From Bad to Worse

Started by Bodhran777, September 05, 2019, 11:19:53 AM

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Bodhran777

Hello everyone.  This is a casual story I've been working on in my free time.  It's based on experiences in Rimworld, but with some creative liberties taken.  I play with a long list of mods, so a lot of elements to the story are from those, and not found in vanilla (dinos, humanoid animals, modern weaponry, and so on).  They add variety, but make my game startup take forever.  Anyway, I hope you like like the story as much as I've had fun writing it.

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From Bad to Worse

Aprimay 7, 5517
Well, all things considered, our situation could be worse...

About 4 hours ago, we were all safely aboard our ship before our pilot decided to "test out the new stabilizers".  What he had in mind was more of a stunt maneuver that put us right on course to clip a mountain peak with the underside of the ship.  It feels somehow fitting that he didn't make it to a pod in time.  In fact, most of the crew didn't make it.  It's just Dave, Green, Misha, and I, all stuck in this mountainous forest with nothing but some basic supplies and scrap metal all around us.

As I'm writing this journal, Dave, our onboard botanical expert (glorified gardener, really), and Green, our doctor, are arguing about how to best set up camp.  I feel bad for Misha.  She's the only person here with actual engineering experience, and the other two won't shut up long enough to listen to her.  As for me, I'm what's left of security.  I've had my share of scuffles, but I'm no soldier, and we were never properly equipped.  Heck, the captain of the ship barely let us keep shotguns on board for fear we'd blow a hole in his ship.  Instead, it was SMGs and pistols for all.  I'm at least glad one pistol was added to each escape pod for "survival purposes", so we're all armed somewhat. 

Sounds like the others have finally decided to pick a spot for camp.  I'll keep this up as long as I can, in case we get rescued. 


Aprimay 8, 5517
Last night was a rough sleep.  We've become so used to our beds that none of us were ready for a long night on the ground.  We had managed to build a small hut out of wood and scraps from the ship that fell around us, but we're going to need a better place if we're going to be stuck here.  Dave's foot ended up in my ribs no less than 3 times, and Misha insisted on sleeping on the edge, so she wasn't stuck between a bunch of guys.  Can't blame her for that. 

After taking a quick scope of the land, we realized where we are: lost.  None of us remember seeing this valley on a map, much less how to get back to a town or something.  The only option we have is to build right here in hopes that someone finds us soon. 

While the others work on fire and a larger hut, I set out finding food.  Sure, we have the rations, but not many.  I'm pretty sure I saw some animals nearby, or signs of them at least.  A deer or a set of rabbits would be great right now.  Unfortunately, as of me writing this, I have been unsuccessful, so I'll have to try again tomorrow.


Aprimay 10, 5517
So, you know those old textbooks back in school that talk about giant lizards living on Terra, maybe 360 trillion years ago?  I think that was the number, but I feel like the old scientists were just trying to see how high they could go before people caught on...anyway.  I digress...THERE'S DINOSAURS ON THIS FREAKING PLANET!!!

What I thought was a flock of birds I was stalking ended up being a group of small dinosaurs making their way to the water.  I have no idea what kind of monsters they were, but all I can think of are the meat-eating kind, and I don't want to end up as dinner.  I tried to tell the others about it, but they laughed and said I was under stress from the crash.  At least, that was until I went out and shot a little one by itself and showed them.  I think it freaked Misha out, but Dave was trying to figure out how to cook it within minutes.  At least it's something...

Or it would be something if Dave was competent at cooking.  He ended up burning practically everything even remotely edible, so we ended up popping open more rations.  There's only so many times you can eat bagged spaghetti before it gets boring...


Aprimay 12, 5517
Things are looking up, finally.  We have more room in our little base, and we've managed to bag a few decent-sized dinos to feed ourselves.  Dave still sucks at cooking, but at least he's learning.  Green set himself up a small "lab", and Misha managed to scrape together some electrical components and metal into a power system.  We even found a decent solar panel to set up, and now we have light!  On top of that, reptile skin sleeping bags are surprisingly comfortable. 

