 |  |  |  |  |  |
Doom Patrol on Pittman
Day 1: Arrival on Pittman
I’ve just touched down on Pittman. The planet is nothing like Earth. It’s barren, with harsh winds sweeping across the red deserts and jagged mountain ranges. The outpost where I’ll be stationed for the foreseeable future is called Fort Kilo Papa, a small, fortified camp that houses just over a hundred soldiers. There’s a palpable tension in the air, rumors of strange activities in the outer territories have everyone on edge.
My orders were clear: reconnaissance and defense of Pittman’s critical resource extraction zones. This planet holds vast mineral deposits that are essential to the both the United States and the Mutual Defense Force’s supply chains. We’ve been hearing whispers about disruptions in mining operations, but what caught my attention were the unconfirmed reports of something... not human, lurking beyond the mountains.
For now, I’m focused on settling in. Tomorrow, I’ll be briefed on my first patrol.
Day 2: First Briefing
Today’s briefing gave me a sense of just how volatile things are here. Captain Duvall, the outpost commander, laid it all out. We’re to conduct regular patrols of the perimeter, which covers an area of about fifty square kilometers. The mining operations are scattered, making them vulnerable to sabotage.
The biggest challenge is the terrain, Pittman’s rocky surface makes for treacherous foot patrols, and the planet’s erratic weather systems can turn a calm day into a dust storm in minutes. We’ve been advised to always carry emergency kits and signal beacons in case we get caught in one. There’s also something unsettling about how isolated we are out here. The nearest reinforcements are days away.
Tomorrow, I join my squad for our first combat patrol.
Day 4: First Combat Patrol
We hit the ground early today. The sky was a dull, burnt orange, and the wind carried the scent of sulfur from the nearby mines. I was paired with Sergeant Kiera, a no, nonsense veteran who’s been on Pittman for six months. She’s seen her fair share of patrols and wasted no time briefing me on our route, straight through the Razorback Ridge, a jagged line of rock formations that act as natural cover for anyone looking to stage an ambush.
As we moved out, my pulse quickened. I’ve trained for this, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. We traversed the ridge without incident, though Sergeant Kiera was constantly on edge, scanning the horizon with her scope. By the time we made it back to base, dusk was settling in. It felt like we’d only scratched the surface of this planet, but already I could feel its hostility.
Day 7: Dust Storm Delay
Today was supposed to be another patrol, but a massive dust storm rolled in overnight. The winds were strong enough to rattle the outpost walls, and visibility dropped to almost zero. We spent most of the day hunkered down in the barracks, listening to the storm howl outside. There’s something about being trapped inside that gets under your skin. A few of the soldiers started swapping stories, and one of them, a corporal named Diaz, claimed to have seen strange lights in the mountains during his last patrol.
No one took him seriously at first, but after a while, the room got quiet. Diaz is a reliable guy, not the type to make things up. I’ll admit, the idea of something lurking out there doesn’t sit well with me.
The storm’s expected to pass by morning, and then we’ll head out again. I’m starting to feel the weight of Pittman, the isolation, the unknown.
Day 10: Signs of Sabotage
Patrols have been uneventful until today. We came across one of the smaller mining outposts, and something was off. The equipment was damaged, crude, but deliberate. Whoever did this wasn’t a professional, but they knew enough to cause problems. Sergeant Kiera thinks it’s the work of local dissidents, but I’m not so sure.
We checked the perimeter, looking for signs of movement, but the area was quiet. Too quiet. It felt like we were being watched, though I couldn’t pinpoint where or by what. We reported the sabotage to Captain Duvall, and the engineers are en-route to repair the damage. This was a small hit, but it could be the start of something bigger.
Day 13: Midnight Patrol
I drew the short straw tonight, midnight patrol. There’s something eerie about being out here in the dead of night. Pittman’s sky, devoid of natural light, feels oppressive. The only sounds were the crunch of our boots on the rocky ground and the occasional gust of wind.
