One Problem At A Time

One Problem At A Time is the first full episode of Marsfall, following the prelude, and starts the first season.

Description
After arriving on Mars, our colonists find out things are quite different than expected as they take their first steps on the Red Planet.

Episode Audio
Official Release

Episode Transcript
Official Transcript

Episode Summary
The episode opens with Jacki O'Rania recording an outgoing message to her parents. She talks about entering stasis, and receiving a message from her ex-girlfriend, Katie. She tells them she loves them, and signs off.

She then wakes up harshly from stasis to ANDI shouting at her. She tries to get a grip on her surroundings, and ANDI informs her that most of the colony is in lock-down and he can't override it. She crawls through a vent to escape the locked pod room, and ANDI directs her toward a fire in the barracks. She finds Melissa Walker unconscious and caught in the door. Jacki forces the door further open, when Chip Heddleston arrives and redirects her again toward habitation.

In habitation, colonists are trapped in their pods due to atmospheric failure. They try to break open pods, but many people suffocate. Chip suggests Jacki forces a reboot, and she turns off ANDI and all controls in the room. Once ANDI comes back online, the pods unlock, and while Jacki wants to stay and help, ANDI alerts her of another distress call. Jacki argues that someone else should do it, but she learns that she's the only commander showing vitals.

She brings Chip with her, and they find that leaking methane from the greenhouse has likely already killed anyone in stasis in the monastery. They choose to vent the gas by widening the breach to the surface of Mars. As they suit up to do so, ANDI informs Jacki of a message from Earth he finished decoding. Only the end of the message was salvageable.

They cut the wall of the monastery, and Jacki shouts as she notices trees outside. She explains to Chip that that means they've been in stasis at least ten years. They investigate the plants, but ANDI interrupts them to vent the room. They seal the breach, and Jacki becomes excited to explore the surface as soon as they can, asking Chip to ready the rovers. He argues it's too soon, but does as she asks.

As the emergency dies down, Jacki asks ANDI about repairing his visuals, which have been off since they all woke up. She sets herself up to repair from the exterior of the colony, and ANDI informs her that communication systems in general are experiencing significant interference.

They find the surface is surprisingly warm, and there's wind and fog. Jacki makes her way to repair the cable, and ANDI asks her if she's scared, and she explains what it's like. ANDI reminds her she'll never be alone, since he'll always be nearby.

Back inside, Keila Levy, a medic, asks to give her a onceover in med bay. Jacki checks on the status of everyone who was injured, and Keila informs that anyone alive is stable. ANDI informs Jacki of a distress beacon several kilometres away, and Jacki makes plans to try to get exploration underway as soon as possible.

The episode ends with a personal log from Jacki. She makes note of the extensive damages, the deaths, and how overwhelmed she is. But she's excited too, and comments on how beautiful the jungle and sunrise is. She claims they have to start somewhere.

Characters

 * ANDI
 * Jacki O'Rania
 * Chip Heddleston
 * Keila Levy (debut)


 * Katie Hall (mentioned)
 * Melissa Walker (mentioned)
 * Hector Juarez (mentioned)
 * Arnold Flint (mentioned)
 * Mateo Alvirez (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This episode was originally titled "Chapter 1 - Jacki", as it followed the story from Jacki's perspective.
 * This episode begins on October 26, 2047.
 * ANDI questions Jacki on the experience of fear, unsure if he'll ever experience that emotion. He will, as by the second season, ANDI makes several mentions of feeling scared.