OOC: I like the log book style most DF community games are written in, so this time I’m going to try and write from the point of view of Einstein, our supposedly super-intelligent Labrador retriever. Enjoy
Chapter IV: Hunters and Prey5th of Aprimay, clear weather, -11CI have decided to write this diary in the likely case that I will end my days here in the southern wastes of Bellatrix. My hope is that someone someday will find this diary so that my memory will not vane even though I have passed.
My name is Einstein and I’m an genetically engineered, intelligent dog. I’m stranded on a the planet of Al Bellatrix on the outer rims of the galaxy with my master Darius and three other survivors, Mimiko, Jebidiah and Kingawsume.
According to my calculations based on the changing position of the sun, this planet should have 60 days in one orbital period, so I’ve decided to partition the year into four quadrums which I’ve named… Decembary, Aprimay, Jugust and Septober, where Decembary is the hottest, at least here on the south pole. And Jugust is the coldest. It will be very cold and very dark, due to the radical axial tilt of this godforsaken planet.
The humans have noticed that it’s quickly getting colder and Kingawsume, Mimiko and my master have decided to go on a hunting trip to fill up our food stocks while Jebidiah works on his power generator. Personally, I think it’s getting a bit chilly, but the cat-woman seems to think it’s perfect, so she has taken off her clothes and is now only wearing boots and hat. I don’t like it, since it makes her look more like a cat, and I really don’t like cats.
6th of Aprimay, fog, -17CJebidiah finished his generator. It doesn’t work with coal, which is the only thing we have in great amounts. Back to the drawing board!
7th of Aprimay, blizzard, -22CWe have been struck by a blizzard! I hope my master is okay, the hunters have not returned yet. I’ve spent most of the day barking at the door, I tell you, something strange is moving around outside. We’d better stay indoors. Jebidiah is building a room for Mimiko so she doesn’t have to sleep in a tent indoors anymore. I hope my master returns soon, it’s getting colder even quicker than I expected.
8th of Aprimay, clear weather, -30CJebidiah went outside to isolate the walls for Mimiko’s room, and was met by my master fleeing for his life, followed by four giant insects. The beasts broke through the doors and we’re now hiding in the kitchen/storage area:
Note the mammoth that also snuck inside, having been attracted by the smell of two blueberries Darius found on the way back from the hunting trip. Talk about desperation.
My master tells us that the hunting trip has not been as successful as we’d hoped, but they are still bringing back a good amount of meat. They set up camp to the east, near an old ruin they used as temporary storehouse. It didn’t have as many resources as we did, but they played pool at the old pool table:
My master went ahead of the others and we can expect their arrival very soon, he says.
In the evening, Kingawsume and Mimiko return and make short work of the bugs:
9th of Aprimay, clear weather, -39CIt’s getting insanely cold outside. Together with the bugs, the arrival of three mammoths will make wonders for our meagre food supply. They are so starved that they are eating rotten stuff from our refuse pile. The humans have found four mushrooms in the cavern that they will try to lure them inside with so we can tame them. Speaking of, where are those mushrooms?
Goddammit! Tired of caribou steak, are we? Oh well, I guess we will just have to slaughter them. Got nothing to feed them with anyway. Kingawsume sets about bringing them down before they migrate to warmer lands. They go berserk when you shoot them, but Kingawsume can easily outmaneuver them, everything will be fin---NO MIMIKO DON’T GO OUT TO THE RAMPAGING MAMMOTH OH NO SHE’S IN THE WAY KINGAWSUME CAN’T GET A CLEAR SHOT IT’S GOING TO CATCH UP WITH HER SHE’S GOING TO DIE
Really? A mammoth charges you and you kick sand in its eyes?
Wow, that was close. Mimiko seems fatigued by the hunting expedition and isn’t really doing much work. But at least she survived.
10th of Aprimay, clear weather, -39CEven with the mammoths and bugs, the humans are not sure if we have enough food to make it through winter. Jebidiah is now making fur cloaks and gloves for everyone so we can send another hunting expedition out while surviving outside is still viable.
11th of Aprimay, clear weather, -45CThe fur cloaks for Mimiko and Kingawsume are ready, so they set out on another hunting trip. However, in the evening they come running back, explaining that they made contact with a group of people to the northeast. The group called themselves the Epic Vultures, were heavily armed and demanded our surrender. The humans spend the rest of the day preparing to evacuate.
