297 orig.

You are a member of the broader human resistance movement. You came to this area of the coast seeking shelter, perhaps seeking technology, maybe even on a simple patrol. You, and those with you, discovered something almost otherworldly. A tremendous metal whale; beached, seemingly lifeless. The hulking wreck of the submarine was foreboding at first, but before long it became a refuge from the violent weather, the pounding seas, and the relentless searching of the Combine.

Although it appeared dead from the outside, forsaken by those who once dwelled within its steel hull, the vessel's nuclear heart still beats. Its aging reactor is unstable, but still capable of providing electricity to run those few systems which remain operational. It wasn't long before the science team sent out their feelers, appropriating parts as they saw fit and jury-rigging a power take-off for a nearby camp.

Life in the submarine is not easy. While the pressure hull is almost intact, the boat groans and creaks under the battering she receives from the seas. Water finds its way in through improperly closed hatches and broken piping. Nobody is entirely sure if the reactor is safe; the creeping suspicion that it is slowly killing them haunts many of the current residents, and the gentle hum of the boat is a constant and sinister reminder of this fear – despite also being a comfort from the howling gales outside. Repairs are constantly made to the ship's systems, a mixture of ingenuis improvisation and resourceful scavenging. While most of the group are literate in Russian, the technical details of the few documents left aboard are almost a whole other language in their own right, and even the scientists struggle to decipher the boat's secrets, now  over half a century old.

In order to lessen the risk of radiation sickness, and to keep those aboard the boat focused, the group rotates through it. Those not dwelling within the thick steel coccoon reside in a shanty town just inland, camouflaged from the prying eyes of Airwatch above. It is here you have made your erstwhile home.