I decided to head out in the direction of pod 19, as that biome was where I had found diamonds, and I needed one more to make a laser cutter. I spent some time finding shale outcrops in the underwater spires in that area and just cruising around in general. At one point I surfaced, and lo and behold - LAND!! My list of things to do involved investigating reports of land situated south of the Aurora wreck, so while it wasn't completely a surprise, I wasn't actually looking for it. Since I had found enough diamonds to make a cutter, I figured I would go and check out this new discovery.

I beached my SeaMoth (in retrospect I have no idea why, it's not like it would float away...) and started down a path I found. Little crab-like things were there and being annoying. I don't think they are dangerous, but they kept jumping and nipping at me. I pulled out my knife but it didn't seem to have any effect. I did some walking around and scanned this and that...very little of what I scanned seemed useful, though one plant did provide water and a small bit of food. I spotted some sort of technology on top of a nearby hill, but didn't actually get to it. I also found a cave which had some alien technology in it - alien arches, to be specific. They may be related to the alien vents I had found on the sea floor nearby.

I also noted that pod 19 seemed to be directly under this floating rock...interesting but I don't know if it means anything yet. At this point, my food and water were running low. Even though I could get some from the plant I found earlier, I chose to head back (and make the laser cutter, among other things). I jumped into a small lake, and as I suspected, it was a "hole" in the island that led to the deep. Interesting! I also found some giant creatures that apparently latched onto the rock and caused it to float. I found all that fascinating, but my stomach was still growling so I found the marker for my vessel and made my way towards it. I hopped into my trusty SeaMoth, hit reverse, and....nothing. In beaching my 'Moth, apparently I stranded it as well! It's hung up on the beach, and no amount of bouncing, pushing, or harsh language would persuade it to budge. I guess the good news is that I've got a beacon to the island now, but I'm out one SeaMoth. I guess I'm not really OUT one, I mean I can still sit in it and all, but its value to me is now significantly less than it was.

So it was a long SeaGlide back to my pod, as that was the nearest port, with a quick stop to catch a few fish along the way. After gorging myself on some seafood, I headed back to my base and built my shiny new laser cutter. Oh and a new SeaMoth.

I was getting ready to call it a night, so instead of heading back to the island I decided to check out a few nearby wreck sites to see if I could get any goodness from within. Of course, the stuff closest to me contained items I've long since acquired, so while I was able to access the inside of wrecks, nothing of value was gained. I did acquire a data pad, which talks about a member of the Degasi team. I've got a couple of messages regarding them in my log, so I expect to run into something from them at some point. I wonder if the structure on top of the island is theirs?

When I got back into my base, I noticed I had a radio call. Pod 12 crash landed and sank somewhere deep, I was warned not to go there unless I had some submersible equipment. Pod 13 had a VIP passenger and a burial team was requested. Interesting....

Up next is re-visting some of the wreck sites with my new toy to see if I can unlock some other cool stuff. I may venture back to the Aurora. Some good bits there, but I'll have to be very careful of Sammy. And pod 13 was fairly close, maybe I'll swing by that and see what the deal is there. I'll revisit the island at some point, but I'll need to properly stock up on food/water before I do. I have the feeling that might be an extended stay. Fortunately I have a "beacon" on the island to help me find it again.....