My Cyclops, the Nautilus [Spoilers]

Hey everyone! I'm a huge fan of Subnautica and can't wait to play the new release in the series, and given how I've had the tremendous privilege of watching my brother play through the original game this week, I'm reminded of the journey I went through near the end of my play through, and I've always wanted to share that experience with everyone. Now seemed like a good time! Bear with me, it's a little lengthy. Also, if/when I get area names wrong or say something dumb, I apologize in advance, it's been a while!

Like it says in the title, spoilers for late-game areas.

**Starting the Game**

So coming back from Spring Break last year I (along with everyone) was faced with the pandemic. Working from home, I very quickly had to get into a routine and daily schedule of things to do around my apartment. Between getting doing my job virtually, making my meals at home, going to an outdoor (and vacant) track to exercise, I needed something to play to help break the monotony. I had heard of Subnautica for a while and finally decided to download it onto my PS4!

I was definitely blown away by the game itself. As someone who never got into Minecraft, the "scavenging-survival" gameplay was a first for me, but what I didn't realize was how much the in-game missions would resonate with me and the current situation. As I slowly but surely built up my base from nothing and added elements to make my time in that watery hellhole easier, I felt a certain...I don't know, relatability I suppose? Obviously me experiencing lockdown in an apartment and a character trapped on "Waterworld in Space" are different, but I couldn't help but feel a kinship to the game's experience. Soon enough, doing daily things around the my home would remind me of the necessity and fun I felt during Subnautica, and the various activities like scavenging or building in Subnautica would have that extra feeling of determination akin to how I felt those days in the real world. In the game and in life, I was going to survive, no matter what.

Did I mention that even before playing this game I had a thing with sea monsters and deep open water? Yeah. Biiiiiiiiiiig scary time for me. I wanted to play though, so I cringed my way through the scary bits and charged ahead anyway.

**My Cyclops is Born**

When I managed to finally get my Cyclops made, I was ecstatic. It was like every feeling I had as a kid of opening a new Transformer or getting to ride on a train rolled into one giant submersible thingy. I loved everything about it! Getting to enter and hear the A.I. coldly snark out "Welcome aboard, 'Captain'...all systems online!" (I couldn't help but envision those quotes around "captain," like the A.I. couldn't believe they had to say it.) Placing things inside for prep work like lockers, plant beds for my melons, and a fabricator. Even giving myself a bed and placing some posters around it to make it feel even more like home. Plus, the idea of a mobile base? Just too great.

As a kid, I loved the story of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." So naturally, I decided to name my Cyclops "Nautilus-II." Just my way of making a goofy salute to Jules Verne and Captain Nemo as I faced my fears in the ocean.

After loading up the Prawn Suit, a buttload of modules, and I don't even know how many power cells, I was determined that this base was going to last forever!

Until I realized what I'd have to do with it...

**That One Stupid Resource...**

Now in order to finish building the rocket to leave, one of the resources needed is kyanite. Frigging, frigging kyanite...which of course is ONLY available in one of (if not THE) deepest spot in the game...the volcanic zone. Which of COURSE is too deep for your Seamoth, so the only recourse...is to take your Cyclops down there.

Naturally, when I found out about this I panicked considerably. The Nautilus-II was just as much a home to me as my main base was! I didn't want to risk it getting destroyed by leviathans down there! But I wanted to finish the game, so I read what advice I could, souped up some last defenses...and set off for the big dive.

**The Descent**

The route I ended up taking went past/through the Bulb Zone I think, into a dark area with a ridiculous amount of Bone Sharks and Amp Eels, which then went downward into a massive cavernous drop that led into the Lost River. I had mapped out the route down ahead of time with beacons and my Seamoth, so it was nerve-wracking but smooth sailing. The goal was going to be to take the same route out that I took in. Easy, right?

Lost River was fairly uneventful, until I got to the spot in question: a hole deep within the green and misty caverns that dropped straight down into the Inactive Lava Zone. Only problem? That entrance is guarded by a nasty Ghost Leviathan who haunts that spot. We're gonna call this douchey Ghost Leviathan...Chet.

So from a distance, it was simply a matter of waiting for Chet to start swimming in the opposite direction from my ship, and then barrel in above the hole and descend like crazy before they could catch me. Incredibly...that worked. Once I started the descent I heard Chet snarl a bit so I'm sure they saw/heard me but chose to not follow. I was elated...I just never realized that I would see Chet again...

**Hey, Something IS Burning Around Here!**

Parking the Nautilus-II a safe distance down the entrance, I got to work eliminating all the little Lava Larvae in the area, and once I was sure my ship would be all right, I loaded up my Prawn Suit and set off to go do story stuff and find resources. Despite my monstrous nervousness and fears going in (including a nail-biting sprint into the lab entrance while pursued by the Sea Dragon Leviathan), I managed to get all of the story stuff taken care of, as well as fetch more than enough kyanite to make it so I wouldn't have to come back to this area again! Feeling a rising sense of hope, I returned to the Nautilus-II (amazingly still at around 80% power, thank you 2 engine efficiency mods), and started to head on back home!