Dave set up a small garden with local plants, which are very similar to plants back home.  It was actually very easy figuring out what was edible, and Green's tongue only swelled up once when he tried something unusual.  Still didn't manage to shut him up, but it was worth a shot.  I'm a bit afraid for Misha, though.  Despite a list of projects to work on and take her mind off things, she seems nervous and stressed out.  Maybe it's the area and animals, maybe it's being the only woman, or maybe it's Green's body odor (probably that).  In any case, she doesn't seem to want to talk about it, and keeps to herself most of the time.


Aprimay 15, 5517
We aren't as alone as we thought...

As I was out gathering, I heard voices through a thicket, speaking in a language I couldn't understand.  As I moved closer to get a look, I noticed it was a trio of who I assume are natives to this area.  They were dressed in rough hide clothes and carried spears and bows.  Like the idiot I am, I stepped out to say hi.

The one in front of their group took one look at me, then drew an arrow and fired it my direction.  If I hadn't moved so fast, I'd have an arrow in my neck right now.  Of course, the others followed suit and started shooting, so I did my best to shake them.  I even fired back, hoping the gunshot would either scare them or at least alert the rest of my group.  Amazingly, it did neither.  After I managed to lose the tribe people, I got back to camp to find the others totally oblivious.  They thought I was hunting again, even though our makeshift freezer is full of food now.  Once again, just like the dinosaurs, they didn't believe me at first. 


Jugust 3, 5517
Well, now we're in trouble.  Seems those few natives were part of a larger group, and they came to pay us a visit.  If only it were a house-warming...

We were putting on the last details to Misha's personal hut when another arrow sailed right past Green's head and buried itself in the door (they need to work on that aim).  They were coming from the east, and we had barely enough time to find cover before more arrows came in.  Once we actually spotted the shooters, Misha and I began returning fire.  Dave "helped", but mostly wasted ammo, and Green ducked inside his hut to get out of the line of fire.  Coward.  After a few shots, I managed to drop one of the raiders, which must have gotten their attention because they suddenly focused fire on me!  Misha managed to change positions and got a few more shots in on them, hitting a couple and dropping another.  As timid and nervous as she is, that girl can shoot!  Once she landed the hits, the others turned tail and ran. 

It took us a minute to realize we were in the clear, but we finally went out to find the two we downed.  One was already dead when we reached him, with a hole in the neck.  The other was barely alive from a chest wound, and spoke some unrecognizable language before expiring.  I collected their weapons, some rough short bows, and we buried them east of our village, the direction they came from. 


Jugust 7, 5517
It's been 4 days since the raid, and it's been quiet here at the camp.  I hate just calling it "the camp", because the more I think about it, the more I realize we're going to be stuck here a long time.  Seems like we should at least give our place here a name.  Maybe it would make me feel more at home, and not like I'm on some camping trip that never ends.  I'll throw out some ideas to the others and see if any stick.

I have to give Dave some credit this time.  He's an awful shot, a worse cook, and kinda annoying, but he can sure grow a garden.  Already, his plants have grown larger, and we should be harvesting soon, which means we need a way to preserve what we gather.  So far, Misha has managed to make do with primitive cold boxes, but their efficiency is lacking.  She mentioned getting air conditioning into a sealed hut, and I think she could pull it off.  Green's hut looks like a mad scientist's lab, with his research bench and other things laying around everywhere.  I think Misha has him roped into her air conditioning idea because he's been jabbering on and on about making batteries and a better power system. 

In the meantime, I've been setting up defenses, hopefully to throw off more raiders.  Sandbags were first, so we have decent cover next time.  Then it was spike traps and bottlenecks.  What I wouldn't give for a pair of watch dogs to patrol with. 


Jugust 8, 5517
I think someone upstairs is reading my journal. 

While we were working in the gardens, we heard a rustling in the bushes.  We had barely pulled our guns when a little Yorkie dog came bouncing out of the leaves.  I think Green might have wet himself in terror until he noticed it looked exactly like the captain's dog.  Turns out, he was right, it was that dog.  I'm not sure how it survived the crash, or survived the local wildlife, but I'll take what I can get. 

