Scenario A: The Stranded Colony

You pull yourself free from the debris. Through the shattered viewport, you can see the other two hull sections about 200 meters apart. Smoke rises from the forward section. People are staggering out of the mid-section, confused and injured. You notice the emergency supply pod - rations, medical kits, tools - is wedged in the wreckage near you, partially intact. You hear screaming from the forward section where the smoke is thickest.

You sprint toward the burning hull. The heat is intense. Inside, you find six people trapped - two are badly injured and pinned under structural beams. With help from another survivor, you manage to pull four people free, but the fire is spreading fast. The two pinned survivors are still conscious, begging for help. Going deeper means risking the entire forward section collapsing on you. Meanwhile, one of the rescued crew members tells you she's a botanist who noticed the soil outside looks potentially fertile - could matter for long-term survival.

You work to free the supply pod. It takes thirty grueling minutes, but you extract the critical cargo: medical kits for roughly 40 people, 10 days of emergency rations for 30, water purification tablets, a solar charging unit, and basic tools. By the time you're done, the fire in the forward section has burned itself out. Three people who were trapped didn't make it - they might have survived if someone had reached them sooner. Several survivors are giving you hard looks. A woman named Dr. Okafor, the ship's physician, confronts you directly: "People died while you were counting boxes."

You reach the mid-section and gather the able-bodied survivors - about 18 people. You quickly assign teams: one group heads to the forward section to rescue survivors from the fire, another works on extracting the supply pod, and a third sets up a triage area. Your efficiency impresses people, and they follow your lead. But an engineer named Vasquez challenges you: "Who put you in charge? The actual captain might still be alive in the wreckage." He has a point - Captain Torres outranked you, and nobody has confirmed her status.

You focus on the four rescued survivors. Dr. Okafor, the ship's physician, sets up triage. The forward section eventually collapses, and the two trapped crew members don't survive. It's a somber evening. 27 survivors total. Some people are angry, others understand. During the night, the botanist discovers a stream with potential vegetation about 1km east. But the ship's sensors also picked up intermittent signals from the north - 15km away in mountainous terrain. Could be another ship, could be nothing.

Two volunteers step forward. They manage to pull one person free, but the section collapses before they reach the last survivor. One volunteer suffers minor injuries. 27 survivors total. People appreciate that you gave them agency, though some wished you'd acted more decisively. By evening, the group has gathered near the mid-section. The botanist reports a stream with vegetation 1km east, and the ship's sensors show intermittent signals from mountainous terrain 15km north.

Your honesty disarms the tension. Dr. Okafor isn't happy, but she respects the acknowledgment. She works with you to distribute medical supplies. A fragile trust forms. 27 survivors, morale battered but holding. The botanist discovers a stream 1km east with edible vegetation. The sensors also show faint signals 15km north in the mountains. Dr. Okafor says the group should focus on the stream - people need water and food. The engineers think the signals could be a rescue beacon.

Your assertiveness works - most people accept your de facto leadership. Vasquez grumbles but falls in line. The rescue and supply teams succeed: 27 survivors, supplies secured. But you've made a subtle enemy in Vasquez, who now watches your every move for mistakes. That evening, the botanist finds a stream 1km east, and the sensors show signals 15km north. Vasquez loudly advocates for the signals, contradicting whatever you suggest.

A search team finds Captain Torres alive but with a serious spinal injury - she's conscious but can't walk and is in significant pain. She tells you: "You're in charge, Reyes. I trust you." This gives you legitimate authority, and even Vasquez accepts it. 27 survivors, morale steadied by the chain of command. Captain Torres needs constant medical attention. The botanist finds a stream 1km east; sensors show signals 15km north.

You lead the group east. The stream is real, the water tests clean after purification, and the botanist confirms several plants are nutritious. Within three days, you've built a functional camp: shelters from hull plating, a water system, cultivated plots. Morale improves. But on the fourth night, a sentry spots lights moving in the mountains to the north - rhythmic, deliberate, clearly not natural. Some survivors are terrified. Others are excited. The signals from the sensors were real, and now it seems whatever is up there knows you're here too. Dr. Okafor urges caution. The engineers want to make contact.

You lead the group east. The stream is real, the water tests clean after purification, and the botanist confirms several plants are nutritious. Within three days, you've built a functional camp: shelters from hull plating, a water system, cultivated plots. Morale improves. But on the fourth night, a sentry spots lights moving in the mountains to the north - rhythmic, deliberate, clearly not natural. Some survivors are terrified. Others are excited. The signals from the sensors were real, and now it seems whatever is up there knows you're here too. Dr. Okafor urges caution. The engineers want to make contact.