**Lost River 2: The Revenge of Chet**

Like I mentioned above, the plan was to just ascend out quickly and charge out through the Lost River the way I entered. Was supposed to go off without a hitch.

Remember Chet? Ugly, overly aggressive, does nothing but swim in loopy circles?

Upon exiting the hole back into the Lost River, Chet comes roaring out of the baby poop-colored shadows with a vengeance, retaliating from their earlier humiliation! I hadn't thought I would have to defend myself that quickly.

So naturally, things went bad incredibly fast.

First order of business? Deploy the creature decoy! I unloaded two of them in quick succession, and made for my escape at standard speed (bear in mind I normally traveled at slow 98% of the time). I was confident I was gonna be okay.

Chet was not going to be deterred though. For some reason, they ignored BOTH the decoys and rammed straight into the side of my ship, and attacked for massive damage! To make matters worse, as I turned to try and get away, the Nautilus-II scraped very painfully into a wall.

Alarms were blaring. Fires were breaking out. I barely managed to turn on the shielding before the ship tilted at a slanted angle. As my character slid backwards away from the controls, I thankfully stopped due to an indoor plant bed. Gaining traction, I started charging for the cockpit to try and regain control...when the doors slammed shut, and the fire suppression systems kicked in to possibly(?) help stem the tide.

At this moment I was almost in tears. I was locked out of the cockpit, I couldn't see outside the ship, outside was one of the game's nastiest creatures with me sitting there idle, the shield was draining my power, and I felt utterly helpless. My Cyclops, the digital home-away-from-home that I had spent so much time building up and caring for, was on the verge of being destroyed. I hadn't been using the luxury of hard saves either: if it blew up here, I was done for.

And as I sat there, half-praying and half-ready to pounce the moment the suppression systems shut off...the doors unlocked and I had a chance.

**LET'S GO ALREADYYYYYYYYY!!!!**

First things first: I had to get outside and assess the damage. Nautilus-II was hanging on with 35% health, so I still had a chance if I acted quickly. After swapping out some power cells and shutting off the shield, I gingerly steered the ship quietly away from the wall, before creeping outside for damage control. It was bad; the side of the ship had gouges and scrapes all over it. Fortunately, I was quick with the repair tool to fix it all up.

And where was Chet? I have no idea. Maybe they finally decided to go after the creature decoys? I don't really know. Miraculously though, I managed to get all the damage repaired without a hitch. After doing a quick run-through inside the vessel, I was ready to try and get out again!

When guess who started showing up on the radar again? Chet, you need a hobby. Other than this one.

I blasted in the complete opposite direction, not even entirely sure where I was headed...seeing as how I was going the opposite direction from where I had exited the hole, this route being one I had not explored yet. At this point though, I didn't even care. I was GOING to survive, and so would my ship.

I ended up passing through a chamber that had one of the Precursor alien cubes in it...it had tentacles reaching from each side, not 100% sure which one this was, but based on the green ambiance I think it was still in Lost River. Not in a place where I was willing to deal with Chet again, I went past it through a tunnel, hoping for a way out.

I emerged in an area filled with rocks, and one particular Crab Squid that tried to get up in my face, but I just charged forward. The minute I emerged from the tunnel I started trying to ascend, deathly terrified I was going to end up in the Void if I wasn't careful. Trying to rise up quickly and yet carefully, my ship nudged against more than a few rocks/structures and made me jump every time.

Finally, I just gunned the controls to climb upwards. I knew at this point I was either going to survive the journey or crash (or get mauled by Chet's inbred extended family).

And then...I saw light streaming through the surface as the Nautilus-II broke the surface! I did a hard pause as I celebrated in my apartment like a madman, and before I knew it I had tears running down my face. I had done it; in the dark depths of the water, when everything had seemed pointless and bleak, I had managed to pull myself together and make it through!

Needless to say, I pointed myself in the direction of my base and drove like mad. I had made it back home, and was finally safe.

**No Regrets**

As I finished the game, it was...surprisingly bittersweet, taking one last walk through my base and through the battle-scarred insides of the Nautilus-II. I was about to say goodbye to these places that had been a place of respite and comfort for me for quite some time, especially when in the actual world I and everyone were confined at home.

I was proud though, and I like to think that even after my character left the planet, the Nautilus-II would stay proud. Even when it would eventually run out of power and slumber in the shallows, its dreams should be peaceful ones...and ones of pride. It was a ship that went to hell and back, and for that I'll always be grateful.

Thank you to those of you who stuck through reading this, I know it was incredibly verbose and cheesy in more than one aspect. I appreciate you awesome people who make this community amazing, and best of luck through your journey in this game!

Edit: Yes, the title is missing the "-II" for the name of my Cyclops. I am ashamed.