You are an engineer on a spacecraft headed back to Earth after a mission.
What is your name?
[[Callisto]]Are you ready?
[[Let's go!]]
It's dark outside.
Unbelievably dark.
Probably because you're in [[space]].Your ship, Phoenix II, is returning from a mission to survey Mars. There's six of you on the ship right now.
[[The captain]].
[[The resident Scientist]].
[[The pilot]].
[[The mission specialist]].
[[The navigator]].
And [[you]].The Captain. Her name is ''Lyra''.
She's the one person who you think fits their role. She's stern, strong-willed, and could probably snap a tree trunk in half with her bare hands.
You tried to sass her once.
It didn't go very well for anyone.
She reminds you of an Ice Queen.
Think about [[your crew. ->space]]
[[Should I be working?]]The Scientist. Her name is ''Halley''.
Imagine a cold, sarcastic robot managing tests in an abandoned scientific facility. Now give that a human body, sentience, and an icy stare.
That's Halley.
She's a very driven person. All she does is work. You're not sure what she does, other than "science". Something seems very //off// about her.
You avoid her most of the time. She reminds you of someone who is very analytic, and would make sacrifices.
Think about [[your crew. ->space]]
[[Should I be working?]]The pilot. His name is ''Saros''.
He reminds you more of a big sheepdog puppy more than the stern pilot of a spaceship. He's the closest thing to a father-figure everyone has on the ship. He's unbelievably soft-hearted, like the kind of person who cries over cute dog videos.
Something is off about him, though. Like, you wouldn't want to make him angry. You've never really seen him angry.
Think about [[your crew. ->space]]
[[Should I be working?]]The Mission specialist, ''Apollo.'' You can only think of one way to describe him.
//flamboyant//.
Upbeat, but flamboyant. You're pretty sure he has a thing for the pilot. You wish you knew him better. He's very proud of his station, but he doesn't do very much other than micromanage and keep in touch with everyone back on Earth.
..You miss Earth.
Think about [[your crew. ->space]]
[[Should I be working?]]The Navigator. His name is ''Jericho.''
Poor guy, he seems to shrink a little every time you talk to him. Still, even in training, he was the easiest to approach.
He's basically your best friend on the ship. You approach him with your problems. You're pretty sure everyone does, actually. He always has his nose figuratively buried in a map. (It's pretty hard to bury your face in a map that's on a flat-screen console) He keeps you on course.
He reminds you of the personification of a shrinking violet.
Think about [[your crew. ->space]]
[[Should I be working?]]You. The average optimistic rookie. The lucky one who has a knack for machinery, and isn't good at too much else. You're in charge of repairs on the ship, big and small.
You have an odd liking towards Nilla Wafers, and you aren't sure why.
Think about [[your crew. ->space]]
[[Should I be working?]]You need to be working.
You turn back to the console in front of you- a mess of wires and lights. What were you doing again?
You see Jericho out of the corner of your eye- a nervous wreck, as usual.
Oh yeah, you're fixing his map again. What is it now, 3 times? Oh well, it's not like you have anything better to do.
[[Talk to Jericho.]]
[[Keep working.]]''PHOENIX''
This is an interactive fiction story where your actions will determine the ending of the story.
Learn what you can about all of the characters. Pay attention.
What you don't know can hurt you.
Let's start from the [[Beginning]].
[[Credits]]You try to initiate some small talk, but you don't really know what to say. You know how his day went, and you know how he is. Embarrassed.
[[Keep trying to talk.]]
[[Keep working.]] After some time passes, you get up triumphantly and tell Jericho that you finished.
"Really?" He questions, visibly amazed.
You decide not to tell him that you just kicked the console after moving some plugs back into their ports. That's the usual solution, after all.
You're a genius.
[[Test the console.]]
[[Go look for the rest of the crew.]]You ask him if he's feeling alright.
"Yes?" He replies.
You don't think that the answer to that question should be another question, but you're satisfied with the fact that you got a response at all.
''Jericho seems happier somehow.''
[[Keep working.]] Mid-Action, you hear a sound. A loud, explosion like sound.
It's like an Earthquake- in space, somehow. You and Jericho lose your balance and careen onto the metal floors.
[[What is going on?]]Mid-Action, you hear a sound. A loud, explosion like sound.
It's like an Earthquake- in space, somehow. You and Jericho lose your balance and careen onto the metal floors.
[[What is going on?]] The lights on the consoles go out, making the room pitch black. Well, pitch black except for the stars and sunlight.
You pull yourself up, and call for Jericho. The noise you hear is akin to the sound of a dying cat. You'd be concerned, but that's a relatively normal noise for him. After a few minutes of collecting yourselves, you find a flashlight.
[[Explore the ship.]]You and Jericho go through hallway after hallway, searching for the cause of the blackout, the crew, and [[anyone else]] who may be on the ship.
You hear something- is that Saros? You shout in the direction of the noise, and await a response.
"Callisto? Is that you? Are you alright?"
It's Saros.
[[Follow the sound.]]That's a stupid thought. Why would you think that? There's //no other life in space.//
Continue to [[Explore the ship.]] After crossing a few hallways, you finally reunite with the pilot. He's not alone either- accompanying him are ''Lyra and Apollo.''
[[Ask what's going on.]]
[[Hold on.]]No one really knows what happened. You ask if anyone is hurt.
''Apollo twisted his ankle''. Everyone else is fine.
After other similar questions, you hear [[a voice.]]//Where is Halley?//
[[Ask about the Scientist.]]"Where is Halley?" You ask.
Realization washes over the crew like a tidal wave. All of the sudden, everyone starts talking at once.
"I didn't see her!"
"Is she alright?"
"We checked almost the entire ship-"
"She's not with you?"
And on and on.
Suddenly, you hear [[a voice.]]It's Halley. Well, at least it sounds like Halley. You're used to the blunt, monotone voice you'd expect from a computer.
