Color Over the Stellar Waves

Yours is a lonely post - out in the reaches of space. Over a hundred years ago humanity set out into the stars using a miraculous new technology that allowed for faster-than-light travel into the cosmos. Unfortunately, the precision of the FTL drives were...lacking. In order to make space travel consistent - we would need beacons to anchor to. Thus was project LIGHTHOUSE born.

Over a thousand small space stations were built and launched into the void to serve as beacons for ships to use as navigation points as they traverse between galaxies - eventually enabling the colonization of dozens of habitable worlds. It took a few decades, but with the combined effort of countless hands, the project was completed and the beacon network came online with little fanfare.

The beacons themselves, or "lighthouses" as they are colloquially known, require constant maintenance and thus constant habitation. You are lighthouse keepers, those entrusted to keep the beacons running and to repair any problems that arise - like those lonely souls of old keeping ships from crashing upon rocky shores. It's a reclusive existence, often going for months on end with only your compatriots for company until the odd supply ship docks to resupply and occasionally relieve the crew when their posting is over.

It was ten days ago, right after a supply ship had left when you noticed it - out at the edge of your vision, in the vastness of space. An odd hue that you'd never seen before. At first you thought it was space madness finally taking hold. It wasn't an uncommon affliction for lighthouse keepers, but it wasn't - all of you could see it. The color expanded quickly, eventually surrounding the lighthouse bathing everything in a sickly green hue. Not long after that, your instrumentation started to fail - but fortunately the beacon was still largely functional.

Five days ago, they appeared. It was subtle at first, just a shadow at the edge of your vision, or an odd smell. But they've been getting more and more overt as the days pass. Cascading system failures, disappearing items, odd injuries that you don't remember happening. As of two hours ago, things have gone critical. The beacon's main systems have failed, it is no longer serving its main purpose - sending who knows how many ships off into the void. More urgently, however, is life support. It's been down almost as long and you're running out of time. There is no escape, there are no escape vessels, you need to survive until resupply. Space Madness would have been better.

Areas of Note: Lantern Room, Gallery, Keeper's Quarters, Spire, Gravity Control, Engineering

Goal: Restore Life Support, Shore up your defenses, survive until rescue comes.