Aurora
Detecting an extended debris field.
― PDA, Dialogue
The Aurora is a spacecraft sent to the Ariadne Arm by the Alterra Corporation in order to build a phasegate. However, its secondary mission, unknown to most crew, was to search for and, if possible, rescue the survivors of the Degasi crew.
During a gravity slingshot maneuver around Planet 4546B, the Aurora was struck by a mysterious energy pulse, resulting in catastrophic hull failure, leading to it crash landing on the surface of the planet. It is later revealed that it was the Precursor Array that shot it down. Lifepods were launched before impact, and several survived. One of them, Lifepod 5, contained the Player.
By the time the Player awakens and begins his exploration of the area, all of the other Lifepods have been destroyed. After the Aurora's Drive Core explodes, the ship's wreckage is surrounded by Radiation, and is unapproachable without a Radiation Suit. While quite dangerous and far out, it is possible for a player to visit the Aurora early in-game once the ship explodes, although several tools are needed to properly explore the ship.
The Aurora is visible from the surface anywhere on the map, making it a useful landmark, especially if the player initially lacks a compass. The Aurora is located on the far Eastern edge of the map, with its bow facing North and its stern facing South.
The crash resulted in large quantities of Metal Salvage and Supply Crates being dispersed within the vicinity of the ship, providing useful materials such as food, batteries, or Titanium.
Mission
Main Mission
| “ | <poem>PHASEGATE ANNOUNCED FOR THE ARIADNE ARM: ALTERRA LAUNCHES THE AURORA
The furthest reaches of inhabited space are due to expand, as Alterra Corp launches a newly-constructed capital ship, carrying a phasegate bound for the Ariadne Arm. The Aurora will travel from spacedock on the edge of Alterra space, making hundreds of consecutive phasegate jumps through nine different trans-gov authorities, and arrive on the far side of the Ariadne Arm in three months time. From there the command crew will pilot the ship beyond the final phasegate, arriving in the next solar system approximately 18 months later. There the elite team of engineers will begin a 6 month construction project on the new phasegate, a multi-trillion credit investment. Alterra Corp. currently operates 9% of all phasegates in the galaxy. If the Aurora's mission is successful Alterra will have outmaneuvered a cabal of Mongolian corporations, operating a range of outposts and mines in the region.</poem> |
” |
Secret Auxiliary Mission
| “ | <poem>- Search & Rescue
- Crew of the Mongolian vessel 'Degasi' - Ariadne Arm - Contact: Emissary Jochi Khasar, Aurora Passenger Quarters, Room 4 Mission brief: A Mongolian vessel, the 'Degasi', disappeared almost a decade ago. Corporate insurance has purchased passage aboard the Aurora for Emissary Khasar, and your orders are to afford them every reasonable facility to locate and, if appropriate, retrieve the Degasi crewmembers, without compromising the primary mission. The Aurora is due to perform a gravity slingshot maneuver around planet 4546B approximately 13 months post-launch. This will bring the ship within range of the Degasi's last known position. Degasi crew manifesto has been distributed to senior employees in a separate data package.</poem> |
” |
The Mongolian Empire lost contact with private vessel 'Degasi' 18 months after it left colonized space. The Empire has purchased passage aboard Aurora for Emissary Khasar, and your orders are to afford him every reasonable facility to locate and, if appropriate, retrieve Degasi crewmembers, without compromising the primary mission.
Degasi crew manifesto has been distributed to senior officers in a separate data package.
Mission classification: Aurora crew should not be informed of this mission until such time as their co-operation in locating or retrieving Degasi crew is required. It should be stressed that humanitarian auxiliary missions fall outside normal remuneration structures.
Crash
Some more information on what happened just before the crash was released on 6 August 2015, hidden within the update post of the Habitat Update.
Clicking on the "LOG" buttons placed all over the page results in displaying a window with what appeared to be short snippets of a conversation between two employees at the Colonial Headquarters, with a few nods to the Natural Selection game series. The last of these logs, however, only shows a code consisting of hex values. Converting them into ASCII characters and deciphering the result using the Cesar Cipher reveals the hidden message:
Colonial Headquarters - 15 minutes prior to Aurora impact.
| “ | <poem>Controller: Sit rep!