About halfway through the patrol, we picked up an odd signal on our scanners, faint, but distinct. Sergeant Kiera and I tried to track its origin, but it kept slipping out of range. We marked the coordinates and headed back to base. Captain Duvall wants to send out a drone to get a closer look, but something about that signal doesn’t sit right with me. It’s too... calculated.
Day 16: Ambush at Razorback Ridge
We walked into an ambush today. It was supposed to be a routine patrol along Razorback Ridge, but as soon as we entered the pass, all hell broke loose. Explosions rocked the ridge, sending debris raining down on us. We scrambled for cover, returning fire blindly at the attackers hid in the rocks above.
I took a hit to the shoulder, not fatal, but enough to make me question my place in this unit. Sergeant Kiera dragged me behind cover while our squad fought to hold the line. It felt like hours, but the attack eventually subsided. When the dust cleared, we found no bodies, no signs of who ambushed us. Just more questions.
The medics patched me up back at base, but this encounter has shaken me. Whoever is out there, they’re organized and dangerous. And they know this terrain better than we do.
Day 19: Reconnaissance Drone Report
Captain Duvall sent a drone to investigate the area where we picked up the strange signal last week. The results came back today, and they’re troubling. The drone picked up heat signatures, not human, moving in the mountains. They were brief, erratic, and disappeared before the drone could get a visual. The captain thinks it’s just the local wildlife, but I’m not so sure.
Sergeant Kiera and I have been tasked with leading a small recon team to the coordinates. We leave tomorrow. Part of me hopes it’s nothing, but another part of me knows we’re heading into something big. I can feel it.
Day 21: The Encounter
We made it to the coordinates today. The terrain was rough, and the heat made every step feel like a marathon. After hours of climbing, we finally reached the spot where the drone detected the signals. The area was quiet, too quiet. No sign of any recent human activity, no tracks, no sabotage.
And then we saw it, movement in the distance, too fast to be human. Sergeant Kiera motioned for us to hold our position as we trained our scopes on the figure. What we saw chilled me to the bone. It wasn’t human, that much was clear. Humanoid in shape, but taller, leaner, and covered in what looked like organic armor. Its movements were fluid, precise, and it was armed with what could be described as an advanced energy weapon.
Before we could react, it vanished into the rocks.
We reported the sighting to Captain Duvall, but he didn’t seem convinced. Still, he’s authorized increased patrols and additional drones to monitor the area. I know what I saw, and so does Sergeant Kiera. This isn’t just sabotage or rogue colonists. There’s something else on Pittman, something alien, and it’s hostile.
Day 23: The Calm Before the Storm
It’s been two days since we spotted the alien figure, and everything feels different. The air is heavier, like we’re sitting on the edge of something huge. No one at the outpost talks about it openly, but everyone knows. We’re not alone on Pittman, and whatever’s out there is watching us, waiting.
We’ve doubled our patrols, and I’ve been put in charge of leading one of the teams. I can’t shake the feeling that we’re being drawn into something bigger than we realize. The planet, the strange signals, the ambush, it’s all connected. And soon, we’re going to have to face whatever’s out there.
Day 25: The Alien Assault
I was right. Tonight, it happened. We were out on a routine patrol when the sky lit up with strange lights, bright, blue streaks shooting across the sky. At first, we thought it was another dust storm or maybe a malfunction in the mining equipment. But then, we heard the sound. A deep, resonating hum that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
And then they came.
The alien forces hit us hard. They moved in quickly, their advanced weaponry cutting through our defenses like paper. We fought back, but it was chaos. The energy weapons they carried were unlike anything I’ve ever seen, silent but devastating. Half my squad went down in the first few minutes.
We retreated, but not before I saw one of them up close. The figure I saw before was just the tip of the iceberg. These aliens were clearly soldiers, but their technology, their tactics, it was like nothing we’ve faced before.
I don’t know how we survived. base is on high alert, and reinforcements are finally being called in. But deep down, I know this isn’t over. We’ve encountered something far beyond our understanding, and Pittman is in grave danger.