She sounds panicked.
Halley sprints into view from the rightmost hallway, a sweaty, tired mess.
"What is everyone doing here?! We have a huge problem!"
Problem?
"Our ship was hit by an asteroid!"
[[Problem]].Halley does what she can to explain. Something about [[an asteroid]],
something about [[malfunctioning]], and something that sends chills down your spine.
You only have enough supplies and oxygen that wasn't lost due to ship damage for ''24 hours''.
Twenty Four. The [[Six]] of you can only survive for Twenty Four hours before the ship can't sustain life anymore.
[[Move on.]]A stray asteroid from the belt, she says. Not too big, but it caused a [[Problem]] or two.The engine is still running, but only barely. ''You are still moving towards Earth''.
The Navigation is ''functioning.''
The Communicator is ''repairable''.
Back to the [[Problem]] at hand.If there were //less than six of you//, you could survive a little longer. Five people could survive for 30 hours, Four 34, et cetera.
Back to the [[Problem]] at hand. You do your best to calm down your crewmates. It doesn't work too well- You shoot Lyra a pleading glance.
The whole group falls silent as soon as she speaks. "Callisto has something to say."
Oh. That's not what you wanted at all.
[[Try to motivate the crew.]]
[[Blank out.]]You pull yourself together and come up with a speech to convince your crew that everything will be fine. All the generic elements are there- the "we can do it if we work together", the "it will all work out", etc. etc..
But you still need a plan. Only one or two people seem even slightly convinced.
''Jericho is a little more hopeful.''
''Saros is a little more hopeful.''
''Halley is a little more hopeful.''
You aren't sure what to say after that.
Lyra takes initiative and suggests the crew split into groups. Jericho, Saros, and Lyra will go attempt to contact Earth. Halley and Apollo will go try to salvage some supplies and assess the damage. You can choose to go with either group.
[[Go with Lyra's group.]]
[[Go with Halley's group.]] You say nothing. The crew stares for a minute. Expectation is written all over their faces.
A few minutes pass.
Lyra takes initiative and suggests the crew split into groups. Jericho, Saros, and Lyra will go attempt to contact Earth. Halley and Apollo will go try to salvage some supplies and assess the damage. You can choose to go with either group.
[[Go with Lyra's group.]]
[[Go with Halley's group.]]You decide to go with Lyra, Jericho, and Saros. Contacting Earth for help is your first priority, after all.
The communicator- at least, the console it's on- is unharmed. The asteroid hit the back of the ship, near the engines and the satellite-
Oh.
You can't contact Earth because the satellite is broken. It's probably fixable, since the asteroid didn't hit it directly.
You're the most qualified to fix it, since you have the best understanding of the ship's structure and such.
When asking Lyra what to do to fix it, she only confirms your fears.
You have to go outside.
[[Into the vacuum of space.]]
You decide to go with Halley and Apollo. You need supplies to survive, after all. The three of you make your way to the back of the ship, the cargo room. While on your way, you...
[[Do nothing.]]
(if: (history:) contains "Try to motivate the crew.")[Halley seems on edge. [[Talk to Halley.]]]
The three of you keep walking down the hallway, checking each passing room for something of use. Other than a few spare parts and some tools, your findings are scarce. Some time passes, and you arrive at a three-way intersection. After some debate, you decide to split up to explore each individual hallway. Halley goes left. You go right. Apollo goes down the center hallway.
[[You go right.]]
You ask Halley if anything is wrong.
"No. I just want to be sure that we can survive."
That sounds ominous.
"We have to make it home. We ''will'' make it home." She repeats this, as is she's trying to reassure herself.
There's something in her [[hand.]]
[["We will make it home."]]
[["I don't think we're gonna make it."->Dead Weight]]
You can't really see the object she's holding, and you don't think asking will be a good idea. You lean forward to sneak a peek.
You still can't see all of it, but now that you see it, it looks //blunt.//
[[Talk to Halley.]]"We will make it home." You do what you can to console her.
//Poor Halley//, you think to yourself. You've never seen her so.. Upset.
"You're just saying that."
[["No, I'm not."]]You assure her that you mean what you said.
"I'm not just saying that," you begin,
"we will make it home alive. I know this looks bad, but it's fixable.We're all alive and well, and that's what matters. Don't lose hope."
You instinctively grab Halley's shoulder. You didn't notice it before, but you think she's on the verge of tears.
[[She drops the object in her hand.]]A dumbbell. She was holding a dumbbell?
Well, it doesn't matter now. It's rolling down the hallway, sliding out of view.
You return your attention to Halley, whose face was buried in her hands. You can hear sniffles.
"I was about to do something //terrible.//"
[[Comfort Halley.]]You aren't sure what she was going to do, but something in the back of her mind makes you glad you stopped her.
You pat her on the back, tell her it's going to be alright, all of those comforting friend things. Eventually, Apollo comes back to check on the two of you.
"Hey, what's going on? Did something happen?"
Halley looks between you and Apollo a few times before replying.
"No, we're alright. Let's keep looking." Her voice is shaky, but its back to the monotonous tone you recognize.
[[She leaves the dumbbell behind.]]It's quiet. Very quiet.
You search each room, looking for something of value. You don't even realize you had walked into your own room until you recognize the familiar mess. If you make it out alive, you should probably clean up.
You search the room.
Time passes. ''You have 23 Hours.''
You don't find any food or oxygen tanks, (You wouldn't have those) but you do find some [[walkie talkies and your Swiss army knife.-> Apollo dies]]Halley stops. She shouts to Apollo. "Hey, I think I heard something. We will catch up." You stop next to Halley.
"I didn't hear anything." You say.
"Neither did I."
You stare at her in confusion. She raises her left arm, holding some sort of blunt object.
A dumbbell. Lyra's dumbbell.
