Lifeline: Silent Night

## Description

Lifeline: Silent Night follows the first Lifeline within the Lifeline Series, where you follow Taylor yet again after the events on a moon in the Tau Ceti system. Taylor is aboard the White Star mining ship, the ship that rescued them from the moon and The Green... Or did it?

You follow Taylor and help uncover the secrets of the White Star whilst avoiding the Crew that The Green infects and helping the crew that is not.

Can you help Taylor survive in Lifeline: Silent Night?

## Plot

(The previous game, Lifeline 2: Bloodline, can be found here)

A person is on the other end, saying that old poem "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the ship, we were roused from our sleep by a loud radar blip." The player responds, and the person says that they got the first bit of unrest since they got off that moon. That day was the first night the person hadn't woken up in such a cold sweat, thinking about the Varia crew with weird green eyes and supernatural strength. Instead, this person was about to fall off their bunk when the proximity klaxon goes off. The player asks who this is or says that the player recognizes this as Taylor, and the person says that this is Cadet Taylor, formerly of the Varia. The player asks how it's gone for Taylor and says that they have recovered a little since being on 31U00W (Desert Moon). Taylor says that they chose the player again after saving them from that desolate moon. And Taylor is now on the same ship that rescued them called the White Star.

Taylor infers that the proximity alarm arose from a shiny thing outside the vessel. Taylor realizes that this is a vessel and quite possibly an actual ship. Taylor goes to the cockpit in their pajamas, and when Taylor gets close to the cockpit, the alarm goes off. Taylor mentions that basically everyone is there at the helm, with Captian Shepherd, Mari Lee, Dr. Artesa, and three miners named Donald, Aries, and Bos (their descriptions are in the characters section). Captain Shepherd announces to everyone that the siren went off because an unexpected craft entered the sector. It is an operational ship with someone piloting it and is returning week-old codes in response to Shepherd's hailing signals. Shepherd has visuals on them, but they seem to be a tiny dot from their perspectives. Their velocity matches that of the White Star, and based on their telemetry. They'll eventually intercept this vessel. To try to escape, Mari has tried an evasive tack, but because the Viridian marine ship is a smaller vessel, it can be able to maneuver a White Star retreat too easily. However, everyone but the captain and navigator, Mari, can leave.

Taylor gets some rest but is woken abruptly by some sound. Taylor discovers that it is just one of the miners, Donald, who says to Taylor that he will investigate who is trying to intercept them. Taylor later decides to listen to Donald's comm and hears from Donald: "Taylor? Send Bos! Send Aries! Send ANYBOD--." Upon trying to use the comm, all comm channels are silent. Suddenly, all lights just went out to total pitch black. Only one light is coming through the viewport, most of which is just outer space. Taylor hears more footsteps, and the person there turns out to be Donald. Apparently, Donald made it through the Ready Room. Donald says that the visitors are no threat. After Taylor advised nuking the moon Taylor and Aya were on, the military heard of it, and one such military ship is looking to resupply. Apparently, the knocking of the comms and lights, according to Donald, is a technical glitch.

   Taylor decides to head to the ready room at the aft of the ship (or rear in nautical terms). Taylor says that the White Star Schematic is bigger than the Varia and totally different layout. The ship, in comparison is more utilitarian and less about comfort. This is almost certainly because of the ship design, which is designed to operate a drill, which has a large room is designed to maintain it. Taylor finds the suit they wore on the moon. Despite it being full of sweat from the moon Taylor was rescued from, they decide to wear it, including its gloves and helmet. Taylor also finds internal-frame packs lined with the adaptive polymer used for collecting mineral samples of unknown origin. Upon exploring the ready room some more, Taylor mentions that the marine ship docks above the White Star and finds an old-model pulse rifle. Taylor decides to go to the cockpit after finding everything they need in the ready room.

