The day continues as normal as it can be and the report from R&D comes in a couple of hours after you return to your office. The Fidgity Doctor seems both excited and concerned. “Never have I seen anomalous objects like these made of such simple materials”, they remark, “Especially seeing how they are human-made, apparently. The team stored them away safely from any curious eyes and for later research. I’ll submit a research project concerning the objects for the next week.”

You inquire about the crewman that was brought in as well. ”In other news, our patient is doing fine-ish. First scans show nothing of note, however, he’s… I wouldn’t call it unstable, but he’ll need some rest to calm down and we gave him something to untangle his mind. While he was in the bay, we tried to ask him about the markings and how he derived any meaning from them - no luck. He tried, but in the end, it seems he is unable to teach what he has learned. The markings and symbols, according to him, are no translatable language, but more akin to pictograms. Would explain why he can decode their meaning and we can’t, but not how he came into possession of this knowledge. We placed him under surveillance in his quarter, might take a while for him to be fit for duty again.” You sigh, telling the Doctor to keep an eye on the crewmate, before signing off - You have the feeling this will not have been the last you hear about this before you lose yourself in your thoughts for a while.

You shake your head, feeling a little off. Did you forget something? You take your PDA, look at the time. Since when was it Saturday today? Wasn’t it Friday just a moment ago? No, it can't be - can it? You leave the office. The command center is near silent: The consoles beep and bleep, your assistants are watching different reports coming in, analyze scans and watch the emptiness of space broadcasting over the wide-screen. However, they too look a little puzzled, once you distribute their monotone work.

Asking them what time it is results in more puzzled looks before they give you the same answer your PDA gave you a moment ago. You tell them to have every department report in - The same feeling of being confused about it not being Friday seems to be present on the entire station. Immediately, you have Engineering check the stations systems and Security sweep all modules for anomalies.

The result of your orders is no less disturbing. “We checked every system we got, Commander. All working nominal - If you ignore the fact, that we seem to be missing an entire day’s worth of logs, reports - everything.”, the Head Engineer states. Security, on the other hand, has nothing out of the ordinary to report. “Everything and everyone where they should be.”, the Scarred Officer reassures you. Only a couple minutes later, R&D radios in: “Uh, Commander? We have found something. It’d be better if you see this.”

Once you arrive at the lab, the Fidgity Doctor accompanies you to the hangar bay. This is the first time you have seen them both excited and worried at the same time. “It took us some time to comprehend what had happened, commander.”, they begin to explain as you stride across the open floor of the cargo hold towards the quarantine area, “Do you remember how the engineers took the old console hidden in the captains quarters of the ghost ship? Good - this way, commander.”

The quarantine area is buzzing with activity, researchers and engineers tending to scanning equipment, the live container recovered from the ghost ships hold strapped into various highly complex-looking machines. However, the Fidgety Doctor takes you aside from the container to a smaller makeshift research station connected to the old console. “Please, have a look - Trust me, this will explain it all - or some, at least.” You activate the console: To your surprise, the old piece of technology does not only still work but also has a new log. Date of recording: Friday.

”Alright, let us hope this works. This is the Head of R&D speaking, on the orders of the commander. We… uh, how to put this, before it escapes my mind again? The container we retrieved, the live one - we, uhm, we managed to open it up. To the teams surprise, and my disappointment, it was empty. That's what we thought at least. I… I...” The Doctor shuffles around as if they were looking for something.

“Damnit, the words keep escaping me… There! Yes - of course! I lost three hours of my memory upon opening the container! Good thing I had written that down… In any case: Container, not empty, and the entire crew started to have major lapses in memory. It seems the containment field was designed to keep something inside that's not entirely tangible. Must have tripped something upon forcing it open, thus disabling the field. Point is, we are running out of time. As long as we can remember what we are trying to do right now, we need to reverse the containment procedure - before we end up like that sodding ship’s crew! So, uh, if this station is, like, empty: Shit went wrong. Just wish us luck. Retroactively. If that works. Uh, Doc out? …. How does this damn thing stop reco-”

You shoot the Doctor looks of further confusion and a plea for explanations. “Well. Containment is reestablished if you were wondering. And this thing? Apparently, the only console that didn't get scrubbed right away. In any case, I can only speculate as to what had happened and what’s inside this container. The teams top secret working theory? Whatever is in there, it’s not necessarily tangible and induces some kind of localized reality-warping “forgetfulness”. Yes, I know. It's out there. Even for me. But, its the best I got.”

You take a few minutes to comprehend what the Doctor just conveyed to you, as you walk a few steps towards the live container. It looks just as you remember it. The question now is - what to do with this potentially dangerous… thing?
>Keep the container in quarantine and have R&D monitor it. It’s too dangerous to be left alone.

>See if R&D can probe it some more. Something useful must come of this, surely!

> Time to have the mining drone take this thing out beyond the asteroid belt. You don't want it anywhere near your station.

