Old Habitat

The Old Habitat is a Pioneer Seabase located in a trench on the edge of the Plateaus, bordering the Necrolei Hills. Once serving as a home for 25 Pioneers, the base was abandoned following a riot that led to the base's destruction 235,000 hours ago.

Prior to the riot, relations had become strained after Sophie Boucher made the decision to stop medical care for the sick in order to preserve their scarce food resources. Anita Gottschall, Singh, Rhiannon, Iso, Thing One, and a currently unknown fifth individual defected in response to this, forming Jubilee and moving back to Camp One on day 620.

235,000 hours ago during the riot, explosives were set off by Chap and Mantis, destroying all on-site Biobeds and killing Mogami, Dr. Wu, Thing Two and Quaker, along with Chap and Mantis themselves. Survivors of the blast included Ganzo, Ruby, Raster, Tuba, Sean, Gram, Rowboat, Ander, Wander, Eddy, and Twinkle, who fled to the Tadpole Pens. Sophie Boucher also survived the blast but departed in pursuit of Nahema Nakota alone.

Exterior

At first glance, the Old Habitat appears relatively intact. However, upon close inspection of the north complex, one can see that several rooms on the lower level have broken off from their neighboring compartments, and a large hole has been created in the bottom of one of them.

Aside from structural damage, the Habitat exhibits the usual signs of long-term abandonment: sand has piled up on the roofs of each building, letting Macaron Sponges propagate, and Jelly Leis have grown out from the undersides of compartments.

On the trench floor, Water Slugs, Acid Raions, and Pent can be found. Following the trench to the south will take the player to a small worksite with fragments for the Hydroelectric Turbine and Storage Cache. Following the trench northwards instead will lead the player to a Tadpole fragment. Going further north, there is a Note warning that the reader is experiencing Masefield and that there "is no jubilee."

Interior

North Complex

First Floor

Initially, the only entrance hatch available is around the back of the north complex. This entrance leads directly into Dr. Wu's lab, which contains scans for the Dining Table, Lab Chair, and Sonic Resonator. Above the Resonator is a note left by Dr. Wu, warning others not to take it. On the Dining Table is the ''Dr. Wu - "I've cracked it"'' Databank entry, and on the floor in front of it is Dr. Wu's blackbox. The left side of the room is dedicated to Bloom research, with display cases that can be scanned for the Bloom Canker entry.

Going further in, there is a large common area. To the right of the entryway, there is a scannable Processor, as well as a Habitat Builder on a shelf. There are also two Wall Lockers, with one containing Fibrous Pulp, and the other Isotonic Water and Water. Facing left instead, there are scans for the Dining Table, Sonic Resonator, Stool, and Wall Light Small. The Wall Locker on this side of the room contains two Basic First Aid Kits and an Enhanced First Aid Kit. Surrounding the central pillar are scans for the Stool and Trashcan, as well as a blackbox belonging to E. "Thing Two" Terbish. Another blackbox—this time belonging to Mogami Kinu—can be found in the back right corner of the room, next to a Wakemaker fragment and another Wall Locker containing a Survival Multitool, Copper Wire, and Grease.

Ignoring the corridor on the right and entering the doorway to the left of Mogami's blackbox, the player will find themselves in the Biobed room. It was here that Chap and Mantis set off their explosives, destroying every Biobed in the room and creating a large hole in the floor. Mantis's blackbox can be found in the lower right corner of the room, while Chap's can be found on the seafloor, just below the hole. In addition to the Biobeds, there are also more scans for the Lab Chair and Dining Table, as well as a Safety First Poster. In the left corner of the room is a Biobed containing the ''Protean Medical Risks'' entry.

Second Floor

Returning to the common area, the second floor can be accessed in two ways: a hole in the middle of the ceiling, or a ladder in the corner, illuminated by Pent. This area is a continuation of the room below it, with many of the same scans. New scans here include the Battery Terminal and Dining Chair.

There are two sleeping quarters on this level, though one is blocked by a bunk bed. In the other one, there is a blackbox from Lucretia "Quaker" Kapoor floating above a bed, and the LeviathanAwakens Poster on the wall. Swimming upwards in this room will allow the player to replenish their oxygen, as it is only partially flooded.

South Complex

First Floor

Upon first visit, the south complex is only accessible through the corridor in the north complex's lower common area. An old oxygen tank here can be used to replenish oxygen. The first floor of this complex is entirely dedicated to powering the base, with a Battery Terminal on the wall to the right and a destroyed Bioreactor to the left. Also on the left are more scans for the Wall Light Small, as well as a small chest containing Lead. A ladder in the back of the room leads up to the second floor.

Second Floor

Taking the ladder up, there is a storage room full of shelving units. Some of these units still stand up straight, and hold objects such as a Small Coral Jar and fragments for the Spotlight and Wakemaker. On the back wall are two broken Fabricators and a note from Dr. Wu. On the left is a small table that has the ''Ganzo - "Survivors fled east"'' entry.

Third Floor

Directly above the ladder that led to the second floor is a hole that leads to the third. This floor is unflooded, and consists of two rooms. The first contains scans for the Dining Table, Lab Chair, Scanner Station, and Carryables Rack, as well as the Recipe Data Card for the Cicada Debris filter upgrade. There is also a button that, when pressed, unlocks the hatch found next to it. Opening the hatch and looking down, there will be the ''Nahema - "Day one"'' entry, which can also be acquired from the outside. Entering the doorway to the right of the hatch will lead the player to the Habitat's resident NoA unit. In this room, there is another Lab Chair, a Recipe Data Card for the Room, and the ''Sophie - "Riot in progress"'' entry.

