# Mars campaign — a region the player learns to use

## C07-MARS-01 — The campaign promise

Mars changes the scale of preparation. A lunar outing begins with a close relationship to its landing refuge; a Mars region asks the player to understand several places and the routes between them. A distant escarpment, a dry channel seen from above, a known rover stopping shelf and a supplied camp become part of one mental map. Reaching an objective should feel like the result of interpreting and preparing that landscape, not merely following a longer marker.

This expansion preserves DST02 and all five existing regions. Windcut Tablelands and Buried Delta organize surface travel. Ochre Galleries, Brine Scarps and Rootstone Chambers complicate those relationships below ground. The Frontier Yard grows because repeated work benefits from a dependable local place. The River That Isn't There connects visible drainage evidence, protected sampling and a final geological observation. MA-EXP-01, MA-EXP-02 and MA-EXP-03 are the existing expedition identities now worked in detail.

The Mars of SUBSTELLAR is deliberate game fiction. Its deposits, accessible brines, material properties and Rootstone pulses are creative elements, not statements about actual planetary conditions. Its campaign remains geological. CEC01 optional brine mats remain conditional and absent from this edition's required routes, recipes and imagery. Rootstone remains mineral structure, not proof of enormous plants or an abandoned alien city.

## C07-MARS-02 — A complete arrival comes from earlier capability

The player selects a previously reachable, appropriately supported Mars transport configuration. The compact Tier 1 Explorer's documented lunar configuration is not silently granted Mars capability or enough cargo for every illustrated load. The actual craft, packed rover or supported assembly kit, refuge components, personal supplies and return allowance require a later joint capacity check. If the desired load does not fit, use an explicitly supported shipment or configuration in the future design; do not assume invisible cargo, extra seats or a larger hull hidden behind a thumbnail.

The first Mars order includes appropriate protection, breathing stock, compatible energy, food, supported water/service supplies, repair and filter stock, samples and instruments, route markers, a dependable refuge and the supported rover deployment method. Common Earth/Moon components provide the first frame, seals and service parts. PM03 Ferric Lattice and PM04 Brine Catalyst can improve later work, but neither appears as an indispensable first-arrival ingredient.

Arrival has a conservative commissioning sequence. Park the actual craft, confirm return records and remaining allocations, inspect the immediate area within the imported personal envelope, identify a suitable refuge location, and commission its complete supported first stage. Record the craft and refuge as distinct retreat options where both are usable. A natural overhang can shelter the work from weather; it does not supply breathing air. A doorway, attractive interior or controller mesh alone does not complete a functioning enclosure.

Useful nearby work remains available if rover deployment is postponed. A walking inspection can compare a local sediment exposure, record a channel junction and establish a marker. That gives the player a meaningful first task and a basis for planning the rover route. The first required campaign evidence cannot lie beyond the only vehicle capability whose components depend on that evidence.

## C07-MARS-03 — Five regions with different work

| Region | How the space is read | What the player does | Useful infrastructure | What remains different on a revisit |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MA-S1 Windcut Tablelands | Terraces, saddles, long silhouettes and visible sheltered faces | Choose an approach, forecast an exposed segment, compare viewpoints | Landing/service shelf, markers, lookout or roadside refuge | Better route confidence, alternate terrace approaches and a more useful supply stop |
| MA-S2 Buried Delta | Large branching channels, cross-sections and partly buried continuations | Compare candidate paths, take cores, stage rover-to-foot transfers | Turning shelf, cache, route record and selected crossing | A known cargo route, different branch evidence and opportunities to simplify travel |
| MA-L1 Ochre Galleries | Sloping bedding, thin partitions and windows between elevations | Follow sediment, inspect an outlet and commission a supported camp | Sealed module on a clear shelf, stored supplies and mapped approach | Protected work during weather and a dependable link between surface and deeper sites |
| MA-L2 Brine Scarps | Stepped mineral faces, isolated pockets and stable working ledges | Choose a protected sample position, compare a modest source with a larger site | Imported sleeve/remote tool, closed containers and optional platform | Selective sample work, later handling improvements and optional local batches |
| MA-L3 Rootstone Chambers | Continuous mineral ribs across separated exposures and large negative spaces | Trace a relationship, move an instrument, compare readings and commission an observation | Supported working platform, known retreat and deliberate crossing where useful | A recorded route, further observations and a possible distant refuge or second yard |

