Congratulations, colonist! You have been selected from thousands to aid in the colonization of Ceres-9. With a mostly water surface, an entirely breathable atmosphere, and a 360-day revolutionary cycle, Ceres-9 earns a hefty 93 on the Krueger Habitability Scale and is number 5 on Forbes’ Top New Planets list! Please report to Landing Bay 47-B tomorrow at 0800. And remember our motto here at the Inter-Planetary Colonization Commission: Your new life is just a planet away!
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The Inter-Planetary Colonization Commission’s mission is simple: find new planets for humans to live on, and put humans on those planets. So far, they have succeeded on all counts. Dozens of uninhabited planets, all terraformed and atmospherically redeveloped, have been brought into the fold of the rapidly expanding United Human Systems.
Ceres-9 represents a rare occurrence. A beautiful planet almost perfectly alike in every respect to Earth, brimming with life and waiting for humans. To the Commission, Ceres-9 is the holy grail. Colonization efforts are already underway. Should all go according to plan, Ceres-9 could have 1 billion inhabitants within the next 10 years.
Ceres-9, it seems, has other plans. Before the first ship of colonists could land, violent electromagnetic storms fried the AI navigational systems. Without a living pilot, the ship careened toward the surface of the planet, crash-landing in one great heap. As one last measure to ensure the survival of the colonists, the ship automatically ejected the hypersleep hold before impact.
Awakening on an alien planet, totally alone and miles from their ship, the colonists must now learn to survive on an unforgiving alien planet, find a way to contact the Commission, and survive night on Ceres-9.
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