A New Horizon
A full decade had crawled by since Earth died. The AI scanners finally delivered the electrifying news: a planet, eerily similar to Earth, with a breathable atmosphere.
"Captain Hayes, you have to see this!" Lieutenant Hackworth's voice practically vibrated with awe over the comms.
Hayes leaned in, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Well, I'll be damned! This is monumental. Get those details to the meeting table, Lieutenant McBay. And alert the Elders; we're calling an emergency meeting the second dinner's over."
Through the ship's internal comms, Captain Hayes immediately requested all core members for an emergency meeting, to kick off right after dinner.
The Captains (Hayes, Matthew Bacon, Travis McBay, Hiltson Grey, Timothy Hackworth), Elders (Ricchy, Harry, Drenba, Kaisy, Lekenneth, Earl), and Core Leaders (Lee Bravid Sr., Yenipha, Kekeya, Tailb, Jerry, Keith, Artemus, Joe Sr., Andrew and Fyelona) gathered in the Operations Meeting Room.
"I've called this meeting with some truly groundbreaking news," Hayes began, his voice barely containing his excitement. Today, just before the dinner rush, our AI system picked up a habitable planet. It's a bit smaller than Earth, but its atmosphere is an exact match, right down to the last molecule. From what we can tell, it's got two moons and a single sun. "We're not close enough for a full life scan yet, but after ten years of drifting, I believe this is absolutely worth exploring."
The leaders' faces were a potent blend of hope and sheer trepidation; the future of humanity, cooped up for so long, suddenly hung by a thread. In the operations command room, the air buzzed with barely contained excitement, tempered by an undercurrent of raw tension.
Elder Lekenneth, leaning forward, his gaze intense, cut in, "Monumental, yes, but it's also a monumental risk. We've been adrift for ten long years. "What are the immediate concerns for our people the moment we arrive?"
Captain Hayes nodded, acknowledging the Elder's crucial point. "Precisely why we're here." "We'd effectively be an invading force, so we have to proceed with extreme caution." He turned to Hackworth. "Drenba, can we detect any life from here? Any signs of intelligent civilization?"
Lieutenant Hackworth consulted his data-pad, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Negative. The planet's two light-years out. Not close enough for detailed life scans or to pick up anything beyond its atmospheric makeup." "However," he added, pulling up a projection, "a hyper-jump timeline would get us there."
Matthew Bacon, one of the younger captains, piped up, his voice practically jumping with eagerness, "A hyper-jump would get us there in just an hour." "It's a calculated risk, but it's the only way to get close-range intel fast."
Core Leader Bravid pressed, his gaze sharp and unwavering. "And what about technological weapons? We need to know if they can defend themselves. What's the probability of running into hostile forces?"
Captain Hayes shook his head, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice. "Those answers will only come once we've jumped. For now, all we know is the AI's incredible discovery: an exact atmospheric match. We have a visual confirmation of the planet's surface from the long-range scans, but nothing detailed on inhabitants or their capabilities. "Take a look at this visual here." He gestured to the central display, a vivid image of a swirling blue-green world. "You can all see what we see."
Mason pointed out small, irregular dots floating between the two moons. "Are those meteors? Or satellites like home?"
The hologram zoomed in as much as possible. "From the readings, it seems as if they are meteors," Matthew Bacon commented. "It appears they've collected, stagnant on one side of the planet. Once we're in range, we'll have better intel."
The image projected a pristine, almost untouched world. Elder Kaisy broke the silence that followed. "The implications are clear. From the sounds of this conversation... we should be preparing our families for the hyper-jump and for the very real possibility of an attack upon arrival. Our people need to be ready for anything, not just celebration."
Core Leader Kieth added, "And supplies. We'll need rapid deployment of teams, resources for establishing a foothold, and a contingency for immediate defense."
"All valid points," Captain Hayes concluded, a decisive edge to his tone. "Then it's settled. Rapid response teams are deployed, defensive protocols activated, and the populace briefed. A full announcement will follow shortly. Tomorrow morning, we depart for a new world, two hours after breakfast. Ready to land and explore. Let's move."
Almost immediately, the ship's internal comms systems buzzed to life, pushing the mass announcement about the hyper-jump through every personal EchoSync Band device on board. Throughout the living quarters and common areas, crew members and colonists began to stir, pulling up the briefing on their screens. A low hum of activity rippled throughout the ship as people started packing essential bags, double-checking their personal gear, and making sure their quarters were secured for the extreme forces of a jump. The next few hours, and especially after breakfast in the morning, would be dedicated to meticulous final preparations and checks before they made the leap to a new star.