Each region retains its earlier variants. The new campaign adds a reason to choose among them. A longer gully may support the rover when a shorter slot only admits a suited walker. A modest brine interface may complete the investigation while a larger pocket rewards a later work platform. A chamber's most spectacular rib need not be destroyed to place the instrument. Good routes can include construction, but construction should solve a specific access problem rather than pave over the whole environment.

## C07-MARS-04 — Generation as a set of route obligations

The first campaign region needs a supported arrival area, a useful nearby walking circuit, a valid initial vehicle route or meaningful walking alternative, a possible commissioned field camp, reachable common material sources, a protected first brine opportunity and a connected route toward the Rootstone investigation. These are design obligations to be tested in actual seeds later. The reference does not assign permanent depth bands, guaranteed block coordinates or final measured rover clearances.

The regional graph distinguishes arrival/service nodes, vehicle stopping nodes, pedestrian transitions, camp sites, evidence locations, material work positions and retreat links. A connection has a travel category: drivable, walking-only, staged cargo, or optional constructed improvement. The map records what the player has surveyed, including limitations. A generic line between two markers must not imply that a loaded rover can negotiate every turn and slope along it.

Every required vehicle section needs a valid approach, room to stop and a way to turn or use its supported recovery. A narrow branch can be attractive to walkers while cargo remains at a stable shelf. The route to an essential camp cannot require the player to leave all emergency equipment inside a rover that cannot return through its own entrance. The generated layout and the actual supported loadout must be reviewed together.

The mission's buried continuation needs coherent evidence. Terrain, sample provenance and survey readings must refer to the same authored geological relationship. Random decorative branching cannot invalidate the clue chain after placement. Later excavation may reveal or simplify a recorded route, but arbitrary destruction of one wall is not the intended substitute for collecting the evidence. Missing or damaged optional scenery should not permanently erase the only observation needed to finish the campaign.

## C07-MARS-05 — Weather with useful decisions

The recommended weather vocabulary is readable conditions, approaching front, active front and clearing. Exact duration, frequency and severity remain balancing questions. Forecast information describes the known local region and its uncertainty; it does not expose every unsurveyed destination. A first-campaign front has a usable response window and a viable choice to shelter, postpone, return or follow an appropriate protected route.

A front changes sightlines, the attractiveness of exposed terrain and the relevant service demand. It does not silently delete roads, bury every doorway or create destructive absence debt. During an active front, a commissioned camp can support modest sample work, repair, route comparison or simply waiting by a view of the weather. There should be a supported progression path that does not require guessing an invisible perfect departure instant.

The example sequence begins with the player seeing a front from safety. Later they compare the direct exposed saddle with the longer gully. A known stopping shelf and recorded retreat make the choice inspectable. If conditions worsen during the field scenario, the player can shorten the optional observation, stop at the supplied refuge or return before entering the next exposed leg. The protected planetary return allocation remains distinct from local travel demand.

## C07-MARS-06 — Supplies, people and cargo have locations

Every journey has separate real stocks for transport, personal protection, rover operation, camp service and field instruments as supported. Labels such as return, emergency or optional survey describe allocations within actual vessels or inventories; they do not create additional quantities. Supplies in a sealed spare, a rover compartment and a camp reservoir remain different custody locations. Refill transfers debit one compatible source and credit one receiver exactly once.

The planning relationship is starting usable stock equals active consumption plus stock still held in each location plus any explicitly recorded loss. The conservative departure requirement adds measured planned demand, protected return, contingency and the selected optional allowance. All values are currently symbolic. Propellant, breathing supply and electrical energy are different quantities and cannot be combined into a universal survival bar. A process water container is not automatically a drinking-water or breathing-supply source.