"We're going to survive. I won't waste our resources on those who won't contribute."
She sounds hoarse, like she's forcing herself to speak.
You feel a sharp pain on the side of your head, then nothing at all.
''BAD END: Dead Weight.''
Back to the [[Beginning]].Sorry, this part isn't written yet!
Back to the [[Beginning]] As you exit your bedroom, you smell something. You can't really place what it is, but it makes you want to throw up.
Against your better judgment, you follow the smell.
[[You follow the smell.]]Millions of thoughts flood your head once you see him.
//What happened?
Who did this?
Why?
Why?//
[[Apollo is dead.]]The scream echoes through the halls. You shudder at the sound of your own voice. Your hands shake, and your vision hazes.
[[You black out.]]You [[follow the smell...]]You...
follow...
the... . .
[[...]] [[You immediately see his corpse. ->No.]][[You scream.]]Your crew finds you unconscious after a while. You wake up to see three faces.
Jericho.
Lyra.
Halley.
After sitting up, your eyes wander around the room. They stop after reaching Saros, kneeling in front of [[Apollo's]] body.
Everyone sits in silence.
''You have 22 Hours.''
[[It's so much less upbeat without him.]]Apollo was so happy. His eyes were so bright. He was always able to make the crew smile.
His face is frozen in shock. You hate looking at it. You hate all of this, actually.
[[You can't think about this anymore. ->You black out.]]Saros finally stands up. His fists are clenched. He's shaking.
"It's official.
He's dead."
It didn't even need to be said.
"It looks like something... Or some//one//... killed him by hitting him with this."
Saros gestures towards a dumbbell, carelessly tossed to the ground. It's Lyra's dumbbell.
Everyone slowly turns to the captain.
[[Accusation lines their faces.]]Lyra tenses. No one speaks. No one moves.
"We have to find out who did this." Lyra's words are hesitant, like she knows what the answer to that is to you. Everyone nods in agreement. Everyone except Halley.
"Hold on. The obvious evidence must be addressed. The murder weapon-" Halley spits the word //murder// like its profanity. "Is a dumbbell. Lyra's dumbbell. She is a suspect."
Halley eyes the four people around her. No one returns her gaze. She fixes her search on you.
"What do you think, Callisto? You found the body. You should know better than any of us."
You can't help but feel like something isn't right with her accusation.
[["You've got that wrong!"]]You unintentionally shout your rebuttal, causing the group to jump. Halley looks particularly shocked.
"What?? What do you mean?"
You realize you hadn't put all your thoughts together before speaking. You knew Lyra had an ''alibi'', but you weren't sure what it was.
Lyra couldn't have killed Apollo, because...
[[That's not her dumbbell!]]
[[Lyra wasn't there!]]
[[Apollo wasn't murdered!]]What? No, that's totally hers. No one else here lifts weights.
[[Rethink your argument->"You've got that wrong!"]]That's right- Lyra was across the ship when Apollo died.
Upon sharing this information, you realize your mistake. This clears Saros, Lyra, and Jericho of suspicion; however, you and Halley are now the prime suspects. You have no proof that you //didn't// do it, and you don't think Halley would murder anyone.
This is not a good situation to be in.
[[Confess.]]
[[Think.]]While it is entirely possible that something fell and hit Apollo, there's no evidence of such. For now, you assume that someone killed him.
[[Rethink your argument. ->"You've got that wrong!"]]You decide there's nothing you can do, and confess "your" crime. Everything that happens over is like a flash. The crew locks you in one of the bedrooms, and you don't know how they fare afterwards. Hours pass.
Twenty Two hours pass.
''BAD END: Falsely convicted''
[[Your fate remains unknown to the world. ->Beginning]]You search your brain, trying to find something to prove you were innocent. Nothing. You could say you have no motive, but what would that prove? Halley [[doesn't have one either.]]
[[You try to find something in your mind that will help.->Remember.]]Does she have a motive? Halley wouldn't commit murder, right?
(if: (history:) contains "6")[You recall something. [[She has a motive.]]]
[[She has no motive. ->Think.]]
"If there were //less than six of you//, you could survive a little longer."
You remember her words from when you first heard about the asteroid.
Less than six..
Less than six.
"I know who killed Apollo." You mumble.
[[You repeat your realization.]]"I know who killed Apollo." You repeat, in what is almost a shout. You straighten up, and survey the crew's reactions. You look at their faces, one by one. Lyra. Saros. Jericho.
Halley.
"Halley. It was her." You can barely force yourself to accuse her. You know //why// she did it- if you're right- but murder is still murder.
Halley jumps at the mention of her name.
"What? Me? You think it was me?" She fumbles through her words. "That's not right- I wouldn't hurt him!"
You think she killed Apollo- but why?
[[The dumbbell]]
[[Her location]]
[[The time limit]]
You search your thoughts, looking for something that someone may have said that may give you a clue. You trace back to when you first found out about [[the asteroid.]]
You [[go back.->Think.]] Halley said these things..
something about [[malfunctioning.]]
The [[6]] of you can only survive for Twenty Four hours before the ship can't sustain life anymore.
You [[try to remember more.->Remember.]]You realize that using the dumbbell as evidence won't work because you can't dust for fingerprints.
[[Rethink your ideas. ->You repeat your realization.]] You don't know exactly where she was, only what part of the ship she was on. That won't help you too much.
[[Rethink your argument. ->You repeat your realization.]] ''"If there were //less than six of you//, you would survive for a longer period of time."''
That's what Halley told you when the asteroid first hit the ship.
"Halley," you ask, "How long do we have on the ship right now?"
"Hm.. As of right now, we have ''28 Hours''."
Twenty Eight.
You ask her to repeat that.
"We have 28 hours right now. 28 hours until we run out of oxygen." She repeats, slowing down as she realizes her mistake. You shake your head.