The morning on the Phoenix felt like pure electricity, way livelier than the stale, filtered stuff the ship usually pumped through. Down in the main mess hall, breakfast wasn't just something to eat; it was the very fire in their bellies for the big adventure coming. Folks' voices, even when they were low in that kind of 'can't believe it' awe, still had a sweet ring of pure joy to them. Families clinked their mugs together, passing around grins that just wouldn't quit, stretching from ear to happy ear. "Can you truly believe it, child?" somebody whispered, then a whole choir of "'Real ground! Lord, real air!'" Laughter, light and true as sunshine, bubbled up constantly, with a few nervous little giggles from the children, who, bless their hearts, even though they felt how serious it all was, just got caught up in their mamas' and daddies' happy fever.
All through that ship, a humming energy just pulsed, full of purpose. Engineering teams, they moved with a joyful kind of quickness, their last-minute checks not feeling like chores at all, but more like a final, thrilling 'Yes, Lord!' triumph. Consoles just glowed with green lights, and every 'all clear' was met with a head nod, a quiet little 'we did it' triumph. The hustle and bustle wasn't just something organized; it was deep with the focused feeling of runners right before a big, long-awaited race. Navigation folks re-checked their numbers with eager, sharp eyes, comms folks leaned in close, listening hard for the final go-ahead, and security teams did their rounds with a determined kind of shine in their gaze. Everywhere you looked, the feelings of the people were a bright, colorful quilt: pure, wide-open joy, fierce willpower, a deep, aching want for something new, and a thrilling, almost sweet fear of that big, wide unknown waiting for them.
Then, that news, child, came not just through the comms but felt like it vibrated right up from the very floor beneath their feet, sweeping through that packed-in vessel, setting off a deafening, joyful sound that just filled up the air. After all those years locked up tight, that impossible dream of standing on solid ground, of open skies and true, fresh air, Lord, it had finally burst into a bright, shining reality.
The Fieldarno family and all the rest of the crew just sprang into that practiced frenzy of theirs, getting ready for that monumental hyperdrive to a brand-new atmosphere. Putting on their gear with a fresh, deeper purpose, they streamed straight into those designated Space Pods. Each pod, made for thirty folks, was packed tight with twenty-eight in five of them and twenty-nine in the other three, filling up all eight of the ten pods they had. Anticipation just hung thick in the air, a heady mix of pure exhilaration and a trembling kind of awe. Every single soul, seatbelted up tight, just gazed straight ahead, ready to leap right into that incredible unknown.
Down in the operation command room, Captain Hayes, he was locked on the course to that brand-new world, a little wave of excitement even crossing his usually steady face. "Captain Brown," he commanded, his voice deep, "start that countdown sequence."
And with a powerful surge, that ship shot forward, moving so fast it just went right on past the speed of light.
One hour later, when they got to that unknown planet's atmosphere...
Then, Lord have mercy, the unthinkable. Right in the middle of that hyper-jump, as the very threads of space seemed to rip right open around the Majestic Starship Phoenix, a deep, guttural shriek tore through the whole vessel. Not just the ship groaning; no, something far more alien and bone-chillingly awful. A rogue meteor, quiet as death, a silent sign of disaster, just appeared right out of that shimmering hyperspace chaos, a jagged, dark monster. It wasn't just a bump; it was a devastating tearing apart. "What in the void was that?!" somebody shrieked, but their voice got swallowed up quickly. The ship bucked something fierce, like a giant beast hit by a punch you couldn't see. A blinding flash exploded along the bottom hull, then that sick, tearing sound of reinforced metal just giving way like it was thin paper.
In that horrifying instant, that meteor sliced right through the hull, hitting three pods dead as they shot past. "No! Not those pods! Oh, crap, no!" a raw, desperate cry just ripped through that sudden, awful quiet. There wasn't time for screaming, no moment to understand what was happening. Just a flash of white-hot light, a shockwave that shook teeth in their very sockets, and then, a silence where three pods had been. Eighty-five Fieldarno family members, gone in an instant, their lives put out before they could even know what hit them.
