2026-09-14 19:25:07
Anonymous:
Remove text slop: disclaimers, process metadata, restatements and hedge tags; no rule changes (owner readability review, 14 Sep)
hold the flood/rescue rules.md ..
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# Hold The Horde — Rescue Rules
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**Current owner direction — 2026-09-08.** Cooperative rescue is accepted only while it avoids becoming a long escort quest. A long continuous escort is no longer an eligible alternative under that direction. Death now triggers a station shift. The ordering of shift, current-refuge handling and final abort is answered **conditionally** by the accepted candidate in [Death Shift and Rescue Continuity](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Death%20Shift%20And%20Rescue%20Continuity), whose protected retreat is **new and pending owner reaction** — not an owner requirement and not implied by a quiet window, a short route or the carried-property rule. Old references to a shipward refuge or adjoining vestibule do not guarantee unchanged reachability after a shift. Global survivor loss remains undecided. [Owner Brief](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Brief).
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**Status:** a working proposal after focused review for the Dorn example in [Rescue and Home](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Rescue%20and%20Home). It is not a global rescue, colony-management or survivor-loss system. The physical Sent boundary and local continuation rules below support one authored scene; oxygen quantities and gameplay quality remain unvalidated.
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This page covers one scene, the Dorn example in [Rescue and Home](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Rescue%20and%20Home); it is not a general rescue, colony-management or survivor-loss system. Death triggers a station shift. The ordering of shift, current-refuge handling and final abort follows the safeguard in [Death Shift and Rescue Continuity](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Death%20Shift%20And%20Rescue%20Continuity), whose protected retreat is pending owner decision. Owner decisions are recorded in the [Owner Brief](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Brief).
## Goal, air and handover
The immediate goal is to get Dorn from his refuge through the ship airlock. Contact through a viewport or radio establishes his willingness to leave after a route and breathable transfer are prepared. Consent and readiness are separate from sending.
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The original refuge's finite air supports a stable waiting state between expeditions without a hidden countdown. It produces no oxygen and cannot refill the astronaut. This is an explicit local gameplay convention, not a physical model or a general guarantee that survivors cannot worsen or die.
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The original refuge's limited air supports a stable waiting state between expeditions without a hidden countdown. It produces no oxygen and cannot refill the astronaut. This is a local gameplay convention.
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Its damaged personnel lock vents the room when opened. A separate pressure-rated equipment sleeve passes a canister inward without cycling that lock: the astronaut closes the outer hatch, Dorn opens the inner hatch, takes the canister, connects his suit and confirms flow. Only then may the personnel door open. The canister leaves the astronaut's carrying capacity when committed inside the sleeve. Neither sleeve nor refuge provides a player refill; Dorn is never an inventory slot.
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Its damaged personnel lock vents the room when opened. A separate pressure-rated equipment sleeve passes a canister inward without cycling that lock: the astronaut closes the outer hatch, Dorn opens the inner hatch, takes the canister, connects his suit and confirms flow. Only then may the personnel door open. The canister leaves the astronaut's carrying capacity when committed inside the sleeve. Neither sleeve nor refuge provides a player refill.
## Routes and carrying costs
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The player traverses the proposed route and stocks its designated abort refuge with a separate reserve canister. Breadcrumbs record visited passages, not current safety, continued access or exact oxygen cost.
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The player traverses the chosen route and stocks its designated abort refuge with a separate reserve canister. Breadcrumbs record visited passages, not current safety, continued access or exact oxygen cost.
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- **Direct route:** Fork installed in the compatible control seat carries the trigger; the fixed hoist supplies its own power and motion. The installed part frees carried capacity but is unavailable to the rig. Retrieval removes its control function without reversing the opened boundary or completed work. The shorter crossing overrides Dorn's wish. The companion article proposes a population/hazard connection with unknown contents and severity; this is not guaranteed punishment or an implied trust deduction.
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- **Short side route:** keep Fork and preserve his boundary. The baseline cutter releases visible jammed door bolts; each manual door cycle takes world time. Exposed preparation and air remain costs, but this alternative must fit the same short one-junction crossing and counted abort vestibule. No repressurisation capability or longer refuge-chain substitute is assumed.
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- **Direct route:** the Fork Relay (the splitter) installed in the compatible control seat carries the trigger; the fixed hoist supplies its own power and motion. The installed part frees carried capacity but is unavailable to the rig. Retrieval removes its control function without reversing the opened boundary or completed work. The shorter crossing overrides Dorn's wish. The companion article proposes a population/hazard connection on this route.
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- **Short side route:** keep the Fork Relay and preserve his boundary. The baseline cutter releases visible jammed door bolts; each manual door cycle takes time while the game runs. Exposed preparation and air remain costs, but this alternative must fit the same short one-junction crossing and abort vestibule. No repressurisation capability or longer refuge-chain substitute is assumed.
