"IANTO, how's that shield coming along? I've had a chat with The Big Feller, and he's good to go."
"Only a few more minutes at most, Captain. It appears that your reluctance to personally deactivate the shield was entirely justified, Sir. This system is equipped with numerous fail-safe contingencies and concealed booby-traps. If you had attempted to use Baat Torgal's personal terminal to deactivate the phase shield, the Emperor's holding chamber would have been flooded with a lethal neurotoxin. In fact, the research facility's central control terminal is the only means of directly accessing the tau-muon shield controls, and only then by adhering to a strictly-defined shutdown procedure. The slightest input error would have resulted in the Emperor's immediate death."
"Whew! You guys have certainly earned your pay today." I chuckled. "When I get around to reopening Margaritaville, the first round's definitely on me. We're all going to get nicely lubricated."
IANTO was true to his word. Several minutes later, the phase shield deactivated. Warning klaxons blared and red strobe lights announced the shutdown in panic-stricken tones, although this would have been more for the benefit of the Sea Emperor's former captors. I glanced at the countdown timer, noting that we still had approximately two and a half hours before this base started to wake up. Plenty of time.
A dramatic change seemed to sweep over the Sea Emperor. It was like watching an oxygen-starved diver surfacing and taking their first breath of fresh air. My whole body tingled, feeling as though a powerful electric current was passing through the water. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant sensation, either. There was something else... Something elusive and indefinable. It was hard to pin down. Definitely an emotion of some kind, although one that was tuned to an entirely alien frequency. Whatever it was, it was obviously meant for other life forms to receive.
Suddenly and utterly incongruously, I heard the sound of drums. Distant, but unmistakable.
"Guys, are you hearing this?"
All three androids replied. "Yes, Captain."
IANTO clarified. "Soundwave analysis indicates a multiple-point source originating outside the Lava Castle, bearing 025 degrees relative to your current position, Sir. Acoustic profile is consistent with sound emissions detected during our recent encounter with Rockpunchers. Doppler analysis now tracking six distinct sources, apparently working in unison... Correction, now ten sources. Estimated rate of progress, zero point five metres per second. Estimated time until penetration, 420 seconds."
He had summoned the Rockpunchers. Most likely the very same ones we had been fighting.
I was actually expecting the Sea Emperor to warp out under his own power, although now that I look back on it, a creature of his size would require a phenomenal amount of psionic power to physically displace that much mass over any appreciable distance. There was absolutely no doubt that the Sea Emperor possessed psionic abilities, although his were geared to entirely different purposes. In a way, I was extremely relieved. When three thousand-plus tonnes of matter is instantly removed from the surrounding ocean, you don't want to be anywhere near the backwash. Would not end well for any bystanders.
"Guys, get yourselves down here. If you're quick, we might be able to lend a hand."
@Bugzapper, Is it okay if I copy your entire story onto a single file? all credits will go to you respectively of course. it's just so that when someone reads the story they don't need to scroll past the tons of comments ( as I had to)
It's fine by me. Not sure if you should repost it elsewhere in this forum, though.
Maybe The Devs could decide where to put the Expurgated 'Aurora Falls' (The One Without The Gannet). *
I've monopolized more than enough space on this website already.
Before I could act on this impulse, the Sea Emperor slowly turned his immense bulk in its own length, delicately lifting his trailing tentacles well clear of my ExoSuit. I submerged another twenty metres and backed away to a more respectful distance. He swam down to the bottom of the enclosure, watching the wall intently. Bathed in the ruddy glow of the open lava vents, he seemed practically demonic in aspect, yet his face wore an expression that could only be described as perfectly serene. There was little I could do but gaze in stunned wonder at this sight.
A moment or two later, all three androids were hovering at my side. It had been my original intention to start hammering away at the rock face from this side with Gawain's repulsion cannons. However, it was soon made clear that any further assistance was totally unnecessary. A single Rockpuncher had enlarged one of the vents surrounding the bottom of the chamber, allowing a countless number of his comrades to boil through the opening and commence work on this side. The hammering sound of their stomatopods rose to a deafening crescendo, each blow shattering huge chunks of basalt as if they were nothing but brittle shale.
If the truth be fully known, this was a frightening scene to witness. My mind went back to Magellan's ill-fated second outpost in the Jelly Shroom cave. A single Rockpuncher could have destroyed that facility within seconds. I'm guessing that the Torgaljin party bailed out at the first sign of trouble, leaving the terrified remnants of Magellan's science team to face something like this.
