Log Entry – Day 60

Well, today marks the end of my second month on this rock, and what a month it has been! Over the last thirty days, I've begun settling in on this horrid little world, and I fear this might end up being my grave. Well, if I don't make it home that is. Anyway, today's report:

After retrieving the data core from the Aurora, I spend my fifty-ninth day on this watery rock gathering materials for my new base expansions. I currently have three main projects I want to work on. First and foremost is a medical bay module, which is one of the many new blueprints I retrieved. It's a rather small module, about the size of a scanner room, and features state-of-the-art equipment, namely as an AutoDoc™.

From what I've seen in magazine articles and some demonstrations at the annual company tech expo, the AutoDoc™ is capable of everything from the treatment of minor injuries up to exploratory surgery. Unfortunately, from what I gather, the version that the Aurora's computer was loaded with was the lightweight model, which doesn't have the necessary specifications for performing complex medical procedures, such as organ transplants or paediatric medicine. It also lacks advanced bedside manner algorithms, so it's only around half as good as a company-certified doctor.

Speaking of illness, I've been feeling a bit under the weather as of late. My leg wounds have been healing up nicely, and there's no discernible signs of infection. However, I've noticed some sort of greenish rash on my palms, and there's been some blistering around the lymph nodes under my armpits as well. It brings to mind the concerning message that the alien weapon gave when I tried to shut it down. It said I was an "infected individual". It also mentioned the planet was under quarantine. If I do have some sort of alien disease, I'm not sure what to do. I still need to investigate those other alien facilities in the area, but I don't even know if I'll find a answer there.

Anyway, back to my plans for the immediate future. My second big project is assembling a larger living space for long-term habitation. Fortunately, the plans I downloaded included a much larger multipurpose module. It's about three times the size of the multipurpose module, and features much more leg room. There were also plans for a functioning toilet and shower (yay!); some additional creature comforts like blankets, pillows, and a proper television; as well as dividers designed to section off areas of the larger module for increased efficiency and privacy. The construction of my new digs is dead last on my list, but it'll be an especially welcome addition. The current sleeping quarters are cramped as fuck, and they smell like ass.

Getting back to my report, I also launched another trip back to the Aurora to try and salvage some more stuff from her, and to also see if I could find any more of my cleaning bots. Number five has been managing most of the maintenance around the Seabase for me without issue, and it's nice to have some company while I'm on-base…even if the company is non-vocal and singularly dedicated to sanitation and maintenance. Unfortunately, I didn't find any other surviving bots, but I did find my old cabin, fully intact. I brought my personal effects back to my Seabase in a watertight container, and I've managed to make the place feel a little more like home.

Among my effects are some proper clothing (mainly uniforms, but also two pairs of trousers and some t-shirts), my mother and father's wedding rings, an antique hardcopy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne that I inherited from my grandfather, and a few other miscellaneous items. I'm grateful that I managed to retrieve those rings. They're all I have left of my parents.

Sorry, I think I'm going to have to sign off for now. This is Riley Robinson, out.

Log Entry – Day 61

Today, I finished construction of the medical bay. It would have been much harder, if not for some legwork I did ages ago. I guess that needs some explanation. When I was constructing my thermal plant, one of the necessary materials was aerogel. I couldn't find anything that could be used to make such a advanced material in the areas I had explored, so I ended up taking my seamoth out further than I'd gone before. I discovered a area pretty deep down that I have dubbed the "Blood Kelp zone". This area is home to a species of- you guessed it- kelp, that happens to be blood red. It also grows these gelatinous pustules around the base that also serve as the plant's seeds. These pustules are perfect for constructing aerogel, as they contain large concentrations of silicone dioxide, a vital component in silica aerogel.

Now, the Blood Kelp zone is not somewhere I want to frequent. It's dark, those pustules are bioluminescent, and I was severely creeped out by the entire place. There was also a creature I spotted in the distance that looked like a gigantic glowing snake, and that's not something I want near my face. Thus, I brought a bunch of these pustules back to my habitat, and ended up planting them in a external growbed. They thrived, and now I have a supply of aerogel close to home. Anyway, yeah, I forgot to mention that particular excursion, and now I have.