Only problem is, the dog wasn't alone.  Before we knew it, we had 5, 6, 7, 8 Yorkies running out to us, and not nearly enough food to feed them all.  Dave was overwhelmed, but Misha was ecstatic.  She was immediately attached to the captain's dog, which the captain lovingly named Toots.  I just hope its name isn't based on behavior.

Well, attachment or not, we need to figure out what we're doing with all these dogs.  I know I wanted a watch dog, but this is ridiculous.  I'm sure we'll think of a solution.

Bodhran777

#1
Jugust 10, 5517
Not going to lie, this Yorkie skin chair cushion is great! 

Ok, go ahead and call me a monster, but we couldn't support 8 dogs.  After some thinking, we "reduced" their numbers to one, Toots, who happened to be the yappiest of them all.  I figured she would make the best watch dog of the lot, and I couldn't bear to separate Misha from her now.  The others became cushions or decoys for the raiders or wildlife.  I'd say it was a win-win, all things considered. 

Misha managed to get her air conditioning project up and running, and Green got his power grid working to support it.  Already it's feeling like a home here, between the cool air and new comforts.  Oh, and that reminds me, we decided on a name for this place...New Inverin.  Being from Earth, I insisted on a name based on an Earth town.  Dave apparently came from a town called Inverin, and the idea stuck.  Now that we have a sign set up for visitors (the peaceful kind), we can finally call our new town home.


Jugust 14, 5517
Well, New Inverin, you're in all new trouble.

We though we'd seen the last of the tribe raiders, but we were wrong.  We weren't however, taken by surprise!  Toots did her job and barked her head off, just in time for us to hit the fortifications and get ready.  This time, the raiders didn't charge in, but instead hung back and yelled at us first.  One in particular, who I assume can only be the leader and looks like he just came from a boulder-throwing competition, was particularly vocal.  I couldn't understand him, but I think it's safe to say he wasn't happy about us planting two of his tribe members right outside the town. 

However, the real surprise was when he began yelling in Basic, after it was clear his message wasn't getting through.  Sure enough, this guy seems to know our language somehow, and he made it very clear he wanted us to pay for his warriors' lives.  Green yelled something back at him, and they returned with arrows in his general direction.  Unfortunately, one of the arrows found Toots, who is now buried by Misha's house.  The look on Misha's face when she saw that dog get hit was absolutely terrifying, and I think the raiders sensed it, because they immediately started scrambling for cover.  It was either that, or the fact that she stood up and immediately started shooting, hitting one of the archers next to the leader square in the dome. 

Four filled graves later, we're still all in one piece, save our watch dog.  The leader and a couple other archers slipped away once they realized they were outgunned, despite numbers being in their favor.  As long as they keep coming at us in smaller numbers, we should be fine, but we don't want to run out of ammo.  Maybe a defense grid would be a good idea.  If Misha can craft some turrets, we'd be set!


Septober 5, 5517
Misha has been down ever since Toots took a hit.  I think she may blame Green for drawing attention, but it honestly could have happened anyway.  In any case, I've tried everything I can think of to help her.  Even Dave has been concerned.  He figured out that we can tame some of the local wildlife and tried giving her a tortoise he found close to town.  It didn't help, and actually made her cry.  I'm trying to stay sympathetic at this point, but we need her help to make improvements to the town before the tribe returns. 

We almost had an attack scare yesterday, but it turned out to be a herd of deer moving through the area.  At least hunting prospects are looking up.  I've managed to become quite the shot with these short bows we've captured.  With arrows being so easy to make, I've committed to using these for hunting to avoid wasting ammo.  Our freezer is so stocked now that I'll be able to take a break from hunting for a bit. 

Last night, Green was trying to tell us about an idea he had to get out of this place and off the planet.  Pretty simple, really, as all we needed to do was build a new space ship from scratch.  Ha!  That would probably take longer than any of us have left to live, and would take massive amounts of resources that we don't have.  In the end, I'm afraid this town is going to be where we stay forever.  Might as well get used to that fact.