I'll never know for certain.
Maybe it's just as well. I might not have been quite so lenient with Baat Torgal and his friends.
I was totally unprepared for what happened next. Warpers started to appear in the chamber. They swam straight over to the mounting pile of rubble at the base of the wall, then commenced opening portals in the pile. I lost count of how many actually appeared, although JUNO kept a careful tally as fresh Warpers materialised to take the place of those exhausted by their work on the rock pile. From what I could tell, this was a fairly taxing business for the Warpers; at best, each one could only form three or four portals before needing to rest. Even so, it was a truly astonishing sight.
Presently, there was a clear tunnel leading to the outside of the Lava Castle. Rockpunchers swarmed over the rock face like termites, patiently enlarging the opening so that the Emperor could pass through it safely. Fascinated, I watched their progress. By this time, so many Rockpunchers and Warpers were engaged in this effort that the lava wall appeared to melt like a block of polystyrene splashed with solvent. If there is an even more potent demonstration of the sheer power commanded by this planet's life force incarnate, I have yet to see it.
We waited until the Sea Emperor and his retinue had departed. I was completely overwhelmed by what I had seen, and was still struggling to comprehend it all as we returned to our subs. It was an entirely surreal experience from start to finish, and I doubt that I'll ever see its like again. Part of me wanted to speak with him one final time, purely for reassurance. I wanted to know that the Torgaljin base would remain safe from reprisal. However, it was not my place to dictate terms to an entity capable of wielding such power. That would have been purest arrogance on my part, and I have witnessed first-hand how Manannán deals with the casual hubris of our kind.
We are but brief, drifting motes of plankton. To us, The Ocean is infinite.
I made an account to tell you that this is exceptional. Absolutely amazing. I love how nothing cliché is going on! You are an amazing writer. PS I have been putting your story in a word document without any other comments (like the other poster above), but I have been fixing any minor grammatical errors. There are not many. The few that were are now fixed, and now your story is a grade A+ novel. If you don't want me to do this, I can delete the document. All credits will go to you respectively. Otherwise, I will keep working on it (it's actually pretty difficult to find all your story bits and put them in there with all the comments). I have also increased the size of the chapter headings to make it more noticeable. Great job, dude! You are really going places. Congratulations on the story.
I agree with Gman, Selkirk has probably earned diplomatic immunity for himself and the androids by freeing the Sea Emperor. Let's see if the biters and bleeders can control themselves.
I'm just going to say, THIS STORY IS UTTERLY AMAZING!!!! Your use of fine detail, the scientific knowledge that you exhibit, seemlessly mixing your own with real theoretical physics and your awe inspiring storytelling ability all rolled neatly together in one story containing such a lack of congruency errors, is simply astounding! and the most amazing part is, you tie this all together and write "on the fly". its simply amazing. Please do the community a massive favor and continue writing! i have become captivated by your story over the last couple days in a way that only Tom Clancy novels have been able to do! Oh, and 500 points to Gryffindor for working in references to my all time favorite PUBLISHED novel *wink wink* "The Hunt for Red October". I myself am an aspiring writer starting work on an "Executive Orders" type of novel as a hobby in my free time and reading this has given me a particular fondness of the idea of writing it on the fly as the story unfurls in my mind then checking it and polishing the language and content later. but back to the original message, I love your work and whatever you do, don't stop this story anytime soon
I'm just going to say, THIS STORY IS UTTERLY AMAZING!!!! Your use of fine detail, the scientific knowledge that you exhibit, seemlessly mixing your own with real theoretical physics and your awe inspiring storytelling ability all rolled neatly together in one story containing such a lack of congruency errors, is simply astounding! and the most amazing part is, you tie this all together and write "on the fly". its simply amazing. Please do the community a massive favor and continue writing! I myself am an aspiring writer starting work on an "Executive Orders" type of novel as a hobby in my free time and reading this has given me a particular fondness of the idea of writing it on the fly as the story unfurls in my mind then checking it and polishing the language and content later. but back to the original message, I love your work and whatever you do, don't stop this story anytime soon
What he/she/it said. Also, I just get this feeling that something spectacularly impressive and unforeseen will happen, because I (personally) feel that this would be the climax of most stories, but it seems like it's just the beginning. I just hope that whatever it is, Ahab survives. Because Ahab is best. Ahab is life.
I stand alone in Gawain, perched atop a bare ridge in the Deep Grand Reef biome.
