Explorer

Space around the Torch is full of things to poke at - exoplanets, derelict ships, and asteroid belts, to name a few. Explorers are the "brave" folks that serve as the primary boots on the ground to these places. Led by the Pathfinder, their role is to explore these places, gather data about them, catalogue findings, and hopefully not die in the process. Different might have different specializations - plant studies, xenobiology, geology, and so on - but their core role is the same: blaze a trail across the unknown and chart the stars. Anyone can be dragged into an away mission, but explorers answer the call first.

Exploration Primer
IMPORTANT: Avoid playing as an Explorer if you're new to the server, or still getting a grasp on the setting and mechanics. Exploration is dangerous work at the best of times, and a mistake can not only end your round, but end the round of others as well.

Mission directives
As an explorer, you're part of the Expeditionary Corps - a uniformed organization of the Sol Central Government whose goal is to explore space and exploit resources. Its core ethos are as follows:
 * Exploring the unknown is your Primary Mission. You are to look for land and resources that can be used by Humanity to advance and prosper. Explore. Document. Explain. Knowledge is the most valuable resource.
 * Every member of the Expeditionary Corps is an explorer. Some are Explorers by rank or position, but everyone has to be one when duty calls. You should always expect being assigned to an expedition if needed. You have already volunteered when you signed up.
 * Danger is a part of the mission - avoid, not run away. Keep your crew alive and hull intact, but remember - you are not here to sightsee. Dangers are obstacles to be cleared, not the roadblocks. Weigh risks carefully and keep your Primary Mission in mind.

The very basics
Most things an explorer needs can be found on deck five - the Hangar deck. On the fore side, directly opposite the elevator, you can find Expedition Prep, which contains an assortment of supplies and a locker for each explorer, as well as suit storage units for the space suits that should be worn when exploring any unfamiliar environment. There are several shuttles in the Hangar, but there are two you'll want to remember: the Charon and the General Utility Pod, or GUP. You'll typically be riding on the Charon for away missions, as it's designed as an exploration shuttle, featuring extensive storage space in the engine bay and two airlocks.

Things to Hit Other Things With
Explorers need to be prepared for a variety of encounters, eventualities, and contingencies. To this end, they have a large selection of tools at their disposal. Some of these are borderline required, while others are just nice to have. Keep track of your things - you'll need them if things go south.

Essentials
You should carry these things with you at all times in an unfamiliar environment. All of them can be found in your locker.
 * A light source. This should be self-explanatory.
 * Your titanium machete. The explorer's most valuable companion, and claim to infamy. Use it to take samples, cut away blockages, or drive away hostile xenofauna (or "xenofauna", as circumstances dictate.)
 * Machete belt. In addition to having a handy slot for your machete, this belt can hold a wide variety of your gear. You can press the  key to draw a machete from this, or to put a wielded machete into the belt.
 * Your voidsuit. Every explorer should grab a voidsuit from Expedition Prep. It protects from vacuum, as well as hostile atmospheres, possessing respectable radiation shielding and armor. Absolutely essential - you should never go into an unfamiliar environment with your voidsuit off unless you're absolutely sure that it's safe.
 * A full oxygen tank. The oxygen tank found in your suit storage unit doesn't start completely full, so you should put it into the oxygen canister found nearby and top it off before you leave.
 * Binoculars. Using a pair of binoculars will allow you to see ahead of you by about a full screen's worth of distance. Useful for determining the location of buildings, pinpointing downed teammates, or finding the Charon.
 * Light first aid kit. Slim enough to fit in a pocket, but no less important. Comes with sterile gloves and a roll of gauze, as well as autoinjectors for three chems: inaprovaline, deletrathol, and dexalin, all of which are useful in an emergency.
 * Relay positioning device. A simple positioner that lets you judge your coordinates. If you keep this in a pocket, you can see your current location in the  panel. Absolutely essential - it's very easy to get lost or turned around without one of these, and if you don't know where you are or where the shuttle is, then nobody else knows, either!
 * Shortwave radio. On the Torch, you can use a headset to speak over radio. In expeditions, without the benefit of a telecomms system, shortwave radios are the only reliable way to keep in touch with your team. By default, it uses the frequency [1459], which is also used for the Common channel on the Torch. Shortwave radios have a limited charge, but you can put them into any recharger to quickly fill it back up.
 * Webbing or drop pouches. These can be attached to your jumpsuit to get some free extra storage space. Your locker starts with webbing, but you can also select it in your loadout.