"Right now, we have 22 hours, Halley. That is, we should. But because Apollo is dead.." You gesture to his body to add more impact to your words. "..We have more time. That's what you told us, right? You're the one who figured that out?"
Halley isn't even looking at you. She knows the truth.
"Halley.
You killed Apollo to give us more time. Is that right?"
There's a long pause. No one moves. No one breathes.
[["I'm so, so sorry."]]Halley exhales shakily, and repeats herself. She apologizes again and again. Eventually, she stops. The room has returned to that unsettling quiet that you've come to loathe.
That quiet dissolves when you hear a growl that sounds like that of a bear.
//"You. You did this."//
You've never heard this voice before. Wait.
Wait.
You have heard this voice before- but a very, very different version.
Saros is fuming.
[[Woah.]]Saros is glaring daggers straight at Halley. You jump at his shout- so does the rest of the crew.
"Apollo did nothing wrong, and you killed him! ''All he wanted was to make it out with all of us, and he's DEAD!''"
Saros charges towards Halley, with murder in his eyes. He's intercepted by Lyra, who holds him back with little effort. You've never seen this side of him before. It's terrifying.
You and Jericho turn to Halley, and jump in front of her in case Saros manages to get past Lyra. Sure, Halley killed your friend, but you don't want to lose anyone else.
[[Saros calms down a little.]]Everything that happens after that is like a flash.
Halley is kept in her room, in the back of the ship. It's like prison, but not. You wonder what will happen to her when you make it back.
Saros is given time to cope with Apollo's death. Before long, the wave of rage you saw vanishes, and the sweet and caring persona returns.
Apollo's corpse is moved- the area is cleaned- it's like nothing ever happened.
But the fact that he's gone forever lingers in the back of your mind.
This takes a good chunk of time. By the time that everyone has made an attempt to recover, you have ''23 hours''.
Four of you remain able to work on the ship.
[[The front of the ship seems so inviting.]]Lyra, Saros, and Jericho fill you in on the status of everything.
The communicator is functional, but the signal is very weak. You'd be lucky to be able to contact Earth. You decide to try your luck anyway. Lyra activates the communicator and begins to speak.
"This is Phoenix II, the Mars survey mission. Is anyone there?"
Static.
"I repeat, is anyone there? Hello?"
Nothing.
until...
"...ear... I can hear you! ..Ar... alri..t?"
You literally jump for joy. It's not perfect, but you're getting somewhere!
Lyra explains your situation the person on the other side. You're really far from home, but there happens to be another ship relatively close to you.
It will take approximately a day to get to you.
A day...
24 Hours.
Your ship can only last for 23.
Lyra explains this to the stranger, but no one is really sure what to do. You have a thought- an awful, awful thought that you wish you had never considered.
[[We would have more time if we had less people.]]Saros will guide you through it. The procedure is simple. He asks you to memorize it, because he may not be able to talk to you once you leave the ship.
''The satellite is at the back of the ship. Use the side of the ship and the cable attaching you to the ship to keep yourself in place as you move.
The satellite is likely misplaced. All you have to do is move it to the right.
Don't touch the engines. The ship is still moving, so the heat may damage your suit. Be careful.''
''You have 23 Hours.''
[[You leave the ship.]]Once outside, you manage to propel yourself to the side of the ship. Good call on the person who designed it- there's handrails to hold onto. How convenient!
You run through what Saros said in your head.
Where do you need to go?
[[The back of the ship.]]
[[The front of the ship.]]
[[Under the ship.]]Right, it's at the back of the ship. You drag yourself towards the back, careful not to lose your grip and fall of the ship.
There it is, the satellite. What do you need to do to fix it?
[[Mess with the wires.]]
[[Move it.]]At the bridge? Why would it be damaged, then?
[[Rethink. ->You leave the ship.]] Is there even anything under the ship besides the landing gear?
[[Rethink. ->You leave the ship.]] You don't think you should touch those. You don't have the tools to access them right now anyway.
[[Rethink. ->The back of the ship.]]It's misaligned. You need to move it.
You move it to the...
[[Right.]]
[[Left.]]Oof. It's heavier than you thought it was. No matter what you try, the satellite barely budges. You look around, hoping to find something that you can back your weight onto to help you push. You see the engines and the side on the ship.
[[Lean on the engines.]]
[[Lean on the side of the ship.]]That would misalign it further. Were you paying attention?
[[Rethink ->Move it.]]You lean on the engines, and //hOLY CROW THAT'S REALLY HOT WHY DID YOU DO THAT//
Your suit is damaged. You need to get back to the ship, and fast. You don't want to get a hole in your suit or something like that- you aren't sure what would happen to you.
You waste time trying to get a new suit and trying again.
You [[Lean on the side of the ship.]]Now that you have leverage for your legs, the satellite is much easier to move. After a little bit, it's good as new.
Well, a few dents, but otherwise good as new.
[[Back to the ship!]]Once you get back, you decide to take a walk around the ship to rest a little after the stress of being in space. Jericho, Saros, and Lyra stay behind to keep working on the communicator.
Suddenly, a smell hits you like an oncoming train. It's nauseating. You can't place what it is, but you decide that you should check it out. [[You follow the smell.]] The engine is still running, but only barely. ''You are still moving towards Earth''.
The Navigation is ''functioning.''
The Communicator is ''repairable''.
Back to [[the asteroid.]]If there were //less than six of you//, you could survive a little longer. Five people could survive for 30 hours, Four 34, et cetera.
Back to [[the asteroid.]]The three of you decide to search together, instead of alone. It's a good thing you did, too- in the hallway Apollo was searching, you found a sole oxygen tank. You aren't sure how long it'll last, but you're happy for the possible time extension.
It's leaking when you find it, but it seemingly hasn't been doing so for long.
''You have 23 Hours.''
