I wrote this scenario on my own initiative for a game in development, which has not yet been released and I strongly doubt that it will ever come out. Since the script was unclaimed, I think it is possible to post it here.
It is possible to appreciate the attempt to translate a fiction text from DeepL.
Kind of like a script, a plot twist.
Decided to practice a little.
Trying to justify how a ship with colonists appeared on a poorly explored planet. On the originally conceived number of people did not get an answer, so took the most optimal (in my opinion) number.
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The reason for all this was an incredible confluence of circumstances.
In isolation, none of the events could have led to such a result. Even the coincidence of any two could not have given such a result. But when all of them came together...
The Pallada, a long-range research ship, came out of hyperspace before its final dash to its intended destination. All that was needed was to refuel the reactor-a routine, long-established procedure. The unexpected asteroid cloud posed no threat, despite the fact that it turned out to be quite large. The ship's AI monitored the movement of the asteroids and at the same time made sure that the procedure for replacing the rods in the reactor was correct. Several of the larger asteroids came dangerously close to the ship, and the AI gave the command to destroy them. The plasma cannons' volley caused a slight vibration of the ship's hull, which could easily be neutralized, but at this moment, the ship reached a powerful magnetic ejection of the nearest star, and the ship's brain, overloaded with tracking a large number of asteroids, analyzing the new danger, delayed its reaction - the command to compensate went with a slight delay, which caused the rods to warp and touch. A thermal explosion of a reactor is a scary thing and can severely damage even a long-range reconnaissance ship.
The ship's defense systems, even when offline, honorably fulfilled their duty: asteroids that flew close to the ship were shattered by plasma blasts, and their fragments were turned into harmless dust by lasers. The asteroid cloud no longer posed a threat to the ship. Unfortunately, the explosion hit the main systems of the ship and Artificial Intelligence turned into Artificial Idiocy. And the destruction of the hyperdrive and main reactor no longer allowed for interstellar travel. No distress signal could be sent due to the damage to the long-range communications system. Fortunately, the planetary engines and the backup reactor are intact.
According to the rules, when working with the reactor, there should not be people on the technical deck, all should go up to the living compartments. The crew was experienced and strictly followed the instructions, so the explosion killed no people, but severely damaged, including the life support systems. Particular damage was done to the "kitchen garden", hydroponic greenhouses and the "barnyard", meat raising tanks, everything that provided the crew with food.
// Comments and notes.
Even now, technology makes it possible to grow meat without animals: cut off a piece and it eventually grows back.
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From this point the game begins.
The player chooses the strength of the destruction and accordingly the difficulty of the game: the more destruction, the less food and time for the initial exploration of the planet - you need to find food and build dwellings faster, and for this there are fewer materials and tools.
The Pallada, a Pioneer-class long-range exploration ship (called "Venusian Cruiser" by the crew among themselves), is designed for pre-colonization training and in-depth planet exploration.
Crew of 100-200 people. Includes specialists in various fields to explore the planets and prepare for full colonization. There are laboratories and workshops. Also has a complex of 3D-printers, allowing printing from houses to miniature objects.
Equipped with a hyper-engine Heim ("Pol-Can XŹ-0103" of Polish-Canadian production) and interplanetary ion engines ("Mugodzhary-43Ch" 1. («Мугоджары-43Ч») of Ural People's Republic production).
1 The Mugodzhars are the southern extension of the Ural Mountain System
Provision is made for the ship to land on the planet (possibly in pieces) and use the hull as the initial base of the colony. The reactor should provide energy for the colony. The main reactor is needed on planets with a difficult climate, for cooling or heating the colony, while on planets with a warm, stable climate, a backup reactor will suffice.
// Scene in the cockpit of the ship.
The commander and second mate (or supply officer), trying to assess the degree of damage based on reports from the repair crews and data from sensors still working.
The navigator-navigator runs into the deckhouse:
— Cap! It's not that bad!
Second mate (gloomily):
— Yes, it's much worse...
— No, it isn't! This star system has a perfectly habitable planet! We can easily get to it by planetariums (interplanetary engines)! It's poorly explored, but clearly there are no particular dangers there.
— Why is it poorly explored? — asks the captain.
— Because of the exotic paired star, the system is classified as a Phase 2 exploration, we've had enough normal worlds so far.
Second mate:
— Shall we put the question to a vote?
Plot twist.
Captain's Answer:
Yes ("Let's play democracy.")
No. The situation is critical, no time for discussion. ("Authoritarianism or "sovereign democracy".)
// The crew is divided into "active" and "swamp".
The "active" are those strongly concerned about their political influence, mostly those who have made their way into positions and on whom the development and prosperity of the colony depends. The morbidly mistrustful-they go either to the government or to the opposition.
The "swamp" — the majority, the people who "don't deal with politics" and "go with the flow" (or rather, they sailed where the government instructed them to go, and then they wonder why the ship "ran aground / crashed into an asteroid" and blame everyone else for what happened but themselves, even though they let the ship steer and made no attempt to change the government, even when it should be perfectly clear that they're going somewhere "wrong").
Because of the specifics of work for long-range space exploration requires active people, and as a result, the percentage of politically fascinated people in the ship's team is higher than on average in the terrestrial collective.
// At:
The first option, the organization of voting and counting takes time, which is already short, as a result, the crew lands on the planet hungry and "swamped" with anger at the captain (negative attitude), the "active" are neutral to the captain.
The second option — the flight is made quickly, the people are fed, the "swamp" is neutral, rather slightly positive towards the captain, the "active" are sharply unhappy that they were not consulted.
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It's time to stop, because I'm getting carried away…