Analyst: Ma'am, the Aurora's gone dark. Last known position on collision course with planet 4546B. Controller: Did the life pods launch? Analyst: None registered so far, Ma'am. And there's something else. Controller: Say it. Analyst: When the Aurora left dock, her emergency equipment was still on factory settings. Controller: You're telling me we have a bird in the soup, and their Survival PDAs are running VANILLA?! Analyst: That's the situation, Ma'am... Ma'am, what should we do? Controller: Bring me every star chart, tech geek and concentration enhancer in the building... Analyst: Yes Ma'am! Controller: ...and god DAMN it you build me an update package, and you find me a way to flash them Version 1.1! Analyst: Ma'am, there's not enough bandwidth to send everything, but I think I can optimise the automated habitat terraforming algorithms to fit them in. Controller: You mean to say we have survivors out there with rock-faces jutting into their habitats? Make it so! Controller: The moment we're done here I want to know who let that ship leave dock without a single room in the constructor database! Controller: Listen up, I want this package streamlined! You don't need a focus-group approved surface texture when you're fighting for your life on an alien world. If the power systems are beta, pack them up and move on! Controller: Tell me about this planet the Aurora was orbiting. Analyst: Unexplored. Capable of supporting life. Ocean planet. O2 atmos- Controller: Backtrack. Ocean planet? Analyst: Affirmative. Does it mean something? Controller: It means we're in more trouble than we thought. Get me the fluid dynamics team! Analyst: Update package away, Ma'am. Controller: Well done everyone. Now get back to work. Analyst: Ma'am, the team needs to rest. Controller: Listen up! Anyone who wants to tell me they've got it bad, stop and ask whether you'd rather have been on the Aurora. They're alone right now. They're scared. They're beset on all sides by alien nightmares - and it's only going to get worse. If you still think you should be resting rather than working on a way to keep those people safe, you bring it to me and you'll be reassigned. I'm sure the TSF could use some more bodies in the Kharaa conflict.</poem> |
” |
AI Speech
The Aurora has a built-in AI which reports the Aurora's state to the Player before it's explosion.
The voicerecordings are outdated
First Report
"Detecting increased local radiation levels. Trend is consistent with ongoing degradation of the Aurora's dark matter drive core, due to damage sustained during collision. Continuing to monitor."
Second Report
"Caution. Continued degradation of the Aurora's drive core may cause a quantum detonation. If the drive core is breached, probability of death by exposure to radioactive crash site materials increases to 37%."
Third Report
"Warning. Local radiation readings suggest a quantum detonation will occur with a probability of 85.5%. Advise observing a 10km safety range."
Fourth Report
"Emergency: Seismic readings suggest a quantum detonation has occurred in the Aurora's drive core. The reactor will reach a super critical state in T- 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, (static) 4, (glitchy almost inaudible) 3, (half of the word said before being cut off by the explosion) 2, 1-"
*huge explosion from the Aurora*
Exploring the Aurora
Over the course of several in-game days, the ship's computer announces imminent containment failure, eventually leading to a ten-second countdown and a gigantic explosion. The in-game timer will begin either when the user starts a new game, or updates and reloads an old save.
The explosion is focused towards the forward section of the ship.
Only after the explosion is the Player able to explore inside the Aurora, but only if equipped with a radiation suit. You will need the entirety of the suit on, or you will take damage. Fire and dripping molten steel can injure the Player, and periodic shaking of the hull occurs. Further dangers are posed by the Reaper Leviathans that spawn around the ship, Cave Crawlers that litter the entrance area of the ship, and Bleeders in the underwater sections in the aurora.
The following equipment are recommended for exploring the Aurora:
- Radiation Suit (required to approach the Aurora)
- A weapon for self-defense against Cave Crawlers (Such as a Stasis Rifle or Repulsion Cannon)
- Repair tool, for repairing the Drive Room and entering the Seamoth Bay
- Propulsion Cannon, for removing crate barriers at both the main hallway and Laboratory entrance, and to remove the bleeders from your arms.
- Fire Extinguisher, for various fires (some can be found onsite)
- Laser Cutter, for entering various rooms including the PRAWN Suit Bay and Aurora Black Box Terminal
There are two routes to the inside of the ship. The first is on the right side of the shore area of the torn up front section and constitutes an entryway behind a Floodlight blocked off by various crates. Behind the crates are a Fire Extinguisher and a fire to put out, after which the Player will find themselves in the Laboratory. The second requires going up a ramp in the torn up front section of the Aurora, the Player can enter a corridor that leads inside the ship. On the way up, the user can find several supply crates with crafted items inside of them. The door leading to the T-section is partially blocked off by fire. Fortunately, there are a few Fire Extinguishers lying around, which can come in handy. When the Player enters, there will be a sign to the left that says Airlock.
To the right of the T-section, there is a door which is blocked off by fire. The left corridor leads to the "Cargo Bay 3". The right door leads to "Administration". These rooms are indicated by signs on the Aurora itself.
Administration Office
The administration office has a Data Terminal with a downloadable log titled "Alterra Launches the Aurora". The office also contains shelves, a Desk, and a Prawn Suit poster which can be taken. It also contains an Abandoned PDA with a Data Download under the headline "Essential Life Things", which will give the player the code "1454".
Cargo Bay 3
Down the left corridor there is rubble blocking the entrance to Cargo Bay 3. You can get around it by dropping down from above or by using the Propulsion Cannon or Repulsion Cannon to move these out of the way or, alternatively, utilizing sprint, you can jump from the slope to the first large cargo container, and then from there to the top of the pile. Note that if you plan on dropping down from above, there is a fire that cannot be put out. You simply have to avoid it by jumping around. There is then a locked door with a keypad that can be interacted with. Entering the code 1454 from the previously mentioned Data Download into the keypad will open the door. The Cargo Bay is a large area full of cargo containers, supply crates, forklifts, and a few other miscellaneous things.