You all carry it back [[together.]]You disregard it immediately, not wanting to resort to what Halley did. You couldn't, not even out of necessity.
What could you do, though? Do you have any other options?
[[You decide to think on it in your room.]]You have no idea what to do. You don't //want// to kill someone, but you also don't want the whole crew to die of oxygen deprivation. Would you be doing the right thing?
You can act now, or try to find another way.
[[It's the only way.]]
[[Search for another option.]]Is this the only way?
[[Yes.]]
[[No ->Search for another option.]] There has to be another way, you think to yourself. You won't let anyone else die.
Aimless wandering helps you think, so that's what you do. You go through multiple hallways, and you can't really think of much.
Not until you find Jericho.
He's trying to drag something down the hall, but its way too big for him to carry. You join him, and he jumps when he catches your presence.
"Ah! Oh, it's you. Sorry, Callisto."
Weren't you the one who scared him? Why is he apologizing?
Honestly, you have enough to worry about right now. Jericho seems to notice- are you that visibly stressed? He asks what's wrong, but that's only really a formality. He knows what's wrong, right?
You explain to him anyway. For some reason, he perks up a tiny bit.
[["About that-"]]This is just painful, but you know it's what must be done. You find the dumbbell used in Apollo's murder discarded on the ground. No one wanted to touch it, even after Apollo was properly "buried".
Everyone is off tending to their own devices right now, so you don't think there would be any witnesses.
You have ''22 Hours''.
The first person you find is Lyra. Your captain- the owner of the dumbbell.
Hesitant as you are, you bring yourself to rush at her in an attempt to attack.
She overpowers you with ease, pushing you back and wrestling the dumbbell out of your hands. In the heat of the moment, Lyra decides that self-defense is more than just disarming you.
You die, but your crew lives.
''BAD END: The only way''
Would you like to [[try again? ->Beginning]] "I noticed something. That is, I went to the corridor." He pauses, giving you a minute to piece together what he was referring to.
Oh.
The corridor Apollo was found in.
Jericho continues. "I figured Apollo never got to finish his search.." You can hear his voice cracking. //Poor Jericho//, you think to yourself. "So I went to check out the rest of the ship, and I found this." You rediscover to large object Jericho was attempting to drag.
A tank.
//An Oxygen Tank.//
"It was leaking when I found it, so I'm afraid I don't know how much air is in there.." He cuts himself off when he sees how excited you are. It is quickly decided that this takes utmost importance.
[[You help him carry it back.]]By the time you two manage to get the tank back to the bridge, more time has passed.
''You have 22 Hours.''
After the excitement of possibly surviving blows over the team, Lyra and Jericho get to work measuring how much oxygen is in the tank.
"Remember," Lyra begins, "it's possible this isn't enough to keep us alive until help comes. Continue your searches, both of you."
You and Saros decide to split up again. This time, however, Saros suggests that you arm yourselves in the event that someone wants to follow in Halley's footsteps.
You carry a [[knife]]. It's all but harmless in your hands, but you appreciate having the option to fight back if need be. Saros carries a bludgeon- that is, he carries the dumbbell.
There are two options for you to search.
[[The corridor that passes your room.]]
[[The corridor that passes Halley's room.]]Well, you call it a knife, but it's actually a ''shiv''. A shard of glass that you broke off of a mirror in Apollo's room crudely tied to a wooden handle. It's not much, but you'll take it.
[[Anyway. ->You help him carry it back.]] You don't feel ok going past Halley's room- partially because she's a murderer, and partially because you aren't sure if you feel bad for her or not. Since you don't want to lose focus, you decide to move your thoughts elsewhere.
You search.
And search.
And search.
Nothing stands out to you until you reach the end of the corridor.
Is that..
Is that another oxygen tank? It's tall enough to be one, so maybe.
You check it out, but as you walk towards it..
[[It becomes clear what it is.]]Saros seems reluctant to search the other hallway, but he eventually agrees.
This hallway seems much drearier than the ones you'd walked through before. Maybe it's because you have to pass a killer's room?
//Was she in the wrong, though?// The thought enters your head abruptly, with no warning.
Of course she was.. Right?
//All she really wanted was to survive. However brutal her actions, that's why.//
You try your best to change the subject, but how can you? You aren't talking to anyone.
Your mental defense of the scientist continues as you walk, until you stop somewhere.
Right outside her door.
[[Open the door.]]
//Halley.//
//An unmoving, silent Halley.//
//Stabbed.//
//Stabbed?//
[[You sprint back to the bridge, unable to make a sound.]]Once you arrive, you see Saros frantically explaining the situation to your friends.
Their attention quickly turns to you.
You, the one who searched the hallway she died in.
You, the one armed with a shiv.
You, the one who wasn't there when Saros arrived at the bridge to alert everyone.
You.
They think you did it.
''You have 21 hours.''
[[You frantically explain what you saw.]]You don't know much about what happened, but you do know this:
-Halley was stabbed.
-Halley was found in the rightmost hallway, the one you were searching.
-Halley was previously locked in her room, in the leftmost hallway.
What could've happened to her?
You feel a sudden pang of deja vu. You know you didn't do it, but all signs point to you. You don't have any defense, either- right?
[[But Halley was in her room.]]Halley hasn't moved from her bed since she first came in. You think she might be asleep.
"yes?" you hear a shaky, quiet voice. She's awake.
You stop by her bedside and silently question what to say.
Whatever you think of, you aren't sure if she wants to hear it.
"I'm sorry." You begin. It's all you could think of.
"I should be apologizing to you. I tried to use you as a scapegoat. I'm the reason we're down two people. Don't try to apologize to me." You almost miss the monotone voice you're so used to. This is too much.
[["I forgive you."]]
She doesn't respond for a while.
"...No, you don't. You think I'm horrible."