Alarms shrieked, a wild, piercing wailing that tore right through the pods' thick insides, drowning out even the hard pounding of their own hearts. Inside each pod, strapped up tight in their seats, the Fieldarno family got jolted by something fierce. Screens flickered to emergency red, the outside view just turned into static and sparks. "Mommy! My head hurts!" a child's terrified wail cut through all the noise, louder because of that small space. "What's happening?! "I can't see anything out there!" another sobbed, pulling hard against their restraints. The very bones of the main ship groaned, Lord, like a dying animal under some huge, unseen strain, its agony felt as shaking through its pod's hull. A wave of raw panic just washed over the survivors, a deep, cold dread that grabbed hold of every single heart.
But the Fieldarno family, bless their hearts, they'd seen trouble before, so they moved with a grim kind of quickness. "Emergency release! Captain's override! "Y'all brace for independent launch!" A frantic voice blared over the comms, sounding like it was coming straight from the main bridge. "All of you hear that?" "We're launching!" a mama hollered out, pulling her little ones in tight. "Hold on, everybody, hold on!" With a sudden, sickening lurch, those pods got snatched clean away from the Phoenix's dying grip.
Inside each pod, it was chaos, but a boxed-in kind of chaos. Screens flickered, showing a bunch of mess nobody could make sense of, and outside, all you saw was a whirl of light and bits of ship. The designated pilot in each pod, some seasoned explorer like Ricchy, or Harry themselves, were wrestling with those controls as their lives depended on it. And they did. Their training just kicked in, instincts sharp like an honed blade from all those biannual drills.
In Ricchy's pod, he slammed his gloved hand down hard on that manual override. "Manual navigation engaged!" he roared, his voice cutting clean through the comms system, filling that cramped space. You could hear the strain in it, but it was still pure command. "Y'all stay strapped in! We're doing this old-school! Somebody, get me a visual on that planet, now!"
In another pod, Lekenneth, sharp as a tack, was already barking orders. "Backey put some juice into thrusters five and seven! Artemus, external telemetry. I needed it yesterday! We have to have a stable burn, not no damn roller-coaster ride!"
Across the network, Harry's voice came through, surprisingly calm amidst the storm. "All pilots, confirm manual override! Y'all focus on a stable descent, aim for that green biome signature! And for the love of all that's holy, stay clear of those impact zones!"
Cries of fear mixed right in with desperate shouts of encouragement, as hearts beat a frantic rhythm against ribs. "Is it working, Daddy? "Are we safe?" a little voice whimpered. "We're trying, sweetheart, we're trying," a parent mumbled back, their eyes glued tight to those flickering displays. Children, eyes wide with pure terror, clung to their parents, their small bodies shaking like leaves, while older relatives swiftly gathered in groups, their faces set in a grim determination. They moved in that cramped space with a practiced quickness born from all those repeated drills, guiding folks who were dazed or just too scared to move a muscle. "Breathe, everybody, just breathe," an elder softly coached in one corner, her voice calm in the storm of those frantic console beeps.
The pods jettisoned, hurtling away from the mother ship as it disintegrated, consumed by a fiery, cataclysmic explosion, a new star briefly igniting in the blackness before fading into cosmic dust.
"Pods are clear! We have a full launch!" Ricchy's voice, strained but firm, crackled over the comms, a thread of life through the sudden void. "Alright, Pod Leaders, listen up! We have a debris field from the Phoenix. Activate evasive maneuvers! We aren't out of the woods yet!"
Inside Pod 3, Artemus gripped his controls, his knuckles white. "Heard that, Uncle Ricchy! "Hold on tight, y'all!" He wrestled the joystick, his eyes glued to the external viewports now filled with jagged, incandescent fragments of their former home. A piece of the Phoenix's outer hull, the size of a small house, tumbled directly towards them. Hard to port! "Brace for impact!" he bellowed. The pod shuddered violently, alarms blared a sharp, new tune, and a spray of sparks flew from a console as they clipped the edge of the debris, but they held.
Over in Pod 5, Harry squinted through the shimmering chaos. "This isn't a drill! We have meteors mixing with Phoenix shrapnel! Keep those deflectors up!" His family members, acting as makeshift crew, worked in a blur, punching commands. A smaller, faster meteor zipped past, so close they could feel its ghostly pull. "That was too close for comfort, Lord!" he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "The atmosphere's starting to pull us, too! We're going down fast!"