Below me, Sea Treaders trudge slowly along their well-worn route to the breeding grounds, making their annual pilgrimage of biological necessity. Occasionally, a curious Crabsquid flits past, its four huge, goggling eyes trying to make some sense of what it sees. Nothing more than a tired old man in a suit of battered armour, in point of actual fact.
One hundred and fifteen years is a decent span. I will not live to see another sunrise. It is time.
I waited eighty years for a rescue that never came. I watched the skies with dwindling hope for the first five years. For the next five years, I hurled vile curses into the pitiless void of space. I sent out new probe ships, bearing increasingly desperate messages. I watched and waited, all for nothing.
In one blinding moment of clarity, I finally realised the truth of it.
There was absolutely nothing waiting for me 'back home'. I already had everything that I ever needed, right here. Good friends. Rock-solid companionship. Endlessly fascinating vistas. Adventures beyond my wildest imagination. There was always something new waiting to be discovered. Life was something worth living once more.
I seized the cup with both hands and drank deeply of it.
Manannán rewarded our service well. Although I never had the chance to converse with the Sea Emperor again, I believe that he has bestowed a singular honour upon us. We enjoyed safe passage in all biomes, including those guarded by Dragon Leviathans and Reapers. The lesser predators simply avoided us. However, Bleeders, Crawlers and Crashes were still their nasty little selves. We probably needed something to keep us on our toes. New species appear with ever-increasing frequency, as if the planet has become intoxicated with its own staggering potential for life. The islands now have air-breathing life forms resembling six-legged Komodo monitor lizards. Fortunately, they are peaceful herbivores.
Although we would never truly belong here, Manannán at least tolerated us in the best possible way. My android companions now serve as its de facto Rangers, ensuring that all remains well with this world.
Occasionally, I found myself reflecting upon the fate of Torgaljin Corp.
Which one of them was first to lay hands on the knife?
I have never detected their presence since. It is entirely possible that The Knife became a brutally contested talisman of power over the years. As Baat Torgal feared, his vassals would either descend into complete savagery and annihilate each other, or they chose to rebuild their former way of life from a virtual zero point.
The balance could have tipped either way, and I would be none the wiser.
For all I know, only one Torgaljin still remains, driven insane by solitude and perpetual fear.
And The Knife.
My ExoSuit's breathing mix is almost completely exhausted, as am I.
If anyone is interested, I'm working on a (hopefully) fairly substantial 'fan-fic' story titled 'Aurora Falls'.
There's just one tiny favour I'd like to ask...
Please, please don't quote huge slabs of the story's text when you're commenting on the story as it evolves. I realize there's no actual malicious intent behind this, but it does seriously disrupt the flow of the narrative. Please keep your comments brief, and your use of quotes down to a relevant sentence or two. This small courtesy would be greatly appreciated.
AURORA FALLS - A Subnautica Story.
Chapter One
, my parents must have had a fine sense of irony.
There are you talking about how he is now a machine when his job previosly was working on machines
Well mate, that was an excellent story! you've kept me interested thru all of it until the very end which is a feat in itself as i barely read, wether it be books or online
Its sad to see it end but of course it had to end eventually. HUGE THANKS to you for offering us this story
Time for my story, eh? Uh - that is - about this one.
See if I can't tell one myself.
I'm really glad I found this. I found it when it was 7 pages long or so. I read through that, left it for a few days or something, and then caught up. It went on over time, and more recently, I have been frequently checking it. The story was amazing pretty much the whole way through, and for a high-school dropout (I don't really mean to offend you), this is amazing. Much better than what I am really capable of doing, and I'm a 10th grader who was reading Harry Potter at 5 years old somewhat fluently.
So thank you, Bugzapper, for creating this story. I can be pretty sure that I'm not the only one this story was amazing to, but you could likely tell that from all of the praise and people signing up to comment. It's been a great adventure for many of us, and the epilogue pretty much topped it all off, and was a great (post-)ending.
Now, I have some questions:
Are the androids (I assume Al will become one, too) able to taste things? It was implied that they could drink, but what's the benefit to it if it can't be tasted? Aside from not getting drunk.
If Al had safe passage, would Ahab not be hostile towards him even if he got a bit social?
And would he retain that passage as an android?
Would he be pretty eternal as an AI now?
Wouldn't it be more difficult in a sense to fend off people like Tomar if he's not physically human anymore? Or maybe he would just explain it.
Are the AIs structured like human minds, and not computer AIs? Kind of like comparing Ultron to JARVIS in that Avengers movie, where Ultron's visualized as a sort of human mind, like with neurons.