She turns over. She wasn't looking at you before, but now she's just staring at the wall. Her voice is soft and shaky, like it was when you accused her. You remember that, and shudder.
Do you forgive her? Your thoughts betray you again.
Of course, of course you do. Right? The fact that you have to reassure yourself about it isn't the greatest sign, but you decide to disregard that for the time being.
"I do. I really do.
[[You helped us.->"You helped us."]]"With a flourish only Apollo could pull off, he presents the spoils to the team. Halley and Jericho immediately set off to measuring how much oxygen is in the tank, and getting the oxygen to flow through the ship.
Lyra has also been relatively successful in her work: She was in the process of calling Earth on the semi-functional communicator.
All of you wait with bated breath as she turns on the console and begins to speak.
"This is Phoenix II, the Mars survey mission. Is anyone there?"
Static.
"I repeat, is anyone there? Hello?"
Nothing.
until...
"...ear... I can hear you! ..Ar... alri..t?"
The crew exchanges cheers and high fives, before letting Lyra speak once more.
Lyra explains your situation to the person on the other side. You're really far from home, but there happens to be another ship relatively close to you. It'll get to your location in a little less than 28 Hours.
28 Hours.
Your ship can only last for 23.
[[All of you immediately turn to the oxygen tank.]]Halley takes another glance at the tank before standing up.
"If Jericho and I are measuring correctly...
This tank should hold two hours worth of oxygen. Because of the leak, it may be less, but it will suffice." She states, without sugarcoating the reality of your situation.
You still need 3 more hours' worth of oxygen, but there has to be more emergency reserves [[somewhere.]]
Or, maybe, there's a way to close the distance between you and the other ship to cut down the time? But, to do that, you would need to repair the [[engine]] somehow. Right?
What will you do?
[[Suggest Fixing the Engine.]]
[[Suggest searching again.]]You're still moving towards Earth, but only barely. The engine is either damaged externally or cut off from its fuel, both of which are at least semi-repairable. It worth a shot, right?
[[Maybe. ->All of you immediately turn to the oxygen tank.]] You decide to take your survival into your own hands. After all, you are the engineer of the ship. Your crew needs you!
All of you decide that this is a group effort, you make your way to the back of the ship. Lyra leads the way, as usual. She volunteers to accompany you into the outside to check out the engine.
Of course, you turn it off first- Risking suit damage isn't the best course of action.
And thus, the two of you head outside, to the back of the ship.
It's awfully convenient that she knows the ship like the back of her hand.
You examine the engine.
It's pretty heavily [[damaged.]]What could go wrong? It's worth a shot, isn't it?
Lyra splits your team into groups of 3- You, Saros, and Apollo check Halley's hallway, while Lyra, Halley, and Jericho search yours.
Apollo leads the way, like he did in your previous search.
Your footsteps echo throughout the halls. Despite that, it's deafeningly quiet.
Just as you're about to start some small talk, Apollo turns to you and Saros.
"Soooo, what are you going to do once we get home?"
He's pretty confident that you will make it home, and you appreciate that. Though, you aren't quite [[sure.]]Down the left and right hallways- you hadn't finished searching them yet. Once you had found the oxygen tank, you went straight back to the bridge. Could there be something there?
[[Maybe. ->All of you immediately turn to the oxygen tank.]] You weren't there, you explain. Sure, Halley was found in your hallway, but she wasn't there originally. If you were the culprit, then you had to move from your hallway to Saros', go into Halley's room, kill her, move the body, and wait until Saros discovered it to discover it again.
Why would you go to all that trouble, anyway? It would only make it more obvious that you did it.
Lyra nods, and Jericho steps back from you and Saros.
Saros. He had a motive.
You remember his eyes after you figured out Halley killed Apollo.
[[Saros isn't even looking at you.]]The silence is deafening. You remember this, too, from Apollo's murder. Saros broke the silence last time.
This time, it's Lyra.
"Revenge. That's what you wanted?" You don't hear any anger, or hatred, or anything along those lines. Lyra sounds.. disappointed, almost.
"Yes. I also.. I also wanted us to survive. We have extra time now," was Saros' reply.
You hated to admit it, but he was right. Now that the ship doesn't need to sustain 5 people, you could survive for another 4 hours.
You have 26 hours now.
[[All you can do is wait.]]And, just like that, it's over. There were no more murders on Phoenix II.
Why would there be? No one else had a reason.
One hour.. Two..
Four..
Eight..
The time until your rescue was slow. Minutes felt like days, hours weeks..
You didn't feel at home on the ship anymore. The metal walls and faint lights you had never paid any mind now put you on edge.
Eventually, help arrived, and you went home.
All ''four'' of you went home.
''Four..''
''NORMAL END: FOUR''
Back to the [[Beginning]] You see her tense up.
"Help? //Help?//
Apollo is dead because of me. All he wanted was to make it out with all of us, and he's dead."
You recognize those words, somehow. Saros said them, didn't he?
Or, rather, he shouted them at the top of his lungs. You shudder at the memory of how angry he was.
Anyway..
"You let us survive a little longer. I don't think what you did was right.. But I don't know if we would've survived if you hadn't done it."
Your phrases were slow, but you managed to get them out.
She noticed your hesitation, but still sat up and looked at you.
"I appreciate it, but what exactly do you want?"
The subject, it seems, has been dropped.
[["I just wanted to talk to you."]]It's not //entirely// a lie- You wanted to ask if there were a way to find more oxygen, and maybe get her help.
"No, unless there's more oxygen tanks on the ship somewhere.." She mumbles.
The two of you sit in silence for a few moments before she speaks again.
"..But, there is an alternative. You know about the escape pod, right?"
The escape pod?
Right, right.. The pod designed for escaping if the ship overheats while escaping Earth's atmosphere. But isn't that only for if you're close to Earth and above an ocean you can land in?