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Travel air and staged reserves compete with equipment and salvage while carried. Committed supplies are not simultaneously available in the astronaut's pack. A consumed reserve pays for a waiting state; it is not recoverable player oxygen. Under the owner’s death rule, only property still carried returns aboard; staged canisters and installed parts remain where committed.
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Travel air and staged reserves compete with equipment and salvage while carried. Committed supplies are not simultaneously available in the astronaut's pack. A consumed reserve pays for a waiting state; it is not recoverable player oxygen. On death, only property still carried returns aboard; staged canisters and installed parts remain where committed.
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## A finite route with an abort destination
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## A route with an abort destination
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Cast And Short Rescue Map's D1 is the current correction of this older local example: one personally walked junction crossing, using either the verified side route or the direct route after it is opened and verified. Both converge on the same present counted abort vestibule. The earlier sequence of refuge stops is not an offered rescue route. If neither route and its abort destination meet the short current geometry, departure waits.
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Cast And Short Rescue Map's D1 replaces this page's older example: one personally walked junction crossing, using either the verified side route or the direct route after it is opened and verified. Both converge on the same abort vestibule. The earlier sequence of refuge stops is not an offered rescue route. If neither route and its abort destination meet the short current geometry, departure waits.
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On an ordinary living abort, Dorn reaches that prepared vestibule using his travel canister's reserved margin and closes its stationward door from inside; he does not seal himself outside the refuge. Its staged reserve supports the existing bounded waiting convention, with no player refill or hidden countdown. A renewed attempt needs fresh travel air, the current short route rechecked and that same destination restocked. No refuge beyond the ship, fixed shipward access after a shift, or automatic delivery is guaranteed. Death during transfer follows the separately conditional safeguard below, not an extension of ordinary abort.
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On an ordinary living abort, Dorn reaches that prepared vestibule using his travel canister's reserved margin and closes its stationward door from inside. Its staged reserve supports the waiting convention. A renewed attempt needs fresh travel air, the current short route rechecked and that same destination restocked. No refuge beyond the ship, fixed shipward access after a shift, or automatic delivery is guaranteed. Death during transfer follows the safeguard below, not an extension of ordinary abort.
## Transfer states
| State | What establishes it | Next action |
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| Waiting | Dorn is in his current supported refuge | Postpone, explore, prepare or revise the route |
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| Prepared | Travel air connected and confirmed **by Dorn**; chosen short route traversed this life; designated abort refuge stocked; route equipment ready; the current encounter quiet; and a retreat line armed that he can operate without the astronaut. The handed-over canister must read at or above the route's authored **full-attempt return mark** — the outward attempt plus the longest return from any committed segment, including cycling back out of an unclosed ship airlock — confirmed on the local preparation gauge | Request movement; Dorn confirms readiness and his preference. An under-supplied request refuses before the refuge door opens |
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| In transfer | Dorn accepts and leaves | Hold the ordinary horde, operate controls, signal movement or call abort; only the original damaged room is permanently lost on opening. **Under the pending candidate**, if the astronaut dies here the armed line runs inside a bounded window in which creatures and hazards are frozen and cannot act on, block or damage him, and he reaches the named abort refuge before the shift |
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| At abort refuge | An interrupted transfer reaches its designated destination | Defer under the bounded waiting rule, or bring fresh travel air, recheck the current short route and restock the same abort destination |
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| Sent / colony | Dorn is inside the ship and the airlock closes | His authored interpretation and proposed canister-packing contribution become available aboard |
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| Prepared | Travel air connected and confirmed **by Dorn**; chosen short route traversed this life; designated abort refuge stocked; route equipment ready; the current encounter quiet; and a retreat line armed that he can operate without the astronaut. The handed-over canister must read at or above the route's **full-attempt return mark** — the outward attempt plus the longest return from any committed segment, including cycling back out of an unclosed ship airlock — confirmed on the local preparation gauge | Request movement; Dorn confirms readiness and his preference. An under-supplied request refuses before the refuge door opens |
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| In transfer | Dorn accepts and leaves | Hold the ordinary horde, operate controls, signal movement or call abort; only the original damaged room is permanently lost on opening. **Under the safeguard pending owner decision**, if the astronaut dies here the armed line runs inside a limited window in which creatures and hazards are frozen and cannot act on, block or damage him, and he reaches the named abort refuge before the shift |
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| At abort refuge | An interrupted transfer reaches its designated destination | Defer under the waiting rule, or bring fresh travel air, recheck the current short route and restock the same abort destination |
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| Sent / colony | Dorn is inside the ship and the airlock closes | His interpretation and canister-packing contribution become available aboard |
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The short defence uses ordinary hordes. Clearing the route first can reduce pressure but does not promise an empty crossing. The astronaut chooses route, timing, diversion and abort; Dorn crosses under his own power, operates controls and can call an abort. Both staged movement and continuous escort require survivor behaviour; neither has been demonstrated here.
