NMS: The Next Adventurer

NMS: THE NEXT ADVENTURER

TWELVE: THE WATCHER

Noma took the Radiant Pillar into space and scanned for outposts. Ve was looking for somebody who knew how to produce antimatter and the places where fellow travellers met to trade seemed like a good place to find such a fellow. A signal was received from a planet and Noma headed toward it, carefully piloting the Pillar through the asteroids that tumbled dangerously through the surrounding space.

Noma’s ship cut through the planet’s atmosphere, vapour trails leaving a line behind the Pillar as it headed toward the surface. Below, ve saw a desert landscape, bathed in the orange glow of the local star. Here and there monolithic rock formations rose up, casting long shadows that tracked the movement of the star like titanic sundials. Noma followed the outpost’s tracking signal and parked the Radiant Pillar on one of its landing platforms.

Noma embarked from the cockpit and headed over to where other travellers were congregating. None of the assembled pilots were Anomaly like Noma and ve wondered how it would be possible to converse with a being that did not speak the same language. The only hope was that the formula for antimatter was universally understood. Noma’s portable scanner identified a Resource Analyst from its clothing and insignia and ve approached the alien. The analyst’s name was Aendighe. It was smaller than Noma, not much larger than a child. But its blackest of black eyes had an intelligence that could only have come with the wisdom of age. Noma showed Aendighe the formula for antimatter and pointed to virself hoping the alien would recognise the gesture for ‘me’.

The little alien gazed up at Noma and then to the formula being displayed. It then transmitted information to Noma’s personal computer. The information transmitted was a blueprint for a means to construct antimatter.

Noma studied the plans to learn what was required for antimatter’s construction. Chromatic metal was listed, along with condensed carbon. Noma looked out the desert landscape and at the alien vegetation growing out there. The materials for antimatter could be crafted from this planet’s resources.

Noma climbed down the outpost’s steps and walked onto the planet’s surface. Dried earth baked so much ve could barely leave a footprint. Noma turned to watch the travellers departing from and arriving at the outpost, and then ve headed off in search of a source of carbon.

Noma’s handheld scanner indicated a source of carbon nearby and ve headed in the direction indicated. There, using a bony beak to break through the baked earth, was an animal of some kind. Its green, scaly skin had a leathery appearance and its tail twitched as it busied itself with rooting out whatever it had detected beneath the surface. Noma looked around at the vegetation growing nearby. That had to be a source of carbon, too. It seemed a pity to kill this creature.

Noma left the animal alone and headed over to a clump of plants. Ve held up the multitool and its beam cut into the plant’s body, harvesting its carbon. As ve was cutting through the plant, Noma became increasingly aware of an artificial humming sound. From the way it was getting steadily louder, it was obvious that something was heading for Noma.

Noma looked over vis shoulder and noticed a small, floating robot device. At this point, the cutting beam of the multitool had cut through so much of the plant that it toppled over, crashing to the ground. This seemed to attract the attention of the robot. It shone a blue light at the fallen plant. Then it turned its light on Noma, who had a distinct feeling of being stared at. With that, the blue light turned red and although robots have no emotions Noma could not help but feel like the machine was angry.

Noma froze in the scarlet light of the robot’s gaze, wondering how best to respond...

Thanks to Hello Games for the images.