[[Press the idea.]]"You want to use the escape pod? There's no way we'd make it.." You begin.
She nods.
"I understand that, but there's gotta be a chance!" She sounds paranoid.
"If we can get out, then the others can survive longer as well- we can all get out this way. It's the best way to do this."
She's not //wrong//, and now that you think about it, it makes sense for you to do that.
Doesn't it?
[[The escape pod sounds like the best course of action.]]You two leave a message outside Halley's room and make for the pod.
It's shocking you never thought of this before- it's perfect! You can all make it home, and this nightmare will finally end.
You set off from the ship- Phoenix II.
It slides out of view.
...
.....
You watch as the void of space passes through the window.
You wait for some new impact in your pod. You and Halley just wait, helplessly, for something to happen.
Something..
Something like the pod crashing into the Earth's surface at mach speed.
''BAD END: Escape pod''
Back to the [[Beginning]].Dents across the engines. It looks like someone took a giant hammer and beat it senseless. That is, if it had senses. But back to the task at hand.
You notice a piece of metal covering the inside of the engine. Since it's off, you could attempt to pull it back into place, and then look inside to check if it's working correctly. You relay your plan to Lyra, and she agrees.
You know you were exaggerating when you said that Lyra could snap a tree trunk in half with her bare hands, but she bent that metal like it was bread dough. Whenever you get back home, you're having a stern talk with whoever designed this ship.
[[Now to take a look.]]There's a panel on the side of the engine, hinged on. You and Lyra unhinge it, and you see a mess of pipes and wires. One, in particular, is knocked out of place.. That looks like the problem.
You reach into the panel, falling a bit off balance as you lean forward to align the pipe, in hopes that you can help fix the engine. Until..
"Hey, watch yourself."
You hear Lyra's voice as she catches you, seconds away from losing your footing and floating into space.
"Please, be more careful. I don't want you getting hurt or lost out here." Her voice was stern, but you notice something you've never really paid attention to- her voice was a lot softer than you remember.
You regain your footing and thank Lyra for saving you.
[[The pipe is fixed, so you go back.]]You're glad to have your feet on solid ground again. Lyra explains the damage on the engine and what you did to fix it to the rest of the crew, and Jericho pipes up.
"Should we test it?"
Sure, why not? You think. If it doesn't work, you could always turn the engines off and try again. You're sure these kinds of repairs aren't very professional, but whatever. You have all the time in the world.
Wait, no you don't. That's the problem.
Still, you have ''24 Hours.'' That should be more than enough.
[[Back to the bridge.]]Jericho and Saros take the helm from here- The two of them know the most about actually piloting the ship. While they work on setting a test course and turning the engines back on, the remaining four of you make small talk while you watch. At least, Apollo and Halley do. They go into a conversation about life back on Earth, while you and Lyra don't do much of anything.
You decide to take initiative and start a conversation with her to pass the time.
[["Do you have a family back home?"]]It's a kinda dreary topic, but you can't think of much else. Lyra isn't much older than you- she's probably in her late twenties to early thirties at the oldest. She probably has someone back home that she cares about.
"Yes. I have my parents, and I have my sister." was her short reply. She waited a few seconds before adding, "Do you?"
Well, yeah. But not really in the traditional sense. Sure, you have your parents, but you don't have any siblings or close cousins or anything else like that.
The closest people to you right now is your crew.
So, uh, you don't have a family //back home//.
You decide to explain this to Lyra, and you see her crack a sheepish smile. You didn't think your cheesy rambles about friendship would strike a chord with her, but it does.
"You're sweet, Callisto. I guess this is my family as well."
[[All the more reason to want to get home.]]You have to get home, you think.
You have to keep your family safe. Both here and on Earth- you want to go back home, see the smiles on your parents faces, take a breath without fearing it might be your last.
You miss home.
Lyra seems to notice how distressed you are. Did you look that worried?
"Hey," you jump a bit when she starts speaking. "I know this is hard. But I need you- we need you to stay positive. We can make it home if we keep going. I'm sure we can find our way out of this."
She pats you on the back like a coach would their star player.
Somehow, you feel a lot more at ease.
[[You thank Lyra.]]You give her your heartfelt thanks. Now that you think about it, you've never seen her be so kind to you. She's usally pretty stern, but you didn't talk to her very much before this mission. You were always pretty intimidated by her, now that you think about it.
You're going to give her more of a chance when you get home.
[[You snap out of your thoughts.]]
Once Saros brings the ship to a stop, everyone celebrates. This might be your big break- you can finally get out of here.
So Jericho sets a course for [[Earth]], while all of you wait impatiently. Who wouldn't be a little antsy in a time like this?
When it's over, Jericho pulls you off to the side.
"Hey, uh.. There's something important worth mentioning. As you know, Earth is still pretty far. So we're still going to be on the ship for a while." Your heart sinks. Do you not have enough time to [[get home?]]
Saros calls everyone over to the front.
"Alright, so we set a course for a few miles from here.. That way if it doesn't work, it won't overheat the ship." Saros explains. "All we need to do now is get going."
That sounds good to you, so you [[sit down.]]All of you sit down and strap yourselves in- safety first, of course. You don't want to be sent flying out the front window.
Saros gets the ship moving, and you hold your breath.
When the ship begins to move at normal speed, you almost jump for joy.
[[You have a chance now.]]Earth. The planet that has living creatures. The planet full of color and life and all of the things you miss after seeing nothing but gray, metal everything for the last few months.
[[Anyway...->You have a chance now.]]Upon catching his mistake, Jericho reassures you.
"Hold on, wait, that's not what I meant! We have more than enough time to get home, at least at the speed we're going at. I'm just saying that we aren't going to get home quickly. You can do what you'd like for the next few hours." He chuckles, visibly embarrassed. Him trying to lighten the mood after nearly giving you a heart attack amuses you, at least a little bit.