So, anyway, back to the medical bay. Once I'd finished fabricating it with the builder tool, I immediately headed back inside my base to check out my new toy. As I said last log, the interior is about the same size as that of a scanner module. In the centre of the room is the AutoDoc, which consists of a padded bed connected to the floor by a articulated robotic arm. Hanging from the ceiling above the bed is the AutoDoc proper; a series of robotic appendages with various surgical tools attached to the ends. There's also a small console at the foot of the bed, which has a pair of slots for modular upgrades. The left side of the room features a small medical lab, with some sample analysis equipment, a centrifuge, and a miniaturized electron microscope. There's also a medical freezer and a supply cabinet. The right wall features a large display monitor and a command console, presumably for displaying readouts from the AutoDoc. Overall, it's a big step up from my self-administered painkillers and bandages. It's not going to cure death though. We haven't quite got there yet.

After checking it out, I proceeded to test the new module on myself. After starting up the AutoDoc, I clambered onto the bed, and lay flat on my back. Immediately after I had settled onto the cushioned slab, the machine's arms descended from the ceiling, and unfolded like the legs of a massive spider. The titanium appendages twitched and flexed, calibrating themselves prior to use. The machine then began a diagnostic scan of my body, beams of light playing up and down my skin. As it did so, the large monitor to my right lit up with a detailed map of my internals. The scan was relatively swift, and revealed no critical infections or injuries. Apparently I did a better job of patching myself up than I'd thought.

It did, however, reveal a rather worrying piece of information. Throughout my body are a number of infected cysts, with concentrations around my lymphatic nodes, the skin on my hands, and my urinary tract. The auto-doc was unable to identify the pathogen responsible for the nodes, and all it could really determine was that the nodes were non-cancerous, and were currently not life-threatening. It did determine that they were spreading primarily via my lymphatic system. The most concerning part was that the nodules appear to have started linking together; their outer walls extruding tendrils that are currently worming their way towards other nearby nodules, burrowing through my flesh. If those tendrils happen to rupture or harm something that's vital to my continued living, I'm fucking dead.

Whatever this infection is, I need to find a cure, and fast. I'm going to go and study the data I collected from that alien weapons installation further. Hopefully I'll find the location of one of those other facilities. There's apparently a "disease research lab" that might be my best shot at getting answers. It's too deep for my Seamoth however, and I have no idea how far away it is from my seabase. This means I'm going to need some new modes of transportation. Right now, though, I need to get some rest. It's been a long day. This is Robinson, out.

Log Entry – Day 62

Began gathering materials for the new sleeping quarters. Also, the still I've been putting together is fully operational, and so I've cracked open my first bottle of crude Vodka. It tastes like ass, but kicks like a fucking mule. I might have gotten a bit drunk already, since I'm pretty sure the walls aren't meant to be wobbling like jelly. I'm also pretty sure that this stuff is strong enough to get a Reaper drunk.

Nothing else major to report, although I have been having this awful craving for a good cheeseburger. I had this dream last night where I was back home on Alterra Prime, at the orbital spaceport. There's this great place there called the Sunset Diner, and they have the best reconstituted VatBeef™ burgers this side of Orion-Cygnus. Anyway, it was like I was really back home. I could hear the sound of the AutoChefs in the kitchen, the buzz of conversation filled the air, and I could smell the food being fabricated.

Then, just as I reached the front of the queue, and was about to ask for one of those divine burgers, I woke up to the sound of my PDA's alarm, still stuck here on this soggy asscrack of a planet. Then I cursed, and went to eat another nutritious breakfast of potato and fish. If only the Aurora's supply of dehydrated burgers hadn't been spaced alongside the ship's dessert inventory. It was that bastard Nicholson's fault. He should have been more careful while patching that hull breach.

Fuck, I miss Nicholson. I miss Captain Hollister, I miss Keen…I miss everyone. I miss home. I just want to go home.

…Robinson out.

Log Entry – Day 63

I finished building my new sleeping quarters today, which finally means I can move out of my cramped multipurpose module! It took some time to get the floorplan right, but I managed to maximise the space available to me, and zone off the different living spaces. Being the unashamed interior design buff I am, let me proceed to bore whoever is listening to this log with the details.

To start with, my new digs are situated within a large rectangular room with the approximate floor-area of three multipurpose modules. I ended up sectioning this space into three rooms of varying size with the aid of several dividers. The main area links directly to the rest of my seabase, and houses a lounge, my new study, and a kitchen. It comprises about 50% of the module. The kitchen is located right beside the entryway, which is at the foot of the room. In front of the kitchen is the bathroom area, which I have equipped with a fully functional toilet, a sink, and a shower unit. My old waste disposal area (the stinking corridor module off the sleeping quarters) has been sealed off for good. I welded the bulkhead door shut, never to be reopened. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Fortunately, my lack of toilet paper isn't a issue, as the toilet has a built-in bidet function that will be of great aid in keeping my ass clean. Outside the toilet, and connected to the same space as the kitchen is the study and lounge area. This area continues down the length of the entire module. Taking up the remaining space between the toilet and the far end of the room is the bedroom.