Septober 10,5517
Of all the days to be attacked, this today has been the best yet.  Not because of the defenses or raiders we beat, but because we are now 6 strong!  One minute, we were going about our chores, and the next we see a pair or people running straight for us looking worried.  We judged that they weren't attacking, and actually looked like spacers like us, and confirmed that when they reached us.  Apparently, they were from a nearby settlement that were overrun by the raiding tribe we've been dealing with, and were chased our way.

Sure enough, the raiders came after them, but we were prepared.  Even when the tribe's pet dogs came rushing at our town, we took them down with ease, and sent the remaining handlers running.  When the fighting was done, we had two new members for the town!

Smoke and Meena gave a clear account of what happened at their town, with the tribe rushing in with trained animals to overwhelm them.  They alone escaped with each other.  Smoke was apparently the town cook (thank God, real cooking!), and Meena, his wife, was a mercenary who became part of their defense team.  She had been leading the retreat when the town was destroyed.  Now that they're with us, I feel better about the size of our group.  Dave agreed to let them have his house until we could build a new one for them, and is rooming with Green for now (he's thrilled).  Misha is finally looking more cheery now that she isn't the only woman in the group, and she and Meena seem to have hit it off well. 

Oh yeah, they also brought more guns!  No more pistols, now we have a couple rifles and even a shotgun!  Even if they are old tech (whatever an M4 is...), I'm happy to have something better than a little pistol. 


Septober 12, 5517
Thank goodness for Meena and Smoke!  Smoke has been making some great food (even teaching Dave some tips), and Meena has been helping me with defenses.  She was pointing out all kinds of weaknesses and helping me fix them based on what she saw from their town's attack.  The new house is now set up, and Dave is excited to have his own space again.  Green seems happy too, though he joked about losing his main test subject and conducting experiments while Dave slept.  At least we think they were jokes.  I guess we'll know if Dave sprouts an extra ear or something. 

Last night, we had a major flash storm roll through.  Lightning struck the ground right next to my house and started a small fire right out front.  Thankfully we were able to beat it out, but had that hit a generator or battery, we'd be in real trouble.  We've put coverings on the batteries to protect them from rain and lightning, so hopefully we don't find out what an electrical fire is like.

Knowing there are other settlements out there like the one Smoke and Meena came from makes me want to try and find others.  With more numbers, we can be safer and more productive.  I'll see what the others think tomorrow.  I have a feeling our newest members would back that idea, but I don't know about the others.


Septober 15, 5517
Dave is dead.

While he was out in the gardens, he didn't see the tribe sneaking up until it was too late.  I was standing by the houses when I saw a single arrow fly and hit him in the back, and he never got up or a chance to defend himself.  I yelled for the others, but nothing we could do would save him.  While we took cover, the raiders appeared with dinosaurs, tamed and charging.  These were larger than we've seen lately, raptors of some kind.  After they finished Dave off, they came for us.  We managed to kill one from a distance, but 2 of them got in close and took a bite out of Misha's arm.  Smoke dropped it with a rifle, and Meena got the other with the shotgun, but the damage is done.  Now Dave is gone, and Misha is bleeding out in her house, while Green is trying hard to help her.  I think it's the most I've ever seen him care about someone else in the group.

After the animals were dispatched, the raiders came running in, armed with spears.  None of them made it to the sandbags, but I fear for what else they plan on throwing at us.  We didn't even bother with burying the raiders.  Just Dave.  You'll be missed...


Decembary 2, 5517
Misha is gone now, thanks to a massive infection from the raptor bite.  Of course, no medicine made it onto the escape pods.  On top of that, we've been hit by raiders again today, and we lost Smoke in the fighting.  A spearman made it through the fire and caught him in the gut.  We're down to myself, Green, and Meena.  Meena is obviously distraught over Smoke dying and has been sitting in stunned silence ever since.  I think she may be mentally gone now, leaving really only me and Green.