Taylor decides to head to the ready room at the aft of the ship (or rear in nautical terms). Taylor says that the White Star Schematic is bigger than the Varia and totally different layout. The ship, in comparison, is more utilitarian and less about comfort. This is almost certainly because of the ship design, which is designed to operate a drill with a large room designed to maintain it. Taylor finds the suit they wore at the moon. Despite its fill of moon sweat from the moon, Taylor was rescued in, Taylor decides to wear it, including its gloves and helmet. Taylor also finds internal-frame packs lined with the adaptive polymer used for collecting mineral samples of unknown origin. Upon exploring the ready room some more, Taylor mentions that the marine ship docks above the White Star and finds an old-model pulse rifle. Taylor decides to go to the cockpit after finding everything they need in the ready room.

Taylor also complains that the cockpit doesn't have Christmas lights working (since it is 'Tis the season). Taylor finds Mari there, and Mari says a marine ship is riding on the White Star and has thrown the whole ship into chaos. Mari suggests that Taylor should help with computer skills, and Taylor complies. In the region the White Star is in, Taylor mentions that the ship is surrounded by planets that are so uncharted they don't even have a name, just numbers, like U33J6. That planet was convenient for the White Star because it dances around a tight orbit around a black hole outside the event horizon. Taylor mentions that the planet holds a mineral of great value called tunguskite. The mineral is crystalline, with a complex lattice structure. It has unique efficiency at capturing and storing negative energy generated by Hawking radiation. The quantum effects of black holes at the event horizon mean that the mineral spews Hawking radiation and is believed to possess all sorts of stuff otherwise impossible to preserve. Normally, Hawking radiation lasts briefly, but tunguskite holds them around indefinitely. Taylor mentions that there are weird time dilation effects with these things. Taylor believes that the weird peak that the occupiers seemed to have built was pulling starships out of space and of time. The peak could shimmer and fade in and out of phase with existence, and when Taylor was in it, the disappearance of the peak coincided with Taylor when inside it. Time flowed differently until the peak stabilized again. Taylor says that the tunguskite crystals could account for what happened when they were on that moon. Since the tunguskite seems to throw everything out of whack, especially with a cargo bay full of tunguskite, and because it is so unique and valuable, there is nothing to stop the weird behavior occurring. Taylor wants to put some tunguskite crystals in the internal-frame packs designed to collect mineral samples and tells Mari about it. In return, Mari gives Taylor the news that she is scared in addition because she is pregnant. Taylor asks who the father is, but Mari says that she'll only announce it when she gives birth (so either Donald, Aries, Bos, or Dr. Artesa).

Taylor visits the cargo bay and notes how large it is, which is explainable since it is designed to haul ore but still is utilitarian. Taylor says that, while their suit's light broke on the moon, the crystals seem to emanate their own life, like glow-in-the-dark rocks, but one that never stops glowing, far beyond zinc sulfide, which is the second-longest known light source of just one minute. Taylor says that the substance is probably not dangerous and begins to cram as many crystals into the backpack source. Taylor fills it up and mentions that the crystals also have an ability to regrow. Taylor explores the room some more but hears lots of footsteps. It turns out to be Donald in his IEVA suit and three other people behind him. Taylor stays calm and hides inside the collection of crystals and manages to bypass them and they pass the room to another.

Taylor passes another hall and hears a noise. It turns out to be Dr. Artesa, who says that Taylor is bleeding, and both go to med bay. Taylor realizes that their knee is bashed and gets an ice pack instead. Taylor sleeps at the med bay for a bit. Dr. Artesa is back. He asks Taylor what the word "commensalism" means. It means a relationship between two organisms, one benefitting from the other and the second being neutral to the first one in its benefits. Dr. Artesa says that the marine ship docked with theirs traveled to the moon Taylor was on and brought some souvenirs back. Taylor recognizes that Dr. Artesa has one of the occupiers inside his mouth. He plans to give one to Captain Aya, who says that his own name can become famous for discovering this so-called commensalism relationship. (However, the actual relationship by the Green is parasitic on humans). Artesa becomes crazy and says that entire cities will remember his contribution and will memorize his name, but Taylor hits Artesa with a metal bedpan and knocks him out. Taylor finds the Green alien and finds a mini-fridge to place the occupier, wrapped in plenty of elastic bandage wraps, places it into the fridge, and can lock it. Taylor ventures out into one of the hallways, and one of the miners, Bos, described as the strong, silent type, says to Taylor that Taylor should get back to the crew quarters and hunker down, possibly change the door codes. Aries disappears, and upon trying to find him after hearing some sounds, Taylor finds Donald and Aries pinning Bos against the corridor wall and beating the hell out of him. Bos's nose and jaw look broken. Taylor leaves Aries upon it being too dangerous for them but finds the marines, with their helmets down and green eyes showing, are carrying Bos's body, but only his upper half. His intestines are trailing behind him as he is being dragged. Claws seem to have been the cause of breaking Bos's torso in half and Taylor notices that Bos's eyes are still open.