Several other items that are useful for an enterprising explorer include the following. Some of these can be found in your locker or elsewhere in Expedition Prep, but some of them will need to come from elsewhere.
 * A spare oxygen tank. Air tanks are very bulky, but when you need a second one, you'll be glad you brought it. You have an emergency oxygen tank in your survival kit that can work, if you have nothing else.
 * Bluespace flare. Creates a navpoint for shuttles to land at. These aren't often used, but they can save lives if the Charon is stuck on the ground and you need help from the Torch, as you won't have to waste time locating the landing point.
 * Botanical satchel. A much more convenient way to store plant samples or alien fruits. Can also hold snacks in a pinch (just be careful that you know which is which.)
 * Buddy tag. Enter an ID into this and turn it on, and it'll periodically beep if you're not in range of another tag with the ID. Attaches to your jumpsuit. Useful if you're traveling in pairs, but most people don't use these.
 * Camera. Point it at things and press the button. Anyone receiving an exploration report loves to have photos attached.
 * Duct tape. If your voidsuit ruptures, duct tape can be the only thing standing between you and death by vacuum, acidic gas, or any other number of horrible things that it usually protects you from.
 * Explorer's combi-knife. A pocket knife that comes with a large blade and a pry bar. You can stick this in your boots if you're short on space, but it'll take a few seconds to draw.
 * Gas analyzer. Click a tile with this to get a reading of its atmosphere. Useful to determine if the atmosphere is toxic, or if an interior has been contaminated.
 * Geiger counter. Radiation can be very lethal, but it's completely invisible. Geiger counters play a very distinctive sound when you're near unsafe levels of radiation, and can be examined for an exact readout.
 * Optical meson scanners. You won't find these in your locker, but you can choose them in your loadout. They let you see basic floor and wall layouts regardless of darkness, and are equally as useful for you as they are for engineers.
 * Ore detector. Use this on an open tile to determine the minerals beneath it, which can then be accessed by a mining drill. Accrues points that can be used by Supply for a tiny amount of extra credits.
 * Plant analyzer. Scans a plant to determine its statistics, as well as what reagents a fruit might contain.
 * Research tape. Can be used to mark things off so people don't barge into danger, or as a marker for areas that've already been explored.
 * Science goggles. Used to determine material composition of objects, display any technology levels, or see what reagents are in an object.
 * Xenolife scanner. You can run this over an animal to determine what it breathes, the environment it lives in, and species information. You can also use it on a stasis cage to scan what's inside it.

Prepping your voidsuit
Assuming you've grabbed your voidsuit, there are a few steps you can take to make life easier for yourself. You can attach your helmet and magboots to the main voidsuit by clicking on it with them; afterwards, they'll automatically slide out and equip when you put the voidsuit on. Magboots can comfortably slide over other shoe items, meaning you don't need to take them off just to suit up. You can also put your oxygen tank into the suit, although it'll be harder to remove if you need to take it off quickly.

Wearing a breath mask isn't needed if you already have a helmet on (it'll keep a seal over your head, after all), but it can be good practice. You may want to turn on your helmet camera by right-clicking the helmet - it lets others see through your helmet, which can be immensely helpful in locating you if you're lost or for getting remote information on possible threats before others move in. You can also tint the visor, providing some glare protection at the cost of darkening your vision.

If you're a Skrell or Unathi, you can put your voidsuit into the suit cycler in lower Expedition Prep to fit it to your species.

The ballistic launcher
In the Charon's crew compartment, on the north wall, you can find an ID-locked cabinet containing a special type of shotgun called the ballistic launcher, or just the boomstick. It can only load and fire special types of shells, almost all of them focused around utility instead of hurting things. Only pathfinders and shuttle pilots can open this cabinet, but they'll probably do so if you ask nicely and you have the training.

To actually use the launcher:
 * Swipe your ID through the launcher.
 * Rack the launcher by activating it in your hand. You'll hear it pump if you've done this right.
 * Turn the safety off by right-clicking the launcher and selecting 'Toggle Safety', or ctrl-clicking it. Only do this when you're about to fire - you should keep the safety on at all times if you aren't about to shoot.
 * Click on the thing you want to fire at. If it's right in front of you, switch to harm intent to be able to point-blank it.

Like any gun, the boomstick's accuracy and recoil will heavily deviate depending on if you fire it with one hand or two. To use it with both hands, just keep an empty second hand, and you'll see your character automatically holding it in both hands. A one-handed gun is far harder to aim, and should be avoided unless you know what you're doing.