>Hand it over to corporate. They will know what to do with it. Or not. At least they might pay you for your troubles. Emphasis on might.
>You have a much better idea… [write-in]

For those that happen to stumble upon this and have been around before: Sorry for disappearing for three weeks! Nature tried to kill me for two weeks, but the curse wont get me just yet. In any case, we should return to the previous update schedule for the coming weeks. I am excited to get back to this! Hope you enjoy your time with this small adventure!

>>3505126
Gasp! Its back!

>>3505118
>Send it to corporate
Sounds like pure luck we managed to re contain it, and I can't imagine what we'd use it for.

>>3505118
>Keep the container in quarantine and have R&D monitor it. It’s too dangerous to be left alone.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3505204
>>3505460
lets tie break this and get writing!

>>3505129
>>3505204
>>3505460

The Fidgity Doctor once again seems half excited, half worried. “It’s nothing, commander.”, they reply as you inquiry for their thoughts, “I understand your sentiment. Just let me go on record as voicing my… concerns regarding this item and keeping it here. Yet, and I cannot deny this, I am curious as well. Where did they find this thing? Can we recreate the containment system? Even utilize this… anomaly?” You give them a light pat on the shoulder, speaking some encouraging words along the lines of “If not you, who will?”, which does brighten up the Doctors face a little. With this, you leave them to finalize the containment measures and begin treating the confused crew. You, on the other hand, have other things to do: Not only did you miss a day’s worth of working your files and commanding your assistants around, but the new week is around the corner as well.

Reports are as expected: discounting the missing day, most reports contain nothing out of the ordinary. The report from R&D once more repeats what the Fidgity Doctor already told you about the container and the “Lost Friday”-Incident, as the eggheads have dubbed it. In other news, R&D and Engineering have cataloged all impossible structures collected during the week. In the same vein, some researchers have put forward the proposal of studying the structures in order to possibly find a use for them here on the station.

In addition, Medical reports on the crewman who made the impossible structures: After denying him access to any arts and crafts materials that he could use to create further anomalous items, he has spent his time in his quarters, trying to devise a way of teaching his new-found skills. While this has been futile thus far, as it has been in the past, Medical has forwarded the notion that he could be used to glean special knowledge off the ornate decorations of the containers found inside the asteroid field. While the proposal is not off the table, you feel slightly worried about the possible side-effects. On the other hand, Medical reports that no lasting damages, both physical and mental, of the “Lost Friday” have been recorded, but the team requests some additional time off after having worked overtime the entire weekend to check on every crewmate. While you trust their report on the matter - and grant their request - you do still feel a little stressed, having lost the memory of an entire day.

>[1/2]

File: week 7.png (42 KB, 1135x603)

42 KB PNG

>>3507107

Last, but not least, you review your current missions: Your mining quota is safe to be reached by the end of next week if either the mining drone keeps working or a shuttle is on mining duty. Your second mission, to survey the anomalies and planet inside the system, you note you are still missing two planets, the two volcanic planets. While the deadline of this month is closing in fast, you recognize that you can easily meet the deadline by sending an away team both this week and next, to each planet respectively.

>Terror increased by 10!

First, choose your shuttles duties:
>Send an away mission to survey one of the volcanic planets [Write in what crew]
>Send an away mission to the presumed dormant hidden moon base [Write in what crew]
>Send an away mission with the anomalous crewmate to the collection of the container inside the asteroid belt [Write in what crew]
>Keep shuttles on standby. Let's see what the week brings.


Additionally, choose a research option for R&D:
>Develop a new way of sending small, automated probes through FTL, based on the broken resupply pod retrieved from the asteroid field.
>Recreate the containment system inside the Live Container in order to be able to recontain and study its contents outside the container itself.
>Study the impossible objects made by a crewmate, trying to derive a use for them.

>>3507110
Correction:
>The image shows a terror value of 16 - this is not up to date, as it is now 22.

>>3507110
>Volcanic planet with 5 engineers, 1 botany, 4 security

>Study the containment field

>>3508857

The command center is eerily quiet. With you sending a 10 crewmen strong away mission to survey one of the volcanic planets, you had to cut down on some non-critical positions. This does mean, for the duration of the mission, you’d be alone in your commander's chair. However, this did not cut back on the number of things to do. With the help of the rudimentary station AI, you collect and sort reports from the departments, aggregate data for Corporate and organize the monthly resupply ahead of schedule. But one good thing does come of your solitude: you have acquired a newfound appreciation of your assistant’s work.

Luckly, the understaffed security team consisting of a single guard and the Scarred Officer do pay you a visit every now and then on their patrol. The Officer does voice his concern about understaffing the station this much. “I think, and if I may put forward this suggestion, we should expand the greenhouse and quarters in order to increase crew capacity for such projects.” You agree that such expansions are a priority, but you have him concede the fact that refurbishing and staffing the frigate might be a wiser decision as of now.