There is a cargo elevator in the cargo bay, which is stuck halfway.
Following the ramp down reveals an underwater section which leads to a T-corridor. To the left, there will be a Sealed Door. To the right, there is a room called the "Seamoth Bay".
Seamoth Bay
The door to this room is locked, but there is a damaged panel which the Repair tool can repair. When this panel is repaired, the door is unlocked, and the player can enter. The Seamoth Bay contains two pieces of a damaged Seamoth, which can be scanned. It also has a Hull Reinforcement Upgrade Module.
Locker Room
Cutting through the Sealed Door will lead the player into a locker room. Some of the lockers are open and have loot inside, like batteries, first-aid kits and water. There is an Abandoned PDA with a Data Download titled "Sweet Offer". It will give the player the code "1869".
Prawn Suit Bay
Leaving the locker room, there will be a sign labeled "Prawn Bay". This is the location where the Prawn Suit Fragments will be found. The door to this room is locked, and like before, has a panel that needs to be repaired. Once the door is unlocked the player can proceed into the room. This room has multiple Prawn Suits hanging from the ceiling, presumably waiting to be deployed. To the right is a pile of rubble with broken Prawn Suit Fragments and other miscellaneous things piled on top of each other. If you are having trouble scanning some of the fragments, try putting out any nearby fires. Among the rubble is a Storage Module. In the water near the two large pipes next to the door is a fire extinguisher and just past another pipe lies a flashlight. Next to that is a ramp blocked off by fire and rubble. Once those are cleared, there is a door that leads to the "Living Quarters".
The submerged part of the prawn suit bay is full of pipes and electric hazards. Following the wall in the South-East leads to the Laboratory in the North-East (go to the wall opposite to the entrance and turn left).
Laboratory
Coming from the Aurora entrance: Remove the crates blocking the doorway, then follow the hallway until you reach a fire. There is a fire extinguisher to the right if you didn't bring one with you. Continue until you reach a submerged room.
Coming through the Prawn Suit Bay: A room prior to the actual laboratory contains a data download panel with a Data Download titled "Aurora Black Box Data". It provides the "Energy Pulse Origin" signal. There also is a supply crate containing a Battery in front of a locked door that requires the Laser Cutter. Behind it is the actual laboratory.
A nearby Abandoned PDA has a Data Download titled "Lab Access" containing the code, 6483, for the two nearby doors. These grant access to the storage room, where three large Lab Containers can be found, one small Lab Container, a test tube-type Lab Equipment, and a microscope-type Lab Equipment. The two supply crates contain Disinfected Water and there's a Data Terminal that states it decorrupted the player's PDA.
Living Quarters
The Living Quarters are various rooms that provided living conditions for the various crew and passengers on the ship. If the player goes right, there is a room filled with Filtered Water and Nutrient Blocks. If the player goes left, there is a galley. There are bar tables and chairs lying on the ground, along with a few handy supply crates. There is a vending machine to the left, as well as a "Keep Calm" poster.
At the front end of the corridor, there are sleeping quarters for the people on board. There are beds, a "Natural Selection 2" poster, and a few lockers. To the left there is another corridor, with 2 locked doors. One of the doors is unlocked by the code in the Abandoned PDA named "Sweet Offer". In this room a Cap and an Arcade Gorge Toy can be found. There is a locked door at the end of the hallway that currently has no opening code or anything inside the room
Backtrack to the T-corridor from earlier, and this time, go straight. This will lead to the Drive Room.
Drive Room
Inside the Drive Room are four large generators. They are connected by catwalks, though some are underwater and heavily damaged. The generators are covered in breaches, and the Player's objective is to repair them using the Repair tool. Repairing the breaches removes the radiation entirely after three in-game days.
When entering the generator room, the PDA warns the player that radiation is at maximum tolerable levels.
The Power Upgrade Module for the Cyclops can also be found in the Drive Room, sticking out from the upgrade console at the center of the room. Bleeders can also be found in the water around the generators.
Resources
- Power Upgrade Module
- Pressure Compensator MK1
- Metal Salvage
- Storage Module
- Flashlight
- Supply Crates:
Fauna
Data Bank Entry
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Ship Class: Alterra Long-Range Capital Ship Mission: Ariadne Arm Phasegate Installation, 3 year operation time Crew: Command Team (23), Engineering Team (85), Support Crew (40), Passengers (9) Facilities:
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Notes
On recent updates (especially on the "experimental" branch), a few things on the interior of the Aurora changed, so some info contained here might not be very accurate. "Edit" this section for more info.
Gallery
<tabber> In Game Screenshots=
Overview
The Aurora's explosion, followed by a hefty shockwave
The Aurora after the explosion.
Back view
The Aurora at night.
Closeup of the exposed hull on the port side
Power Room
Climax of the explosion.
</tabber> For a more complete gallery, visit Aurora/Gallery.