12th of Aprimay, fog, -55C12:00
A freezing fog makes it difficult to see, but four of the Vultures have arrived to the south of our base and are setting up mortars to bombard us. They are armed with modern weaponry and we wouldn’t stand a chance if we were to attack their position. Yet the humans hesitate with the evacuation. Perhaps the temperature will take care of our besiegers?
15:00
The bombardment has begun, however mortars are horribly unprecise. This is even worse than fireworks! And as a dog I really hate fireworks.
17:00
Kingawsume is hit by burning debris as a firefoam grenade hits the roof above the southern entrance. He is badly burnt, but didn’t lose any fingers this time.
20:00
Even more vultures arrive and set up their position to the southwest. The humans decide that the odds are against us and we evacuate, leaving with tents and provisions for a warmer place to stay. However, we’ve barely left our warm home in favor of the freezing wastes when another group of bandits beset us from the north:
These are not as well-armed as the others, but they are many and some of them have guns.
21:00
We made it away from the base. Hiding in the hills to the west, we watch as the bandits approach our base. There’s no easy way inside, so they tear down the wind pump and move south following the sound of the mortars.
22:00
Oh what luck! Our enemies are fighting each other! The bandits charge the southeastern Vulture position. The Vultures are overwhelmed and forced into a corner where they are fiercely beaten down.
13th of Aprimay, clear weather, -70C00:00
They then move west to attack the other Vulture position. They’ve taken heavy losses though and give up their attack. The survivors flee north.
Our enemies have been decimated, whilst we’ve been hiding. It’s indescribably cold, we’re all shivering heavily (except Mimiko, who is however wearing clothes) and I can’t feel my tail at all. We decide that our chances have improved and we run back to the base.
02:00
Bombs are still hailing down on Bay 12, as we have come to call our home. It’s only slightly warmer indoors due to grenade holes in the roof and the broken-down wind pump which is needed to circulate warm water throughout the compound.
Mimiko and Kingawsume go down to the unoccupied Vulture position to man the single intact mortar still standing there. The ramparts dug by the Vultures are littered with dead and dying, but Kingawsume mans the mortar and begins shooting back at the besiegers. An intense mortar firefight ensues.
04:00
In the end, however, it is the cold that takes out our enemies. Two collapses from hypothermia, the rest run away. Amazingly, we survived with only a few burns and frost-bitten tail (I hope it fall off).
After a very tough day and night, we all go to bed and when get back up, the humans start repairing the wind pump and bringing in weapons and loot. If we face another of these attacks, we will be able to protect ourselves much better, with automatic rifles and mortars.
14th of Aprimay, clear weather, -65CThe weather is a bit warmer and the humans are hoping for spring. Oh my sweet summer children.
In the evening, a shower of meteors strike the strange bunker to the south of us. Strange ant-like bugs come crawling out. Along with the food rations looted from the Vultures, this should mean that we will make it through winter!
15th of Aprimay, clear weather, -69CCome morning, the insects have succumbed to the cold. The hives inside are still warm and humming with activity though. This is a very welcome source of food. The humans also find a few useful things lying around the bunker, such as another full-automatic rifle, medicine, psychic insanity lance and a multitool for Jebidiah.
Encountered a group of hostiles with modern weaponry – “The Epic Vultures” – made it back to the base before them – they decide to besiege us, hopefully they will die of hypothermia – they hammer us with mortars and kingawsume got hit by burning debris! He’s okay though, without any missing body parts this time.
1st of Jugust, clear weather, -77CWinter is officially here.
It’s now so cold that even boiling water freezes immediately outside. When we were least expecting it, someone came knocking at our door. Her name is Lunar Clark, and she is apparently from the same ship as we are. When she crashed, she was taken prisoner by bandits, but she made it away. Shaking from hypothermia, she made it to our home. My master and Kingawsume immediately took a liking of her and decided that she should stay.
She is an evangelist, but she doesn’t have a religion. Wonder what made her leave her homeworld? Anyway, she seems to be rather useless. She is sluggish and a night owl, which means she prefers to be up at night. Good thing there isn’t going to be any sun the next weeks. But my master likes her and I think he stands a better chance than Kingawsume.
OOC: So I thought we’d made it through winter, but apparently it’s really just started. Oopsie. Haven’t really been able to do any projects, but now that we have enough food (I think) and we’re holed up inside (except for Mimiko, who can go where she pleases), there will be time for some projects. Actually, the only crafting I got done was that chair Kingawsume wanted to do for Jebidiah. It’s an ordinary ceramic stool. The schematics for the coal fueled power generator are ready, we just need some concrete, which I will have to find somehow. Perhaps we can make some, we’ve got lots of sand.