The default worked rover example uses one supported pilot configuration. Additional participants require actual seats, personal protection, per-person supplies and compatible occupied service. Co-op work can also use separate prepared vehicles or staged pedestrian tasks. Cargo capacity must accommodate essential equipment before optional sample ambitions. An illustration containing many crates is not evidence those crates fit a real kit or carrier.

# Mars expeditions — three complete departures and returns

## C07-EXP1-01 — MA-EXP-01: the first channel and the weather window

The first outing teaches that a familiar landmark can be reached through different kinds of route. Its completion result is a mapped channel junction, a useful geological observation, a retained sample where collected, and a serviced return. It does not require Brine Scarps, a permanent Frontier Yard or local propellant/oxygen manufacture. The player can finish with a modest imported setup and postpone deeper expansion.

At the arrival refuge, the player inspects the actual rover configuration or selects the supported walking variation. The travel plan names the visible terrace, the channel junction, the stopping shelf and the retreat point. The load contains appropriate protection, a known survey instrument, closed sample containers, a route marker, compatible repair/filter stock, food and the required supply allocations. The protected transport return stays reserved in the actual craft. Optional sampling space is whatever remains after the essential load fits.

Before departure, the player completes a local service rehearsal: stop and board the rover, close the supported cabin boundary, inspect charge and breathing supply, identify the independent personal fallback, and check that the sample container can be retrieved while parked. A warning about a missing cartridge names that missing item. It does not masquerade as a vague vehicle-readiness percentage that leaves the player guessing which system is incomplete.

## C07-EXP1-02 — The terrace and the first route choice

The rover travels along a surveyed or visually inspectable terrace toward the recognizable channel mouth. The player sees two options before committing. A direct saddle crosses exposed ground and offers a clear view; a longer gully provides more shelter and a gentler cargo approach. The forecast indicates an approaching front. The decision has a visible cause and a manageable consequence, rather than a secretly correct answer chosen by an arbitrary timer.

The worked conservative route uses the gully and stops at a broad turning shelf. The player records the stopping position, leaves the rover secured and carries the survey and sample equipment to a narrow sediment exposure. A short walking-only continuation gives the player a useful role outside the cab. The instrument supports reading the physical layers; it does not replace looking at the channel junction with a complete automatic map.

The observation records the visible branch pattern and the sample's actual source. A small ordinary sample may be collected without establishing extraction machinery. The player then compares the approaching front against the known return and nearby camp option. Taking another sample remains optional. The game should make the cost of that extension legible while preserving the earlier useful result if the player decides to return.

## C07-EXP1-03 — A camp, an interruption and a return

The chosen Ochre Gallery camp location has a clear approach and room for a supported sealed module. If the player brought the complete kit and suitable site supplies, commissioning creates a real working refuge; otherwise the natural hollow remains a weather shelter for a suited person and the rover/craft retreat plan still applies. A partly built attractive room is not granted breathing service before its required boundaries and supplies exist.

The conservative completed scenario establishes the small supported camp, records it and conducts one modest observation while the front passes. A failure variation presents a blocked deployment preview. The player retrieves uncommitted construction stock, selects another suitable site or returns to the previous refuge. A second variation presents a cartridge/service warning at the stopped rover. The player uses the imported supported replacement or shortens the outing. Neither variation invents a local Mars-only ingredient for the repair.

On return, the rover is the same recorded vehicle, carrying the retained sample and remaining supplies. The player unloads it, records the channel and service findings, separates the preserved specimen from any processing allocation, and replenishes consumed stock. A simple first manufacturing or survey application can be proposed at the home or frontier workshop. A modest result is enough: the player now understands the next channel and has a dependable route to use again.

MA-EXP-01 is document-complete when both the rover and useful walking variation explain preparation, a known retreat, a weather decision, a source observation and a conserved homecoming. Actual route length, kit capacity and supply rates remain future evidence. Walking variation does not promise that every long regional journey is equally convenient on foot; it guarantees meaningful first work before vehicle expansion.