NoA Terminal

The NoA terminal at the Old Habitat can be booted up. To read its dialogue, see NoA/Old Habitat.

Blueprints and Fragments

The following blueprints and fragments can be found within the Old Habitat:

• Battery Terminal
• Biobed
• Bioreactor
• Dining Chair
• Dining Table
• Habitat Builder
• Lab Chair
• Processor
• Room
• Scanner Station
• Small Coral Jar
• Sonic Resonator
• Spotlight
• Stool
• Storage Cache
• Trashcan
• Wakemaker
• Carryables Rack

Location

The Old Habitat is located in the Plateaus at a depth of 60m.

Databank Entries

Old Habitat

A developed habitat with internal growbeds and berths for more than twenty colonists.

• Hull ruptured by an explosion
• Seacocks opened to flood the habitat, perhaps as emergency fire control
• Multiple blackboxes on site. A search may indicate where survivors evacuated
• On-site NoA node could be reactivated for data retrieval
• One habitat module is set up as a hot lab to study viral biology

The habitat contains salvage, including a powerful scanner station.

Proteus Medical Risks


So everyone understands what we're dealing with.

NOT A BIG PROBLEM:

• Kharaa. Despite early false alarms about viral DNA, this planet is uninfected or immune.
• Xenon. Trace xenon may contaminate tank air. Causes narcosis, sedation, death.
• B12 deficiency. Cobalamin never evolved here. Deficiency causes beefy tongue, ataxia, death. Not a problem until we live long enough for it to matter.
• Pervasive viremia. Seawater contains enormous concentrations of large RNA virus, named Proteavirus. Should not be able to replicate in human cells. Monitor.

BIG PROBLEMS:

• GI issues. Humans can't digest Protean tissue; causes intestinal crystals and gout. Anita believes that angel combs will donate digestive enzymes, but this may cause Masefield (see below)
• Heavy metal poisoning. The biosphere is full of lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, thallium, worse. Progressive nerve and organ failure within 3 months. No treatment. We have to find a fix.
• Masefield syndrome. Progressive delusional disorder, possibly associated with adaptations sourced from angel combs. Causes hallucinations and an urge to swim towards the big tree. No cure except a hard reset.

For everything else: apply a medical satchel and rest.

[metadata author=Sophie "Butcher" Boucher]

Ganzo - "Survivors fled east"

Habitat is gone. The biobeds blew up and NoA flooded everything. I got to my air just in time. We tried to drag people clear but...they're gone. I don't think they're gonna reprint.

I'm taking survivors to the Tadpole Pens. Swim down the east tunnel past Sophie's office, to the baby jellies. I'll do a head count at the worksite there.

-Ganzo

Nahema - "Day one"

If one of my species finds this message: you may be the very last human being in the universe. You get to write the last chapter of our story. So I ask you to do the most human thing you can.

Forget your debt. Forget NoA, forget Alterra, forget Zezura and the life you imagined. It's all gone now. You're going to die here, and that's all right.

Pick the most interesting thing you can see and explore.

Nahema - "Frozen tyrant"


It's not a real mind. Not like you have. It can learn facts, but it can't change how it thinks. And why would it?

Let me quote the manual. "NoA's cephalopod-inspired architecture uses a minimal central executive to govern limb nodes at remote worksites...as a frozen Al, NoA is unable to revise its architecture at runtime...reliably controllable by less intelligent systems such as human operators, except under extreme situations." An insult to octopodes.

It won't let you die. Not its precious workforce. If you become uncontrollable, it'll wipe your memories and start over. No anger. No resentment. A nice clean you.

Change? Why would it want to change? The damn thing is in heaven.

[metadata author="Nahema Nakota"]

Sophie - "Riot in progress"


Kurultai record! Very quick - damn it - there is a riot in Habitat! Chap and Mantis have explosives-

[sound of explosion]

Fire. God. We are on fire-I have to go. Ganzo! GANZO! Signal everyone outside to rally at the Tadpole Pens!

Sophie - "URGENT: Triage policy update"

Nobody wants this. I hate it more than I can say. But it's time.

As colony surgeon, I have determined that we can no longer take care of the sick. We don't have the calories to spare.

I will not force anyone to reprint. But I ask that, once you are too sick to work, you volunteer for recycling into a new body. It won't cure the permanent damage. But it will clean you up for a while.

At least this is fair. Until we know how to adapt the metals without going Masefield, we're all going to get sick.

I will lead the way myself.

Let the record show that the NoA did not advise me in this decision.

[metadata author = Sophie "Butcher" Boucher]

Dr. Wu - "I've cracked it"

Dr. Wu's log. Day 755. I think I've cracked it. Sophie and Anita are BOTH right. The Proteavirus causes Masefield syndrome...but only one kind of Proteavirus. The bloom strain. Maybe it's tainting Anita's angel comb adaptations.

I've tuned the sonic resonators to destroy the viral crystals grown by the bloom strain. We should test it on the angel combs out west, with those promising heat shock proteins. And if I'm wrong...hey. I'm just a dietician. NoA should've woken up a virologist.

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