The launcher's cabinet comes with three types of shells.
 * Beanbag. These don't do much damage, but they hurt like hell. Use it to ward off hungry animals.
 * Flash. Also known as illumination shells. They create a bright flash of light around them. This runs the risk of temporary blindness for anyone standing too close, but otherwise it shows a directional message to anyone else in the same area as the impact. Useful for signaling, or just creating some light.
 * Net. Firing this at an animal will attempt to create an energy net if it hits, trapping the creature inside. Feisty animals can break out quickly, and the net is fragile, so it's best to use these sparingly - typically when you have a stasis cage ready.

The Charon and You
The Charon is the exploration department's precious baby. Not only is it responsible for ferrying them to and from expedition locations, but it also serves as a staging ground, a secure shelter, a storage area, and in the event of an emergency, a guaranteed safe harbor from whatever monsters might be outside.

The rear section of the Charon, designated by red hull, is the engine bay. This also doubles as a large storage area for salvage, things of interest, spare supplies, and any other number of things. Different explorers and pathfinders like to bring different things on the trip, and you'll see most of those things in this room. Objects that you might expect to see, or be asked to bring aboard, include, but are not limited to:
 * Anomaly containers. You need these to safely contain and move anomalies, usually to give to science. To put an anomaly inside, hold left click on it, then drag it onto the container and release. This means you'll touch it at least once while getting it in, but it's better than leaving it out alone if it's causing trouble.
 * An oxygen canister. Optional, but very useful. Having a canister to refill your internals from means you can spend much more time in the field before needing to return to the Torch.
 * Emergency floodlights. These run off of a replaceable power cell and provide a lot of light. Don't take the ones in the Hangar unless you get permission - they're for lighting up the landing pad.
 * Mining drill. This comes in several parts - two braces and a head. An ore box is needed to unload raw material. The Prospector will typically want to bring one of these to an exoplanet, if you're landing on one.
 * Portable air pumps. These can contain up to 15000 kPa of gas - typically breathable air.
 * Portable air scrubbers. These are slow, but essential, used to clear the air of toxins on the move. You generally want to keep these in the crew area; many explorers deconstruct a rack to make room for it.
 * Stasis cages. Used to contain xenofauna in stasis for further study. You can put an animal in these like you put anomalies into containers. An animal must be in an energy net before attempting this!
 * Suspension field generator. These are primarily for |Scientists, and while they can be used to contain animals, their main use is in Xenoarchaeology.
 * The exploration mech. This is found in the lower portion of Expedition Prep, and comes with a mounted clamp, a floodlight, and a plasma cutter, as well as a mounted jetpack for moving in space. Very useful for hauling things around.

Getting there
Once everything is loaded and all of your team is ready, you should buckle into a shuttle seat or a hand rail - if you're not secured when the shuttle launches or lands, you'll be flung around and take damage. Whoever pilots the Charon will determine where it lands; depending on if the Torch itself has maneuvered to the point of interest, you might land directly there, or you may stop in open space where the pilot can maneuver the Charon itself into place. While you're in transit, just stay put, listen to others, and try not to break anything. There's a navigation screen on the upper right hand of the crew compartment, if you'd like to watch the movement as it happens.

When you reach your destination, it might take many forms. If you're on an exoplanet, you'll typically be in the wilderness, and it might be day or night outside. In space, you might be in directly open area, or near the airlock of a derelict area. Follow the pathfinder's instructions once you do; they'll determine if it's safe and where to exit. It's generally a good idea to look out of the windows and take stock of your surroundings. Are you in open space? Does the environment seem to be hostile? First impressions are very important in exploration, because looks are often truthful. If you look outside and see lava everywhere, for instance, you can safely guess that it'll be a dangerous environment.

You'll likely be using the fore airlock in the Charon - marked by a 3x3 area. The engine bay has another airlock, but it's much smaller, and can fit a maximum of two people.

When everyone is ready, the airlock will "cycle" its clean air into storage and replace it with the external atmosphere. Proper airlock procedure is as follows:
 * 1) Open your internals and make sure that your shortwave radio is on. The air pressure in the airlock will become too low to breathe, and alien atmospheres are often toxic enough to kill you.
 * 2) You will hear a klaxon sound when the airlock begins to cycle.
 * 3) Wait for the door to open. This may take some time. Do not force the airlock in either direction unless it's an emergency or you're asked to. Seriously, don't! It can contaminate the Charon's atmosphere, injure or even kill your team, or both at once.
 * 4) When the door is open, exit the airlock.

