A Game Report from France (part 4/5)

I don't want to give away any major spoilers to the Derelict mission, but let's just say that the players overlooked something that ended up resulting in them having to use an escape pod to survive. The escape pod jettisoned towards the nearby uncolonized planet, and as they descended to the planet's surface, the sensors of the pod showed that the atmosphere of the planet was comprised of CO2 and Argon, with gravity ¼ colonization standards. Upon landing, all of the team put on respirators before leaving. As they ventured towards a location they suspected of pirate activity, the characters successfully spotted a dangerous plant lifeform hiding among other vegetation. The team avoided it and continued, eventually entering a canyon where they found a small cave. Prof. Zholtaân sent one of his drones to explore the cave and discovered a dangerous fungoid lifeform. After dispatching the fungus from a safe distance with ranged weapons, Prof. Zholtaân, confident of their victory, rushed inside the cave. Prof. Zholtaân was attacked by surprise by a corrosive lifeform that attached to him, preventing the rest of the team from using firearms attacks upon it for fear of injuring the professor. Finally, one of the team was bold enough to use a Phoenix pistol on the creature at point blank range to kill the creature. Venturing into the cave at first seemed a foolish choice, until the team discovered ammunition, a laser-sighted revolver, and much-needed healing nanites from a previous victim. However, there was an uneasy feeling that they were being watched ever since they left the escape pod, though they had so far been unable to spot whatever was lurking just beyond their vision...