Lekenneth, in Pod 7, grits his teeth, his voice a low growl over the comms. "Copy that, Harry! This planet's got a mighty strong hand! Feel that pull, y'all? "It's trying to snatch us right out of the sky!" He fought the atmospheric drag, guiding his pod through a narrow gap between two large, glowing pieces of debris. "Barely made that one! Maintain trajectory! Minimal damage reported across the board so far, praise be!"
Through the small viewports of their escape pods, the Fieldarno family watched in awe and a collective sigh of grief as their decade-long home exploded into a shower of incandescent debris. Below them, a mysterious, unknown planet shimmered with ethereal lights, its landscape a breathtaking tapestry of vibrant colors and swirling mists. It loomed closer, a beacon of hope and uncertainty. As they braced for impact, a profound sense of unity and resilience filled their hearts, binding them together against the unknown.
The Descent and the Landing
The pods, now free from the Phoenix's fiery demise, were hurtling through the alien atmosphere. Through their viewports, the Fieldarno family watched, awestruck, as the mysterious planet below grew larger, revealing its secrets.
"Lord have mercy, look at that!" Marie's voice, usually so composed, was filled with a trembling wonder as she peered out from Pod 4. "Y'all see those mountains? Way out there in the distance, blue as the deepest ocean!"
"And those lights! Past the mountains!" Emory from Pod 2 chimed in, his voice crackling with excitement. "Like little flickering stars down on the ground, almost like… like cities! Do you reckon there are folks living out there?"
Ricchy's voice, ever the steady anchor, came over the comms. "We see them, Emory! And those mountains, too. It gives us something to aim for, a sign of something more than just wild land. But stay focused, y'all! The atmosphere's pulling us hard now, trying to snatch us right out of the sky!"
Suddenly, a harsh grating sound ripped through Pod 3. "Uh oh, Uncle Ricchy! We've got a slight system failure here!" Artemus yelled, wrestling with his controls. Sparks flew from a console. "Lost partial control on the port thruster! We're compensating, but it's getting rough!"
"Hold it together, Artemus!" Harry barked back from Pod 5, his own pod lurching as they dodged a massive piece of debris, the size of an old Earth bus, that spiraled past. "We've got big bits of the Phoenix still following us down! Keep your eyes peeled!"
Just as Artemus fought to stabilize Pod 3, a thick, gnarled branch, glowing with an eerie bioluminescent violet, materialized right in their path. There was a sickening CRACK as the pod's underside scraped against it. The whole pod shuddered, alarms flared brighter, but the reinforced hull held, deflecting the impact. Other pods, guided by their leaders, weaved skillfully through the descending forest, branches scratching and whipping past their reinforced exteriors.
The air outside thickened, the pull of the planet growing stronger, pressing them down. The scent of ozone mingled with something sweet and earthy, filtering even into their sealed pods. The ground rushed up fast, a blur of deep greens, purples, and blues, punctuated by the soft, glowing lights of bioluminescent plants, trees, and even shimmering water in the far distance.
First Orders and New Challenges
"Alright now, listen up, family!" Ricchy's voice cut through the initial wonder, bringing everyone back to the serious business at hand. He stood tall by Pod 1, already pulling a sleek, compact energy rifle from a quick-access compartment near the door. "Harry, Stevie, Lekenneth, Drenba! You and your designated teams, come on up here and get yourselves equipped. We don't know what's out there."
From within the pods, a few more of those ancient, humming weapons they'd salvaged from the Phoenix's armory were retrieved. The leaders, and a select few others, strapped them securely to their backs or hips, the unfamiliar weight a stark reminder of their new reality. The weapons shimmered faintly, a subtle hum emanating from them, a stark contrast to the bioluminescent glow of the forest.
Harry, his own energy pistol now visible at his side, stepped forward. "Here's the deal, folks." Do not wander off, not even a step, without a direct order. We stick together. We don't touch anything strange unless we know what it is—and even then, with extreme caution. This isn't Earth, and we don't know its rules."
Lekenneth added, his gaze sweeping over the group. "Keep your eyes and ears open. Every shadow, every sound. We move with purpose, and we stay quiet. If you see something, you alert your team leader. No panicking, no screaming out."
"And for those of you with these new weapons," Andrew said, patting his own rifle, "you know how to use them." "But they're for defense only, hear me? We aren't looking for trouble, not unless it comes looking for us first. We're survivors, not conquerors."
