0.2 Transit Ring

"So what do I call you?" Keith asked while waiting for the ship to finish docking procedures.

Docking onto a moving transit ring while also dodging debris and space rocks was no easy task, doubly so given that no one appeared to be home inside the facility. The ship had sent half a dozen messages in various commonly-used languages on the frequencies used for close-quarters communication and received no reply. Ringing the proverbial doorbell yielded no answers, so now they would need to investigate in person.

"San," the ship's AI answered, shortening the vessel's name to something more manageable. Then it switched over to the Feed and asked, Can you hear me?

Yeah. Just fine. With his internal brain augments wired for connecting directly to the Feed whenever a hub was available, answering was a matter of thinking it. Unlike humans with external connection devices, Keith had a heads-up display that gave him the relevant information. But then, he wasn't human anymore, not really. How's it going?

We're docked and powered down, San answered. We'll have to get the doors open somehow, and I can't determine whether the air inside the station is breathable.

Keith nodded and cycled the airlock. We'll find out soon enough.

The heavy transit connection door on the other side of the airlock was locked shut and wouldn't budge when Keith tried to shove it open. That didn't come as a surprise -- the construct might be stronger than most humans, but the door weighed tons and was intended to withstand incoming debris and ships much larger and heavier than Sanctuary.

Face Danger (Hacking) - [Strong Hit: 6 + 2 + 1 = 9 vs 6 | 3]

It had an external emergency unlock mechanism, an older model mechanical design, and Keith had little trouble hacking into the panel that controlled the lock. Slowly and with copious amounts of squeaking, the transit door slid open, revealing an empty corridor on the other side.

Overhead lights flickered as the construct stepped into the transit ring and looked around. Similarly, large doors on either side of their docking bay led back into the black. Large empty rooms housed pallets of materials, packed and labeled for transport. Hauler bots lingered near the warehouses, waiting to load the cargo on their respective ships.

Except the bots stood silent and no ships waited for their services.

The atmosphere in the transit ring isn't great for humans -- I would not recommend prolonged exposure -- but it will be breathable for you, San informed him. It appears that life support systems are beginning to malfunction.

Any unusual chemicals in the air?

Nothing on our scanners, but those are limited. Exercise caution.

Well, that was something...

Keith opted to keep his helmet sealed for the moment and started walking in the direction of the nearest monorail pickup junction. The facility still had power, so he hoped that meant he could get one of the trains running.

Now that he was physically inside the station, connecting to its systems became incrementally easier. With access to the Feed and San's significantly larger processing capabilities, he popped open another access panel and let the sentient AI loose on the facility.

A passenger train should arrive at your location in under three minutes.

Keith nodded and went to deal with the train. This doesn't look good.

Develop Your Relationship - [Miss: 3 + 2 + 0 = 5 vs 9 | 10]

This looks like either a trap or a terrible accident of epic proportions, San agreed. Try not to die in there.

Keith chuckled. Thanks.

(Quick note: I was struggling at this point with how bonds worked. I ended up figuring it out after this session.)