Upon seeing this, Taylor wants to cause a stir, just like they said in keeping a promise with Mari, and says that it involves the ammonium nitrate ice pack. Taylor heads for the galley (or kitchen), which is starboard (or right side in nautical terms). Taylor heads for the pantry to try to mix with their ice pack. Taylor collects some ingredients from their ice pack, containing either urea or ammonium nitrate crystals. Hopefully, if it is the latter kind, combining ammonium nitrate crystals with common kitchen/galley elements, an explosive reaction can perhaps blow up the marine enemy ship. At the same time, Taylor plans to hurl the enemy ship into the black hole. Taylor also changes the door code in the galley, which is 927042. Anyway, Taylor searches for water, salt substitute, confectioner's sugar, coffee filters, all of which are found. A knock comes on the door, but no one's voice is there when Taylor asks who it is. Taylor goes back to working and finishes. The player reminds Taylor of the password, which is 927042, and sees that the marines are right where Taylor is. Taylor gets the marines to follow them and manages to barely escape in the direction of the ready room, as Taylor was grabbed by the elbow and pulled away just in time. Taylor reaches the drill control room, containing the enormous drill and computers that control it, and manages to recode the door password to that door just in time. Taylor gets to cool down a little bit in there after a serious strain and gives you more details about their plan. Taylor needs to light the substances from the galley and ice pack. Taylor says that the brownish sedimentary cryptocrystalline quartz found from drilling within the drill control room might hopefully permit them to do that, instead of what they thought needed to be Aries's Zippo at the crew quarters. All three marines on the monitors of the drill control room are trying to guess Taylor's number for the password, which is one in a million and find Captain Shepherd in one of the doors. Taylor and Shepherd communicate, and Shepherd finds Bos's legs, as well as the infected Donald and Aries. Two escape pods are left, which Captain Shepherd and Mari plan to escape the still-infected crew. However, Captain Shepherd forgot about Captain Aya, who is still in a coma. And because escape pods need a conscious person to operate them and Aya needs more room for the equipment keeping her alive; Aya has no way of escaping the ship. Taylor announces what their plan is to Shepherd, including sacrificing their life for Shepherd and Mari to survive. Shepherd argues against it. But after reviewing the plan, Shepherd says that nothing else so far makes more sense than for Taylor to take their own life. Taylor says that there better be a memorial of Bos, with perhaps Taylor as a minor detail. Taylor's helmet is now secure and finally reaches the ready room. The ice pack still can't protect Taylor's knee, but they can still have it transformed into gunpowder. Taylor opens the airlock into the enemy ship and entices them by leaving the door open. Soon the marines are in the enemy ship, and Taylor gets into the enemy ship's cockpit. Taylor pours some gunpowder onto the side and finds Chior (one of the marine crewmen whose full name is Melanie (Mel) Chior). Upon thinking that it is the end, a spark is initiated and manages to push her across halfway down the hall, leaving the cockpit all to Taylor. Taylor manages liftoff and exits the White Star by deactivating magnet locks. Taylor navigates the computer to a little beyond U33J6, into the heart of the black hole. Taylor lights a second gunpowder trail and ignites it, to which the marines lick their wounds. Taylor announces their goodbyes and says something they shouldn't. One of the monitors is filled with occupiers, thousands, hundreds of thousands. If they had gotten anywhere near Earth, humanity wouldn't stand a chance. Taylor didn't really have a choice. The player says that Taylor's a hero, but Taylor denies it, saying they're just friends. Alarms are now blaring. This is the end, the noise pushes marines down the hall right to Taylor, but they look scared. Taylor likes seeing the Greens’ fear with their glowing green eyes. Taylor is nearing the event horizon. Taylor dumps the gunpowder out, all over tunguskite in the backpack. It would make for pretty fireworks. The marines are running at Taylor, and time is stretching out. The gunpowder and tunguskite are ignited, and it results in the brightest white Taylor's ever seen. It was as if everything stopped moving, but was still in constant motion. Every flame was perfectly held in place, and every marine suspended in mid-leap. Every star in the cosmos is frozen in mid-twinkle. The ship, which should be exploding, stretching, contorting, is instead perfectly still. It is wrapped around Taylor like an embrace. Space-time folding itself like a welcoming hug. Everything ever lost was there and not there, and always would be. The tunguskite is glowing and pulsing and growing, its crystals expanding in Taylor's hand. It is beautiful and impossible. Taylor stared into their facets and saw themself, the universe, and beyond the universe. And then Taylor felt a tap on their shoulder, and a stranger's voice said, "Hey Taylor... you wanna get out of here?"