That's not all I did today. I also managed to figure out an approximate location for one of the alien research facilities. When the Aurora was still in orbit, the ship performed some scans of the planet's surface. This was apparently one of the ship's mission directives; an attempt to find any survivors of the Mongolian vessel Degasi. I guess this explains the Mongolian PDAs and surface bases.

According to the logs I pulled from the ship's computer core, the Degasi was a private vessel owned by Paul Torgal, a Mongolian businessman in charge of a lucrative mining company. The Degasi was last reported in this region of space, performing mining surveys in the hope of expanding operations of Torgal Corp into this sector. Obviously this fell through, as the Degasi disappeared, carrying with it one of the wealthiest business mongers in the galaxy. That's where I remembered the name on the photo from! I remember that Paul Torgal's disappearance made headlines in every major transgov newspaper.

Apparently the Mongolian Empire remained vigilant in the search for the missing businessman, and they even sent a representative aboard the Aurora to aid with the search. Apparently there was some deal made with the Mongolians that in return for Alterra's assistance, we would get exclusive rights to this entire sector of space. From what Captain Hollister's logs said, Torgal was a good friend of the Mongolian Crown Prince. Some sort of school buddy, at least as far as the Captain was made aware. As a result, a fair bit of time and money had been spent tracking down the probable location of the Degasi when it went missing. That happened to be in orbit of this world. Hollister thought it was a waste of time, but it was made very clear to him that the company had a lot to gain from obtaining exclusive rights to this region of space. He had no choice but to carry out the orders, and to put up with the senior official they sent along.

Anyway, you know the rest. The Aurora enters orbit, we get shot down, I bail out along with a bunch of others, I'm the only known survivor. Probably the only survivor at this point. I've been here for two months now, I'm positive I'd know if anyone else had made it down safe. I don't really want to check out the other lifepods. Some of those pods…I…I knew some really good people aboard the ship. I don't want to know their fate.

Anyway, back to the orbital scans. So, the ship was in orbit, performing the gravity assist to swing us round the planet and put us on course for the outer rim of the system, where we were to construct the new Phasegate. The scanners were mainly looking for any energy signatures that might indicate active human habitation on the planet's surface. The issue I had initially was that the ship's energy scans were pretty messed up. That alien orbital defence weapon was charging up when the scan was in progress, and so there's a good deal of interference. Also, a good portion of the data is corrupt, due to damage sustained from the attack.

However, I did manage to get a portion of the data cleaned up. The scans I got from the interior of the planetary defence weapon helped me clean up the interference, and I managed to get a geographical location of one of the facilities. If the depth is right, it seems to be what the aliens called the "disease research facility". That seems like a great place to get information on my current affliction.

Right now though, I'm going to kick back and enjoy the comfort of my new digs. Further updates to come. Robinson out.

Author's note: Hey, readers! So, I guess 2021 is turning out to be more of 2020's bullshit, which sucks? I'm doing relatively OK, although this chapter was delayed due to some tragic and highly personal events earlier in the year. Over the last year, this story has gotten an incredible amount of attention from readers like you, for which I'm very grateful. While this is by no means a metric of the story's quality, it is (as of the writing of this note) the sixth most favourited and the fifth most followed story in the Subnautica category. It's a small category, but I'm still proud of my work.

I would appreciate if some people were more critical of my work though. Simply leaving a review that says "good story" or "I'm loving it" does not give me any feedback that I can use to improve the story. I would be extremely appreciative if people would take the time to provide more detail in their reviews, and also criticise anything they didn't like. Feel free to speak your mind, I don't really mind if you have some scathing criticisms. In fact, I'd fully endorse it, so long as it's reasonable. However, I don't take suggestions for what the story should do. In the end, I'm the writer of this story, and I decide what terrors Riley endures over his journey, and what problems he faces.

Anyway, that's enough from me. Next chapter should be out in a couple of months. Again, I don't have a schedule, and this is a hobby I do in my spare time. Keep an eye out, if you can.