Aiden stepped closer to the mech and leaned in, his eyes fixed on the open cavity at the center of its chest. He reached out and ran his gloved hand along the empty housing, feeling the cold metal edges and the loose cables hanging inside. There was no mistake. The core was not hidden or damaged.
It was simply not there at all.
"It really does not have a core..." Aiden said quietly as he straightened, the excitement from earlier faded completely. He had never expected that a mech in such perfect condition would hide a problem like this.
"Got excited for nothing huh... J.E.M., do you happen to have the blueprint for the mech core?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the machine.
There was a brief pause before the reply came.
[SEARCHING DATABASE]
[FILE NOT DETECTED]
Aiden frowned slightly.
"No files? So it is not that they are inaccessible?" Aiden asked again.
[AFFIRMATIVE]
[CORE BLUEPRINT NOT FOUND]
[REASON: DATA DOES NOT EXIST IN SHIP DATABASE]
Aiden let out a slow breath.
"Why would they even need a mech if there is no core, and no blueprint to make one either?"
[PROBABLE CAUSE IDENTIFIED]
[MECHA CORE DATA RESTRICTED DUE TO LEAK PREVENTION PROTOCOLS]
[CORE SYSTEMS DESIGNED FOR SEPARATE INSTALLATION]
That answer made his head ache almost immediately, and he could not help but rub his temple as he tried to make sense of it.
Aiden moved toward the hangar control panel and activated the mech interface. The display lit up and ran a basic diagnostic, showing rows of inactive systems and grayed out power routes. One section stood out clearly, highlighted and isolated from the rest.
[MECH POWER SYSTEM STATUS: CORE DEPENDENT]
[INTERNAL BATTERY STORAGE: LOCKED TO CORE REACTION]
Aiden stared at it, his jaw tightening.
"So even the battery storage only responds to the mech core..." he muttered.
That meant if he wanted this machine to move, he could not just slot in a temporary power source. He would have to strip the entire power system, remove the core dependent architecture, and design something new from the ground up. It was possible in theory, but it would take time, materials that he was not sure where to get, and effort. A lot of effort.
Aiden raised both hands for a moment as if giving up, then let them fall as he accepted that the mech would have to wait. He made a mental note that if he ever managed to gather the right materials, bringing it online would become his top priority, because it would give him a reliable way to handle many future problems.
Aiden lifted both hands in the air for a brief moment, then let them drop as he accepted that the mech would have to wait. He took another look at it and made a quiet promise to himself that if he ever gathered the right materials, fixing it would move to the top of his priorities because it could change how he survived on this world.
With that thought in mind, he forced himself to focus on what he already had. He had arrived on this planet with almost nothing and still managed to survive for months through careful choices and hard work. This little incident wasn't that much of an impact to him now.
"Hey, on the bright side at least I have the latest exploration mech, the Atlas Pathfinder."
Aiden turned and left the hangar bay, the heavy doors sealing behind him as he walked back toward the storage area. His steps slowed as he reached the seed bank again, his thoughts shifting from machines to something more immediate.
"J.E.M., access the seed bank and sort everything by usefulness for my current situation." he said as he stood in front of the sealed cases.
"I want to know what grows fastest and what I will need long term."
[ACCESS GRANTED]
[ANALYZING SEED BANK CONTENTS]
[ENVIRONMENTAL AND GROWTH SIMULATION IN PROGRESS]
Aiden watched the status bars for a moment, then nodded.
"That should be done by tomorrow, it is already late anyway." he said to himself as the fatigue finally caught up to him.
With everything checked for the night, Aiden exited the storage area and activated the full security lock again. This time, he added extra measures, placing his thumb against the scanner, letting the retinal scan pass over his eye, and standing still as the facial recognition confirmed his identity.
[SECURED STORAGE LOCKED]
[SECONDARY SECURITY ACTIVE]
[FAILSAFE CONDITION: ACTIVATES ONLY IF AI OFFLINE]
Dinner was simple and quiet, nothing more than rations and water, but he ate slowly and made sure not to waste a single bite. As he did, his thoughts stayed focused on what came next.
Once J.E.M. finished sorting the seed bank, he would collect soil and land samples and test how the seeds would react to this environment. He needed to know if they were compatible, if they would grow without spreading out of control, and if planting them would cause harm to the local ecosystem.
Only after confirming that would he approach the natives and offer work. He believed that working the land together would give the natives steady food and useful work while slowly building trust.