#### Pre-Lifeline: Silent Night Plot

Lifeline: Silent Night sneak peek, as featured on Lifeline Library, before that specific series ended, features an astronaut name Mel, who also crash lands on the desert moon that takes place in the original Lifeline game. The moon is sarcastically dubbed "Jeff" by Chior. Mel can find places to choose around the moon and can visit the peak, but Mel will ultimately perish by the Green no matter the ending. This story takes place sometime after Taylor arrives, and as revealed by Taylor, Mel's story is one of many on the moon Mel is on. Mel's decision does not seem to alter anything that would change the direction of Taylor's story in the original Lifeline game except for context for how the Green caught up with Taylor, except perhaps that Mel's body may be suitable for a queen. Mel is featured in Lifeline: Silent Night as one of the three enemy crewmates on Taylor's new ship.

[SPOILER] Mel is also featured as an enemy crewmate of Taylor in Lifeline: Halfway to Infinity, where Taylor listens to pre-infected Melanie Chior's playlist (Mel is short for Melanie). Mrs. Chior was said to be wing commander of the ninth battalion before becoming a host of the Green.

(The next game, Lifeline: Whiteout, can be found here)

## Characters

### Taylor

Formerly of the Varia ship and one of two survivors from 31U00W (Desert Moon), Taylor is aboard the spaceship White Star, a ship designed for mining.

### Captain Elaina Shepherd

Captain of the White Star. She has a soft voice but carries a lot of authority when giving out orders to the minors despite her personal short body. Taylor says she reminds Taylor of Captain Renee Aya.

### Mari Lee

Works the navigation computer. Taylor likes her niceness and compares her to Colby of the former Varia spaceship.

### Dr. Joseph Artesa

He is the shipboard medic. Taylor says that he patched Taylor up but doesn't show his personality much. Taylor broadly describes him as aloof, like he's good at his job but would rather be doing something else. Taylor at least sympathizes with him since the White Ship is tight and even more tight to accommodate Taylor and Captain Aya.

### Donald Key

Helped to rescue Taylor off the desert moon and also worked on mining tunguskite. Taylor describes him as looking like Sam Jones in Flash Gordon.

### Aries Wether

Helped to rescue Taylor off the desert moon and also worked on mining tunguskite. Taylor describes him as a funny guy. Taylor says that when he first met him, he had a smile, surrounded it with stubble, and worked outward from there.

### Bos Zebu

Helped to rescue Taylor off the desert moon and also worked on mining tunguskite. Taylor describes him as built like a brick poophouse, and in his downtime, he listens to Brian Eno ambient records and reads Kafka. Is the strong, silent type.

### Captain Renee Aya

The second sole survivor of the Varia crash, along with Taylor, she is still recovering in an induced coma on board the White Star. She was captain of the Varia ship.

### Colby

Diseased Varia member. Described as mother-like.

### Marine Space Soldiers

People onboard another spaceship called the Viridian wanting to intersect the White Varia. Two guys and a girl. They are Bathalzar de Ley, Casper Cruciger, and Melanie (Chior), and they appeared in the bonus ending in Lifeline.

### The Green

A parasitic creature that emanates a green light.

## Password

The password to reopening Taylor's new password is 927042.