## C07-EXP2-01 — MA-EXP-02: the buried route and the first catalyst batch

The second outing uses the previous route record to ask a more specific question: which buried continuation connects the surface drainage to the deeper mineral interfaces? Its completion result is supported evidence, a protected first brine sample where chosen, a useful return route and a demonstrated finite PM04 application. A mature extraction plant is optional. The same evidence path remains valid with CEC01 disabled.

Preparation adds protected sampling equipment, actual closed receivers, a supported field-camp allocation if one is not already commissioned, sufficient instrument power and the required local/return reserves. SPX02's brine-sampling sleeve or the supported remote sampling form protects the initial operation. The first sample lies within the capabilities of this imported equipment. A better later frame, platform or carrier can improve larger extraction without becoming the prerequisite for the first observation.

The mission record shows the completed channel evidence and the next missing comparison. It does not demand that the player restart the initial survey because a different participant is now present. Shared knowledge and ownership permissions need a coherent future implementation, while consumptive sample and equipment costs remain actual individual inventory records. A prior photograph or journal entry does not conjure a new physical specimen.

## C07-EXP2-02 — Compare the continuation and commission the working stop

Several accessible cross-sections let the player compare a supported continuation with a side basin. The recommendation is a legible distinction through bedding, elevation relationship and recorded sample provenance. An incorrect candidate should still provide a useful observation, ordinary material or route possibility. It explains why the interpretation is incomplete rather than issuing an unexplained failure marker after a long trip.

The player parks at the known cargo shelf and carries the protected kit through Ochre Galleries. Bedding and visible windows between levels lead toward the next interface. The camp is commissioned or serviced before the player commits to deeper work. Route markers and a known camp boundary provide a dependable retreat even if specialist instrument quality becomes poor. The physical route stays useful when the mystery instrument cannot supply an answer.

As the passages approach Brine Scarps, pale crusts and isolated contained traces appear before the broader stepped faces. These details distinguish the layer without turning Mars into a cave river. A stable upper shelf supports a modest first sample. A larger pocket farther below suggests a future platform and handling project. The player can choose the smaller source and still advance the investigation.

## C07-EXP2-03 — Sample custody and the useful batch

The player selects a compatible closed receiver and checks the sampling position. The interaction communicates the source, required protection, expected supported handling and current receiver capacity. If the receiver is full or incompatible, the operation waits before transfer. No sample is quietly spilled into the world to clear a slot. The player retains the recorded geological evidence if they choose to stop without collecting more material.

At the safe working stop, the sample is assigned either to preserved observation stock or a selected processing order. The first batch may return to an already equipped Earth or lunar workshop; local manufacture is only available after its actual host, containment, power and carrier inputs are commissioned. This preserves the value of a portable field lab without requiring it before the first discovery.

The recommended PM04 demonstration fills a reusable service cartridge with a finite prepared active charge. One selected supported process or habitat duty uses that cartridge under a declared operating rule. The documentation does not promise a universal catalyst, infinite cycle or exact consumption reduction. When exhausted, the active charge becomes the named spent state; the housing can return to service after the appropriate work, but cleaning does not create new active material.

The return closes three records: campaign knowledge retained, sample material located, and supplies reconciled. The player has a reason to improve the workshop and a reason to revisit the site. A later bulk pocket can become an optional regional order; it is not a retroactive requirement to make the initial sortie count.

## C07-EXP2-04 — Recovery and the decision to stop

One worked interruption places the larger source beyond a route whose cargo support is not yet adequate. The player uses the upper sample or returns with the observation and marks a later platform project. Another presents a poor instrument reading caused by local interference or unsuitable positioning. The player compares an adjacent exposure or a second observation point. Both retain the earlier records; neither consumes a unique unreplaceable campaign sample to retry.

The campaign can continue through a conservative modest-batch route. The Frontier Yard becomes attractive when repeated service and interpretation justify it, not because the mission suddenly requires a city. Completion acceptance checks the earlier availability of every required sleeve, container, service part and refuge input; the actual field-route and numerical batch tests remain future implementation work.

