Amazingly well written!

There are some pacing issues such as the fights feeling a bit too... the text is more than i want, making me just skip ahead of repetitive paragraphs. As i read in one comments on game design in a different context, it was like "if you feel compelled to skip ahead, the game has failed". The way i would suggest to alleviate that is to have some paragraphs that appear normally the first one or two times, and then you would get more familiar with the repetitive things and the paragraph for it would just be shorter, making me more compelled to actually read through it rather than skip ahead. Also these shorter paragraphs may have multiple variations to feel a bit more unique.

However, despite that, i love most things that aren't combat, and unique encounters in combat are also way more interesting. Especially that weird feeling when i first went to the desert and two bots just... gifted me chips. That felt very spot on when the story progressed.

Also about combat, some choices feel like they don't matter, like the turn left or right when sliding down a tube, without knowing much about it. Maybe you could utilize the upgrades, such as the ferrous sight to give the player a bit more feeling that this choice isn't just a coin flip.

Sometimes it feels weird how every single thing is spun and conditioned in such a way to just, give you chips, with some exceptions. That's a cool way you did it, but there may be some more variability, though i don't think this is the main focus of the game so don't take my word for it.

All in all thank you a lot for the great experience! The nitpicks above are just because i cared enough about it to try and share some thoughts on possible improvements. Because you cared about your game, and made me care about it too!

To share a positive thing, i really, like REALLY loved the part where you go to area 36 or whatever it's number was, and shut down the AI. The writing there was amazing. These illusions, the logical attack of the "third me", who was the "second" and convinced me that i'm infected.

Also that time you fall with the Marshall and kill yourself. I already knew what the plan was, after a little bit of thought, and i love how the story was just so focused not on the fact that this was the only way, but on expanding what i already thought, which is the why behind it. That moral choice of "do i let him die knowing i will not, or do i save him, risking my ship's remaining fuel".

Parts of the story like that really crushed me back from the awful idea of most games where i just have the upgrades and now i'm free to do as i please, and nothing can stop me. This is quite the opposite and i love it. There was something fascinating me about the idea that, if i say the wrong thing, my whole existence will come crashing down. Vulnerability, risk, knowing that what you say really matters. This is why i felt it was so important to mention choices that don't matter and to try to improve them.

So yeah, hope this helps at least a little and have a great time developing in the way you love!