So, when I signed up to be a xenoarcheologist at the Outpost, This is not what I expected.

I'll back up.

When you sign up for an assignment at Starfleet, you get a list of warnings for that assignment, stuff like "Extreme Weather Conditions" or "Hostile Aliens", "Political Tensions". But the issue is, those warnings need to be posted if they're even *remotely* likely. My last post, an archeology outpost, had all kinds of warnings, from sandstorms, to heavy comm interference, to a dead Klingon minefield, but I only hit a few of them, and I was fine. Well, Phoenix isn't like that.

"Extreme Weather" "Unknown Alien Species" "Uncharted Space"

They don't look at all concerning. When I signed up, they looked exciting. They still do. But I forgot that unknowns, as thrilling as they are, are double-sided blades. There's real danger out here.

And I can feel in my bones that one of those warnings will catch up to me.

I'm as excited as I am terrified.