## C07-EXP3-01 — MA-EXP-03: Rootstone and the second yard

The third expedition resolves the signature investigation and offers a meaningful settlement choice afterward. It uses the known surface/channel/camp relationship, confirmed brine evidence and the supported route toward Rootstone. Its preparation includes a serviced rover, known refuges, spare service stock, protected instrument cargo, the selected crossing or support materials and a clear allocation for returning. PM03 improvements are useful options; earlier supported members still work.

The final instrument's required components must be manufacturable before the destination of their first use. The mystery can unlock a method through earlier observations, but it cannot demand a Rootstone-only result from the same instrument that is required to obtain that result. The interface lists the missing observation, component, supply or site condition separately. Earlier campaign progress survives a postponed departure.

The load plan identifies what stays with the rover, what moves to camp, what the player carries into the chamber and what remains protected for retreat. Extra crew require real occupied capacity and personal supplies. The recommendation does not use a cargo icon as a stand-in for a passenger or assume the largest illustrated crate can pass through a narrow walking route.

## C07-EXP3-02 — Move the instrument through a known world

The rover reaches a known stopping point, then the crew stages the instrument through the supported pedestrian/cargo route. A difficult segment can invite a small constructed crossing, a supported handling setup or a deliberate carried transfer within actual item capabilities. The chosen method names its stock, support and retreat path. A diagram's arrow does not establish a crane or lift that has not been built.

Rootstone introduces a change in interpretation. The player follows connected mineral ribs across windows and separated chambers, compares the visible continuity with the surface drainage record, and uses bounded readings to test the relationship. Large negative spaces create memorable views and route questions. The player need not destroy the most important formation or guess through random walls to obtain a valid observation.

The recommended instrument site sits on a workable supported position with a legible view of the relevant structure. Its placement checks support, power, instrument identity, access and the necessary earlier evidence. An unsuitable orientation or obstructed view explains the missing condition. Calibration is a meaningful comparison, not a repeated random chance to consume another instrument kit.

## C07-EXP3-03 — An earned answer and a choice of home

Commissioning records the relationship between surface drainage, the buried route, the brine interface and the observed Rootstone structure. The result should explain what the player has learned in plain language within the fictional mystery. It can relate to Earth's deeper trace family without introducing an unselected alien city or replacing the geological campaign with an unrelated revelation.

The practical result is a recorded route and a better understanding of this region. The crew can return with that discovery, leave a compact supplied refuge, or establish a second Frontier Yard near the new approach. Those are different investments. A second yard makes repeat journeys and local service easier; it is not the only valid completion. A player who values a modest foothold should not be penalized with an incomplete campaign badge after finishing the investigation.

Back at the arrival yard or home workshop, the player services the same equipment, unloads surviving stock and decides which practical improvement follows. A modular rack member, a finite processing cartridge, a clearer instrument arrangement or a better regional supply stop can make the result visible. The next visit reuses the existing vehicle and infrastructure. It does not demand another complete craft, duplicated equipment or a new mandatory research tax for the same observation.

## C07-EXP3-04 — Interrupted observation and recoverable equipment

If the instrument loses power or the route becomes temporarily unsuitable, the verified prior observations remain. A partially completed installation retains the actual committed stock and supported process state. It either resumes or returns the documented uncommitted components. The player can retreat without forfeiting the only way to complete the investigation.

If the rover becomes disabled, the player follows the supported personal/camp retreat and configured recovery association. The vehicle and cargo retain one coherent recorded state. Nonessential cargo may become a disclosed salvage task; the journal's verified knowledge is not trapped forever inside a physical crate. Recovery consequences remain a difficulty and implementation question, but no default consequence should permanently remove the only campaign continuation.

The documentation is complete when a normal and interrupted observation both have an explainable outcome; the route, field stock, instrument custody and homecoming agree; and the second-yard choice remains optional. Physical kit fit, cargo movement, pressure behavior, actual route traversal and runtime persistence remain explicit future acceptance work.

# The Frontier Yard — samples, service and a regional home

## C07-YARD-01 — A yard begins with one useful stop

The first yard should look like a place a player has begun to understand. A rover stops where it can turn, the refuge entrance is clear, returned samples have a working position, spare filters occupy a visible rack, and a mast identifies the place from the approach. Its useful first stage does not require every later building in the illustration. The player can make a practical service stop before choosing a substantial second home.