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The short defence uses ordinary hordes. Clearing the route first can reduce pressure but does not promise an empty crossing. The astronaut chooses route, timing, diversion and abort; Dorn crosses under his own power, operates controls and can call an abort. Both staged movement and continuous escort require survivor behaviour.
## Failure and continuation
| Outcome | Persistent result | Player's next choice |
|---|---|---|
| Postpone or abort before departure | Dorn stays in the current refuge; its waiting support remains. Uncommitted equipment and installations follow their existing rules | Continue another objective, revise preparation, or retrieve available equipment |
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| Ordinary interruption during the short crossing | Original room remains vented if already opened; Dorn returns to the one present prepared abort vestibule, unsent. Actual travel air and waiting reserve commitments stay spent | Recheck the current short route, supply fresh travel air and restock the same destination; recover available committed equipment or defer |
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| Ordinary interruption during the short crossing | Original room remains vented if already opened; Dorn returns to the prepared abort vestibule, unsent. Actual travel air and waiting reserve commitments stay spent | Recheck the current short route, supply fresh travel air and restock the same destination; recover available committed equipment or defer |
| Astronaut dies before a departure | Everything still carried returns aboard with the astronaut. Dorn remains in his current waiting refuge, not necessarily the original room | Resume rescue, recover committed equipment, or pursue another objective after revival |
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| Astronaut dies during transfer | Everything still carried returns aboard. **This row was a local intention for this scene, never a universal rule.** Under the pending candidate the world outcome is that Dorn reaches the named abort refuge alive and unsent — and the astronaut does **not** learn it: the abort door leaves a closure tell on the local refuge control only, nothing is transmitted aboard, so his present state is unconfirmed knowledge until the player reaches that refuge again and observes it | Resume with fresh supplies and a fresh current-route check; the shift has made the old route historical |
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| Astronaut dies during transfer | Everything still carried returns aboard. Under the safeguard pending owner decision, Dorn reaches the named abort refuge alive and unsent — and the astronaut does **not** learn it: the abort door leaves a closure tell on the local refuge control only, nothing is transmitted aboard, so his present state is unconfirmed until the player reaches that refuge again and observes it | Resume with fresh supplies and a fresh current-route check; the shift has made the old route historical |
| Astronaut dies after Sent | Dorn remains aboard; everything still carried returns with the astronaut | Continue with Dorn still part of the colony |
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Requests, radio confirmations and a crossing in progress never count as Sent, and neither does standing inside an **unclosed** ship airlock: that delivery freezes at the lethal instant, and under the candidate he cycles stationward on his own reserved margin rather than closing the airlock himself to finish the mission. If a final approach cannot supply that survivor-operated return, the marked margin and a local tell, the crossing is not eligible to begin and he waits. Failure is locally reversible but consumes travel air and staged reserves already spent and may leave installations committed. It creates no death-cache trip or replacement tax. This does not establish trust penalties, injury, permanent deterioration or universal immunity. A different rescue may need a separate explicit outcome and an owner decision about its stakes.
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Requests, radio confirmations and a crossing in progress never count as Sent, and neither does standing inside an **unclosed** ship airlock: that delivery freezes at the lethal instant, and under the pending safeguard he cycles stationward on his own reserved margin rather than closing the airlock himself to finish the mission. If a final approach cannot supply that survivor-operated return, the marked margin and a local tell, the crossing is not eligible to begin and he waits. Failure is locally reversible but consumes travel air and staged reserves already spent and may leave installations committed.
## Alternative and accepted costs
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The earlier continuous-escort comparison explains the original tradeoff, but a long escort is outside the owner's constraint, and a repeated refuge chain is outside this proposed one-junction scene. The current short-route comparison retains preferences, cooperation and the canister commitments at one junction. Reopen its local design if the crossing feels automatic, Dorn's actions are unclear, or the short defence cannot carry the intended human stake. No written comparison proves balance, emotional impact, feasibility or campaign duration.
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The earlier continuous-escort comparison explains the original tradeoff, but a long escort is ruled out (cooperative rescue must stay short), and a repeated refuge chain is outside this one-junction scene. The current short-route comparison retains preferences, cooperation and the canister commitments at one junction. Reopen its local design if the crossing feels automatic, Dorn's actions are unclear, or the short defence cannot carry the intended human stake.
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## Open questions
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- These rules are untested; numbers are proposals.
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- The protected retreat in [Death Shift and Rescue Continuity](/Hold%20The%20Flood/Death%20Shift%20And%20Rescue%20Continuity) — the frozen window in which Dorn walks alone to the abort refuge after the astronaut dies mid-transfer — is pending owner decision.
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- Global survivor loss is undecided; the waiting convention here is not a general guarantee that survivors cannot worsen or die.
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- A different rescue may need a separate explicit outcome and an owner decision about its stakes.
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- The direct route's population/hazard connection has unknown contents and severity.
