Tales of Rimworld

Dreamer's Aftermath (Timur colony)

Singh's perspective

In her late fifties, Singh had a passion for cooking, not because she could work near the generous hop field that promised the production of a ton of beers. Having spent her life as a low-wage worker, she never imagined being part of an actual family. Joining the Spa Resort was her new chance at life, where her actions would matter, becoming the cook and the doctor of the resort. She eventually met a fellow alcoholic, Trumpet, and they mixed so well that they ended up getting married. The decision of having a booze stash in their bedroom was received with both frowns and chuckles.

"Oh my Randy! Can you not stash beers in your bedroom?!" an irritated Jennifer exclaimed when she found the beer shelf.

Jennifer's husband, Timur, let a nervous chuckle, "At least they keep it in the bedroom?"

Everything seemed perfect, the spa resort was doing fine, it was the end of winter, and her Timur's adopted child, Victor, had finally found his significant other. Singh didn't have much problems getting along with her stepson, though they never became the greatest friends either. And yet, the rimworld had other plans. When Randy giveth, Randy taketh.

The first one to fall in the evening was Timur, being cowardly ambushed by the metallic monsters. The echoes of gunshot ran through the valley, reaching the spa resort. Everyone fought valiantly, while Singh was waiting next to the battlefield to rescue the defenders. Ignoring her grumbling stomach, she tried her best, saving numerous lives that night, but she wasn't fast enough to save Victor who bled out on the hospital bed. Among the sterile tiles and antiseptic smell, death seemed to have found yet another victim.

To Singh's despair, the aftermath of the attack was messier than anticipated. Infections spread, morale was low, and the main farmer was out of commission for a few weeks, which meant that the fields wouldn't be ready for the harvesting season. On top of that, Jennifer silently took the pickup truck and drove away with one of her friends to Randy knows where, while Trumpet's approach of grief was to go catatonic in the middle of a river. Wincing, the old lady trudged against the current to rescue her lover, the shallow water was still cold from the fading winter. With great efforts, she pulled Trumpet onto the shore before carrying him back to the hospital. Each step heavier than the previous ones.

With Jennifer absent, it was up to Singh to bury the dead, as she was the only family member left standing. There was still Konny, Timur's biological son, but it would have been too cruel to force a 6-year-old to bury his own parent. Thus, ignoring the frozen gore on her stepson and his adopted son, Singh's summoned all her strength to put them to rest in a hastily constructed wood sarcophagus. It was quite ironic to store these bodies next to the shredder, but Singh knew that the rimworld didn't care. None would care as long as their bodies would be preserved in freezing temperatures.

All that mattered right now, was reconstructing the spa resort and to rebuild themselves mentally.

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Trumpet's perspective

Having lost his son Timur was already a huge blow, but disasters kept happening, it never seemed to stop. Trumpet Mayo had tried to cope with the grief, having drowned himself in alcohol and going catatonic, he was slowly trudging on the slope of recovery. It was only when the spa resort was hit with the plague that things kept getting even worse. Half of the staff got infected, which became a burden as the colony burned through its stockpile of medicine. Despite having traded fur and leather for industrial medicines in the nearby settlements, the spa resort was left in a dire situation. The tightly packed shelf of the hospital saw its supplies melt away as the doctors were working tirelessly to tend to the sick. Even Singh had to wake up late at night to tend to the patients. To make matters worse, a horde of mangy waste rats had set its scaria infected eyes on the human activity.

A seemingly unstoppable tide of raging critters, unafraid of gunshots or fire. The defence against the 50-strong pack was not without its lot of injuries as the infested rodents were quite nimble, easily overwhelming the thin defensive line. Many colonists suffered from numerous scratches and bite marks from the pests, which required even more medicine to be used to avoid even more infections from the pungent animals. The once opulent medical facility saw its tiles stained with blood while its stockpiles vanished. Between the painful moans of the injured, the hurried footsteps of the medical staff made it hard for people to calm down.

As for the old Trumpet, feeling like he had weathered the storm, he decided to go to bed for some well earned rest. "Looks like we've got it under control. We'll handle the aftermath, honey. Get some rest," Singh declared to send off Trumpet. "I'll patch up the others and go to bed after a quick shower."

"What a hectic day, I can barely stand. I'll probably be fast asleep when you're back," Trumpet replied with an exhausted sigh. "Don't wear yourself out, dear."

Dragging his old body to his bedroom, he collapsed on the bed before immediately falling asleep. However, while he was in a peaceful state, fate decided to claim more lives in the Mayo family: his daughter-in-law Jennifer and his grandson Konny. Left unchecked, Jennifer's plague defeated her as she was laying on the hospital bed, her lifeless body slumping after many hours of a painful fever. She had come back from her trip, having scourged the region for more medicine while fighting her illness on the road. As if on cue, Konny who was fighting the plague in the bed next to his mother decided to give up resisting, be it unconsciously or intentionally. The child was only 6 years old when the rim claimed his life. He was the first child born in the colony. Had he grown up to become an adult, he would have inherited the spa resort, following his parents' dream.

When he will wake up, Trumpet will have to handle the news of the death of his family. He, who initially came to the rim to rekindle his relationship with his son, has to make a choice. The spa resort was the dream of his son and his wife, but with them gone, what was the purpose of continuing? He would need to consult his therapist, the beer bottle, but even that is no longer available.Maybe his wife Singh would convince him to not give up on running the spa resort?