Yawn. The sun shone harshly, filling the sky with a brightness that seemed almost overwhelming. Sera squinted up at it, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the glare. The landship stood behind her, a hulking mass of rusted metal and forgotten history. Its broken hull and damaged corridors waited for a much-needed revival, but the work ahead was anything but simple.
"Let's see," Sera muttered to herself. "We'll need to find tools to open up the sections cut off. We can't blow them up; it's already damaged enough as it is." She glanced back at the landship, its twisted metal almost daring her to try and force her way through its secrets.
As the crew began to gather outside, Sera turned to face them, coughing lightly to draw their attention. "Alright, listen up!" she called, her voice clear and commanding. "We'll keep doing what we've been doing the past few days, but today we're focusing on gathering whatever tools and equipment we can find. Crowbars, axes, anything that might help us break through some of the blockages inside."
She paused for a moment, thinking of anything else that might be useful. "Oh, and if you find any crates, don't leave them behind. Bring back as much as you can carry." She gave a decisive nod, signaling the crew to split up and start searching.
With Alaric's guidance and his deep knowledge of the forest, the crew's efforts seemed more organized. Alaric's experience in survival and his familiarity with the surrounding area proved invaluable as he led them to hidden nooks in the forest where old supplies might still be buried beneath the foliage. They scoured through overgrown bushes, dug through rotting tree stumps, and pried open rusted containers that had long been forgotten.
The hours flew by as they scavenged the area, finding a mix of useful and useless items. By the time they reconvened at the landship's entrance, the sun was already beginning to dip in the sky, casting long shadows over the ruins. The crew gathered to report their findings, each person dumping their haul into the pile.
"Let's see what we've got," Sera said as she crouched down, inspecting the modest assortment of items. "A few crowbars, some axes, a couple of chunks of steel… and expired medical supplies." She sighed, brushing her hair back from her face. "It's not much, but it's a start."
Ava looked disappointed at their meager haul. "Seriously? This is all we got? I thought we'd find more," she muttered, kicking a small pebble on the ground.
Alaric gave her a stern look. "We're near one of the last stationary cities," he explained, his voice calm but firm. "Anything useful around here has probably already been picked clean. The fact that this forest has anything left at all is a small miracle."
Sera nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and who knows how long that city will last, staying in one place like that. It's a rare thing these days to see a normal city that isn't constantly on the move."
I suppose I should explain that mobile cities sometimes stay stationary to conserve energy or when facing a threat of a catastrophe, she thought to herself. After all, moving a city 24/7 would drain an enormous amount of power.
She took a deep breath and continued, her tone taking on a more contemplative note. Navigation in the traditional sense doesn't work here on Terra II either, she mused. Compasses are useless, and even the stars are unreliable at best. Some so-called experts argue that the stars themselves seem to drift, never staying in one place as if the very sky is always on the move.
"That's why mass communication isn't easily accessible," Sera said aloud, looking at the crew as if to include them in her thoughts. "Cities, nation-states, and factions had to set up messenger groups to communicate over long distances. These groups also play a crucial role in detecting any signs of catastrophes forming near cities."
Ava looked up at her, eyes wide with curiosity. "What about communication within the cities themselves?"
"Good question," Sera replied with a small smile. "Each city has at least a Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) system. Think of it like a broadcast system, a way to spread news and updates without relying on conventional navigation tools. It's the best way to keep everyone in the loop."
Alaric nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Makes sense. The NDBs are like the old radio signals, then. Not perfect, but better than nothing."
"But enough with the lecture," Sera said, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Let's get back to the task at hand." The crew nodded in agreement, their focus shifting back to the landship.
They moved back toward the cargo bay, this time heading toward a staircase that led to unexplored sections of the ship. The sign near the stairs indicated that the next area was once the dormitories and a cafeteria. The words were faded and partially covered in grime, but still legible enough to make out.
"Alright, looks like we've got dormitories and a cafeteria up ahead," Zyra said, brushing some of the dirt off the sign. "Let's see if there's anything useful inside."
The group proceeded with caution, stepping into the stairwell that led to the upper levels. The air grew colder and mustier as they ascended , the stale scent of decay filling their nostrils. Sera's grip on her weapon tightened as she led the way, her senses sharp and ready for anything.
As they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a wide hallway, the metal walls lined with rows of broken lockers. The lights overhead flickered weakly, casting eerie shadows on the ground. Sera approached one of the lockers, giving it a light kick to break the rusted lock. Inside were some old uniforms, faded and torn, along with a few personal items—trinkets and notes that spoke of the lives once lived here.
"This place must've been a temporary home for a lot of people," Alaric said, picking up a crumpled photo of a family. His expression was hard to read, a mix of empathy and detachment.
"Yeah," Sera said quietly, her eyes fixed on the remnants of the past. "Let's see if we can find anything we can actually use."
They moved on, pushing through a set of doors that led into the cafeteria. Long tables were overturned, and the metal benches were coated with layers of dust. The kitchen area was in shambles, but Ava's eyes lit up when she spotted a half-broken crate in the corner.
"Hey, I think I found something!" she called out, prying the crate open with a crowbar. Inside, she found old kitchen tools—knives, pots, and even a portable stove that might still be functional.
"Finally, something useful," Zyra said, a hint of relief in her voice.
As they continued to explore, they found a few other promising items—a few crates of sealed emergency rations, some bottled water that seemed drinkable, and an old tool chest with wrenches, screwdrivers, and a soldering iron. They collected everything they could, adding to their growing supply of salvage.
The mood shifted slightly as they packed up their findings. The landship, once a forgotten relic, was slowly revealing its potential. Each step they took deeper into its corridors was like peeling back the layers of its history, uncovering both its secrets and its worth.
Sera took a deep breath, looking back at her crew with a determined expression. "Alright, this is just the beginning. We've got a lot more work to do, but I'd say today was a good start."
Zyra clapped her on the shoulder. "Let's see what else this old beast has to offer. Who knows, maybe we'll even find a treasure buried in here."
Ava grinned, her arms already full of supplies. "Or more importantly, maybe we'll find something to make Koda a better bed!" she joked, earning a few chuckles from the crew.
The day was far from over, but for the first time in a while, there was a sense of hope. They were just getting started, and as they continued to search, the landship slowly began to feel less like a ruin and more like a place they could call home.