The week proceeds to be a quiet one otherwise, with your survey mission radioing in as they are about to make planetfall and collect the survey probes as well as checking some atypical readings. You watch the nine helmet cameras as they make their way through ashlands, rocky mountains, along massive lava flows and through clouds of yellowish smoke that flows out of small geysers bubbling superheated rock.

Their reports are less exciting to listen to: Your botanist declares this planet as “totally dead, man” after checking a dozen data points suggestion the slightest possibility of any sort of life in the hot muck of this planet. Your engineers, on the other hand, seem to have a field day. Gas compositions here, geothermal vents there and mineral makeups yonder. They do suggest that some automated extraction might be possible in some parts of this planet - of that, you make a mental note.

>[1/2]

>>3509245

The team prepares their ways back to the shuttle, as one pair of engineers radio in something of note: As the noxious cloud obscuring the small crater slowly dissipates, a field of small yet uniform monoliths comes into view. “This is more than odd.”, one of them remarks as they descend to get a better look at them, “The probe said this would be some natural crystalline field, not… this? This looks more like a careful assembly...”. As they take their scans and discuss crystalline growing patterns and possible chemical formulas, their voices are filled with more and more doubt. Now, they talk about unnatural imperfections, artificial markings, damaged crystalline structure, disrupted growth patterns.

“Now, we are not saying this couldn’t be natural for this type of crystal”, the engineers explain after you inquire about their discussions, “But it might be possible that these are not occurring naturally.” You ask them if they are suggesting someone planted these crystals. “Not only planted - maybe even cut to shape or harvested.” They throw around the idea of taking a sample, seeing how they lack the expertise and equipment to make any further analysis.

>Have them collect a crystal for the eggheads to figure this one out. Could be valuable, or simply an interesting find.

>Harvest as many as they can fit into the enviro-sealed cargo hold of the shuttle. Valuable or not, Corporate will take them this time at the very least.

>Leave the crystals to grow. You can always return with a couple of Researchers later.

>There’s something else… [Write-in]

>>3509248
>Harvest several, enough to have spares but not enough to significantly impact the crystal garden.

>>3509248
>>Leave the crystals to grow. You can always return with a couple of Researchers later.

>>3509248
>Have them collect a crystal for the eggheads to figure this one out. Could be valuable, or simply an interesting find.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>3509257
>>3509640
>>3510508
Tie-breaking in progress!

>>3509257
>>3509640
>>3510508

After the contamination scare of last week, you decide that the crystals won't be going anywhere unless they grow legs. Relaying your orders, the team quickly packs up, having had enough of the smoky hellscape of this planet. Only a couple hour later, the shuttle reports lift-off and being on their trip back just as planned. In contrast, you still had work to do, like having Medical schedule the away team for their return examinations and sifting through the newly created backlog of scans and data.

Still, the monotony of hanging around the command center all by yourself wouldn't last all too long: The long-distance scanners, still peeled for any more resupply pods for the lunar base to arrive, record something of note. The AI alerts you and you rush to the appropriate console. Indeed, a new object appeared in the system, the calculated trajectory appears to lead towards the moon.

Thus far nothing exceptional, barring that you once more missed the object actually dropping out of FTL. However, a deeper analysis of the object does turn up some surprising measurements: While still rather small for a transport system capable to withstand FTL-travel, this pod is noticeably larger than the ones you have been able to observe. Nonetheless, it moves of its own accord and no information about its content can be ascertained through the long-distance scanner.

You mull over your possibilities: Sure, the second shuttle is currently idle, having returned from its mining mission recently. But scrambling an additional away team would leave critical positions empty on the station. On the other hand, getting the other shuttle to redirect towards the moon base might take them a while, and would most certainly create more stress for the already cramped shuttle. Yet, maybe sending them is the better option - they are out there already after all.

>Don’t send a team just yet. Human resources are spread thin already and the moon base has seemingly been active for more than a week in the past.
>Scramble the second shuttle. It’s not the best idea, given the current staffing situation.
>Redriect the away team. They are out there already, why waste the return trip.

If deciding to scramble a new team or redirect the old, choose a course of action:
>Have them try and capture the pod. This one might be special due to its proportions.
>Have them trail behind and land by the moon base. If it has power now, we can finally peek inside.

>>3511637
>Don't send a team just yet

We don't hace much to send while scouting planet volcano

Sorry for disappearing for a week again, life keeps happening. However, I feel this is as good of a point as any to put this little thing back onto the shelf, for some time at least, and explore some other ideas I have. I'm honestly surprised that this thing survived beyond thread one, now with over 87000 characters written on my part. Anyway, the thread is archived, should i pick it all up from here.

Thanks to the players that have stuck around, and the readers reading along. Keep an eye out for more spreadsheet autism and other stuff from me, and happy questing!

>>3535407
RIP

Thanks for running

>>3535407
Good luck.
Next go around, I suggest some way to notify anons when you're running. That way when life gets in the way we can find our way back.

Thanks for running.