So you can do what you want?
[[You run through what you could do.]]You could look around, you could talk to everyone, you could...
Actually, now that you think about it, you know exactly what you want to do.
[[Sleep.]]You're tired. The combination of stress and the fact that you already didn't sleep very much meant you would want nothing more than to waste away the next few hours.
So, you do.
[[Jericho comes to wake you up in a few hours.]]Upon opening your door to answer Jericho's knocking, he grabs your arm and drags you to the bridge.
You aren't sure why, but once you see the view outside of the front view window, you understand.
//Earth. It's right there.//
You're beyond thrilled. You can go home.
[[Home.]]You don't know how much time you would've had left on the ship, but you don't care.
Saros manages to land the ship back home, in the base you left in. Leave it to him to remember how to get there.
All of you stand in front of the door of the ship, together.
All six of you.
[[You exit the ship.]]All of you quickly retire from space exploration.
After what you went through, you decide that it's for the best.
Besides, you have other things to think about. Like your parents, and your "space family", as Apollo calls it. You said you would go your separate ways, but you can't bring yourselves to.
You all keep in touch as you try to make your way in finding new jobs and getting a fresh start.
It takes a bit to readjust to Earth; you were alerted of this beforehand, but it's still pretty staggering sometimes. Part of you misses messing with zero gravity.
But you don't care.
You're alive. All of you are alive. Your feet are on the ground, and that's all that matters to you.
''GOOD END: Grounded''
Back to the [[Beginning]].(text-style: "bold")[Oh wow, look at that bold!]
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(text-style: "shudder")[Oh wow, look at that shudder!]What are you going to do when you get home? You hadn't put much thought into it. Before the whole asteroid mess, you thought you would take a vacation before heading out to your [[next mission.]]
While you think, you hear Saros say something.
"Well, uh, I don't think I'm going to want to go back on another mission.. This is my [[third]], if I remember correctly. But after this, I don't think I could bring myself to pilot another ship." He chuckles sheepishly, and you nod a bit. Apollo looks a bit disappointed. But then, he agrees.
[["Yeah, neither could I."]] He replies.No. Absolutely not. You don't want a "next mission." You don't want to go to space again.
You're absolutely [[sure.]]Oh yeah, the crew has all worked together before. You only just recently finished your training, and joined this crew after their last engineer retired.
This is your first mission.
What a great first impression.
[[Anyway..->sure.]]Apollo reaches his arm behind his neck and shrugs.
"After all this, I'd [[kill]] to have my feet on the ground again." he laughs a bit, then turns his focus to you.
"And you?"
You return his [[sentiment.]]Something about that makes you uneasy.
[[Anyway..->"Yeah, neither could I."]]Eventually, the conversation falls silent. All of you think the same thing, but no one puts it into words. That is, no one does for what feels like ten minutes.
"So, uh.. What are we going to do? After this, I mean." Saros questions.
You hadn't really thought about this, either. You're still pretty young, you could do about anything.
Apollo pipes up before you manage to find an answer.
"Well, I'm probably going to work at a restaurant back home, since that was always my backup in case the whole astronaut thing didn't work out."
was his response. Leave it to him to be prepared for this sort of thing.
"That sounds smart. Maybe I'll give that a shot until I can get back on my feet. Would you mind?" Saros seemed excited to think of the future.
[[What's your future?]]You unconsciously tune Saros and Apollo out as you think. All you can really hear is how happy Apollo is, which makes you smile a bit.
Anyway..
You don't have much to go back to, in all honesty. Your family is here- that's how close you feel to your crew. You want to protect them.
You think that staying with Apollo and Saros when they look for a fresh start might now be [[such a bad idea.]]You snap out of your musings and notice Apollo and Saros still talking about their future. As happy as it makes you, you know that there's a task at hand, so you urge them to keep searching.
You decide to walk in the front this time, and you all continue your lighthearted conversation as you walk.
[[The future doesn't seem so bad.]]As you search the back of the ship, you notice a high-pitched noise you can only describe as a squeal. You and Saros instinctively look at Apollo, who denies that it was him. The noise kind of reminds you of air escaping from a boiling teapot.
//Air..?//
You rush towards [[the sound.]]Your suspicions are confirmed when you see a dented oxygen tank lying on it's side in the next room. You didn't think to check this room before- Or, rather, this room is closest to where the asteroid hit, so you were scared to check it.
When Apollo and Saros arrive to see you sealing off the tank to stop it from leaking, they immediately help you carry it to the front.
[[There's no time for celebration.]]Once you get to the front, Halley measures how much oxygen is left in the tank.
...
.....
..
A little over three hours' worth.
''[[You have 28 Hours.]]''And just like that, you realize just how stressed this situation made you. Hearing the time you're given makes you feel like the weights on your shoulders have been lifted, quite literally.
You decide to spend the rest of your time with your crew continuing your conversation about the future.
...
Time passes.
[[You are rescued.]]When your oxygen almost runs out and the air gets a little thin, you are rescued. You're happy that you can finally go home.
You miss home a lot.
Once your feet are back on the ground, you and your crew are given praise and awards and all the things you hoped for when you signed up for this mission. Only, you don't really care about them now. You have other things to worry about.
Like your new job.
It turns out that the crew of Phoenix II all retired within hours of each other.
All of you ended up taking up Apollo's offer to search for jobs together. You need a fresh start.
On Earth.
With your crew.
You're glad to be alive.
''GOOD END: Rescued''
Back to the [[Beginning]]Original Concept: Brenna Brown
Character Concepts: Brenna Brown, Carson Wedding, Ameena Kahn
Apollo concept and design: Ameena Kahn
Special thanks: Madelyn Holveck, Rick Stemm, Carson Wedding, Ameena Kahn, Cassie Middlebrook, Abi Kumar
Thanks for playing!
[[back ->A note to the players]]