With that plan settled in his mind, Aiden cleaned up and made his way to the sleeping compartment, his movements slower now as fatigue set in. He lowered himself onto the bed with care, aware of every sore muscle, and lay still while the steady hum of the ship filled the small space around him.
******
Morning arrived slowly, the pale light creeping across the ground outside the ship and filtering through the damaged panels. Aiden woke before the internal lights fully adjusted, his body already used to light shifts instead of alarms. He sat up carefully, stretched his stiff shoulders, and took a steady breath before standing.
He grabbed a few strips of dried food and preserved fruit, stuffing them into a pouch as he stepped out. He ate while moving, chewing slowly as he walked away from the ship.
Aiden moved through several nearby areas, stopping often to crouch and collect soil samples. He scraped earth from open ground, from shaded spots near strange trees, and from patches where unfamiliar plants grew thicker.
He took out the portable analyzer as he worked, setting it beside each patch of ground before collecting anything. The device hummed softly as its probes extended, scanning the surface layer and then driving a thin needle deeper into the soil. Readings scrolled across the small display, showing mineral balance, microbial activity, and moisture levels as he watched closely.
"It's looking good so far." Aiden was quite happy with the initial results.
Only after the scan finished did he scoop the soil by hand and seal it inside a container, marking each one with location data and analyzer results. Some soil was dry and loose, slipping easily through his fingers, while other samples were heavier and darker, sticking together with moisture.
He leaned closer to each container, noting the faint smells, the grain of the earth, and how firmly it clumped against his gloves, building a clear picture of the land piece by piece.
"J.E.M., begin analysis on collected samples.." he said as he sealed another container and set it aside.
[SOIL SAMPLE ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS]
[UPDATING SEED BANK PARAMETERS BASED ON LOCAL CONDITIONS]
While J.E.M. worked in the background, Aiden headed back to the ship. Instead of returning to the same suit he had been wearing, he went straight to the locked storage and selected a better protective set designed for long exploration.
The material was thicker at the joints, with reinforced sections along the chest and back. He changed into it carefully, then linked his biometric data so the suit could track his condition and respond properly if something went wrong.
The difference was immediate. The weight sat better on his body, and movement felt more balanced.
Using the tools and materials he had unlocked, Aiden moved outside again and began assembling a small device he had planned the night before. He worked methodically, cutting and fitting components together, checking alignment twice before locking anything in place. When it was finished, he climbed onto the upper structure of the research vessel and mounted the device securely.
He named it the Long Reach Node.
Once installed, he routed the signal through the ship systems and synced it with his suit.
"Link test.." he said.
[LONG RANGE COMMUNICATION LINK ACTIVE]
[SUIT AND SHIP CONNECTION STABLE]
Now, even if he traveled far from the ship, he could still speak with J.E.M., monitor ship status, check nearby activity, and upload data in real time. Combined with his portable analyzers, it gave him a sense of control.
With that done, Aiden moved on to another task he decided would become routine. He gathered fallen branches and cut manageable pieces of regular wood, stacking them where they could dry properly.
He also marked several steel wood trees nearby and harvested only a small amount from each, taking care not to damage them. He stored everything neatly, knowing that he planned to expand his base very soon, and starting to stock materials now would help him avoid getting overwhelmed later.
As he worked, his thoughts returned to the natives.
If they planned to stay in the area for a long time, Aiden intended to propose relocating closer to the river near their settlement, since it was a good location when he had checked it before.
And although there were many wild animals there, he could offer to build a palisade wall using steel logs, make tools to cut regular trees, and process steel trees into nails so they could build their own houses and settle properly.
If they agree to it, it would fully be in line with his farming plans.
He knew machines could help with farming, and he briefly considered building simple planting drones or even automated cultivators, but the idea felt a bit too extravagant to his current situation. Plants needed attention, care, and adjustment. People were still better and more cost effective than machines for that kind of work.
Lost in thought, Aiden finished stacking the last processed log and brushed dirt from his gloves. He straightened and took a breath, ready to move on to the next task.
That was when his visor flashed.
[DISTRESS SIGNAL DETECTED]
"WHAT?!"
Aiden froze.
The signal identifier was unmistakable. It matched the emergency flare device he had given to the native leader, meant to be used only if something had gone seriously wrong. A chill ran down his back as his focus snapped to the alert.
Whatever plans he had for the day no longer mattered.
Something had happened.