Don't have to answer these if you don't want to, but it'd be kinda nice, maybe. Also, if you're gonna be playing more of the game, make sure you check out the new sub-lava castle. The chamber above the big one but below the castle got reworked, if it isn't an entirely new one, and the tunnels are a bit different in some places. Also the lowest one is a bit odd, but it might be further developing. And the ILZChamber biome carries farther into the castle, maybe. So you can actually see the lava as it should be, in terms of color and stuff.
EDIT: Searching for 'alexander selkirk subnautica' brings this thread as the seond result, below the Wikipedia page for the original person.
Wonderful ending to an amazing story! Just got a few questions. Firstly, as an AI, is Selkirk now bound by the same protocols that forbid the others from harming humans? Did he ever meet the Sea Dragon Leviathans? Did the Warpers ever talk to him again? Did Ahab sire some offspring?
You should definitely become a professional author.
Wow, that came to an end rather apruptly. I enjoyed the story very much, thank you!
You have a talent for writing, you might consider following this path a bit further. Where I live we have "Peoples Universities" where you can attend all sorts of courses for a modest amount of money. A friend of mine attended a writers course and although she decided not to pursue this path she said it was a faszinating experience. If there is something similar in Australia, you might give it a try.
NOOOOO! it has ended! bugzapper - this was amazing! you have sucked many a happy hour out of my life, and I thank you for doing so.
the story was exceptionally well written (more so considering it's fanfic) and I hope you enjoy your well earned respite!
I must say, when I first saw Aurora Falls, I was not expecting a story of this quality. Good job bugzapper!
i dont think any of us expected such level of quality when it first started and we were all happily surprised by it
for someone that isnt a professional writer its pretty impressive.
Comments
"Only a few more minutes at most, Captain. It appears that your reluctance to personally deactivate the shield was entirely justified, Sir. This system is equipped with numerous fail-safe contingencies and concealed booby-traps. If you had attempted to use Baat Torgal's personal terminal to deactivate the phase shield, the Emperor's holding chamber would have been flooded with a lethal neurotoxin. In fact, the research facility's central control terminal is the only means of directly accessing the tau-muon shield controls, and only then by adhering to a strictly-defined shutdown procedure. The slightest input error would have resulted in the Emperor's immediate death."
"Whew! You guys have certainly earned your pay today." I chuckled. "When I get around to reopening Margaritaville, the first round's definitely on me. We're all going to get nicely lubricated."
IANTO was true to his word. Several minutes later, the phase shield deactivated. Warning klaxons blared and red strobe lights announced the shutdown in panic-stricken tones, although this would have been more for the benefit of the Sea Emperor's former captors. I glanced at the countdown timer, noting that we still had approximately two and a half hours before this base started to wake up. Plenty of time.
A dramatic change seemed to sweep over the Sea Emperor. It was like watching an oxygen-starved diver surfacing and taking their first breath of fresh air. My whole body tingled, feeling as though a powerful electric current was passing through the water. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant sensation, either. There was something else... Something elusive and indefinable. It was hard to pin down. Definitely an emotion of some kind, although one that was tuned to an entirely alien frequency. Whatever it was, it was obviously meant for other life forms to receive.
Suddenly and utterly incongruously, I heard the sound of drums. Distant, but unmistakable.
"Guys, are you hearing this?"
All three androids replied. "Yes, Captain."
IANTO clarified. "Soundwave analysis indicates a multiple-point source originating outside the Lava Castle, bearing 025 degrees relative to your current position, Sir. Acoustic profile is consistent with sound emissions detected during our recent encounter with Rockpunchers. Doppler analysis now tracking six distinct sources, apparently working in unison... Correction, now ten sources. Estimated rate of progress, zero point five metres per second. Estimated time until penetration, 420 seconds."
He had summoned the Rockpunchers. Most likely the very same ones we had been fighting.
I was actually expecting the Sea Emperor to warp out under his own power, although now that I look back on it, a creature of his size would require a phenomenal amount of psionic power to physically displace that much mass over any appreciable distance. There was absolutely no doubt that the Sea Emperor possessed psionic abilities, although his were geared to entirely different purposes. In a way, I was extremely relieved. When three thousand-plus tonnes of matter is instantly removed from the surrounding ocean, you don't want to be anywhere near the backwash. Would not end well for any bystanders.
"Guys, get yourselves down here. If you're quick, we might be able to lend a hand."