Before they left, the tribe leader yelled more threats.  From the sound of things, this was not the worst we could see.  Green is freaking out, and I don't know what to think anymore.  How did this go bad so quick, when we were doing so well? 


Decembary 4, 5517
Green left in the middle of the night.  I found his things gone, and I couldn't find him anywhere.  Meena...she's gone too.  She wanted to see Smoke, and that was that.  As I'm writing, I can hear the raiders outside town, along with whatever monsters they brought with them this time.  This will likely be my last entry, and I hope whoever finds this manages to stay away from the raiders here.  Consider this journal to be a warning.


Decembary 11, 5517
I almost forgot I packed this journal.  The past week has been rough, but I'm somehow still alive.  The raiders came to the town, sure enough, but someone else distracted them.  I think it must have been another tribe or something, because it was chaos out in the woods.  I managed to slip away in the confusion and make my way out of the area.  Since then, I've been constantly moving from place to place, hoping that the raiders are too busy to track me.  From the sound of the fighting as I left, they have their hands full.

I miss having the others around, but I won't say it isn't easier to sneak around by myself.  It's just quiet, and having Misha or Smoke to talk to would be a morale boost right now.  I haven't seen another human in a while, and I'm keeping clear of any wildlife larger than a raccoon.  Thankfully I can hunt quietly with a bow, so I'm well-fed.  The rifle will be for trouble.

I figure if there are other settlements out there, I can maybe make my way to one and find a way out of this wilderness.  Assuming I manage that, I'll be putting down more entries as I can.


Aprimay 2, 5518
Another tribe wasn't what I was looking for, but I'll take what I can get right now.  In fact, this group is rather interesting compared to anyone else I've seen.  Not only do they speak fluent Basic, but every member is a humanoid wolf!  I never knew anything like that could happen, but it's hard to argue against it when they're standing right in front of me.  The best part?  They've let me into their village, and don't seem intent on hurting me.  Sure, they were wary about the gun, but I convinced them that a lone survivor was no threat to a whole village.  For the first time in a while, I'm back in a hut with a bed, a hot meal in my stomach, and some relative safety.

The tribe chief seemed to know of the raiders that destroyed my town, and apparently has had trouble with them as well.  However, their location tucked into a mountain pass gives them a more fortified location, and stone walls certainly help.  Even when I told him that the raiders were taming dinosaurs, he seemed unphased, and mentioned a recent attack that saw a stegosaurus trying to batter their gates.  I can see the results of that failed attempt hanging on totems as a trophy outside the main house.  Those bone plates appear to have become effective shields along the wall tops.  I like the way these people think!

One tribe member, a male by the name of Doge, has been following me around like a guard.  I doubt they know what a meme is here.  I tried explaining to him once, but he didn't understand.  Such disappoint...


Aprimay 3, 5518
This village is much larger than I had initially thought, and makes my old group of 6 seem tiny in comparison.  Not only that, but they seem to have tamed creatures of their own.  I had heard of wargs while on the ship, but never seen one in person until now.  To be honest, they freak me out.  Each one is a massive hunk of muscle, giant teeth, and bad attitude.  Other animals seem to be the typical domestic farm animals of Terra, as well as dinosaurs of smaller sizes. 

My guard friend still follows me, but he seems more curious about me than concerned.  He looks at my things with confusion, especially any technology like this digital journal.  I tried to show him but once again, he didn't understand and resorted to hitting the screen when things didn't work out.  At least he didn't break it.

I've been allowed to stay for a couple more days, but then I must be gone.  They're giving me proper supplies and a mount, but I'll be on my own again soon enough.  I also have a general idea of where to go.  The village scouts mentioned a ship similar to our original one that they spotted nearby.  I'm hoping it's still in one piece, and I can activate the auto-flight systems and AI core.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping for some more good luck to come my way.


Aprimay 5, 5518
I'm sore all over from this trip, and I'm no where near my target.  The mount the village gave me turned out to be an elk (never heard of riding an elk), and it's been bumpy the whole time.  Not to mention having to watch out for the antlers.  I almost took a point to the eye early on (far from an ideal mount, but maybe that's why they were fine with letting me have it).

