Dark Salt

The trek down the slope is slow but steady, the evaporite crust crunching under your boots. The indicator on your ops panel keeps on pinging forward—a little to the right—and with the salt ridges rising high on either side of you, you have no choice but to trust it for now. {(set: $op to (font:"Courier New")) (set: $opr to (font:"Courier New") + (text-style: "shudder")) (set: $opf to (font:"Courier New"))} > [[Continue.|Intro1.1]]

You don't have a visual on the sample sight yet and you for once you aren't sure when you might. The crust is thick enough here that you have to take it slow, and the path on your Ops panel plotted winds too sharply for line of sight. You’re months into this posting and it’s still easy to forget that this dry, white valley was once a sea. An ocean, maybe, but what's the point in asking? It doesn't smell like the ocean you grew up with. It's desiccated, sterile; at least the evaporite here doesn't have that strange, sour smell. Some parts of this hemisphere are littered with ancient trash or ancient oceanic life all frosted up in salt, but this whole path is barren as it is steep. > [[Continue.|Intro3]]

You flex your fingers inside the gloves; movement on the Ops panel catches your eye. Even as you lift it for a closer look, the topography crackles and flinches across the screen. It's acting up worse than usual... pretty trippy-looking, actually. It wasn't built for this. It's not good at it. You’ve heard Weiss-Hill uses this same unit everywhere, and most of those ops are medical, not salvage missions on a long-abandoned moon. That happens sometimes. You’ve got your tricks to fix it. > [[Restart.|Mapbrokenreset]] > [[Give it a smack.|Mapbrokensmack]] > [[Tell Vega.|Mapbrokenvega]]

You give your ops panel a solid smack—and an angry noise echoes through the comm in your helmet. Ah. So Vega's paying attention after all. There’s the sound of crunching movement, some beeping that you know is from up in the Aurochs because there’s nothing alive down here. You clear your throat. “Are you having trouble with the plotting?” “Before or after you slapped all my sensors?” > [["Vega."|Opspanel1]]

You straighten up your Ops panel, hold the button in the back-left corner until— "Hey!" Vega's voice cuts in from from your helmet, drowning out the little tone of protest the ops panel makes when it resets. "Hey, I was working on getting that up again." > [["Sorry, I didn't realize."|resetapology]] > [["You should have said something."|resetoops]] > [["And now, I'm working on it."|resetsnark]]

The soft lining of your armored gloves has started feeling gummy with sweat. You’d pull them off if you dared, which you don’t; it’s a wonder Vega hasn’t started lecturing you for having your visor open, much less exposing your arms. Besides, the ground here is uneven. You’re sure-footed but you’re not a total fool. One fall and it could cut your hands up, easy—and dark salt stings like a motherfucker. There’s no need to rub salt in a wound if salt did all the wounding. > [[Continue.|Mapbroken]]

It’s a further trip than you’d usually make on foot, but there are reasons that Vega couldn’t drop you closer. It was... something-something, altitudes; something-something landing gear. You honestly stopped listening. You trusted the brief, thought it would be nice to stretch your legs. It's—fine. It's hot. You'll manage. > [[Continue.|Intro2]]

An imperious sigh wafts over the comm. “Yes, I was getting interference. Still am. Working it now. Trying to, if you'll let me." You squint at the the evaporite crust in front of you, take a few steps, round a corner—seeing if you can pick the sample site from the surrounding area. “Can you just walk me in by voice?” “Negative. Can you run a diagnostic?” You open your mouth to reply, but you're interrupted: "Wasn't a question, actually, Ostrander." > [[Run a diagnostic.|charcreate1alt]] > [[Roll your eyes, then run a diagnostic.|charcreate1alt]]

You straighten up your Ops panel, hold the button in the back-left corner. It takes you a moment to find it. The panel makes that little noise like it’s sorry it’s disappointed you, goes black, and . . . Hums back into life. $op[// [[WELCOME|charcreate3]]]

$op[! DIAGNOSTIC COMPL$opr[▒]TE $opf[! CRITICAL ER$opr[░]OR ! CAN$opr[▒░]T LOAD TERRAIN EXPLORER ! CRITICAL ER$opr[▒░░]] Error rendering terrain expl$opr[▒]rer. Would you like to re$opr[░]tart operations panel?] Vega looses a hiss of disgust. "I'm reading an error, are you reading an error?" "A critical error, no less." You frown. "You want me to restart?" "If you'd be so kind." $op[// [[RESTART|charcreate2]]]]

$op[WELCOME to your Weiss-Hill Solutions operations panel. “A closer past, a better future.” ! UPDATES NEEDED - CENTRAL SERVICING ! UNABLE TO CONNECT TO Weiss-Hill netw]$opr[▒]$op[rk ! SECONDARY NETWORK AQUIRED: Jax Sigma Intraplanetary ! UNABLE TO VERIFY AGENT IDENTI]$opr[▒]$op[Y // [[CONTINUE|charcreate4]]]

$op[! UNABLE TO VERIFY AGENT IDENTITY Please confirm biographical data. Agent: Ostrander, Reed Pronouns: $opr[░ ░ / ░ /] Superv$opr[░]sor: Vega, P$opr[░ ▒░░ ░▒] Vessel: Aurochs Plan$opr[░]tary assignment: Jax Luna // [[CONFIRM|charcreatepro]]]

