal," Erika said, pointing to the console.

Ellie's heart sank as she saw the blinking light indicating an emergency transmission. "Can we identify the source?" she asked.

"It's coming from a nearby planet," Jin replied, tapping on the console. "I'm getting a visual now."

The screen flickered to life, showing a desolate, rocky landscape. Ellie could make out a small outpost in the distance, smoke rising from one of the buildings.

"That looks like a research facility," she said, squinting at the screen. "Do we have any information on this planet?"

Jin typed on the console, and a holographic display appeared, showing the planet's stats. "It's a Class D planet, uninhabitable without terraforming. There's no record of any official research facilities here, but it's possible that it's an unofficial operation."

"We have to go down there and help," Ellie said firmly. "Get the landing party ready."

The team quickly geared up, grabbing their weapons and medical kits. Ellie and Erika led the way as they descended in the shuttle, their hearts pounding with anticipation and fear.

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As they landed near the outpost, they could see that it had been heavily damaged by some kind of explosion. Smoke billowed from the buildings, and debris littered the area.

They cautiously made their way towards the outpost, their guns at the ready. As they approached, a figure stumbled out of one of the buildings, waving their arms frantically.

"Please, help us!" the figure shouted, and Ellie realized it was a woman.

"What happened here?" Ellie asked, as they helped the woman to her feet.

"We were conducting experiments on the planet's atmosphere," the woman said, her voice shaking. "Something went wrong, and there was a huge explosion. It's not safe here, we need to evacuate."

Ellie nodded, and the team quickly moved to help the rest of the scientists. They found several injured people, some with severe burns or broken bones. The team worked quickly to administer medical aid and evacuate them to the shuttle.

As they were loading the last of the injured scientists, Ellie noticed something strange. One of the scientists was holding a small metal device, which seemed to be emitting a faint humming noise.

"What's that?" Ellie asked, pointing to the device.

The scientist looked down at the device, then back up at Ellie with a fearful expression. "It's an experimental prototype," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's designed to alter the planet's atmosphere, but we were still testing it."

Ellie's heart sank as she realized what the scientist was saying. "Is that what caused the explosion?"

The scientist nodded, his eyes wide with fear. "We were hoping to make the planet habitable, but we didn't realize the consequences of our actions. It was a mistake, a terrible mistake."

Ellie felt a surge of anger and frustration. She knew all too well the dangers of tampering with a planet's ecosystem. She couldn't understand how these scientists could have been so reckless.

"Let's get out of here," she said, grabbing the scientist's arm. "We need to get this device off this planet and back to the ship. We can't risk any more damage."

The team quickly loaded the injured scientists onto the shuttle and took off, leaving the ruined outpost behind.