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Field Rations

The 24 hour field ration sustains Tharsisian soldiers in the field. The canned items are sealed and heated externally to ensure food safety, and the utilitarian labels are adhered with animal based glue. The blended lichen and paulownia flower nutrition bar has two components: The first, gene boosted lichen, grows in regolith with minimal care, and so serves as an inexpensive source of dietary fiber and micronutrients. To prepare lichens as a foodstuff, indigestible polysaccharides are hydrolyzed by steaming. The paulownia flower ingredient comes from the fast growing paulownia tree, best known for its straight grained wood that can by harvested and quickly regenerated from the stump. Paulownia trees are also used to condition soil by removing heavy metals and other contaminants. Screech powder and tea sachets serve to improve the flavor of water with an unpalatable mineral concentration. Complete proteins are supplied by sausage, beans, and rice, and a vitamin packet nutritionally rounds out the meal.

Heating tablets capable of burning in the absence of oxygen are used to thaw frozen cans. The large ration tin is painted with a target that can be used to zero a weapon in the field.

The pistol is of native manufacture, but closely modeled after an Earth design. The original Makarov 9mm was originally developed in Russia, later to be reverse-engineered and rebadged as the RP-9. Also shown is a preconfigured explosives train (INERT) used to initiate secondary charges. It consists of a pole igniter, a time fuse, and a blasting cap.

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