The authored core and free building cooperate. Required support, enclosure boundaries, operation and emergency approach must remain valid; surrounding paths, signs, rooms and decoration can express the player. A route improvement is meaningful because it connects a real stopping place to a real expedition. The yard should not become a generic reward platform detached from the landscape that justified it.

## C07-YARD-02 — Six useful stages

| Stage | Work and commissioning | Benefit | Optional continuation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Service pad and refuge | Valid arrival/turning approach, complete supported refuge, actual reserves, stored goods and recorded retreat | A dependable place to prepare, return and rest | Add a larger workshop only when its work is useful. |
| Rover bay and repair position | Supported stopped vehicle, accessible service face, tools, compatible spares and preserved emergency access | Routine repair and loadout changes | A gantry supports selected larger jobs after fit and equipment requirements are met. |
| Weather mast and map station | Actual instrument coverage, power and existing observations | Better local confidence and route planning | Additional instruments extend stated coverage, not omniscient knowledge. |
| Materials workshop | Defined sample custody, selected processing host, power, containment, outputs and service stock | Faster interpretation and useful local batches | Expand preparation or recovery for repeated selected orders. |
| Greenhouse module | Commissioned enclosure, imported seeds, actual light/energy, water/nutrients and finite growing duty | Supported food and a more comfortable home | Larger cultivation trades space and inputs for its stated result. |
| Regional depot | Authorized existing goods, capacity, receiving positions and an established link | Less repetitive replenishment carrying | A second stop supports a useful route without waking an absent factory. |

These stages are functional descriptions of the existing Frontier Yard, not six new mandatory controllers. Some can be commissioned independently once their actual prerequisites exist. A map station need not wait for the greenhouse. A compact lab can serve a modest refuge without a full depot. The record explicitly identifies whether the next stage adds a new capability, more capacity or greater convenience.

## C07-YARD-03 — Occupied routes and separate services

Pedestrian circulation stays distinct from the vehicle approach and moving service equipment. The player should be able to reach the refuge and essential supplies while the rover is parked at its normal service position. Returned material can reach the sample station without crossing an active tool envelope. A larger work platform must not block the only turning area that made the original site suitable.

Supply types remain separate. Charging uses compatible energy and delivery. Breathing refill uses a real compatible prepared source. Cleaning uses the declared tools and service stock. Food cultivation uses imported starter resources and ongoing finite inputs. Mars brine is not assumed drinkable, breathable or a complete habitat feedstock. A local-production mode is only advertised when its entire input and output route is documented and commissioned.

An occupied habitat keeps serving eligible present participants when its owner leaves. An unoccupied managed region parks under the established model, retaining stocks and authored progress without catch-up production or absence consumption. The greenhouse does not become a hidden maintenance debt. Freight advances only through its declared receiving-region rule and reserved goods; it does not restart the source workshop while no participant is there.

## C07-YARD-04 — A service visit as a readable routine

The rover enters the stopping position, secures movement and shows what needs attention. The player can unload samples first when they need protected custody, then inspect filters, charge, breathing stock, repair needs and the next route allocation. A combined status view can shorten inspection without merging these services into one magical refill button. Each action names what it consumes or transfers and what the player receives.

A missing compatible spare leaves the affected function waiting while other supported work can continue. A full sample receiver holds the closed container safely. A disconnected power source pauses charging without removing the charge already delivered. A queued repair does not withdraw a protected emergency part without an explicit changed plan. These routines should make repeated preparation simpler as the yard grows, while keeping the service responsibilities understandable.

## C07-YARD-05 — PM03 Ferric Lattice from source to fitted member

The first accepted iron-bearing source and common structural companions reach a supported preparation and forming/composite route. The source card retains PM03's identity and the distinction between a natural feedstock and a manufactured lattice. The exact accepted item/tag recipe, tool, energy cost and yield remain unresolved numerical design fields. The workflow nevertheless identifies each responsibility and the finished application.