It's fine by me. Not sure if you should repost it elsewhere in this forum, though.
Maybe The Devs could decide where to put the Expurgated 'Aurora Falls' (The One Without The Gannet). *
I've monopolized more than enough space on this website already.
* Gratuitous Monty Python reference.
Drums..
Drums in the deep..
They are coming...
A moment or two later, all three androids were hovering at my side. It had been my original intention to start hammering away at the rock face from this side with Gawain's repulsion cannons. However, it was soon made clear that any further assistance was totally unnecessary. A single Rockpuncher had enlarged one of the vents surrounding the bottom of the chamber, allowing a countless number of his comrades to boil through the opening and commence work on this side. The hammering sound of their stomatopods rose to a deafening crescendo, each blow shattering huge chunks of basalt as if they were nothing but brittle shale.
If the truth be fully known, this was a frightening scene to witness. My mind went back to Magellan's ill-fated second outpost in the Jelly Shroom cave. A single Rockpuncher could have destroyed that facility within seconds. I'm guessing that the Torgaljin party bailed out at the first sign of trouble, leaving the terrified remnants of Magellan's science team to face something like this.
I'll never know for certain.
Maybe it's just as well. I might not have been quite so lenient with Baat Torgal and his friends.
I was totally unprepared for what happened next. Warpers started to appear in the chamber. They swam straight over to the mounting pile of rubble at the base of the wall, then commenced opening portals in the pile. I lost count of how many actually appeared, although JUNO kept a careful tally as fresh Warpers materialised to take the place of those exhausted by their work on the rock pile. From what I could tell, this was a fairly taxing business for the Warpers; at best, each one could only form three or four portals before needing to rest. Even so, it was a truly astonishing sight.
Presently, there was a clear tunnel leading to the outside of the Lava Castle. Rockpunchers swarmed over the rock face like termites, patiently enlarging the opening so that the Emperor could pass through it safely. Fascinated, I watched their progress. By this time, so many Rockpunchers and Warpers were engaged in this effort that the lava wall appeared to melt like a block of polystyrene splashed with solvent. If there is an even more potent demonstration of the sheer power commanded by this planet's life force incarnate, I have yet to see it.
We waited until the Sea Emperor and his retinue had departed. I was completely overwhelmed by what I had seen, and was still struggling to comprehend it all as we returned to our subs. It was an entirely surreal experience from start to finish, and I doubt that I'll ever see its like again. Part of me wanted to speak with him one final time, purely for reassurance. I wanted to know that the Torgaljin base would remain safe from reprisal. However, it was not my place to dictate terms to an entity capable of wielding such power. That would have been purest arrogance on my part, and I have witnessed first-hand how Manannán deals with the casual hubris of our kind.
We are but brief, drifting motes of plankton. To us, The Ocean is infinite.
Something is going to go wrong... Something is going to go horribly wrong I just know it.
That, or the Sea Emperor will tell Ahab to be nice and then Selkirk will ride around on the back of a Reaper like a badass!
What he/she/it said. Also, I just get this feeling that something spectacularly impressive and unforeseen will happen, because I (personally) feel that this would be the climax of most stories, but it seems like it's just the beginning. I just hope that whatever it is, Ahab survives. Because Ahab is best. Ahab is life.
I stand alone in Gawain, perched atop a bare ridge in the Deep Grand Reef biome.
Below me, Sea Treaders trudge slowly along their well-worn route to the breeding grounds, making their annual pilgrimage of biological necessity. Occasionally, a curious Crabsquid flits past, its four huge, goggling eyes trying to make some sense of what it sees. Nothing more than a tired old man in a suit of battered armour, in point of actual fact.
One hundred and fifteen years is a decent span. I will not live to see another sunrise. It is time.
I waited eighty years for a rescue that never came. I watched the skies with dwindling hope for the first five years. For the next five years, I hurled vile curses into the pitiless void of space. I sent out new probe ships, bearing increasingly desperate messages. I watched and waited, all for nothing.
In one blinding moment of clarity, I finally realised the truth of it.
There was absolutely nothing waiting for me 'back home'. I already had everything that I ever needed, right here. Good friends. Rock-solid companionship. Endlessly fascinating vistas. Adventures beyond my wildest imagination. There was always something new waiting to be discovered. Life was something worth living once more.
I seized the cup with both hands and drank deeply of it.
