NMS: The Next Adventurer

NMS: THE NEXT ADVENTURER

EIGHT: THE DOWNED FREIGHTER

Noma climbed aboard the Radiant Pillar and exited the space station. The coordinates ve had obtained were punched into the ship’s navigational systems.

The course that had been set brought Noma to a planet. It was a rocky world, with great swathes of white cloud that drifted along in the atmosphere. The light of the local star reflected off of the atmosphere’s upper layers, crowning half of the planet with a luminous halo. A few lonely asteroids drifted nearby, and Noma was careful to avoid them.

The ship cut through the layers of atmosphere as it headed toward the surface. Rocky Mountains rose up to greet the Radiant Pillar, stretching all the way to the distant haze of the far-off horizon. Here and there, sparse clumps of tall, hardy vegetation grew. Noma looked for a safe place to touch down.

Noma disembarked from the comfort of Radiant Pillar’s cockpit and stepped onto the rocky surface. Strong winds were stirring up dust. Noma could see it drifting through the valleys in great clouds. The plants that grew here stood defiantly against the powerful gusts, their strong but rubbery branches evolved to bend with the winds and snap back into position.

Noma made vis way down to the valley floor, following the coordinates that had been downloaded to vis personal computer. The going was tough and Noma wished that vis ship could have been brought down closer to whatever was located at the given coordinates. But, alas, where ve had landed was the only suitable spot for miles around.

After a tiring ascent and descent of a few hills and valleys, Noma caught sight of what ve was meant to find. A gigantic ship lay in ruins, its skyscraper of a bridge rising up into the sky, while the bulk of the ship lay buried in the impact crater it had made when it smashed into the ground.

Noma made vis way to the crash site. The moaning winds leant an eerie quality to the surroundings, as each gust whistled through twisted girders and caused loose panels to rattle and clang. Carefully picking vis way through the wreckage, Noma felt absolutely tiny in comparison to this stricken bulk.

Finally, Noma located what ve had been searching for. It was the ship’s flight recorder, safely housed within a near-indestructible shell.

Noma placed vis gloved hand on the recorder to activate it. A ring of red light began to pulse and some basic information was relayed. The ship was a freighter, the SS Ittor-Ogaw. And, then, following that was a strange message. It read, “The Anomaly comes for the stars. Take flight”. After that, just before the recorder fell silent, it transmitted a schematic for a hyperdrive.

Noma studied the plans. It was plain to see that these could not be the plans for a hyperdrive that could suit the mighty Ittor-Ogaw. In fact, they looked more suitable for being fitted to the Radiant Pillar.

The Radiant Pillar! Noma’s heart leaped into vis mouth. That urge ve had always felt to travel soared with the thought of what a hyperdrive could mean. It meant the ability to travel across the galaxy.

But, first, the hyperdrive would have to be built. Looking through its parts of expensive components, a realisation dawned. In order to pay for these parts, Noma was going to have to get a job...

Thanks to Hello Games for the images.