The recommended first use is a replaceable external rack corner or similar modular member on the existing Survey Rover. It demonstrates repairability directly. IND-M58 installs it into the actual vehicle after the old member and any blocking cargo are accounted for. The earlier frame remains a valid alternative. A more rugged member does not automatically increase speed, slope capability, sealed cabin volume or inventory capacity.

The first batch may be processed at an established home workshop. Local production becomes useful when repeated repairs and construction justify bringing or building the appropriate equipment. A large local extraction assembly remains an option. It cannot appear as the only means of obtaining the very component needed to deploy that assembly.

## C07-YARD-06 — PM04 Brine Catalyst as a finite service improvement

The first sample comes from a reachable upper interface and uses imported protective equipment. Closed custody connects collection to IND-M51 study and the proposed IND-M23 preparation route. Any carrier, process water, energy, service media, container and mandatory residue must be defined before the recipe becomes executable. IND-M16 or IND-M24 is included only where the selected actual process needs that function; its position in the catalogue does not make it an automatic extra stage.

The prepared output occupies a reusable cartridge housing with a finite active charge. The selected receiving process or habitat duty declares its benefit and its cost. A compact installation might use that charge to support a particular service arrangement or reduce a defined burden, while an ordinary earlier supplied mode remains available. Until exact values are chosen, the document does not claim an efficiency percentage, service duration or infinite closed loop.

The spent charge remains identified. Housing recovery is a different operation from active-material preparation. No mat colony, animal drop or rare living niche is required. A player can choose to preserve all optional Mars life if such life is later selected and still complete this material route. The current edition's six boards do not depict that conditional ecology.

## C07-YARD-07 — Homecoming value beyond the next rocket

The return can improve an Earth workshop, a lunar refuge or the familiar Mars yard. Ferric Lattice makes a visible repairable member possible. Brine Catalyst supports a chosen finite processing/service module. Survey knowledge improves the player's understanding of a route. A palette of protected windows, warm rooms, practical fixtures and dusty structural forms gives the player a reason to build something personal.

The campaign's outward connection remains the established broader progression toward Europa. That context does not activate a full Europa campaign, later hull interiors or new production artwork in this edition. A player can pause with a useful Mars foothold and keep developing home. The route onward needs its own earlier capability and independent return plan when that future slice is selected.

# Mars evidence and recovery — the investigation remains understandable

## C07-EVID-01 — The River That Isn't There as a connected record

The signature investigation asks the player to reconstruct a buried drainage relationship, then observe its continuation in Rootstone. The existing seven steps remain: read the surface pattern; compare candidate continuations; establish a field camp; follow the mineral interfaces; trace connected structure; commission the observation; make the route useful. The expanded record specifies what each step contributes and how incomplete evidence is explained.

| Evidence step | What supports it | What is retained | If it is incomplete |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Surface pattern | Viewpoint, visible channel branches and an identified missing continuation | Recorded observation and its location | Move to a suitable view or inspect the relevant branch; no random reveal roll. |
| Candidate comparison | Accessible cross-sections, bedding relationships and sample provenance where needed | A supported interpretation and useful rejected alternatives | Explain which relationship is unconfirmed; another candidate remains reachable. |
| Field camp | Actual commissioned refuge and recorded approach | A practical retreat and staging location | Finish the missing service or use the previous refuge; natural shelter stays non-breathable. |
| Mineral interface | Protected Brine Scarp observation and supported sampling | Geological evidence, separate from consumptive sample stock | Reposition or select the modest reachable interface; no optional mat dependency. |
| Rootstone continuity | Related separated exposures and bounded instrument comparisons | The tested structural relationship | Identify poor position, obstruction or local signal quality; retain earlier observations. |
| Commissioned observation | Correct instrument, support, power, calibration and required prior evidence | A clear interpretation and completed record | Name the missing component or evidence; resume without duplicating committed stock. |
| Useful route | Recorded connection, return and chosen markers/infrastructure | A route the player can revisit | A second yard remains optional; the completed discovery survives postponed construction. |

The investigation's answer should be legible. Its atmospheric mystery can leave larger questions open, but this local campaign owes the player an explanation of the relationship they established and what it changes. A sequence of cryptic fragments without a usable conclusion would not meet the intended payoff.