$op[! DATA CORRUPTION: employee file - preferred pronouns ! DATA CORRUPTION: supervisor file - first name Please confirm supervisor identity:] `//` $op[(link: "VEGA, PETRA (she/her)" )[(set: $v to "Petra")(goto: "charcreateend")]] `//` $op[(link: "VEGA, PALLAS (they/them)" )[(set: $v to "Pallas")(goto: "charcreateend")]] `//` $op[(link: "VEGA, PASCAL (he/him)" )[(set: $v to "Pascal")(goto: "charcreateend")]]

You fight past your urge to mess with yourself—your results are honestly pretty mixed. Instead you say: "I'm getting some issues with my map." You've barely finished speaking before an answer comes crisply from the comm in your helmet. "Thank you, Ostrander, I'm working on it. Stand by." There's nothing of interest in the scenery so you find yourself glancing up at the pale blue sky. You can't see the Aurochs anywhere; Vega must be keeping it back past the ridges. "Can you try running a diagnostic?" (set: $vegapanelteam to "yes") > [["Fine."|charcreate1]] > [["Yeah, not a problem."|charcreate1]]

"What was that, Ostrander?" Vega asks fake-breathily. "The comms must be acting up too, it sounded like you were asking me to talk more." > [["Don't get used to it."|resetnoted]] > [["You always do."|resetalwaysdo]]

"No, of course not," Vega drawls. "I'll cherish this moment of camaraderie, et cetra." You don't even know what to say to that, but for now you've got better things to do: your Ops panel has started up again. // $op[[[WELCOME|charcreate3]]]

Your comm picks up the echo of a canny, imperious laugh. "Well in that case, be my guest," Vega says, "After all, you are the expert on Weiss-Hill assistive technology—" > [[Sigh.|resetsnarksigh]]

"—no, wait, that's not right. The expert is me," Vega finishes. At least when you finish rolling your eyes, the panel has started up again: // [[ CONTINUE|charcreate3]]

Vega groans. "No, no, it's fine. I should have said something... I just don't know what's causing all this interference." > [["Solar flare?"|resetaposolarflare]] > [["You're the expert."|resetexpert]]

Vega snorts. "Hey, just trying to lighten the mood... what with our grave-robbing an awful, polluted, ancient ocean." > [["Point taken."|resetupagain]] > [["Does 'heavy mood' mean less talking? I like 'heavy moods.'"|resetnoted]] > [["It's not grave robbing, it's..."|resetgrave]]

"I guess I shouldn't call it grave-robbing..." Vega continues to himself. "They don't really like that, do they." No, they don't; Weiss-Hill probably spends more money on branding this initiative than it does the initiative itself. Genetic Reaccession. You're not sure how they came up with a term that's creepier than the activity. Either way, you notice that your Ops panel is up again: $var[// [[WELCOME|charcreate3]]]

"Oh, most likely," Vega acknowledges. "That's what's going in the mission report, at least." Either way, you notice that your Ops panel is up again: $op[// [[WELCOME|charcreate3]]]

"Have you noticed I'm only 'the expert' when things go wrong?" Vega asks. Either way, you notice that your Ops panel is up again. [[// WELCOME|charcreate3]]

"You're right, you're right," Vega relents. You don't hear 'apology' in that tone, but you do hear 'please-don't-report-me-to-the-central-office,' and from a goody two-shoes like Vega it's the same kind of satisfying. Weiss-Hill doesn't laugh at jokes like that. Either way, you you see that the panel has started up again: $op[[[// WELCOME|charcreate3]]]

$op[! DIAGNOSTIC COMPL$opr[▒]TE $opf[! CRITICAL ER$opr[░]OR ! CAN$opr[▒░]T LOAD TERRAIN EXPLORER ! CRITICAL ER$opr[▒░░]] Error rendering terrain expl$opr[▒]rer. Would you like to re$opr[░]tart operations panel?] "Yeah, I'm... gonna restart," you say out loud--very diplomatically, you think. "Good to know," Vega replies, a little frostily. $op[// [[RESTART|charcreate2]]]

$op[! DATA CORRUPTION: employee file - preferred pronouns ! DATA CORRUPTION: supervisor file - first name Please confirm employee preferred pronouns:] `//` $op[(link: "they/them" )[(set: $othey to "they")(set: $othem to "them")(goto: "charcreate5")]] `//` $op[(link: "she/her" )[(set: $othey to "she")(set: $othem to "her")(goto: "charcreate5")]] `//` $op[(link: "he/him" )[(set: $othey to "he")(set: $othem to "him")(goto: "charcreate5")]]

$op[Please confirm biographical data. Agent: Ostrander, Reed Pronouns: [$othey/$othem] Superv$opr[░]sor: Vega, $v Vessel: Aurochs Plan$opr[░]tary assignment: Jax Luna // [[CONFIRM|keepgoing]]]

rocks fall u r dead (if: $v is "Petra")[$v] (if: $v is "Pallas")[$v] (if: $v is "Pascal")[$v] (if: $othey is "she")[$othey] (if: $othey is "he")[$othey] (if: $othey is "they")[$othey] (if: $othem is "she")[$othem] (if: $othem is "he")[$othem] (if: $othem is "they")[$othem]