Manannán rewarded our service well. Although I never had the chance to converse with the Sea Emperor again, I believe that he has bestowed a singular honour upon us. We enjoyed safe passage in all biomes, including those guarded by Dragon Leviathans and Reapers. The lesser predators simply avoided us. However, Bleeders, Crawlers and Crashes were still their nasty little selves. We probably needed something to keep us on our toes. New species appear with ever-increasing frequency, as if the planet has become intoxicated with its own staggering potential for life. The islands now have air-breathing life forms resembling six-legged Komodo monitor lizards. Fortunately, they are peaceful herbivores.
Although we would never truly belong here, Manannán at least tolerated us in the best possible way. My android companions now serve as its de facto Rangers, ensuring that all remains well with this world.
Occasionally, I found myself reflecting upon the fate of Torgaljin Corp.
Which one of them was first to lay hands on the knife?
I have never detected their presence since. It is entirely possible that The Knife became a brutally contested talisman of power over the years. As Baat Torgal feared, his vassals would either descend into complete savagery and annihilate each other, or they chose to rebuild their former way of life from a virtual zero point.
The balance could have tipped either way, and I would be none the wiser.
For all I know, only one Torgaljin still remains, driven insane by solitude and perpetual fear.
And The Knife.
My ExoSuit's breathing mix is almost completely exhausted, as am I.
Time to die.
"Hello, JUNO... Call me Al."
Selkirk's physical body was simply too far gone to use the Valkyrie Field.
The Crew still need their Captain.
Might take a wee break and actually play some Subnautica.
There are you talking about how he is now a machine when his job previosly was working on machines
Grammatical errors? Ack! You've got me feeling all paranoid now.
Must hunt down all errors. Exterminate! Crush, Kill, Destroy!
Definitely a well deserved break. I bet you'll get in game and go, where's my AI? Where's my TRIDENT system? Where's Ahab?
Oh wait, there's Ahab. (dies)
Nah. We're cool.
Not exactly. Google the name 'Alexander Selkirk'.
Its sad to see it end but of course it had to end eventually. HUGE THANKS to you for offering us this story
See if I can't tell one myself.
I'm really glad I found this. I found it when it was 7 pages long or so. I read through that, left it for a few days or something, and then caught up. It went on over time, and more recently, I have been frequently checking it. The story was amazing pretty much the whole way through, and for a high-school dropout (I don't really mean to offend you), this is amazing. Much better than what I am really capable of doing, and I'm a 10th grader who was reading Harry Potter at 5 years old somewhat fluently.
So thank you, Bugzapper, for creating this story. I can be pretty sure that I'm not the only one this story was amazing to, but you could likely tell that from all of the praise and people signing up to comment. It's been a great adventure for many of us, and the epilogue pretty much topped it all off, and was a great (post-)ending.
Now, I have some questions:
Are the androids (I assume Al will become one, too) able to taste things? It was implied that they could drink, but what's the benefit to it if it can't be tasted? Aside from not getting drunk.
If Al had safe passage, would Ahab not be hostile towards him even if he got a bit social?
And would he retain that passage as an android?
Would he be pretty eternal as an AI now?
Wouldn't it be more difficult in a sense to fend off people like Tomar if he's not physically human anymore? Or maybe he would just explain it.
Are the AIs structured like human minds, and not computer AIs? Kind of like comparing Ultron to JARVIS in that Avengers movie, where Ultron's visualized as a sort of human mind, like with neurons.
Don't have to answer these if you don't want to, but it'd be kinda nice, maybe. Also, if you're gonna be playing more of the game, make sure you check out the new sub-lava castle. The chamber above the big one but below the castle got reworked, if it isn't an entirely new one, and the tunnels are a bit different in some places. Also the lowest one is a bit odd, but it might be further developing. And the ILZChamber biome carries farther into the castle, maybe. So you can actually see the lava as it should be, in terms of color and stuff.
EDIT: Searching for 'alexander selkirk subnautica' brings this thread as the seond result, below the Wikipedia page for the original person.
You should definitely become a professional author.
You have a talent for writing, you might consider following this path a bit further. Where I live we have "Peoples Universities" where you can attend all sorts of courses for a modest amount of money. A friend of mine attended a writers course and although she decided not to pursue this path she said it was a faszinating experience. If there is something similar in Australia, you might give it a try.
*bows*
the story was exceptionally well written (more so considering it's fanfic) and I hope you enjoy your well earned respite!
i dont think any of us expected such level of quality when it first started and we were all happily surprised by it
for someone that isnt a professional writer its pretty impressive.