## C07-EVID-02 — A useful wrong turn

An unsupported channel candidate can reveal why a branch belongs to a side basin, provide ordinary material, offer a future sheltered route or improve the regional map. The player learns something and can act on it. The design does not reward every attempt with a correct answer, but it avoids empty travel whose only result is being told to search somewhere else.

The same principle applies underground. A poor instrument location explains its limitation through a visible obstruction, unstable support or a bounded local reading problem. Moving the instrument is a task grounded in the chamber. It should not require grinding more copies of a rare calibration item until a hidden random condition accepts one. A permanently lost unique object cannot be the sole surviving proof of a previously completed observation.

## C07-EVID-03 — Four recovery boundaries

| Problem | Immediate useful response | Persistent result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weather interrupts an optional segment | Return to the known stopping point, use the commissioned refuge or select the appropriate alternative | Prior observations, placed markers, real supplies and the route record remain. |
| Rover is blocked or disabled | Stop before unsuitable terrain, use the walking/alternate route or declared recovery association | One vehicle and cargo state; nonessential salvage can remain a later disclosed job. |
| Camp or process commissioning is interrupted | Identify missing support/input, recover uncommitted stock or resume the saved stage | No duplicate installed structure, free refill or second output. |
| Final observation loses power or has a poor view | Restore the named service or reposition within the supported site | Earlier evidence survives and the same instrument retains its actual assembly/custody state. |

Recovery preserves meaningful consequences without permanently trapping the campaign. The exact loss and salvage rules still belong to the chosen game difficulty and future implementation. The documentation requires those consequences to be communicated before an irreversible action. It does not turn every mistake into free supplies or guarantee that every optional cargo unit is automatically returned.

## C07-EVID-04 — Solo, shared and parked work

A solo player can stage driving, carrying, sampling and construction across several outings. Co-op can divide those tasks if the actual vehicle, personal supplies, project permissions and shared observation rules support it. A departing owner cannot freeze another participant's active suit demand or occupied refuge. Conversely, an unoccupied managed region does not simulate hidden weather damage and supply consumption while everyone is elsewhere.

Knowledge, installed projects and material custody have different sharing rules. A campaign observation may be available to authorized participants without duplicating its physical sample. A shared yard can reserve real stock for one project at a time. A freight arrival can complete through the existing receiving-region rule without running remote manufacturing. The implementation will need to test these rules; this edition provides the acceptance relationships and records no such runtime pass.

## C07-EVID-05 — Revisit goals and a satisfying stopping point

After the signature mission, Mars supports more elegant routes, alternative channel basins, selected material work, new gallery connections, field trials and personal construction. Survey records should tell the player what differs at a new site. Repeating the same sample under a new label is not enough to make another journey meaningful.

The mature player's mastery is visible in choices. They can carry less redundant cargo because known shelters exist, choose a more suitable vehicle configuration, prepare a specific small order, or invest in a second yard serving several routes. Supplies remain real and finite, but preparation becomes more confident. A completed campaign with a modest foothold is a valid stopping point. A developed second home is an additional expression of the same vision.

## C07-EVID-06 — Completion criteria and remaining evidence

The documentation closes P04 when the existing regional identities, three expanded expeditions, signature evidence chain, yard stages, two material applications, service relationships, recovery boundaries and return value are all linked and illustrated at the selected level. The source and visual registers retain the earlier writing and label new recommendations. Disabling CEC01 leaves every required path intact.

Future gameplay acceptance must inspect representative generated routes, actual turning and stopping clearances, player/suit/vehicle/cargo fit, full recipe and supply numbers, readable weather timing, compatible process and enclosure services, interrupted project states and active/parked participant behavior. These are not passed by prose, an SVG route or a rendered board. The completion backlog keeps them distinct from the finished documentation and from optional farther-world expansion.