Encrypted Message from Colonel Alexander -
Sergeant Gary Freeman, your leave request has been denied indefinitely. I’m sure you expected as much but I hate to be the one to officially decline it. I understand you have a son back on Earth but we require your immediate attention. We do not yet know all the details that led to the collapse of our Martian SkyLift network nor the likelihood of the complete planetary destruction of Mars. Stabilizing the degradation of the plant and analyzing the potential of orbital debris impacting Earth has been rightfully allocated to the Army’s Corp of Engineers. Our responsibilities, as usual, are more direct in nature.
The catalyst that started the destruction of our SkyLift network began in Sector 17 and cascaded around the equator of the planet. Military Intelligence has discovered several unusual work orders and taskings in that sector but, most notably, the commission of a DOG-IV unit to assist an android in recovering some surveyor drones. Given these drones are disposable by design we think this may have been a cover. We cannot yet prove the Androids purposefully caused this catastrophe, but tensions have been rising and this incident certainly ensures a large portion of forces will be occupied.
Your mission is to travel to Sector 17, deactivate Android 42 and recover his data log. As you know your Marine Transporter has a planetary drop pod capable to breaching the debris fields and reaching the planet’s surface. Extraction will be a more difficult task but, as you’re reading this message, the U.N.S.S. Gabrielle is positioning herself in orbit around Mars. The Gabrielle has a dozen ships capable of surface extractions.
Given your current orbit, the drop pod can only get you as close as Sector 15. From there you’ll have to navigate through the B.13 Passage. Your power armor should make traversing the terrain possible. We’re also looking for any equipment cache in the area. A pair of jump-jets would be very useful.
That passage terminates at a water processing plant. Assuming the emergency power is still on you’ll be able to take the elevator down to Turing Canyon. There’s an unmanned Marine outpost there where you’ll be able to get whatever weapons and equipment you think you’ll need. I’m not sure if the Osprey VTOL is practical since the massive increase in meteor strikes but the Puma Rover should get you to the Power-Station at the edge of Sector 17. This is the last location we Android 42 accessed the network.
Your mission is to find Android 42.
- End Of Message
P.S. Thanks to the 40+ people that made it to the live stream last night! That was a lot more fun than I expected. I'll keep the store front open to anyone who wants to stream until the sale is over. We'll definitely do it again with some key drops (I'll make sure the chat works this time ːsteamhappyː ). To the other 7.5 billion people who couldn't make it... you're dead to me.