The Fieldarno family, a little disoriented but mostly unharmed, stepped out onto the soft, moss-covered ground, breathing in the strange, sweet air of their new home. Their eyes, now sparkling with wonder and a newfound determination, gazed out at the vast horizon, understanding that this mysterious planet held both immense challenges and wonders beyond their wildest imaginings. The air thrummed not just with the life of the alien forest, but with the quiet resolve of a family ready to face whatever lay beyond the glowing trees.
As the alien sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, purple shadows over the scattered wreckage of their pods, the Fieldarno family sprang into action once more. Ricchy and Harry, with their natural leadership, swiftly organized the remaining 142 family members. Their hearts, heavy with the loss of their ship and many loved ones, were still full of determination.
"Alright, listen up, everyone!" Ricchy's voice, though weary, carried authority. "We've got two immediate priorities: securing our haven and finding out what's left. We're splitting into four groups to maximize our efforts and keep everyone safe."
Group 1: Pod Defense & Child Protection
"First, protection and safety," Harry announced, his gaze sweeping over the faces, lingering on the younger ones. "Fifty of us, led by Drenba, Kasiy, and Lekenneth, will stay here at the pods. "Our mission is paramount: fortify our position, establish a perimeter, and most importantly, ensure the absolute safety of our youngest family members." He looked directly at Drenba. "Drenba, you're the best we've got for this. Make these pods our fortress. No one gets in or out without your say-so."
Drenba nodded grimly. "On it, Harry. Shifts are going up, the hull's getting locked tight. Nobody's getting through."
"Next, the search parties," Ricchy continued, motioning to two groups. "Each will have a clear leader and a specific sector to cover. We need to find supplies, assess the full extent of the wreckage, and look for any other survivors."
Group 2: Wreckage Assessment & Supply Retrieval
"Team Alpha," Harry directed, "twenty-five of you will be led by Andrew. Your focus is on the immediate wreckage surrounding our landing site. Look for intact sections, any stashed emergency supplies, and assess the stability of the larger debris. We're looking for anything that can be salvaged—power cells, tools, medical supplies. Report back anything unusual."
Andrew gave a curt nod. "Understood, Harry. We'll be thorough."
Group 3: Perimeter & Resource Scan
"Team Beta," Ricchy called out, "another twenty-five, led by Artemus. You'll be sweeping a wider perimeter around our alien landing zone. We need to know what's out there on this planet. Look for water sources, natural shelter, and any potential threats. "Stay alert, stay together, and maintain comms discipline." Artemus saluted. "We'll be careful, Ricchy. Reporting any anomalies."
The Reconnaissance & Command Group
"Finally, Group 4," Harry concluded, "the remaining forty-two, including myself and Ricchy. We'll act as a central reconnaissance and command unit." "We'll be moving between the other groups, providing support, assessing larger sections of the ship, and making strategic decisions based on your findings."
Ricchy stepped forward. "We'll run these search efforts for the next 48 hours straight. That means rotating shifts, maintaining comms, and getting a brief rest when you can. After 48 hours, we'll regroup, assess all findings, and formulate a long-term plan. This is critical; family. "Our survival depends on how organized and determined we are right now."
He paused, looking at each face. "Any questions? Let's move!"
The Great Find:
The Walk to the Wreckage
The journey to the downed sections of the Phoenix was slow and taxing, each step a heavy reminder of what they'd lost. The alien land stretched out, a treacherous maze of large, mossy boulders draped with thick vines, sudden, gaping ravines hidden by swirling mists, and thorny, bioluminescent flora that pulsed softly in the twilight, throwing long, shifty shadows. This wasn't an ordinary forest back home; no, these trees, they seemed to breathe, their massive trunks covered in glowing fungi, their leaves shimmering with an inner light, and the very air hummed with an unfamiliar, almost musical energy. A faint, sweet, unfamiliar scent clung to everything, thick like honeysuckle after a summer rain. Their boots squelched softly on the damp, spongy ground, and the only sounds were their heavy breathing, the mournful creak of shifting wreckage way off in the distance, and those unsettling rustles and clicks from deeper within the whispering forest. It was the kind of sound that made the hairs on your neck stand up, letting you know there were things moving just out of sight.
"Stay tight, y'all," Andrew called out, his voice a bit muffled by his environmental mask. He swept his flashlight beam across a particularly unstable-looking pile of twisted girders half-swallowed by emerald moss. "One false step out here, and it's over for good."