The Part Where You Actually Explore
So you've flown to the planet without the shuttle crashing, touched down without being thrown against the window, and made it out of the airlock without popping a lung. Nice work! But before you rush off and get mauled by aliens, remember to do the following things:
 * 1) Travel together. The explorer that travels alone dies alone. While you're learning the ropes, stick with a partner. It's safer, and that way, if one of you gets hurt, the other will be able to radio it in.
 * 2) Remember the Charon's coordinates. You can use your relay positioning device to get the coordinates, and use the   verb to put them into your Notes. Getting lost is a great way to run out of air.
 * 3) Communicate. Whether you've found something, fallen into quicksand, gotten hurt, or just want to socialize, talk with your team often. It's the most important way to share that you're not dying and that you're doing your job.

As for gathering data and doing your job, the procedures are simple. * If the animal attacks you on sight, is territorial, or otherwise acts hostile, you'll probably want to avoid it if you can. If you have no other option, your voidsuit is armored (you have it on, right?) and your machete can take down most hungry aliens.
 * The first best practice is to whip out your gas analyzer and scan the planet's atmosphere. You can also use it in-hand and print out a reading. Some atmospheres are safe to breathe; others will make you die very quickly. It's important to know which one you're dealing with as soon as possible.
 * Found a weird plant or tree? Use your plant analyzer to scan it. You can take a sample of it with your machete, or harvest it with your botanical satchel (or an empty hand.) You can print reports from the plant analyzer just like the gas analyzer.
 * If you're helping the prospector to find underground ores and minerals, use your ore detector on the ground to get readings. Amounts differ between locations, even if it's just a few tiles away. It might be helpful to print reports and leave them where you find the scan. Noticing a pattern with these tools?
 * It's an animal! If it doesn't try to eat you as soon as it sees you, you have a few options. You'll generally want to scan it with your xenolife analyzer, and then, yep, print out a physical copy. If you'd like to capture the xenofauna for further study, you'll need to load the ballistic launcher with a net shell and shoot it, then quickly drag it onto a stasis cage.
 * You found some kind of anomaly! You'll recognize these by having a vague description and name, and they have a variety of possible effects that range the full spectrum of things that'll kill you dead. Have someone load it into an anomaly container, or do it yourself. Try not to interact with it too much, because it can cause very bad things to happen.
 * If you find a structure or ruin on the surface, call it out, and wait for another person before you go inside. If something (or someone) is in there, it might be hostile.

Biological spikes
Rarely, you might hear an indication that something is about to happen on the planet. This is marked with a distinctive sound and chat message. This almost always indicates that a massive activity spike is about to happen. You'll generally know it when you see it. When this happens, hostile mobs of different types will crawl out of the ground, and attack anything in range. The type and quantity of these mobs varies heavily. As a general rule of thumb, if this happens, staying is generally a very, very bad idea and you should get to the Charon or another sheltered area as fast as possible.

If you get caught in one of these and don't immediately die, radio it in so you can figure out a plan of action, and be prepared to have to fight your way out.

Mission Complete
Congratulations! You successfully explored the planet without being eaten by giant spiders, setting the Charon on fire, choking on toxic gas, or falling into a river of lava. Bring any contained anomalies, captive xenofauna, or plant samples to Science, help unload any minerals you've brought back, and help the Pathfinder write their report. If you'll be heading out again, take a breather, grab a snack from the Galley, and be ready to go when the time comes. If not, you have the rest of the shift to relax, talk about the expedition, or just retire to cryo after a job well done.

Tips
Explorers are infamous for being a rowdy group, especially with their machetes. You may be held in low regard if you don't do your part to show that you're competent. While you're expected to make mistakes every now and then, here are some pointers to make your life, and the lives of your team, better.
 * Listen to the Pathfinder. They're likely much more experienced than you, they're responsible for coordinating the team, and they probably have better judgment. It's also against the Sol Code of Uniform Justice not to follow their orders since they're your superior - as long as their orders are lawful.
 * Your machete is for exploration. Don't use it outside of that unless you have to. You might be armed with an oversized knife, but that doesn't give you an excuse to hit things with it (or other people, for that matter.) Doing so can constitute an offense of the Rules and could get you penalized. Rushing at a traitor with your machete can not only get you and other people killed because you escalated a situation incredibly fast, but it can spoil the round.
 * Rounds are typically non-canon. What happened last round stays in last round, even if you're with the same crew this time around. If there's something about an away site that you can only know by being there - the loot, the story, and so on - then you should act as if you don't. Although it may become repetitive, view every away site as a completely new experience, regardless of how many times you've been through it.
 * Do not try to make important decisions on your own. You are, at most, an E-5, or Senior Explorer - you hold little authority in the chain of command compared to the Pathfinder or other officers. The difference in experience can save a life!
 * Most importantly: it's about exploring things and learning about them, not picking up loot. If you'd like to poke at away sites for their valuables, Prospector's probably the job for you!