You split the group: 5 scouts head north toward the signals while the remaining 22 survivors establish camp by the stream. It's a balanced approach. The camp develops well, but on day three, the scouting party returns with startling news. They found an alien relay beacon in a mountain cave, along with what appears to be a communicator device and an energy source. But the cave showed signs of recent occupation. And on their way back, they saw lights tracking their movement from the ridgeline. Something intelligent is out there, and it knows about you. The camp is buzzing with fear and excitement. You must decide the next move.

You split the group: 5 scouts head north toward the signals while the remaining 22 survivors establish camp by the stream. It's a balanced approach. The camp develops well, but on day three, the scouting party returns with startling news. They found an alien relay beacon in a mountain cave, along with what appears to be a communicator device and an energy source. But the cave showed signs of recent occupation. And on their way back, they saw lights tracking their movement from the ridgeline. Something intelligent is out there, and it knows about you. The camp is buzzing with fear and excitement. You must decide the next move.

You lead the group east. The stream is real, the water tests clean after purification, and the botanist confirms several plants are nutritious. Within three days, you've built a functional camp: shelters from hull plating, a water system, cultivated plots. Morale improves. But on the fourth night, a sentry spots lights moving in the mountains to the north - rhythmic, deliberate, clearly not natural. Some survivors are terrified. Others are excited. The signals from the sensors were real, and now it seems whatever is up there knows you're here too. Dr. Okafor urges caution. The engineers want to make contact.

You split the group: 5 scouts head north toward the signals while the remaining 22 survivors establish camp by the stream. It's a balanced approach. The camp develops well, but on day three, the scouting party returns with startling news. They found an alien relay beacon in a mountain cave, along with what appears to be a communicator device and an energy source. But the cave showed signs of recent occupation. And on their way back, they saw lights tracking their movement from the ridgeline. Something intelligent is out there, and it knows about you. The camp is buzzing with fear and excitement. You must decide the next move.

Your scout team reports back: the alien beings seem to be a small scientific outpost, maybe 10-12 individuals. They have advanced technology but don't appear military. They've noticed the scouts but haven't reacted aggressively. On the third night, one alien leaves a package at the scouts' observation point - inside are seeds, a water purification crystal, and what appears to be medicine. No communication, just a gift. Back at camp, this information changes the dynamic.

Your scout team reports back: the alien beings seem to be a small scientific outpost, maybe 10-12 individuals. They have advanced technology but don't appear military. They've noticed the scouts but haven't reacted aggressively. On the third night, one alien leaves a package at the scouts' observation point - inside are seeds, a water purification crystal, and what appears to be medicine. No communication, just a gift. Back at camp, this information changes the dynamic.

The engineer activates the communicator and broadcasts on all frequencies - a distress call in every human language and a mathematical sequence as a universal greeting. For two days, nothing. Then two things happen simultaneously: you receive a faint reply from a human deep-space relay - rescue is possible within 6 months. And the aliens arrive at camp, agitated. Your broadcast disrupted something important to them. They don't seem angry, but they're insistent about something. One points to the sky, then to the communicator, then makes a cutting gesture. They want you to stop broadcasting.

The engineer activates the communicator and broadcasts on all frequencies - a distress call in every human language and a mathematical sequence as a universal greeting. For two days, nothing. Then two things happen simultaneously: you receive a faint reply from a human deep-space relay - rescue is possible within 6 months. And the aliens arrive at camp, agitated. Your broadcast disrupted something important to them. They don't seem angry, but they're insistent about something. One points to the sky, then to the communicator, then makes a cutting gesture. They want you to stop broadcasting.

Your scout team reports back: the alien beings seem to be a small scientific outpost, maybe 10-12 individuals. They have advanced technology but don't appear military. They've noticed the scouts but haven't reacted aggressively. On the third night, one alien leaves a package at the scouts' observation point - inside are seeds, a water purification crystal, and what appears to be medicine. No communication, just a gift. Back at camp, this information changes the dynamic.

You personally carry the alien devices back to the cave and arrange them as you found them. On the trek back, your team encounters three alien beings on the trail. Tense moment. But the aliens seem to recognize what you've done. One steps forward and offers you a small crystal. When an engineer examines it later, it turns out to be an incredibly efficient energy source - enough to power a rescue beacon for years. A gift freely given. The colony now has a choice: activate the beacon and wait for rescue, or use the energy for the camp and build a permanent settlement.