Up ahead, Morgan pointed to a shimmering, almost rainbow-colored patch on the ground. Watch for growth there. My comms AI, 'Yandice,' isn't getting a read on it; it says it's anomalous. It looks inert, but I don't like the way it reflects the light. Could be something nasty."
"Heard that, Morgan," came Joe Jr.'s voice from the rear, a shiver in it despite the hard walking. This whole place feels... strange. Like we're being watched, or something's just waiting in those shadows. I sure do miss the solid walls of the surrounding ship."
"We all do, Joe Jr., bless your heart," Eric replied, his tone softer now, full of that deep, tired comfort. "But the Phoenix is still out here, in pieces, waiting for us to find what we need to keep on living."
A sudden, sharp crack echoed through the trees, closer this time, and Harry immediately brought up his comm. "Keon, any ID on that last sound? Movement signature?"
"Negative, Keon," he replied calmly, though there was a subtle shift in its audio frequency, a hint of strain. Unidentified sonic event. No correlating movement signature detected. Recommend increased vigilance."
"Well, ain't that just for comfort," Morgan muttered, clutching her scavenged multi-tool a little tighter. "Still, we have to keep moving." Our folks are counting on us."
They moved with practiced efficiency, a silent dance of caution and grim determination. Each step was a testament to their resolve, pushing past exhaustion and the ever-present ache of grief. They meticulously scoured the debris for any signs of survivors, salvaging what precious supplies they could find. Even in their grief, their instincts were sharp.
"Aye, aye, y'all come look at this!" Ambba's voice rang out, full of disbelief, echoing through the cavernous wreck. It's the hydroponics bay! And look down there, through that busted door there... isn't that the main chow hall!"
Andrew, ever the pragmatist, peered over her shoulder, his flashlight beam cutting through the gloom. "You aren't kidding, Ambba. Looks like this whole section of the Phoenix stayed mostly in one piece."
The air was thick with the scent of damp metal and something vaguely earthy. As they ventured further into the hydroponics bay, they saw what Ambba was pointing at. Rows of neatly packed, though now disheveled, growing trays. Below, through the warped entrance to the mess hall, they could discern the familiar outlines of tables and overturned chairs.
"I can't believe it," sighed Morgan, her voice hushed. "It's all... still here. The crew must have packed these things to the brim before we even launched." She pointed to a series of sturdy, sealed containers partially visible under a collapsed support beam. "And look! Those are clearly food storage lockers from the chow hall's pantries."
"This here is a true blessing," Morgan murmured, running a hand over one of the intact, though empty, nutrient reservoirs. Could be enough to last us a while. We'll gather them carefully, but this changes things."
"Absolutely," Andrew agreed, already assessing the structural integrity of the area. "We need to secure this section first. Then, we meticulously catalog every last ration. "This is a game-changer, folks."
Morgan tapped her comm unit. "Morgan to all teams, come in. We have a significant discovery in our sector. Repeat, significant."
After a moment of static, the comms crackled. "This is Ricchy. Go ahead, Morgan. What's your status?"
"Ricchy, we've found the hydroponics bay and a good portion of the main mess hall mostly intact," Morgan relayed. "Whew, y'all! This is going to flip the whole script. And it's packed. "We're looking at a substantial amount of preserved food from the ship's original stores."
A low whistle came over the comm. "You're telling me we hit the jackpot? That's incredible news, Morgan. How much are we talking about, and what's the challenge for extraction?" Ricchy's voice held a mix of surprise and relief.
"I ain't exaggerating, Ricchy—we're sitting on a real miracle here. It's a real come-up, enough to set us straight. It's a solid five-hour walk or so, though—and through twisted wreckage and tight spots. It isn't an easy stroll. The area's stable, but moving this cargo back to the pods? That's going to take time. Maybe a few days of steady work. We'll need extra hands and the reinforced sleds we packed. But if we get this done right? We buy ourselves breathing room."
"Right," Andrew cut in, taking over the comm. "Andrew here. Ricchy, from what we've seen, taking that straight shot is the safest way to haul this stuff. But it's a long, roundabout path through some unstable sections. We're thinking we'll need extra hands and possibly some of the heavy-duty reinforced sleds we brought for equipment."
"Understood, Andrew," Ricchy replied. "The home team is currently working to stabilize that outer perimeter, but we've got a couple of strong backs and young ones we can send!" He paused. "How long before y'all are ready to move it?"