The ship is a good distance away, and it will take many days for me to reach it, provided I don't run into trouble along the way.  Making camp was tough because I don't feel safe lighting a fire yet.  There's no telling who is out here with me, so I will have to forgo being too visible for now. 

It feels cold tonight, and more than usual.  It's been brisk because of the time of year, but it's getting colder as I travel, I think.  I must be moving more north than I thought, or weather is coming through.


Aprimay 8, 5518
I had to light a fire tonight.  It's been too cold to sleep well, and I'm more afraid of hypothermia now than being spotted.  I'm hoping that this crevasse I'm tucked into will at least hide my fire enough.  The wind has been howling all day, and even my elk is getting annoyed.  To make matters worse, some of my rations have already gone bad, and I'm living off this nasty pemmican.  At least it keeps me full, but it tastes awful.  I'll try to forage in the morning for something more fresh.

I spotted another tribal camp in a valley yesterday, but I thought it was best to slip around them.  The totems outside their gates looked uninviting, and I could see signs of recent fighting.  Best to be cautious. 


Aprimay 9, 5518
I saw it!  I saw the ship, and it looks mostly intact!  Only one slight problem...that tribe from yesterday made its camp directly around it.  I don't know how I didn't notice it then, but it's definitely what I'm looking for.  Through my scope, I can make out the wings, and what looks like an intact AI core on the ground next to the nose.  My guess is these natives have no idea what it is. 

Getting to the ship will be hard, if not impossible, to do undetected.  Unless of course I can pose as one of them.  They seem to be mostly human this time, though I've spotted humanoid animals in their ranks, either as members or servants.  I see no tamed animals so far, so worrying about guard dogs won't be a major issue.  Maybe if I can get a disguise, I can slip in and get to the ship.


Aprimay 10, 5518
That's one less scout I have to deal with up here.  I was spying on the village when I saw a lone scout found his way up to me.  I was able to jump him and take him out without bloodshed, so now I have a clean disguise for infiltration tomorrow.  These clothes are also much warmer than what I've had so far, so I figure these people have been here for a while now and adapted to the cold.  Another perk is that the thickness of these clothes hides my face well behind a mask, so as long as I act the part, I should be more or less fine.

As much as I hate it, I'll have to leave my rifle behind.  A pistol can be concealed, but the rifle will draw suspicion.  Good thing I have the bow still.  Once again, this could be my last entry, unless things go my way and I make it to the ship.  Hopefully the person that finds this can actually read it and know what I've been through.


Aprimay 11, 5518
I can't believe that worked.  Well, mostly...

For starters, I made it into the village fine.  The disguise got me in and close to the ship, but my scent gave me away.  One of the villagers near the ship, a humanoid lynx, caught wind of me and alerted the guards.  I barely made it into the ship hatch and locked the bulkhead before I heard arrows bouncing off the hull. After a bit of stumbling around in the dark cargo hold, I found a panel to kick on the lights.  Amazingly, the power still functioned.  More amazingly, there are cryosleep caskets in here, and they're full and active!  There are 4 of them in here, all occupied, hopefully friendly.  I may find out later.

Once onboard, I remembered the AI core on the ground outside, meaning I had no auto-pilot.  Thank goodness for those flight simulator VR games back home, or else I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have.  The engines kicked on, and despite the efforts of the tribe to stop me, I was able to get this bird off the ground and in the air.  Although it was shaky, I managed to pilot this thing out of the area, and I'm currently headed southwest in search of a larger city.  I'm not sure I trust this ship to go to space yet, but maybe if I can find somewhere to repair it, I can leave for good.

Regarding the caskets, I'm apprehensive about opening them.  The monitors show humans and personal data, but I've heard of people coming out of cryo in a state of panic and rage.  I'm not sure if it's wise to tempt that onboard while in flight, but I also don't want questions being asked at a port.  It might be better to set down somewhere, open the cargo bay, and see what happens BEFORE getting to a city.  Yeah, I think that's best.

amarahhart

Great story. Thanks for sharing